American Comics: The Strongest Villain

City of Starling.

In the basement of Felicity's villa, which served as the base and command room for the Birds of Prey team, Felicity, Laurel Lance, and Selena Kyle gathered around a computer. The three women, each wearing a different color of the same stylish pajamas, stared at the open email on the screen.

The email contained only one sentence: Su Sheng appeared in Central City!

Though brief, the message held their attention. Laurel Lance was the first to speak. "Could it be a trap set by the Huntress? A year ago, we gathered enough evidence to bring her father, Frank Bertinelli, to justice and send him to prison, but the Huntress hasn't given up. She's been waiting for a chance to kill Frank. I've heard he's applied for medical treatment in prison. Could the Huntress be using Su Sheng's appearance in Central City as bait to lure us away?"

Catwoman, Selena Kyle, scoffed. "Even Batman has returned to Gotham. After being missing for so long without a trace, if he really came back, he'd be in Starling City, not Central City. After all, Felicity is his real girlfriend. The likelihood of this email being genuine isn't high."

Felicity's expression darkened slightly, though she tried to brush it off. "You know how the Huntress is—he's never been one to settle for just one woman. And after all this time, it's possible he's found a new girlfriend."

"So what? You two never officially broke up," Selena countered.

"What difference does it make? It's just a label. Even if he hadn't disappeared, he wasn't around all the time, was he? Did he even call or message you? Or did he even bother to take advantage of you?" Felicity's frustration was evident as she glared at Selena and Laurel.

"Hey, I didn't say anything!" Laurel quickly defended herself.

"Yeah, but you're the one who got the most out of it!" Selena shot back without hesitation.

The three of them had been a team for so long that they knew each other's histories with Su Sheng inside and out. Despite this, Laurel quickly changed the subject, feeling a bit guilty about how Su Sheng had favored her over Catwoman.

"Can you find out who sent this email?"

"The sender was very skilled. They erased all traces after sending the email. I can only confirm that it was sent from Central City," Felicity replied.

"Check what the Huntress is up to."

"On it."

Felicity's fingers flew across the keyboard, and within twenty minutes, she had gathered the Huntress's movements. She was still in Starling City, seemingly dealing with street-level criminals.

"It doesn't look like it was her."

"We can't rule out the possibility that she asked someone else for help."

"I think we should stop overthinking this," Selena suggested seriously. "Felicity, why don't you just head to Central City and check it out? You can still assist us remotely if needed."

Felicity considered the suggestion for a moment before nodding in agreement.

Nightfall.

Su Sheng glanced at the time and said to Laura, "I'm heading out, not sure when I'll be back. You can sleep in my room tonight."

Laura hesitated but remained silent. Before she could respond, Su Sheng had already activated his speed and disappeared.

The departure of Riley and Valentina hadn't affected Su Sheng much. After they left, he had focused on helping Laura gain speed force, but despite his efforts, he hadn't made much progress. Just as he remembered to turn on his phone, Caitlin Snow called, saying Barry Allen wanted to meet him.

With nothing better to do, Su Sheng agreed.

The meeting was set at a coffee shop where Iris West worked part-time. When Su Sheng arrived, the shop was still open, and Barry Allen and Caitlin Snow were sitting in a corner, waiting.

"Barry, are you nervous?" Caitlin whispered, sitting across from Barry. "He's actually easy to get along with. You both have speed powers, so try not to worry too much."

Barry opened his mouth to reply but suddenly saw a figure flash by. In the next moment, Su Sheng was sitting beside Caitlin.

"Su Sheng?" Caitlin was startled, still processing his sudden arrival.

"No coffee for me?" Su Sheng asked, glancing at the table with a smile.

"I didn't know when you'd arrive or what you'd like to drink," Caitlin explained, standing up. "What would you like? I'll order it."

"I'll have whatever you're having," Su Sheng replied. As Caitlin went to the bar, Su Sheng turned to Barry. "So, what did you want to ask?"

Barry, seeing Su Sheng again, wasn't as confident as last time. He hesitated before starting, "When I was a kid, my mother—"

"Stop," Su Sheng interrupted. "I know your story by heart at this point. No need to repeat it. Let's cut to the chase—I didn't kill your mother. Believe that or not, it's up to you."

"Why should I believe you? All I see is someone with the same speed as the man who killed her," Barry said, his voice tense.

Su Sheng shook his head slightly and activated the speed force. Barry tensed, expecting an attack, but Su Sheng didn't move toward him. Instead, he seemed to be doing something else.

So fast!

Barry tried to keep up, but his eyes could only catch glimpses of red lightning. He's at least twice as fast as I am, he thought in shock.

Before Barry could fully process it, Su Sheng was back.

"Open your hand," Su Sheng said casually.

"What?" Barry asked, puzzled.

"Just open your hand. I've got something for you."

Barry, still confused, placed his hand on the table. Su Sheng placed a small, black object in his palm.

"What the—" Barry began, realizing it was a pair of women's underwear. He instinctively moved to toss it aside.

"This is from Iris. Are you sure you want to throw it away?" Su Sheng said with a mischievous grin. "I know you like Iris, but she has a boyfriend now, and you still haven't confessed your feelings. So here's a little gift—do what you will with it!"

"You…" Barry was stunned, then angry. He couldn't believe Su Sheng had taken Iris's…

Barry glanced over at Iris, who was unaware of what had happened, and his anger flared. He rushed at Su Sheng, using his speed force.