บท 41: Chapter 41
Boom...
The underground research institute trembled again, the vibrations rippling through every floor, even reaching the heavily reinforced fourth sublevel where the air felt thick with tension.
Bardi had directed the 70-ton Annihilator III missile straight at the white laboratory building aboveground, obliterating the soldiers encircling it. The addition of mass-launched vehicle-mounted missiles had turned the military base into a battlefield of carnage. Over 1,700 soldiers had been killed, with another 2,000 seriously injured. The survivors, gripped by fear, fled the base in droves.
No one wanted to be caught in the next round of bombardments, especially with 300-ton missiles looming in the arsenal. The destruction was too overwhelming, too absolute.
The explosion that reduced the laboratory building to rubble, along with the strategically placed C4 explosives, sent shockwaves strong enough to cause the underground research institute to shudder violently.
Fortunately, the facility's reinforced double-layer metal structure held firm against the external impact, though the exit above might now be completely sealed.
Bardi's expression remained calm, detached even, as he studied the map of Nevada on the screen in front of him. His eyes were steady, filled with calculation rather than emotion.
Nevada was a web of military infrastructure, home to nearly 132 military bases. The sheer number was staggering, overwhelming even. Just this one state alone housed so many facilities, all operating at high levels of security and readiness.
But it wasn't entirely surprising. The Cold War had yet to conclude, and the United States and the Soviet Union remained locked in a ruthless competition for global dominance. Against that backdrop, 132 bases in Nevada might even be considered a conservative estimate.
Many of these bases were undoubtedly stationed to protect the enigmatic Area 51, shrouded in secrecy and speculation.
The base Bardi was currently assaulting, however, was one of the smaller, outermost ones—situated near the borders of Utah and Idaho.
His calm gaze remained fixed on the map, his mind racing through possibilities as he planned his escape.
---
The sheer density of missile silos and military installations across Nevada presented an enormous obstacle. Some bases were legacies of Cold War preparedness, while others existed specifically to shield the United States' most guarded secrets, such as Area 51.
But for Bardi, these weren't just obstacles, they were immense threats.
Even with the destruction he had already caused, including the successful detonation of a missile with a 16,000-ton payload, the presence of other military installations nearby rendered it a mere drop in the bucket.
There was a much larger military base just 500 kilometers away. Unlike this one, which relied on helicopters, the larger base housed cutting-edge aircraft like F-15 Eagle fighter jets and F-16 Fighting Falcons.
If Bardi attempted to escape via helicopter, those fighter jets could be deployed within half an hour, missiles locked and ready to obliterate him mid-flight.
And while Bardi didn't mind the idea of improvising, like leaping onto a fighter jet in mid-air, tearing the cockpit open, and dragging the pilot out, it wasn't a scenario that offered much certainty. He couldn't fly, and engaging a jet in combat thousands of meters above ground left too many unpredictable factors.
Bardi narrowed his eyes at the map, contemplating his options.
He spoke decisively: "Hera, fire two cruise missiles with 10,000-ton and 6,000-ton payloads at the military base 500 kilometers away. Target their airstrip and destroy all the fighter jets."
Hera's elegant, measured voice responded immediately: "Master, the moment we launched the first missile, other military bases detected its trajectory. At a distance of 500 kilometers, there's a 90% probability that these missiles will be intercepted and detonated mid-air before reaching their target."
Bardi nodded. "That's fine. Time is short. Launch the 300-ton missile at this base immediately. Then fire the 10,000-ton and 6,000-ton missiles toward the base 500 kilometers away. Launch them in different directions to buy some time."
"Understood, Master. The 300-ton missile will detonate at the military base in one minute and twenty seconds. The 6,000-ton and 10,000-ton missiles will launch two minutes later, targeting the fighter depot of the base 500 kilometers away," Hera responded with her usual calm efficiency.
Bardi exhaled slowly, turning his attention back to the route he had carefully mapped out. Double-checking every detail, he ensured that everything was in place before switching the screen off. He stood, his expression unreadable, and walked away with quiet determination.
There was one final task to complete.
He needed to erase all traces of his presence.
Kryptonian genetics were too dangerous to fall into human hands, and Bardi would not allow his DNA to become a tool for experimentation or exploitation.
Before basking in the sun to recharge his strength, Jenny had successfully created a genetic serum using his cells. Though its effectiveness remained uncertain, Bardi had no intention of letting such a dangerous substance remain in circulation.
He had already ordered Hera to delete all experimental data from the lab's systems. Using Hera's calculations and his own deductions, he was confident he could locate where Bori had stored the serum.
The hallways of the underground research institute were bloodstained and eerily silent as Bardi made his way back to the white room where he had been imprisoned. His face remained cold and stoic as he passed the one-way mirror, his sharp gaze taking in the sterile, featureless space that had once held him captive.
The memories stirred faintly as he walked through the very room that had once rendered him powerless.
But in the end, he had won.
A faint, bitter smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. Most of the researchers who had experimented on him were now dead. Jenny had been deliberately spared. Slade was gone. Dean Bori was gone. The middle-aged woman who had conducted tests with all the detached curiosity of someone dissecting a frog—dead.
Bardi remembered all their faces. He remembered every single researcher who had studied him on the fourth sublevel, their names etched into his memory. One by one, he had sent them to their graves.
And as for General Vic? Bardi was certain his time would come soon enough.
He continued toward Jenny's laboratory, his cold expression softening slightly as he approached. For a moment, a flicker of gentleness crossed his features.
Jenny… perhaps the only person in this facility who had truly wanted to help him.
But even then, Bardi knew it was because he had captured her heart. Without that connection, he would have remained just another research subject to her.
The faint warmth in his eyes disappeared, replaced by a cold, focused gaze.
Inside the laboratory, the genetic serum was gone. Bori had taken it and hidden it elsewhere.
What remained in the lab was… a grotesque sight.
Inside a reinforced glass enclosure was a half-caged, tumor-covered rat. Its body was grotesquely misshapen, the mutations turning it into a pitiful creature that slammed itself frantically against the tempered glass walls of its enclosure.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The relentless sound of the creature's desperate thrashing echoed in the silent lab.
Bardi frowned, his cold gaze studying the frantic animal. The confined space had clearly driven it mad.
"Was this rat injected with the genetic serum?" Bardi muttered to himself, shaking his head slightly.
From the looks of it, the serum was a complete failure.
Whatever genetic traits the researchers had attempted to extract or replicate were useless now. Nothing of Kryptonian value could be recovered from this grotesque experiment.
---
After a brief search, Bardi's deductions proved correct. Following Hera's monitoring of Bori's movements and accounting for his own observations, Bardi found the serum hidden under a black plastic bag in a discarded trash can within the lab.
Just as his fingers closed around the vial, the ground beneath him shuddered violently. The tremors were accompanied by a low, thunderous rumble as dust fell from the cracks in the steel-reinforced ceiling of the underground research institute.
The 300-ton missile had detonated.
Bardi felt the vibrations travel up through his feet, shaking the ground beneath him. Without hesitation, he turned and strode back to the evolution room.
"Master," Hera's voice greeted him as soon as he arrived, "the 6,000-ton and 10,000-ton missiles have been prepared. They will launch shortly."
"Good," Bardi replied curtly. "Rest now, Hera."
With that, he removed the key from its interface and hung it securely around his neck, the cold metal gleaming faintly under the dim lights.
His sharp gaze held a glimmer of anticipation as he straightened.
"It's time to get out of here."
***
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