Joe, this is Lin Li, Barry is at Star Labs…
Fifteen minutes later, Joe arrived at Surgery with a worried expression.
He looked at Barry, who was lying in bed, with grief. Barry had only woken up less than a month ago, and now he was back in a hospital bed.
This time, it was even more heartbreaking for him.
At the time, he and Eddie had followed a lead to investigate a bank robbery suspect. The lead pointed to a farm in the suburbs. On the way to the farm, he encountered the suspect, Clyde Mardon, in the act of committing a crime. Joe couldn't understand how Clyde Mardon, who had clearly died in a plane explosion right before his eyes, leaving no remains, could be alive again?
Joe didn't immediately apprehend Clyde Mardon; instead, he chose to follow him. This resurrection was too bizarre, and he needed to figure it out.
While tracking him to Ye Demai Street, the two were accidentally discovered by Mardon. Joe watched helplessly as Clyde Mardon summoned a thick fog, and with a casual air blast, knocked Eddie unconscious. Then, he had a not-so-friendly conversation with Joe. It was this conversation that led Barry to Ye Demai Street, where he overheard them and rescued Joe and Eddie.
Joe loosened his tie, wiped his tear-filled eyes, and said fiercely through gritted teeth.
"That damn Mardon…"
Joe blamed himself. Barry was in this situation because he saved him, and this feeling tormented him.
"Joe, Barry is not in critical condition. The most important thing now is to find the person who hurt Barry."
Lin Li patted Joe's shoulder, motioning for him to follow.
Joe and Lin Li arrived at the control room lobby; they needed to discuss the Weather Wizard.
Dr. Wells, Cisco, and Caitlin were all gathered there.
"How is Barry doing?"
Dr. Wells asked. Barry was very precious to him, and nothing could happen to him.
Lin Li nodded, looked at Dr. Wells, and said, "Barry is fine. With his recovery speed, he should wake up in a couple of days."
"I heard from Cisco about the situation. An evil metahuman who controls the weather. It must be that the particle accelerator explosion gave him the ability to manipulate atmospheric molecules."
Dr. Wells took off his glasses and said to the others.
"We created him, an evil Weather Wizard, a very unfriendly Weather Wizard."
Caitlin continued, "What should we do? This metahuman is not friendly, and controlling the weather poses too great a danger to Central City."
Wells rested his left hand on his chin, thinking, and nodded, saying, "We need to retrieve his powers and capture him."
He put on his glasses, concealing a fleeting hint of a scheme.
"Capturing him is the police's responsibility. I will apprehend him and bring him to justice."
Joe said sternly, turning to leave.
Wells stopped Joe and said, "Detective, wait… I don't doubt the capabilities of the Central City Police Department, but a metahuman who controls the weather is something ordinary people cannot handle. This will only lead to more casualties."
He had witnessed Mardon's abilities and knew that ordinary people couldn't handle him. He was clear on this point, but even so, the mission of the police still circulated in his mind.
Even if it meant sacrificing himself, he had to protect the citizens of Central City.
Joe thought to himself, never for a moment not wanting to capture Mardon, for Barry, and for the safety of Central City.
"I don't need your help. Capturing criminals is a police matter. You shouldn't interfere."
Joe said sternly, with anger in his heart.
If it weren't for the particle accelerator explosion, Barry wouldn't have been in a coma for nine months, Lin Li wouldn't have transmigrated from another world, and there wouldn't be metahumans. He believed all of this was caused by Wells. Joe had a very bad impression of him; without Wells, perhaps Central City wouldn't have experienced so many incidents.
"These things were caused by your particle accelerator explosion. You need to take responsibility. The best way to take responsibility is to stay quietly at Star Labs and not cause any more trouble."
Joe said impolitely. Barry's injury had made him somewhat explode emotionally. Whether as a father or a police officer, failing to protect his child made him feel profound grief. After speaking, he walked past Dr. Wells and out of the main control room.
Damn it, couldn't they just cooperate and find Mardon?
Lin Li cursed under his breath, gestured to Wells and the others, and ran out to chase Joe. He needed to use the police department's resources and Star Labs' technological power to find Mardon. Ideally, they would all cooperate. If not, Lin Li still needed to know in a timely manner both parties' knowledge of Mardon's location. He had murderous intent towards Mardon and would never allow Mardon to harm Barry again.
Wells watched helplessly as the two walked out of the main control room one after another.
Cisco asked, puzzled, "Weren't we supposed to plan to cooperate with the police? What do we do now?"
Wells's expression showed his helplessness towards Joe, then he said profoundly, "Joe is right. I need to take responsibility for the particle accelerator explosion. I caused these events, and that metahuman must be captured."
Caitlin said, "Joe is unwilling to cooperate with us. If the Weather Wizard appears again, it could cause a lot of destruction."
Wells smiled slightly and said, "I have an idea."
If Joe were willing to cooperate with Star Labs to find and deal with Mardon, it would be much better. Joe represents the power of the Central City Police Department, and his presence makes a big difference. For example, what happens if you're not a police officer but you carry out police actions? That's against the law. You see, ever since the particle accelerator explosion, which the Federal Emergency Management Agency designated as a Level 4 hazardous area, Star Labs has always been quite 'troublesome'. If there's a police officer present, they can say they are assisting the police in carrying out actions, which is reasonable both emotionally and legally, and there's no problem. This is also why Dr. Wells actually wanted to cooperate with Joe. However, it doesn't matter if Joe isn't there. His focus is always on Barry, and the other is Lin Li, who is hindering that focus. The appearance of this metahuman will allow him to effectively restrain Lin Li, and Barry will grow significantly.
Around the corner, Lin Li caught up to Joe and stopped him.
"Joe, calm down, OK? Listen to me for a moment, OK?"
Joe said with a grim face, "Lin Li, you are also a victim of the particle accelerator explosion, unable to return home. If you are speaking on behalf of Wells, then there's no need to say anything."
"I don't represent anyone; I represent myself."
"You've witnessed the Weather Wizard's power."
"Do you think ordinary people can deal with a super-powered individual like that?"
"Even Barry, with his super speed, couldn't do anything to him."
"Do you think ordinary people will be safe?"
"Barry is my good friend. He hurt Barry, and he must pay the price."
"My lightning ability can restrain him. As long as I know his location, he will have nowhere to run."
"Joe, don't be so naive. Don't sacrifice the lives of ordinary people just to capture Mardon."