Test

Chapter 50: Test

"Zhang, what's wrong?"

As Zhang Ye stood there in a daze, Pietro beside him could not help asking.

"Huh? I'm fine. Why do you ask?" Zhang Ye replied as if nothing had happened, but the terrifying Astral Rift he had just seen, along with that unknown Colossus, still lingered in his mind.

"You froze up as soon as you picked that thing up. I thought something had happened to you." Pietro gave the Time Twister in Zhang Ye's hand a strange look. He had not forgotten that this little thing had carried the two of them away from their previous world.

"Oh, it's nothing. I just got distracted."

From Pietro's reaction, Zhang Ye could tell that although he had stayed in that "place" for a long time, only a few seconds had likely passed here. Time flowed differently on either side.

Zhang Ye did not intend to tell anyone else what had just happened to him, either. It was not that he wanted to keep it secret, but even he could not digest something like that so quickly. Telling others would probably only burden them with needless worry.

Besides, the most pressing issue was not the terrifying rift whose location he did not know, but resolving the trouble in this universe created by Barry Allen as soon as possible.

To resolve this disaster, General Zod was an obstacle they could not avoid. And if they wanted to deal with him, they could not let him remain on Earth, such a favorable battlefield. Zhang Ye had painstakingly chosen a very good burial ground for him.

However, Zhang Ye could not yet be sure that the Red Sun detected by Miss Minutes was truly the so-called "Red Sun" from the DC Universe. The two universes were different, and their rules might differ as well. Whether this Red Sun would work still required a Kryptonian volunteer to test it.

As it happened, there was a Kryptonian at Wayne Manor right now.

With that thought, Zhang Ye immediately decided to return to the rooftop and find Kara.

"Zhang, we're almost ready." Seeing Zhang Ye preparing to leave again, the older Barry Allen immediately spoke up.

Barry Allen still hoped Zhang Ye would stay by his side while he regained his powers. Even he was not sure whether his plan would succeed. If it failed, he would undoubtedly be struck dead by lightning.

Since Zhang Ye and Pietro knew so much about the Multiverse, having them watch over things meant that even if something went wrong, they should be able to save his life.

Hearing Barry Allen's words, Zhang Ye paused. After thinking briefly, he turned around and said,

"Go ahead and begin. I have something to discuss with the Kryptonian girl. Be careful—your plan is good, but part of your Speed Force has transferred into the younger Barry. If you want to regain your powers, then aside from those external factors, at the instant you are struck by lightning, the younger Barry must make contact with you."

"What do you mean?" Neither Barry Allen understood.

"It means that when the lightning comes down, this world's Barry Allen needs to activate his own speed and inject the Speed Force back into you, reactivating the Speed Force you lost."

Before Zhang Ye could answer, Old Batman, Bruce Wayne, gave the explanation. At the same time, he could not help shaking his head and muttering softly, "I still don't understand these abilities well enough. I actually failed to think of such a crucial step."

Zhang Ye nodded at them and continued out of the Batcave.

Getting The Flash's powers back was not difficult in itself. It merely looked dangerous. After all, he was someone chosen by the Speed Force. But for safety's sake, Zhang Ye still had Pietro stay behind.

For one thing, though Pietro looked unreliable, he could still be counted on when it mattered. If anything went wrong, Pietro could handle it.

For another, this trip was only a test. Zhang Ye and Kara could complete it by themselves. Besides, bringing another person would consume more power, and Zhang Ye believed in saving wherever possible, so he decided not to bring Pietro along.

Back at Wayne Castle, Zhang Ye was about to head to the rooftop when he looked up and saw Kara stuffing herself, holding a large piece of bread in one hand and red wine in the other.

She seemed to be enjoying herself so much that she had not even noticed someone approaching.

By the time she noticed Zhang Ye, he was already standing in front of her. Seeing the momentary stunned look on his face, Kara became a little embarrassed. Then, as if explaining herself and talking to herself at the same time, she said,

"I was going to come down and find you, but I felt like eating something when I passed by here. I haven't had food in a long time, so I just tried some."

Zhang Ye did not react much. After all, it was not his food. "It's fine. Eat whatever you want. I was only wondering why you still wanted to eat after being exposed to sunlight, but I forgot that you hadn't had a proper meal in a long time. Sorry."

"It's fine." Kara put down what she was holding. She had changed into her own Kryptonian battle suit, the red-and-blue uniform. After changing clothes, she looked far more energetic.

Though she did not know why Zhang Ye had suddenly come up, his actions suggested that he had come specifically to find her. Seeing that he wanted to speak but did not seem to know how to say it, Kara straightforwardly said,

"You must have come to me for something, right? You saved me, so I owe you my life. If there's anything you need me to do, just say it. As long as I can help, I'll do everything I can."

"Anything?" Zhang Ye could not resist teasing her. Perhaps only at times like this did he feel like joking with someone.

"Anything." But Kara clearly did not catch the meaning behind Zhang Ye's words and answered with complete sincerity.

Zhang Ye merely sighed, giving up on having fun, then continued seriously. "I may have a way to kill Zod. That would not only save this planet, but also let you avenge your brother."

"What way?!" Before Zhang Ye could finish, Kara immediately blurted it out. She had already wanted to go down and discuss ways of taking revenge with him. She had not expected Zhang Ye to find a solution first. How could Kara possibly remain calm?

"That's what I'm about to explain. As long as he remains empowered by the Yellow Sun, General Zod will be stronger than all of us. So we cannot fight him here. I have a way to bring him to another planet, but I'm not sure whether that planet's Red Sun will affect him."

Hearing that, Kara immediately understood what Zhang Ye meant. "I understand. You want me to test whether that planet's sunlight really affects Kryptonians, right? Fine, I agree."