Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 60: Ch.59 Aerial Relay

Chapter 60: Ch.59 Aerial Relay

Time was running out. The thick, dark clouds loomed high in the sky. Barry didn't hesitate any longer and immediately began to disassemble the large container. He could only hope that the seemingly thin glass container would hold up.

His speed was so fast that even Bryce and Cindy, who were standing on the street outside the junkyard, could only see a flame shooting up from the underground, trailing a streak of lightning straight into the pitch-black night sky.

They weren't sure what had happened, but it was clear that something had gone wrong in the underground lab. As they looked up, they could only feel rain streaming down their faces.

By this time, Barry had completed the disassembly. He exhaled a breath, glanced down at the pitch-black ground below, and then, holding the huge liquid container, leapt off the rocket.

The rocket only flew for a few more seconds before it exploded upon reaching the clouds, like a small golden flower embroidered on a black velvet curtain.

This wasn't the first time Barry had fallen from a high altitude. He had done it countless times before. If he could run up the side of a building, he could certainly run back down it. Now, he needed something to push off from, something his feet could touch, even just for a moment.

His speed was astonishing, but Barry's biggest weakness was that he couldn't fly. Speedsters could ignore most physical rules but needed friction with the ground to run forward.

Now, in midair with nothing to push against, he was simply freefalling with the large container in his arms. The lightning of the Speed Force flickered out around him.

He was now a meteorite, carrying deadly poison.

The pounding rain blurred his vision, the howling wind filled his ears, and the water coated the glass container, almost eager to mix with the toxin inside.

Barry tried to keep his eyes open. He needed to see a place to land, so he could use the inner walls of the launch silo to decelerate and safely bring the container back to the ground.

However, due to the influence of the wind during his descent, it seemed like he had drifted slightly off course. He wouldn't hit the silo wall but would instead fall straight into the dark center of the launch silo.

"Oops... This is bad."

Barry mentally chided himself. Coming down was indeed more difficult than going up. Even if he didn't die from the fall, the container would surely burst open.

As he fell, frantically thinking of a solution, he noticed Deathstroke standing in the same spot where Barry had been moments ago, in a passageway halfway up the silo, looking up at the sky.

Su Ming clutched his head, enduring the flood of memories. The last bit of Speed Force in his body allowed him to quickly track Barry's location. Unlike other speedsters, who consumed Speed Force as they ran, every step Barry took generated Speed Force. Unfortunately, that didn't work in the air.

Now, his enhanced vision allowed him to see Barry falling from the sky.

Rainwater and sludge cascaded down the silo walls. The loading dock, halfway up the wall, looked like a waterfall cave, with muddy water splashing onto Su Ming's armor and helmet. But this didn't hinder his sight.

He glanced at the deep, dark launch silo, which seemed bottomless. There was nothing on the surrounding walls to grab hold of. After a brief moment of thought, he came up with a plan and immediately set it into action.

Su Ming took a few steps back, bent down, and dug his fingers into the steel mesh floor. In many factories and military bases, the floors were designed this way to prevent slipping and avoid pooling liquids.

With a powerful heave, the metal floor gave a twisting groan as all the welds and screws popped off. A thick, two-meter-long, one-meter-wide steel plate was ripped from the ground.

He propped the plate up with his left hand, drew his sword with his right, and sliced through it in a shower of sparks. The steel plate and his sword broke simultaneously. Tossing aside the broken weapon, he lifted the plate with both hands, watching Barry's descent and calculating quickly in his mind. Then he hurled the steel plate across the silo with all his strength.

With his muscles bulging, the hundred-kilogram slab flew out like a playing card.

"Step!"

His shout echoed through the launch silo along with the sound of the wind and rain.

Su Ming's calculations were precise: gravity, the wind-induced deviation angle, the trajectory of the plate—all these factors came together, giving him a clear answer.

