The Possibility of Cooperation?

"You know, I came from the future..." Wells dismissed the numerous Time Remnants and was the first to explain.

"Shut up. Don't fob me off with lies like that. If you really understood me, you should know what I would do." Zhang Tianran cut Wells off directly. Though he had no idea what had happened, Zhang Tianran had enough confidence in himself.

It was precisely that confidence that allowed Zhang Tianran to make a decision without hesitation. No matter how drastically the timeline changed, there was no way he would expose his identity as a transmigrator.

Though a mere transmigrator was hardly any secret in this universe.

At those words, Wells's expression abruptly changed. He seemed to have thought of something amusing, but a smile soon appeared on his face.

"Listen carefully before I finish. I don't remember you being this impatient." Wells waved a hand and actually stopped using the Speed Force.

This... was a perfect chance for a sneak attack. A Speedster who did not use the Speed Force was basically no different from an ordinary person.

Yet Zhang Tianran did not attack. The many Time Remnants behind him slowly merged together, as though they had never appeared.

In truth, Time Remnants were not exactly a good ability for Speedsters. This ability could cause many unforeseen changes. It was not only a hidden danger to the world, but to the Speedster as well.

After all, so-called Time Remnants were created when a Speedster traveled through time. When the future you traveled back to the present, there would be two versions of you at that moment.

And however many Time Remnants there were, that was how many times the Speedster had traveled through time. Such madness would naturally trigger a series of changes.

If not for the protection of the Speed Force, the appearance of two identical selves would be enough to tear apart a region of space. It might even erase an entire world.

Over in Legends of Tomorrow, they often had to repair this kind of temporal chaos. Though most of the time, they had caused the disturbances themselves.

"In the future, you were known as the Time Doctor. Your research into time was exceptional, but it was rejected by mainstream science..."

"No, it wasn't rejection. It was simple fear. After all, if the contents of your manuscripts were truly realized, disrupting a world—or even reshaping one—would be as easy as brewing a cup of tea..."

As Wells spoke, a trace of fervor flashed through his eyes. It was immediately replaced by anger, though he hid it well.

Zhang Tianran paid no attention to Wells's expression. At that moment, he was considering the information Wells's words had revealed.

Time Doctor. The title sounded strange, but it was not impossible. After all, he had already obtained the Ultimate Speed Serum through time. With further research into time in the future, perhaps he could achieve even greater feats.

"Go on. There should be more than that, right?" Seeing that Wells had stopped speaking, Zhang Tianran prompted him.

Wells continued, "I once searched for traces of you, but I found no clues. No matter which point in time I looked at, it was as though you simply did not exist. It was only after I was trapped here by an accident that I finally found you as a child."

"That was why I raised you. As for why..."

Suddenly, Zhang Tianran interrupted Wells. "Because I'm useful to you. Just say it. What do you want me to do? I don't like beating around the bush."

"Even if there were all sorts of reasons, you did raise me for over ten years. If it isn't too difficult, I should be willing to help you."

Zhang Tianran's words did not make Wells happy. Instead, he said somewhat wistfully, "You'll learn the reason soon enough. But there is one thing you are mistaken about..."

"The reason I sought you out was not because there was something I needed you to do. On the contrary, you need me, just as I need you. Ours is an equal partnership.

"As for the reason, you will know soon enough. Right now, even if I explained it, you would not understand."

There was sincerity in Wells's words, making them sound extremely convincing. No matter how much Zhang Tianran warned himself inwardly, he still chose to believe Wells by seventy or eighty percent.

This was extremely strange to Zhang Tianran. Even though the man before him had raised him for over ten years, now that he knew the other man's identity, he should not have trusted him so easily.

"This is a little strange. I should be suspicious of your excuses, but for some reason, I keep feeling that your words make a lot of sense..."

Zhang Tianran honestly voiced how he felt. As long as Reverse-Flash did not intend to kill him, Zhang Tianran would not do anything unnecessary.

In fact, aside from Wells's identity as Reverse-Flash, there was not much conflict between them.

Especially since Wells was Zhang Tianran's adoptive father. More than ten years of familial affection could not simply vanish overnight.

"Because I have never lied to you. Nor do I have any ulterior motives toward you. Of course, I had a purpose in raising you, but that purpose will not affect you. On the contrary, it will help you."

"More precisely, that purpose will also become what you ultimately seek..."

Wells's tone remained gentle, and there was no sign that he was currently being affected by the Negative Speed Force.

But Zhang Tianran knew very well that although Reverse-Flash possessed speed equal to Flash's, Reverse-Flash was entirely Flash's other side. The Negative Speed Force also contained boundless negative energy.

"I actually hate beating around the bush, but since you put it that way, I'll wait a while longer... I hope you aren't planning anything against me. Otherwise..." Zhang Tianran thought for a moment and decided to call a temporary truce.

Time Remnants were still not reliable enough. Although he had plenty of faith in himself, if he encountered an enemy who was too powerful, there was still a chance that all of them would be killed.

I should try using the Speed Force to travel through time. If that doesn't work, I can go to another world. As I recall, using the Speed Force to travel through time—or between worlds—was fairly easy...

The conversation between Zhang Tianran and Wells soon ended. The two walked out of the Time Vault as though nothing had happened, as if everything before had never occurred.

Though Zhang Tianran did not fully trust Reverse-Flash yet, his life did not seem to be in danger for the time being.

Even if he could not win, he should be able to escape. And in the worst-case scenario, he could probably use Time Remnants to fight the other man to the death.

Though he showed nothing outwardly, Zhang Tianran did not stay long at STAR Labs. He merely learned a little about Barry's current condition before taking some research materials with him.

His excuse was that he was used to working at home. In reality, he simply did not want to put on an act with Reverse-Flash.

Cisco was busy sorting through Zhang Tianran's materials. Though he could be considered a top scientist as well, unfortunately, his speed was still that of an ordinary person. Zhang Tianran's materials would be enough to keep him busy for a while.

Caitlin, meanwhile, wore a cold expression as she handled her own work. She had no intention of saying anything to Zhang Tianran, her new colleague.

STAR Labs had actually gone bankrupt by now. Although most of its equipment remained intact, aside from Cisco and Caitlin, there was hardly anyone left.

Still, that situation was not bad for Zhang Tianran. When he had first returned, he had intended to save STAR Labs and investigate the cause of the Particle Accelerator explosion.

But now... the Speed Force was far more important.