Chapter 346 Kid Flash of Blue Valley Town
Noisy. This was Yang Le's first impression of Blue Valley Town. This wasn't because Blue Valley Town had falsely advertised itself, but because Yang Le had heard the sounds of children playing as soon as he entered Blue Valley Town.
The laughter of children, the chirping of birds in the branches, and apart from that, there really weren't any other sounds. Seeing this, Yang Le could be considered to believe the words on the Brochure. Blue Valley Town really was a quiet and peaceful Town. If you were to consider this place as a place to retire, it would probably be very good.
Looking at the children playing in the park not far away, Yang Le couldn't help but smile knowingly. Immediately, he tapped the steering wheel and said.
"Little Broken Car, activate Super Transformation Mode, Ice Cream Truck mode."
"Aye aye, sir!"
It was still a voice composed of various radio channels. As soon as the words fell, the position of the living area of the Little Broken Car began to transform. The original small window became a large window, and the stove part became a display window, inside which were embedded grooves. As a pair of robot hands busily worked, coupled with the efforts of the ice cream machine enhanced by Upgrade, ice cream of various colors filled each groove.
At this time, Yang Le had also changed his clothes. Although he didn't know what clothes one should wear to drive an ice cream truck, a set of pure white chef uniform was always not wrong.
"Music." Yang Le snapped his fingers, and the Little Broken Car immediately played the standard music of an ice cream truck.
A child who was originally still discussing with his friend which superhero was the strongest, immediately raised his head after hearing the familiar music engraved in his mind.
"There's an ice cream truck over there!"
This sentence was just like the charge bugle sounded when an army launched a charge. All the children in the park stopped the game in their hands and began to search for their goal.
"Where is it?"
"There! I see it!"
"Quick! I want to be the first to eat ice cream!"
Although it was crisp autumn weather at this time, this could not stop the children's determination to eat sweet and delicious ice cream. Along with the first child who started running, all the children in the park launched a charge.
Yang Le pushed open the window and said with a smile, "Don't push, don't run, there's enough for everyone."
Under Yang Le's urging, although the children did restrain themselves a little and lined up honestly, they were still chattering away. Whether it was discussing with their partner what flavor to buy, or urging Yang Le to hurry up, the power of their combined voices was indeed not small. It was estimated that it wouldn't be long before adults nearby would come over to check the situation.
"What on earth is going on?" Wally West looked towards outside the window in confusion. Although this group of children was indeed very noisy, they had never been so alarmed and startled like today.
"Wally, go outside and see what happened to those children. Why are they suddenly shouting?"
The voice of Wally's mother, Mary West, came from the kitchen. It seemed that the voices of these children were indeed very loud, and even Mary, who was preparing lunch in the kitchen, heard them.
"Go see if those children are fighting. If they are, you are responsible for separating them. Remember, you are a big child now, and also a hero. Don't stay in front of the television all day."
"Got it, Mom," Wally replied weakly, drooping his head as he walked towards the doorway, constantly muttering something in his mouth.
As mentioned before, Wally West was born in Blue Valley Town. This place can be considered his old home. As for why he would leave Central City, this big city, and appear here, that needs to be explained from before today.
A few days ago, after Batman announced the disbandment of the Young Justice League, which had just been established for a day, and the suspension of all their hero activities, Wally thought he would return to his boring campus life, but he was informed by the school that he had been granted a week's vacation.
It turned out that because he was suddenly forbidden from being a superhero, coupled with Batman's harsh words, the Flash, Barry, was afraid that Wally would not be able to bear it, so he applied for a vacation to Wally's school on the grounds that Wally had personally experienced a super villain event.
You should know that in the DC Universe, super villains basically come out to cause trouble every two or three days. Just like some special areas have heatwave vacations, the DC Universe naturally has vacations for those who have personally experienced super villain crime, just to take care of the parties involved.
This kind of vacation is generally not short, even a month can be applied for, but the Flash only applied for a week due to various considerations. After all, he could be responsible for tutoring Wally's homework, but there was nothing he could do about other things.
And after Wally's parents heard Barry tell them the whole story, they also intended to reprimand Wally, but they were all stopped by Barry. Wally did need to be taught, but definitely not now, after all, Batman had just spoken to him not long ago.
In the end, the adults discussed and decided that if they continued to stay in Central City during the vacation, it would be inevitable to encounter the Rogues who came out for team building. At that time, Wally might become sentimental about his situation. It would be better to take Wally back to his old home, Blue Valley Town, to spend seven days of vacation there.
