Before Diana and Sara arrived, Oliver and Kaius prepared to secure Iron Heights Prison. However, the reinforcements they had seemed insufficient.
Oliver lowered his bow and said, "Diana and Sara went to another facility. Felicity just reported that two of Star City's prisons were attacked by fortified convicts. They're securing the other prison."
Kaius frowned. "Wait, there are three prisons in Star City? How bad is the crime rate here to need so many prisons?"
Oliver nodded grimly. "The last one was breached. Over half the inmates were taken. Felicity is tracking the vehicles they used to escape, but they brought heavy reinforcements this time. Almost all of them."
Oliver sighed deeply, his frustration palpable. "If only I had powers like you," he muttered, shaking his head. Then, snapping out of it, he added, "We need to move. The police will be here any second."
Kaius felt a pang of sympathy. Oliver Queen—once the wealthy CEO of Queen Consolidated—had given it all up to become the Green Arrow, a vigilante fighting for justice in Star City. Yet, his efforts often disrupted the delicate balance of the city's criminal underworld, attracting even more chaos.
Still, Kaius knew that over time, with Oliver's persistent efforts, the Star City Police would eventually recognize his value and work with him. But that was a story for another time.
"Wait a second, Oliver," Kaius interrupted. "Didn't you say there's an antidote for Mirakuru?"
Oliver paused, his brow furrowed. "Mirakuru does have an antidote, but it was lost years ago. And I'm pretty sure I never mentioned it to you."
Kaius smiled sheepishly. "Maybe I misheard. But I've got an idea. We could take one of the enhanced individuals to S.T.A.R. Labs. They might be able to reverse-engineer an antidote. At the very least, it would give us an edge against them."
Oliver nodded, though his expression remained serious. "It's worth a shot. But Kaius, one more thing—" His tone turned sharp. "When we're in the field, don't call me by my real name."
Kaius chuckled. "Got it, Oliver."
Oliver glared. If he didn't know Kaius was practically invincible, he might have been tempted to fire an arrow right then and there.
Meanwhile, in a luxurious Star City office, a man wearing a skull mask stood before his superior, reporting the results of their raid.
"We managed to capture 400 prisoners. Based on the survival rate of the Mirakuru serum, about 30 might make it through the process."
The Mirakuru serum was notoriously lethal, with a survival rate of less than 10%. The leader had ordered a mass raid on Star City's prisons, hoping to compensate for the death rate with sheer numbers.
The man in the boss's chair scowled. "Only 400? I told you to hit all three prisons. We needed at least 1,000 prisoners. At that scale, we'd have at least 100 surviving super-soldiers."
With that many enhanced reinforcements, they could easily threaten the entire city.
The skull-masked subordinate lowered his head. "Iron Heights Prison and Star City Prison were defended by Arrow and his team. We lost 15 soldiers trying to breach them."
When the report came in that 15 elite soldiers had been lost, the atmosphere in the lavish office turned suffocating. Each of these soldiers had undergone rigorous training, making their loss both staggering and unthinkable.
The man sitting behind the ornate sandalwood desk—its surface glistening under the dim light—exploded in anger. His fist came down with a thunderous bang, splitting the luxurious desk in half.
Standing across from him was a figure in a skull mask, trembling as he stepped back, unwilling to meet the one-eyed man's burning gaze.
"The Arrow? Are you joking?" the man roared, his voice reverberating off the walls. "How could his team have the strength to overpower more than a dozen enhanced soldiers?"
He strode around the shattered desk, his imposing figure making the masked man shrink further. Even clad in a sharp black suit, his massive frame exuded power. His right eye was covered by a patch, but his piercing gaze from the other eye was enough to paralyze anyone in his presence.
If Oliver Queen were here, he would recognize the man immediately—Slade Wilson, also known as Deathstroke.
Five years ago, Slade had lived on Lian Yu (Purgatory Island) alongside Oliver. After injecting himself with the experimental serum Mirakuru, he had survived its brutal effects, gaining immense strength and enhanced abilities. Now, he had returned to Star City with one goal: vengeance. His mission was personal. He swore to make Oliver Queen suffer by taking away everyone he held dear, beginning with a woman Oliver cherished above all.
The skull-masked man hesitated under Slade's oppressive presence but finally stammered, "The Green Arrow has recruited help! Two incredibly strong allies joined him—they also seem to be enhanced. The men we sent couldn't compete with those two."
Slade's expression darkened. He clenched his fists but remained silent for a moment. He understood the significance of strength disparities, even among those enhanced by Mirakuru.
Before Mirakuru, Slade was a renowned mercenary and a master assassin—a soldier's soldier. Now, with years of Mirakuru's influence, his power had grown to the cusp of a hero-tier strength.
"Righteous or not, anyone who dares interfere with my plans will pay the ultimate price!" Slade growled. He turned toward the masked man and commanded, "Sebastian, accelerate the operation. I want to see my legion assembled immediately."
The skull-masked man nervously nodded, seizing the opportunity to raise his own ambitions. "Mr. Wilson, about the market leadership—you promised I'd be the ruler of Star City's underworld."
Slade gave a faint smirk. "And you will be. Once this city is reborn, you'll have your place as the greatest mayor of Star City. But first, I have an old friend to visit."
With that, Slade signaled one of his bodyguards to prepare his Lamborghini.
Meanwhile at the Arrow Base
After successfully containing the breakout at the prison, Oliver Queen, John Diggle, and Roy Harper returned to their underground headquarters. Kaius had taken a sample of Mirakuru for analysis at S.T.A.R. Labs, leaving the team to regroup.
"Welcome back, warriors!" Sara Lance greeted them, clearly exhilarated from the night's skirmishes.
Diana glanced at Oliver and asked, "Where's Kaius? Didn't he come back with you?"
Oliver replied, "He went to S.T.A.R. Labs to work on an antidote for Mirakuru. He also wanted to check on Barry."
Diggle crossed his arms, clearly frustrated. "An antidote for Mirakuru? Do you really think one can be created?"
Oliver and Sara exchanged knowing glances, recalling their harrowing days on Lian Yu. Before Oliver could respond, his phone buzzed.
"It's from Thea," Oliver announced, his brow furrowing. "She says there's an emergency at home. I need to leave."
As Oliver left, the rest of the team remained deep in thought. The battle against Mirakuru was far from over, and the stakes were only getting higher.
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