Teaming Up with Batman

"You found Superman!?"

At that, older Barry Allen was both shocked and delighted. He was shocked that Old Bruce Wayne had actually helped him and found Superman in such a short time. He was delighted because, now that Superman had been found, the huge problem of Zod's invasion could be resolved perfectly.

"Don't celebrate too soon. Superman was discovered and imprisoned by Mao Country long ago. No one knows what condition he's in now. We still have to get him out before we talk about anything else." Seeing how happy he was, Zhang Ye immediately poured cold water on his enthusiasm.

After all, the one locked up in the military base was Supergirl, not Superman. Zhang Ye did not want Barry Allen's newfound hope to turn into despair, so he gave him a warning in advance.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go. The sooner we rescue Superman, the sooner we can discuss how to deal with General Zod, this invader." Older Barry Allen was clearly already impatient.

"My Batplane only has two seats."

Batman added casually.

His meaning was obvious. He could take at most two people on this mission. As for who would go, the four of them could work it out themselves. Meanwhile, he could observe from the side and gather more information from them.

Older Barry Allen clearly did not notice Old Bruce Wayne's intentions. He immediately said, "I'll go. I know Superman, and I understand him well. Once we rescue him, I can make him trust us faster. Besides, I need to atone. If it weren't for me, none of this mess would have happened."

"No need. Leave it to the professionals." Zhang Ye interrupted Barry Allen. He first glanced at Old Bruce, then spoke calmly.

"This world's timeline is in chaos, so there's no guarantee Superman is still the Superman you remember. I'm familiar with changes across most of the Multiverse, so Pietro and I should go. You two can stay in the Batcave."

"But—"

"No buts. The two of you are too inexperienced. You've lost your powers and have no ability to protect yourself. As for young Barry, he only just gained his powers and has no combat experience at all. He'd only hold us back. Besides, with Pietro there, we don't need any more speedsters."

"I want to do my part too." Older Barry Allen looked disappointed. Though he wanted to explain himself, Zhang Ye's reasoning made too much sense for him to refute.

"If you really want to do your part, then stay here. For you, recovering your Speed Force as soon as possible is what matters most. The Batcave happens to have what you need. Get your things ready and wait for us to return."

Older Barry Allen nodded. Just as Zhang Ye had said, without the Speed Force, he had no combat capability at all. More importantly, if he could not recover it, he would never be able to return to his own timeline. That was something Barry did not want to see.

Besides, Zhang Ye and Pietro both looked extremely professional. To Barry, they gave off the same feeling as Batman from another timeline—reliable, knowledgeable, like they understood everything.

With the two of them covering things, the mission to recover Superman should be a sure thing. He really should start thinking about how to regain his Speed Force.

And things turned out much as older Barry Allen had expected. After Batman changed into his Batsuit and adjusted the Bat-Plane, he quickly brought Zhang Ye and Pietro to their destination.

Under the cover of night, the Bat-Plane reached the airspace above Mao Country's military base without alerting anyone or any radar.

"There are parachutes in the packs. You know how to use them, right?"

Batman activated the autopilot. The Bat-Plane stabilized, and an opening beneath it slid open. The three seats slowly descended and extended below the aircraft like landing gear.

The biting wind high in the sky whipped against Zhang Ye's face. Looking at Batman, he knew this was probably another little test from him. Though Zhang Ye had never tried skydiving in either of his lives, he did not need to now.

"Thanks for the thought, but we don't need parachutes." With that, Zhang Ye patted Pietro on the leg, unfastened his seat belt, and jumped from the aircraft.

Sensing Zhang Ye's signal, Pietro ignored Batman's stunned expression and jumped after him. Soon, the two figures plunged into the clouds one after the other.

Old Bruce Wayne was startled by the sight, but he did not hesitate. He quickly followed Zhang Ye and Pietro down.

As Zhang Ye plummeted through the air, he felt the powerful rush of wind. He adjusted his goggles, then pulled a large black umbrella from behind his back. As the ground gradually came into focus, he twisted the switch on the umbrella handle. The ribs extended automatically and began spinning rapidly, like a helicopter.

Zhang Ye did not open the umbrella immediately. Doing so would indeed have had the same effect as a parachute, but the immense force generated in that instant was not something an ordinary person like him could withstand.

If he opened it directly, his arms would be torn in half instantly by the two enormous opposing forces. Perhaps Zhang Ye could endure it after being enhanced, but his current ordinary self could not. He understood that much basic common sense.

The umbrella-shaped helicopter spun rapidly, slowly reducing Zhang Ye's descent speed. Only then did he open the umbrella and gradually lower the rotor speed, allowing himself to descend slowly under gravity.

Pietro, on the other hand, had no such concerns. His method was much simpler and more brutal.

As he neared the ground, he quickly tossed out several glass marbles, then abruptly entered an accelerated state. His feet lightly stepped on the marbles. Those tiny marbles somehow became footholds for him to run on, allowing him to "run" through midair all the way to the ground.

Batman, who arrived last, did not use a parachute either. His cape was the perfect glider. But because he landed last, he was able to clearly witness Zhang Ye and Pietro's unique methods of descent.

"You're quite skilled with Cobblepot's equipment." After the three gathered, Old Bruce Wayne casually remarked to Zhang Ye. Zhang Ye merely smiled and did not respond.

"Looks like we've reached our destination. This military base does not exist in any records. If there are aliens here, this is probably the most likely place they'd be held." Batman took out his Bat-Scanner and began scanning the surrounding area.

"Zhang, what do we do next?" Pietro also took out the lightning scepter. He had long wanted to test the weapon's power.

"Don't rush in. This is an important military site, so there are definitely plenty of guards. A direct attack would put us at a disadvantage. It's better to sneak in. Pietro, go scout the way ahead." Zhang Ye put on his communications earpiece and spoke to Pietro.

"No problem." Pietro smiled confidently and put on his earpiece as well. But when he turned around, he froze. "Huh? Where did that old man go?!"

Batman was already nowhere to be seen on the pale, dim snowfield. What was shocking was that, in just a few seconds, Batman seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Neither of the two, including Zhang Ye, had noticed when Batman left. There was not even the slightest trace left in the snow.

It was as if Batman had disappeared out of nowhere.

Seeing this, Zhang Ye merely smiled and shook his head.

"Forget about him. This is normal when teaming up with Batman. Let's follow our own plan. Be careful, Pietro."