In this way, although Wally was a bit emo because hero activities were forbidden, but because it was all his fault and he was only reflecting, he obtained a seven-day vacation in a confused state, and returned to his old home, Blue Valley Town, in a confused state.
Regarding the matter of returning to his old home, Wally was very excited at first, but like many children, after this excitement passed, Wally was only left with boredom.
This was normal. It wasn't vacation time yet, and Wally's playmates and other teenagers hadn't returned to Blue Valley Town. There were only some little brats in Town who were even younger than him. There was no way Wally could play with them.
After browsing the various scenery of Blue Valley Town and walking all over the roads of Blue Valley Town as he wished, Kid Flash, who was used to a fast-paced life, could only feel bored. Wally was also helpless about this. He was afraid that this kind of thing would happen, so he deliberately didn't use Speed Force when strolling around Blue Valley Town.
But even so, it only lasted for two days. On the third day, he began to stay at home watching television. He once again regretted why he hadn't brought his game console. Now he could only watch various programs on the television to waste time, and then wait for Uncle Barry to finish a day's work to tutor him.
Such a life was simply torture for a teenager of his age!
Sighing, Wally put on his coat, opened the door, and walked outside. Granny Peggy, who was walking her dog outside, dispelled his thoughts of using Speed Force.
"Good noon, Granny Peggy," Wally waved and greeted.
"Hello there, little Wally." Granny Peggy pushed up her glasses, and then recognized the person greeting her.
"Do you know what happened?" Wally asked respectfully. "I heard the noisy sound of a group of children."
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 347: Courtney Whitman
"You ask about this," Grandma Peggy pointed toward the park. "There's an ice cream truck in the park, where a lot of kids have gathered, which is why it's so noisy."
"Ice cream truck!" Wally exclaimed in surprise. No wonder Wally was reacting so strongly. Blue Valley was just a small town, and while adults might see it as having everything despite its size, for someone from a big city like Wally, it wasn't enough.
Take ice cream, for example. There was only one large supermarket in town selling it, and the taste wasn't great. For Wally, who needed high-calorie food and preferred calorie-rich foods, it was torture.
Wally could empty a basin-sized tub of ice cream in five seconds. That alone showed how much he loved such treats.
Knowing the situation, Wally, who could have gone home to report, didn't turn back but waved goodbye to Grandma Peggy and ran toward the park at a normal pace.
"Goodbye, Grandma Peggy, wish you a wonderful day."
Even though Wally was eager to eat ice cream, he still bid farewell properly to the elderly lady. Only after she turned around to continue walking her dog did he slightly increase his speed. Soon, he arrived at the park entrance and saw the ice cream truck as he hoped.
But when Wally saw the ice cream truck, he furrowed his brows. Something about this vehicle seemed familiar.
Wally thought for only a few seconds before giving up. Ice cream trucks were all alike, perhaps the style reminded him of one he had seen before.
While Wally was thinking, his legs kept moving, so he didn't notice the girl running out from the corner of the park on the other side. The girl was also absent-minded and didn't notice Wally approaching the park entrance.
As they were about to collide, Wally reacted. Tiny currents surged through his body, and the world seemed to freeze for him. He managed to clearly see the girl's face.
Her golden shoulder-length hair fluttered behind her due to running. Her slender eyebrows paired with her azure-blue eyes exuded an aura of heroism, but the curl of her eyebrows and her expression revealed that she wasn't in a good mood.
Speed Force didn't stop time, but the girl also reacted just before colliding with Wally. Her expression shifted from distress to panic, a process that amused Wally, who often observed various expressions of ordinary people when he first gained his powers.
Wally pushed off with his toes, sidestepping the girl rushing toward him.
Although her reaction speed wasn't on par with a speedster, she was still above average among regular people.
She tried to stop in time upon noticing Wally, but the situation was too urgent, causing her to lose balance and fall forward.
There was no choice. Wally had to reach out to stop her. If he let her fall like that, her pretty face would surely meet the ground.
The girl's attractive figure made Wally hesitate. Even though it was autumn, she was still wearing a crop top, preventing him from directly supporting her waist. Reluctantly, he decided to grab her arm instead.
"Wow!" The girl screamed, expecting the pain of impact. But when she regained her senses, she realized there wasn't even anyone in front of her.
