The streets of Raccoon City stretched out like a labyrinth of despair as Azizah, Jill, Leon, and Kevin pressed forward toward Memorial Hospital. The group moved with purpose, their weapons drawn and senses sharp. Azizah couldn't help but feel a heavy weight pressing on her chest. The knowledge she had from the game about UBCS made her deeply suspicious, but she kept her concerns to herself.
"We're getting close," Jill said, her voice low but firm as they rounded a corner. "If the hospital's as bad as they say, we need to be ready for anything."
Leon scanned the area ahead with his flashlight. "This whole city feels like a trap. What's stopping Umbrella from ambushing us there?"
"Nothing," Azizah replied curtly, her baton resting at her side. "But we don't have many options."
Kevin gave a small chuckle, though there was no humor in it. "Great. I've always wanted to walk into a death trap."
As they approached the zoo area—a shortcut Jill suggested to avoid the more heavily infested main roads—Azizah's system chimed softly, sending a chill down her spine.
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System Alert
Hostile Entity Detected: Oscar (Zombie Elephant)
Objective: Survive the encounter and reach Memorial Hospital.
Bonus Objective: Protect all group members from critical injuries.
Reward: +150 Points, 3 Gacha Spins.
---
Azizah halted abruptly, holding up a hand. "Wait."
Jill turned, her eyes narrowing. "What is it?"
"We're not alone," Azizah said, scanning the area with her enhanced senses. The faint sound of something massive moving in the distance reached her ears—a slow, deliberate stomp that made the ground tremble slightly.
Leon frowned. "Is that... footsteps?"
Before anyone could respond, a guttural roar shattered the silence, echoing through the night air. Kevin raised his shotgun, his face pale. "That's not human."
Emerging from the shadows of the zoo's destroyed gates was Oscar, the enormous zombie elephant. Its decayed flesh hung in ragged strips, exposing sinew and bone beneath. Its eyes, clouded and lifeless, locked onto the group. The beast's tusks, cracked but still deadly, gleamed in the faint light as it let out another bone-chilling roar.
Jill cursed under her breath, her gun already aimed. "What the hell is that?"
Azizah swallowed hard, gripping her baton tighter. "Oscar. A zombie elephant from the zoo. It's fast, strong, and incredibly dangerous."
Leon blinked in disbelief. "Wait, you've seen this before?"
Before Azizah could answer, Oscar charged without warning, its massive frame barreling toward them like a freight train. The group scattered, each narrowly avoiding the elephant's deadly tusks as it plowed through a row of abandoned vehicles, sending debris flying.
"Spread out!" Jill shouted, firing a volley of bullets into Oscar's side. The bullets barely seemed to faze the creature, which roared in defiance and swung its head, narrowly missing her.
Azizah activated her Widow's Bite gauntlets, the electroshock energy humming to life. "Aim for its legs! We need to slow it down!"
Kevin and Leon nodded, opening fire on the creature's thick legs. The shots hit their mark, causing the beast to stagger briefly, but Oscar recovered quickly, its rage only intensifying. Azizah darted in, her enhanced reflexes allowing her to dodge a swipe of its massive trunk. She landed a powerful punch to its hind leg, the shock from her gauntlets stunning the beast momentarily.
"That's it!" Leon called out, reloading his handgun. "Keep it off balance!"
Oscar reared up on its hind legs, letting out a deafening roar before slamming down, creating a shockwave that sent Jill and Kevin tumbling to the ground. Azizah lunged forward, using her agility to grab Jill and pull her to safety just as Oscar's tusks came crashing down.
"You owe me one!" Azizah shouted, helping Jill to her feet.
"Noted," Jill replied, firing another round into Oscar's head. This time, the beast flinched, black ichor oozing from the wounds.
"Azizah, any bright ideas?" Kevin called out, his shotgun smoking from constant fire.
Azizah's system flashed another update:
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System Update
Weak Points Detected: Tusks and lower abdomen.
Strategy: Use explosives to shatter tusks and destabilize movement.
---
"We need explosives!" Azizah yelled, scanning the area. Her eyes landed on a pile of gas canisters near a ruined concession stand. "Over there! Draw it toward the canisters!"
Leon nodded, firing at Oscar's head to get its attention. "Come on, big guy! Over here!"
Oscar charged, its massive weight shaking the ground. As it neared the canisters, Jill tossed a grenade. The explosion was deafening, and the resulting blast shattered one of Oscar's tusks and sent the beast stumbling backward, bellowing in pain.
"Nice one!" Kevin cheered, but his celebration was cut short as Oscar regained its footing, now even more enraged.
Azizah took advantage of the chaos, sprinting toward the creature. Using her enhanced agility, she scaled a nearby structure and leaped onto Oscar's back. The beast thrashed violently, but Azizah clung tightly, activating her Widow's Bite gauntlets. She drove both fists into Oscar's exposed spine, sending a surge of electricity through its massive body.
The creature roared one final time before collapsing, its decayed body twitching before going still.
Azizah slid off the beast's back, her chest heaving as she deactivated her gauntlets. Jill approached, her expression a mix of awe and exhaustion. "You sure know how to handle yourself."
"Just doing what needed to be done," Azizah replied, brushing dust from her suit.
Leon surveyed the wreckage, his voice filled with disbelief. "A zombie elephant. That's a new one."
Kevin smirked. "Bet this'll make for a hell of a story later."
Azizah's system chimed again:
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Objective Completed: Survive the encounter with Oscar.
Bonus Objective Completed: Protect all group members from critical injuries.
Reward: +150 Points, 1 Gacha Spin
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With the beast defeated, the group regrouped and tended to their injuries. The hospital was still ahead, and the danger was far from over, but for now, they had survived. As they continued on, Azizah couldn't shake the feeling that Oscar was just a prelude to something far worse.
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To Be Continued…