Rescue (Part One)

The cold night wind at high altitude felt like knives against Thea's exposed skin, but she had no attention to spare for such discomfort. Even now, she still hadn't figured out who was behind tonight's events.

Whether she could find an antidote to save Felicity, whether Batman's teammates were also trapped in the campus, and where Commissioner Gordon was, were all questions that crowded her mind, causing her beautiful eyebrows to furrow. At the same time, she was determined in her heart, no matter who started this, she was going to make them pay!

Returning to the campus, she could see the entire area shrouded in a faint greenish gas under the dim moonlight. What had been lively grounds a few days ago now felt eerily silent and ominous.

Thea descended to a lower altitude and carefully observed the area. In the dim light, she could see several burly men occasionally patrolling the camp, carrying automatic weapons.

"They seem to be wearing gas masks? That means the poison is transmitted through the respiratory system," Thea noted the movements of these men, planning to snatch a couple of them before retreating.

The Glider silently passed over their heads, unnoticed by the lax guards. Many people face this issue; the vertical range of the human visual field is around 120 degrees. Unless someone had special eyes like Byakugan, they wouldn't notice anything above their heads.

Like a secret agent in the movies hiding in the ceiling, Thea, relying on the cover of night, boldly flew over their heads.

Not spending too much time on the periphery, Thea headed straight for the room with the brightest light.

This time, she was cautious, guiding the Glider to float gently along the ground into the room. It seemed to be a staircase classroom. Thea immediately spotted Commissioner Gordon with his gray hair and tan overcoat sitting back-to-back with someone with red hair, presumably Barbara, both unconscious and tied to chairs.

Perhaps unaware that someone had escaped and returned, the guards were very lax. Only two men, one to the north and one to the south, were seated. The one closer to Thea occasionally grumbled about something, while the one farther away seemed to be dozing off.

Looking around, Thea didn't find any ambush, nor did she act rashly. She slowly backed out of the room, planning to find the others first before rescuing them all together.

Not long after, she spotted Robin in the crowd. The young man lacked his usual vigor, lying on the grass alongside a group of civilians, all sprawled out in various positions. Although he was asleep, Robin's face occasionally showed signs of fear.

Circling around the camp for a while, Thea couldn't help but wonder, where had Catwoman run off to? Was she not in the camp?

Hoping for her safety, Thea counted the heads. Catwoman's absence was actually convenient; with Commissioner Gordon and his daughter, plus Robin and herself, four people could just about fit within the weight limit of her Glider. Adding another person would make it difficult to take off.

Just as she was about to go back to rescue Commissioner Gordon and his daughter before returning for Robin, she unexpectedly spotted another figure in the crowd—Lyla? How had she ended up here?

Lyla's presence presented a dilemma for Thea. With another person to rescue, it meant not everyone could fit on the Glider. She would have to leave someone behind.

Neither Lyla nor Robin had guards watching over them, presumably because they were dressed casually and blended in with the crowd. These two would be the easiest to rescue. What if she took them out first and then came back for the others?

As tempting as the idea was, Thea quickly dismissed it. She had been lucky not to be noticed once, but she couldn't count on such luck every time. She was only concealed by the cover of night, not invisible.

This brought her back to the initial question: who to leave behind? Commissioner Gordon was essential, given his leadership role. Despite his weak combat abilities, his position as commissioner was too important. Having him as a rallying point could gather the remaining police force quickly.He had already reclaimed a third of the city area according to plan, and many officers had been dispersed and were not concentrated in the school district. As long as he raised the flag, he could quickly gather a number of officers to assist.

Next was Lyla. As Amanda's deputy and the future leader of the A.R.G.U.S, Thea saw her as a must-save. Like the old commissioner, she was one of those people with weak personal combat power but strong rallying power. Through her, Xia could also receive considerable support from A.R.G.U.S, which was very important for Thea, who had yet to find the mastermind behind the scenes.

Furthermore, Thea didn't want to incur Amanda's wrath. This person was ruthless and held a high position of power. If she still wanted to survive in this world, she had to ingratiate herself with her a little. Rescuing Layla would surely earn her some favor. 

The remaining spot, who should get them? Despite not getting along with Barbara that much,Thea decided to leave Robin behind. After all, leaving a lone girl like her in this dangerous environment was too risky. In Gotham, with so many perverts around, who knew what could happen. Hopefully, he could keep himself safe.

Facing Robin's direction in the distance, Thea silently wished him well, "Take care. It's not that I don't want to save you, but there's no room on the Glider."

Taking advantage of the guards' patrol moving away, Thea quickly bound Layla to the side of her Glider and headed off to rescue Commissioner Gordon and his daughter.

Returning to the staircase classroom, the two guards remained in their original positions. Thea dismounted the Glider and, using the stealth techniques taught by Malcolm, silently approached the two. Their walkie-talkies were within reach, and if she couldn't incapacitate them immediately, she risked exposure.

She discarded the idea of slitting their throats. For one, it would likely result in blood splattering everywhere and draw attention, and secondly, her stealth wasn't that amazing. She wasn't skilled enough to move without being noticed. She was merely exploiting the visual disadvantage of dim light; this wasn't invisibility. It was impossible to sneak up on someone without them noticing.

Thea stepped into a dark corner and, found a good angle, and took out an arrow laced with tranquilizer. Each arrow contained enough dose to knock out an elephant. She aimed at the guard who was facing away and chattering incessantly.

A swift shot, and the guard felt a cold sensation pass over his neck. Before he could utter a word, he slowly collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Just before slipping into sleep, he saw a blurry figure behind him. He wanted to warn his companion, but his mouth had completely lost control.

His fall alarmed the nearby dozing guard. Before he could grasp the situation, he saw a flash of white light gradually enlarging in his pupils. Despite his desperate attempts to evade it, he was struck in the shoulder. After a tingling sensation, he knew nothing more.