"Are you alright?"
The girl turned her head and saw a freckled boy with orange-red hair in a baseball shirt grabbing her arm. Clearly, he had caught her, but she vaguely remembered the person who had collided with her earlier also had orange-red hair. Whether or not they were wearing baseball shirts, she wasn't sure, but the colors seemed similar.
"I-I'm fine," the girl panted to steady her breathing, her slightly rising chest moving up and down. Wally had no choice but to release her and avert his gaze.
"That's good," Wally scratched his cheek, a strange feeling of embarrassment welling up inside him.
Seeing the embarrassed youth in front of him, the girl frowned. She felt the boy looked familiar, especially his striking orange-red hair.
"Wally West?"
Hearing his name, Wally instinctively turned around to see it was the girl who called out to him, which left him puzzled.
"Do you know me?" Wally scratched his head. He didn't remember meeting such a beautiful girl.
"Courtney Whitman," the girl said clearly.
Hearing the name, Wally first looked confused but quickly recalled the person matching it with his speedster thinking speed.
"You're that antisocial tomboy Stargirl!" Wally exclaimed in shock.
"Who are you calling a tomboy!" Courtney glared.
It wasn't surprising that Wally was shocked. In his memory, the girl named Courtney was a little tyrant who couldn't be defeated in Blue Valley, and even he had suffered at her hands.
"Didn't you leave Blue Valley?" Wally asked curiously. He remembered the girl was his age, and Blue Valley didn't have a middle school. Where was she studying?
"Stop changing the subject!" Courtney clearly still resented being called a tomboy. "Who are you calling a tomboy?"
Seeing Courtney's glare, Wally's childhood fear resurfaced. Girls generally developed faster than boys during their early years, and Courtney was among the fastest-developing girls. Her height had always towered over most boys.
Moreover, Courtney's physical fitness was exceptional. In Blue Valley, not even her peers could match her, let alone older kids.
"My apologies, my apologies," Wally immediately raised his hands in surrender. Although Courtney was certainly no match for him now, Wally would never lay a hand on her. Especially since he had insulted her first. Admitting mistakes was not embarrassing; it was part of his education.
"Hmph!" The girl snorted, her pout making her look both spoiled and cute.
"By the way, are you here for ice cream?" Wally tried to cheer her up, not because he had any ulterior motives toward Courtney, but rather because after learning her identity, he no longer saw her as a girl.
They had fought together, scolded each other, so what else were they if not friends? Wally was just worried that she might ignore him like the other kids.
"So what if I am?"
"I'm here for ice cream too. How about I treat you?"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 348: If Baldy Luthor Has No Conspiracy, Then Joker Can Be Rated as a Model Citizen
Courtney reluctantly agreed to Wally's request and followed behind the boy to the Ice Cream Truck. She was still thinking about how to strike up a conversation with the girl when Wally saw the owner of the Ice Cream Truck. All the topics he had prepared were immediately thrown to the wind.
"Mr. Yang Le!" Wally looked at Yang Le in front of him in shock.
Yang Le waved with a smile and said, "Oh, Wally, I didn't expect to run into you here."
"No, why are you here?" Wally gesticulated wildly. In his impression, Yang Le was also a member of the Justice League. How could he come to Blue Valley Town, this backwater, to buy Ice Cream?
'Could it be that something big is about to happen in Blue Valley Town?' Wally, whose thinking speed was extremely fast, was best at wild thoughts. Yang Le saw Wally's face becoming more and more solemn and knew that he was starting to overthink again.
"Stop." Yang Le knocked Wally's head with a clothes drying pole, and the latter stopped his wild thoughts in pain.
"I'm just here for tourism, and by the way, to earn some living expenses. Nothing special."
"I see." Wally rubbed the place where he was hit. At this time, Courtney found a chance to interject.
"Wally, do you two know each other?"
"Oh." Wally then remembered that there was still someone beside him. After all, the shock Yang Le gave him just now was too great.
"Courtney, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Yang Le, who is kind of my, um..."
Seeing Wally stammering, Yang Le had no choice but to step forward and smooth things over, saying, "Teacher, responsible for guiding some of his extracurricular activities."
"Yes, that's Teacher." Wally immediately climbed up the pole, but Wally's expression was still too strange. Courtney was not an Idiot and had already seen it, but because the relationship between the two was not close—at most ordinary friends—she didn't say much.
