Ch.54 Exchange

Watching the irrelevant people leave the study room, and with Vick choosing the bloody scene outside for the interview, Su Ming could finally talk to Batwoman.

"Barry, I know what you want to ask. I am Deathstroke from another universe. You can call me Slade; that's fine too. Given that my memory is a bit muddled right now, you can temporarily call me Su. A name is just a label to me; it doesn't matter."

Barry scrutinized him closely, as if trying to understand something incomprehensible. "You don't have any magical energy on you, nor the Speed Force. How did you get here?"

"If I knew how, do you think I'd stay here? This place isn't exactly safe." Su Ming waved dismissively at Barry, as if telling a joke. "Relax. Although your appearance has introduced some flaws to my original plan, at this moment, we can't afford to have internal conflicts."

Indeed, the moment he saw Barry, Su Ming considered using the Speed Force to directly travel to the main universe but quickly dismissed the idea.

Barry was a genuinely good person. After seeing that Earth Negative 11 was still intact and Batwoman hadn't become the Drowned, realizing he could change history without side effects, Barry, who was obsessed with time effects and the Speed Force, definitely wouldn't abandon this place.

If Barry didn't leave, Su Ming could forget about leaving. The Speed Force was the most direct way to cross dimensions. Although there were speedster villains in this world, none of them had the ability to traverse dimensions.

"You seem very familiar with me, but I have no recollection of you, and you look too young." Barry relaxed a little and sat down on the other side of the sofa, barely touching it. From his tone and body language, it was clear he hadn't completely lowered his guard, his eyes still fixed on the sword on the table.

This sword was different from the one he knew Slade used. The main universe's Slade wielded a large promethium broadsword, 20 centimeters wide and a meter long. The sword on the table looked like an ordinary katana, just a regular metal blade.

"You can think of my world as 'Origin' Earth. So over there, sometimes I know things a little earlier than usual."

Su Ming fabricated an unverifiable lie. Currently, there were still unknown worlds in the DC Universe. Even Speed Force users couldn't guarantee if 104 worlds were the total count.

Not to mention that Barry retained memories from the pre-Flashpoint universe. He had seen infinite Earths and infinite universes.

Barry seemed to grasp something but at the same time understood nothing. Su Ming's answer left him in a fog, making him wonder if a world had been left out during the universal merge.

Su Ming wasn't completely lying. It was indeed the origin Earth—DC Comics headquarters was in the United States of his previous world. What could be more "origin" than that?

Batwoman ignored Barry's confusion because she couldn't care less about parallel universe matters. She was more concerned about why Cindy had appeared in Gotham again, at such a sensitive time.

She knew Deathstroke's habits well. She only acted when paid, and now there were two Deathstrokes. She had to remain vigilant every moment.

But Barry was clearly spooked by a single sentence. Batwoman wasn't even sure if she could handle two Deathstrokes. If they dragged things out too long, the world could be in danger.

She hadn't reviewed the surveillance footage yet or understood what was happening outside Gotham. She didn't feel confident enough to confront Deathstroke now.

"What are you doing in Gotham?" Batwoman looked at Cindy, using an interrogative tone. She despised any criminal, let alone a violent murderer like her.

Deathstroke's actions couldn't be called murder; it was a massacre. The corridor outside was lined with bodies. She didn't see any need for such killings; they were no match for Deathstroke.

Cindy casually glanced at her, then sheathed her sword and leaned back lazily on the sofa. "I come when I want to. Gotham isn't yours."

"Answer my question! Why are you in Gotham, and why now?"

"Oh? Wanna fight? Try me! You don't have to hold back. Let's see who dies first!"

Cindy stood up, snapping her helmet back on. Her black-and-yellow armor clashed against Batwoman's black suit. Their noses were almost touching as they stared each other down, neither willing to back off.

She had already guessed that Batwoman knew about the impending doom of the world. At a time like this, Batwoman would absolutely not engage in a fight. Her attachment to Gotham was stronger than anything.

Cindy herself was actually considering taking action. She was contemplating the original plan and their current situation.

Su Ming had said that Batwoman was the fuse. Their original plan was to capture her. With the two of them against one, plus having Barbara and Gordon as hostages, they could easily overpower her.

After subduing her, they planned to lock her up somewhere for a while. Then Su Ming and Cindy could resolve the war issue, saving the world in the process.

But now, with the speedster involved, things had become complicated. No matter where they imprisoned Batwoman, the speedster could easily find her.

It seemed their plan needed a slight adjustment.

There were two options: one was to kill the speedster and Batwoman, ending things once and for all. However, the world crisis was looming, and they also wanted to prevent Earth's destruction. An internal fight now would be like cutting off an arm.

The second option was to monitor Batwoman, join forces, and have both Deathstrokes stay with her. At least they couldn't let her disappear with the speedster again. This way, they could legitimately keep an eye on her. If she showed any signs of instability, Su Ming and Cindy could immediately restrain her.

Monitoring the one who loved to monitor others—the irony wasn't lost on Cindy. 

Although she and Su Ming hadn't communicated directly, she could see from his actions that he had adopted the new plan, which coincided with her own thoughts. Moreover, he seemed quite familiar with the speedster and was working to win him over.

He chose a softer approach, but that didn't mean they had to show weakness to Batwoman. On the contrary, the more assertive Cindy appeared, the more it would put Batwoman at ease. She liked logical thinking, so it was logical that a chaotic jester would become her biggest enemy.

Despite not making a move, Su Ming and Cindy were clearly in control. Su Ming's one sentence had revealed the weakness of the speedster, causing Batwoman's original plan to crumble.

If they showed leniency after gaining the upper hand, Batwoman would sense something illogical, possibly figuring out their new plan, leading to unforeseen complications.

