Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 382 We're all friends, why say thank you?

Since Ma Zhaodi insisted that Barry send Shauna Bates back, the lab staff ultimately had no choice.

“Okay, after all, Old Ma has already helped a lot.” Barry scratched his head hesitantly. “Let’s deal with Shauna’s matter tomorrow.”

Ma Zhaodi patted Barry on the shoulder with relief. The Flash was a model of a conscientious hero. He kept his promises and respected his friends. Since he said he would send Shauna back, he would definitely send Shauna back. He didn't need to worry about the other party lying.

“This is my house key. The keychain has the house number and address on it.” Ma Zhaodi handed a key to Barry: “Remember to lock the door when you leave.”

"Row."

Barry carried Shauna on his back, and the two figures disappeared quickly. Less than ten seconds later, Barry reappeared alone at the table.

"It's all taken care of. I took a blood sample from her and have already given it to the doctor."

"The blood analysis will take a little time, let's focus on the next issue first," Dr. Wells calmly asked over the channel. "The Petersburg substation's closing time is indeed in 19 minutes, but we still don't know which employee had their information bought—Old Ma?"

“Don’t rush, let me take a look.” Ma Zhaodi pulled out his notebook: “Oh, Casey Donahue.”

Dr. Wells had already accessed the substation's personnel database, and the moment Ma Zhaodi called out his name, he immediately began searching.

“Found him—Casey Donahue, born in 1965, is now 49 years old. He is still working at the substation, but he will soon be facing retirement, probably within three months.”

"One more thing, he seems to be a complete celibate, with no wife, children, or other relatives—I'll send you his route home now."

Cisco immediately understood: "Someone like that, even if he suddenly disappeared, no one would notice immediately."

"Should we just go to the substation and wait for him to get off work?"

“Let Barry watch over him. We don’t have much fighting power, and if we encounter a super-powered criminal, we’ll only be a burden.”

Caitlin nodded: "I'll go straight back to the lab to analyze the blood samples."

Cisco then looked at Ma Zhaodi: "By the way, didn't the informant give you five leads? Since one is from Shaunna and one is from Casey, what are the other three?"

"Um, one is a list of numerous bars where there have been recent brawls, and he wants us to check the surveillance footage; another is news from Snart, he seems to have found an accomplice, and the two of them are planning to rob the famous painting 'A Song of Ice and Fire'; and the last one..."

Seeing the hesitation on Ma Zhaodi's face, Caitlin felt a little strange: "What's wrong with the last one?"

"The last thing he said was that someone was seen near the Star Labs who seemed to have some kind of fire ability—Snat had considered recruiting other super-powered criminals, but for some reason, he seemed to have given up on this person."

Ma Zhaodi concluded, "In any case, you all need to be careful."

Caitlin and Cisco nodded in unison, but Wells, who was in the Star Labs, had a thoughtful expression on his face, as if he was thinking about something.

“In that case, Cisco and I will go back first,” Caitlin suggested. “Although I trust the lab’s security system, it’s hard to say whether it can stop a superhuman. It’s best not to leave the doctor alone in the lab.”

"By the way, if the person with fire abilities is Blaze, and the brawl in the bar is due to those strange dueling rules on the street, then isn't there still one clue left?" Cisco asked, "What about that vampire?"

"That's not quite clear. The informant didn't say, so they probably didn't get the intelligence."

“Well, these are truly troublesome times. Old Ma, why don’t you go home and rest? Keep an eye on Xiao Na while you’re at it, lest she wake up prematurely.” “Her? She’s unlikely to wake up anytime soon.” Ma Zhaodi shook his head: “I know how much she drank; she won’t wake up for at least three hours.”

"Then how come you're alright?"

"Are you kidding me? I drink the wine from this gourd every day, I've mastered it long ago."

"That was really enjoyable."

“Anyway,” Barry replied, “I’ll take you home first—we shouldn’t have involved you in the lab stuff; you’ve already helped us a lot today.”

"You help me, I'll help you, let's send them all, friends."

"Don't waste any more time," Dr. Wells urged calmly. "There are only ten minutes left."

The three said their goodbyes. Cisco and Caitlin drove to the lab, while Barry continued carrying Ma Zhaodi towards his rented apartment.

Coincidentally, the road from the bar to the rented house passed by the Petersburg substation, and as Barry passed by, he noticed a strange-looking person in the alley opposite the substation gate.

He looked very unwell, with dark circles under his eyes and unsteady steps, like a zombie from a movie, a walking corpse.

Most importantly, he seemed to be spying on the substation from the alleyway.

Should we send Lao Ma back first? Or should we stop and check on this person's condition?

As Barry pondered this, he looked toward the entrance of the substation and noticed that someone seemed to be walking out.

"Donahue? Why did he leave work early?!"

Barry recognized the man's face immediately; it was the same substation employee photo that Dr. Wells had sent him.

Realizing the situation had changed, he made a turn and sped to a stop behind a truck. This was a blind spot shared by the alley and the substation entrance. Because it was dark, hiding here would not be noticed by the two men, and he could also peek out through the car window to observe the situation on both sides.

"Huh? What the hell?"

The man in the alley, whose attention was originally on Donahue, was suddenly dazzled by the golden flash. When he looked closely at the streets on both sides, he found nothing there.

"Is it my imagination?"

He wasn't sure, but Donahue had already taken to the streets, so he had no choice but to temporarily suppress his doubts and follow him.

"Old Ma, don't make a sound."

Barry whispered to Ma Zhaodi, "We're at the entrance of the Petersburg substation right now. I just saw a guy who might be a superhuman criminal, so we have to stop and see what he's up to."

Ma Zhaodi gave him an OK sign. Following Barry's gaze, he quietly looked up and, looking over the truck, saw a man following another substation employee.

He immediately took out his phone and sent a message to the three people in the lab.

(End of this chapter)