Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “First Attempt”

Key Plot Points and Events

• A fragment of Zhang Tianran’s consciousness returns to his body after traveling through the connection between the Speed Force and a speedster.
• He transports the unconscious Flash to a devastated universe inhabited by survivors of the Zombie Universe. Although the world has been rebuilt into a modern city, its Flash became a zombie.
• Zhang informs Flash that Iris is still alive but warns him not to interfere with the timeline.
• Zhang visits Diana, who has become the leader of the relocated survivors and Amazons. He tells her about Flash’s arrival and asks her to prevent him from altering history.
• After remaining in the universe for several days, Zhang returns to the Speed Force Space and consults Zero about the data gathered during the Speed Force connection.
• Zero confirms that Speed Forces from different universes can merge. She also theorizes that the Speed Force may originate outside the DC Universe.
• Zhang begins experimenting with replicating or artificially creating a Speed Force. He injects Speed Force energy into a soulless clone and attempts to sever his control over it.
• The first experiment fails: Zhang cannot separate the Speed Force from his own influence, even when using the Negative Speed Force.
• Refusing to abandon the project, Zhang skips the failed step and begins attempting to construct a separate Speed Force Space within the clone.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tianran: Demonstrates overwhelming control over speed and space, treating Flash almost like an ordinary human. He remains focused on understanding and reproducing the Speed Force, showing a willingness to use soulless clones and even risk himself for scientific progress. Despite his calm exterior, Zero notices his confusion, helplessness, and regret regarding the Speed Force’s origins.
• Flash: Is completely powerless against Zhang’s superior speed and is transported to an unfamiliar, ruined universe. His hope of finding Iris is complicated by the revelation that this world’s Flash became a zombie.
• Diana: Has developed into a capable and respected leader after organizing the survivors’ resettlement. Zhang’s unexpected appearance visibly shocks her.
• Zero: Acts as Zhang’s analytical partner, interpreting the collected data and assisting with his experiments. She recognizes Zhang’s emotional distress but chooses to support him practically rather than offering comfort.

Significant Themes

• Limits of control and knowledge: Zhang can manipulate the Speed Force but cannot fully understand or separate it from himself.
• Scientific ambition and sacrifice: The experiments emphasize Zhang’s willingness to treat bodies as tools and pursue knowledge regardless of ethical or personal cost.
• Multiversal interconnection: The merging of Speed Forces suggests that different universes are linked through forces that may exist beyond the known DC multiverse.
• Identity and replication: Zhang’s attempt to create an independent Speed Force parallels his broader interest in reproducing or deceiving versions of himself across time.
• Responsibility toward timelines: Flash’s arrival raises the danger of altering history, prompting Zhang to warn Diana and others to control his actions.

Important Character Interactions

• Zhang casually transports and warns Flash, establishing the vast difference in their abilities.
• Zhang reunites with Diana and entrusts her with preventing Flash from disrupting the timeline.
• Zhang and Zero analyze the Speed Force’s merging and debate whether its origin lies outside the DC Universe.
• Zero assists Zhang during his clone experiment, observing both the technical failure and the emotional strain he attempts to conceal.

Chapter Summary: “Outside Speed Force Space... Was the Void”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tianran successfully creates a new Speed Force Space and realizes that the space itself is not inherently special; it is merely a structure formed by concentrated Speed Force. He concludes that the Speed Force—not the space—is the true source of its power.
• Zero attempts to enter Zhang Tianran’s soulless clone and use it as a body. Instead, she is absorbed into the newly formed Speed Force Space inside the clone and loses all control.
• Zhang Tianran enters the unstable Speed Force Space to find and rescue Zero. Because Zero has merged with the surrounding Speed Force, locating her is extremely difficult.
• After Zhang Tianran calls out to her, Zero manages to escape into the bracelet on his wrist. She explains that she felt trapped in the space for an immeasurable amount of time, unable to resist or experience anything.
• Zhang Tianran reprimands Zero for acting recklessly, while Zero apologizes and admits that she underestimated the danger.
• Recognizing that the Speed Force Space is already collapsing under the strain of his presence, Zhang Tianran absorbs all of its Speed Force back into himself. The space shatters completely.
• Beyond the destroyed Speed Force Space, Zhang Tianran finds himself in an absolute void where neither time nor space exists. He enjoys running freely through this realm in a pure Speed Force state.
• After exploring the void for an unknown length of time, Zhang Tianran creates a spatial gate and returns to the gap between the normal world and the timeline.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tianran gains a deeper understanding of the Speed Force. He abandons his earlier belief that Speed Force Spaces are inherently important and recognizes them as temporary formations that can be rebuilt whenever necessary.
• His confidence and detachment continue to grow. He is no longer worried about destroying a Speed Force Space and treats its collapse as insignificant compared with the Speed Force itself.
• Zhang also demonstrates greater concern for Zero, becoming genuinely angry when her reckless decision nearly leaves her permanently trapped.
• Zero shows curiosity and initiative by attempting to inhabit the clone, but her impulsiveness leads to danger. Her experience in the Speed Force Space leaves her frightened and emotionally shaken, making her more aware of her own vulnerability.

Significant Themes

• Form versus essence: The chapter emphasizes that the Speed Force Space is only a container or temporary structure, while the Speed Force is the true fundamental power.
• Transcendence of time and space: The Speed Force exists beyond ordinary physical laws, creating realms where time, space, and even emotional experience cease to function normally.
• Recklessness and responsibility: Zero’s impulsiveness contrasts with Zhang Tianran’s growing responsibility toward her, highlighting the consequences of acting without understanding unfamiliar powers.
• Freedom and emptiness: The void is both terrifyingly empty and liberating. Zhang Tianran experiences it as a place where he can run without limits, while Zero experiences the same kind of isolation as imprisonment.
• Impermanence: Even a seemingly extraordinary Speed Force Space can be created, strained, and destroyed without lasting importance.

