Chapter Summaries

After returning to STAR Labs, Lin Li reunited with Barry and learned what Team Flash had endured during his seven-month absence. He revealed that Jay was ZOOM and urged the team to expose him, leaving them alarmed and ready to investigate.

• Barry tearfully hugged Lin Li at STAR Labs, then let him eat ice cream while Cisco recounted Team Flash’s troubles over the past seven months.
• Lin Li learned that Jay had helped the team defeat Atom Smasher and that he had recently knocked Jay unconscious with a punch.
• Asked about ZOOM, Lin Li said he had encountered a black-clad speedster with blue lightning inside the black hole and had been punched deeper into it.
• Lin Li claimed Jay’s body had the same frequency as ZOOM’s despite lacking Speed Force fluctuations, and said Jay had eliminated his Speed Force to infiltrate Team Flash.
• Barry and Cisco realized Lin Li was accusing Jay of being ZOOM, while Martin questioned the theory; Lin Li urged them to expose Jay.

Lin Li began testing the super speed he had gained after losing his electromagnetic powers, wearing a temporary black Lightning Suit made by Cisco. The test was about to begin as STAR Labs prepared to measure his speed and bodily reactions.

• Lin Li told STAR Labs that he had lost his electrical and electromagnetic abilities and gained super speed, while keeping his experience in the Speed Force dimension secret.
• Lin Li adjusted to his Speed Force and wore the black Lightning Suit Cisco had made, since his bulky Armor of Justice was no longer suitable for high-speed running.
• Barry thanked Lin Li for helping him work through his guilt and mend his relationships with Caitlin and Iris.
• Caitlin explained that the suit's sensors would monitor Lin Li as he increased his speed every five seconds and reached maximum speed after thirty seconds.
• Lin Li crouched at the starting block, Cisco called him the Lightning Rider, and Lin Li's eyes began to flicker with silver arcs as the test started.

Lin Li activated the Speed Force and raced down the highway, rapidly accelerating past the sound barrier. Barry joined him, and the two speedsters ran together as Lin Li marveled at the feeling.

• Lin Li activated Speed Mode and launched down the highway, surrounded by silver lightning.
• Cisco recorded Lin Li's speed climbing past 640, 750, 900, and 1,100 kilometers per hour as Caitlin worried that he had ignored her instructions.
• Lin Li broke the sound barrier and vanished into the distance, impressing Barry and the STAR Labs team.
• Barry changed into his red Lightning Suit and chased after Lin Li, also breaking the sound barrier.
• Cisco saw Lin Li's speed reach 1.7 Mach as Barry caught up and ran alongside him.
• Barry asked how the Speed Force felt, and Lin Li said it was amazing as silver and yellow lightning intertwined around them.

Jay summoned ZOOM through the breach and demanded Velocity 9 so he could kill Lightning Rider, whom he blamed for his injuries. Meanwhile, Cisco alerted Barry and Lin Li that Jay had escaped, and the two speedsters discovered they had run all the way to Gotham City, where armed thugs confronted them.

• Jay reached the breach while nursing his injuries and sent a signal through it.
• ZOOM emerged from the breach, and Jay told him that Lightning Rider was a speedster who had badly injured him.
• Jay demanded Velocity 9 and urged ZOOM to kill or imprison Lightning Rider, but ZOOM only watched him silently.
• After finding that Jay had escaped, Cisco sent an urgent alert that made Barry and Lin Li stop running and answer their communicators.
• Barry and Lin Li realized they were in Gotham City when six armed thugs confronted them in an alley.

Lin Li warned Team Flash that ZOOM was several times faster than Barry and organized preparations to counter him. The chapter ended as Lin Li gave Barry his assignment: keep running around Central City as though nothing had happened.

