Storming Arkham (Part One)

On the third night, Selina, who was expected by the people to bring reinforcements, brought someone over.

Thea glanced at the person in front of her. She could only see a small portion of their skin—lips and chin—due to extensive burns. The person was wrapped tightly, wearing a black and yellow outfit. They carried a large canister on their back and held an oddly shaped gun in their hand. Was it a flamethrower?

From the two protrusions on the person's chest, Thea could tell it was a woman. Before she could ask, Selina had already started the introductions. Of course, it was for Thea's benefit since the locals already knew this person.

"This is my friend, Bridgit Pike, also known as Lady Firefly. She'll assist us in dealing with Mr. Freeze." Selina introduced her, then went on to introduce her teammates and the Starling City duo, but Thea felt like this person wasn't even paying attention, lost in their thoughts.

It didn't matter much anyway. The news that she could handle Mr. Freeze was indeed good. Thea had started with freezing arrows, so she was quite powerless against such abilities. Now that someone was volunteering to take on Mr. Freeze, Thea naturally welcomed it. Judging from Lady Firefly's equipment, her ability was clearly fire-based. A clash of fire and ice? It seemed quite intriguing.

Miss Pike, aka Lady Firefly, didn't seem inclined to talk much. She listened to Selina's introduction with a blank expression. Just when Thea wondered if she could speak at all, she hoarsely said, "Mr. Freeze is mine."

The implication of this sentence was easy to understand: She didn't care about anyone else; they could handle it. Thea was a little confused about where Selina had found this peculiar friend, or if this person was truly her friend. She gave Selina a helpless look, meaning, 'You deal with it yourself.'

Selina also understood this person's personality quite well. Knowing that she didn't like to see strangers after being burned, she greeted the others and led them outside to find a resting place.

Just as Thea was thinking of preparing for a few more days, Commissioner Gordon and Felicity hurriedly came to find her. "We must act immediately," the old commissioner said.

"Yes, recently, many people in the city have been abducted and taken to the asylum, and none have returned," Felicity said urgently, holding her trademark tablet.

With so many people taken, the other party surely had a big plan, and it was obvious that these people weren't invited to a dinner party. With the city in chaos, they didn't need them for any heavy physical labor, so there was only one purpose left: human experimentation?!

Thea wasn't sure if her guess was correct and asked the commissioner, "What do they need so many people for?"

"There's a secret laboratory underground in Arkham; their initial project was called 'Indian Hill', which involved human experimentation. However, it was abandoned many years ago," Commissioner Gordon recalled, with a touch of nostalgia.

"What were they researching? Do you still remember?" The Starling City duo were curious, especially Felicity. It seemed like hackers were particularly curious, and hearing information not found on the internet made her lips slightly parted, her nostrils quivering gently, and her eyes gleaming as she eagerly awaited the answer from the old commissioner.

Commissioner Gordon pondered for a moment. "It was an experiment related to resurrection, but the results were far from ideal. During the process, they fused various animal DNA into human subjects, and some individuals gained superhuman abilities."

"But these abilities weren't particularly strong. In my younger days, I could handle them one-on-one," Commissioner Gordon said, perhaps to emphasize his point, splitting his statement into two parts.

Hearing him say that, Thea glanced at the old commissioner's physique, imagining his youthful figure. Though it might offend some people to say so, it seemed like she could take on seven or eight of Commissioner Gordon. If their combat abilities were only at this level, they weren't that impressive.

But considering that it had been twenty years, who knew what level of technology these guys had developed? It is better to be cautious and deploy forces quickly.

"Alright, gather your comrades; we're setting out today."

Despite saying it would be quick, the gathering took a whole hour. At this point, Thea naturally took a back seat, leaving all the leadership and public appearances to Commissioner Gordon, who feared neither death nor exposure.

Such a large-scale mobilization couldn't be hidden from the enemy, and Thea and her team didn't plan to hide it. There were no clever tactics involved; they simply relied on the sheer number of people to push through.

With over 300 fully armed officers, more than 180 veterans and enthusiastic citizens, and ten elite agents from the A.R.G.U.S., Commissioner Gordon looked down at the bustling crowd below, feeling a bit excited. But knowing it wasn't the right time, he quickly gave some simple instructions and waved his hand to set off!

The impressive convoy of over five hundred people filled thirty vehicles. The combat helicopters of the A.R.G.U.S. hovered in the sky, prepared for any potential enemy attacks. Thea, carrying her Glider, didn't participate in the lookout; instead, she remained inside the command vehicle, discussing the attack route with a few others.

Unfortunately, the cramped rooms within the asylum didn't allow much room for her Glider. In such a large-scale battle involving nearly a thousand combatants on both sides, Thea's role was limited. She saw herself as an assassin targeting named bosses, leaving the other grunts to the main force.

"We should split our forces and enter the asylum from three directions," Barbara said.

"No, we don't know the terrain well enough. Splitting up would only make us vulnerable to individual enemy attacks," interjected Lyla, the high-ranking commander from the A.R.G.U.S.

Selina also didn't favor the idea of splitting up; if someone encountered Mr. Freeze without Lady Firefly's support, it would be a death sentence.

Thea wasn't as afraid of Mr. Freeze as the others. Watching him through the drone that day, something seemed off. His movements were clumsy, almost as if he had poor reflexes or a sluggish body, worse than an ordinary person. The freezing speed of the firearms he shot wasn't fast either. With her reaction speed, she could shoot an arrow at his face before he could raise his hand, though she wasn't sure about the effectiveness of his helmet's defense. But since Selina had brought Lady Firefly in to handle him, Thea kept silent.

"Stop arguing. The enemy has likely already spotted us. Let's charge in through the main gate together. Commissioner Gordon will arrange the retreat route. If things go south, we need to ensure the main force can withdraw relatively intact."