Returning to the home he had lived in for more than a decade and living under the same roof as his adoptive father, who was Reverse-Flash, was undoubtedly the strangest thing Zhang Tianran had ever experienced.
Although he had long since stopped fearing Reverse-Flash's identity, remembering that he had actually been raised by Reverse-Flash for over a decade still felt rather strange.
"What is it, Tianran? Is there something wrong with the food?" Wells asked Zhang Tianran just as he had many years ago.
"Nothing. It just feels a little strange." Zhang Tianran cut into the steak on his plate and answered absentmindedly.
"Well-done steak is indeed a little tough. If you don't want to eat it, you can try something else." Wells spoke calmly as he speared a piece of rare steak still bleeding and put it into his mouth.
"That isn't it, Wells. Why did you stay in this era? Spending more than a decade just to create a Flash? It doesn't seem very worthwhile..." Zhang Tianran did not quite understand.
After all, given Reverse-Flash's level of technology, even in an era with far less advanced technology, he should have had ways to return to the past.
A time machine might have been somewhat difficult to build, but only somewhat difficult. Zhang Tianran currently possessed at least three different techniques for constructing time machines.
Hearing Zhang Tianran's question, Wells picked up a napkin and wiped the corner of his mouth before speaking unhurriedly. "It's simple. I was trapped here. Literally..."
"I know you're confused, because I taught you how to build time machines. But my situation is rather special. Since you happened to ask today, I'll tell you everything."
Wells's words left Zhang Tianran somewhat puzzled, but he still listened very seriously.
"You know that I'm from the twenty-fifth century. But what you don't know is that my relationship with Barry Allen is far more intimate than you imagine."
"From the moment I gained the Negative Speed Force, I became Barry Allen's other side. Like the two sides of a card, Barry Allen would forever be the front, while I... would forever be the reverse."
"As the reverse side, I simply couldn't exist independently of Barry Allen. And as that reverse side, I also had to keep accepting every kind of negative emotion like a garbage bin."
"This was why I hated Flash."
Wells's narration was exceptionally calm, as though he were telling someone else's story. Yet beneath that calm lay true fury.
Zhang Tianran had not expected the truth to be like this. Although he had anticipated something, Reverse-Flash's circumstances seemed far more unfortunate than he had imagined.
"So that's how it is. You wanted to break free from the Speed Force, or from Barry Allen. Or rather... your real target was the Speed Force itself, wasn't it?" Zhang Tianran pondered for a moment before speaking.
"Yes, but also no! In the future, Flash was a hero. As for me, I was a supervillain, Flash's destined lifelong enemy." Rather than answering Zhang Tianran's question, Wells changed the subject and asked, "Who do you think was the real bad guy, Flash or me?"
Hearing that question, Zhang Tianran froze for a moment, then said with a smile, "Since you're putting it that way, you must believe the bad guy isn't you."
Wells offered no explanation for that question either and continued, "Do you know why the Time Bureau was established? To maintain the timeline? What a noble purpose. But in reality, all they did was protect their present selves."
Upon hearing Wells mention this, Zhang Tianran finally understood. Just as he had once told Barry, the timeline was like a great river, while reality was merely a different anchor point.
The past had already been fixed, while the future was filled with illusion. Only the present was real!
If someone changed the past, everything in the present would change along with it. If the change was minor,
then the flow of time would swallow every ripple. But if the change was too great... then the present would disappear!
In other words, every time Flash changed the past, countless lives would vanish. Though those lives would reappear in another form, it was like two nearly identical parallel worlds: they looked the same, yet were completely different.
"No wonder when I first learned that time travel existed, I wasn't excited. Instead, I felt endless terror and the urge to run away." Zhang Tianran muttered to himself. At that moment, he suddenly felt the impulse to kill Barry Allen.
After all, who knew whether that guy might erase him completely while changing the past?
Seeing Zhang Tianran's realization, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Wells's mouth.
"I knew the two of us would have an excellent opportunity to cooperate."
Zhang Tianran had already brought his emotions under control. Looking at Wells's smiling face, he said evenly, "What do you intend to do? Destroy the Speed Force? Or some other plan? Let me make this clear first: so far, I haven't found a better solution than running away."
Zhang Tianran was different from Reverse-Flash. If he wanted to, he could leave this world at any time. The Speed Force covered a vast range; as long as he did not escape the DC Universe, he would not lose the Speed Force.
"It's not time yet. When Barry travels through time for the first time, you'll understand everything. This is the thing you've always wanted to know but that I had no way of explaining. After all, if you don't experience it yourself, you'll never understand."
Wells's words were filled with confidence, as though he would obtain everything he had always craved in the next moment.
Zhang Tianran, however, was not particularly optimistic about it.
In the DC Universe, there were quite a few things capable of threatening the Speed Force. But completely destroying or controlling the Speed Force was nearly impossible.
This world was still relatively safe, even though the Speedster had made the timeline somewhat unstable.
If they went to those chaotic worlds, forget participating in those events—even staying put obediently could get them caught in the fallout.
"Perhaps. Since you come from the future, you should know when I disappeared. Before then, I'll cooperate with you. But if I sense any danger... I'll leave this world." Zhang Tianran directly stated his position.
Although he did not fear death that much, Zhang Tianran did not want to die yet. There was nothing in this world important enough to tie him down, so why not simply live in another world?
"Of course, don't worry. I've been preparing for this opportunity for a long time. When that moment comes, you'll have everything ready." Wells responded with great confidence.
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