Hearing the task assigned by Blacksmith, Axel gave a confident chuckle.
“I guessed you’d have me do that, so I made a few preparations in advance.”
“Oh?” Blacksmith raised an eyebrow, letting a hint of anticipation show right on cue.
“Then I’ll look forward to seeing what you’ve got.”
***
Meanwhile, at the Keystone City Police Department, half an hour after the second Trickster’s departure.
“Officer Chayell, are you saying someone stole the original Trickster’s costume and gear and is calling himself the second Trickster?”
A young costumed hero wearing a bodysuit—yellow on top, red on the bottom, with a red lightning bolt emblem stitched on his chest—was questioning the precinct staff.
Talking to him was a patrol officer in his fifties, Fred Chayell, the most senior active-duty officer on the force.
“That’s right, Kid Flash,” Chayell said with a grim tone.
“We don’t know what the thief is after—whether it’s a copycat crime or something else—but he has access to all the gear a supervillain used.
The guy is dangerous right now.”
“We’ll figure out what this second Trickster is planning, but first we need to know who he is.
Did he leave behind any security footage?
And…
I’d really prefer it if you called me—The Flash.” Kid Flash rubbed his chin, then shifted his tone.
“I admit you’re great, and you’ve been working hard—we all see it.
But…
your mentor, The Flash?
His shadow is just too big.”
Another officer walked over then, wearing a blue suit jacket.
He was in his thirties, with brown skin and a scar on the right side of his chin.
His name was Jared Morillo, a detective and Chayell’s partner.
Together, the two made up the Keystone City Police Department’s Metahuman Hostile Actions Response Team—literally all of it.
“Uh, I’m not saying I’m as good as The Flash yet.
I know I still have a long way to go.
I just…
I’m an adult now.
You have to admit ‘Kid Flash’ sounds like a teenager.” Kid Flash waved his hands frantically, making it clear he had no intention of “usurping” the mantle.
“By the way, why didn’t The Flash come?
Is the Justice League on another mission?” Morillo asked, stepping up out of curiosity.
“I wish I knew.
I haven’t seen him since yesterday morning after his fight with Weather Wizard.
Besides, The Flash never lets me pry into Justice League business—he thinks I’m not ready.
So I know just as much as you do on that front, Detective Morillo.”
I hope he hasn’t run into trouble.” Morillo nodded in understanding, then handed Kid Flash a USB flash drive.
“Here.”
“What’s this?” Kid Flash looked at him, confused.
“Didn’t you want security footage of the second Trickster?
That’s what Morillo is giving you,” Chayell explained from the side.
“Let me guess: you want me to drop this off with Hunter.” Kid Flash knew full well that given how quickly Morillo had backed up the footage, it wasn’t made specifically for him.
After all, he was Kid Flash, not Robin.
“Hunter Zolomon is the best criminal profiler in the Twin Cities.
With his help, we can catch this thief much faster.” Morillo confirmed Kid Flash’s suspicion.
“We were planning to go see him ourselves, but since you’re here, there’s no better person for the job.
You two are friends, after all.”
“No problem.
I’ll get this right into Hunter’s hands.” Kid Flash tucked the USB drive away.
The moment the words left his mouth, his figure vanished into thin air…
***
The next day, Yuri slept in until noon.
It shook off the fatigue from repeatedly transforming into Grey Matter to modify the Rustbucket last night, and it saved him money on breakfast—killing two birds with one stone.
Yuri sat up in bed, falling into deep thought.
He needed to make some plans for his future.
Obtaining the Omnitrix meant he possessed extraordinary power—there was no doubt about that.
Yuri’s future life was destined to be anything but ordinary, and he wasn’t about to settle for being ordinary either.
*Jem invited me to join his crew of thugs for his million-dollar plan, and he told me to meet him at eight tonight…*
Should he go?
Yuri wasn’t entirely sure.
He didn’t know how Jem knew the movements of every superhero in the Twin Cities inside and out—there was no way Jem and Tangrui could have investigated that on their own.
Maybe there was a massive criminal syndicate behind them.
Maybe that syndicate was planning to destroy the Twin Cities, and Jem and Tangrui were just low-level tools being used.
It was possible, and the likelihood wasn’t small either.
As for calling 911 to blow the whistle?
Don’t be ridiculous.
Did he have any evidence to accuse them?
Did he know what their plan was?
He wouldn’t even know what charges to report!
That was why Jem had given Yuri the meeting time so directly, completely unafraid that he would snitch.
*If only I’d read DC comics back then.
If I knew what villainous organizations were hiding in Central City, it’d be much easier to deduce who or what power was feeding information to Tangrui and Jem.* This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
But the reality was that Yuri knew nothing about DC lore, so he was out of luck.
*Should I just forget about it and pretend none of this ever happened?*
The moment the thought surfaced, Yuri nipped it in the bud.
No way.
Even if he hadn’t read DC comics, in American comic book worlds like this, story arcs weren’t hard to guess.
If Yuri didn’t show up, he might end up becoming a thorn in Jem and Tangrui’s side.
The force behind them might even target him.
Worse yet, if the villainous syndicate’s plot to destroy the Twin Cities succeeded, Yuri might get buried along with all of Keystone City—and until the final second before his death, he wouldn’t even know what hit him…
Of course, it could just be paranoia.
Having just received a golden finger, Yuri naturally felt a little special.
Whatever the case, Yuri ultimately decided to check it out.
At the very least, he needed to figure out where Jem was getting his information.
Gathering intelligence came first.
After that, whether he decided to make a quick buck or pull out in time, he’d still hold the initiative.
Mind made up, Yuri prepared to get some food.
Skipping breakfast saved a little cash, but it also made him hungry much faster.
He opened the cupboard, which contained three big bags of cereal and a bag of dry, hard, expired bread.
Confirming there was no other food left, Yuri quietly shut the cupboard and drove off from his tin shack.
Thanks to the windfall last night—no, wait, the compensation he received last night—Yuri currently had $2,000 in disposable cash.
So he decided to go out for a hearty meal for the first time in a while.
At a burger joint.
“Two beef burgers, a strawberry sundae, a medium Coke, two orders of chicken nuggets…
and an order of chili fries.
To go, please.”
“That’ll be $8.55.”
Without batting an eye, Yuri pulled out eight one-dollar coins, two quarters, and five pennies.
“Order A1552.
It’ll be ready shortly.” The cashier took the coins and handed Yuri the receipt.
Yuri was about to find a place to sit down for a moment, but as soon as he turned around, he nearly bumped into someone.
Before he could get a clear look at the person in front of him, a woman’s voice chimed in.
“Oh gosh!
Wally, I told you not to look back while walking!
You almost bumped into someone just now!”