Chapter 340: The Battle of Apes and Men!
The Flash's Choice
Barry wasn't an ambitious man. His sole reason for becoming "The Flash" was to contribute to Central City, to be an honest, kind, and optimistic city hero, and, if possible, to find the killer of his mother and clear his father's name.
That was his genuine thought: simple and unadorned.
Unfortunately, some things are unavoidable. The day he put on the suit, he was bound to confront the city's darker side.
Captain Cold was a criminal with principles, but many people in the world had none.
The A.R.G.U.S. soldier earnestly pleaded with him, urging him to forget everything that happened tonight, to pretend none of it occurred, and even guaranteed that the "prisoners" would be cared for and wouldn't die in any "accidents."
Barry was silent for a moment, but ultimately shook his head.
"No. I can't hand them over to an organization that conducts human experiments. Not even if you are the military."
Hearing this, the soldier was enraged, wanting to curse him. The three restrained soldiers on the ground were flushed with anger, wanting to tear Barry apart.
A few minutes later, Sergeant Charles and a group of Central City police officers arrived at the base, panting. Their faces went pale when they saw the scene.
Barry briefly recounted what happened, then turned and sped toward the escape tunnel. He had to find those people and the fleeing gorillas. Tonight's events had to be fully understood.
He left decisively, but the trouble was dumped squarely on the Central City Police Department.
After examining the scene, the police officers exchanged nervous glances, feeling a disaster looming. Mutant gorillas kidnapping humans for human experimentation? And brutal military "super-soldiers?"
If news of either of these got out, Central City would explode.
It's over. All over.
Sergeant Charles looked constipated. Without hesitation, he called the Chief, tossing the hot potato up the chain of command.
Grodd's Counter-Attack
As long-time residents of the sewers, Grodd and his comrades knew the layout perfectly, with every entrance and exit memorized. Grodd had expected to easily shake off the enemy.
But as they ran, he was surprised to find that the humans weren't lost and were still following closely behind.
Damn it!
Grodd's eyes flashed with murderous intent. His grim gaze swept over his wounded comrades. After weighing the options, he suppressed the urge to abandon them. These gorillas were his followers. Abandoning them would mean he would lose his foothold in Central City.
At that moment, the sole surviving gorilla scientist suddenly said,
"General, have you noticed that the human monsters are not screaming anymore?"
Grodd was startled. "What do you mean?"
"I've been thinking about those three human monsters. Based on their appearance, they are products of human experimentation. But the product is imperfect. They lose control, fighting madly, brutally, without thought for avoiding injury or saving stamina. Such freaks are terrifying, but their consumption is also immense."
Grodd was thoughtful. "Are you saying..."
The gorilla scientist nodded excitedly.
"They were yelling loudly before, but now they're completely silent. Besides extreme weakness, I can't think of anything else that would force them to regain their sanity."
Hearing this, Grodd immediately stopped, and the other gorillas did the same. They exchanged glances, their eyes full of murderous resolve.
"Kill them."
One gorilla spoke first, and the rest quickly agreed.
"Slaughter those humans! Avenge our fallen comrades!"
"Without the three monsters, humans are no match for the gorillas. Kill them all and return to the lab to take the equipment and rebuild the base."
"Commander, this is the perfect opportunity."
Grodd didn't hesitate for long. He turned and charged back, the other gorillas beating their chests and cheering wildly.
The gorillas grabbed their weapons and marched back, vast and menacing, to attack.
Lane's Desperate Stand
When the news reached Sam Lane and his group, panic erupted. They never expected the gorillas, after being decimated, to dare to counterattack. What made it worse was that the timing of the counter-attack hit them at their most vulnerable point.
More than half an hour had passed since the agent was injected. The effect had worn off. Kahn and the other two had collapsed, their bodies trembling uncontrollably. Sweat poured from their skin, and their muscles showed signs of atrophy.
They were in no condition to fight; they were now a liability.
After the initial chaos, Sam Lane quickly calmed down. He ordered the soldiers in armor to stand in front to provide covering fire, while the rest dragged Kahn and the others backward.
The narrow, enclosed terrain of the sewer made it easy to defend and hard to attack. Even with their thick hides, the gorillas wouldn't dare charge directly into high-explosive bullets. However, the humans' actions confirmed the gorilla scientist's suspicion: the three human monsters were indeed in trouble.
This greatly boosted the gorillas' morale. Without the monsters, how could mere humans be a match for the gorilla tribe?
Sam Lane glared coldly at Lex Luthor. The agent was his. Now that the situation had turned, it was up to him to fix it.
"The three of them won't recover anytime soon," Luthor stated.
The single sentence sent Sam Lane's heart plunging. This was the epitome of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
"Do you have any other agents?"
Luthor shook his head. "I only brought three doses."
"Damn it!"
Sam Lane angrily slammed his fist. Lex Luthor curled his lip, a flash of disdain in his eyes. He had thought the legendary General Lane was formidable, but now he seemed no different from those self-important old politicians, constantly guarding against this and that, while ignoring the most crucial matters.
Compared to him, Amanda Waller was the true genius. A.R.G.U.S. should be led by her, not this "idiot" in front of him.
Just then, a soldier urgently reported,
"It's bad! The gorillas are circling around from behind!"
"We're surrounded!"
Sam Lane couldn't sit still. Luthor also frowned deeply; he did not want to die pointlessly here.
The sewer was a straight path with no third exit. If the gorillas blocked both the front and rear, they would be trapped like birds in a cage, unable to move.
"General, we must break out!"
As he spoke, a blinding electric light illuminated their vision. A gorilla charged through the high-explosive fire, using its electro-gun to pierce a soldier's chest. The powered armor could defend against solid bullets but not electric shock.
The overflowing current also affected the adjacent soldier, who was stunned and then punched down by a charging gorilla.
The situation was dire. The group was forced to contract their formation. Sam Lane and Luthor had to grab their weapons and join the fight.
Bullets and electric blasts crisscrossed, lighting up the sewer as if it were daylight.
The tide of the battle quickly turned.
Gorillas were being shredded by high-explosive bullets, but the human side was also suffering heavy losses. The armored soldiers who had served as shields were all down. Including Luthor and Sam Lane, only four active combatants remained.
"Kill them! They're done for!"
Grodd roared with laughter. Using a dead comrade's body as a shield, he led the charge forward.
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