Chương 229: Chapter 229: Another Superman and the Crashed Airliner
In fact, aside from Kara, neither Peter nor Clark were originally part of Barry's recruitment plan. When Barry had spoken with the mysterious figure known as the Watcher, the list of heroes he was given to find and recruit only included Kara from that previous universe.
Although Barry didn't fully understand the Watcher's true intentions, he was prepared to follow the list and seek out the heroes from various universes as instructed.
As for special heroes like Peter, who joined the mission midway, Barry had no plans to turn them away. After all, Barry believed that the crisis threatening to sweep across the entire multiverse would be a disaster for everyone. Anyone willing to fight alongside them was welcome.
More importantly, Barry knew that the more heroes they had, the greater their chances of successfully resisting this catastrophe.
"A Superman like me?" Clark asked, intrigued when Barry mentioned that the next hero they were going to recruit was, like him and Peter, another Superman from a different universe.
"Heh, in that case, let's get moving!" Clark's interest was clearly piqued, and a hint of anticipation crossed his face as he wondered what other versions of Superman might be like in other universes.
"Yeah, I'm curious too—how different is Clark from other universes?" Kara added, even more eager than Clark.
Peter remained silent, simply nodding slightly. Although he didn't show much excitement, he couldn't help but speculate which universe's Superman Barry was going to find. However, with so many different versions of Superman across the multiverse, Peter couldn't be sure.
"Everyone, stay close to me and don't get lost in the Speed Force space—it could be very troublesome..." Barry warned them as they prepared to head to another universe, reminding them of the dangers of the Speed Force space. If anyone got lost there, it would be extremely difficult to find their way back.
If a speedster got lost in the Speed Force, there was a chance they could find their way out. But for beings like Clark and the others, who had incredible speed but no connection to the Speed Force, getting lost in this space could mean wandering for an eternity without finding a way out—unless another speedster guided them.
As Barry spoke, he glanced at Peter, who had previously explained to him how he had ended up lost in the Speed Force, a space normally only accessible to speedsters.
"Don't worry, we won't stray," Kara assured Barry with a nod, fully aware of the seriousness of the situation. The constant flashes of lightning and thunder around them seemed to remind them of the unknown dangers in this space. Even with their superhuman senses, they couldn't perceive anything beyond their immediate surroundings, nor could they determine the direction in this vast Speed Force space.
Seeing that everyone understood, Barry finally took the lead, navigating through the Speed Force space. The others didn't hesitate, unleashing their incredible speed to follow closely behind him. Once Barry saw that everything was normal, he gradually increased his speed, transforming into a streak of lightning.
Fortunately, there were no obstacles in the Speed Force space, and their path was essentially a straight line. The only thing they needed to watch out for was the lightning constantly striking around them.
After several minutes of traveling through the Speed Force, Barry finally slowed down and stopped running. The others quickly halted their flight, stopping behind Barry.
"Alright, this is the universe we're heading to..." Barry said as he exchanged glances with the group.
Their eyes followed Barry's gaze to a hazy area that seemed impossible to see through. However, no one questioned Barry's words. Barry, without any hesitation, channeled the Speed Force into his arms. In an instant, his arms began to glow brightly, small arcs of electricity dancing across them.
The next moment, Barry extended his Speed Force-infused arms into the dark void ahead, as if trying to pull something apart.
Crack!
Suddenly, a brilliant golden bolt of lightning struck down from the void, its target right where Barry stood.
"Barry, move!" Kara shouted urgently, ready to rush forward and pull Barry away.
"Wait, Barry should be fine..." Clark said calmly, blocking Kara's way.
Sure enough, before Clark could finish speaking, the lightning struck Barry's direction—but it didn't hit Barry directly. Instead, it struck the dark area in front of him.
Hiss!
Almost simultaneously, the sound of something being torn apart echoed through the air, drawing their attention. The previously dark area in front of Barry suddenly became incredibly bright, shining like a dazzling star.
In the next moment, a clear, visible tear appeared in the center of that brilliant light, as if Barry had forcibly torn it open. A massive spatial rift was slowly forming under Barry's efforts. After a while, the rift grew large enough for them to pass through, and Barry finally stopped.
"Alright, everyone, let's go!" Barry called out to the group before stepping through the portal.
The others exchanged glances and, without much hesitation, followed Barry through the portal. As they entered, the previously dark void began to reveal its hidden scenery—a mysterious universe, gradually unveiling its secrets.
...
In the Metropolis Stadium
Inside the largest stadium in Metropolis, a baseball game was currently in full swing, drawing the attention of thousands. The massive oval-shaped stadium was packed with spectators, a dense sea of people numbering in the tens of thousands.
"Yes!"
As the batter hit a spectacular home run, the entire stadium erupted into a wave of enthusiastic cheers. However, as the player basked in the crowd's applause, he noticed something strange—a small shadow in the sky above the field was growing larger.
"What is that? A bird?"
