The intense heat radiated from Su Sheng as he transformed into Firestorm, leaving Valentina in disbelief. "Impossible! The equation is correct—one person can't withstand the energy of the reactor. You can't be Firestorm alone!"
Su Sheng smiled enigmatically. "Don't understand? Then don't worry about it. There are plenty of things you don't understand." With that, he turned his gaze to Riley.
Riley gently touched Valentina, and in an instant, they fused back into Firestorm. This time, Riley took the lead as the dominant body.
"Let's go!" Su Sheng commanded, grinning as he flew upward, bursting through the roof, followed by Riley.
The two soared through the air, piercing through layers of the building until they reached the roof and entered the Discipleship ship.
Laura, startled by their fiery appearance, watched as Su Sheng and Riley reverted to their normal forms, with Valentina following suit.
"No…" Valentina murmured, sensing what was coming and trying to escape, but the Discipleship had already begun to lift off.
Under the night sky, Vandal Savage was below, shouting angrily at the ship as it ascended.
"Goodbye!" Su Sheng said calmly as he pressed a button on the console. A missile launched from the ship, and moments later, a massive explosion engulfed the Gulag camp in flames.
Poor Vandal Savage, resurrected only to meet his end once more.
With the mission accomplished—rescuing the Legends, averting the future Firestorm crisis—Su Sheng piloted the Disciple away, disappearing into the night sky.
Time Stream
A dark green river of time, representing all points in history, flowed endlessly. Su Sheng halted the Discipleship here, standing up from his chair.
Inside, Riley, Laura, and Valentina were all dealing with the side effects of time travel, their first experience of such a journey.
"Clean yourselves up," Su Sheng remarked, glancing at the few items Riley had packed, before heading deeper into the ship.
He intended to create a collection room aboard the Discipleship—a place to store books and interesting items from different eras. After all, he was still a man of culture, right?
Not long after, Riley entered the room.
"Does it feel empty?" Su Sheng asked casually, noticing Riley's presence as he looked around the room, now holding only a few books.
"If you wish, Master, this place can fill up very quickly," Riley suggested after a moment's thought. "When I was in the Gulag camp, I noticed that many people like to collect trophies. Perhaps Master could do the same?"
"Trophies? Not interested," Su Sheng replied with a shake of his head. Then, with a sly grin, he glanced at Riley. "But you've given me an idea—maybe I could hang photos of the women I've slept with here. When I don't have a new companion, I could choose one to temporarily take their place?"
"This… is that really a good idea?" Riley asked, taken aback.
"Why not? This is my ship, my collection room. Who dares to enter without my permission? Who can enter?" Su Sheng asked nonchalantly.
Riley shook her head. "No one."
"Exactly."
Without wasting time, Su Sheng decided to set up a photo station in the corner of the collection room.
Riley, now dressed in her original outfit, held a placard with her name, code name, and even a serial number, posing for Su Sheng as he took her photo. Each pose was documented, and a more detailed set of photos followed.
Name: Riley
Code Name: Firestorm One
Number: 4
Year: 1871
Location: Redemption, Dakota
"With these, it'll be much easier to select a replacement when needed," Su Sheng remarked, satisfied as he framed the photos and hung them on the wall. The standard photo was displayed, while the more detailed ones remained on the camera for further selection. "Now, go bring Laura here. Also, I remember there's equipment on the ship to create clothes. Have her make a uniform of her own and wear it."
"Yes, Master."
Riley left and soon returned with Laura, who also posed for her photo.
Name: Laura Juspek Zack
Code Name: Silk Spectre
Number: 5
Year: 1985
Location: United States
As Laura's photo was hung on the wall, Riley noticed the few remaining spots ahead of her. She realized that the numbers represented the order in which each woman became Su Sheng's companion. To her surprise, there were only three women before her, which made her marvel at Su Sheng's self-restraint.
"It's done," Su Sheng said, putting the camera away. "Now we can think about where to go next!"
Just as he finished speaking, the Discipleship suddenly shook violently.
"What happened?"
"Did Valentina do something?"
Boom!
Another loud noise echoed as the ship trembled again.
"It seems we're under attack!" Su Sheng said, quickly heading to the pilot's seat to prepare for a counterattack. But before he could act, another explosion rocked the ship.
The defensive barrier was breached.
"No artificial intelligence is really troublesome. I'll have to get one later," Su Sheng muttered as the Discipleship began to fall out of the time stream.
Unknown Time, Unknown Place
Boom!
The Discipleship crashed with a loud bang, violently shaking as it made an emergency landing. Valentina, Riley, and Laura were thrown to the ground by the impact.
"Unexpected travels are always full of surprises. Let's see where we've ended up!" Su Sheng chuckled, addressing the three dazed women before heading to the hatch.
The hatch opened slowly.
The ship appeared to have crash-landed at a port, with the bow slightly damaged on the dock.
"Judging by the architecture, this seems to be the modern era," Su Sheng mused as he surveyed the surroundings, only to be interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Su Sheng?"
The voice was familiar. Su Sheng turned to see two groups of people standing on the pier, and among them, he recognized a familiar face.
Wonder Woman, Diana!
"Well, isn't this a coincidence?" Su Sheng said with a bemused expression as Valentina, Riley, and Laura joined him, standing at his side.