So... regardless of whether Rose was actually in the village and castle before him, Ethan had no choice but to investigate. This was his only option!
And so,
Without hesitation, Ethan headed straight toward the village in the snowy valley below. As he drew closer,
Ethan realized that this place indeed had nothing to do with the fantasy land of Avalon he had imagined. Just as he approached,
Ethan discovered a dead horse on the path at the edge of the village. It had been eviscerated, and its blood had dried and coagulated on the snow.
If it weren't for the natural refrigerator effect of the freezing snow, the horse's carcass would likely have already rotted and emitted a sky-filling stench.
Beside the path, there was even a hanging black goat's head, with crows cawing noisily above it. The entire village exuded an aura of death, feeling incredibly oppressive and making one feel very uneasy.
And most importantly,
Ethan didn't find any sign of living people in the village. Not even a living creature, let alone a person; it was as if this were a deserted village.
*Rustle, rustle, rustle...*
"What on earth is going on with this village?"
Looking at the eerie and terrifying abandoned village before him, Ethan warily pulled out the axe he had found in the wooden shack from the blanket wrapped around him.
This was the only weapon he had for self-defense.
After bracing himself mentally, Ethan walked slowly toward the largest wooden house ahead, his grip tightening on the axe, ready to attack at any moment.
However,
Ethan didn't notice,
That not long after he stepped into the village,
The horse carcass left by the roadside just moments ago had already been dragged away, leaving only a patch of black blood on the ground.
From time to time, the sound of something being dragged came from the surrounding snow, as if something invisible was prowling around the outskirts of the village.
"Hey, is anyone there...?"
Meanwhile,
Just as Ethan entered the dilapidated wooden house, he called out tentatively to inquire.
The entire interior of the house looked as if it had been ransacked—shredded sofas, peeling wallpaper, broken floorboards, and various pots and pans strewn across the floor.
It was essentially no different from the snowy shack where he had previously woken up from unconsciousness, and the air was thick with the smell of decay.
But... the moment Ethan's voice faded,
A strange noise indeed came from within the dilapidated house, as if someone had noticed Ethan's arrival, but it quickly fell silent again.
"Is someone there...?"
Faced with this clear movement,
Ethan naturally took notice.
Holding his axe, he slowly approached the source of the sound. Soon, he arrived before a curtained doorway to a narrow room.
Ethan was certain the noise just now had come from inside. With a hint of doubt and curiosity, Ethan reached out, intending to pull back the curtain.
*Click... BOOM—!!!!!!*
But clearly,
The person behind the curtain was faster than Ethan. Just as he reached out to pull it back, a deafening gunshot rang out immediately.
Fire spat from the shotgun,
The sprayed pellets whizzed past Ethan's head due to a shaky aim, striking the wall behind him. A terrified voice came from behind the curtain:
"Who...?! Who are you—?!!!"
And soon,
A white-haired old man in thin clothes and a hat stepped out, pointing a shotgun. His wrinkled face was filled with terror and panic.
His eyes darted left and right as if he were afraid of something, and he kept questioning Ethan's origin.
At the same time, he showed no intention of lowering his firearm.
Undoubtedly, the thing the old man truly feared was not Ethan, the outsider, but the horrific things prowling outside the village.
"Sorry, my name is Ethan. I didn't mean to startle you,"
"I got lost in the mountains and saw a village here, so I came to see if anyone could help me..."
Ethan, completely unaware of what the old man was afraid of, explained in a calm tone.
But the old man's reaction was incredibly paranoid. He paced around the room with his shotgun, peering through the window to search for the monsters outside.
Because the old man knew the shot he just fired was too reckless.
The monsters prowling outside the village had already heard the gunshot and would soon be converging on their location.
"Outsider, you're an outsider..."
"No, there's no time. I don't have time to explain. They're coming. Do you have a gun? Tell me, do you have a gun...?!"
The old man didn't pay much attention to Ethan's identity.
His eyes remained fixed on the situation outside the window. He darted his gaze and paced back and forth, appearing extremely frantic, as if facing imminent death.
Ethan, however, found the old man's mention of "them" very confusing.
He didn't know what they were that could make the old man so afraid. Were they bandits or robbers?
In reality, they were far more terrifying than bandits or robbers.
