No one was injured, and Su Sheng remained locked within the electronic fence, showing no signs of trying to escape. Barry Allen seized the moment to investigate the area, trying to determine what kind of explosives Su Sheng had used. However, his inspection revealed nothing. "Bombs usually leave unique traces—crimped wires, broken pieces—and I can usually gauge their sophistication through analysis. But here... there's no sign of an oxidizer. This is exactly what Bombgirl Betty would do!"
"And Betty was taken by Su Sheng!" Sisko Ramon added. "Is she here too? I'll find her!"
"No, Sisko," Barry Allen shook his head. "Betty's ability allows her to transform objects into explosives that detonate on contact, but she couldn't have caused the explosions just now with all of us here."
"No one could plant a bomb without me noticing, except... a speedster," Oliver Queen remarked, his gaze shifting toward Su Sheng with unease.
"The trap isn't destroyed; he can't get out!" Sisko confirmed, then turned to Su Sheng with curiosity. "How did you do it? And why didn't you hurt anyone or destroy the trap? What's your game?"
"Didn't I say? It was just a small gift," Su Sheng chuckled. "As for why no one was hurt and the trap was left intact, the reason is even simpler."
"Dead men can't feel the sting of a slap in the face."
"You think you can escape? That's impossible!" Harrison Wells, now sitting on the ground, had finally recovered from the shock.
"It seems you still don't understand what true despair is."
Su Sheng's body began to emit a golden light.
"Speed Force? No, this isn't the Speed Force," Barry Allen muttered, bewildered.
"This is... divine power!" Su Sheng's voice echoed as he struck the electronic barrier with a single punch.
Boom!
The barrier shook violently, cracking instantly.
"This... this is impossible! The energy of that barrier is..." Sisko Ramon began, but Su Sheng cut him off with a smirk and a second punch.
The barrier shattered like glass, fragments falling silently.
Su Sheng calmly stepped out.
"Get out of here!" Oliver Queen shouted, charging at Su Sheng with nothing but his fists, his arrows destroyed in the earlier explosions. Confident in his combat skills, he launched himself at Su Sheng with a powerful kick.
"Standard Assassin League techniques," Su Sheng remarked, laughing as he deactivated his divine power and activated his speed.
Bang bang bang! Bang bang bang!
Red lightning enveloped Oliver Queen as Su Sheng unleashed a flurry of punches and kicks. Though Su Sheng used only the strength of an average man, the sheer speed and intensity of the attack overwhelmed Oliver. He felt as if he were being pummeled from every direction, unable to fight back.
Smack!
Oliver Queen collapsed to the ground, spitting blood.
"How does Pegasus Meteor Fist feel?" Su Sheng teased, grinning at Oliver, who had been struck by hundreds of blows in mere seconds. "Better hurry home to protect your mother and sister."
"No..." Oliver gasped, trying to protest, but Su Sheng had already disappeared in a flash of red lightning.
"Caitlin!" Sisko Ramon exclaimed, realizing that Caitlin Snow was gone too.
They had failed—completely failed. Not only had they failed to capture Su Sheng, but they were now facing his retribution.
"Oliver, I..." Barry Allen began, trying to apologize.
Oliver Queen shook his head. "I have to get back to Starling City."
"I understand. I'll... I'll get my speed back as soon as possible, and Caitlin and your family will be fine!" Barry Allen tried to reassure him, but his words sounded hollow.
Oliver said nothing more and rushed out. He had to return to Starling City as soon as possible to protect his mother and sister.
Originally, Barry had hoped that Oliver could help save Central City, but now Oliver was implicated, Caitlin had been captured, and the crisis had deepened.
"Shh!"
In a flash of red lightning, Su Sheng appeared.
Caitlin Snow found herself in an unfamiliar, solitary cell—transparent and high-tech, with technology she couldn't identify.
"My clothes..." Caitlin gasped, crouching down to cover herself.
"Just making sure you didn't have any tracking devices on you," Su Sheng said nonchalantly, having tossed Caitlin's clothes far outside Central City. If any locator was hidden in them, the authorities would only be led on a wild goose chase.
"Su Sheng, we're friends!" Caitlin pleaded.
"You wanted to lock me up, so now I'm locking you up. Seems fair to me," Su Sheng replied with a smile. "Friends should forgive each other, right? I forgive you for trying to capture me, so you should forgive me for capturing you."
"But..." Caitlin began, but Su Sheng was already gone.
The gate of the cell block slowly closed, leaving Caitlin alone in the cold, sterile environment.
On the road between Central City and Starling City...
Oliver Queen was speeding down the highway at nearly 200 mph, his car moving like a bullet. Thankfully, traffic was light, and his driving skills were exceptional, avoiding any major incidents. The worst he encountered were a few angry honks and curses from other drivers. While driving, he urgently contacted his assistant.
Yes, how could a superhero not have an assistant?
John Diggle, affectionately dubbed "Driver Man," was a former military veteran who had become a professional bodyguard. After Oliver Queen's return, his mother hired Diggle to protect him. Upon discovering Oliver's secret identity, Diggle became his trusted assistant, initially serving as a driver and cover. Over time, he became a core member of Team Arrow, codenamed Spartan. But what really made him stand out wasn't his role as Spartan or nearly becoming Oliver's brother-in-law—it was the fact that his wife took over as head of A.R.G.U.S. after Amanda Waller's death.
With connections like that, how could anyone underestimate him?
...