Chapter 32: Traps and Fractures

The heavy wooden door closed behind her, cutting off the pungent smell of blood and rot from the dining room. Jill's palms, gripping her handgun, were slick with sweat, and her fingertips still trembled slightly from the shock of seeing Kenneth's corpse.

She searched the room on the right thoroughly. The vast space contained only dust-covered furniture, a precarious chandelier, and a few Zombie Hatchlings wandering in the corners; there was no passage to the outside, nor any clues regarding Wesker or Chris.

Now alone, with unknown dangers lurking everywhere in the Spencer Mansion, Jill didn't dare linger. Her only thought was to regroup with Barry as quickly as possible.

Two people together would be much safer than facing those man-eating monsters alone. She took a deep breath, suppressed the panic and grief in her heart, tightened her grip on her handgun, and turned to head back the way she came.

Stepping back into the west dining room, the metallic scent of blood in the air grew even stronger. Kenneth's body still lay in the aisle, stiff on the cold floor, the blood around him already dried and blackened.

Jill looked away, enduring the bitterness in her heart, and hurried to cross the dining room. But as she passed the corpse, her peripheral vision caught something in Kenneth's tightly clenched right hand.

She stopped, approached cautiously, and knelt down to gently pry open Kenneth's stiff fingers. A blood-stained Videotape appeared before her eyes, the Umbrella Corporation logo printed on its casing—clearly an important clue left by a teammate.

Every part of this Spencer Mansion was steeped in eeriness. Wesker's unexplained disappearance, the emergence of zombie monsters, the tragic deaths of Bravo Team—perhaps all the mysteries were hidden within this Videotape.

Jill didn't hesitate; she tucked the Videotape into her tactical vest pocket, securing it properly. She then rose immediately, hurried through the dining room, and headed deeper inside.

After leaving the dining room, the corridor twisted and turned. The dim glow of the emergency lights flickered, casting long, eerie shadows.

Jill held her breath and moved forward cautiously, step by step. She avoided several slow-moving zombies along the way, raising her hand to fire precise shots. The bullets hit the zombies' heads, cleanly neutralizing the threats. The gunshots echoed through the empty corridor, startling the dead silence.

Following the corridor, she eventually reached the mansion's courtyard. The open-air garden was overgrown with weeds, and rain fell through a gap in the dome, soaking the ground. Broken sculptures were scattered around, devoid of life.

Jill did a quick sweep of the courtyard but found no useful clues. Instead, she noticed the low growls of Zombie Dogs in the shadows. Not daring to stay long, she immediately left through another passage and, after some maneuvering, actually found herself back in the main hall of the Spencer Mansion.

The vast hall remained deathly silent. The locked main doors hadn't budged, there was no sign of Wesker, and Barry was nowhere to be seen. Only a cold wind whistled through the cracks in the windows, bringing waves of chill.

The unease in Jill's heart grew stronger. She didn't stop, turning again toward the right area she had explored before, determined to search the entire section thoroughly until she found Barry, no matter what.

Venturing deep into the right wing again, a room she had never entered before appeared at the end of the corridor.

Jill slowly pushed the door open. Her eyes were met with walls full of vintage murals, their colors mottled, depicting obscure religious patterns. The air was thick with dust and mildew, and the room was terrifyingly quiet, with only the soft echo of her footsteps.

She scanned the area alertly, and after confirming there were no hidden monsters, she noticed a secret door on the inner side of the room.

Jill gripped her handgun and stepped slowly into the small room behind the secret door. Her gaze swept across it, and she immediately saw a Shotgun hanging on the wall. The weapon was well-maintained, gleaming coldly in the dim light.

Given her current situation of scarce ammunition and pervasive danger, a Shotgun was undoubtedly the strongest guarantee of combat power.

Jill felt a surge of joy. She stepped forward, took the Shotgun, and after checking it, slung it over her back. But the moment she picked up the gun, a faint mechanical clicking sound came from beneath her feet. A hidden compartment in the wall instantly closed, and the entire room vibrated slightly.

"Oh no!" Jill's heart tightened. Realizing she had triggered a trap, she immediately turned and ran toward the outer room.

But she was a step too late.

By the time she burst out of the small room and back into the Mural Hall, the secret door behind her slammed shut and locked automatically. Suddenly, the ceiling emitted a piercing mechanical screech and began to slowly descend! The surrounding walls shook, dust cascaded down, and the exit door was also firmly locked, impossible to open.

Jill's face turned pale instantly. She lunged for the door, pulling the handle with all her might, but no matter how hard she tried, it wouldn't budge. The ceiling's descent accelerated, and the small space was being compressed. A sense of suffocation washed over her, and the shadow of death instantly enveloped her.

She threw her body against the door and fired at the lock, but the bullets couldn't penetrate the heavy wood. The ceiling continued to press down, getting closer and closer to her head. Massive panic seized her, and Jill used all her strength to scream for help: "Wesker! Barry! Help!"

