Boom! Boom! Boom!
Kronos' laser gun fired relentlessly at Sara Lance. Diana skillfully waved her arms, and the silver guard bracelets on her wrists deftly deflected the lasers in all directions.
"Isn't this exciting?" Su Sheng asked with a chuckle as he looked at the frightened Riley.
Riley, her lips slightly parted in shock, nodded blankly. Everything she had just witnessed—the punch that shattered the wall, the armored Kronos firing lasers, and the heroic Wonder Woman deflecting them—was beyond anything she could comprehend.
"Who… who are you?" Riley asked subconsciously.
"Who?" Su Sheng thought for a moment before smiling. "They're not important. As for me, my name is Su Sheng. I suppose I'm… your master?"
"Aren't you going to help?" Sara Lance shouted in frustration, seeing Su Sheng flirting idly with Riley.
"I'm more interested in that," Su Sheng said, pointing to a black spaceship not far away. It was Kronos' ship.
As a time bounty hunter, Kronos' ship could travel through time. Although it wasn't as large or luxurious as the Waverider, it was still a fully functional time vessel. It probably didn't have an AI like Gideon, which meant it could be commandeered.
Of course, the first step was taking control of it.
As Su Sheng walked toward the ship with Riley in his arms, Kronos quickly turned his gun towards him. At that moment, Sara Lance finally stopped hiding behind Diana. With a swift motion, she threw a dagger that struck Kronos' laser gun, knocking it out of his hands. She then dashed forward with agility and precision.
Sara Lance leaped into the air, wrapping her legs around Kronos' neck in a scissor lock, and flipped him onto the ground. Kronos groaned as he tried to get up, but Sara Lance pinned him down with her knee, pressing her dagger to his throat.
"Tell me, what happened to the Waverider?"
Meanwhile, on the black spaceship, Su Sheng explored with Riley, who was wide-eyed and overwhelmed. The ship was small but complete, equipped with everything needed, including powerful weapons—perhaps even more so than the Waverider.
"This ship will be called the Disciple from now on," Su Sheng said, looking around with satisfaction. "Keep an eye on our ship, I'm going to check on things outside," he said to Riley before turning to leave.
Outside, Kronos' helmet had been removed, revealing the rugged and weathered face of Heatwave, Mick Rory. Sara Lance and Diana stood in shock, especially Sara, who couldn't believe that the Kronos who had been hunting them was actually Mick Rory.
Mick Rory was supposed to be on their side.
"How is this possible?" Sara Lance asked hurriedly as she saw Su Sheng approaching.
"He's from another timeline," Su Sheng replied casually, eyeing Mick Rory. "Is there an operations manual?"
"This is the ship the Time Masters gave me, you—"
Boom!
Before Mick Rory could finish, Su Sheng stomped on his leg, snapping it with a sickening crunch. Mick Rory screamed in agony, writhing in pain.
"Yes or no?"
"N-No… yes… there is…"
"Good."
With Mick Rory drenched in sweat from the pain, Su Sheng summoned a flash of lightning in his hand and struck him.
Boom!
In a flash of blue light, Mick Rory was reduced to ash.
"What are you doing?!" Sara Lance screamed, shocked that Su Sheng had killed Mick Rory. After all, this was Mick Rory—her teammate. Even if he came from another timeline, even if he had become Kronos and hunted them, he was still her comrade.
"Were you planning to have him meet the current Mick Rory for a doppelganger playdate? Or were you going to let him go and keep chasing you? Besides, Mick Rory isn't really dead—if you miss this guy, he might become Kronos again in the future and continue hunting you. Sounds like a never-ending time loop to me," Su Sheng said dismissively. "Tell Rip Hunter I've got a new toy. You can go back to saving the world."
"Can you even fly it?" Sara Lance asked, still in disbelief.
"I'll learn," Su Sheng said, waving his hand nonchalantly as he turned to board the ship.
Diana exchanged a glance with Sara Lance before following him.
On the Disciple, Su Sheng eagerly began studying the controls. Although piloting the ship wasn't exactly the same as driving, it wasn't too difficult to learn. While Diana and Riley explored the ship, Su Sheng managed to get the vessel off the ground. It lifted off shakily at first but then shot forward like a rocket.
Sara Lance stood on the ground, staring in disbelief as the spaceship took off. He… just left? It seemed absurd. The man who had taken over the Waverider, used her as a hostage, had just departed so easily.
Meanwhile, aboard the Disciple, Su Sheng was flying through the sky, recklessly enjoying the thrill. Although he hadn't mastered most of the ship's functions, flying it like an airplane was no problem.
After flying for what felt like hours, the Disciple slowly descended into a vast desert.
The hatch opened.
Su Sheng, Riley, and Diana stepped out slowly.
Diana and Riley looked around, awed by the endless expanse of sand. It was their first time seeing a desert.
"What are we doing here?" Diana asked curiously.
"Watching the sunset," Su Sheng said with a chuckle as he sat on the edge of the cabin door, gazing at the distant horizon.
The sunset over the golden desert was a rare and breathtaking sight.
Riley and Diana couldn't help but sit down beside Su Sheng, quietly taking in the beauty of the sunset. After a while, Su Sheng suddenly stretched his arms around both of their shoulders and asked with a smile, "Alright, the sun has set. Let's head inside."
"I didn't challenge you today!" Diana blurted out instinctively.
"But we're still on my ship, aren't we? Shouldn't I be compensated?" Su Sheng replied with a grin.
"You stole it."
"Of course, the ship I took with my skills is mine. You're free to try and take it back if you can."
"I'm not as shameless as you!"
Diana snorted coldly and jumped off the ship, as if she would never accept his terms. Su Sheng merely shrugged, wrapped an arm around Riley, and led her back inside.
...