Chapter 127: The Giant Gorilla Titano
October 23, 2023 Author: Rowing Without Oars 233
Central City, a few minutes ago.
"Aaaahhh!!!"
On a street overrun by gorillas, a black sedan was sent flying sideways through the air by a massive impact. Flames spread and thick smoke billowed as the windshield shattered at an astonishing speed, sending fragments flying everywhere. The female driver in the seat was thrown outward by the tremendous power, only to be yanked back hard against the seat by her seatbelt.
The vehicle somersaulted in mid-air as if manipulated by unseen strings. The moment seemed to freeze: the firelight and thick smoke, the sky full of fragments, the despair on the woman's face, and the rampaging gorillas.
Lightning streaked into this frozen scene, and time itself seemed to stretch infinitely. A blurry figure stepped on the brick and stone fragments that had been tossed into the air, now suspended as if motionless, and rushed into the frozen domain, riding a trail of lightning.
Although he was a rookie, Barry was starting to get the hang of it.
He knocked over one gorilla with a fist, took down another with a flying kick, then used that gorilla's face as a springboard. With a stylish somersault that traced an arc of lightning, Barry stepped on the broken car door hanging in mid-air and rushed to the side of the upside-down, suspended vehicle.
He leaned inside, unbuckled the seatbelt, and took the owner—her expression frozen in a hysterical scream—into his arms, then turned and streaked back the way he came with a whoosh.
Dragging a long trail of sparks from under his feet, he finally managed to slow to a stop in a nearby alley. The driver was still screaming loudly. As she screamed, she whipped her head around to look left and right, then the scream died in her throat. She blinked, her vision blurring.
Then her gaze shifted dazedly to the only other living person beside her—a guy who was currently flinging his hands about as if he'd been electrocuted. This was no exaggeration, because there were indeed electric arcs sparking from his hands, and he was trying his best to shake the electric serpents off.
Noticing the woman's strange gaze, Barry looked up, smiled, and waved. "Oh, hey, are you okay? Crazy day, right? Woke up and the whole city is full of monkeys. But don't worry, you're safe now. You're welcome!"
"Uh, actually, I wanted to ask about your clothes." The woman's expression grew even stranger. "You realize... you're wearing an old lady's pajamas, right?"
"Ah, dammit, does it look like that?"
Barry glanced down at the brightly striped pajamas he was wearing, which were adorned with tacky embroidery. The collar and cuffs were even decorated with the kind of delicate lace favored by the elderly. Not only was the style bizarre, but it was also a terrible fit, looking utterly comical on him.
"Oh, that's because of the frictional heat. My clothes got burned off. I grabbed these when I passed a mall," Barry said, scratching his head awkwardly.
"Okay... so what's with the Hello Kitty on your head?"
Apparently, Barry was now wearing a Hello Kitty-shaped mascot head, making him look like a big white cat in an old lady's pajamas.
"Uh, also from that mall. I saved a young guy doing promotions in a mascot costume, and just... a superhero's disguise, you know."
"Is... is that so."
The woman looked at his Hello Kitty mascot head, then at the elderly pajamas, her face revealing an expression of utter, uncomprehending shock.
Barry sighed heavily. He figured that if he was going to do this often in the future, getting an outfit that wouldn't spontaneously combust would be very important.
"What's that now?" The woman looked up.
"What did I do now... oh, you mean in the sky." Barry followed her gaze, and his expression changed as well.
It was huge...
Some kind of aircraft, similar to the vehicles the other gorillas had landed in, only this one was much, much larger.
A giant, golden, spherical cabin fell from high in the sky with a piercing shriek, spewing flame from its base to decelerate just before landing.
Then came an earthquake-like impact.
The heavy fall was like a giant cannon shell hitting Central City, and the ground cracked with the impact point as its epicenter.
Amidst the billowing smoke, the large door of the giant cabin burst open, and a colossal shadow broke through the smokescreen and leaped into the air.
A gorilla.
A truly "big" gorilla. It stood dozens of meters tall like a Titan, with thick fur, full muscles more solid than steel, and dark brown skin that exuded a primitive aura. It had a broad forehead and brown eyes, which were filled with nothing but wrath and wildness.
The giant gorilla Titano.
A classic supervillain from the Superman series, who had also appeared in the old cartoon *Superman: The Animated Series*. Originally, he was an ordinary little monkey, chosen by humans as an experimental subject for aerospace tests.
In an aerospace experiment twenty years ago, it was put in a rocket and launched into the universe, but the rocket had an accident and all contact was lost. The aerospace bureau thought it had died at the time, but unexpectedly, it was exposed to unidentified radiation in space and evolved into a giant creature dozens of meters tall. By the time it returned to Earth, it had already become a powerful giant beast whose strength could rival Superman's.
Back then, when Orin Vale saw this villain's origin, he couldn't help but wonder, where have I seen this plot development before?
"Reinforcements! Requesting reinforcements!"
Police officers from the Central City Police Department were shouting in the surrounding blocks.
"Haven't the army guys arrived yet?"
"How are we supposed to explain the situation here to them? That Central City is now full of super-monkeys?"
The police officers hurriedly drew their guns and fired. But as everyone knows, in the DC Universe, the effectiveness of a pistol, if you were to compare it to the Ultra Series, was probably on par with the useless weapon the MAC team carried at their waists.
Anyway, whenever they opened fire, it was either a masterclass in "body-outlining" where not a single crab on the beach was spared, or it was the full spa treatment, dealing a grand total of "0 health points" in actual damage.
Titano, as a giant gorilla mutated by cosmic radiation, was, at any rate, a power-based character from the Superman series. Of course a pistol couldn't possibly be effective. But these few shots successfully attracted its attention. The giant gorilla roared and leaped, its colossal body crashing down on the group of police officers.
And it was exceptionally fast!
The police officers had no time to react at all. They were all frozen in place, still in their gun-aiming stances, not even having time to realize that the Grim Reaper was upon them.
A bolt of lightning shot over. Barry Allen came running at full speed, grabbing the officers one by one and rushing towards cover. But even with his speed, after pushing everyone aside, he only barely managed to dodge Titano's pounce. A tsunami-like impact sent him flying, denting the door of a car on the roadside and shattering its window. He was then thrown further, tumbling several times before hitting the ground.
Barry groaned as he hit the ground, electric arcs dancing over his body. If not for the Speed Force protecting him, a fall like that should theoretically have been enough to shatter his bones.
Titano noticed him, roared, and charged again, its giant fist smashing down towards him.
Barry's pupils contracted, and his figure slid backward with a whoosh. The fist smashed a giant pit in front of him. Shattered bricks and metal fragments flew up.
Relying on his high speed to evade, Barry clutched his chest, panting. "You know? For a gorilla that's dozens of meters tall, you're pretty damn fast. If the apes ever held an Olympics, you'd definitely take first place."
"Roar!"
Titano roared again, beating its chest fiercely with both fists. The pounding sound was endless, and the invisible shockwaves were deafening.
"Alright, alright, I get it. You're fast, and you're strong. But why don't you pick on someone your own size?"
Barry pointed behind it.
"Like, for example, him?"
Titano turned its head to look.
Boom!
A beam of light descended from the sky, slowing down before it hit the ground and taking the form of a giant. When its feet landed, the earth trembled and dust flew.
(end of chapter)