PFC Chapter 4362 The Justice League Assembles ( )
Chapter 4362 The Justice League Assembles ( )
Chapter 4362 Justice League: Assemble (Part 10)
Ron turned around, his gaze sweeping across the laboratory, memories beginning to surface in his mind. After Dr. Oder's death, Ron was heartbroken and left the place in a daze, never to return. It was precisely because he didn't want to disappoint the doctor that he tried so hard to move on from the shadows of the past and avoid constantly reliving the tragedy. Therefore, the appearance of the laboratory in his memory was somewhat blurred.
But standing here now, he realized he had never forgotten. Memories of his time with the professor surfaced in the familiar surroundings. He would chat with the professor while he conducted experiments, leaning against the lab bench; in the mornings and evenings, he would sneak out to make coffee for them both using the coffee machine in the break room. He would add six packets of sugar to his own coffee; it was here that he first tasted the Oreo the professor had brought him—the sweetest and most delicious cookie he had ever eaten.
In his memory, the professor was always sitting in front of various machines, or standing in front of a computer analyzing data... and so on. Ron looked towards that familiar spot—where was the computer?
Back then, the lab used those bulky, old-fashioned computers—all-in-ones with a big CRT monitor—which used to sit in the corner at the far end of the room. But right now, there's nothing there.
Rong En hurried over and checked it thoroughly, but apart from the dusty table, not a single electronic device was missing. He clearly remembered that besides the computer, there were floppy disks in the drawer, a data storage device underneath, and countless messy cables. Where had they all gone?
Rong En squatted there, examining the area carefully, and then discovered some unusual traces hidden beneath the thick layer of dust—someone had been here, and more than one person.
The dust covered the footprints, but not completely; a tiny trace remained beneath the dust. Rong En took a deep breath, and a gust of wind blew them away, almost dispelling all the dust. More traces left in the lab were now exposed to him.
Judging from the footprints alone, at least five people broke in, and they did so shortly after the laboratory was abandoned. They first lingered near the door, then began searching the vicinity of the lab benches, eventually reaching the computers, where they circled several times before taking all the electronic equipment.
Their actions were not violent, meaning it wasn't robbery, but rather a simple move. They professionally removed all the cables without breaking anything; they moved the computer carefully, leaving no trace of damage; and each of them wore gloves, leaving no fingerprints.
Rong En only needed one glance to understand that this group was definitely professional; they couldn't possibly be robbers or cleaners who had wandered in by mistake. They were highly trained special agents, and they were there specifically for the computers.
The reason for this assumption is that nothing else on the lab bench has been touched, and the large instruments and equipment are all still there. Logically, these are the most valuable items, but they've been sitting there for decades, and only today have the computer and all the data floppy disks been moved.
Rong En kept rummaging through his memories, analyzing frame by frame the unusual events that occurred before Dr. O'De's death. Suddenly, he remembered that the doctor had received a phone call earlier, and after hanging up, his expression was very bad. Rong En asked him who had called, and he only said it was an old classmate.
Dr. Ede graduated from MIT. Rong En didn't know his specific major, but it was probably astronomy, otherwise he wouldn't be researching Mars. Since he was his old classmate, he should also be from MIT.
Rong En flew directly to MIT and began the long search. He refused to believe that Dr. O'De would leave no trace; he was sure he could find clues deep within the files.
Sure enough, after using his ethereal state to browse through the documents for a long time, he actually found some clues. It was a paper proposal, and because the research group had more than 20 people, with Dr. E'de's name mixed in, it was likely overlooked by the person cleaning up the documents.
The topic of the research proposal was extremely complex, and Rong En couldn't understand it at all. However, the report indicated that it was for a research group specializing in cosmic medicine.
So-called cosmic medicine is actually the study of physiological changes in humans in a space environment. It is an interdisciplinary field that combines cosmology, aerospace, biology, medicine and chemistry. Dr. Ede is responsible for providing knowledge on the cosmological aspects of the subject.
Upon seeing the word "medicine," Rong En narrowed his eyes. He realized this research group was no ordinary one. Dr. Ode was a very solitary person; instead of following the trend of researching the moon that year, he devoted himself entirely to Mars. He had neither settled down nor established a career, had few friends, and his relationship with the academic community was distant. He possessed an independent laboratory solely through exceptional research capabilities, not through networking.
This may be Dr. O'De's only opportunity to interact with medical researchers. If he was indeed killed by the new drug, the killer might be hidden among this list of researchers.
Rong En investigated the list one by one and finally confirmed that three people on the list were medical students. Now the task was to find out where these three students ended up.