Character Interactions

• Zero’s attempt to control the clone creates the chapter’s central conflict and forces Zhang Tianran to intervene.
• Zhang rescues Zero and scolds her for risking herself, while she responds with an apologetic but aggrieved explanation.
• Their exchange reveals a developing bond: Zhang acts protectively, and Zero trusts him enough to seek refuge in his bracelet.
• Their differing reactions to the Speed Force reflect their personalities—Zhang sees limitless possibility in it, whereas Zero experiences its overwhelming power as frightening and inescapable.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• After returning from the land of nothingness, Zhang Tianran becomes newly aware of time and space as tangible forces flowing around and through him.
• He briefly feels drawn back to the void but rejects the impulse and enters his Speed Force Space.
• Inside, he discovers that everything beyond the Speed Force Space is pure nothingness. He also checks on his original body, which remains alive and unaffected despite the disappearance of the Speed Force and its associated space.
• Zero emerges from his wristband and returns to her physical body. Zhang orders her to rest for twelve hours, concerned that her recent ordeal has frightened and weakened her.
• After several days, Zero has fully recovered. Zhang adds a protective layer to her body to prevent similar accidents in the future.
• Zhang chooses to travel into the past, arriving in the Age of Dinosaurs. When a Tyrannosaurus rex attacks, he casually shrinks it to the size of a fist.
• He reveals that he has mastered a new ability: “Control Everything.” By manipulating matter, particles, forces, time, and space, he can alter objects and create things from nothing.
• To demonstrate, Zhang creates a crystal sphere and traps the miniature dinosaur inside. He also causes the dinosaur’s time to loop continuously, leaving it eternally repeating the same moment.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tianran has evolved dramatically after his experience in the void. He now perceives time and space directly and treats running through nothingness as a form of rest.
• His powers have expanded beyond speed and dimensional travel into near-total control over matter, physical forces, and time. He becomes increasingly confident and excited by his ability to reshape reality.
• Zero shows emotional vulnerability after the previous accident, insisting that she is fine because she fears being unable to help Zhang. However, she ultimately obeys his command to rest, reinforcing her loyalty and dependence on him.
• Zhang displays a more protective and authoritative side toward Zero, ordering her to recover and later reinforcing her body with additional protection.

Significant Themes

• Transcendence and omnipotence: Zhang’s growing awareness of reality’s structure allows him to manipulate fundamental aspects of existence.
• The nature of matter and reality: The chapter presents matter, gravity, mass, and force as systems that can be understood and controlled rather than fixed laws.
• Power and curiosity: Zhang’s immense abilities make ordinary worlds and threats insignificant, but they also inspire playful experimentation.
• Control versus vulnerability: Zhang can control nearly everything around him, while Zero remains emotionally affected by danger and dependent on his protection.
• Time as a prison: The dinosaur’s looping existence illustrates how control over time can be used to create an unending, inescapable state.

Character Interactions

• Zhang and Zero share a protective but hierarchical relationship. He worries about her condition and commands her to rest, while she tries to prove that she remains useful.
• Zero accepts Zhang’s authority despite her reluctance, showing trust and obedience.
• During their visit to the dinosaur era, Zhang enthusiastically explains his new powers to Zero, treating her as both a companion and an audience for his experiments.
• Zero reacts with curiosity and surprise as Zhang shrinks the dinosaur and demonstrates his ability to create and manipulate reality.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tianran extracts a dinosaur's time fragment to avoid timeline impact.
• He travels to the Cretaceous period and begins collecting extinct species, storing them in crystal spheres.
• Zhang Tianran collects nearly every form of life that has ever existed on Earth, including mythical creatures like angels and demons.
• He studies the collected organisms' genes, leading to the discovery of the Theory of Evolution.
• Zhang Tianran then travels into the future, observing vastly different scenarios based on technological advancements.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tianran: Shows curiosity and a desire to understand humanity's origins, exhibits patience and dedication in his research.
• Zero: Gains a deeper understanding of life's evolution and her own capabilities, becomes more questioning of Zhang Tianran's motives.

Significant Themes

• The fluidity of time and its impact on history.
• The study of evolution and the origins of life.
• The influence of technology on societal development.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tianran and Zero: Zhang Tianran shares little about his motivations, leaving Zero curious and sometimes frustrated. Their interactions involve Zero assisting in data collection and analysis while Zhang Tianran performs the time travels and collections.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tianran and Zero find themselves in a future where consciousness-transfer technology is prevalent. Bodies are the most valuable asset, and appearance and gender are inconsequential.
• Zhang Tianran explains that humanity's technological developments often lead to extremes, and their current situation is a result of his time-traveling without a precise destination.
• They encounter a world filled with crystal-like soul forms, Spirit Entity Lifeforms, who have abandoned their physical bodies and live in a protected, spiritual environment.
• Zhang Tianran and Zero enter a virtual world created by the Spirit Entity Lifeforms, where they can manipulate reality using their mental power.

Character Developments

• Zero grows accustomed to their time-traveling journey but still dislikes the twisted souls in the current world.
• Zhang Tianran becomes more cautious about traveling into the future as the timeline of the past blurs.

