Chapter 249
, Section 15: Traveling with the Speedsters
Chapter 249, Section 15: Traveling with the Speedsters
"All the survivors in Star City have been rescued. Now we need to figure out how to deal with this behemoth."
"To be precise, it should be you. Perhaps with the green light added, I probably won't be able to help much in this part."
Barry scratched his head awkwardly, his cheap uniform hissing and smoking from the friction of his previous high-speed movements.
Standing next to the Superman he admired but unable to offer much help made the young Flash slightly uneasy.
"This is the first time I've met someone faster than me, child. Your strength is immense."
Clark noticed Barry's guilt and patted him on the shoulder encouragingly.
"You're destined for great things in the near future, so could you tell me your codename?"
"Barry—no—I mean—Lightning."
"Relax, Lightning. Leave the rest to me and Green Lantern." Clark smiled gently, looking up at the Green Lantern floating in the sky.
"Dude, what should we do now? How about we uproot it and push it into space?"
"I don't think this is a good idea. This guy's roots are deep underground, and who knows what the consequences will be?" Green Lantern stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Clark nodded, gazing worriedly at the distant Star City.
In fact, when he was rescuing the citizens of Xingcheng, he discovered a strange phenomenon: in the center of the city, there was a lump of flesh that looked like an open baby's mouth, and inside that "mouth" shimmered a cluster of deep blue ripples, as deep as the starry sky.
If I had to use a metaphor, that thing felt to him like a portal.
Reason told him that if he didn't get rid of this thing quickly, something terrible might crawl out of it.
"Hey Superman, remember what I told you about the sarcoma?"
Just as Clark was frowning in thought, he heard Will's shout from below.
"This thing is afraid of fire. I hope this message helps you."
"Thank you very much, Knight of Judgment."
"But before that, I have a favor to ask." Qin Wei rubbed his hands together with a troubled expression. "I have a friend who fell in, he was swallowed up by the tumor, but he seems to be still alive."
"The location, and how long have you been in there?" Hal Jordan continued, his body glowing green.
It seems this upright superhero has no intention of sacrificing anyone.
"About ten minutes ago, I'm not entirely sure of the exact location—it was probably in an abandoned hospital in the slums—actually, the entire Star City is in complete chaos right now, so I don't know the details either."
Before he could finish speaking, Qin Wei felt a blur before his eyes, and when he opened them again, he found himself at the tip of the largest fleshy tentacle in the center of Star City.
"This might help you see things more clearly. Do you remember? Is it this? Here? Or there?"
Barry's rambling could be heard in his ears. Needless to say, this impatient speedster had once again taken it upon himself to take him on a high-speed trip.
"It seems to be that—" Qin Wei could only point in a direction based on his memory.
At this moment, the tumor seemed to sense the intruders and split off thousands of tiny tentacles from its grayish-black, mucus-covered surface, attacking the two of them.
"Are you sure? Should we think about it again? We have plenty of time."
"Do we have a lot of time???"
Although they knew that the speedster couldn't possibly be hit (Apokolips Gun God: ???), the fear of being hit by the densely packed, enormous tentacles was real.
Fortunately, Barry activated the Speed Force in time, and enveloped in a dazzling yellow flash, the two returned to the abandoned Peaceheart Hospital.
However, the place has undergone tremendous changes. Apart from a few unfinished buildings that can still be vaguely seen around, the former hospital site has been invaded by a huge sarcoma covering more than ten hectares.
This is the location of the portal-like object that Superman saw.
Barry stood on the rooftop, gazing towards the center of the "portal".
"You mean your friend? He fell in here?"
"That should be true."
Qin Wei nodded.
Barry stood with his hands on his hips, shaking his legs.
He originally thought that he could simply use his speed to sneak into the monster's body and fish the person out of its mucus-filled intestines, but now it seemed that this portal-like place might lead to some unknown alternate dimension, and sneaking in rashly would probably be extremely dangerous.
"This is a bit tricky."
"If it's too difficult, then... let's not do it?"
Even Qin Wei felt that the rescue was a bit too difficult, but before he could back down, Barry patted his chest and said yes.
"I'll try going in and take a look first."
Is this the awareness of a superhero?
Upon hearing this, Qin Wei felt a lump in his throat. He had no right to refuse the rescue on behalf of Thomas, but since the matter originated from him, he couldn't stand idly by and let Barry be in danger.
"I'll go with you."
"Judgment Knight, are you serious?" Barry turned around and looked Will up and down. "Why don't you tell me your superpowers first, so we can support each other when we team up later?"
"Does it count if I have money?"
"So—you just used money to take care of those bastards in Gotham?"
Barry gasped upon hearing this.
He couldn't believe that the Judgement Knight, who had recently wiped out a host of villains in Gotham and was idolized by many young people, was actually an ordinary person.
But upon closer reflection, if the Judgement Knight truly possessed any superpowers, why would he need to instigate a riot in Gotham?
"Wow—okay—if you want to come along, then come on—I'll do my best to keep you safe, but you know, I'm not always reliable."
Barry put his arm around Will's, and the moment the Speed Force was activated, the whole world seemed to freeze.
With a blank expression, he headed toward the center of the tumor.
The instant Barry stepped into the deep blue portal, his Speed Force surged violently, and at the same time, the previously forbidden objects around him began to move.
This includes Wei.
"What happened?!" Qin Wei slowly opened his mouth, uttering each word in a distorted tone.
As Barry plummeted into the void, he realized that the flow of time here was different from that outside, much faster than outside, almost matching his Speed Force.
Fortunately, this eerie feeling didn't last long.
As the two, like Thomas Jr., plunged headfirst into the depths of a cosmic nebula, they opened their eyes again to find themselves in the middle of a bustling street.
The bright sunlight was so intense that Qin Wei couldn't open his eyes.
Drop drop drop!
A piercing horn sounded behind them, and amidst the astonished gazes of passersby, the two freaks in tight-fitting clothes looked up in surprise.
In the city center, towering buildings and glass curtain walls reflect dazzling light, and the sky is as bright as a sapphire soaking in clear water.
"Where am I—inside a monster's belly?"
Barry leaned against the roadside railing, panting heavily. To counteract the accelerated flow of time in space, the Speed Force at full power had exhausted a lot of his energy.
"No, I think this should be Gotham City."
Qin Wei rubbed his throbbing temples.
His gaze was fixed on the electronic billboard across the street, which was broadcasting a campaign message for a mayoral election.
"I am Lincoln March, and my campaign slogan is: For a better tomorrow for Gotham."
A middle-aged man in a suit and tie, smiling, reached out his hand to the audience in the center of the screen.
Although the guy had grown a beard and had more wrinkles on his face, Qin Wei was still certain that the other person was Thomas, who had been swallowed by the tumor just ten minutes ago.