With the bright sunlight glaring in his eyes, he couldn't make out what the shadow was. But soon, he realized something was wrong. Flames seemed to be blazing from the sides of the shadow, and it was rapidly plummeting toward the stadium.
"Damn it, that's not a bird—that's a crashing airplane!"
As the shadow plunged closer, he finally saw what it was: an airplane, its engines engulfed in flames, spiraling downward. Clearly, the plane, which should have been flying thousands of meters above, had encountered some unknown danger, leading to a catastrophic failure and a deadly descent toward the ground.
"Everyone, look! What's that falling from the sky?"
Quickly, the spectators around the stadium noticed the danger, seeing the airplane hurtling toward them from above. Panic set in immediately as countless people tilted their heads up, screaming in terror.
"Run, everyone, run..."
In an instant, chaos engulfed the entire stadium. Thousands of spectators scrambled to escape, even though the stadium was so large that even a plane crash would only damage a small section. But no one was willing to gamble their lives on being in the safe part of the stadium.
With the rising screams, the entire venue descended into complete disorder. Even the two teams playing the game abandoned their match, sprinting off the field in a desperate attempt to escape the impending disaster.
But as they realized the plane was descending directly toward them, it was already less than a kilometer from the ground. In mere seconds, almost no one had time to flee, leaving them to hope for a miracle that the plane wouldn't crash in their vicinity.
Whoosh!
The airplane, with its engines ablaze, screamed through the sky as it plummeted.
"Pull up! Pull up, now!"
In the cockpit, the co-pilot saw their trajectory aimed right at the massive stadium. Even through his oxygen mask, he couldn't help but shout desperately, praying for a miracle. But air disasters don't bend to human will or effort. No matter how hard the captain tried to pull the control stick, attempting to regain control of the aircraft, it was in vain.
"It's over..."
At that moment, the experienced captain knew that saving the plane, the passengers, and himself was impossible. All they could do was watch helplessly as they, along with everyone on board, hurtled toward the stadium's center.
Suddenly, a lightning-fast figure streaked across the sky from the distance. Traveling at speeds far beyond the sound barrier, much faster than any jet, the figure covered the distance of several kilometers in an instant, arriving beside the falling plane. Then, in a miraculous display of power, the figure slowed to a halt in midair.
"Look! What's that?"
"Thank God, it's Superman! Superman's here to save us!"
The crowd, seeing the arrival of the figure, began to cheer, their despair turning into hope. For that person, that mighty figure, represented hope, represented miracles! Indeed, with Superman's timely arrival, he first used his X-ray vision to peer into the airplane's cabin. Most of the passengers had already lost consciousness from the rapid descent, but fortunately, they still showed signs of life. If he could save the plane, the passengers could all survive.
Superman then turned his attention to the burning engines. In a flash, he was beside the plane, matching its speed. He exhaled his freezing breath at the burning engines, instantly extinguishing the flames. Though Superman moved quickly, the plane was now only a few hundred meters from the ground. After a moment of calm analysis, Superman accelerated again, positioning himself in front of the descending aircraft.
The next instant, Superman grasped the nose of the plane. From inside the cockpit, the pilots saw a figure suddenly appear, their faces first filled with shock and then with immense joy and excitement as they recognized him.
But Superman paid no attention to their reactions. His expression grew serious and focused as he summoned his strength, unleashing his bio-electric aura to shield the entire aircraft and its passengers. Then, he began to exert his power, resisting the plane's rapid descent.
Under normal circumstances, even Superman's immense strength could easily lift an entire aircraft. But the force exerted against such a small area of contact would instantly tear the plane apart. This was why he first used his bio-electric aura to protect the entire aircraft.
Buzz!
Zzzzz...
Despite the protection, the enormous relative pressure caused the plane to creak and groan, with an ear-piercing sound of metal straining and cracking. The aircraft's surface began to ripple with wave-like folds. The areas closest to Superman bulged like the surface of a washboard frequently used by a dutiful husband.
But the good news was that, with Superman's incredible strength gradually being released, the plane's descent began to slow. Finally, with the aircraft only a few dozen meters from the ground, Superman managed to halt its fall, achieving a delicate balance between his strength and the plane's momentum, leaving the aircraft suspended in the air.
"This is unbelievable!"
"It's a miracle!"
Countless onlookers stared in awe at the scene unfolding before their eyes, convinced they had just witnessed a miracle.
"Great job, Superman!"
With the surrounding crowd cheering wildly, Superman slowly lowered the airplane into the stadium's center. His powerful figure hovered in the air, seeming to savor and listen to the applause from the grateful spectators.
"Wait, what's that over there?"
However, just as everyone thought it was over, they were shocked to see a spatial rift slowly opening above the stadium. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning shot out from the rift, striking the ground. When the dazzling electric light faded, it revealed a figure clad in a red tight suit.
But it wasn't over yet.
"Who are you?"
As the Superman of this universe stared gravely at the newly appeared figure and the portal from which they emerged, three more figures stepped out. One of them, dressed similarly to him, spoke in a deep voice.
"Clark, we need your help!"
...
(End of Chapter)
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