Naruto world: The Rise Of The Sand Village

"Cisco, I graduated from Central City University. According to tradition there, if Wells dies, his student has the right to inherit his scientific legacy. That means only Fleisch Water is qualified to obtain the core components of that particle accelerator."

Barry Allen stepped up to the laptop and searched for the headquarters of Hogg Auto.

"All right, we'll go with your plan. But how do we convince him?"

"We tell him the truth."

"What if he really isn't a good person?"

"It's fine. My good friend is a superpowered superhero, isn't he?"

Barry Allen glanced at the address he'd found and smiled slightly.

"All right, let's book train tickets to Gotham. Honestly, it's been a long time since I've taken public transport."

…

…

Hogg Auto, Hardy's private engineering lab.

Black Gold No. 2 was now complete. Overall, it was essentially a recreation of the Tsar Bomba in this world, with the same A- rating.

The progress bar of fortune was also rising rapidly.

Hogg United was now one of the two largest gangs in Gotham. Their territory, manpower, and assets had all grown tremendously, and the fortune progress bar had surged from 4.01% to 48.6%.

Once they finished consolidating this new territory, it would probably rise a few more percentage points.

"Boss, there are two young men outside who want to see you. They say they have a big business deal to discuss with you."

The accountant, holding the phone, came to the door of Hardy's lab from the next office.

Hardy wiped some machine oil from his face, frowned, and replied without turning around:

"I told you, any business goes through you first, and I'll make the final decision."

"But… they specifically said this deal must be discussed with you in person, and it's related to your former teacher."

The accountant answered Hardy.

Hardy asked again:

"What are their names?"

"Barry Allen, Cisco Ramon."

Hardy's hand, which had been applying lubricant, paused.

Why is the Flash looking for me?

"Bring them to the office."

Hardy took his eyes off Black Gold No. 2, changed his clothes, wiped his face, and went to the office to wait.

"Barry."

"Hmm?"

"Don't you feel like the people here are a bit…?"

Cisco winked at Barry Allen.

Barry looked at the mechanics in the shop and nodded silently.

Every one of them was burly and tough-looking, many with fierce expressions and a faint air of menace.

"Don't tell me I was right after all."

Having grown used to the peaceful and gentle atmosphere of Central City, Cisco was clearly uncomfortable with Gotham's dark vibe.

Barry fell a step behind, hiding behind Cisco.

"I don't have my powers right now. If these really are gangsters, I'm counting on you."

"Don't worry. It's just a little Gotham gang."

Cisco swallowed nervously, puffed out his chest, and mustered his courage.

Even after gaining superpowers, he still relied on his intelligence and wit to help the Flash most of the time; real combat experience was…

Near Zero.

"Gentlemen, our boss is just ahead in the office."

At the end of the corridor, the accountant, wearing a friendly smile, led the two of them toward Hardy's office.

"Ahem, Mr. Watt."

Cisco put on an air of success, striking a pose like a seasoned businessman as he shook hands with Hardy.

"Hello, Mr. Ramon, Mr. Allen. I hope you weren't too startled on your way in. Our mechanics are a bit on the burly side, which is perfectly normal. We've also hired quite a few unemployed veterans—some of them suffer from war-related trauma, so they might come off as a bit intimidating."

Recruiting retired officers to bolster his gang's strength had become a different story in Hardy's telling, making him sound almost like a socially responsible entrepreneur.

"On behalf of those veterans, thank you, Mr. Watt."

Cisco nodded solemnly, showing respect.

After some small talk, they finally got down to business.

"So, what exactly is this big deal you two mentioned?"

Seated in his executive chair, Hardy looked across the desk at the two men.

"Mr. Watt, believe me—this is a deal unlike any you've ever encountered, and one you absolutely won't want to turn down."

Barry Allen's expression was serious.

Hardy gestured for them to go on.

"Mr. Watt, have you ever heard of the Flash and Vibe?"

Cisco brushed back his shoulder-length hair, striking what he thought was a cool pose.

"Uh… the Flash… yes, I've heard of him. The Central City Gazette has a huge circulation worldwide—I get it here, too. They report on the Flash all the time."

In fact, Hardy subscribed to quite a few newspapers—the Daily Planet, Coast City Times, Star City Herald, and others—just to keep up with the latest on these superheroes.

"Oh, really! As a matter of fact, my girlfriend works there as a reporter."

Barry Allen's face lit up with a sunny smile at the mention of his girlfriend.

"Ahem."

Cisco coughed twice.

"What about Vibe?"

He looked at Hardy expectantly.

"Sorry, I've never heard of that superhero."

Cisco's anticipation instantly turned to disappointment.

"So, what does this have to do with the business you want to discuss?"

Hardy shifted to a more comfortable position.

"Actually, I'm the Flash, and he's Vibe."

Barry Allen pointed to himself, then to Cisco.

"Uh… I'm sorry, but I really haven't heard of Vibe."

Hardy offered Cisco an apologetic smile.

Cisco: …

Could you stop rubbing salt in the wound?!

"So, do you believe us? Would you like a demonstration? For example, I could shatter this ceramic cup from a distance."

Cisco extended his palm toward the ceramic cup, releasing a visible wave of vibrational energy.

Cracks instantly spread across the cup, and then it exploded.

However, the flying shards were all contained within a small area by another vibrational wave from Cisco's other hand.

"That cup was a Chinese antique I found at the old market in Chinatown…"

"I'm so sorry!"

Cisco bowed in apology without hesitation.

"It's fine, just a small expense. How about this—Flash, could you bring me some honey-glazed grilled fish from Coast City? We'll call it even—the fish for the cup."

Hardy smiled.

Barry and Cisco exchanged glances.

"That actually brings me to the reason we came to see you, Mr. Watt."

Barry began earnestly, explaining the situation.

In order to save his teammate, all of his Speed Force had been stolen by a villain named Zoom, leaving him without super speed. He was hoping to regain his powers by recreating the particle accelerator and triggering another dark matter explosion.

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