Chapter 333: The Flash and Captain Cold
The Suit Is Ready
Luke kept his word.
After finalizing the design, he immediately gathered the raw materials and produced the actual product in just two days.
A single-soldier combat suit—red and black, with a distinct mecha style, and handsome enough to make most men drool—was born.
Looking at the gear suspended in front of him, Barry felt his heart pounding at two hundred beats per second. His pale face was involuntarily flushed, and his voice was hoarse.
"I want to try it on."
Luke scoffed. "This is your friend's armor, not yours. There's an Oriental saying: 'Don't touch a friend's wife.' In a way, armor is the same as a woman. If you use it, how is your friend supposed to use it?"
Barry: "..."
His boss was speeding too fast; he couldn't keep up.
Luke stopped teasing him, patted his shoulder, and turned to leave.
Barry was instantly captivated by the armor. He ran his fingers over the metal texture, absorbing its unique feel. In addition to basic protection, it also had a shrinking function.
Barry rubbed the ring in his hand. With a clockwise rotation, the armor vanished with a whoosh, leaving a small, 3cm-sized garment on the desktop. Upon closer inspection, the miniature clothes looked very similar to the armor.
"That's so cool!"
"It's exactly as expected!"
Barry grinned, showing his teeth, his mouth practically splitting open. He rubbed the ring again. With a counter-clockwise turn, the armor quickly expanded, returning to its normal size.
"The boss is a damn genius!"
Barry couldn't put it down, testing it repeatedly. He then stored the miniature armor in the ring he had prepared beforehand. After work, he didn't linger. He rushed out of the factory immediately, found a secluded spot, and put on the combat suit.
The black and red armor covered his somewhat slender body. The red lightning bolt on his chest shimmered in the setting sun.
Barry Allen was gone, replaced by the fastest man alive—The Flash!
The suit looked large but was actually very light. He felt no weight wearing it, as if he were naked. The plates, composed of high-molecular units, were incredibly soft and highly elastic. Even when performing high-kicks or full splits, he felt no obstruction.
This combat suit was truly custom-made for him.
"Boss, I absolutely love you!"
Barry enthusiastically blew a kiss in the direction of the factory. Then, he crouched down, his eyes fixed forward, a red current flashing in his pupils.
Whoosh!
A streak of lightning flashed and vanished. Barry Allen disappeared, moving at an imperceptible speed through the crowded city. He was so fast, like a bolt of lightning, that the visual residue created by his speed was outside the range of human perception. Even when he streaked past people, ordinary individuals could barely sense his presence.
Barry Allen continuously accelerated, getting faster and faster, yet his body felt lighter, as if he weren't running on the ground but crossing the boundaries of time and space.
This phenomenon was the effect of the Speed Force.
As his speed increased, Barry felt the marvel of the armor even more. Before, he constantly had to worry about his clothes while running. Although the Speed Force protected him from the effects of air resistance, his clothes were the exception. Items like coats and shirts would instantly ignite from the immense heat generated by air friction if they exceeded the Speed Force's protective boundary.
That was always very embarrassing!
Now, he didn't have to worry. The armor clung to his skin and had extremely high durability. It wouldn't be destroyed even if it accidentally rubbed against the air.
Wearing the armor, he could finally let loose and run as fast as he wanted.
Barry Allen started in Metropolis and headed west, flashing through jungles, fields, and hillsides... The beautiful scenery vanished like light and shadow behind him. The sheer exhilaration of running at full speed made him laugh out loud.
A few minutes later, the Red Streak arrived in Central City.
A Foe Returns
The moment he got home, Barry rushed to the mirror, hands on his hips, his head slightly raised, striking his signature pose.
The black and red suit glowed faintly. The armor plates on his arms and shoulders automatically retracted, fitting snugly against his body. The faceplate split to form a V-shaped helmet. The intense mecha-style made him look incredibly cool, and the subtle red lightning added a touch of mystery to that coolness.
"Barry Allen, how can you be so handsome!"
Barry murmured, thrilled enough to jump for joy. However, he quickly regained his focus. The purpose of creating the combat suit wasn't to look cool, but to fight the criminals in Central City, especially the one who could create ice.
Leonard Snart!
Last time, he was careless and nearly became an ice sculpture. That wouldn't happen this time.
Barry clenched his fist, silently vowing to send that scoundrel to prison.
Leonard Snart was a good criminal: easily irritable, fiercely independent, and with no real life goals.
Why was he a "good criminal?" Because he adhered to three main rules:
Never harm women or children.Absolute hatred of drugs.Rob, but don't kill (unless absolutely necessary).
Now, he felt he should add a fourth rule: eliminate The Flash.
That cursed Flash kept antagonizing him! Was robbing an armored car really a reason to chase him for a day and a night? Even worse, the scumbag had stolen the loot back while Snart wasn't looking and returned it to the cops.
I mean, seriously, is that a human thing to do?
However, now Snart thought The Flash might have learned his lesson. To combat The Flash, Leonard had teamed up with Peak Man, who also hated The Flash, and also connected with Grodd, the mutant gorilla plotting some conspiracy in the sewers. The trio had prepared a huge surprise for The Flash. If Peak Man hadn't lost control at a critical moment, The Flash would have already been an ice sculpture.
What a pity!
Leonard pouted, then decided it wasn't so bad. Life would be too boring without The Flash as a rival. He couldn't rely on those police officers to give him a thrill!
He loved crime, especially robbery.
The feeling of snatching money from someone else and being chased and surrounded made his adrenaline soar. He loved that feeling, even though his psychiatrist said it was a serious mental illness.
To hell with mental illness!
Leonard didn't care. Instead, he pointed a gun at the psychiatrist's head and demanded compensation for his emotional distress.
After successfully robbing the psychiatrist of twenty thousand dollars in cash, he was successfully blacklisted by the Central City Mental Health Association. Of course, that was a minor inconvenience to him.
What he cared about most was robbery, just like right now...
Seeing the police car relentlessly tailing him, Leonard stuck his right hand out the window, gave the middle finger, and crudely pumped it twice.
The police officer driving seemed provoked. He slammed the accelerator, ramming the back of Leonard's car.
The powerful jolt made Leonard stumble. He cursed angrily.
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