"A few years ago, I had an accident, a terrifying accident that sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it. After that, I gained superspeed."
At dinner, Bart explained the origin of his superpower to Eric's family.
Bart took a sip of the coffee beside him and said, "Although sometimes people look at me strangely, having superspeed makes your life much more convenient. For example, it only takes me two seconds to get out of bed. Going downstairs to buy coffee and then to the comic shop to read my favorite comic—all of that takes less than half a minute."
Bart smiled at Jonathan and Martha, "So, life has its bad sides, but also its good sides."
Martha nodded, then asked with some concern, "Your parents, aren't they worried about you?"
"Actually, our relationship can't go back to how it was before."
Bart took a bite of pizza and said nonchalantly, "When I became a very fast person, our relationship became very strange. They looked at me more and more strangely. Some things have changed, and they can't go back to how they were."
"But I guess your family's relationship certainly isn't as bad as mine."
Bart glanced at Eric and said.
"Oh, right, how did you get your powers? Was it also from an accident like mine?"
He suddenly remembered something and asked Eric directly.
"No, my powers are innate."
Eric shook his head and said.
"That's truly astonishing."
After finishing the pizza on his plate, Bart wiped his lips, wanting to say more.
Jonathan seized the opportunity to ask him the question he wanted to ask, "You're not from Smallville? Or rather, the place where you gained your powers isn't near Smallville?"
"No, it's not."
Bart shook his head, "The place where I gained my powers is quite far from here. I'm a wanderer now."
"Well, perhaps you should go back to your hometown. People who wander for too long eventually miss the warmth of home," Martha told him.
"I don't have that idea at the moment," Bart replied with a shrug.
After dinner, Martha cleared the table.
"Do you need my help?" Bart asked her from the side.
"Yes, could you bring me the plates?" Martha said to him, looking at the messy plates and leftover food on the table.
"OK, leave it to me."
Bart uncrossed his arms, activated his superspeed, and his body transformed into a stream of light, instantly moving to the dining table.
Martha just blinked, and the once messy dining table was now spick and span.
Bart tidied up the cluttered table, filled with food scraps, in one or two seconds.
"This!"
Martha, her mouth wide open in surprise, exchanged a look with her husband, a look of delight in her eyes.
"Don't be surprised, this is just child's play for me. By the way, I also cleaned the somewhat rusty sink," Bart said to the two with a shrug.
"Done in just two seconds?"
Jonathan's face also showed surprise, "Even Eric and Clark can't do this speed?!"
Eric, sitting on the side, his lips twitching slightly, just unhappily flipped through the newspaper in his hands and said nothing.
After dinner, Eric and Bart stood outside talking.
Since the makeshift barn was used as a living space, the two had to go outside the barn if they wanted to discuss private matters.
"Why did you call me out here? What do you want to say?" Eric asked with a frown.
"I just wanted to talk to you. After all, you know it's always a great pleasure to meet someone like yourself."
"How about we talk about your experiences as a thief all these years?" Eric looked up at the full moon overhead and said casually.
"Didn't I tell you before that I only steal from the rich? I'm not an unforgivable bad guy. I met some friends in the slums, and they taught me some truths."
Bart felt he couldn't be misunderstood and said somewhat dejectedly, "I need money to rent a place to live. When I'm asleep, I'm a normal person, and I can get hurt. When I'm alone, I need to take care of myself."
"It seems you've taken good care of yourself," Eric replied.
Taking a deep breath, Bart adjusted his emotions, "Alright, buddy, stop studying this Xiao Hunhun. Let's talk about the mysterious Eric Kent, shall we?"
Saying that, he activated his superspeed and left Eric's side.
In less than a second, he was back in front of Eric, holding two books.
"This book, 'cthulhu,' is written by Eric Kent, which is you. You're also a writer; I really didn't see that coming."
Bart, showing a surprised expression, picked up another book, "This one is about the study of European witch culture. Hmm, you seem to be very interested in that kind of occultism. And I saw 'Lana' scribbled in your notebook. You're very interested in this girl named 'Lana'."
Bart nodded in a feigned manner, "I'd love to hear your story with Lana, but that will have to wait until we get back."
"Back from where?" Eric found the other party's words somewhat perplexing.
"Anywhere! We two with superpowers can go anywhere. The reason I came to find you is so we can have some fun. By the way, have you ever been to Florida?"
"No, I'm not interested in Florida, but I thought of a place you might be interested in," Eric said calmly.
"Where?"
"Metropolis."
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh!"
Eric and Bart transformed into streaks of light, instantly arriving at their destination.
