Various Plans

Joe suppressed Barry's restless urge to act and said solemnly, "Barry, let me investigate this for now. You see him often at STAR Labs, so don't do anything rash."

Time Vault.

Wells rubbed his protruding belly. Eastern cuisine was too magical; before he knew it, he could not stop eating. Even two hours later, his stomach still felt bloated. He was so full.

He had eaten too much earlier and felt a little stuffed. After letting out a belch, he fixed his eyes on the recorded footage.

The screen showed Joe and Barry, their conversation coming through clearly.

"My experience and instincts tell me we need to investigate Harrison Wells."

Wells stared at Joe and murmured to himself, "Detective West, you really are an excellent police officer."

Wells watched Joe on the screen and pondered for a moment before dismissing it.

"Gideon, show me the future."

"Yes, Doctor."

A newspaper article documenting The Flash's disappearance in 2025 appeared as a holographic projection.

The future was correct.

"Pull up my logs, Gideon. Enter new content."

The display shifted, revealing rows upon rows of log entries. Gideon generated a new log and added to it as Wells spoke.

Wells paced as he spoke.

"Everything is back on track. Everything disrupted by the time traveler Lin Li has been restored to the proper course. Giving him the identity of a STAR Labs consultant and having him focus on capturing metahumans has not changed the future in any way. In history, he seems irrelevant."

"Lin Li's identity is uncertain. By his own account, he was an ordinary person in another world, living an ordinary life, until he was unfortunate enough to be swallowed by a vortex and brought into this world. His desire to return, his frantic study of technology, and all the emotions he has displayed seem genuine. But to me, his credibility... is zero."

"Lin Li is an unstable factor. His unwavering will, clever mind, and sharp instincts mean that sooner or later, he will realize I was the one who attacked him that night. He must die. The faster Barry runs, the faster he dies."

"For now, the priority is to keep him stable. I suspect he possesses the Speed Force. Certain characteristics of the Speed Force can be traced on him, though it has not yet been confirmed whether he truly possesses it. As for his lightning abilities, he seems able to manipulate electrons to generate magnetic fields, then control those magnetic fields. His own Bio-Field, as well as his control over Barry's biomagnetic field, all indicate that he can control biomagnetic fields."

"Cellular restructuring at the molecular level, along with Velocity Shock, will render everything he possesses useless. Even if he has mastered the biomagnetic field of 'Wells,' it does not matter."

At this point, Wells continued with a cold sneer.

"Only a speedster can rival a speedster."

"Barry's adoptive father, Joe West, has begun to suspect me. Though that suspicion has no evidence, no solid reasoning—only experience and instinct."

"I need to dispel that suspicion. The relationship between Barry and me cannot grow too distant. One conclusive piece of proof can eliminate West's suspicions."

"That concludes the entry."

"Save it."

After speaking, Wells snapped the fingers of his right hand.

"Gideon, open the surveillance feeds for the underground training room."

"Yes, Doctor."

Eight displays appeared, arranged in a circle and showing different camera angles.

Three newly replaced punching bags, steel walls riddled with dents, more than eighty fist-sized iron blocks suspended in the air one to 1.7 meters above the ground by steel cables, several modified baseball pitching machines, and a massive refrigerator by the door.

These items made up Lin Li's underground training room.

All eight screens showed Lin Li sitting cross-legged in a corner, eyes closed as though meditating.

"Meditating? Cultivating?"

"A fascinating Eastern boy, from a fascinating Eastern land. Since ancient times, Eastern wisdom has been as vast and unfathomable as the sea. But before the gulf in intellect and technology spanning centuries, before the greatness of the Speed Force, you cannot cross that divide."

A look of pity appeared on Wells's face, as though he were looking at an ignorant ape-man from ancient times.

He turned and sat in his wheelchair.

"Gideon, good night."

"Good night, Doctor."

Wells controlled his wheelchair out of the Time Vault and left STAR Labs.

Thirty minutes later, in the underground training room, Lin Li slowly opened his eyes. He had not been meditating or cultivating at all. He had simply been using Magnetic Field Sense to "watch" Wells, and only dared to act after confirming that he had left.

He knew that STAR Labs, and even the entirety of Central City, was covered by Wells's surveillance. Therefore, every action had to appear reasonable and justified, leaving Wells without any suspicion.

He activated Super-Speed Thinking and carefully considered the path ahead.

First, Barry was crucial to him. Barry's speed needed to improve as quickly as possible.

Second, Wells's twenty-fifth-century technology could not be overlooked. At the very least, Lin Li needed to return home. To pass through that vortex, he would certainly have to deal with the distortions of a wormhole, changes in dimensional energy, and locating the coordinates of the real world. Otherwise, he might be flung into some unknown world and end up even farther from reality.

Third, he needed to understand Wells's biomagnetic field, the arrangement of his body's cells, and the molecular-level changes in him. At minimum, he had to prepare for Wells as a future enemy. Wells was a suspicious man and would never truly trust him, so gaining control over his life was critically important.

Fourth, the changes to the future storyline. Blackout's ability to absorb the Speed Force was worth studying. In the original television series, Wells had also drawn a tube of blood for research, but apparently discovered nothing. It was never mentioned later, so Lin Li did not know what had happened. He needed to intercept the prototype faster-than-light particle accelerator and keep it from Wells. That would further slow Wells's recovery of speed, preventing him from becoming a threat. If nothing unexpected happened, Lin Li should be able to return to the real world by the later part of the first season.

After carefully considering the road ahead, Lin Li realized there was not much he could actually do. At most, he could help Barry fight superpowered criminals, protect Barry's safety, and push Barry to run faster.

At this stage, he could only study—study all kinds of knowledge desperately—and prepare to squeeze Wells for his knowledge.

Having sorted out his thoughts, Lin Li took more than ten tubs of ice cream from the refrigerator and watched his tablet while scooping ice cream into his mouth.

After midnight, he cleared away a pile of empty ice cream containers. He had nearly finished all the ice cream in the refrigerator, but there was no need to worry; the supermarket would restock tomorrow. After showering, he used Magnetic Field Sense as usual before going to sleep and discovered that Cisco was still in the laboratory, though he had no idea what he was doing.

Lin Li did not pay it any mind. Cisco's interests were researching and inventing all sorts of things, as well as naming strange objects and people. Perhaps nighttime made him even more energetic.

Thinking that, Lin Li lay down and went to sleep. Before drifting off, he remembered what he should make for dinner tomorrow: a meal that would leave him full even if they came to eat, while leaving them utterly helpless.