Su Sheng watched as Barry Allen's eyes remained focused on the spot where Su Sheng had been standing. Barry's arm was slowly extending, his fist already making contact with Su Sheng's face—or so he thought.
In Barry's mind, the next moment would see Su Sheng sent flying by his punch. Barry, who had always been slender, couldn't help but imagine the scene of Su Sheng being launched into the air by his super-speed punch. Perhaps he could even bring him to the police afterward? Lost in this thought, Barry was anticipating the satisfaction of his newfound power.
But then he noticed something unsettling—Su Sheng's eyes moved. He looked at Barry, and a strange smile played on his lips.
How is that possible?
Barry Allen's mouth fell open in shock. He then noticed that Su Sheng's previously slow-moving arm suddenly sped up, catching up with his.
Snap!
A crisp slapping sound echoed as the world returned to normal speed. Barry Allen was sent flying, slamming into the wall beside him. His once delicate face was now swollen and bruised, resembling a pig's head. Dazed, his ears ringing, Barry looked at Su Sheng in shock, red electric currents flashing around him.
"It's you!"
Barry Allen couldn't forget the color of those electric sparks. It was the same as the night his mother was murdered.
"You killed my mother!" Barry shouted in a mix of rage and confusion as he dashed toward Su Sheng, his anger activating the Speed Force, and yellow lightning flashed around him.
"Why does your Speed Force have the same color as Reverse-Flash?" Su Sheng noted, unimpressed by the red lightning that accompanied his movements. With a simple wave, Barry Allen was once again sent crashing into the wall.
Boom!
Barry hit the wall hard, and the sheer impact made him groan as he fainted, overwhelmed by the repeated blows.
When Su Sheng copied Barry Allen's Speed Force, he also inadvertently copied Barry's experience with it—or rather, his lack of experience. Su Sheng didn't increase his speed too much, fearing that if he moved too fast, he might end up missing Barry Allen entirely in his attack. Even at the same speed, Barry was no match for Su Sheng.
Looking down at the unconscious Barry, Su Sheng grinned and then vanished into a red streak of lightning.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
A powerful wind swept across the streets, causing skirts to fly up and people to shout in surprise.
Red lightning streaked through the city streets.
Shh!
Su Sheng reappeared in the Discipleship chair, exhaling slightly.
"So fast!" Su Sheng chuckled in satisfaction. Initially, his speed was around 370 kilometers per hour. When he tried doubling it, the speed was manageable, but he quickly canceled the increase due to his inexperience with sudden acceleration. Barry Allen, who had just gained the Speed Force, could also disappear in the blink of an eye, but that was just the beginning. The speed of light is around 300,000 kilometers per second, and in the comics, Wally West, the Kid Flash, could reach speeds 13 trillion times faster than that. Reaching such speeds was nearly impossible to comprehend.
But Su Sheng wasn't too concerned with speed; as long as his experience and proficiency grew, he could stack his speed infinitely. He would eventually become the fastest in the DC universe. However, what intrigued him was the color of his Speed Force.
Normally, since he had copied Barry Allen's Speed Force, the color should have been the same yellow as Barry's. Instead, it was red, like that of Reverse-Flash.
Could it be that Barry Allen is actually Reverse-Flash in disguise?
"So, why did this happen?" Su Sheng pondered, frowning.
After acquiring the Speed Force, his memory had improved significantly. Many previously vague memories had become clear. He recalled that in the comics, the speed was classified by the color of the Speed Force: red was the slowest, followed by yellow, blue, black or white, and finally, gold.
But this didn't explain his current problem.
The different color of the Speed Force was one issue, and whether he was subject to the connection between Barry Allen and the Speed Force was another. However, this second issue was relatively easy to figure out. When he used the Speed Force, he could feel the existence of Speed Force energy, and it would both consume and regenerate simultaneously. So, he just needed to observe Barry Allen using the Speed Force while he didn't, and he could confirm whether his Speed Force was independent by noting any changes in the energy levels.
If the Speed Force he copied was independent, it would mean there were two types of Speed Force in this world, which would be fascinating.
"Copying an ability with no experience is troublesome," Su Sheng remarked as he got up, activating the Speed Force again to familiarize himself with it.
Back at the cutting-edge laboratory, Caitlin Snow was getting ready to leave after Barry Allen had rushed out earlier. She had made plans to meet Su Sheng at her home later that evening. But just as she finished packing up, a gust of wind swept past her, and she saw Barry Allen reappear in the lab with a bruised and swollen face, bloodstains visible.
"Barry Allen? What happened to you?" Caitlin Snow asked, shocked by his appearance.
Sisko Ramon and Harrison Wells also turned to Barry, equally surprised.
"I… I found the man who killed my mother. I just met him. The red… it was a red light!" Barry Allen said excitedly. "He has super speed, just like me, but he's faster!"
"That's impossible!" Harrison Wells immediately denied Barry's words, his voice filled with disbelief.
Realizing he had overreacted, Harrison Wells calmed himself and continued, "Barry, it's highly unlikely that someone else with your abilities would coincidentally appear and be faster than you—at least not yet!"
"But I did meet him," Barry insisted. "Not long after I left here, an Asian guy tried to rob me. At first, I didn't take him seriously, but then he showed the same speed as me. Twice, he knocked me out twice with that speed. I saw it clearly—it was a red light, just like the one from the night my mother was killed!"
"An Asian guy?" Caitlin Snow thought of Su Sheng, but dismissed the thought as mere coincidence.
Harrison Wells adjusted his glasses and said seriously to Barry Allen, "I still think it's too coincidental, but if there really is such a person, Barry, I'll help you find him!"