Following the map's guidance, our group quickly reached our destination, only to discover that the door to the research facility was inoperable, likely requiring a mechanism or a special key to open.
"Such a door..." Learning from my example of forceful entry, Chalid stepped forward to kick the iron door. Alas, this usually successful tactic failed miserably here, leaving Chalid nearly injuring his foot instead.
"Observe, this is no ordinary door; brute force won't open it. We need either a mechanism or explosives," Captain Enrique commented. As he turned to search for a switch, I nonchalantly pulled out a directional explosive device I had prepared earlier.
"Where did you get that?" Foster's eyes lit up at the sight of the device, a perfect tool for forced entries.
"Found it while searching the third floor," I lied, with Rebecca aiding in my deception. Naturally, everyone believed us.
"Yes, we used a similar bomb to breach a door on the third floor," Rebecca playfully winked at me, her blend of cheekiness and charm leaving me momentarily spellbound.
The explosive blasted the research facility's door open, but we faced a slight problem - we were on the third floor, and the path to the facility ran across a pond on the ground level. While I could easily jump down, it was too high for Rebecca.
Without hesitation, I leapt down first and gestured for Rebecca to jump into my arms. Hesitant but resolved, Rebecca closed her eyes and leaped towards me like a swallow returning to its nest.
"Oh dear, why close your eyes?" I thought, worried she might miss and land in the water. Fortunately, I reacted quickly, adjusting my position to catch her accurately, though the force of her landing sent me tumbling down, with Rebecca on top.
"Rebecca?" I couldn't help but laugh when I noticed she still had her eyes closed, sprawled on top of me.
"Senior Zhang Fan..." Rebecca opened her eyes, her face flushed with embarrassment. This was the closest we had ever been - just a breath away from each other, an intimacy never shared before.
"What are you two doing? We need to get moving!" Foster's teasing interrupted our moment, causing Rebecca to turn beet red. Despite the awkwardness, she offered me a hand, and I rose with a smile. This charming girl was growing dearer to me by the moment.
Crossing the bridge to the research facility, we found the main entrance blocked. This time, instead of using explosives, I simply shot the door lock open, allowing us to enter the facility with ease.
"Enemy attack!" Before we could fully assess the interior, a huge bat burst through the ceiling of the facility's hall.
"My God!" Chalid stared dumbfounded at the enormous bat, never having seen such a creature before. Smaller bats swarmed around it, adding to the eerie atmosphere.
"Open fire!" On Captain Enrique's command, we all began shooting. Although our gunfire could suppress the giant bat, the smaller bats were a constant nuisance, obscuring our vision and hindering our counterattack.
In this critical situation, I quickly thought of a solution. I pulled out a small bottle of medical alcohol from my pocket and hurled it into the densest cluster of bats. A single shot from my P229 ignited the alcohol, incinerating many of the smaller bats in a brilliant blaze.
"Well done!" Captain Enrique praised, not bothering to question the origin of the alcohol. As long as it helped defeat the enemy, any method was acceptable.
Enraged by the loss of its swarm, the giant bat charged straight at me, determined for a swift kill.
"Damn it, take this!" Foster, gritting his teeth, pulled out a grenade – a surprising and unauthorized arsenal.
"Grenade, throw it to me!" I yelled to Foster, who, after a brief hesitation, tossed the grenade my way.
Catching the grenade, I pulled the pin and timed my throw perfectly, landing it directly in the bat's gaping mouth. The explosion was massive, effectively ending the creature's rampage.
"150 game points, not bad," I thought, pleased with the outcome and the experience gain, bringing me closer to an upgrade.
"Brilliant!" Rebecca admired, thrilled by our success against the giant bat. Proudly, she watched me store the Magnum back into my hidden space, her awe of my mysterious abilities growing stronger.
"Everyone, gather! We've made an important discovery!" Captain Enrique's voice came through the radio just then. Eager to share our findings, Rebecca and I returned to the group, keeping our shared secret safe.
Reuniting with our team, we learned about the facility built atop a cliff with no direct exit. A backdoor, however, led to a research institute. Our search yielded valuable information, including a map revealing an escape route through the institute.
Heading to the third floor, the team was astonished by the giant centipede's carcass – a testament to our encounter. We continued on, our bond of trust and admiration growing with each challenge we faced.