"Mr. Yang, this is Courtney Whitman, one of my childhood playmates."
Seeing that Courtney didn't seem to care about Yang Le's identity, Wally breathed a sigh of relief, and then told Yang Le the Girl's name. After hearing the Girl's name, Yang Le couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, but no one noticed.
Courtney Whitman, this name was not unfamiliar to Yang Le. Not long ago, Yang Le's brain was still thinking about things about her. The Girl in front of him, whose eyebrows always hid small emotion, was another super hero born in Blue Valley Town—Stargirl.
It's just that Yang Le didn't know whether the Girl in front of him had inherited the legacy of the previous Star-Spangled Kid, the iconic Star Staff and Star Belt.
"How about it, you two, would you like to try my hidden menu?" Yang Le blinked. "You know, I don't show it to ordinary people. Today is an exception because of Wally."
"Really? Then two servings, please." Wally stretched out two fingers and gesticulated, then turned to look at Courtney. "Is it okay?"
"As long as you pay, it's fine." Courtney rolled her eyes. She was speechless at Wally's behavior of asking her after he had already made a decision.
They didn't have to wait long. After all, making ice drinks doesn't take much time. Yang Le quickly brought out two glass cups filled with transparent liquid. Bubbles kept gushing upwards, and a scoop of ice cream was placed on the rim of the cup, with a slice of lemon inserted on the rim.
"Isn't this just ordinary snow-top soda?" Courtney had black lines all over her face. Wally was also speechless. He talked so much, but only brought out such a thing.
"And it's in a glass cup, so we can't take it home to drink." Wally sighed, but Yang Le didn't care.
"If you can't take it away, then drink it here." Yang Le pointed to the side, where there was actually a small round table and three chairs.
"Were these things originally there?" Courtney said in confusion. Wally broke out in a cold sweat. As someone in the know, he certainly knew that all of this must be the work of the Little Broken Car.
Sure enough, when Wally looked at the Little Broken Car, the other party also cooperated and gave a thumbs up with its mechanical arm, but quickly retracted it, without letting Courtney notice.
"Come on, you two."
While the two were lost in thought, Yang Le had already placed the ice drinks on the table and waved to the two of them. Seeing this, the two had no choice but to walk over.
"I still want to go home to watch TV program." Wally started to sigh as soon as he sat down. Yang Le stretched out his finger and knocked Wally's head like Old Dad knocking Uncle Long.
"Ouch!" Wally couldn't help but cry out in pain. This time it hurt much more than before, causing him to complain. "What's wrong?"
"Just treat it as accompanying your childhood playmate." Yang Le glanced at Courtney. "She might not want to go home so early."
Wally couldn't help but mutter in a low voice, "What does her not wanting to go back have to do with me?"
"Slap!"
Wally covered his head at this time and stopped talking. He didn't know who Yang Le learned from, but how could there be such a painful way to hit people in the world?
"Thank you." Courtney thanked softly, holding the ice drink in both hands, holding the straw in her mouth, and taking small sips.
No matter how stupid Wally was, he could notice something was wrong at this time. Out of kindness, he asked, "What's wrong, Courtney? Did something happen? Tell me, and I'll help you solve it."
Courtney rolled her eyes at Wally and said, "It's nothing, I just don't want to go home for the time being."
Seeing that Courtney didn't want to talk, Wally had no choice, but in order to avoid embarrassment, he thought of the topic just now.
"By the way, Courtney, you haven't left Blue Valley Town, so where exactly do you go to school? I don't remember Blue Valley Town having a middle school, or did you drop out of school?"
"You're the one who dropped out of school." Courtney felt that the number of times she rolled her eyes today was more than the sum of all previous times.
"Blue Valley Town just established a middle school not long ago, and I go to school there. You wouldn't be completely ignorant of your hometown, would you?"
Wally was speechless. After moving to Central City, he really didn't care about his old home anymore.
Courtney sighed and continued, "Lex Middle School in Blue Valley Town was established two years ago, and it was completed a few months ago. I also transferred there more than a month ago."
"Really? Ahahaha." Wally scratched his head, using laughter to cover up his embarrassment.
Unlike Wally, Yang Le keenly captured the key point from Courtney's words just now.
"Lex Middle School?" Yang Le raised his eyebrows.
"Yeah." Courtney looked at Yang Le strangely. "Lex Luthor invested in building it. Of course, it's named after him. Don't those rich big shots like to do this kind of thing? What's so strange about it?"