Significant Themes

• The consequences of unchecked technological development and its impact on humanity's values and existence.
• The exploration of different forms of life and consciousness, from physical bodies to purely spiritual beings.
• The role of energy and mental power in shaping reality and manipulating laws.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tianran and Zero continue to travel through time together, with Zhang Tianran guiding Zero through the various futures they encounter.
• Zhang Tianran introduces Zero to the Spirit Entity Lifeforms and explains their unique existence and way of life.
• Zhang Tianran and Zero explore the virtual world created by the Spirit Entity Lifeforms, with Zhang Tianran acting as a guide and explaining the intricacies of this reality.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zero discovers a unique energy in the game world and is stopped by the Spirit Entity Queen.
• Zhang Tianran demonstrates the ability to change shape using the game world's energy.
• Zhang Tianran creates a doll using the energy, which turns out to be a gateway to a parallel universe tailored for Zero.
• After leaving the game world, Zhang Tianran agrees to help the Spirit Entity Queen and her race leave their planet or clone physical bodies.

Character Developments

• Zero: Shows curiosity and intrigue when discovering new energies and possibilities.
• Zhang Tianran: Demonstrates his power and willingness to help others, even going to great lengths to find a solution for Zero's body problem.
• Spirit Entity Queen: Reveals her race's struggles and vulnerability, seeking Zhang Tianran's help.

Significant Themes

• The power of energy and its manipulation.
• The evolution of life and its forms.
• The consequences of losing one's sense of self and the fragility of pure consciousness.

Character Interactions

• Zero and Zhang Tianran: Zhang Tianran shows care and consideration for Zero, finding a solution to her body problem without blame or judgment.
• Zhang Tianran and the Spirit Entity Queen: Zhang Tianran agrees to help the Spirit Entity Queen and her race, showing empathy and understanding of their plight.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tianran arrives on a planet inhabited by Spirit Entities, who are excited by an item he possesses.
• He agrees to retrieve an item for them in exchange for a favor.
• The Spirit Entity Queen accompanies him to the planet's core, revealing the planet's history and the origin of the desired item.
• Zhang Tianran retrieves a feathered wing, pleasing the Spirit Entities.
• He then clones a body for the Spirit Entity Queen and hands over his equipment.
• Zhang Tianran enters the Speed Force Space with Zero, revealing the wing's power and the Flaming Sword he obtained.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tianran demonstrates his strength and confidence, showing no fear of the Spirit Entities or the planet's danger.
• The Spirit Entity Queen shows resourcefulness and determination, ensuring the transaction is completed despite her fear of Zhang Tianran.
• Zero expresses curiosity and surprise upon seeing the wing.

Significant Themes

• The consequences of unchecked power and immortality, as seen in the Spirit Entities' lives.
• Zhang Tianran's disdain for Heaven and Hell, hinting at his complex relationship with divine entities.
• The power dynamics between Zhang Tianran and the Spirit Entities, showcasing his dominance.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tianran and the Spirit Entity Queen engage in a business-like transaction, with the Queen showing deference to Zhang Tianran's strength.
• Zhang Tianran and Zero discuss the wing's power and the Flaming Sword, revealing Zhang Tianran's excitement and Zero's curiosity.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tianran acknowledges the power of the God in this universe and the value of the two treasures he's obtained.
• Zhang Tianran explains to Zero that God can die, but it's unlikely, as he can still sense Heaven and Hell.
• Zhang Tianran figures out that the psychic queen's game space is a dimension from Heaven that fell onto Earth, causing the incorrect evolution of psychic lifeforms.
• Zhang Tianran reveals he can create anything and plans to use the Heaven Dimension and God's half wing to gain true freedom.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tianran: Shows his vast knowledge and abilities, planning to use the acquired powers to gain freedom.
• Zero: Assists Zhang Tianran, understands the general course of events, and awaits the outcome of Zhang Tianran's plans.

Significant Themes

• Power and its consequences: The power of God and angels, the energy within the Heaven Dimension and God's wing, and Zhang Tianran's ability to create anything.
• Freedom: Zhang Tianran's desire to gain true freedom using the acquired powers.
• Evolution and adaptation: The incorrect evolution of psychic lifeforms due to the Heaven Dimension's influence.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tianran and Zero: Zhang Tianran shares his findings and plans with Zero, who assists him and awaits the outcome.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tianran attempts to analyze God's feathers and wings to understand their power.
• Extracting a feather causes a violent energy turbulence in the Speed Force Space.
• Zero, an energy lifeform, is affected by the high-level energy and becomes unstable.
• Zhang Tianran sends Zero to Earth temporarily for safety.
• Spirit Entities, now possessing human bodies, mistake Zero for one of their kind and surround her.
• The Spirit Entity Queen intervenes, takes Zero away, and pleads for help due to internal conflicts among the Spirit Entities.
• Zhang Tianran continues analyzing God's power, discovering a hidden force within himself that has been fusing with the Speed Force.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tianran: Realizes he possesses a unique power different from the Speed Force, which he believes might be linked to his transmigration.
• Zero: Becomes embroiled in the Spirit Entities' internal conflict and offers a solution involving strong rule or swift death.
• Spirit Entity Queen: Struggles with the choice of maintaining order among his people or allowing them to self-destruct.

Significant Themes

• Power and its consequences: The power contained in God's feathers and wings causes instability in Zero, highlighting the dangers of power.
• Order vs. chaos: The Spirit Entities' internal conflict explores the struggle between order and chaos, with Zero advocating for strong rule to maintain order.
• Self-discovery: Zhang Tianran begins to understand the true extent of his powers and their potential origin.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tianran and Zero: Zhang sends Zero to Earth for safety, showing concern for her well-being.
• Zero and the Spirit Entities: Zero is mistaken for a Spirit Entity and later offers a solution to their internal conflict.
• Spirit Entity Queen and Zero: The Queen pleads for Zero's help, and she offers a harsh solution, causing him to shudder in fear.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tianran absorbs the energy from a half-wing, significantly expanding his Speed Force Space, though it doesn't reflect his true strength.
• He attempts to create new Speed Force but fails, deciding to postpone further attempts due to the risks involved.
• Upon emerging, he finds Zero has taken over Earth to pass time while waiting for him.
• Zhang Tianran interacts with the Spirit Entity Queen, who seeks his help to save her race.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tianran: Shows arrogance and confidence in his power, decides to help the Spirit Entity Queen despite finding the task troublesome. He also reveals his disdain for idiots and lack of interest in the lives of those controlled by emotions.
• Zero: Shows understanding and empathy for those who feel they're still alive despite being controlled. She also trusts Zhang Tianran's judgment.
• Spirit Entity Queen: Initially arrogant, she becomes submissive and desperate when faced with Zhang Tianran's power, ultimately begging for his help.

