ushernet Chapter 41 The Time Dilemma
Chapter 41 The Time Dilemma
Would you like to hear my opinion on this matter?
Joey tried a few more times and found that no matter how he set the parameters, he could not escape the two worlds, which were only different in space.
He had just been teleported to the summit of the Himalayas, and it took him two minutes to stop a massive avalanche that he had accidentally triggered before he returned to Stark.
The time machine has become a useless device that can only travel between two universes.
Having no other options, he had to pin his hopes on Tony, telling him about the situation and hoping he had some ideas on how to resolve it.
Then Tony told Joey about his insights into time and space, which can be summarized in one sentence:
"If you're not fixated on resurrecting your parents, this time machine can take you to the right time."
Joey was so angry she laughed, feeling that Tony's words were as if they were true:
"You mean if I want to travel through time normally, I can't resurrect my parents; but if I don't want to resurrect my parents, why would I travel through time?"
Joey reversed the parameters and prepared to leave; he really didn't need to fight Tony to the death.
"Forget it, you're obviously not that smart. I'm going to go to that universe and find someone with a truly sharp mind to solve this problem."
These words were practically a personal attack, and they immediately infuriated Tony.
"I can tell you with absolute certainty that, in any universe, Tony Stark is one of the smartest people. Anyone else who is smart enough would arrive at a similar conclusion!"
"Goodbye, Tony. I hope I don't end up in your wretched universe again next time I travel through time!"
Joey activated his watch: "Also, I hope you don't mind, I just secretly wrote down the blueprints for your arc reactor, as well as the improved version your father left you."
"What did my father leave behind?"
Tony's father left his son a completely new elemental structure that could be used in the Arc Reactor; the combination of these two elements resulted in a revolutionary reactor—a truly groundbreaking creation.
A miniaturized, non-radioactive, non-heavy metal contamination, stable output, and highly efficient cold fusion reactor.
If used properly, this technology could directly propel human civilization to a new stage—a new stage free from energy crises and unconstrained by resources and climate.
But Iron Man Tony Stark mostly uses it only as a power source for his armor.
However, Joey didn't care about any of that. If he wanted to, he felt he could try to support the entire human civilization like a dried-up corpse sitting on a golden toilet. But what would be the point of all that?
I'm not even a human being on Earth right now, physiologically.
Joey borrowed Tony's Arc Reactor blueprints simply for power supply. The difference is that Tony Stark used the reactor to power his Iron Man armor, while Joey used it to power his own body.
Cold fusion is essentially just a milder form of nuclear fusion, and its core principle is no different from that of thermonuclear fusion in the sun.
With just a slight adjustment to the energy radiation mode of the Ark Reactor, it can radiate electromagnetic radiation that is identical to yellow sunlight. If you spend more time researching it, you might even be able to make it project a dazzling blue O-type starlight.
Once Joey sorted out his thoughts, he understood what was going on with the Kent family, who had no adopted children, in the first universe he had accidentally arrived in when he jumped through time.
That was Flashpoint, a mad universe.
In this universe, the existence and personalities of many well-known superheroes and supervillains differ from those in the normal timeline.
For example, Superman's spaceship in this universe did not land in Smallville, Kansas, but landed directly in the densely populated metropolis, causing nearly 10,000 casualties.
For example, right now Joey is hiding by the haystacks at Kent Farm, listening quietly to what's going on inside the house, and he hears on TV that the negotiations between the Amazons and Aquaman have broken down.
The island of Paradise was destroyed in an attack by the Atlanteans and was eventually swallowed by the sea. In retaliation against Aquaman, Wonder Woman severed Mera's head in a battle.
Wonder Woman Diana Prince and Aquaman Arthur Curry have declared war on each other, and they are about to lead their people in a war to the death.
The adoptive mother, Martha Kent, sighed repeatedly, while the adoptive father, Jonathan Kent, looked even more worried.
The remnants of the old gods are fighting each other in the present world, and humanity will naturally suffer as a result. The world is now gradually sliding into the abyss of destruction.
All of this is because some idiot wanted to travel back in time to change the established fact that his loved ones had died.
Joey was referring to The Flash, not himself.
"What kind of mess is this...?"
His memories of the Flashpoint universe were already hazy. He only remembered that the "Superman" in this universe seemed to be controlled and contained by the military, and that he had been doing research work in a secret experimental facility underground in Metropolis since childhood. His specific job was to be researched.
There are still some reliable superheroes left in this world, such as Cyborg and Shazam. Joey will have to do his own research to find out the specifics of the rest.
Joey was somewhat confused. This universe was created by the Flash, Barry Allen, who used the Speed Force to change the established fact that his mother had been killed. It had nothing to do with him. Why did he unexpectedly end up here when he first traveled through time?
None of this makes sense.
If there truly is some supreme will, could this accident be a real warning to me?
Warning my ass—Joey dismissed his wild thoughts, deciding that he should use this time to think about how to return to his own universe.
As for stopping the war between Wonder Woman and Aquaman?
Yes, but it's unnecessary. This world is destined to be destroyed.
After the Flash accepts his mother's death and sets things right, the Speed Force will correct everything, and the entire world will disappear as if it had never existed.
But before that, Joey needs to find some people.
···
metropolis.
When Joey was reborn, he had imagined more than once what it would be like for him to come to Metropolis.
He had been to New York before he died and knew that the Metropolis and Gotham were two sides of the same coin, the light and the dark. He had dreamed of moving to the Metropolis under the secret identity of "Superman" after he graduated.
He's a newspaper reporter by day, secretly dons a cape to fight criminals, and calls his adoptive parents at night to vent his frustrations. He might even find true love like Lois Lane, just like most superheroes in the universe.
But this can only remain a fantasy in the end.
Looking down over the entire metropolis, Joey, through observation and comparison from multiple angles, clearly located a large blind spot beneath the metropolis.
Kryptonians have superhuman vision that can't see through lead, but that doesn't mean you can hide things in lead-lined compartments and avoid being detected by them.
Clark Kent had his vision obscured by lead plates simply because he had high moral standards and respected everyone's privacy.
This might sound a bit like the curtains outside a bathhouse; if something is deliberately covered up with lead plates, Clark Kent obviously won't peek in anymore.
But Joey is different; most of the time he will choose to lift the curtain and take a closer look.