Crossing Over

"Ah..."

Suddenly, Lin Li bolted upright from the hospital bed, gasping for air, his entire body drenched in sweat.

His eyes betrayed pure terror.

It was too horrifying.

Just moments ago, he had been wearing a suit, clutching a bouquet of eleven roses—the flowers vibrant and fresh—and carrying the diamond ring he had spent three years of savings to buy. He was on the verge of proposing to the girlfriend he had been dating for two years.

He was certain she would say yes, because they were such a perfect match, so deeply in love, and so in sync. Their two years together had been as harmonious as the first day; there was no reason they wouldn't continue to build a life together, creating a home and spending their entire lives side by side.

He had been thinking about it so happily.

Suddenly, the sky turned dark.

Countless lightning snakes danced and crackled across the heavens, accompanied by vast, boundless storm clouds. Black and silver energy spheres swirled amidst the chaotic winds.

A gale erupted instantly. Silver snakes danced wildly, black clouds smothered the sky—it was a scene of apocalyptic destruction.

One moment the sun had been shining, and the next, the sky was choked with dark clouds. The weather changed so rapidly that Lin Li couldn't adapt; he was stunned, staring blankly for a moment.

Just as Lin Li stood there in a daze, a black energy sphere plummeted toward his head.

Then, a bolt of lightning struck the black energy sphere above him.

It seemed to tear open a passage, and the energy sphere transformed into a vortex.

The phenomenon, which defied all reason, terrified him into paralysis. He couldn't react at all.

Lin Li was sucked into the vortex.

"What's going on? Where am I?"

After waking up, Lin Li asked in shock and panic. What was with that lightning and the black sphere? He had definitely been sucked in, so how was he here now?

This appeared to be a laboratory. The many display screens surrounding him made Lin Li feel extremely anxious. Had he been sliced up for research?

"Oh my god, our Asian guy is awake! Dr. Wells, Caitlin, get to the surgical wing immediately."

Cisco picked up his walkie-talkie and shouted.

A moment later, Lin Li saw a young white woman and a thin, middle-aged man in glasses sitting in a wheelchair enter the room.

The white woman rushed to Lin Li's side, pulled out a flashlight to check his eyes, and spoke in rapid-fire English that Lin Li couldn't understand, her face cold. Cisco stayed by his side, comforting him, which helped ease his panic.

As Cisco offered his reassurance, the panic Lin Li felt about his surroundings gradually began to subside.

Even though Lin Li couldn't understand their language, he could tell this didn't seem to be the kind of twisted, vivisection-style research. At the very least, seeing that they hadn't tied him to the bed, he concluded they still had some ethics.

"Blood pressure is up to 190, pulse is 280... all indicators are high, far above those of a normal person."

After a preliminary check of Lin Li's body, Caitlin was somewhat surprised. He was far too strong and healthy. Was he turned into a Superman by a lightning strike? Thinking of this, as an expert in bioengineering, she felt an urgent desire to study Lin Li.

Just as Caitlin was about to perform further tests, Lin Li stopped her.

"Does anyone here speak Chinese? Tell me! Where am I? Why am I here? How long have I been unconscious? Where is my girlfriend?"

Lin Li asked urgently. Logically, even if he were receiving treatment, it should be in Asia, where there were plenty of people of his own race, not waking up to face a group of foreigners. He felt something was wrong and was deeply panicked.

"Oh, no! Looks like the Asian guy and I aren't meant to be."

Cisco joked; he had been planning on making an Asian friend.

Caitlin also helplessly indicated that she couldn't understand him.

After the group exchanged glances, Dr. Wells maneuvered his wheelchair toward Lin Li.

"Hello, I am Harrison Wells. You can call me Dr. Wells. What is your name?" He spoke in strangely accented Chinese, but it was clear enough to understand what he meant.

Dr. Wells extended his right hand toward Lin Li.

"Lin Li. Surname Lin, given name Li."

After shaking hands with Dr. Wells and being introduced to Cisco and Caitlin, Dr. Wells spoke slowly.

"Lin Li, you have been in a coma for eight months. According to reports, you were found in the Central City Police Department lab."

"What! Eight months?"

Lin Li was startled. Eight months was such a long time.

What about his beloved? He had just been about to propose. No, this wouldn't do. He had to get back immediately. After eight months, that girl must be crying her eyes out; she was always so clingy.

Thinking this, Lin Li threw off the white sheet and got out of bed. He had to go back right now; eight months was too long.

Logically, after eight months in bed, his muscles should have been flaccid and atrophied, but Lin Li felt his muscles were firm, powerful, and strong—even healthier than before. With a light clench of his fist, a surge of immense power erupted; he felt like he could kill a tiger.

A normal person certainly wouldn't be like this. He felt no weakness at all, only vigor and physical strength. He looked down and discovered he had well-defined pectorals and an eight-pack. This was impossible. Never mind the chest muscles; he had a bit of a belly before he fell into a coma. Could a coma have the same effect as a workout?

Had he been experimented on?

Lin Li's expression turned strange as he recalled some unpleasant science fiction films.

Dr. Wells ignored Lin Li and continued.

"The Particle Accelerator that day... then it exploded, creating a storm. Unfortunately, lightning struck you and Barry Allen. You were both sent to the hospital, and later, due to misdiagnosis and power failures, I brought you and Barry Allen to STAR Labs."

"The Particle Accelerator exploded!"

"Barry Allen!"

Lin Li's head buzzed. The events and the name left him in disbelief.

He had been too panicked earlier to pay attention to the names and appearances of the others, but now that he looked, he realized he knew everyone here, and quite well.

It was possible for one or two people to share a name, but for everyone to have the same names, the same appearances, and for the setting to be STAR Labs—plus the protagonist Barry Allen—it meant he had crossed over!

On his way to propose, he had just finished watching the newly released Season 3, Episode 13, about the gorilla. That was February 22, 2017.

Barry Allen. The Flash.

Could it be that the vortex had sucked him into the world of The Flash?

He hadn't paid attention to his surroundings earlier due to his panic, but after Dr. Wells's words, Lin Li noticed that three meters away, there was another bed. The person on that bed, hooked up to a ventilator, was the future Flash.

He stared at Barry Allen, lost in thought.

A surge of excitement welled up within him. Anyone who had watched The Flash couldn't help but crave that ultimate, exhilarating speed—a speed that transcended everything, ignored physics, surpassed the speed of light, and could even run into the past to create an entirely new timeline.

The Speed Force.

The fifth force, independent of the four fundamental forces.

Possessing such immense power was like being a god.

Having the opportunity to master such power was impossible not to be excited about.

After the brief excitement, a sense of desolation washed over him. While coming to this supernatural world was certainly thrilling, the thought of his beloved in his original world left him feeling miserable.

It wasn't just the eight-month gap in time; it was the distance of a world, a universe, a space-time.

He might never be able to go back.