• Lin Li ordered Shanshan 2.0 to calculate armor performance and possible uses of Speed Force energy.
• Barry, Martin, and Caitlin agreed that STAR Labs needed to prepare for Jay's return after his escape.
• Lin Li told the team that ZOOM was at least three or four times faster than Barry, reaching an estimated Mach 6 to Mach 8.
• Lin Li assigned Cisco and Martin to build two superluminal particle-transfer prototypes and asked Caitlin to research a cell-degrading drug.
• Lin Li told Barry to keep running around Central City as though nothing had happened.

Lin Li completed and constructed a streamlined speed armor called “Transcendence,” designed to amplify his Speed Force with airflow and lightning grooves. After activating it, he burst into motion so quickly that a silver ring of light and powerful gusts swept through the underground training room.

• Shanshan 2.0 projected Lin Li’s armor design and explained that its lightning grooves could increase his speed by at least twenty percent while producing intense electromagnetic reactions.
• Lin Li ordered Shanshan 2.0 to enter his body and help construct the armor matrix.
• Lin Li formed the armor across his feet, legs, hands, chest, abdomen, and head, completing the slender black suit he named “Transcendence.”
• Lin Li tested the armor’s flexibility and activated his Speed Force, causing silver lightning to illuminate its patterns and lift dust into the air.
• Lin Li vanished in a burst of speed, and the gale he created hurled equipment against the walls as a ring of silver light raced around the training room.

Lin Li tested his Speed Force lightning and attempted to create a sonic tornado, while preparing for a possible ZOOM attack on STAR Labs. Cisco announced that the superluminal particle transfer Speed Force prototype was ready.

• Lin Li used his armor to concentrate Speed Force energy and throw lightning, but the blast destroyed a punching bag and left him dissatisfied with his control.
• Shanshan 2.0 measured Lin Li's maximum speed at 2.1 Mach, and Lin Li prepared for a likely attack from ZOOM after Jay's escape.
• Lin Li sent Barry to patrol Central City while he trained to improve his abilities and devised a sonic tornado to fight time wraiths.
• Lin Li's attempt to generate low-frequency sound waves failed and injured his internal organs, so he asked Shanshan 2.0 to calculate the correct frequency amplitude.
• Cisco announced that he and Martin had built a superluminal particle transfer Speed Force prototype.

Lin Li, Cisco, and Martin reviewed the superluminal particle transfer Speed Force prototype, which could potentially triple a speedster’s maximum speed but could not safely reach light speed. Lin Li forced the exhausted scientists to sleep before they tested it at Ferris Runway the next morning.

• Cisco and Martin showed Lin Li the prototype they had built using tachyons and the Firestorm matrix transfer mechanism.
• Cisco and Martin speculated that the device might let Barry reach light speed, but Lin Li explained that the Speed Force could only protect their bodies up to a limited speed increase.
• Lin Li estimated the prototype could boost Barry’s and his own speed by about three times, while noting that controlling the increase would be difficult.
• Cisco and Martin insisted on testing the prototype despite their exhaustion, so Lin Li ordered them to sleep before the test.
• Cisco dragged Martin out of the lab, and the two scientists joined Barry and Lin Li at Ferris Runway the next morning to test the prototype.

Lin Li revealed his Transcendence Armor at Ferris Runway, impressing Cisco, Martin, and Barry before they began testing the prototype. Barry wanted armor of his own, but Cisco said he could not make it without a suitable lightweight metal, and the prototype test then led to trouble.

• Lin Li joined Barry and Cisco at Ferris Runway to set up equipment for testing the prototype.
• Lin Li revealed his Transcendence Armor, and Cisco and Martin praised its design and speed-enhancing lightning patterns.
• Barry asked Cisco to make him speedster armor, but Cisco explained that Barry's suit needed to remain leather unless they found suitable lightweight metal.
• Lin Li put away the armor and had Barry test the prototype, which led to trouble.

Barry tested the Speed Force prototype and reached Mach 6, but his speed kept rising after Martin sent a warning. Barry then traveled through time again, taking Lin Li with him, who arrived in the countryside and caught a person wearing a blue suit with an S on the chest.

