Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 349 Wouldn't wearing a mask solve the problem?

While Denton was at home celebrating his narrow escape, things weren't going so well for Barry.

"Caitlyn? Cisco?"

He tiptoed through the crowd in the mall, his voice trembling with unease as he called out to Star Labs' backup through his earpiece: "Is Dr. Wells there?"

"Barry?"

In front of the computer, Cisco and Caitlin were watching the video of a human turning into gas on the Bluebird. They were both surprised to hear Barry call out again. Cisco replied, "Dr. Wells is at a meeting and is not in the lab right now—Barry, what's wrong? Is there anything I can help you with?"

"I know this might sound ridiculous, but it seems like I've run into someone who can turn themselves into gas."

Barry was hiding around the corner. He glanced furtively at the bald man in the trench coat ahead, but the man didn't notice him and simply walked toward a women's clothing store in the mall.

“I saw him at the entrance of the mall and followed him. He was wearing a black trench coat and looked like he was stalking someone.”

"What a coincidence?"

Caitlin thought for a moment and said to him, "Barry, you have to be sure it's him first. And this guy can turn into poison gas. We don't have any countermeasures or plans for him yet. If you go there unprepared, it will be very unsafe—you could die."

“But I have to go, Caitlin.” Barry sighed. “He’s with a woman. That woman was even on the phone with her daughter picking out a dress for her class reunion tonight. I can’t just stand by and watch her get murdered.”

Caitlin was stunned.

On the night the particle accelerator exploded, her boyfriend, Ronnie, who was also the chief engineer of Star Labs, went into the particle accelerator's pipes to manually shut it down and stop the experiment from spiraling out of control.

"I know how to operate the shut-off valve. If I don't shut it off, it will be a disaster if an explosion occurs."

"I have to go."

Ronnie and Barry said the exact same thing at that moment.

“Okay, Barry.” Cisco spoke up when Caitlin suddenly fell silent. “I agree with you. We do need to save people, but that’s not the same as going to our deaths. You need to make sure you’re safe and avoid confronting that guy. Focus on getting people out of there, okay?”

"no problem."

“Very good.” Cisco nodded. “In that case—”

"In that case, you should wear your own respirator."

"what?"

"No, no, no, I didn't say that," Barry hurriedly explained to Cisco. "It was a TV in the mall, it seemed to be showing a show, and the volume of the dialogue suddenly became very loud."

Cisco nodded: "But to be fair, I think the line on TV wasn't wrong—you're facing a gas man this time, Barry. Wearing a gas mask will at least guarantee your safety."

Barry thought about it and realized that Cisco's words made sense. Although he was not sure whether the gas could be poisoned through the skin, the victims' skin did not show any particular signs of ulceration or burns. For now, Barry thought that the gas was probably fatal through inhalation.

“But Cisco, I’ve used the suit with the mask on once, and that gas mask blocked my breathing,” Barry asked. “If my body doesn’t get enough oxygen, my speed will definitely be affected, and I’m even worried that I’ll just pass out.”

"Slow down, Gan!" At this moment, the volume on the large screen next to them suddenly increased again.

"What's wrong with this TV? It keeps acting up today."

The shop assistant, looking puzzled, walked over while complaining, and Barry had no choice but to turn around and leave.

“Barry, I think that TV show was right,” Cisco asked. “What do you think?”

“Okay, okay,” Barry replied with a hint of helplessness. “I’ll come back and get the mask right away.”

“If possible, I really hope you go out into the fray wearing the lab’s fire-fighting hazmat suit. That would minimize the risk.” Cisco shook his head. “But I guess you wouldn’t enjoy running around in that bulky suit.”

“Hey Cisco, don’t worry, I’m just going to rescue someone. That gas guy can’t catch me.” Barry laughed. “As long as the skin contact time is short enough, no gas can penetrate the skin and keep up with my metabolic rate.”

"As long as you know what's going on."

With the plan set, Barry turned to look at the bald man, who seemed to be following the woman toward the elevator. Neither of them was aware of what was about to happen.

The next second, Barry transformed into a bolt of lightning and dashed out of the mall.

When he got back into high-speed mode, Barry was already quite adept at it. He looked at the almost completely silent, quiet world. The people moved extremely slowly, the water flowed like some kind of viscous gel, the clouds in the sky were motionless, the wind was almost still, and the movement of the world became extremely subtle.

Only when his movement speed is normal, or even much faster than normal, can he leap several meters or even tens of meters away with a single step. This is the speed force propelling him forward.

At first, this world was wonderful, and Barry still loves that feeling to this day.

He was so young at the time that he didn't truly understand the loneliness of a speed demon.

Barry quickly returned to the lab and put on his mask. When he started running again, he felt the same restraint he had felt when facing Ma Dong that day. The mask filtered the air, which also reduced the amount of oxygen he could inhale.

"Slow down, Barry, slow down!"

He slowed down, adjusting his balance, and just as he passed the dining car, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a small glass bottle next to Old Ma.

It was a small bottle with a cork stopper, looking quite ordinary, with some dust on the surface, as if it had been picked up from the roadside.

"What does Old Ma need this thing for?"

Barry muttered as he ran past, and in that instant, he suddenly realized something.

"That's right, this bottle will come in handy."

He grabbed the bottle and ran back into the mall, just as the bald man followed the woman into the elevator.

Barry was shocked. The elevator was an absolutely enclosed environment. If the bald man wanted to choose this place as the location to make his move, the woman would have absolutely no chance of escaping.

So he quickly grabbed the bottle and ran toward the elevator.

(End of this chapter)