Chapter 339: The Flash Swept into the Vortex!
A Gruesome Discovery
Central City's sewer system is incredibly complex; without a map, it's easy to get lost.
Barry carefully recalled the coordinates of the lab. Once he fixed the direction, he charged forward quickly.
The drainage pipes were pitch black, with no light, but this didn't deter Barry. He had specifically asked Luke to install a night vision system in his mask for nighttime activity, allowing him to clearly see his surroundings even in the dark.
Following the pipe inward, a light soon appeared ahead. A cold breeze blew, carrying a faint scent of blood.
Sensing something was wrong, Barry bypassed a ground trap and came to a room constructed of metal sheeting. Weapon racks held gun-like devices, and there were switches for operating an electric grid on the walls.
"Could this be the lab?"
Barry wondered internally, a look of seriousness in his eyes. He continued down the pipe. The smell of blood grew stronger, accompanied by a sound of stifled sobbing.
Bloodstains appeared on the ground, along with the bloody, mangled corpse of a gorilla. The gorilla was unusually large and wearing strange-looking armor.
Seeing it, Barry was inexplicably reminded of Gorilla Grodd, that cunning foe who had left a deep impression on him.
Just then, a squeaking sound came from the corner. A rat emerged, saw Barry, and quickly hid under a table. Barry paid it no mind, continuing toward the sound of the crying. The rat reappeared after he left and followed him.
The Encounter with A.R.G.U.S.
The underground base was a maze with five exits. Sam Lane's group had taken the west path, and Barry had taken the east. This meant that the moment he entered, he saw the "prisoners" locked in the jail cells.
These people were all expressionless and terrified, suffering from immense physical and mental trauma.
Barry felt a fire burning in his heart. He was about to free them when he suddenly heard a sound.
"Who? Who's there?"
Barry instinctively turned to look. At the same time, the A.R.G.U.S. elite soldier guarding the area also turned. The two pairs of eyes met across the space. The next moment, the soldier fired without hesitation.
The bullet whizzed past, hitting nothing.
An angry Barry didn't hesitate. He flashed like a stream of light to the soldier, disarmed him, and punched him to the ground.
Other soldiers rushed in at the sound, two of them wearing Tesla powered armor.
As a core employee of Tesla, Barry was very familiar with the powered armor. A flicker of confusion crossed his eyes, but he didn't dwell on it. Electric current surged around his body, and he became a red whirlwind. A flash of electricity later, the powered armor was scattered in pieces, and the three soldiers were lying on the ground, their limbs bound with wire, wearing only their modesty-preserving shorts.
After dealing with them, Barry opened the jail cells and released the people inside. He also called Sergeant Charles, urgently relaying the important news and urging them to rush to the scene.
"Damn it! Do you know what you're doing?"
The first soldier Barry struck got up, exceptionally furious. "You've got the wrong people! We are not the bad guys!"
Barry frowned. "You're not the bad guys? Then who are you?"
"We are..."
The soldier opened his mouth, then remembered the General's instruction, and swallowed his words.
Barry also felt that something wasn't right. Just then, a slightly clearer-headed woman nervously asked,
"You're The Flash, Central City's Flash Kid?"
Barry nodded, thought for a moment, and whispered, "Can you tell me what happened? Who locked you up?"
Hearing this, deep fear surfaced on the woman's face. The others also hung their heads, trembling. The ordeal in the underground base had caused irreversible trauma to their minds.
The soldier on the ground roared, "It was those gorillas! They captured humans for human experimentation! Damn it, we were here to save people, you idiot!"
Barry was skeptical, casting an inquiring glance at the "prisoners" before him. A few nodded slightly.
"He's not wrong. It was... the gorillas. The gorillas caught us for experiments. Many... many people died."
Another person said with hatred, "They're not good people either."
"Three very terrifying human monsters, they were with them."
"Purple skin, strong... brutal... bloody..."
"Monsters and gorillas fought. Gorillas died, and Karen died too."
The crowd spoke disjointedly. Due to their trauma, their memories were blurred. After a long, interrupted explanation, Barry finally understood their meaning: three abnormally strong monsters, human in appearance, had rushed in and battled the gorillas. The three monsters were fierce and brutal, killing many gorillas. Then, soldiers in power armor arrived. Their leader was an elderly man, and there was a hairless bald man. The monsters were subordinates of the old man, calling him General.
General!
Barry was thoughtful. Luke had once revealed during a meeting that the first batch of Tesla's products was supplied to the Department of Defense and had not entered the market. This meant...
"Are you military personnel?"
The soldier scoffed, refusing to answer.
Barry's brow furrowed. He slowly realized the entire situation was far more complicated than he had imagined. The military fighting crime was, in principle, fine. The problem lay with the three monsters. According to the "prisoners," the monsters were over 2.5 meters tall, had purplish-brown skin, and possessed extremely violent strength. Such beings could not be obtained through normal means; the only way was through modification and enhancement.
The military is conducting a "Super-Soldier" human experiment.
The thought made Barry's head spin. He quickly called Sergeant Charles again, urging them to speed up and get to the scene immediately.
"Kid, don't stir up trouble for yourself," the soldier on the ground looked up and growled. "And your police friends, they better leave. This is not something they can get involved in."
Barry's face was grim. "You're conducting human experiments!"
"That's not human experimentation, it's enhancement! Our purpose here is to eliminate the mutant gorillas and rescue the humans they imprisoned. This is a classified operation that cannot be known to the outside world. Do you know how much panic would be caused if the information about the mutant gorillas got out?"
Barry hesitated. "But you killed someone. That purple-skinned monster killed a person."
The soldier was furious. If he wasn't restrained, he would have kicked Barry.
"That was an accident. Accidents happen in any operation. Even SWAT teams rescuing hostages have accidental casualties, let alone us."
"Kid, listen to me. Leave the sewers immediately. Forget everything you saw and heard, and tell those police officers to stay far away. As for these people, don't worry. We will settle them properly and ensure their normal lives."
🗒️NOTE:
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 20 chapters in advance!