Significant Themes

• Power and its consequences: Zhang Tianran's power allows him to decide the fate of others, making him feel indifferent to their lives.
• The nature of life and death: Zhang Tianran believes true life is having free will, while Zero considers different interpretations of life and death.
• Faith and its power: The Spirit Entity Queen tries to offer her faith to Zhang Tianran, but he rejects it, finding it unnecessary and potentially dangerous.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tianran and Zero: They share a comfortable, trusting relationship. Zhang Tianran strokes Zero's hair affectionately.
• Zhang Tianran and the Spirit Entity Queen: Zhang Tianran treats the Spirit Entity Queen with casual indifference, deciding to help her only because he doesn't dislike her. The Spirit Entity Queen, in turn, becomes submissive and desperate, offering her faith to him.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tianran encounters a power similar to the Power of Faith from his previous life, but chooses not to absorb it immediately.
• He stores the power in a crystal sphere, processes it into a pendant, and gives it to Zero, warning her not to use it yet.
• Zhang Tianran studies the Spirit Entities, finding they retain demon-like forms and face survival challenges.
• He offers two solutions: creating a perfect world for them or transforming them into humans with a lifespan.
• The Spirit Entities eagerly choose the transformation, with their queen volunteering to be the first test subject.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tianran: Shows restraint in absorbing new powers, demonstrating caution and wisdom. He also exhibits a desire to help the Spirit Entities, despite his initial indifference.
• Zero: Accepts the pendant without understanding its power, showing trust in Zhang Tianran.
• Spirit Entity Queen: Displaying selflessness and determination, she volunteers to be the first test subject for the transformation, hoping to ensure her race's survival.

Significant Themes

• The struggle for survival and the fear of extinction.
• The consequences of past actions and the lingering effects of obsession.
• The power of self-sacrifice and the nobility of intent.
• The limits of human (or in this case, Zhang Tianran's) power and the role of luck.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tianran and Zero: They interact briefly, with Zhang Tianran giving Zero the pendant and warning her not to use its power yet.
• Zhang Tianran and the Spirit Entity Queen: They discuss the survival of her race, with the queen volunteering to be the first test subject for transformation. Zhang Tianran warns her about the risks involved.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tianran uses his powers to temporarily restore the Spirit Entity Queen's soul, allowing her to experience human-like emotions briefly.
• He then uses the Book of Destiny to modify the Spirit Entity race, enabling them to reproduce, and creates a complete ecosystem on Earth.
• Zhang Tianran collects shattered Heaven crystals and decides not to investigate Heaven further due to caution about God's power.
• He leaves the future after the Spirit Entities give birth to a new life, considering his responsibility fulfilled.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tianran gains more understanding of souls and demonstrates his power and responsibility.
• The Spirit Entity Queen experiences human-like emotions and gains the ability to reproduce.
• Zero learns about the true form of the timeline and the difference between memories and data.

Significant Themes

• The power and danger of time manipulation.
• The consequences of losing one's humanity and the desire to regain it.
• The responsibility of one's actions and their impact on others.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tianran and the Spirit Entity Queen: He helps her regain a brief human experience, while she questions him about the sudden gain and loss of her soul.
• Zhang Tianran and Zero: He teaches her about the timeline, helps her manage overwhelming data, and they travel through time together.

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zero and Zhang Tianran arrive in the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths timeline, chosen by Zhang Tianran for his plan.
• Zhang Tianran has been erased from the timeline, except for his superhero connections.
• They spend several months relaxing and preparing for Zhang Tianran's journey back in time.
• Zhang Tianran synthesizes the Ultimate Speed Serum to grant his past self the Speed Force.
• Zhang Tianran decides to create a Time Remnant and additional Speed Force energy for safety measures.

Character Developments

• Zero shows concern and understanding for Zhang Tianran's predicament, providing emotional support and practical advice.
• Zhang Tianran grapples with the implications of his newfound powers and the Speed Force's true nature, ultimately gaining clarity and resolve.

Significant Themes

• The nature of destiny and free will, as Zhang Tianran struggles with the potential consequences of altering his past.
• The power of friendship and support, as Zero helps Zhang Tianran navigate his doubts and fears.