If it were someone else, Yang Le probably wouldn't care, but if that person was Lex Luthor, then there must be some ulterior secret in it, otherwise it would be letting down Yang Le for watching DC for so long.
If Baldy Luthor has no conspiracy, then Joker can be rated as a model citizen, The Batman Who Laughs has no plan, Barbatos doesn't love Bat, and Perpetua repairs the Source Wall.
If Lex Luthor has no conspiracy, then I, Yang Le, will eat the Little Broken Car on the spot!
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 349 Courtney: You Guys Must Be Agents!
"A school invested by Luthor?" Wally exclaimed in shock. The news was so astonishing that he couldn't help but stand up.
Lex Luthor's name was like thunder to the ears within the Justice League. As one of the most troublesome and dangerous enemies even Superman acknowledged, Barry had once explained to Wally that Luthor's relationship with Superman was like Joker and Batman, or Flash and Reverse Flash.
This explanation was simple and effective, making Wally understand the extent of Luthor's danger immediately. Luthor, like the two villains mentioned above, was listed as a key target by the Justice League.
Although Luthor was very dangerous in the eyes of the Justice League, his public reputation among the General Public had always been quite good. He was considered a relatively likable entrepreneur, forming a stark contrast with the publicly recognized Playboy Bruce Wayne.
On a side note, even with Bruce's poor public reputation, he still consistently ranked high in a certain pink magazine's list of men people would want to spend a night of passion with. This was something ten Luthors riding Superman couldn't compare to (don't get the wrong idea).
It's no exaggeration to say that with Luthor's public reputation, running for president might be a bit challenging, but running for mayor or governor would definitely be no problem.
So, facing Wally, who was making such a big fuss, Courtney, who hadn't become a superhero yet and didn't understand the truth of this world, naturally felt strange.
"What's wrong? Why are you making such a commotion?" Courtney protected her ice drink to prevent Wally from knocking it over. "Lex Luthor funds more than just the school in Blue Valley Town. What's so surprising?"
"No, nothing." Wally scratched his head. "I'm just happy for the development of my hometown, haha."
Courtney rolled her eyes at Wally and muttered softly, "Weirdo, so secretive."
After the previous topic, Wally was preoccupied with Luthor's potential conspiracy, so naturally he wouldn't look for another topic. Courtney was also burdened with thoughts, and the two of them sat quietly, neither starting a new conversation.
Yang Le saw through Wally's thoughts at a glance and was also speechless at Wally's unprofessionalism. Since you wanted to investigate, why didn't you ask Courtney, who you could talk to, more questions? Maybe you could have found out something.
"Could you tell us about Lex High School?" Yang Le saw that he couldn't count on Wally, so he had to take action himself. At this moment, he brought out another plate of pancakes, topped with white cream, light golden maple syrup, and garnished with a fiery red cherry and some blueberries. These were made from the ingredients left over from the ice cream that the little broken car used.
Ignoring Wally, who was staring straight at the pancake, Yang Le placed the plate in front of Courtney and said, "I have a niece who is about to reach middle school age. I'm looking for a good school for her, so I'd like to hear your opinion."
For children of Courtney's age, what they need most is respect, so Yang Le was very particular in his wording, specifically mentioning "opinion." Courtney was indeed pleased, but she was still a little puzzled.
"If you want to go to middle school, shouldn't you just enroll in the nearest school according to the community?"
"Actually, her parents asked me to." Yang Le presented the prepared speech he had already prepared. "They want to leave Big City and move to a different place to live. Blue Valley Town is one of the havens they've chosen, but they've been hesitant because of the education problem in Blue Valley Town. The news you just mentioned is like a gift from the heavens for them."
"Oh, I see." Courtney took a sip of her drink, no longer suspicious. The reason she returned to Blue Valley Town for school was her mother and stepfather's idea. In her opinion, the little girl Yang Le mentioned was in a situation pretty similar to hers.
It's just that the other party probably doesn't have an annoying stepfather.
Courtney thought of her stepfather, and her face darkened for a moment, but she quickly hid it and said kindly to Yang Le.
"Lex High School in Blue Valley Town, although it's a new school, its facility is very complete. At least the middle school I went to in Hard Stone City before couldn't compare to it. It's clean and tidy, the teachers are quite friendly, and even the meal in the dining hall is unexpectedly delicious. The only shortcoming might be that there are fewer students, after all, it's only been in use for a few months."
