There Are Many Ways to Travel Through Time in This World

Zhang Tianran drove home like an ordinary person would. Other than getting a speeding ticket on the way, nothing unexpected happened.

The world was still very peaceful.

Barry Allen, the Flash, had already appeared in Central City. Just yesterday, Zhang Tianran had encountered a Metahuman capable of creating duplicates.

Yet none of this had caused any commotion.

Metahumans had always existed; no one had simply noticed them. Even S.T.A.R. Labs, which had been keeping an eye on this place, had only discovered a handful of cases, most with no solid leads—only suspicions.

Zhang Tianran had no interest in being some vigilante. Right now, the most important thing was adapting to his own powers.

After returning home and briefly organizing his luggage, Zhang Tianran turned into a streak of white lightning and vanished from Central City.

Since it was his first time traveling this way, Zhang Tianran wasn't very familiar with the roads. But after adapting for a while, he quickly got his bearings.

As long as he memorized the map and identified his direction, he could leave everything else to his body's instincts. Though Zhang Tianran possessed Super Thinking, he wouldn't use it while traveling.

After all, using Super Thinking would be like an ordinary person running through a frozen world. No Speedster would be bored enough to do that.

Come to think of it, this was one of a Speedster's weaknesses. The Flash might be incredibly fast, but he was often ambushed because he hadn't activated Super Thinking.

Without using the Speed Force, a Speedster was essentially no different from an ordinary person.

He spent some time... perhaps a few days.

Zhang Tianran prepared a few little gadgets and used them to successfully locate his target—the Time Bureau.

More precisely, a Time Bureau agent.

As a doctor personally trained by Reverse-Flash—who had been using Wells's identity at the time—Zhang Tianran's technical skills were outstanding. At the very least, making a few gadgets wasn't a problem.

If he didn't have that ability, Zhang Tianran wouldn't have planned to save S.T.A.R. Labs by himself after the Particle Accelerator explosion.

But unfortunately... before he could even begin his preparations, he discovered that this world wasn't what he had originally thought it was.

"Director Sharpe, no abnormalities have been found yet..." The Time Bureau agent drawn here by fluctuations in the timeline was using an instrument to investigate. He had only gotten halfway through before reporting to his superior.

Unfortunately, he had barely finished half his report when a silver-white streak of lightning flashed past. All the equipment on his body vanished.

For a Speedster, dealing with an ordinary person was laughably easy.

"...There seems to be an anomaly in the timeline. It's probably the equipment... Hm?" Only halfway through speaking did the Time Bureau agent realize that all of his gear had suddenly disappeared.

While the Time Bureau agent floundered in panic, Zhang Tianran had already taken his spoils and gone far away.

"Hello, Ava Sharpe. I'll borrow your equipment for a moment and return it in a few seconds..." Zhang Tianran spoke politely through the communicator he had just acquired.

The next second, Zhang Tianran activated the device. A highly futuristic portal through time and space appeared before him. He stepped inside, casually tossing aside his recent spoils.

For a Speedster, traveling through time wasn't particularly difficult. Though Zhang Tianran hadn't learned it yet, he wasn't worried about being trapped here.

Far away on the future timeline, Ava Sharpe listened as her subordinate's voice suddenly became unfamiliar. Her face instantly turned livid...

Something terrible had happened! A time fugitive had robbed a Time Bureau agent!!!

A piercing alarm sounded.

The entire Time Bureau mobilized. Ava Sharpe even notified those people from Legends of Tomorrow...

Zhang Tianran, who had provoked the entire Time Bureau, was now leisurely strolling through the streets, admiring the distinctive sights of the World War II era.

Time in this world was actually extremely chaotic. Setting aside the Speed Force, which treated timelines like toys, there were simply too many beings capable of traveling through time at will.

The Time Council, the Time Bureau, Legends of Tomorrow, Rip Hunter when he was still a Time Master, various demons, angels, and countless others.

It was worth mentioning that, in the concept of a timeline, there was no before or after. Anyone capable of time travel could appear anywhere.

In other words, theoretically, Zhang Tianran could draw everyone capable of traveling through time to a single point in time, even if they were already dead—or not yet dead...

"Honestly, after learning the truth about this world, I suddenly feel like running away... Luckily, the Speed Force still works even in the past. It seems that as long as I don't provoke Barry Allen, the Speed Force won't abandon me..." As he walked down the street, Zhang Tianran revealed a bitter smile.

That was right. Ever since discovering that Barry Allen was the Flash, Zhang Tianran had felt overwhelming dread...

This world was simply too dangerous. He had taken enormous risks to gain the Speed Force, yet he couldn't even defeat Reverse-Flash.

So he should first familiarize himself with his powers. As for the Time Bureau... that was all a minor matter!

After casually touring the old streets, Zhang Tianran turned into a streak of white lightning, withdrew cash from several banks, and headed straight for a remote town.

Because of the war, even this isolated town had been somewhat affected. But the town's landlord was still very welcoming toward an outsider looking to rent.

For some time afterward, Zhang Tianran lived quietly in the town. He appeared to do nothing every day and seemed to have no social interactions beyond buying food. The townspeople regarded him as an oddball.

But in truth, aside from mealtimes, Zhang Tianran never appeared in the town at all. He had long since become lightning, racing through deserted wastelands in an attempt to better familiarize himself with his powers.

As a Speedster who had gained the Speed Force through an injection, Zhang Tianran had no mentor. Of course, he didn't need one. Using the Speed Force only required practice.

Zhang Tianran mastered Molecular Vibration Phasing in just a few hours. But he didn't make his first attempt until a month later. The effect was incredibly surreal, completely ignoring all obstacles.

Unlike the genuine Flash, Zhang Tianran didn't choose to vibrate himself. Instead, the moment he touched an obstacle, he transmitted his speed and vibrations into it, causing part of the obstacle to "disappear" and allowing him to pass through.

Mastering time travel was extremely difficult. It seemed the Speed Force was unwilling to let Speedsters travel through time. Only after Zhang Tianran had successively mastered slowing time, reversing time, accelerating time, and time jumps did he finally return to the timeline he had once left.

As for the Time Bureau he had alarmed... they weren't capable of tracking a Speedster yet.

After all, Zhang Tianran wasn't trapped by time...