• Barry activated the prototype and accelerated past Mach 6 as Martin and Cisco monitored his readings.
• Martin saw Barry’s physical indicators deteriorating and sent him a pulse warning, but Barry continued to accelerate.
• Lin Li prepared to chase Barry in his Transcendence Armor before Barry’s readings vanished and a wormhole opened.
• Lin Li charged into the wormhole and traveled through time with Barry.
• Lin Li appeared in the countryside, caught a person in blue who had been blasted into him, and noticed the curved S on the figure’s chest.

Lin Li caught Kara after Red Tornado knocked her through the air, and she felt an unexplained familiarity with his armor. After revealing himself as the Lightning Rider, Lin Li hurried off to find Barry, while Kara followed him toward DEO headquarters.

• Lin Li caught Kara and safely stopped her flight through the mud.
• Kara asked whether she had met Lin Li before, but he denied knowing her and said he needed to find someone.
• Kara introduced herself as Supergirl and offered to help Lin Li.
• Lin Li showed Kara the lightning around his armor, called himself the Lightning Rider, and sped away.
• Kara saw Lin Li heading toward DEO headquarters and flew after him.

Barry arrived at DEO headquarters in an unfamiliar world and tried to explain himself to the armed personnel surrounding him. Lin Li suddenly appeared beside him, and the DEO and military forces called an enemy attack.

• Barry appeared at DEO headquarters, where soldiers aimed their guns at him, and identified himself as The Flash.
• Hank Henshaw and General Lane questioned whether Barry was a new superhero and debated his connection to the DEO.
• Barry realized he might have crossed into another world and considered escaping back to his own Earth.
• General Lane ordered Barry to surrender for inspection as soldiers surrounded him.
• Lin Li arrived in dark, lightning-wreathed armor, blasted the area with a gale, and prompted the personnel to shout that they were under enemy attack.

Lin Li and Barry appeared at DEO headquarters during Supergirl’s battle with Red Tornado, and General Lane prepared to have them captured. Supergirl stopped the standoff by calling Lin Li her friend, but General Lane’s attempted order ended with his mouth inexplicably filled with air.

• Red Tornado cleared the dust storm while soldiers aimed their weapons at Lin Li and Barry.
• General Lane ordered the intruders to submit, but Lin Li’s threatening silence made him hesitate to attack.
• Supergirl flew between Lin Li and General Lane and called Lin Li her friend, Lightning Rider.
• Barry, Hank Henshaw, Alex Danvers, and General Lane reacted with confusion to Supergirl’s claim.
• General Lane began to suggest that Lin Li test Red Tornado in Supergirl’s place, but his mouth suddenly filled with air and he could not speak.

Lin Li used the Speed Force and his vibrating Demon Claw to destroy Red Tornado in an instant. General Lane watched his costly weapon fall and began to question how Earth could defend itself against powerful aliens.

• General Lane began suggesting that Supergirl's friend test Red Tornado, but Lin Li's sudden silver flash choked him with sand and blinded everyone.
• Lin Li raced past Supergirl and used his high-frequency vibrating Demon Claw to tear open Red Tornado's chest and destroy its central circuitry.
• Kara and Barry recovered from the flash and saw Red Tornado hanging from Lin Li's claw, while Kara marveled at his speed and Barry was startled by the brutal strike.
• Lin Li asked whether he had been summoned to deal with scrap metal, and the soldiers raised their guns as General Lane stared at the ruined robot.
• General Lane reflected on the billion-dollar weapon's failure and shouted at Lin Li.

Lin Li and Barry left after Lin Li destroyed Red Tornado and warned General Lane not to provoke them again. Kara argued with General Lane, then investigated Lightning Rider and learned from Clark that Lin Li’s armor might be the same armor that had saved her escape pod.