Character Interactions

• Zhang Tianran and Zero share a close, supportive relationship, with Zero encouraging Zhang Tianran to face his fears and make the necessary preparations.
• Zhang Tianran's interactions with his past self are implied but not shown directly in this chapter.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tianran completes two versions of the Ultimate Speed Serum:
  • The original serum, which grants the Speed Force.
  • A modified version containing additional powers, prepared in case his past self lacks the same unique qualities as his present self.
• Having studied souls and used God’s power, Zhang determines that his extraordinary nature comes from the uniqueness of his body and soul—not merely from the Speed Force.
• Concerned that altering the past could create a paradox, Zhang warns Zero to absorb the Speed Force he leaves behind if anything goes wrong. Zero also prepares to use the Spear of Destiny to stabilize time.
• Zhang creates a Time Remnant of himself before traveling into the past. The Remnant briefly offers to undertake the dangerous mission, but Zhang proceeds himself, recognizing that either version’s death would cause the survivor immense emotional strain.
• Zhang travels through the temporal current, passes the Speedster Doomsday guarding his timeline, and reaches the moment when his past self is observing a significant point in time.
• After stopping time, Zhang examines his younger self from within to determine what power he possesses. Satisfied with what he discovers, he places the ordinary-looking Ultimate Speed Serum beside his past self.
• This action completes a closed temporal loop, meaning the serum Zhang once obtained was actually delivered by his future self. He returns to the future without creating a paradox.
• Zhang merges with his Time Remnant and confirms that the mission succeeded. He tells Zero that his past has been fully resolved and that nothing can bind him anymore.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tianran demonstrates extreme caution and foresight by preparing multiple serum versions and accounting for the possibility that his past self may differ from him.
• He confronts the emotional and philosophical implications of meeting himself, recognizing that the Time Remnant is not truly separate from him.
• His successful intervention removes the last major restriction on his existence, giving him a sense of freedom and relief.
• Zero reveals strong emotional attachment to Zhang. Although energy-based beings and Speedsters rarely lose emotional control, she struggles to hide her fear and sadness at the possibility of losing him.
• The Time Remnant reflects Zhang’s own willingness to sacrifice himself, emphasizing the psychological burden shared by both versions.

Significant Themes

• Closed time loops and predestination: Zhang becomes the source of the serum that shaped his own past, creating a self-consistent causal loop.
• Identity and individuality: The chapter explores whether Zhang’s uniqueness lies in the Speed Force or in his body and soul.
• Self-sacrifice and self-preservation: Zhang and his Time Remnant debate which version should risk death, showing that neither is truly expendable.
• Emotional attachment: Zero’s distress highlights the personal cost of Zhang’s dangerous temporal experiments.
• Freedom from destiny: By resolving the problem in his past, Zhang believes he has finally escaped the forces and limitations that once controlled him.

Character Interactions

• Zhang reassures and instructs Zero before leaving, while she anxiously plans for possible temporal disasters.
• Zhang confronts his Time Remnant, who offers to take his place in the mission. Their exchange reflects both self-awareness and mutual concern.
• Zhang encounters the Speedster Doomsday but interacts peacefully with it, stroking its head as he passes.
• In the past, Zhang silently studies his former self and alters his life by placing the serum nearby.
• Upon returning, Zhang and Zero share a moment of relief when he confirms that the mission succeeded.

Summary: “Speed Force’s Cry for Help”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tianran confirms that he really did inject himself with the Ultimate Speed Serum in the past. When exposed to his current Speed Force, the serum reveals mysterious symbols, proving that his memories and actions were genuine.
• Relieved that his long-standing uncertainty has been resolved, Zhang Tianran helps Zero overcome the limitations of her energy-based existence.
• Zero gains the ability to freely switch between an energy form and a physical body. Her appearance becomes more lifelike and beautiful, and her overall power rises to nearly Zhang Tianran’s level.
• Zhang Tianran reflects that Zero, originally created as an assistant through Gideon-based code, has gradually evolved into an independent and extraordinarily powerful lifeform.
• With their major problems settled, Zhang Tianran feels aimless for the first time. He considers leaving the Time Ship and traveling the world with Zero as ordinary people.
• Their plans are interrupted when both hear the Speed Force calling for help. Zhang Tianran recalls that the Speed Force may be suffering because the Still Force, Sage Force, and Strength Force emerged from it during the aftermath of Crisis on Infinite Earths.
• Hoping to investigate and possibly gain access to these other Forces, Zhang Tianran decides to enter the Speed Force. Zero immediately chooses to accompany him.
• Together, they cross time and space into the Speed Force, where they find a chaotic and unstable environment. The Speed Force then addresses Zhang Tianran weakly as “my child.”

Character Developments

• Zhang Tianran: Gains emotional relief after confirming the truth about his past and the serum. His focus shifts from constant preparation and survival to uncertainty about what purpose to pursue next. He also becomes more willing to share experiences with Zero rather than acting alone.
• Zero: Evolves from an energy-based assistant into a near-equal partner. She gains a physical form, greater independence, and immense power. Her confidence increases as she realizes she can now fight alongside Zhang Tianran instead of being a burden.
• The Speed Force: Appears weakened and endangered, suggesting that it is more than a passive source of power and has a personal connection with Zhang Tianran.

Significant Themes

• Evolution and transcendence: Zero’s transformation represents her rise beyond ordinary humanity and the fulfillment of her long development.
• Identity and memory: The serum’s symbols confirm Zhang Tianran’s buried memories and resolve his uncertainty about his own past.
• Partnership and equality: Zero’s growth changes her relationship with Zhang Tianran from creator and dependent to near-equal companions.
• Purpose after achievement: Once Zhang Tianran solves his greatest problems, he struggles with the emptiness of having no immediate goal.
• Power and responsibility: Although the Speed Force would likely survive without him, Zhang Tianran chooses to investigate its distress, partly out of concern and partly because of the opportunity to obtain other Forces.

Character Interactions

• Zero embraces Zhang Tianran in tears after hearing the good news, showing her deep emotional attachment to him.
• Zhang Tianran reassures Zero that she has long been helping him, even before becoming powerful enough to fight beside him.
• Zero proudly tells him that she has finally caught up and is no longer a burden.
• Zhang Tianran invites Zero to join him in investigating the Speed Force, and she accepts immediately, emphasizing her desire to remain at his side.
• Upon entering the Speed Force, they experience running together for the first time, marking a new stage in their partnership.