"Thank you for your introduction." Yang Le smiled and interrupted Courtney, who was still preparing to talk endlessly. "Can you tell me the location of the school? I want to visit it and ask the staff there."
"Okay, sure." Courtney seemed a little unsatisfied, but she still pointed in the direction behind the park.
"It's in that direction, at the edge of Blue Valley Town. If you keep driving in that direction, you'll see it. Its teaching building is blue and white, you'll recognize it at a glance."
'It's not green.' Yang Le slandered in his heart. He thought Luthor would make everything related to him green, just like the color of Kryptonite.
"Thank you, Courtney." Yang Le untied the apron on his body and walked towards the RV. "The news you gave is very useful, but I'm still going to take a look at that school. After all, seeing is believing. I hope you don't mind."
"Uh, I don't mind." Courtney looked at the plate and table in front of her. "But does it have to be now? Haven't you cleaned up your things yet?"
"Just consider it a gift to Blue Valley Town Park. After all, I'm an impatient person." Yang Le stepped onto the RV with one foot. When he turned his head to talk to Courtney, he saw Wally pointing at himself with his finger and looking eager to try.
"Oh, right, Wally." Yang Le seemed to suddenly remember something.
"Yes, Mr. Yang!" Wally immediately stood at attention, looking like a Boy Scout, startling Courtney beside him.
"You are responsible for sending Courtney home." As soon as Yang Le said this, Wally deflated like a punctured balloon.
"Don't forget, you are still in detention. Besides, it's getting late. How can you let Courtney go home alone? Although Blue Valley Town is very safe, this is a matter of principle."
After Yang Le finished speaking, he ignored the crestfallen Wally and bid farewell to Courtney. He got into the little broken car and left the park with the melodious ice cream truck music, heading towards Blue Valley Town High School.
Looking at the dispirited Wally, Courtney asked in confusion, "What suddenly happened to you?"
"Nothing." Wally still hung his head and silently walked out of the park. "Let's go, I'll take you home."
"I don't want to go back yet." Courtney put the last piece of pancake into her mouth. "I felt you were a bit strange from the moment we met, Wally. After seeing Mr. Yang Le, you became even stranger."
"How could that be?" Wally's corner of mouth twitched. "It must be your illusion."
Courtney sized Wally up and down. When Wally was feeling extremely guilty, she said, "Could it be that Mr. Yang Le is an Agent?!"
Wally: "?"
"It must be! That's definitely it!" Courtney said assertively. "From the moment you met Mr. Yang Le, your conversation with him was strangely odd. What extracurricular activity instructor? You must be an Agent Apprentice, and Mr. Yang Le is your teacher. He just said you were in detention because you made a mistake, so you were put on administrative leave, right?"
Wally couldn't help but sweat. In a sense, Courtney had guessed correctly, except that the profession she guessed should be changed from Agent to Superhero.
"He said he was traveling to earn travel expenses, it must be to hide his identity and gather intelligence." Courtney became more and more excited as she spoke, and was already about to jump up. "He just asked about the intelligence of Blue Valley Town High School, it must be that something is going to happen there. Oh my God, I'm so smart!"
[Author's Note: Originally, I planned to have some young heroes appear in this small matter, but after careful consideration, I felt it was a bit of an overreaction, so I plan to postpone it to the next event. So sorry, there will only be one chapter today.
(End of this chapter)]
Chapter 350: Bait and Grown-Up Wally
Blue Valley High School Lex Middle School was exactly as Courtney described—it was easy to spot among the old buildings. Blue Valley itself had structures that were quite aged, but Blue Valley Middle School, only less than a year old, stood out starkly amidst the older architecture.
Yang Le parked the car outside the school gate. Since it was the weekend, there were no students in the school, and the main gates were closed. There was only one security guard left in the guardhouse.
"Who are you?"
As soon as Yang Le parked the car, the guard approached. From just this guard, one could tell the difference of Blue Valley Middle School. This guard wasn't some random hired hand; his arms were twice as thick as Yang Le's, with a robust build and an imposing presence—not someone to be trifled with.
However, in this world, appearances could be deceiving. A small child might still overpower an adult.
"Is this Blue Valley High School Lex Middle School?" Yang Le paid no mind to the guard's intimidating demeanor. "I have a child who wants to study here, and I want to take a look in advance."
