Ch.57 The Mastermind

A few minutes later, Bryce and Barry returned. Barry had just sent Falcone and his daughter to Arkham. Most of the time was spent on Bryce and the Arkham guards going through procedures to ensure that the two lunatics were securely locked up.

Arkham had its own independent power system, so it was still relatively safe for now.

"GCPD has been destroyed, the city is experiencing a massive power outage, but the television still has a signal, which means the TV station still has power. Gordon, you should take Barbara and the two reporters to the TV station to stay for now. Don't go back home."

Bryce emerged from the shadows, instructing Gordon without explaining why she made this arrangement.

"But, Batwoman, I want to conduct an exclusive interview with you," Vicki was still insatiable, her thirst for news was endless.

Bryce just glanced at her without any expression.

Gordon's previous gun was lost somewhere. Now, he seemed to have picked up a submachine gun from one of the bodies, hanging it around his neck. Paired with his long coat and fedora, he looked more like a thug than a cop.

"I understand, but we need to take the vehicle," Gordon said as he carried Barbara's wheelchair onto the broadcast van.

"Don't worry, I have a plan," Bryce nodded, signaling them to get in the car quickly.

Su Ming watched them return empty-handed and then stood up, stepping into the rain.

"Where's the cat?"

Bryce and Barry looked at him, bewildered. Was Deathstroke a cat lover? There were still big things to do, why was he asking about a cat?

"Cat?"

"You both heard it earlier. There were three people and a cat in the room, a white cat. Where did it go?" Su Ming frowned, adjusting his helmet and securing the clasps.

"The cat isn't that important, right? I didn't see any cat just now," Barry said, completely baffled.

"I just realized something was off. Quick, take me to the bottom of the lab. There's no time."

Su Ming didn't have time to explain and immediately hooked Barry's neck. His headache made it difficult to think too much at once. His mind was preoccupied with Barry and Bryce earlier, and only now did he realize the problem.

"But—"

"We'll talk later, hurry."

"Alright then…"

In an instant, Barry and Su Ming disappeared from their original position. Bryce and Cindy exchanged glances but quickly looked away, avoiding eye contact.

They had nothing to say to each other.

It was Su Ming's first time experiencing the feeling of being enveloped by the Speed Force. It wasn't like the electricity he imagined but a special kind of energy. It had warmth, a tactile sensation... a will, as if it were alive.

It wrapped around the two of them, forming a small environment isolated from the world. They seemed to be moving through frozen time, with all the raindrops suspended in mid-air.

"In fact, relative to the outside world, time for us is stretched out. You can tell me what's wrong with that cat," Barry's legs were running so fast they left afterimages, but he still spoke without breaking a sweat.

"Because the timing was too coincidental. Why did the Roman appear in Gotham at this particular time? He's been out for ten years. If he wanted to return, he could have done it earlier or later. Why today? Today, Batman is absent, today is the heaviest rainfall ever recorded, today is the day I arrived in this world—are all of these just coincidences?" Su Ming looked at the frozen scenery outside, calmly explaining to Barry.

"Uh, from a logical standpoint, a series of coincidental events is unlikely to happen simultaneously."

"Exactly. Besides, the citywide blackout happened after I appeared on TV, and we were ambushed by the Talons of the Court of Owls as soon as we got here. Falcone's plan seemed easily thwarted. If I hadn't brought Vicki, the big game-changer, we might have faced much more trouble."

That Talon wasn't there to monitor the Roman or Su Ming and the others, but was actually the bodyguard for that cat!

"Oh! That reporter was Vicki Vale? I heard she was... you know, with Batman," Barry smiled, wiggling his little finger suggestively.

"Yes, in your world, she's that one. Besides that, she's also your world's Domino. Next time, you can try buying a horse or lottery ticket with her, guaranteed win."

Su Ming explained helplessly. For someone like Barry, who had endless time, it was really hard to get him to take things seriously.

"Domino? What does that mean?" Barry was utterly confused.

"Ahem, it's from a neighboring universe, can't get into details. Just know that she's incredibly lucky, like having cosmic-level superpowers. A lot of illogical, outrageous things can happen around her," Su Ming coughed twice, summarizing briefly, and then brought the topic back: "So, Falcone and Sofia were just controlled; the situation is more complicated than it seems."

Barry looked up at the ceiling, thinking for a moment: "There were three people in that room. Commissioner Gordon is fine, and the Roman father and daughter are locked up now. Are you saying the cat was actually the one controlling them?"

Su Ming sighed, rubbing his mask, enduring his headache while speaking to Barry. Everything around them blurred by, forming patches of light:

"Although I can't be certain, you all still underestimate Barbatos' divine power. He doesn't just control darkness and destruction; he's also adept at imposing his will on beings through dreams, or injecting dark energy into creatures with psychological vulnerabilities to turn them into his servants. What I mean is, any living creature."

"That cat is a Strigidae Priest?! It's using magic to influence them!" Barry understood, the idea shocking him. The Justice League was already stretched thin defending against humans, let alone defending against all the creatures on Earth. It was a terrifying thought.

"That's what I think. In other multiverses, like Earth-26, where all intelligent life forms are small animals. Superman's counterpart there is a rabbit called Captain Carrot. On Earth-43, everyone is a vampire. On Earth-20, the entire world is zombies. In these worlds, there are Strigidae Priests. They can be any creature: animals, zombies, vampires, robots."

"Uh... looks like thinking the cat is a Strigidae Priest isn't so crazy now." Barry scratched his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. He'd actually been to these worlds, and the Justice League even had good relations with Earth-26.

Su Ming didn't notice Barry's internal struggle: "Although on Earth -11, Barbatos could easily choose humans to be Strigidae Priests, that doesn't mean he can't turn other creatures into dark servants. You can never be too careful with our enemies."

"I hope it's not the case. I'd prefer it to just be an ordinary cat." Barry picked up the pace a bit.

"If it is a Strigidae Priest, then you've just left it alone with a bunch of biological weapons. Now I'm just hoping it can't read and doesn't understand the instructions," Su Ming said as he fumbled for his gun.

Barry stuck his tongue out, feeling genuinely embarrassed. Messing up the first encounter like this was really awkward.

"Um, can Barbatos turn bugs into his servants too? I'm a bit squeamish about insects."

"Insects don't have enough brain capacity to understand things like dreams, and they can't handle much dark energy either. But if he wanted to, he could do it," Su Ming shook his head and then looked forward again, giving an answer Barry didn't want to hear: "That's what being a god means."