• Lin Li tore through Red Tornado, warned General Lane, and sped away with Barry after Barry told the DEO they meant no harm.
• Kara praised Lin Li and Barry, then angrily accused General Lane of pushing them into becoming enemies.
• Hank Henshaw challenged General Lane for interfering with the DEO, and General Lane left with his soldiers.
• Kara investigated Lightning Rider and asked Hank Henshaw and Clark whether they recognized his armor.
• Clark told Kara that a black suit of armor had saved her escape pod, and Kara realized Lightning Rider felt familiar because he might be her rescuer.

Lin Li waited on a remote highway while Barry struggled to open a wormhole back to Earth-1, and Kara approached him after watching him enjoy ice cream. Kara asked whether Lin Li had been the armored figure who saved her eleven years earlier.

• Lin Li relaxed beside his RV while Barry repeatedly ran past, unable to create a wormhole back to Earth-1.
• Shanshan 2.0 told Lin Li that Barry was struggling with the frequency collision between the two universes, and Lin Li considered building an improved time machine with Max's help.
• Kara watched Lin Li eat ice cream and became absorbed in his contentment before Lin Li's cough broke her reverie.
• Kara nervously asked Lin Li whether he was the Lightning Rider and whether he had saved her from beneath a meteorite eleven years earlier.

Kara learned that Lin Li had saved her from the meteorite eleven years earlier and was overwhelmed with gratitude. After she accidentally ruined his ice cream, she returned with a refrigerator full of treats, and the two became friends while Barry continued his training.

• Kara asked Lin Li if he had been the armored figure who saved her, and Lin Li confirmed that he had.
• Kara became emotional remembering Lin Li taking the meteorite head-on, then flew away in embarrassment and covered Lin Li’s ice cream in dust.
• Lin Li discarded the ruined ice cream and cleaned up, while Shanshan 2.0 suggested punishing Kara and Lin Li refused.
• Kara returned with a refrigerator full of ice cream and apologized for the dust.
• Lin Li forgave Kara, and they became friends, eating ice cream and chatting while Barry kept running.

Kara grew disappointed after learning that Lin Li loved someone, then left to respond to a fire in Nashino City. Lin Li encouraged Barry to keep trying to return to Earth-1, but Astra Zor-El appeared just as Barry regained his resolve.

• Kara asked Lin Li whether he had someone, and he said he deeply loved a woman who was prettier than anyone.
• Kara left to deal with a fire in Nashino City, taking off without disturbing Lin Li or his ice cream.
• Barry told Lin Li that he had failed to create a wormhole back to Earth-1 after two days of trying.
• Lin Li reminded Barry that his father might soon be released and urged him to run with love in his heart.
• Barry regained his determination to get back and hug his father, but Astra Zor-El landed nearby and asked where they were trying to go.

Astra Zor-El approached Lin Li and Barry, hoping to recruit them while presenting herself as Kara’s aunt. Lin Li distrusted her and sent Barry to obtain kryptonite, leaving Lin Li and Astra facing each other in a tense standoff.

• Astra Zor-El arrived and identified herself to Barry as Kara’s aunt, easing some of his suspicion.
• Lin Li warned Barry through a focused-sound technique that Astra might be an enemy and told him to get kryptonite from the DEO or contact Kara.
• Barry trusted Lin Li and sped away while Astra let him go.
• Astra offered to help Lin Li and Barry return to their planet if they joined her, but Lin Li refused.
• Astra warned Lin Li that she did not want to hurt Kara’s friend, and Lin Li challenged her for threatening him.

Lin Li refused Astra’s offer to help her save Earth, despite her promise to help him get home. Astra confronted him with her overwhelming Kryptonian power, but Lin Li stood firm and declared his refusal again.

• Astra offered to help Lin Li get home if he joined her effort to save Earth, but Lin Li refused.
• Astra grew angry and planned to force Lin Li into her cause, as she had recruited other aliens before.
• Astra’s memories revealed that she had tried to save Krypton by gathering its people’s strength, but her sister had trapped her in Fort Rozz.
• Astra pressed Lin Li with her intimidating power and asked if he was sure he refused.
• Lin Li’s Transcendence Armor answered Astra’s pressure with crackling lightning, and he repeated, "I refuse!"