The so-called "them" were actually Lycans, the result of failed e-mold fusion mutations.
They were once villagers, but after failing to fuse during Mother Miranda's experiments, they turned into a pack of horrific, hideous Lycans.
Strong of body, possessing great power and thick fur, with sharp fangs growing from their mouths,
They would tear into any living thing with their fangs. These Lycans were previously controlled by Mother Miranda,
But after deciding to kill the villagers,
Mother Miranda released these Lycans to pillage and slaughter throughout the village at will.
By now, more than half of the village's food had been taken, and nearly ninety percent of the villagers were dead, with fewer than ten survivors hiding within the village.
"Them...?"
"Who are they?"
Seeing the panicked old man, Ethan also became somewhat wary.
Though he didn't know what it was, looking at the old man's expression, it had to be some kind of terrifying monster.
Thinking of this,
Ethan gripped the axe in both hands, ready for battle at any moment.
His close-quarters combat ability was naturally much weaker than the protagonists of previous Resident Evil titles; one could even say he was the weakest.
After all, he came from a white-collar background.
He had no formal military training. The only thing he could rely on was the immortality granted by the Mold, allowing him to trade blows and risk his life against enemies.
"Wait..."
"A gun, a gun... take this. They're coming. Look after yourself...!"
Seeing the axe in Ethan's hand, the old man frowned. He quickly ran into the room, grabbed a handgun, and thrust it into Ethan's hands.
Then he resumed his vigilant stance with his shotgun, staring fixedly outside, terrified of missing even the slightest unusual movement.
*Heh heh heh heh heh...*
*Roar roar roar roar roar roar roar—!!!!!!*
At the same time,
Just as Ethan took the handgun, a low growl came from outside the house, no different from that of a wild beast.
Rustling sounds moved quickly outside, jumping onto the roof one moment and prowling around the house the next.
The terrifying growls reaching his ears,
Caused the already high-strung old man to finally snap under the mental pressure.
The moment he saw a dark shadow flash past the window, he immediately pulled the trigger of his shotgun.
*Click... BOOM—!!!!*
A loud bang,
Fire spat, and the pellets erupted again, but the aim was off once more.
Due to the extreme mental stress, hitting a target under such circumstances was incredibly difficult.
Having emptied his double-barreled shotgun with the second shot, the old man's face paled. He fumbled to pull shells from his pocket to reload.
But in the next second,
*Crack, crack... Thud...*
*Roar roar roar roar roar—!!!!!*
A sudden change occurred.
The wooden ceiling above was suddenly smashed open, and a hairy arm lunged inside.
Sharp claws grabbed the old man's head in an instant.
Before Ethan could react, the old man was swiftly dragged up into the attic above. Wood splinters flew, and he vanished in the blink of an eye...
Volume 10: Resident Evil Village, Revenge: Chapter 14: For You, I Am Willing to Become a Lycan
"Gone... he's gone?!"
"What kind of monster was that?!"
Inside the dilapidated house, Ethan looked at the dark hole in the ceiling and the vanished old man, his face shocked and his heart pounding as he murmured to himself.
He hadn't been able to react at all; the old man had disappeared right before his eyes in an instant, filling Ethan with immense dread.
*Heh heh heh heh...*
*Roar roar roar roar—!!!!!*
However,
Before Ethan could process what was happening,
Another loud crash came from the hole above as the entire ceiling gave way.
A black figure covered in fur leaped down, baring sharp fangs and snarling as it lunged fiercely toward Ethan.
*Bang, bang, bang...!!!*
Seeing this,
Ethan reacted instinctively and fired frantically, instantly emptying the handgun's magazine.
A series of bullets all struck the black figure's body, splashing blood everywhere.
But incredibly,
The black figure did not fall after being hit multiple times. Instead, it continued to tackle Ethan. In his panic, Ethan scrambled to block and struggle with his hands,
But the black figure bit off his fingers. Just like in the original story, he had two fingers bitten off right at the start.
*Squelch...*
"Aaaaagh—!!!!"
A cry of agony rang out.
The intense pain from his hand made Ethan howl out loud.
When he pulled his left hand back, he realized two of his fingers had been eaten, and blood was flowing onto his face.
This left Ethan both terrified and enraged.
In a fit of fury, he suddenly exploded with immense strength and kicked the black figure hard in the abdomen.