It was now Plan B against Plan B. Cindy had to hold the line. Su Ming was playing the good cop, so she naturally had to be the bad cop.

Seeing Cindy and Batwoman argue, Su Ming knew she had understood his plan. He pretended to sigh helplessly, and Barry almost sighed at the same time.

"Women in this world are so strong-willed," Su Ming shook his head as if he couldn't handle Cindy.

"Yes, it's like they're all possessed by Diana or something. Very strange," Barry, unaware of the details, had experienced Batwoman's assertiveness over the past month and wholeheartedly agreed.

"Come on, let's talk over there."

Casually draping his arm over Barry's shoulders, Su Ming led him to Falcone's desk not far away. Barry only stiffened slightly but sensed that this Deathstroke had no ill intentions. He barely used any strength, so Barry, still a bit dazed, sat down with Su Ming at the desk.

Su Ming smiled slightly to himself. Now was the time to drive a wedge between Barry and Batwoman or at least make him feel more aligned with his own stance. "I'm done with my questions. Now you tell me, when did you leave? How far has Barbatos progressed?"

Barry closed his eyes, clenching his fists tightly as if restraining something. "Barbatos has already reached the main world. He's constructing dark towers in every city, tying people to them, trapping them in endless nightmares to collect dark energy. He's trying to pull the entire light universe into the dark dimension."

Su Ming immediately connected the dots and understood where the main world was in the timeline.

"So, you gathered at the Oblivion Bar, then split up. You and Superman went to the Fortress of Solitude at the North Pole. You used the anti-Monitor's tuning fork to open a path to the Dark Multiverse to find the replaced Batman."

"Yes... how do you know that?"

Barry's expression was as if he had seen a ghost. He hadn't even finished his sentence, but Su Ming knew the rest. It left him feeling an unsettling sense of being seen through.

"I said, in another world, I found out some things earlier. But you didn't enter the Dark Universe. How did you end up here?"

"Yes, after sending Superman into the Dark Universe, Barbatos' Dark Knights arrived quickly. They wanted to seize the tuning fork as an energy amplifier. I fought them, and there was a speedster called the Red Death. During the battle, we entered the Speed Force. Because the battle was too intense, it attracted a Time Wraith. To escape, I entered the temporal turbulence and crashed into something. When I woke up, I was here."

Barry repeated to Su Ming what he had told Batwoman earlier, scratching his head with embarrassment, as if his head had hit something.

Su Ming nodded in understanding. From this point, things had diverged

 from the comics. In the comics, Barry didn't escape; he was tied to a dark tower, used as a battery. It seemed that was when he arrived in the DC Universe, and his presence had already caused a butterfly effect.

Barry's arrival had indeed caused a Flashpoint effect on Earth Negative 11, but before that, he had already been influenced by the butterfly effect of Su Ming, the transmigrator. It was like a flash of light in an upside-down pot; no light escaped, and the consequences were only local, affecting Batwoman's fate.

So now, Earth Negative 11 could be changed as Su Ming wished. His transmigrator effect was stronger than Barry's Flashpoint effect. The previous concerns could be set aside now.

With this knowledge, Su Ming relaxed significantly. Although he still had no concrete proof of who he really was, these conflicting memories were driving him to the brink of a split personality.

"And then you found that time had rewound, the events hadn't occurred yet, so you decided to change everything before Batwoman became the Drowned, at least preventing the Dark Knights from gaining one member."

"Yes, that's exactly what I thought. You know, it's already difficult to deal with one Bruce. Imagine seven Bruces in the Dark Knights, each with the abilities of one of us."

Barry picked up the teacup, seemingly still overwhelmed by the memory of those twisted Batmen. He was still haunted by the tension of being hunted by the Dark Knights.

The Justice League was like a swarm of flies being chased by bats in the dark night.

"They're just imposters. In essence, they're still Batman. If you take me to the main world, with everyone united, we can definitely fight them."

Su Ming quickly poured Barry a dose of optimism. Superheroes loved terms like "unity" and "struggle," right? Acting a bit more noble and righteous would help win his trust.

And it wasn't entirely untrue. Being familiar with the comics, Su Ming did know the weaknesses of each Dark Knight. But how effective he could be now, he wasn't sure. Everything was different from the comics.

"Yes, once we deal with the danger here on Earth Negative 11, I'll return to my world. If you're willing, you can come with me."

Barry, loving the dose of optimism, seemed to come alive, immediately agreeing to Su Ming's proposal, patting his chest, which bore the lightning symbol, with a resounding thud.

Su Ming was pleased. The main world was much more stable and safe than the Dark Multiverse. The Flash, indeed, was the easiest member of the Justice League to persuade.

Although he had been altered by the Speed Force, his actual age wasn't as young as he looked. But his personality remained bright and optimistic, always willing to help others, making him easy to convince.

Next would be Superman. The Man of Steel with a heart of gold was also willing to trust others, always inclined to see the good in people.

Batman was the hardest to persuade, forever cloaked in darkness, never trusting anyone.

As for Aquaman, he was the rebellious child no one in the Justice League really cared about. He was just a high-level brawler.

Cyborg lived mostly in the Watchtower or the Hall of Justice in Washington. Green Lantern was constantly flying around the universe. One was a walking computer, the other always away on duty; they didn't usually have much say. Shazam wasn't a member of the League yet, and the Martian Manhunter was nowhere to be seen in the New 52. They could be disregarded.

Su Ming, with his skillful persuasion, had gained Barry's initial trust. Given a little more time and proving himself in battle, he was confident Barry would fully accept him.

He was preparing for his own long-term plan. He needed the Justice League's help with something, and for that, he needed the support of the more influential members of the League.