Truth Serum

'Alright, the first time you came, we ignored you; the second time, we generously let you go. But here you are again?' The thugs at the campus weren't entirely illiterate; there were a few self-proclaimed high-IQ criminals among them.

They gathered hostages, strengthened their guard, turned on all the searchlights, and even set up small radars. So when Thea flew towards the camp, she was spotted before she even reached it.

Although she was spotted, Thea wasn't in a hurry. She was more than two hundred meters above ground, and the people below looked like ants to her. Arrows were useless, and even if there were bombs, she wouldn't dare drop them. If she accidentally killed hundreds of civilians, she would be completely infamous.

These people below couldn't do anything to her. They didn't have much in the weapons department, and even having a rocket launcher was considered impressive.

As for heat-seeking missiles that could threaten Thea, these people didn't have them. The hot-tempered ones fired AKs into the sky without caring if they hit anything. The smarter ones held guns to the hostages' heads and shouted through megaphones, threatening to shoot if she didn't come down.

She circled the camp like nothing was happening. She could tell that these people were a bunch of misfits, lacking organization and discipline. There were tattooed, pierced, and eccentrically dressed individuals, but their equipment was somewhat decent. After carefully observing, Thea realized they were just small fries; none of them had any authority or status, at least from what she could see.

The area where Robin was knocked out earlier is now deserted. She could see a few thugs gathering hostages. She apologized silently to Robin, saying she did her best, and now he could only pray for God's protection.

Just as she was about to leave, she noticed a thug lurking alone on the side, seemingly taking a leak.

Thea watched him stroll around, wondering what he was up to. He stood there for a good three minutes, not sure if it was due to kidney problems or something else.

Is he trying to lure me down? These people have some brains. Thea quickly scanned the area with her infrared goggles and noticed at least ten people hiding nearby.

Originally, she planned to return without engaging further, but since they presented her with live bait, she couldn't appear ungrateful on behalf of the people of Starling City. She had to accept their "gift" graciously.

Earlier, Thea hadn't used her maximum speed, and these people didn't know how fast she could fly in the sky. They simply assumed it would be about the same as a car. So, the outer perimeter of the ambush they set up was neither too big nor too small.

Flying at less than 150 kilometers per hour, Thea approached the bait from the side. It was a wooded area where eight thugs were hiding. The infrared display showed these eight individuals squatting motionless, waiting for Thea to take the bait.

Just as these individuals thought the enemy would fly over their heads and they would perform their ambush, Thea suddenly accelerated, making a wide circle and swiftly diving down toward the bait from the other side.

These thugs didn't anticipate this change. Caught off guard, their lack of formal training became evident.

Two of these people reflexively rushed out with rifles in their arms. However, they seemed confused once they were out. Why were they out? What should they do next? While they were still in a daze, the others behind them were shouting, "Come back, come back." The two clueless guys turned around and went back into the woods.

But by then, Thea had completed her mission. Her Glider was originally modified from rescue equipment, with two iron chains attached to its V-shaped wings. She had used one to carry Commissioner Gordon and his daughter, so now she had one left, perfect for the guy holding up his pants.

In an instant, she increased her speed to 300 km/h, and in a flash, she was about 100 meters in front of the bait. It's unclear if these thugs were briefed on what to do or if this guy was just being authentic, but when Thea saw him, he was unbuckling his belt.

Thea's sudden appearance startled the enemy. He couldn't decide whether to pull up his pants or grab their weapons. In the pitch-black night, Thea's speed was so fast that he could only see a blurry figure in front of him. With her left foot, Thea stepped on the mechanism, and a sharp arrowhead attached to the iron chain pierced into the bait's shoulder.

This type of arrowhead wasn't designed by Thea; it was part of the original equipment. Its purpose was to securely anchor onto solid objects like rocks or trees, creating an aerial pathway through the use of the iron chain.

The arrowhead was made of special steel. Once it lodged into a target, three small claws would automatically spring out internally, ensuring it wouldn't come loose.

Even stones can be pierced, let alone a living person. This bait didn't realize that his treatment had been elevated to the same level as bridge piers and large rocks. The arrowhead, as thick as an arm, pierced his body, and he passed out instantly without a sound.

Before he collapsed unconscious, she circled once more, and then, to the astonishment of onlookers, she flew away satisfied, carrying the captive with her.

Out of caution and to avoid exposing Lyla's base, she took advantage of her speed and flew another half-circle around Gotham before returning to the base with the captive.

Back at the base, she removed her gas mask. It was quite sturdy. Despite the close combat, she wasn't affected by the gas. Unfortunately, she heard it was quite expensive to produce, and even with the deep pockets of A.R.G.U.S., they hadn't manufactured many. The allocation to their current base was even less.

Dismounting from her Glider, she tossed the captive to the agents, amidst their astonished gazes. "This is a live capture. See if you can get any information out of him."

The agents saw the captive's condition, which was beyond miserable. Half his body was dyed red, but fortunately, the cold air currents at high altitude during the night had frozen a large part of the wound, allowing him to be brought back alive.

Additionally, the body automatically entered a protective mode while unconscious, reducing all bodily functions to a minimum, and preventing him from being killed by the pressure of traveling at 300 kilometers per hour.

When Lyla entered and saw the scene, she had seen countless worse situations during her years in the military and didn't bat an eye. She immediately ordered a strong dose of epinephrine and adrenaline, administered at maximum dosage. She wanted a confession immediately. She didn't care if the person lived or died afterward.

Seeing this person, he was most likely not someone with strong willpower. Using whips and pliers might extract information, but considering the urgency, there wasn't the luxury of wasting time. She ordered her subordinates to prepare 100 milligrams of sodium thiopental, commonly known as truth serum. She didn't believe he wouldn't talk after that.