Danton Black, deep within his duplicates, raised his pistol and aimed it at Lin Li.
That was the original.
All the Metahumans moved, surging towards Lin Li like a human wave, treading on the wet ground, gathering and rushing forward.
Lin Li sneered, "OK, that's enough water. If it wasn't for this, who would let you and Barry talk nonsense?"
Suddenly, a large amount of lightning erupted from beneath his feet, the strong light illuminating the entire floor, making it bright.
The sudden flash made Barry squint and shield his eyes with his hand.
For a while, his eyes felt sore and blurry, but then they recovered.
Electric arcs spread along the water to all the Metahumans.
All the duplicates fell over, toppling in all directions. Danton Black, the original, twitched from the electric shock, lying on the ground. He couldn't even fire his gun; the current had already surged and ravaged him the moment he raised it, quickly paralyzing him, causing him to convulse and pass out, unable to move.
From the very beginning, the Metahumans had no advantage against Lin Li.
"Everyone, it's over. Lin Li and I are safe. We'll take the Metahumans back to Star Labs later."
Barry breathed a sigh of relief.
The people at Star Labs also relaxed. Cisco stretched and high-fived Joe, while Caitlin smiled into the microphone and said, "Two heroes, the fire department and police are on their way to Stagg Tower. You two made too much of a mess; come back soon."
Barry hoisted Danton Black onto his shoulder and asked, "What about the duplicates here?"
Lin Li was also wondering what to do about the duplicates here. There were at least several hundred of them. If the outside world found out they were all identical, the situation would become serious.
However, in the TV series, the police didn't react, and there was no mention of these duplicated Metahumans later. Could it be that they were all moved back to Star Labs for disposal?
Lost in thought, Lin Li was suddenly assailed by a foul stench. Lin Li's physical senses were all stronger than an ordinary person's—eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and touch—so he smelled the stench more acutely and found it more offensive than others.
Now, under the invasion of this foul odor, it was sheer torment. The depths of his nose itched terribly from the stench, making him feel like he wanted to vomit his internal organs.
All the Metahuman bodies on the scene began to smoke, as if splashed with sulfur, producing bubbles. Thick, yellow, putrid liquid boiled like water. In just 4 or 5 seconds, the evidence—the bodies—turned into a puddle of foul water, and even their clothes followed suit.
Lin Li quickly rushed outside Stagg Tower with Barry, let out a violent sneeze, and expelled the foul air. Now he understood why the police in the TV series didn't find the bodies; they had all dissolved into putrid water. He guessed that Danton Black's clothes were also made of some kind of panel tissue, which was why he could duplicate with them, otherwise he would have duplicated naked instead of clothed.
"Barry, you take the Metahuman back to Star Labs first. I'll drive back."
Barry made an OK sign with his hand, conjured a gust of wind, traced a yellow electric arc, and vanished from Lin Li's sight.
Lin Li retrieved his Lightning War Cycle, mounted it, and began his journey back to Star Labs.
However, he encountered some obstacles on the way back.
He encountered Paulson. Of course, he didn't know Paulson, but Paulson had a very deep impression of him. Then there was another chase, even gunfire, with four or five police cars pursuing him in rotation, and three roadblocks set up to intercept him.
Finally, after shaking off the police, he drove quietly, not daring to go too fast. The faster he drove, the more power the thrusters in the car operated, and the brighter and more conspicuous the silver lightning symbol on the car body became...
Quietly, he returned to Star Labs, an hour later.
A journey of a few minutes was extended to an hour by the police encirclement. The thrilling moments, acrobatic stunts, and cool moves within could easily make for a Fast & Furious 8 movie.
Back at Star Labs, Joe clapped Lin Li on the shoulder. He said, "You're really something. Do you know how many Central City Police Department officers were dispatched in the last hour to corner you? My superior just called me back to work overtime to discuss how to catch this lawless madman who's zipping around, performing acrobatic stunts, and driving at speeds of up to 400 kilometers per hour, this Lightning Knight. Oh my god, you're insane."
Joe rubbed his forehead. If it weren't for Metahumans, these super-powered criminals, Iron Heights Prison would be Lin Li's home.
"Didn't you say you were a cop and this little thing wouldn't matter?"
"This matters too much; I can't cover for you. Don't even say you know me."
Lin Li was puzzled. How big could it be? He seemed to have only been speeding, but the police shooting at him was wrong. It scared him into driving away quickly. Damn it, they were shooting and telling him to stop. Wasn't that just asking for death? He absolutely couldn't stop.
Cisco held a tablet, opening Facebook, which was full of discussions about Central City's Lightning Knight. There was praise, astonishment, curses, adoration of all kinds. It was clear that the Lightning Knight had become an idol for young people. This sense of speed, freedom, boldness, passion, death, and destruction, flying wantonly through the streets and alleys, was an activity that stimulated adrenaline to the extreme, making it impossible not to admire. One could imagine how many imitators would appear, bringing how many biker gangs to Central City.
Cisco then opened a news report filmed from a high-angle aerial perspective. It was Lin Li's earlier car chase, with Central City News broadcasting Lin Li's chase and the incredibly cool and awesome Lightning War Cycle live across the city via helicopter. Fortunately, the Lightning War Cycle's light effects were sufficient, and its acceleration was fast enough that his face wasn't captured, which was a huge stroke of luck. What shocked the entire city even more was that Lin Li ultimately used various tall buildings to successfully evade the helicopter's tracking and filming.
Damn it, you scared me to death! I thought the police were going to send a helicopter to launch missiles at me. Turns out it was just a live broadcast.
Cisco said gleefully, "Buddy, you're famous. If you get caught for severely disrupting social order and setting a bad example for young people, I'll only be able to visit you in Iron Heights Prison for the next ten years."
Lin Li was speechless, and after a long pause, he finally blurted out, "How many years does an accomplice get in Iron Heights Prison?"
Cisco was speechless.
Finally, the two discussed.
"Cisco, I really think I need to build a suit of armor, otherwise it will be very troublesome if I get caught."
"You're right, I support you. The armor also needs to be badass. Combined with such a cool Lightning War Cycle, I have a premonition that this will be the coolest knight representing this era."
"OK, then give me your remaining G5 Exotic Metal."
"You're dreaming. I have so little left, and I haven't figured out how to mass-produce it. No."
"Accomplice..."
"..."
"Alright, but I get to design and build this cool armor."
"Deal."