Starting from scratch, Batman crushed my dream of getting rich

Chapter 299 Barry on the Verge of Death

Things have recently gone a bit beyond Ma Zhaodi's expectations.

He originally planned to set up a stall while exploring the entire city center, not only to familiarize himself with the local terrain but also to prepare for his future appearances in various corners of the city. However, the problem now is that he can no longer explore the entire city.

"Old Ma, Old Ma—are your steamed buns ready yet?"

"You guys bought three hundred just a few days ago, have you finished them? Want more?"

When Ma Zhaodi heard the voice on the phone, his face darkened. He should have known better than to be soft-hearted and give the phone to Liu Zi. Now, every time he calls, it's just a voice urging him to eat.

What's the point of shopping then? Those two groups of people were like wholesalers for the next two weeks. They hadn't even finished eating the buns they brought back when they were already planning to grab the next batch.

"Take it easy, you guys. It's not like you can't keep the steamed buns. I can't just cook some food and sell it all to you, can I?"

"Where's the pot of braised pork from the day before yesterday? Where's the spice bag? Keep cooking the pork, it can be cooked at least three times."

"Is there such a good thing?!"

"Boil it twice a day, morning and evening, to kill bacteria. Remember to add salt and water. Soak the meat you buy to remove the blood. Cook the meat over medium-low heat—and there's one more thing."

At this point, Ma Zhaodi looked up and around. His area was now surrounded by people holding insulated containers, densely packed around the three-wheeled vehicle, making it impossible to move.

"How many moles do you guys have? I feel like every traitor within a ten-mile radius has come here in just two weeks."

Meanwhile, the atmosphere at the Midtown City Police Department hasn't been as cheerful as it was at Ma Zhaodi's place lately.

Good morning, West.

Good morning, Eddie.

Joe West, a middle-aged black detective, Iris's father, and Barry Allen's adoptive father, arrived at the Midtown Police Department as usual today. As soon as he entered the station, he saw his new partner, Eddie Swan, greeting him.

Joe forced himself to smile, nodded to Eddie, and then ignored him, walking heavily to his desk.

This wasn't because he had any objection to his partner being replaced. In fact, Sel was already quite old, and now he had a gunshot wound to his abdomen. Even if he wasn't currently in the hospital, even if he were to be discharged in the future, he should be able to retire and enjoy his retirement.

He had no problem with Eddie. Eddie was a cheerful blond young man, handsome, capable, ambitious, and polite. It wouldn't be wrong to call him a promising young man. Even though he was still a bit green and lacked experience, he was still much better than a complete newbie. In fact, considering that Eddie had helped his daughter catch the computer thief, he should give this young man a higher rating.

The police department operates on a mentorship model, so he was able to quickly train Eddie.

But he doesn't have the energy to connect with his new colleague right now; in fact, he doesn't want to connect with any colleagues at all.

“Barry.”

He wearily rubbed his head, thinking about the scene he had witnessed that morning outside Barry's hospital room—Barry Allen, the son he had raised for so many years, was still lying unconscious in the hospital bed, covered in wounds and on the verge of death.

He saw that Barry's body was covered in charred burns, and that some of his skin and flesh were dry, cracked, and charred black like charcoal. Even though he had been trying to call out to him for the past few days, Barry did not respond to his voice at all. He lay on the bed with his eyes closed, like a vegetable.

Or rather, he has indeed become a vegetable.

“Mr. Barry Allen was very lucky. He was indeed struck by lightning and his body was covered in chemicals, some of which may have seeped into his bloodstream through the wounds,” the doctor in the white coat told Joe. “Anyone in his condition would have been in grave danger, with a very high probability of dying on the spot, but Mr. Allen did not.”

"He survived the lightning strike and made it to the emergency room. Now, his vital signs have even stabilized, but the only problem is that he hasn't woken up." "We believe the lightning strike may have damaged some of his brain nerves, or it may be due to the medication—in any case, Mr. Allen remains unconscious. He's in a vegetative state; he won't die, but he hasn't woken up either, and we can't predict when he might wake up."

"It could be half a minute, it could be half a year, it could be that he never wakes up again. In any case, whether or not to continue to keep him alive is entirely up to you, Mr. West."

“Hey, Joe.”

Eddie appeared at the desk at some point and asked Joe, "What happened to you?"

Joe glanced at Eddie.

“My adopted son is unconscious, and my partner was shot and retired.” Joe replied, “Nothing’s wrong with me, Eddie. I just need someone to think about something—you get it?”

"No problem at all."

Eddie awkwardly walked away from Joe.

I'm sorry, Eddie.

Joe watched Eddie's retreating figure and sighed silently.

Actually, these weren't the only things bothering him—just yesterday, Dr. Harrison Wells, the culprit behind the particle accelerator explosion, came to see him today.

At the time, Joe was in the hospital, sitting by Barry's bedside.

"Dad? Are you asleep?"

Iris's soft call startled Joe awake. He opened his eyes wide and saw Barry lying in front of the hospital bed.

Holding the coffee, Iris gently closed the door to the ward, came to his side, and patted her father's shoulder softly: "You fell asleep in the chair."

Qiao didn't say anything, but simply wrapped her clothes tighter and sat up straight to avoid falling asleep against the backrest again.

“It’s been three weeks, and you haven’t been eating or sleeping properly.” Iris sighed and advised, “You should go home and rest.”

Joe glanced at Barry, who was still unconscious, shook his head, took the coffee cup from Iris's hand, and replied, "Barry hasn't woken up yet. I'll go home once he's better."

These past few days, Joe has been working at the police station during the day and going to the hospital at night to stay by Barry's bedside. His face has become visibly tired and thin.

drop--

Suddenly, the monitoring equipment beside the hospital bed emitted a loud and urgent warning sound. Joe and Iris's nerves immediately tightened. They saw Barry, who was on a tube, suddenly convulsing violently on the hospital bed, his body jerking like a fish struggling to die from dehydration.

"Oh my God! Oh my God!"

Iris frantically held Barry down, while Joe rushed out of the ward, his desperate shouts almost shaking the entire hospital corridor.

"Doctor, doctor! Save my son!"

The hurried footsteps of doctors and nurses immediately echoed down the corridor.

(End of this chapter)