Chapter 342: Who Hasn't Been Naive!
When Sam Lane and the police officers walked out of the sewers and saw the layers upon layers of reporters, he felt his political career might have just come to an end.
The police hadn't anticipated the reporters being so fast, rushing to the scene in such a short time.
To avoid greater trouble, they could only go through the motions—say nothing, answer nothing—while simultaneously pushing back the reporters and loading the gorillas, tightly bound in chains, into the police cars.
This matter couldn't be hidden, and it wouldn't be hidden.
That night, a storm of public opinion surged online. Major media outlets scrambled to report the story. Some reporters even went down into the sewers to gather evidence. As a series of photos were published, the truth began to surface.
Mutant Gorillas!
The Gorilla Tribe!
They possessed intelligence no less than that of humans and physical bodies far surpassing them. They had established an underground laboratory in the Central City sewers, conducting brutal human experimentation. Dozens of citizens had died from the experiments, and those who were lucky enough to survive suffered extreme mental trauma.
This incident ignited the entire country. Central City citizens were furious, leaving messages online demanding the death of the gorillas. Of course, the most attention was focused on A.R.G.U.S.
Initially, A.R.G.U.S.'s actions to eliminate the gorillas and rescue the humans should have been praiseworthy, and the members involved should have been hailed as heroes. But the appearance of the mutated humans and super-soldiers completely changed the nature of the situation.
The gorillas experimented on humans, and A.R.G.U.S. did the same. What was the difference between the two?
Public opinion boiled over. Netizens simultaneously cursed the gorillas and condemned A.R.G.U.S. and the military agencies. Lex Luthor didn't escape the backlash; as a participant and a billionaire, he instantly became a public pariah.
The next morning, inevitably, every major media outlet was reporting the scandal.
The military buckled under the pressure and was forced to hold a press conference to publicly admit their mistakes. The White House also removed Sam Lane from his post as Director of A.R.G.U.S.
As for Lex Luthor, he received dozens of court summons and legal letters.
Events were progressing exactly as Luke had anticipated, step by step.
Lunch with The Flash
Inside the Tesla factory.
Luke, having inspected the production lines, returned to his office. Before he could settle down, the door was pushed open. The visitor was none other than The Flash, Barry Allen, who had gained massive notoriety from last night's events.
"Boss, I need to talk to you."
Luke glanced at him. "Talk about what? Work? Or private matters?"
"It's... a private matter!"
"For private matters, I suggest you find a psychologist, though judging from your experience, you don't seem to have reliable shrink friends."
Luke closed his file. "Come on. It's lunchtime. Let's grab a meal together."
The two drove to Metropolis's most famous Chinese restaurant. Luke was acquainted with the owner, and upon entering, the manager immediately ushered them to the upstairs VIP seating.
Luke ordered a few of his favorite Cantonese dishes, then handed the menu across.
"Order whatever you want."
Barry, who vividly remembered the General Tso's Chicken he had on a previous visit, ordered two portions, plus a sour and sweet soup and an egg roll.
"Boss, you heard about last night's incident, right?"
Barry asked cautiously. Luke didn't even lift his head, casually replying while processing documents,
"Not only did I hear about it, but I was surprised. If I'm not mistaken, the new suit The Flash is wearing is a product I designed."
"Uh..."
Barry scratched his head, unsure how to respond.
"You don't need to rush to explain. I'm not interested in your relationship—whether you're friends or lovers, that's your freedom..." He paused, then continued, looking at Barry's distressed expression, "...However, you'd better remind your friend that the military and A.R.G.U.S. won't let this go. They will retaliate. The military is not a place for good people."
"Thank you, Boss. I'll be sure to remind him."
At that moment, a young, beautiful, and graceful waitress approached, placing two white jade bottles of wine on the table.
"Mr. Shaw, this is the hometown rice wine the owner specially prepared for you. He knows you don't like to be disturbed by outsiders during your meal, so he won't come up, but he asked me to send his regards."
Luke opened the bottle cap and sniffed. It was sour with a touch of sweetness, very authentic.
"Excellent. Mr. Liu is thoughtful. Please thank him for me."
"I will pass on your message."
The waitress turned to leave, but as she picked up the tray, she discreetly left a small card and gave Luke a suggestive look.
Luke picked up the card, examined it, and then smiled at Barry.
"Want to have a little romantic, passionate encounter?"
"Passionate encounter?"
The Flash looked utterly confused. "What do you mean?"
Luke sighed. "Barry, don't tell me you've never slept with a girl."
Barry's face flushed red, and he quickly waved his hands.
"I already have someone I like."
Luke tossed the card over. "Liking someone is one thing; sleeping with someone is another. The card has the girl's number and address. If you want to try a different way of life, call her. She'll make you forget your worries, and of course, she'll give you bigger worries, too."
Barry was speechless. His boss's expressed values were seriously at odds with his own, yet he had to admit, the card exuded a temptation that a normal man couldn't refuse. And that waitress was genuinely attractive, especially her—
Luke stopped teasing him. He poured a cup of rice wine, tasted it, and asked,
"What did you want to talk to me about?"
"Just about last night."
Barry pushed the card aside—though he had casually memorized the number—and continued, "I don't understand why A.R.G.U.S. would research super-soldiers."
"The world is complicated. There are many problems that ordinary people can't solve, so they must be handled by metahumans. Just like those mutant gorillas. How many special forces soldiers do you think it takes to take down one gorilla?"
The question stumped Barry for a moment. He frowned.
"But they didn't have to create monsters."
"Those three soldiers who were injected with the agent can't be considered human anymore. They were violent, cruel, without any rationality, feeding on corpses, needing raw meat to..."
Barry trailed off. Remembering the completely stripped gorilla corpse from last night, his face went white. That sight was deeply seared into his mind, unforgettable even now.
He had dragged the dead gorilla in front of them, and they had pounced like beasts, tearing at it with their teeth and hands, guttural noises rumbling in their throats, their mouths smeared with fur and blood. The horrific scene was spine-chilling.
To this day, Barry still doubted if he had made the wrong choice.
Perhaps he should have let them die then and there, instead of going to the trouble of saving them.
Luke didn't fully understand Barry's internal turmoil. He had seen far too many bloody scenes and was long past the initial shock. However, as his boss, when a core employee was troubled, he had to help.
"Maybe you should go get a drink, let yourself temporarily forget the unpleasant visuals. When you wake up the next day, you might have a new understanding of it."
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