America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

"My mother was murdered on the evening of September 22nd..."

"Yes, I've written it down." Frank wrote the information in his notebook, even noting the manner in which his wife suffered the fatal injury.

“Dad, I have three friends here to help me,” John said.

"Are they reliable?" Frank questioned.

"Dad, do you remember the Chinese restaurant that Mom used to go to?"

"I remember."

"One of the people who helped me was Mr. Huang's grandson."

"Master Huang Yun's grandson? That's great! Is their family still running a Chinese restaurant?" Frank laughed.

"The restaurant is now owned and run by Mr. Huang's son, Chef Huang Helou, and it's still open," John replied with a smile.

“When I was in high school, Master Huang’s family ran a restaurant, and thirty years later they are still running a restaurant.”

“What’s even more incredible is that Leon, who is Huang Yun’s grandson, remembers the original history. Leon remembers his mother. In Leon’s memory, there were only my mother and me in our family,” John explained to Frank.

“Dad, the things you did in the past will affect me now, and even my existence.”

“Lyon’s existence is very important to me. He can serve as a backup of the original historical memory, and even replace me at critical moments.”

“Son, don’t be so discouraged. I won’t let your mother die, and you won’t have any accidents,” Frank said.

“Dad, I not only want to save Mom, but also the three additional victims,” John Sullivan said.

“I disrupted the timeline and saved your life, but Mom and three others died. This is a price I cannot accept, and I must stop it.”

“Tell me about your other two helpers,” Frank said.

“The second person is Mr. Leopold, Duke of Albany, from 1876. He traveled through time to my year 2000 the day before,” John explained.

"What did you say?" Frank thought he had misheard.

“Hi, Mr. Frank, this is Leopold,” Leopold greeted the radio.

“The radio station’s ability to communicate across time and space is very likely due to the Duke’s time travel,” John said.

"Could it be that the Duke will come to my side?" Frank asked.

"This is dangerous, and we don't know where the portal to time travel is."

"So what can he do to help?" Frank asked.

"Master Huang's grandson is still in high school, so he can only help out after school. It just so happens that the Duke is very free, so he can stay by the radio station all day."

Chapter 34 Ready to Be the Flash?

"My third helper is Johnny the homeless."

"He's a veteran and a skilled fighter; he could take on the entire police force by himself."

“Dad, if conditions allow, you should also find some helpers,” John Sullivan said.

“I understand,” Frank replied.

John's father, Frank Sullivan, was a firefighter and a fire hero who had been featured in newspapers multiple times. He had a high reputation in the community and the fire department, and John believed he could find reliable help.

“Dad, I need to take Lyon home now. He has to be home by nine o’clock tonight,” John said.

"Ok."

"Dad, you can teach the Duke some basic knowledge about radio. He was a highly educated inventor a hundred years ago, but he came to my time before he had made any achievements."

"Go ahead without worry."

John Sullivan handed over his house to Leopold, and Leopold and Steve got into John's car.

In the car, Steve became very interested in the Nightingale serial murders in Queens and asked John Sullivan about the details.

Thirty years have passed since the case, which caused great anxiety among the residents of Queens.

“My neighbor is a nurse, but she works the early shift,” Steve told John Sullivan.

“The killer hasn’t been caught yet, and he may still be living in Queens,” John said.

"Did the murderer leave no clues at all?" Li Qun asked.

“I need to look at the case files again, Leon. I’ll pick you up after school, and then I’ll tell you the details of the case,” John said.

"I should make a plan first."

“If something goes wrong, Uncle Frank could very well be made a scapegoat for the real culprit,” Li Qun warned John.

“If things continue like this, John, you’ll become Barry Allen.”

“Barry Allen?” John laughed.

"Who is Barry Allen?" Steve asked, puzzled.

"Barry Allen is the Flash. He's a superhero whose superpower is that he can run incredibly fast, fast enough to travel back in time."

