Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 317: Ch.316 Barry’s Abnormality

Chapter 317: Ch.316 Barry’s Abnormality

As the Unifier landed, J'onn sensed an unfamiliar mind reaching out to him in the mental realm.

Suddenly, he saw a terrifying future where they unleashed a creature from the Unifier—an entity known as "Future." In just a few months, endless universes would be utterly destroyed, and a grinning monster would kill them all.

But in the next moment, the nightmarish vision vanished. He stood alone in space, all illusions gone.

In front of him, there was only the shattered remains of the Moon and a figure—familiar yet strange.

That figure wore black and yellow armor and a black cape, hovering quietly before him. Even as a Martian, J'onn nearly invoked the name of the Highfather.

He had never imagined he would see Slade in outer space. Just perfect—one of Earth's greatest assassins was now taking his act to the cosmos.

And of course, it had to be now.

When he tried to use his telepathic powers, he realized they were being blocked. Only then did he understand that the person before him was not their Slade but the other Slade who had once freed him from the cosmic tuning fork.

The figure before him was immune to telepathy, and in the airless void of space, they had no means of communication except through gestures.

Everything that had happened today had brought J'onn too many surprises. He never thought he'd see the day when he had to rely on hand signals and eye contact to communicate with someone.

But while such a method was primitive, it could still work across interstellar distances. As long as a being had arms or a sense of direction, they could understand what he meant.

J'onn extended a green, branch-like finger, pointing down toward Earth. Su Ming got the message: they would talk below.

They descended from space together. Perhaps it was the camaraderie from having fought Barbatos together before, but J'onn took him directly to the entrance of the Hall of Justice.

Inside, people came and went, wearing T-shirts with their favorite hero logos, holding sodas or other drinks, like students visiting a museum.

Near the fountain outside, around the crystal-like golden sculptures, clear water droplets splashed amidst the laughter of the crowd.

"It's the Martian Manhunter—oh no! And the Deathstroke!"

"Oh God! Help!"

"Don't kill me! Please, don't kill me!"

But this wasn't the Marvel universe. In a world that knew of Deathstroke, just the sight of that black and yellow armor was enough to send all the visitors fleeing almost immediately.

Su Ming removed his helmet, squinting at the glowing building and the screaming, scattering crowds, feeling a faint urge to laugh.

It seemed that the Justice League had maintained its secret—no one knew that a Deathstroke had played a key role in the Metal event or that he had saved the Multiverse.

But that was a good thing. It meant Batman was ready to settle his debts.

"Thanks for the warm welcome. I see you even blew up the Moon just to celebrate my return—that's the biggest fireworks display I've ever seen," Su Ming quipped, carrying his helmet as he walked alongside Martian Manhunter into the Hall of Justice.

"That wasn't fireworks, and we didn't know you'd be back today," J'onn replied distractedly, still mulling over the strange visions he'd experienced earlier. The whole encounter unsettled him, and he had to use his telepathy to make the tourists forget about seeing Deathstroke.

"Seems coming back to the League hasn't rekindled your sense of humor, J'onn. I know it wasn't fireworks."

The automatic glass doors slid open, revealing the well-cooled interior. Su Ming glanced at the rows of uniformed mannequins and couldn't help but laugh.

Not just at the stiff, ridiculous dummies, but at J'onn's current demeanor.

The front row of mannequins wore the uniforms of the "Big Seven" of the League, but for some reason, Green Arrow's mannequin was placed right next to Batman's.

What was that about? The power of money?

And those behind them—who were these people? What did they contribute last time, other than sleeping on the cosmic tuning fork?

It was another monument to formality—very much in the style of Martian Manhunter, who, with his background in government work, always tried to keep everyone happy.

But was there really such a thing as a win-win scenario in this world? Su Ming didn't think so.

By now, J'onn had regained his composure and noticed Su Ming scrutinizing the plastic models with a smirk of mockery. He quickly added, "We did consider including you back then, but since our world already had another Deathstroke, and that one's reputation wasn't great, we..."

Su Ming waved a hand, signaling J'onn to continue leading the way. "I don't care about that. I just want the payment I was promised last time. Besides, you should use your mouth more to speak, not just your mind—your tongue is starting to atrophy."

Martian Manhunter didn't take offense and led Su Ming further into the restricted areas. After passing through several doors, Su Ming finally saw the inner workings of the Justice League headquarters.

"Everyone's out right now, but I've already sent them a message. They should be back soon," J'onn smiled, indicating that Su Ming could sit down and wait. He even offered to prepare drinks, like hot chocolate.

Before he could finish, a red blur appeared before Su Ming. But for some reason, Barry collapsed to the floor before he could even speak.

"Uh..." Su Ming tilted his head slightly. "I'm happy to see you too, Barry, but you really didn't need to imitate a British soccer player with a sliding tackle. At your speed, you're going to wear out your meniscus."

"Ah, ow, ow... I'm not overexcited; it's the Speed Force acting up, like there's resistance, like when you drive over speed bumps—sudden jolts," Barry explained, clutching his knees and miming the bumpy feeling with hand gestures.

"Until you fix whatever's going on with the Speed Force, you shouldn't be running. If you fall into the Speed Force dimension, we'll have to send Wally to fish you out."

Su Ming placed his helmet on a nearby table, surveying the surroundings. It seemed to be a small lounge, with only a sofa and a table.

There were some football posters on the wall, probably put up by Cyborg, who still idolized football stars like he did when he was human.

"It's fine. I think this is just Turtle Man's power. That lunatic has been messing with something he calls 'Still Force,' which he says is the opposite of the Speed Force, but I think his ability is less about time and more like some kind of anomaly."

Barry wobbled to his feet, plopping down beside Su Ming on the sofa with a contented sigh.

"Also, welcome back."