Her voice, filled with extreme panic, echoed continuously within the sealed room.

Just as the ceiling was about to crush her head, and Jill thought she was about to be squashed into a pulp, urgent footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door, followed by Barry's deep shout: "Jill! Hang on!"

In the next second, several muffled gunshots rang out, and the lock was precisely shattered. Barry slammed the door open and rushed in. By then, the ceiling was already pressing against Jill's back, pinning her to the floor, unable to move.

Barry acted fast, grabbing Jill's arm and using all his strength to yank her out of the gap before quickly retreating from the room.

Just as they left, the heavy ceiling crashed to the floor, completely flattening the mural room.

Jill sat slumped on the corridor floor, gasping for breath. A dull pain radiated from her back, and she was still shaken, her face deathly pale. Barry knelt beside her and patted her shoulder, his tone slightly teasing in an attempt to ease the tension: "Good thing I got here in time. A second later, and you would have been a Jill sandwich."

Jill recovered her senses and looked at Barry with deep gratitude. She stood up and brushed the dust off herself: "Thank you, Barry. That was too close."

After thanking him, doubt rose in Jill's heart. She looked at Barry and asked, "Weren't you going to the dining room to keep looking for clues? How did you suddenly end up here?"

According to their previous agreement, Barry was supposed to stay in the dining room to investigate the clues around Kenneth. Even if he were to move, he should have informed her beforehand, rather than suddenly appearing near this remote mural room.

When asked about this, Barry's eyes clearly flickered. A flash of unnaturalness crossed his expression, and he instinctively looked away, raising a hand to scratch his head as he deliberately changed the subject:

"Hey, the Spencer Mansion is only so big. I was just wandering around and happened to hear your cries for help. Let's not talk about that—I'm just glad you're okay. There are too many traps in this place; you must be extra careful."

His tone was too hasty, and his evasive attitude was glaringly obvious. Jill looked at him, her brow furrowing slightly, sensing that something was wrong.

Barry had always been steady and straightforward; he never deliberately avoided her questions. But his reaction just now was far too abnormal.

Before Jill could ask more, Barry waved his hand and said urgently, "I need to look for clues elsewhere to see if I can find Captain Wesker and Chris. It's better if we split up; it'll be more efficient."

With that, without waiting for Jill's response, Barry turned and walked away quickly, his figure soon disappearing into the darkness of the corridor, leaving Jill standing there alone, full of doubt.

Jill suppressed her suspicions, gripped her weapons, and continued her investigation of the mansion alone.

After leaving the mural room, she moved along the corridor, encountering two slow-moving zombies in succession, followed by a Mutated Zombie that ambushed her from the shadows.

Jill handled it calmly, first using her handgun to keep them at bay before finding the right moment to switch to the Shotgun. She fired precise shots at close range, cleanly taking down all the monsters. The Shotgun's power was immense, instantly knocking the zombies down and giving them no chance to counterattack.

Just as Jill finished organizing her supplies after the battle, Barry's figure appeared again at the other end of the corridor.

Their eyes met, and Barry spoke first. His tone was as steady as usual, but for some reason, Jill felt there was a trace of undetectable exhaustion and conflict in his eyes: "Any good news? Did you find an exit or any other clues?"

Jill twitched the corner of her mouth, responding with a slightly self-deprecating joke: "The only good news so far is that I'm still alive."

Hearing this, Barry forced a smile and then proposed again: "Let's keep moving separately. I'll check the east wing, and you continue exploring the west. If anything happens, fire your gun immediately for help."

As he spoke, Barry stepped forward, took several boxes of ammo and a First Aid Spray from his backpack, and handed them to Jill: "Take these supplies. There are too many monsters in the mansion; make sure to protect yourself."

Jill took the supplies and thanked him. Watching Barry's practiced movements and his renewed eagerness to leave, her previous doubts grew even stronger.

Barry's behavior was far too strange—deliberately avoiding questions, frequently insisting on splitting up, and even the way his eyes always held a hint of unavoidable evasion. He was no longer the completely straightforward, reassuring partner he used to be.

Barry didn't notice Jill's gaze, or perhaps he deliberately ignored it. After finishing his instructions, he turned again and quickly vanished into the depths of the corridor without looking back.

Jill stood in place, clutching the supplies, her brow tightly furrowed. Her suspicions had completely transformed into unease.

She knew very well that Barry was hiding something from her.

From the way he changed the subject earlier to his frequent solitary departures now, as well as the evasion and conflict in his eyes—everything felt wrong. But she couldn't fathom what could possibly make the usually reliable Barry act so out of character.

The shadows within the mansion grew deeper, and danger lurked in every corner. Now, even her most trusted partner had become mysterious and unpredictable. Jill gripped her gun tightly, feeling a chill in her heart even colder than when facing the zombies.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. For now, she could only continue her cautious investigation, searching for an escape route while keeping an eye on Barry's movements, trying to figure out exactly what secret he was hiding.