At exactly nine in the morning, Barry shook his head, pressed a hand to his abs, and sprang up from the bed.
"Oh my God, Lin Li, you bastard. I can feel the darkness of death."
Barry pressed both hands against his bare upper body and spoke in alarm. The sensation of his blood slowly draining away, of losing the light as darkness gradually filled his vision, had been truly unpleasant. Lin Li's punch had been heavy.
Lin Li folded his arms, looked Barry over, and said with a smile, "You're awake. You were out all night. Don't worry, I calculated it precisely. That punch was just enough to let you taste the darkness of unconsciousness."
Every combination of Barry's bodily molecules, his frequency data, and the results of every physical examination were recorded in Lin Li's mind. He knew exactly how much force to use, and Barry would be fine.
Barry got out of bed and casually picked up a STAR Labs T-shirt lying nearby and put it on. Lin Li had prepared it for him.
As he dressed, he said, "One day, I'm going to punch you really hard too."
Lin Li raised an eyebrow and said indifferently, "Yes, I'm looking forward to it."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
They hugged.
Lin Li said, "Thank you, Barry."
Barry said, "I believe you'd do the same for me. Just like with the Weather Wizard—you stepped up and shielded me from any harm."
"Of course. You're my good friend."
Lin Li raised his fist and bumped it hard against Barry's.
Barry dramatically clutched his fist and yelled, "Whoa~~~ This is abuse of the disabled."
Lin Li burst out laughing.
After fooling around for a while, they stopped.
Barry needed to return to the Central City Police Department