Mr. Freeze

Just by looking at the perimeter of the asylum, one could see the diverse composition of criminals here. There were all sorts of attire, from those wearing American-style gear to thugs in tank tops and shorts wielding axes, and numerous individuals with abnormal behavior, some even laughing at trees.

Felicity operated the thermal imaging like playing a game, her eyes sparkling as she skillfully maneuvered the drone to avoid all heat sources, relaying information back to the command vehicle in real time.

A sudden jolt shook the screen. What did they hit? What had they hit? Before anyone could figure out what was happening, a man in what looked like a spacesuit appeared on screen, holding an immensely large and futuristic-looking firearm, and stared blankly into the camera.

The strange man quickly realized what was happening and immediately grinned maliciously at the screen, raising his weapon. A thin mist sprayed out, and the screen inside the command vehicle instantly turned black.

"Mr. Freeze!" Three voices exclaimed simultaneously.

Felicity pouted and tossed aside the controller, feeling like her favorite toy had been taken away. She lazily reclined on the nearby couch.

Thea vaguely remembered this person as a scientist who researched human cryopreservation to save his terminally ill wife. However, an experiment gone wrong resulted in a drastic mutation, transforming him into an ice-colored monstrosity. However, she needed further confirmation. Without saying a word, she looked at the Gothamites, waiting for their explanation.

Commissioner Gordon, already pulling out a handful of hairs in frustration, turned to the Star City duo for clarification after pondering for a moment.

"This is Mr. Freeze, real name Victor Fries. He's a scientist and an expert in cryogenics. He conducted experiments on cryogenic freezing to save his wife, who was terminally ill. Unfortunately, an accident during one of his experiments caused a drastic physical transformation, turning him into a cryogenic being. The chemicals disfigured and mutated Dr. Fries, rendering him unable to survive outside of sub-thermal temperatures. To counter this, he constructed a protective suit, enabling him to endure regular room temperatures. Your drone couldn't detect him because he no longer emits body heat."

Commissioner Gordon briefly recounted what he knew about the man's past.

"Now that Mr. Freeze is also in Arkham, it's impossible for the Scarecrow to be the leader. There must be someone higher up commanding them," Barbara offered her timely analysis.

Thea had already thought of this when she saw the Penguin. How could a former kingpin of Gotham's underground take orders from a former university professor? The reverse was equally implausible. Seeing Mr. Freeze now further confirmed her suspicions.

Three named mini-bosses have already been encountered. Could there be other villains as well? Thea felt that according to Murphy's Law, most likely other villains were lurking around as well.

Was it because she wasn't following the usual path, rallying citizens to resist without resorting to the superhero's typical method of defeating villains one by one? Was the world's consciousness retaliating against her by gathering all the villains to face her in one wave?

She pondered, her hand propping up her chin, observing her teammates. She considered herself a frontline hero, while the others were second-tier at best for now. Considering the hidden boss on the opponent's side, the disparity in strength was apparent. Moreover, Arkham's complex terrain meant they couldn't retreat; they had to confront the villains head-on. It was distressing.

Could they only resort to a people's war? Thea thought repeatedly. She realized that relying on just their small group wouldn't be enough to face so many villains. Each of the villains had their own followers, and she roughly estimated there were hundreds of them. Without reinforcements, their small group would be overwhelmed.

Thea looked at Commissioner Gordon. "Commissioner, if we want to rescue the people in Arkham, we can only make the biggest mobilization effort."

"What do you mean?" Commissioner Gordon asked.

We'll have to arm all available police officers and enlist citizens with military experience. Whether you do it in the name of the police department or the city government, it doesn't matter. We need a large, controllable armed force," Thea glanced at Lyla. "The A.R.G.U.S. can assist us in finding those with less severe psychological issues."

American soldiers often face tragic circumstances; many soldiers who had served in wars faced challenges such as unemployment and strained relationships when they returned home, struggling with readjustment. This often leads them down the path of crime, with well-known examples like Deathstroke and countless unknown ones.

Thea hesitated to arm these individuals. Battling PTSD on top of Gotham's eerie atmosphere, they were barely holding on to their sanity. She had always utilized police officers as the main force and employed citizens with exceptional qualities as support. But this time, she had no choice but to let them contribute.

She instructed Felicity to create a fake mobilization announcement in the mayor's name, urging passionate citizens to stand up and defend justice, uphold truth, and uphold the American dream, whether it was real or not. The broadcast looped across all city channels—radio, television, and cable.

What? The mayor is still in Bane's hands? Thea was aware of this, but citizens didn't know about it. As a former hacker, editing some videos wasn't too difficult. As for whether Bane would use the mayor for propaganda, Felicity, with control over many of Gotham's satellites, wasn't worried. While Bane was known for his cunning, his intelligence lay in strategy and intrigue rather than computer networks. Thea believed that Felicity could outsmart Bane in the digital realm any day.

None of them raised objections to her audacious false propaganda. After all, the mayor wasn't a saint, and whether he was killed by Bane or faced impeachment, it had nothing to do with Thea and her team.

While people could be rallied in large numbers, the main force was somewhat lacking. Thea looked at the Bat-family. "Can you find more allies?"

Barbara and Robin are both rookies in the field, not much fresher than Thea herself. They shook their heads, indicating that they only had each other and couldn't afford to take in outsiders.

Selina hesitated a bit. "I'll try to find a few friends, but I'm not hopeful." After all, if she had friends everywhere, why would she gather Thea's team from afar? Most of her acquaintances were more inclined to exploit than to assist.

"Round up whoever you can. We need all the help we can get." Thea nodded, not holding much hope for her so-called friends.

As the team dispersed, Thea and Lyla stepped aside. "Miss Lyla, thank you for your help. Without your assistance, I wouldn't know what to do," Thea expressed her gratitude.

Lyla could tell it was just a polite remark and smiled without saying anything, waiting for Thea to continue.

"Do you have any high-tech weapons at A.R.G.U.S. that can incapacitate everyone in Arkham, similar to the gas from last night?" Thea genuinely didn't want to charge in blindly; that would be foolish.