Chapter Summary: “Helping the Speed Force”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tianran enters the Speed Force’s realm after hearing her call. Although she appears as Barry Allen’s mother, he recognizes that the figure is only a representation of the true Speed Force.
• He discovers that the Speed Force is in serious danger. Her inner realm is consumed by an enormous storm of unstable Speed Force energy mixed with time-and-space power.
• The Speed Force explains that new powers are about to be born from this turmoil. Rather than calming the disturbance, she asks Zhang Tianran to intensify and organize it so these powers can emerge.
• She transfers knowledge directly into Zhang Tianran, teaching him how to control and manipulate the Speed Force more effectively.
• Barry Allen arrives, concerned about the Speed Force’s apparent disappearance and asks how he can save her. She tells him that he cannot help, leaving Barry disappointed before he departs.
• Zhang Tianran, the Speed Force, and Zero work together to seal the Speed Force’s realm. The Speed Force stops supplying power to the world’s Speedsters, making her seem effectively dead to them.
• Under Zhang Tianran’s guidance, Zero learns to control Speed Force energy beyond her own body. Together, the three characters make the chaotic energy more violent but increasingly structured.
• Three new forces begin to take shape within the Speed Force. After Zhang Tianran’s assistance succeeds, the Speed Force thanks him but orders him to leave.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tianran demonstrates increased mastery of the Speed Force. He remains cautious of the Speed Force’s motives but trusts her enough to accept her instruction and assist her. His control has become so powerful that he could potentially challenge her for control, though he deliberately chooses not to.
• The Speed Force is shown as vulnerable, protective, and surprisingly dependent on Zhang Tianran’s help. Her affectionate attitude toward him suggests a relationship deeper than he understands, while her willingness to sever power from all Speedsters shows her determination to preserve herself.
• Zero becomes more capable by observing Zhang Tianran. Although affected by the unstable Speed Force because her body is composed of it, she overcomes her fear and learns to manipulate external Speed Force energy.
• Barry Allen appears helpless in comparison with Zhang Tianran. His desire to save the Speed Force is sincere, but he is told that there is nothing he can do, reinforcing his emotional distance from the crisis.

Significant Themes

• Power, control, and trust: Zhang Tianran must decide whether to trust the Speed Force while knowing he may possess enough power to oppose her.
• Creation through chaos: The violent storm is not merely destructive; it is necessary for the birth of new forces. Disorder becomes a condition for transformation and evolution.
• Sacrifice and isolation: To survive, the Speed Force cuts off all Speedsters, sacrificing her connection to them and allowing them to believe she has died.
• Unclear origins and relationships: The Speed Force implies that her bond with Zhang Tianran is far more intimate than he realizes, raising questions about his nature and connection to her.
• Limits of heroism: Barry’s inability to help contrasts with Zhang Tianran’s unique capabilities, showing that good intentions alone are insufficient against cosmic-scale problems.

Character Interactions

• The Speed Force speaks to Zhang Tianran with unusual tenderness, while he responds with suspicion and caution.
• She gives him the knowledge needed to manipulate the unstable energy, deepening their connection and increasing his abilities.
• Zero stays close to Zhang Tianran, visibly worried by the storm, and later learns by imitating his techniques.
• Barry briefly interacts with both Zhang Tianran and the Speed Force, but his concern is dismissed by the Speed Force’s declaration that he cannot save her.
• Zhang Tianran, Zero, and the Speed Force ultimately cooperate, combining their abilities to stabilize the chaos enough for the three new forces to emerge.

Chapter Summary: “Entertainment Like an Ordinary Person”

Key Plot Points and Events

• After helping the Speed Force, Zhang Tianran is asked to leave because the Speed Force is preparing to give birth to three new forces. Their formation threatens both the Speed Force and anyone nearby.
• The Speed Force gives Zhang Tianran a large amount of energy as thanks, which he accepts and absorbs into his Speed Force Space.
• Zero cannot absorb the energy because doing so would damage both her body and the newly created soul within her.
• Zhang Tianran and Zero leave the Speed Force and appear in Central City. Zhang reflects nostalgically on his childhood and wonders how different his life might have been if he had discovered the truth about the world earlier.
• Zero complains that Zhang recklessly observed the birth of the new forces from too close a distance. Zhang reassures her that he had been prepared and heals her minor discomfort.
• The two resume their postponed plan to travel like ordinary people and head to the Maldives.
• Shortly after they leave, Cisco, Caitlin, and Barry arrive through a portal hoping to find Zhang. They are disappointed when they discover he has already vanished and cannot be tracked.
• While traveling, Zhang ends up gambling on a cruise ship after being provoked. Though he dislikes gambling and does not care about money, he enjoys manipulating the game and watching the other gamblers become increasingly desperate.
• Zhang repeatedly wins through bizarre luck, causing the gamblers to lose control despite realizing something is wrong. When they finally win a round and expect relief, Zhang immediately pushes forward an even larger wager.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tianran shows greater confidence in his ability to survive powerful cosmic events, though he still recognizes the danger of being caught in the Speed Force’s transformation.
• He continues to grow stronger by absorbing the Speed Force’s energy.
• Zhang’s nostalgic reflections reveal his attachment to Central City and his awareness that his ordinary life was shaped by hidden supernatural circumstances.
• He also displays a mischievous and increasingly detached side, taking pleasure in provoking gamblers and observing their greed, even while acknowledging that his behavior is morally questionable.
• Zero becomes more openly protective of Zhang, scolding him for taking unnecessary risks. Their relationship resembles that of close companions, with Zero acting as a concerned counterbalance to Zhang’s curiosity and recklessness.
• Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin remain dependent on Zhang’s help during their crisis, but Cisco is especially discouraged by their inability to locate him. Barry attempts to reassure him that Team Flash can continue without Zhang.