"Strangers aren't allowed to enter the school premises," the guard remained firm. "If you have a need, please come back on the designated visiting day."
"Alright," Yang Le nodded and drove away without further argument. He could tell that no matter what he said, the guard wouldn't let him in. It was better to leave quietly and try another approach.
Seeing Yang Le leave, the guard said nothing more and returned to the guardhouse to continue his post.
Parking randomly, Yang Le rubbed his chin, deep in thought. He wondered if Lex Luthor had intentionally done this. The guard looked like he had retired from some special forces unit, and such a person wouldn't be affordable for a regular school.
Sure enough, after a quick search with the little broken car, Yang Le quickly found information about the guard: Bob Wilson, a retired Navy SEAL from Metropolis.
This was clearly unreasonable. With his skills, there were plenty of jobs waiting for him in a big city. A person with such a background wouldn't settle for a measly salary in a place like Blue Valley. If his hometown were in Blue Valley, it would make sense, but he was clearly born in Metropolis.
Yang Le read through the guard's file, and the more he read, the more he could only see one word: strange. Bob Wilson seemed like bait, waiting for someone to bite.
Moreover, this bait was highly specific. Accessing SEAL team records wasn't easy; discovering this clue required some skill, and the Justice League fit the bill.
Damn, Yang Le thought of his current status. He was part of the Justice League, wasn't he? Wasn't he the fish himself?
But then Yang Le remembered the Illuminati of this universe, an alliance of top-tier villains who excelled at obfuscation, using obvious things to conceal their true intentions.
In their words, the Justice League might be profitable, but the Illuminati always came out ahead. Everyone acted confidently, as if plotting some grand conspiracy.
According to the Illuminati's modus operandi, Blue Valley Middle School might genuinely have something going on, but it wouldn't be their true objective.
But what exactly was the Illuminati's purpose? Why would Luthor risk exposing himself just to act as bait?
Yang Le rapped his head, feeling overwhelmed. He glanced out the window and noticed the sky growing darker. He hadn't realized he had been thinking for so long, but it suited him fine. After all, darkness was advantageous for operations, and even superheroes needed camouflage.
Yang Le connected the little broken watch to the cameras outside the shops across the street. He refrained from hastily accessing the school's cameras, as he didn't know the personnel configuration on the other side. If there were digital network-type villains, it could easily tip them off.
Unfortunately, the shop's cameras had poor resolution and an awkward angle, only capturing half of the school gate and not even the guardhouse. It seemed active measures were necessary.
Just as Yang Le made up his mind to grab something to eat and investigate further, the shop's camera caught something interesting.
There were two shadows, though their features were indistinguishable due to the darkness and low resolution. However, Yang Le recognized one of them by their orange-red hair.
"Orange hair is Wally, so the blond must be Courtney," Yang Le tapped the table. Though he didn't know why the two were together at night at Blue Valley High School, he knew he was in for some entertainment.
———Divider———
'Sorry, Uncle Barry, Mr. Yang, Batman, Superman, or any of you adults.' Wally sighed, looking at Courtney in front of him while silently apologizing to all the elders he knew.
This was because he finally realized how dangerous a reckless person could be, and the one who helped him grow wasn't the adults he was grumbling about, but the sneaky Courtney in front of him.
At the park, Courtney deduced that Yang Le might be an FBI or MI6 agent based on her extraordinary wisdom. She also believed Wally had a significant connection to Yang Le and temporarily assumed Wally was an apprentice agent.
Even though Wally firmly denied Courtney's speculation, she still believed she was right and used it as leverage to force Wally to take her along on a secret mission.
Wally originally had no intention of paying attention to Courtney, though he wanted to join Yang Le. Unfortunately, he was currently sealed off and couldn't execute missions as a superhero.
To end the seal early, Wally wisely chose not to cause trouble and planned to go home and enjoy his mom's dinner.
But Courtney's words changed his mind.
"Suit yourself," Courtney shrugged. "Anyway, I already know the destination. I'll go by myself if you don't come."
"You're going by yourself? No way!" Wally blocked Courtney from leaving, though he didn't know what was in the Blue Valley Center. If Courtney recklessly barged in, it could interfere with Yang Le's operation, and if they encountered a supervillain, she might lose her life.
"My legs are my own, and you have no right to stop me," Courtney smirked playfully. "Either you come with me as my companion, or I go alone. You choose."
(End of Chapter)