But by now, his investigation was no longer sufficient on his own. Finding out the whereabouts of these three individuals required access to an extremely complex system, at least through the staff lists of major hospitals. Ron had virtually no hacking skills, and he didn't have the time to search each hospital individually. Therefore, he took the list and went to Wayne Manor to pay a visit.
However, Ron was informed by Alfred, the old butler who had already returned, that Bruce Wayne had gone out and might not be back for another day. Ron knew that this matter couldn't be rushed, so he stayed at Wayne Manor.
Bruce, who was not at the manor at that moment, was actually in downtown Central City, helping Barry move.
Barry carried a large box of odds and ends to the trunk of the Batmobile. Bruce watched him, his brow slightly furrowed. Barry seemed to realize he'd gone a bit too far, and said, "This is the last box, really."
"You said that half an hour ago. Sir, I can understand posters or figurines. But what about six different colors of the same baseball cap? Can you tell me what this is for?"
Bruce reached into the box and pulled out a small object—a burnt-out scented candle, now only the glass shell remained.
"Oh, this? This is a creative scented candle. After it burns out, the logo of the Central City University football team will appear underneath. Isn't that amazing? I burned candles at home for three days to get this."
Seeing Bruce's speechless expression, Barry said, "These things are expensive. Just six small candles cost $120. I have to keep them to prove that my money didn't just disappear into thin air."
Bruce seemed resigned to his fate, saying, "We're already half a day ahead of schedule, and my butler will be very worried about me."
“Okay, coming right away.” Barry vanished again. He made three or four more trips before finally managing to stuff everything into the Batmobile—or rather, not into the Batmobile, since two large boxes were strapped to the top of it.
When it was time to leave, Barry realized he was being a bit inappropriate. He said, "How about this, you put those two boxes in the passenger seat, and I'll just run behind you. This is really... an eyesore."
“It’s alright, come in,” Bruce said.
"No, I'm serious. Central City places great importance on the appearance of the city, and you might get stopped by the police if you do this."
"You can come in first."
Barry had no choice but to get into the passenger seat. The car drove out of the underground garage and swaggered off towards the outskirts of the city. Almost every driver and pedestrian who passed by stared at them, because it wasn't every day that you'd see a luxury car that looked like it could buy an entire block with two tattered boxes on top of it.
Sure enough, before they had gone 20 miles, two Dodge Chargers were following behind. The police lights flashed, signaling the car in front to pull over.
Bruce remained calm, leading them a short distance further until they reached a less crowded area before slowly pulling over. The moment the police officer and Bruce Wayne locked eyes, the officer straightened up.
"What's wrong?" Bruce asked.
“It’s alright, Mr. Wayne. If you have too much cargo, we can help you deliver it.” The policeman flashed a smile that revealed eight teeth.
"No need, my plane is parked outside the city."
"Have a pleasant journey, goodbye."
The car window rolled down, and Barry stared, dumbfounded. He waved his hands in the air for a moment, then said, "Why don't they..."
“I’m super rich.” Bruce nodded to him.
As the car drove onto the highway, Bruce took out his phone, called Louise, and said, "I've picked him up, and we're on our way to Wayne Manor."
Louise breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good."
A few hours earlier, when Barry was still in Louise's hospital room, he hung up the phone from the Sky Eye Society, angrily threw the phone on the ground, and even wanted to stomp on it a few times, but Louise stopped him.
"Calm down, anger won't solve anything. And more important than saving the world, you need to save yourself first. You don't think there will be any consequences after you show your whole face at the Capitol, do you?"
Barry was stunned, as if someone had doused him with cold water, and suddenly felt his hands and feet turn icy cold. Only now did he realize how outrageous his actions had been.
It's important to understand that he's not some delinquent or hoodlum; he's lived all these years and has never done anything illegal or disorderly. In the United States, trespassing on prohibited grounds is one of the most serious categories of violent crime, let alone the Capitol Building. Those demonstrators who broke in were immediately escorted out by security upon their appearance; their indictments could easily be two meters long, not to mention that Barry spent several tens of minutes trying to evade capture.
Just then, Louise's phone rang. She opened it, sighed helplessly, and said, "My colleagues have already received the news that the opposition is preparing to use this as evidence of the unfairness of the audit results. More than 80 media outlets have received press releases, and more than half of them are not planning to censor your image."
"Okay, then, the pictures on your computer..."
“This will definitely be censored,” Louise said, shaking her head. “And judging from the content of the article, they will focus on showcasing your superpowers to tell the public that you have the ability to tamper with the vote count…”
"God!!!" Barry began to scream. He cried out hoarsely, "Why...why..."
"So for now, you should take care of yourself first. I know you may not have that ability, so I suggest you find someone."
"Who?"
Batman.