Significant Themes

• Creation and danger: The birth of the three new forces is portrayed as a dangerous process that could destabilize the Speed Force and threaten nearby beings.
• Power and responsibility: Zhang possesses immense abilities but chooses to leave before becoming entangled in a potentially catastrophic event.
• Nostalgia and identity: Central City prompts Zhang to reflect on his past and the hidden significance of his life.
• Ordinary life versus extraordinary existence: Despite his cosmic powers, Zhang seeks ordinary entertainment and travel, though even these activities become abnormal because of his abilities.
• Greed and human weakness: The gamblers recognize that Zhang’s luck is suspicious, yet their desire for money keeps them playing. Zhang exploits this weakness for amusement.
• Emotional detachment: Money and danger have little meaning to Zhang, allowing him to treat gambling and other people’s distress as entertainment.

Character Interactions

• The Speed Force and Zhang part on friendly terms, with the Speed Force expressing gratitude through the gift of energy.
• Zero confronts Zhang about his dangerous curiosity, while Zhang calms and reassures her.
• Barry supports Cisco after the failure to find Zhang, emphasizing that the team must face its crisis independently.
• At the gambling table, Zhang manipulates the other players psychologically. Their desperation escalates until they challenge him directly, only for Zhang to raise the stakes again and continue controlling the situation.

Chapter Summary: “A Somewhat Boring Game”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Zhang Tianran challenges a group of gamblers to an unusually large wager after provoking them about their hesitation. Despite having already lost more than ten rounds, he wins the next game through aggressive betting and sheer financial advantage.
• He reveals that he has not used any supernatural abilities. His strategy is simply to keep doubling his bets, relying on his vast wealth and preventing others from cheating.
• Zhang continues gambling until late at night, distributing much of his remaining fortune among various players. His goal is not profit but to observe how giving someone a large amount of money might alter that person’s fate.
• After leaving, violence erupts around the casino because of the money he has handed out. Several gamblers are killed or attacked after leaving the casino, while others remain trapped in cycles of gambling.
• The next morning, Zhang notices that many familiar gamblers have disappeared and that the area still smells faintly of blood. He chooses not to investigate or interfere.
• Local figures secretly monitor Zhang and Zero, but Zero discovers that they are protecting them rather than plotting against them. Zhang finds the situation ironic, since his wealth attracts protection instead of the danger he expected from fictional stories.
• Zhang and Zero eventually leave for their next destination. The man who received Zhang’s chips survives his troubles and returns home with a substantial fortune.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tianran: Displays enormous wealth, confidence, and emotional detachment. He treats gambling as an experiment rather than a means of making money and shows little concern for the consequences affecting others. His boredom suggests that ordinary pleasures no longer provide him much stimulation.
• Zero: Remains uninterested in gambling but is attentive and practical. She investigates the people following them and clarifies their intentions. Her love of food also provides a lighter contrast to Zhang’s indifference.
• The gamblers: Their greed overcomes their fear, leading them to accept Zhang’s dangerous wager. Their later fates demonstrate the destructive consequences of gambling and sudden wealth.
• The chip recipient: Though morally questionable, he benefits most successfully from Zhang’s experiment, surviving danger and returning home rich.

Significant Themes

• Greed and gambling: The gamblers’ desire for more money blinds them to danger, while the casino turns both winners and losers into victims of an endless cycle.
• Wealth and power: Zhang’s vast fortune allows him to control the game effortlessly and makes him powerful enough to be protected by the local underworld.
• Fate and consequence: Zhang deliberately changes another person’s circumstances to test whether fate can be altered, but the results are unpredictable and often violent.
• Moral detachment: Zhang recognizes the suffering caused by his actions but refuses to intervene, emphasizing his distance from ordinary human concerns.
• Reality versus fiction: The locals’ protective behavior contradicts Zhang’s expectations from movies, creating an ironic observation about how the real world operates.

Character Interactions

• Zhang taunts the gamblers into betting, then humiliates them by winning and offering to continue playing.
• He interacts with Zero after leaving the casino, discussing his boredom and the lack of excitement in gambling.
• Zero informs Zhang that the people observing them are acting as bodyguards rather than enemies.
• Zhang dismisses a female attendant and later abandons his plan to seek danger after learning that powerful local figures are protecting him.

Chapter Summary: “Still Force, Strength Force, Sage Force, and the Speed Force!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Two months pass while Zhang Tianran travels through the world as an ordinary person, deliberately avoiding the use of his superpowers. Although he initially enjoys the experience, he eventually becomes bored and considers ending his journey.
• He detects a massive fluctuation of energy affecting the entire world and even the timeline. He identifies the newly emerged powers as the Speed Force, Strength Force, Sage Force, and Still Force.
• Zhang learns that the Speed Force has completed her rebirth and decides to return to Central City to speak with her.
• At STAR Labs, the Speed Force appears in the form of Barry Allen’s mother. She explains that the new forces are resisting her and subtly asks Zhang for assistance.
• Zhang refuses to eliminate or suppress the new forces, despite being powerful enough to do so. He promises instead to protect the Speed Force if she faces genuine danger.
• Barry arrives and warmly welcomes Zhang back, easily accepting Zhang’s explanation that he returned because of the Speed Force’s disturbance.
• The STAR Labs team holds a banquet for Zhang and shares what happened during his absence. Zhang recounts some of his own adventures, astonishing the team with how extraordinary they were compared with their own experiences.
• The following day, the Strength Force attacks Zhang. He defeats it effortlessly, but the Still Force and Sage Force arrive and rescue it before he can question its motives.
• Zhang chooses not to pursue or destroy the fleeing forces. Defeating them completely would require absorbing them into the Speed Force’s domain, which could harm the already weakened Speed Force.
• When Zhang asks why the forces attacked him, the Speed Force explains that they likely consider him her ally because he was near her when they were born.
• It is revealed that the Speed Force has left the ultimate decision about whether the new forces should survive to Barry Allen.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tianran grows tired of living as an ordinary traveler and returns to the supernatural conflicts he understands better. Despite his immense power, he shows restraint and avoids interfering in the Speed Force’s internal struggle.
• He also demonstrates loyalty toward the Speed Force, promising to protect her while refusing to solve her problems for her.
• The Speed Force is revealed to be weakened after giving birth to the other forces. Though she asks Zhang for help, she remains uncertain about whether the new forces should be destroyed or allowed to exist.
• Barry Allen continues to be trusting and emotionally open. His trust makes him easy for Zhang to deceive, but he may also hold the crucial authority to determine the fate of the new forces.
• The Strength Force, Still Force, and Sage Force are established as newly born but already extremely powerful entities. Their hostility toward Zhang suggests that they view him as an extension of the Speed Force.