Falling, Barry landed on the steel plate, gaining a foothold. The moment his feet touched it, the Speed Force activated. He pushed off the plate, sending it tumbling into the abyss, and then he himself ran along the inner walls of the launch silo, circling downward to reduce his speed.

Seeing the golden lightning forming rings before him, Su Ming knew it had worked. He stretched his neck and took a few steps back, giving Barry space.

Moments later, Barry appeared before him, holding the giant container.

"Put it down and cover your mouth. I'll check the container."

Before Barry could speak, Su Ming interrupted and began inspecting the cursed thing for leaks.

The answer was no; although it was wet, it was just rainwater.

"Great, it's safe."

"Phew..." Barry smiled, rubbing his arm and wrist while taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart. "We can't leave it here. Can you help me carry it? It's really heavy."

Indeed, while this might not be much for other Justice League members, Barry, aside from his Speed Force, was just a tech nerd and had always been lacking in physical strength.

Su Ming picked up the large container, which looked like a transparent, oversized pressure cooker filled with one or two hundred kilograms of green toxic liquid.

"Looks like we've saved Gotham." This weight wasn't a big deal for Su Ming. He carried the container as he chatted with Barry, taking the opportunity to strengthen their bond.

"Yes, although I'm not sure if what's inside matches the data in the control panel, I think it does," Barry said, shaking his head, his eyes wide with excitement. "I'm kind of hungry now. My heart's pounding. I could use some high-calorie food."

"Let's secure this thing first, then seal off this underground facility. You could try some Turkish food afterward, maybe a roasted camel hump." Su Ming looked around for a place to store the container safely, but there wasn't any suitable spot. For now, they'd have to leave it for Bryce to handle later.

After all, she was the one with the money.

They put the large container back in the control room and studied the control panel to seal off the launch silo. Then they left, locking each door behind them, and finally returned to the surface.

Across the street, Cindy and Bryce were standing by the roadside. Cindy had found a large billboard and was smoking under the cover of a column, while Bryce kept her distance, standing on the curb. Rain streamed down her bat-cape, unchecked.

"Is it handled?" she asked.

"Yeah, that cat wasn't just a cat. It was a magical creature and even launched a rocket... I just went to the sky. Did you see it? Whew, if it weren't for Slade, I'd have been dead meat."

Barry grinned at her, gesturing animatedly in the air as he spoke.

"Well done, but we have bigger problems," Bryce said, wrapping her cape around her and pulling out a black remote from her belt. She pressed a few buttons.

Su Ming, meanwhile, joined Cindy, avoiding the heavy rain. He took out a cigarette and lit it. He had run out of the cigars he brought and was now smoking regular cigarettes he had stolen from a supermarket earlier.

Cindy glanced at him. His armor wasn't damaged, but the explosion had scraped off a lot of paint, especially on the shoulder pads.

"Did you play superhero again?"

"No, just providing additional paid services." Su Ming shook his head, leaning against the pillar. His bones cracked as he relaxed. He knew saving people looked good, but it was more about self-preservation. "Put it on Bryce's tab for now. We'll settle everything once it's all over."

Cindy blew out a smoke ring nonchalantly. Her red lips formed a curve as she watched the rain pass through the smoke, the perfect circle torn apart by the wind in the next instant.

"You're planning to leave, so I get all the money?"

Su Ming did want to bring some money to Earth-0. After all, money was still useful at times. Green bills or even a high-value paper note could improve Deathstroke's mood and suppress the bloodlust a bit. But Earth-11's currency wouldn't be accepted on Earth-0.

He had discovered this earlier at Harley's place. Harley Quinn threw her loose change everywhere, and when Su Ming sat on the couch, he saw a few bills while talking to her.

The dollars on Prime Earth were just regular dollars, with various U.S. presidents printed on them, issued by the Federal Reserve.

But here, while the currency was also called the dollar, its full name was the Ameramazon Dollar. Regardless of denomination, it featured the Amazon Queen's head, issued by Themyscira. It was clearly not usable across universes. If he really brought it over, it might be worth even less than nothing.