Lin Li's walking steps halted.
"Are you sure?"
Lin Li retorted. At this stage, Barry wouldn't be his opponent. He couldn't agree with the meaning behind Barry's actions; it was a clash of two ideologies, a collision of personal viewpoints.
"I'm sure, Lin Li. You must be restrained. You cannot kill. Once you start, you will disregard all life, gradually sink into depravity, and eventually suffer mental exhaustion. The desire to kill will torment you until you lose your humanity."
"Are you sure?"
Lin Li asked again. Regardless, Barry's words felt like nonsense. He hadn't killed anyone, so he didn't know if he would encounter any inner problems, but Lin Li believed that if you held firm to your beliefs, you would be fearless.
"I'm sure. I have a friend in Star City. I once ran over 600 miles to seek his guidance. I talked a lot with him, and he also warned me. I think he's right, Lin Li. Don't take life lightly."
Barry advised. In this past month, as The Flash, he had combated a lot of crime in Central City, saved many people, witnessed the fragility of human life, the lives wantonly trampled by evil, and the wails of ordinary people. This made him even more determined to use his superpowers for good.
Every killer never realizes that when he labels himself as righteous and kills the first person, the devil in his heart will be unleashed. There will be a second righteous reason to kill the second person. The second might be because someone punched you, so he is evil. The third might be because someone merely cursed you, so he is evil again. The fourth might be because someone just looked at you, so he is evil. The fifth is because you want to kill, so you kill. Anyway, you are righteous, so what's wrong with killing? This is how one gradually descends into a murderous demon.
Barry sensed such a future in Lin Li. If Lin Li's abilities were unleashed with a killing spree, it would be a disaster.
Lin Li was his good friend, and he didn't want Lin Li to become such a demon. He hoped to help Lin Li, guide him towards the goodness within his heart, and find his way home to see his beloved, rather than embracing his beloved with blood-stained hands.
Therefore, Barry desperately wished to correct Lin Li's viewpoint now and guide him onto the right path.
"Barry, you're right."
Lin Li said in a deep voice. Barry thought Lin Li agreed with his philosophy and was delighted, but Lin Li continued, "We need a battle to interpret our philosophies."
"Is it that nothing should ever be killed?"
"Or is it my belief that those who deserve to die, die, and those who don't, don't?"
"Let's do it after I return from registering at the DMV."
After Lin Li finished speaking, he ignored Barry and walked straight away.
Barry watched Lin Li's retreating figure with a bitter heart. Lin Li's will was too firm; no matter how much he said, it wouldn't change his mind. At most, it would make him aware and cautious. When it truly came to needing to kill, Barry didn't know how Lin Li would choose. He only hoped it would be in the direction he desired.
Lin Li walked out of Star Labs.
The blue sky was vast, a few white clouds floated, and the air quality was incredibly good.
A gentle breeze brushed his face, a little dry, yet cool and very comfortable.
He strolled along the outer edge of a park. The streets were clean, the red maple trees tidy, their branches providing shade. Entering autumn, the leaves were gradually turning yellow. They hadn't fallen yet and would eventually turn red, a truly beautiful and vibrant sight.
He pondered Barry's words to him, ultimately unable to agree.
Unintentionally, he walked onto a small path next to the park's sports field.
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind came from his side. Lin Li reached out as if scooping the moon, and a basketball was caught in his hand.
His powerful body and abilities gave him an instinctive reaction; any attack on him would be instinctively resisted according to its intensity.
"Hey, you midget Chinamen, throw my basketball back."
A white man, tall, estimated around 190 cm, wearing a vest with strong, exposed arms, his muscles exaggerated and powerful.
He shouted loudly at Lin Li, causing his basketball partners to burst into laughter.
"Jetts, you're actually bullying a midget?"
"Oh no, that's not good. The Chinamen will be scared silly by you guys."
"Hehe, little midget, what are you still looking at? Do you want a fight?"
"What? Don't mess around, the midget will be killed with one punch. I don't want to go to jail. I suggest just kicking him in the ass, that's fine."
There were ten people, both black and white, all over 185 cm tall, with fierce builds and robust, large physiques.
Lin Li, under 180 cm tall and slender, undoubtedly looked like a midget in front of them, after all, one of their arms was twice as thick as his. To train muscles to this extent was quite impressive.
Lin Li watched them mock and insult him with indifference, as if they weren't insulting him.
He found that he couldn't get angry in this situation. What kind of feeling was it when ten ants were shouting at you?
While still examining himself, Lin Li realized that he had indeed placed himself too high. With his superpowers, he had positioned himself almost like a god, and facing such shouts was simply ridiculous.
Suddenly, Lin Li understood certain things about himself and others. Until this moment, he suddenly realized and accepted that this was truly a world, full of love, hate, obsession, resentment, and enmity, no different from the real world. All along, he had been too resistant.
Instantly, Lin Li seemed to transition from a lofty mindset to one of ordinary indifference, integrating into this world. Only then did he truly feel that this world was real. All along, he had viewed it as too illusory. Could you say it wasn't real? His own body, the food he ate, the people he knew—Wells, Cisco, Caitlin, Barry, Joe, and so on—all were flesh and blood, with their own experiences, their own lives, living people. Even the breeze brushing his face, the taunts and insults of the ten people just now—who could say they weren't real? At least Lin Li's feelings were real.
At this moment, he truly acknowledged and integrated into this world.
Watching the ten tall and powerful men mock him in turns, he didn't get angry. He just stared at them and reprimanded them, saying, "You not only insulted me, but also my country. You need to apologize, otherwise, you will pay a heavy price."
The word 'midget' itself carries a hint of discrimination. When applied to a normal person, it is a blatant scorn and insult.
'Chinamen', this term is like the 'n-word' used to insult black people; in America, it is a highly offensive term with severe racial discrimination.
The combined words were as if they had insulted all of China. This made Lin Li, who had just corrected his mindset, very displeased. People should be equal. Ultimately, discrimination arises from seeing oneself as too high, believing oneself to be unique. In fact, there's no difference; one still needs to eat, drink, play, and relieve oneself; the same flesh, it's just the mind playing tricks.