Chapter 123: Just Call Me Little Mai
2023-10-23 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
"Kneel, traitors!"
An executioner gorilla, holding a gun, kicked the back of a prisoner gorilla's knee. The prisoner gorilla knelt unwillingly, its eyes filled with rage.
"Traitors? How do you still have the face to say that word?"
"Cut the crap."
The executioner gorilla pressed the muzzle of its gun against the back of the prisoner's head, an unconcealable, smug look on its face.
"You lost. It's all over. Now, Gorilla City only accepts one king, and that is the great King Grodd!" the executioner gorilla said gloatingly. "And you? You people might have been elders, part of the powerful elite before. But now? That's all in the past. Now you are all traitors to Gorilla City. Not only will you be executed, but your crimes will also be forever recorded in the history books of Gorilla City."
"This is absurd!"
A gorilla nearby shouted in indignation. It was blind in both eyes, and a shocking, conspicuous knife scar ran across its left eye.
"I can let the other things slide, but that shameless Grodd actually framed me for peeking at classified information? Accusing me, a blind gorilla, of peeking at classified information, do you think future generations reading the history books will all be blind too?"
"Uh..." The executioner gorilla froze for a moment, then turned to its companion. "I think he has a point. Wasn't the charge we came up with a bit hasty?"
"Enough nonsense," the team leader gorilla behind them said impatiently. "Why worry about all that? Who has time to nitpick over such details?"
"Oh, right, sir."
Nearby, another bound, white-furred gorilla was shouting, "You can't do this to me! I know Minister Carlo from the administrative department. You'll be in big trouble if you touch me."
"Save it, buddy," a gorilla next to it said dejectedly. "I *am* Minister Carlo, and aren't I tied up here just the same?"
"Huh?" The white-furred gorilla went limp and nearly pissed itself.
The team leader gorilla's gaze swept over these once-powerful gorillas, and it sneered, "Any last words?"
"Grodd will regret this," a bound gorilla said in a low voice. "Our ancestors left a final testament: we must always remain in awe of the power of the Lightning!"
"Grodd has already turned his back on the will of our ancestors. If this continues, he will definitely..."
"Stop, that's enough," the team leader gorilla grinned. "Just kidding. I'm not so merciful as to give you time for last words. Now, by Lord Grodd's decree, it's time for you to be on your way..."
As soon as it finished speaking, it instinctively sensed something was wrong. It turned its head and saw that a strange suit of red-and-silver armor had appeared behind it at some unknown time.
"What are you!? How did you get in here?" The team leader gorilla was shocked.
It wasn't just him; all the gorillas present were startled.
This is Gorilla City, a domain that has been isolated from the outside world since ancient times. Using their unique system of technology, they developed a kind of shield force field, like a giant eggshell enveloping the entire city. The shield not only blocks any external attacks but also has a cloaking effect.
To humans, this city is impossible to observe, whether with the naked eye or any kind of equipment; it's practically non-existent. For that very reason, this is the safest place for gorillas. It has never been invaded in all these years.
That's why they were so shocked to discover an outsider within the barrier.
"Sorry to interrupt," Orin Vale said politely, "but I just wanted to ask, where is that 'Great King Grodd' you just mentioned? I have something to discuss with him... in a very friendly manner."
"Intruder!"
The team leader gorilla roared, and all the gorillas present immediately turned their guns on him.
"I don't know who you are, but to dare intrude upon Gorilla City, and in front of Great King Grodd's number one general, 'Bloody Michael,' no less? I'm going to tear you to pieces and then eat your brain!"
The gorilla calling himself Michael roared.
"Fire! Kill him!"
"Alright, negotiations have failed."
The talks broke down. Time to go straight to cremation mode.
The instant before the gorillas pulled their triggers, Orin Vale had already vanished. The energy from the laser guns wove into a net, and the agile steel body shot through the gaps between the beams, instantly closing the distance to get inside their formation.
His palms flew, and Palm Cannons took down two of them in succession. The remaining gorillas roared in unison and lunged forward at high speed.
Similar to the gorillas that attacked Central City, they were also very fast.
But it was nothing Orin Vale couldn't handle.
Orin Vale parried a punch with his left palm and took one down with an Intercepting Kick. A gorilla on the left flank swung a crackling electric rod at him. Orin Vale casually deflected and redirected it. The gorilla's rod was immediately sent off course by his force, and it struck another gorilla's skull.
Critical hit on a teammate.
Orin Vale fired his Palm Cannon in succession, blasting two over, and sent one flying with a Knee Strike. Two gorillas came at him in a flashy, intersecting arc. He tripped one with his foot, making it fall, and intercepted the other with an Elbow Strike to the face.
In the blink of an eye, the entire squad of gorillas had been taken down, leaving only the leader.
After charging into the center of the enemy formation, Orin Vale had basically been standing rooted to the spot. He remained standing in the same place until the last gorilla fell, looking as if he hadn't moved a single centimeter.
The team leader gorilla and the prisoners kneeling on the ground all stared, dumbfounded.
"Now, you said your name was Bloody Michael?"
Orin Vale turned to the remaining, once-arrogant team leader gorilla.
"I have some questions for you."
The gorilla glanced at the unconscious bodies scattered everywhere and at another whose upper body was embedded in the mountain rock. He swallowed hard and forced a strained smile onto his face.
"Ah, 'Michael'... that's so formal, sir. Just call me Little Mai."
"..."
Orin Vale quickly got a general grasp of the situation.
It was actually quite similar to the original work. In The Flash's stories, Gorilla City was more often an ally than a villain, except for that one problem gorilla who was always dreaming of being an emperor: Grodd.
The gorillas of this city had no great ambitions. They lived in peace with the world, wanting only to stay quietly under their dome and live and work in contentment. Unfortunately, a traitor named Grodd had emerged from their midst. He killed the old king, launched a coup, and seized the throne. Now, with his ambitions swelling, he was even fantasizing about invading the human world to unify the Earth.
Orin Vale figured this gorilla named Grodd was either an idiot or had been disconnected from the world for so long that he had no idea what was going on.
If he had just done some field research before attacking and learned how many overpowered individuals there are in the human world now, he would have surely abandoned his ridiculous idea within a day.
Moreover, while Gorilla City was said to be technologically advanced, the impression it gave was actually a bit similar to those neighbors with their vibranium. One second they're mocking someone for using a primitive gun, and the next, they're pulling out their ancestral 24K vibranium spears.
"You're looking for Great King Grodd, right? He's in the palace, over there, the biggest building."
The gorilla Michael suddenly became exceptionally enthusiastic.
"Do you need me to lead the way?"
(end of chapter)