Su Sheng had acquired various abilities over time, although he hadn't made a point of collecting them. Aside from the skills Caitlin Snow had mentioned, such as his fighting prowess and the super speed he had just displayed, Su Sheng had also copied divine powers from Diana and Donna Troy during their demigod phases, as well as the abilities of the female version of Firestorm, the elemental girl, and a divine power that seemed to be either rooted in hatred or destruction. Despite the wide array of powers he possessed, none of them had altered his DNA. This might have been due to his unique abilities or perhaps the fact that he had crossed over from another world. Whatever the reason, his DNA remained unchanged no matter how many powers he copied, and he didn't have to worry about overloading his body with too many abilities.
Given this, Su Sheng was quite relaxed.
Watching Caitlin Snow, who was hunched over her instruments and deep in thought, he chuckled. "Don't stress about it. Come have a drink."
"No way. This is serious scientific research. We can't just give up because we haven't figured it out yet. Besides, who knows what problems might arise in the future?" Caitlin Snow replied earnestly.
"I'll be in Central City for a while, so as long as you keep this secret, you can study my body anytime you like—more thoroughly, if you wish. However..." Su Sheng trailed off, leaving Caitlin curious.
Caitlin turned around, intrigued. "However, what?"
Swish!
In an instant, Su Sheng appeared right in front of Caitlin Snow. The sudden proximity made her instinctively want to step back, but Su Sheng gently grabbed her arm. Their eyes met, and the closeness—combined with their scant clothing—caused Caitlin's heart to race as if it might leap out of her chest. She wanted to lower her gaze to escape his intense stare, but when she did, her eyes fell on Su Sheng's shorts, and she quickly looked back up.
"Caitlin Snow, can I trust you?"
"Yes, of course! I'll keep your secret!" Caitlin Snow whispered, her voice shaky.
"Good, then I believe you," Su Sheng said with a smile, letting go of her arm. "The super speed that I, Barry Allen, and the person who killed his mother all possess comes from the Speed Force. The energy of the Speed Force can be depleted or replenished by the user. I want you to help me determine if Barry Allen's power is the same as mine."
"How do we determine that?" Caitlin Snow asked, still dazed by their closeness.
"It's simple. Whenever Barry is about to use the Speed Force, inform me, and I'll judge based on the changes in my own Speed Force energy," Su Sheng explained with a grin.
"You want me to monitor Barry?" Caitlin Snow asked, clearly conflicted.
"That's right."
"But… that doesn't seem right," Caitlin Snow hesitated.
"Barry isn't a threat to me. If I wanted to harm him, I wouldn't need to go to the trouble of monitoring his actions. If you don't help, I'll have to take more direct measures—like going after his adoptive father, Joe West, or his friend, Iris West."
"I'll help you!" Caitlin Snow blurted out. "Give me your phone number."
"I'll call you tomorrow," Su Sheng replied. "Now, how about that drink? I went through several cities just to find this bottle of wine."
He led Caitlin Snow to the sofa, poured her a glass, and the two of them began to relax. As they drank, their conversation flowed more freely. Sometimes Caitlin would ask Su Sheng about his various superpowers, while at other times they discussed events at the lab. When Caitlin recalled being kidnapped by the Huntress, she even managed to share a few laughs with Su Sheng. Gradually, Caitlin's cheeks flushed as the wine took effect.
"Is it almost midnight already? I should get going," Su Sheng remarked, glancing at the time.
Caitlin Snow was surprised. "Is it that late?"
"Time flies when you're having fun."
Caitlin watched as Su Sheng casually tidied himself and put on his clothes. It was only then that she realized she had spent hours in nothing but her underwear, chatting away as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"See you tomorrow?"
"Ah, yes… see you tomorrow," Caitlin responded, feeling a bit flustered as Su Sheng leaned in to kiss her cheek.
She didn't pull away.
"Good night." Su Sheng waved, and with a flash of red lightning, he was gone.
It took Caitlin a long moment to realize he had left.
Swish!
When Su Sheng stopped, he found himself in the master bedroom of a villa. Riley and Valentina were lounging in bath towels, chatting, and they both jumped when they saw Su Sheng suddenly appear.
"Master, when did you get here?" Riley asked, startled.
"Just before you asked me," Su Sheng replied with a smile.
The villa was the place they had found earlier. The furniture and facilities were all ready-made, but they had initially rented it because they didn't have enough money. Now, with enough funds, they were considering buying it.
"I'm heading back to my room," Valentina said, getting up to leave.
"Wait!" Su Sheng caught Valentina's arm, pulling her into his embrace.
"What are you doing? You're Riley's master, not mine!" Valentina protested.
"Does it matter?" Su Sheng chuckled.
Valentina smirked. "What? Think you can handle both of us? I doubt you'd be able to keep up."
"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that," Su Sheng replied, his eyes gleaming with confidence. "I'm at full speed now. I won't let you two rest, even if there were two more of you!"
Red lightning flashed, and before Riley and Valentina could react, Su Sheng had effortlessly placed them side by side. And then… they understood exactly what he meant.
There was truly no time to rest. The entire experience seemed surreal, as if Su Sheng had never left their sides. It was one thing to keep up with one of them, but the fact that he could maintain the same intensity with both of them at once was beyond belief.
When it was finally over, Valentina turned away, clearly exhausted, sulking a little as she faced away from Su Sheng. Riley, however, lay across Su Sheng's chest, her curiosity piqued.
"How did you do that?" she asked, still in awe.
...