Multiverse: Deathstroke

Chapter 85: Ch.84 Safe House

Su Ming stood not far away, arms crossed. Sword of Ares had already been retrieved and was strapped to his back. The fine sand stirred by the breeze hit his armor, making a rustling sound.

He held his helmet, putting it back on. The visor inside displayed some data as he tried to find a new vehicle. Both of them were in bad shape; they needed to get into Central City for a brief rest.

This kind of ill-prepared battle was not his preferred way.

He first walked over to Barry, who was staring blankly at the corpse, patted him on the shoulder, and then bent down to pull the Bat Gold ore out of Red Death's chest.

"Let's go. There are still other members of the Dark Knights to deal with."

Barry wobbled as he stood up: "Actually, even if Bryce didn't turn into the Drowned, there would still be another version of the Drowned from the Dark Multiverse, right? There are still seven members in the Dark Knights, correct?"

Red Death's body gradually turned into electric currents and dissipated into the air, leaving only a human-shaped indentation that was slowly being filled by the yellow sand.

He had met the final fate of all speedsters—returning to the Speed Force.

"That's right. The Batman Who Laughs just needs to create a twisted counterpart for each member of the Justice League. That's his game, so the Dark Knights will always be seven members strong." Su Ming wiped the blood off the ore and carefully stored it away. It was the only usable weapon he had at the moment.

Barry sighed. It was rare to see his face so troubled. He understood that even if they saved Earth -11, another Dark Earth would suffer as a result. It seemed like everything was meaningless.

Despair, oppression—these were the primary themes of the Multiverse, never shifting according to anyone's will.

But to save more worlds, the battle had to go on.

"What's your next move?"

"I need some food for healing. You're out of Speed Force, so we need to rest for a bit, then deal with those Nightmare Batmen and gather the Justice League to fight Barbatos."

"We need intel. Most of the Earth is engulfed in war. Barbatos has summoned monsters from the darkness." Barry shared what he knew. Things had already begun to worsen before he left. The status of the Justice League was uncertain.

"I know." Su Ming turned and walked towards the Batmobile, checking if Bryce's Batmobile could still be repaired: "But Central City is temporarily safe. The Batman Who Laughs and the Merciless are currently with Barbatos in Gotham."

Barry nodded. Right now, Deathstroke also needed to keep fighting to stay alive. Their positions hadn't changed, and he was willing to continue fighting alongside him.

"Alright, I'll check on the car."

Bryce's Batmobile and Red Death's Batmobile had collided earlier. Apparently, the Speed Force boost didn't turn them into a comet impact; they just stalled simultaneously. Maybe they could still be used after some repairs.

Barry dismantled the Cosmic Treadmill from the Batmobile, rewired it, and swapped some parts from Red Death's car to replace the damaged ones. About ten minutes later, the Batmobile roared to life again.

"All set, Slade. Let's head into the city." Barry sat in the cockpit, shouting to Su Ming, who was smoking nearby.

Su Ming tossed the cigarette butt away, fastened his helmet, and walked over to the Batmobile, climbing on top instead of getting into the cockpit. He clung to a groove like he was riding a horse: "You don't expect me to sit on your lap, do you? Drive."

The car started moving again. Without the interference of Speed Force black holes, they quickly entered Central City.

The streets were lined with damaged cars and buildings. Some mummified corpses lay on the roadside—victims of the Speed Force storm. They had lost their time and died instantly.

Even the usually talkative Barry had nothing to say now. But as they ventured deeper into the city, the damage became less severe. Occasionally, they could see some people hiding in the shadows of buildings or inside their homes, peeking outside through gaps in curtains or makeshift barricades.

Central City hadn't built a Dark Spire because the Dark Knights had left it to Red Death, who had originally planned to destroy it with the Speed Force storm.

"Left turn at the next intersection," Su Ming tapped on the glass.

"..."

Although he didn't know why, Barry followed his instructions and made a left turn at the next intersection.

It was an ordinary street, littered with belongings people had abandoned in their panic. An ice cream truck had crashed into a fire hydrant, and water was still gushing out.

They drove another 500 meters before Su Ming tapped on the glass again, signaling to stop.

He jumped down from the roof of the car first, rubbing his chest, feeling a bit stifled. Then he walked into a nearby alley, pushed aside a pile of obstructing debris, revealing a trap door on the ground with a rusty padlock.

Su Ming pulled out his gun and shot it. The brass lock spun and flew off. He opened the door and walked down naturally.

"Where is this place?" Barry appeared beside him.

"Phew... one of my safe houses." Su Ming fumbled around on the wall, turned on the light. It wasn't just a basement but a full-fledged safe house: "To be precise, it's this world's Slade's safe house."

"Hmm... I get the Batcave under Wayne Manor, but why would Deathstroke's safe houses in different worlds be in the same place?"

Su Ming closed the door behind him and walked further into the room. There was not only plenty of food but also enough weapons and equipment.

"It's not a coincidence, it's calculation." Su Ming removed his helmet and uniform, found some pain relief spray, and applied it to his injuries: "My own hideout is nearby. I didn't know where the Deathstroke from your world would hide, but our thought processes are the same. Just analyze all the buildings around, considering various factors like concealment, convenience, underground space, etc., and it naturally narrows down the options."

"Okay, I guess you could be considered half the owner here. So, can we eat whatever's here?" Barry pulled off his hood, catching his breath.

Su Ming shrugged; these things weren't his: "Of course, eat whatever you like, take whatever you want."

"Oh, you're so generous." Barry immediately appeared in a chair, opening a can of luncheon meat. The food here, designed for storage, was mostly military rations. Spam and canned beans were the only options.

The Icon Suit hadn't been damaged, just a bit scratched. After inspecting it, Su Ming put it back on. He then opened a nearby cabinet and began restocking his firearms.

Grenades, rocket launchers, automatic rifles, and grenade launchers were all taken out.

These things might not be able to directly harm the Dark Knights or monsters, but they still served their purpose.

After fully arming himself, Su Ming wobbled over to the chair opposite Barry, took a deep breath, opened a can of meat, and started eating quietly.