"Tienran, you finally decided to come back to work." Inside STAR Labs, Wells sat in his wheelchair and spoke in a very gentle tone.
"Sorry, Wells. I had some matters to deal with these past few days, but STAR Labs probably doesn't need much help from me right now." Zhang Tianran placed a hand on Wells's wheelchair, and a flash of white lightning flickered past.
Wells's smile immediately stiffened somewhat. Zhang Tianran, however, revealed a faint smile, his mood instantly improving considerably.
"Actually, STAR Labs is very busy right now..." Wells casually glanced behind him, pretending nothing was amiss.
Not far away, Barry Allen and Cisco were adjusting a red suit. These days, Zhang Tianran was not the only one growing familiar with his Speed Force; Barry Allen was also getting used to his own power.
However, compared to Zhang Tianran, who knew a little about the Speed Force, Barry Allen merely believed that he was simply fast. He had yet to realize his connection to the Speed Force.
"Hey, Barry. I heard you caught a Metahuman criminal yesterday..." Zhang Tianran released Wells's wheelchair and walked over to Barry Allen.
This sight nearly frightened Wells into standing up from his wheelchair. To him, Barry Allen—the Flash—might have been the most important person of all.
But clearly, Wells's worries were unnecessary. Zhang Tianran had no intention of doing anything to Barry Allen.
"Dr. Zhang, even if you only joined after the Particle Accelerator explosion, skipping work for several days straight is a bit excessive..." When Caitlin saw Zhang Tianran, she spoke with obvious displeasure before turning and leaving.
He had run into a rebuff right away, but Zhang Tianran did not mind. For one thing, he really had skipped work. For another, Caitlin had been quite unlucky herself.
The Particle Accelerator explosion had not only ruined Caitlin's future, but even made her fiancé disappear. Being able to continue working at STAR Labs was already fairly fortunate.
"Uh, sorry, bro. Caitlin hasn't been in a good mood these past few days." Cisco awkwardly greeted him, trying to explain Caitlin's behavior.
"It's fine. I had some things to handle these past few days, so I did delay work a little. But it's not a big issue." As Zhang Tianran spoke, he logged into his account on the computer.
Once the account was logged in, a huge amount of information immediately appeared.
"This is some dark matter research I conducted at home. It should be of some help to you." Zhang Tianran spoke casually.
Cisco stared at the densely packed material on the screen and was so astonished that he could not speak.
"Zhang... I finally understand why Wells wanted you back." Cisco excitedly hugged Zhang Tianran, then immediately plunged into the materials.
At this point in time, research materials on dark matter were practically nonexistent. Yet Zhang Tianran had deduced all of it in just a few minutes.
Super Thinking plus Super Speed, along with the doctoral knowledge Zhang Tianran had painstakingly accumulated over more than a decade in this world—he felt as if he could do almost anything.
"Barry, I've made a discovery about your Super Speed..." After sending the others away, Zhang Tianran finally got a chance to speak with Barry.
Zhang Tianran did not do much, merely conducting a simple check of Barry Allen's current physical condition.
Yet Zhang Tianran could already feel the Speed Force within his body stirring restlessly, as though Barry Allen before him were a delicious cake.
No wonder so many Speedsters were willing to become villains. The "original owner" was simply too tempting!
Using research as an excuse, he collected some of Barry's blood and cell samples. Then Zhang Tianran gave Barry Allen a thorough explanation of the importance of eating more.
Clearly, Barry Allen did not take it to heart... After receiving a phone call,
Barry Allen rushed off to his workplace. Even after becoming a Speedster, Barry still had a job as a forensic technician to do.
At last, only Wells and Zhang Tianran, this "father and son" pair, remained.
"Tienran, come with me for a moment. I have something to show you." Wells's gaze gradually turned cold, and upon noticing it, Zhang Tianran wiped the smile from his face.
Without a word, the two quietly arrived at the Time Vault.
The moment the Time Vault was completely sealed, Wells immediately rose from his wheelchair. His face was ashen, filled with rage.
"Perhaps you don't remember now, but you need to understand one thing. Stay away from Barry..." Wells's right hand began to vibrate, as if it would pierce through Zhang Tianran's chest the next moment.
But Zhang Tianran's eyes held no fear. He spoke unhurriedly, "I'm curious what I was like in the future, to have caught your attention..."
As he spoke, white lightning surged around Zhang Tianran. Though he had not yet entered Speed Mode, the lightning erupting around him had already become incomparably violent.
This was no ordinary lightning, but pure Speed Force. Even the genuine Flash could not create such a spectacle without running.
"You... are even more outstanding than I imagined. But as a Speedster, you still have much to learn." Red light flashed in Wells's eyes as his Vibrating Hand Blade shot toward Zhang Tianran's chest.
A few months ago, Zhang Tianran never would have imagined that his successful adoptive father would turn out to be the comic-book world's Reverse-Flash.
And now, having only recently become a Speedster, he was fighting his adoptive father in a battle between Speedsters.
Red and white lightning intertwined throughout the Time Vault. A battle between Speedsters was naturally unlike one between ordinary people. Blurred figures filled the Time Vault, but the two sides quickly separated completely.
Zhang Tianran had originally believed that after injecting the Ultimate Speed Serum, he would definitely be faster than the Flash, who had only recently gained his powers. By the same logic, he should naturally have been faster than Reverse-Flash as well.
But unfortunately, although Reverse-Flash had always maintained a speed nearly equal to Barry's, Zhang Tianran's speed could not do anything to Reverse-Flash at all.
Godspeed was supposed to be a later villain, yet his speed could not match the current Reverse-Flash? No, it was not that he could not keep up. He was simply not proficient enough in using the Speed Force.
It seemed he had been too arrogant.
Zhang Tianran felt somewhat helpless, but he had no better option. Since he had chosen to fight, he could only give it everything he had.
Since a direct clash would not work, he could only reveal his trump card. Gritting his teeth, the Speed Force within Zhang Tianran instantly surged, and countless phantom-like figures appeared in the cramped Time Vault.
"Time Remnants... You're even more of a genius than I imagined. But what a pity. Do you think I can't do that?" After Wells spoke, identical figures appeared around him.
However, compared to Zhang Tianran's Time Remnants, Wells's were clearly somewhat slower. To Speedsters, that difference was extremely significant.
But Wells did not care. As the Flash's lifelong enemy, Reverse-Flash had traveled through countless times and spaces. He was already exceedingly familiar with the changes and applications of the Speed Force.
Even though the current situation had somewhat exceeded his expectations, Wells was not worried.
"It seems we've reached a stalemate... Then, Wells, it's time for you to answer my questions. How did you know about me, and just how much do you know?" Seeing that Wells did not attack, Zhang Tianran spoke.
At this moment, neither of them wanted to fight to the death, so their Time Remnants tacitly occupied half the space each. The scene looked remarkably "harmonious."
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