Joining

Joe knew Lin Li was right. Ordinary people really had no way to deal with metahumans.

He asked, "Can you handle Mardon? I don't want Barry's new friend from another world to die in front of me."

Lin Li smiled. "Perhaps you should ask Cisco how I saved Barry from Mardon and made Mardon a one-armed man."

Joe's heart jolted. "You were the one who cut off Mardon's arm?"

"It was me. Unfortunately, Barry's life was in danger at the time. I had to maintain his bodily functions, so I couldn't make another move, which let Mardon escape."

Lin Li stated the facts.

"I'll go back and investigate. If it's true, I'll notify you when I find Mardon. I hope you'll be ready at any time."

Joe was somewhat doubtful, but it did not matter. Once he checked the scene reports, he would know whether Lin Li was telling the truth. If he was, Lin Li would become a major fighting force.

The main reason Lin Li had hurried out to persuade Joe was that, in the TV series, Joe had been the first to find Mardon. He needed Joe to use his experience as a police officer to locate Mardon's hiding place.

"Check Mardon's previous hideouts. If you find anything, don't act rashly. Call me, and we'll go together."

Lin Li made the suggestion. He only knew that Mardon would hide out on a farm in the TV series; he did not know the exact location.

"Okay. Wait for my news."

Joe left after saying that.

While cooperating with Joe, Lin Li naturally could not overlook STAR Labs' technological resources. As long as STAR Labs' satellites were recalibrated to track meteorological anomalies, they would know Mardon's location whenever he used his abilities.

When Lin Li returned to the main hall's control room, Cisco and Caitlin were both staring at him with bright eyes.

He frowned. "What is it?"

Dr. Wells wheeled himself in front of him. "Mr. Lin Li, we need you to become a hero, a hero like Barry."

Lin Li did not know what Wells was plotting, but he had a clear goal to pursue. It was impossible for him to become a superhero in Central City and save people.

He answered directly without hesitation, "I refuse."

"Why?"

Cisco asked in surprise. Whether it was helping him make The Flash Suit, directing Barry from behind the scenes to save people, or driving off Weather Wizard today and saving Barry and the others, everything showed that Lin Li was a heroic sort of person—kind, righteous, and courageous. He could not understand why Lin Li would refuse.

Of course, Cisco could not know that helping make The Flash Suit and directing Barry from behind the scenes had only been because Lin Li enjoyed watching The Flash TV series. It had been a fresh experience to take part in Flash-style heroics, to participate in scenes from the show and watch a live version. It was quite interesting, but he had never intended to keep doing it. He had merely wanted to try it out.

"I didn't come to this world to be a superhero. This was an accident. My goal is to return to where I belong, not maintain justice and save citizens for you in an unfamiliar world."

Lin Li spoke righteously. He had to make this clear. Once he got caught up in superhero activities like saving citizens, it would consume far too much of his time. He would rather stay in his room reading basic physics, particles, quantum theory, and other related knowledge than do this sort of thing. Coming here had been a beautiful accident. All he wanted was to return to where he belonged.

Lin Li was not easy to get along with. His obsession with going home dominated his mind.

Dr. Wells thought to himself, but his hostility toward Lin Li lessened somewhat. As long as neither of them blocked the other's path, Lin Li and he could coexist peacefully. They could not really be considered enemies.

Caitlin said, "Didn't you step forward today? We really need someone like you to help us control metahumans and prevent even worse consequences."

Lin Li did not quite agree, but neither did he refuse too strongly. "I'll help Barry deal with some difficult metahumans, like today, but I won't do it full-time."

Wells had originally planned to elevate Lin Li into a hero, keeping him constantly on the move and dragging him into the endless misery of saving people. But he had not expected Lin Li to be so resolute and uninterested in being a hero, so he could only take a step back and make other plans.

"Okay, then how about this, Lin Li? STAR Labs will hire you as a consultant. When metahumans appear, you'll help contain them. When there are no metahumans, you may use STAR Labs' equipment as you please. We'll also help you find a way home. What do you think?"

Wells proposed.

Though Lin Li seemed able to move about freely in STAR Labs, that was not actually the case. The only places he could access were his room in the living area, the main hall, and the basement. That was all. The other areas required fingerprint and iris verification. Without Caitlin and Cisco, he could not go anywhere else. That was why he had spent the previous period following Cisco and Caitlin through various research projects. He had neither equipment nor authorization for independent research.

The temptation of being able to use STAR Labs' equipment freely was immense. Research into particles, strings, collision reactions, quarks, atoms, protons, energy, wormholes, and other areas of physics required high-end instruments for experiments. Simply reading books and absorbing knowledge would not reveal many reactions at all. Only by conducting experiments himself and turning theory into reality could he find a way home.

Lin Li considered it briefly and felt it would benefit him greatly. He said directly, "All right. I very much need your help."

Wells smiled. "Welcome to STAR Labs, Consultant Lin Li."

Lin Li returned the smile. "It's an honor, Dr. Wells."

Both understood what the other needed. If Dr. Wells had not been a villain and so unfathomable, Lin Li felt they might have worked together very well. After all, both were the kind of people who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

But people of the same kind repelled each other. Especially two people with the same personality—they repelled each other even more and trusted each other even less, unless both of them were idiots.

Both were perfectly aware of it, each harboring his own schemes as they shook hands.

Cisco said, "Welcome to STAR Labs."

Caitlin said, "Welcome to STAR Labs."

With Lin Li joining STAR Labs, Cisco and Caitlin's sense of recognition toward him shot up another level.

Lin Li joked, "Okay, now that I've joined STAR Labs, I have a salary. I can finally pay Cisco back his seven dollars and Barry his hundred dollars. I can also finally buy something else to eat instead of having to eat Cisco's disgusting energy bars every day."

Cisco looked unconvinced. "Hey... hey, I worked really hard on those, okay?"

Dr. Wells smiled. "Of course. The pay will be enough to feed a big eater like you. But first, let's deal with your first target."