The next day, around noon.
The Flash Museum.
This was likely Central City’s proudest tourist attraction.
Built entirely from voluntary donations by the citizens, the museum represented the hope and spirit of all of Central City, serving as the landmark postcard of the “Gem of the Midwest.”
The Flash Museum was massive.
After several expansions, its footprint was now equivalent to two football fields.
Spanning two floors, it was divided into multiple exhibition halls based on different themes, all showcasing various exhibits related to the Flash.
The first floor featured dedicated exhibition halls for generations of speedsters, including the original Flash, Jay Garrick; Justice Society member Johnny Quick and his daughter, Jesse Quick; the current Flash and Kid Flash duo; and the fastest boy alive, Impulse…
In addition, all the supervillains defeated by the Flashes had their own exhibition halls, documenting those legendary stories of the past.
At the absolute center of the first-floor halls sat the Cosmic Treadmill used by the Flashes.
If visitors grew tired, they could enjoy a delicious meal at the Flash Café on the first floor.
It wasn’t free, of course, but the prices were definitely cheaper than McDonald’s.
(A little secret: the staff at the Flash Café all wore Rogues cosplay.)
As for the second floor, it was mostly interactive entertainment spaces—such as photo booths, dress-up studios, and movie screening rooms—alongside the exhibition halls for the Flash’s allies, like the Justice League and other superheroes.
Rumor had it that the curator of the Flash Museum was already planning a third floor, though nobody knew when construction would begin.
A colossal statue of the Flash stood in the plaza before the museum’s main entrance, attracting countless people daily to snap photos.
This wasn’t Yuri’s first time coming to the Flash Museum, but it was his first time stepping inside.
Today was Wednesday, a school and work day, so the museum wasn’t particularly crowded.
Yuri strolled around briefly before heading into the Flash Café, the designated meeting place he had agreed upon with Blacksmith.
As soon as he walked in, Yuri saw a blonde waitress cosplaying as Golden Glider, bowing to him with a warm smile.
“Welcome to the Flash Café.
Would you like to order?”
“No, thank you.
I have a reservation.
Here is my number…”
“Please wait a moment while I verify the number…
Oh, you are Mr.
Aiden Pearce, correct?”
“That’s right, I’m Aiden Pearce.”
Yuri nodded calmly.
The waitress looked at the photo on the reservation slip, compared it to Yuri’s face, and confirmed he was indeed the person.
Please follow me.”
To talk business with the big boss of the Network, Yuri obviously couldn’t show his real face.
He had transformed into Ghostfreak beforehand and possessed his current host body.
For Yuri, who could transform into Ghostfreak, obtaining a reservation at the cafe was effortless.
He only needed to find someone whose reservation time was close to his meeting with Blacksmith and possess them.
Yuri had pre-selected four possession targets, and Aiden Pearce had the closest time.
If this man hadn’t shown up today, Yuri would have possessed one of the other targets.
If none of the reservation holders showed up, he would have had to pick a random person in the museum to possess on the spot.
Either way, as long as he didn’t expose his identity, anything went.
Once inside the booth, Yuri dismissed the waitress, telling her he would ring the bell if he needed anything.
With a soft click, the door closed, leaving Yuri alone in the booth.
Yuri walked over to the window and tapped the glass three times: soft, hard, soft.
This was the secret signal he had agreed upon with McCulloch.
By tapping three times on the window of the Flash Café, Mirror Master would use a mirror portal to teleport Blacksmith inside.
A few seconds later, a vortex materialized on the glass, and a blinding white light shot out from within.
When the white light faded, a woman in her forties stood in the booth.
She was 1.8 meters tall, with knee-length hair, wearing a revealing black leather catsuit and heavy, strange makeup.
Honestly, her height put a bit of pressure on Yuri.
Fortunately, he was controlling someone else’s body right now, so he didn’t fear Blacksmith in the slightest.
“You’re Blacksmith?”
Yuri pulled over a chair and sat down.
“Did you really come alone?”
“I didn’t see any need to bring underlings.”
Blacksmith scrutinized Yuri before pulling up a chair and sitting down as well.
“Is that so?”
Yuri smiled faintly.
He closed his eyes, temporarily released his possession, and became an invisible Ghostfreak to scout the surroundings.
Indeed, he didn’t spot any suspicious figures inside the Flash Museum, and McCulloch’s consciousness wasn’t present on any mirror surface in the booth.
As for outside the museum, there were far too many suspicious people.
Of course Blacksmith hadn’t come alone, but the situation was within Yuri’s acceptable parameters.
At least the Network hadn’t tried to tear their face off right from the start.
Care to tell me where you got it?” Blacksmith asked first.
“You doubt my source?” Yuri couldn’t help but sneer.
“Aside from that ridiculous Trickster wannabe of yours, who else could I have gotten this from?”
Yuri flashed the file right on cue, waving it in front of Blacksmith’s eyes.
“I need to verify its authenticity.
Otherwise, how can I be sure you aren’t trying to swindle the Network?” Blacksmith made a seemingly reasonable demand.
“Do you take me for a fool, Blacksmith?
Or should I say, Ms.
Black?”
Hearing this, Blacksmith’s pupils contracted.
“Your real name is Amunet Black.
You are forty-two years old and began building the underground black market Network fifteen years ago.
Your ex-husband, Keith Kenyon, was a supervillain known as Goldface ten years ago, and reformed five years ago to establish the Kenyon Union…”
Yuri rattled off the information from the final page of the file like counting beans.
Only someone who had actually read the documents would know these secrets.
“How much do you want?”
Now certain that the file Yuri held was genuine, Blacksmith wasted no more words and cut straight to the chase.
“This much.”
Yuri held up five fingers.
“Five hundred thousand?
No problem,” Blacksmith agreed without a second thought.
Yuri shook his head.
“Five million!”
“Impossible.
The Network can’t produce that kind of money!”
“Ms.
Black, the files state very clearly that the Network’s annual net profit is at least fifty million dollars.
You have run the Network for over fifteen years.
Do you honestly expect me to believe you can’t come up with five million?”
Yuri’s lips curved slightly.
“Compared to the profits the Network has pocketed over the years, what I’m asking for is nothing.
Business is all about fair exchange.
If you don’t think this file is worth that amount, I’ll just have to find another buyer.”