"The origin of The Flash, Barry Allen, is that Barry's father was falsely accused of murdering his mother. After gaining super speed, Barry went back to his childhood and wanted to change history," Li Qun explained simply to Steve.

“It really does look very similar,” Steve said.

“In the comics, Barry Allen, the Flash, could never change this. Barry saved his mother’s life and prevented his father from going to jail, but the consequence was the destruction of the entire world. He was forced to restore history to its original state,” Li Qun said.

"Time..." John's heart tightened.

“I can no longer restore the world to its original state,” John said.

“It’s just a comic book. It’s just a fate that the comic book writers imposed on Barry Allen’s character. You will definitely be able to save everyone,” Li Qun said.

“Plan, plan…” John muttered to himself.

……

George Stacy returned home, and Gwen came out of her room when she heard the door open.

“Is there an emergency at the police station?” Gwen asked George.

“No.” George shook his head. “Someone took care of things beforehand.”

“Gwen, guess who made me make a wasted trip?” George smiled at Gwen.

"Who? Uncle Jefferson?"

"It's Lyon."

“Oh, now I know what’s going on. I’m going back to sleep,” Gwen said.

"Good night."

George Stacy sat at the dining table, deep in thought.

He had a very clear impression of John Sullivan, unlike his NYPD colleagues who were easily forgotten after a glance.

His most profound impression of John Sullivan was that he was a family member of the Nightingale murder victim in Queens, and that he became a police officer to investigate the case of his mother's murder.

The Millennium Summit prompted Mayor William to launch a "City Cleanup Campaign" in New York, and the unexpected discovery of female remains in Queens was an accidental find during this campaign.

The discovery of an additional victim in a 30-year-old case could provide new evidence for the Nightingale case. Thirty years have passed, and the New York Police Department's technological capabilities have advanced considerably.

……

On Monday, the weather was sunny, and Li Qun and Peter walked side by side on their way to school.

"Such a thing is possible?" Peter exclaimed in shock.

“You’ve missed a lot,” Li Qun said to Peter.

“But I can ask Uncle Ben. He might remember the Nightingale case and could provide some clues through his journalistic connections,” Peter told Li Qun.

"Where did Uncle Ben live in 1970? Was it also in Queens?" Li Qun asked.

“Uncle Ben still has fourteen years of mortgage payments left on his house, so he definitely didn’t live at this address before,” Peter said.

"But Liqun, have you ever thought that radio station could really change history and change a person's life?"

“If you tell the lottery numbers to someone from the past…” Peter said with some excitement.

"It must be quite difficult, right?"

“Peter, can you find newspapers from thirty years ago?” Li Qun asked.

"We weren't even born yet at that time."

“My advice is not to meddle in the past; Sullivan paid the price for it.”

“That’s true…” Peter pondered.

"Well……"

Peter pushed his bicycle, and Li Qun observed Peter's expression. Peter seemed somewhat unwilling to let this opportunity slip away.

Peter was an honest man in Li Qun's eyes, but Uncle Ben was very clear about Peter's character flaws. Peter usually didn't cause trouble for others, but when he did, it was a very big problem.

Harry saw Peter from about ten meters away and jogged over.

"Peter, can I copy your homework?" Harry whispered in Peter's ear.

"Which subject?" Peter asked.

“History,” Harry replied.

"History homework is probably the simplest type of homework, right?"

“My teacher David can see right through your copying, and do you even have enough time?” Peter asked.

“His class is in the third period in the morning, so I have two periods to finish it,” Harry said.

"I really can't do anything with you. Give it back to me at noon. Luckily, my history class with Liqun is in the afternoon."

Peter secretly took out his workbook from his bag and handed it to Harry. Harry hid the workbook in his sleeve and put Peter's workbook into his backpack in his locker.

"Liqun".

Gwen patted Li Qun on the shoulder.

"Hi, Gwen, good morning." Li Qun glanced back and locked his locker.

"Let me copy your homework," Gwen said.