"I have to say, this time I ran faster. I was the first to arrive." Bart stood with his hands on his hips, looking proudly at Eric in front of him.
"I ran backward for a while," Eric replied casually.
"Ran backward? I'd be a fool if I believed you." Bart shook his head, with an expression that clearly said, "I'd be a fool to believe your nonsense."
He turned around, looking at a mansion on the outskirts of Metropolis.
"Is this the place you wanted to bring me?"
"That's right." Eric led the curious Bart into the Justice Society Headquarters.
After passing through a dim corridor, they entered the main hall.
Gazing at the conference table and round chairs in the hall, the bizarre paintings hanging on the walls, and the solemn atmosphere pervading the entire hall, Bart couldn't help but swallow.
"What is this place?"
Bart backed away as he spoke, accidentally bumping into an iron door of a room.
Bang!
The moment his body touched the iron door, he felt a banging impact.
A huge force immediately transmitted through the iron door to his body.
Bart, out of control, stumbled forward from the impact.
Steadying himself, Bart looked in surprise at the room with the locked iron door.
"Roar!"
A terrifying roar came from within.
Bart, startled, opened his mouth wide, looking at the presence behind the iron door.
Although his vision couldn't penetrate the iron door to see the entity inside, his mind had already conjured a bloodthirsty and terrifying monster.
"Justice Society Headquarters." Eric sat down on a chair, looking at his trembling appearance, and said, "Compared to your job as a thief, there's a profession more suitable for you here: becoming a member of a secret society."
"Justice Society member?" Bart nervously glanced at the room where the "monster" was kept, and asked cautiously, "If I become a member, what responsibilities do I have? Like bearing the responsibility of saving the world, or having to strictly regulate my behavior?"
"No." Eric shook his head, "You only need to be responsible to me. By the way, you'll also get a salary."
Eric was not averse to recruiting a Speed Force user to his side.
Although this fellow in front of him didn't seem to have fully grasped the so-called Speed Force yet, his potential for development seemed good.
Even if he couldn't compare to Barry Allen, he shouldn't be too far off, after all, there was a blood relationship between them.
"I… I need to think about it."
Although he was tempted, Bart felt that if he agreed rashly, it might make him seem cheap.
"Hey, what's that?"
His eyes caught sight of a red uniform displayed on a hanger not far away, and Bart became intensely interested in it.
"The uniform of the first Flash. Isn't his name on the ID card you carry?" Eric looked at the shining lightning bolt symbol on the red uniform and said, "If you want to wear it, you can try it on."
Before Eric could finish speaking, Bart, wearing the uniform of the deceased first Flash, stood in front of him.
"I think it fits quite well." Bart examined his uniform and nodded with satisfaction, "By the way, if I wear this uniform, you won't deduct it from my membership salary, will you?!"
After successfully tricking Flash into joining the Justice Society, which currently only consisted of himself and Solomon Grundy, Eric brought him back to Smallville.
The barn was spacious, so he quickly tidied up a spot for him to sleep for the night.
The next morning.
As soon as Eric woke up, he received a call from Dr. Hamilton.
After Lex's investment, a three-story laboratory was built at the location of Hamilton's original warehouse.
Hamilton, naturally, became the head of the laboratory.
Since it was newly built and the conditions in Smallville couldn't compare to Metropolis, Hamilton hadn't hired any professional scientists, only some assistants and security personnel responsible for safety.
Upon entering the brand-new laboratory, Eric saw Hamilton, who was wearing a white lab coat.
"Hey, Eric." Seeing Eric enter, Hamilton immediately greeted him.
"The environment of the new lab is much better than your warehouse, at least," Eric said after looking around, "the ventilation is much better than before."
"Actually, I don't have any strict requirements for the environment." Dr. Hamilton shook his head and said to Eric, "Regarding the meteorites, I have a new discovery."
Saying that, he led Eric to a glass display case containing meteorites, "You know, my profession is to research various minerals. To others in the town, I've always been a miner. Based on the research of the green and red meteorites abundant in the town, and by analyzing their characteristics, I found another similar meteorite."
Pointing to a black meteorite in the glass case, Hamilton said to Eric, "This is an extraterrestrial meteorite with similar characteristics to the green and red meteorites, discovered underground in a wheat field in the Brenham area."
Eric stared at the black meteorite, his eyes shining brightly.
Black kryptonite?
The legendary kryptonite that could cause Kryptonian personality splits!
Eric gazed at the black kryptonite for a long time, then asked Hamilton, "How did you discover this meteorite?"
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