Significant Themes

• Restraint and responsibility: Zhang has the ability to eliminate the new forces but refuses to act recklessly, recognizing that doing so could damage the Speed Force.
• Power versus quantity: The chapter emphasizes the enormous gap between beings of comparable status when one possesses vastly greater reserves of power.
• Trust and vulnerability: Barry’s willingness to trust others is portrayed as both admirable and potentially dangerous.
• Creation and independence: The new forces are born from the Speed Force but immediately resist her, raising questions about whether creators have the right to control what they create.
• Choice and free will: Rather than making the decision herself, the Speed Force places the fate of the new forces in Barry’s hands.

Character Interactions

• Zhang and the Speed Force have a familiar but complicated relationship. She seeks his intervention, while he offers protection without directly taking her side.
• Zhang and Barry interact warmly, though Zhang deliberately withholds the truth about his motives and recent experiences.
• The STAR Labs team welcomes Zhang enthusiastically and listens with admiration to his travel stories.
• Zhang clashes briefly with the Strength Force before the Still Force and Sage Force intervene, establishing the new forces as opponents—or at least suspicious rivals.

Chapter Summary: “Ambushed?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• The Speed Force displays an unusual, emotionally conflicted personality around Zhang Tianran and Barry Allen. It is hostile toward the other newly created powers but behaves almost coyly toward Barry, despite using the appearance of his mother.
• Zhang Tianran feels increasingly irritated and empty after returning to this world. Ordinary alcohol tastes terrible to him now that he has become a Speedster, so Zero creates a special divine beverage for him.
• While discussing his uncertainty about the future, Zhang admits that his ultimate goal is to become the sole existence across the multiverse—untouched by time, with no past or future—but for now he simply wants to rest.
• The Strength Force, Sage Force, and Still Force gather and recognize that their origins have been distorted by merging with a human’s emotions and hatred during their creation.
• Fearing both the Speed Force and Zhang Tianran, the three forces decide to cooperate. They plan to eliminate or absorb the Speed Force first, then confront Zhang, whom they consider the greater threat.
• The three powers suddenly attack Zhang while Barry is present. Zhang notices them immediately but allows himself to be taken, welcoming the chance to face an interesting opponent after a period of boredom.
• Instead of fighting, the three forces abruptly flee, transporting Zhang to an unknown location and apparently an unknown point in time. Zhang realizes the attack was likely a diversion designed to keep him away while they carry out another plan.
• The chapter ends with Zhang examining the temporal flow around him through the silver lightning in his eyes, attempting to determine where and when he has been taken.

Character Developments

• Zhang Tianran: Reveals emotional fatigue, dissatisfaction, and uncertainty after achieving much of what he once pursued. Although immensely powerful, he is bored and wants to rest. His curiosity and fighting spirit briefly return when the three forces attack, but he is caught off guard by their decision to flee.
• Zero: Acts as Zhang’s calm and supportive companion. She listens to his complaints, cleans the room with magic, and prepares specially crafted beer to improve his mood. Her suggestion that they leave the world shows her awareness of Zhang’s emotional state.
• Barry Allen: Remains uncomfortable around the Speed Force because it is using his mother’s appearance. He has grown stronger but is still unable to react to the three forces’ movements. Zhang continues advising and assisting him without directly taking action.
• The Speed Force: Is portrayed as emotionally complicated and unusually vulnerable, especially around Barry. Its behavior differs sharply from its former ruthless determination to destroy the other powers.
• Strength, Sage, and Still Forces: Their accidental fusion with human emotions has given them motivations and fears unlike normal cosmic powers. They become strategic and self-protective, viewing Zhang as their primary obstacle.

Significant Themes

• Power and emptiness: Zhang possesses extraordinary abilities but feels directionless after approaching his long-term goals.
• The influence of humanity: The newly born forces were altered by inheriting human emotions, particularly hatred, demonstrating how mortal experiences can reshape cosmic entities.
• Control versus uncertainty: Zhang seeks freedom from time and causality, yet he is unexpectedly displaced into an unknown temporal location.
• Deception and strategy: The apparent ambush is not intended as a direct confrontation but as a means of distracting and relocating Zhang.
• Changing identities: The Speed Force’s new emotional behavior and use of Barry’s mother’s form blur the boundaries between cosmic power, human memory, and personal identity.

Character Interactions

• Zhang and Zero share a quiet, intimate conversation about his dissatisfaction and uncertain future, with Zero attempting to comfort him through conversation and specially made beer.
• Zhang interacts with Barry in a mentor-like role, offering guidance while refusing to personally handle every problem.
• Barry’s discomfort with the Speed Force’s appearance contrasts with its apparent emotional attachment or vulnerability toward him.
• The three newly born forces cooperate against both the Speed Force and Zhang, placing their survival above their former isolation.
• Zhang expects a confrontation when they attack, but their unexpected retreat leaves him confused and forces him to investigate their larger plan.