Chapter 415

Hal, wearing a flight jacket, a thick scarf, ear muffs, gloves, and cotton boots, walked down the streets of Gotham, gazing at the bare, desolate trees lining the road, and sighed silently.

To be honest, he felt a bit guilty; Hal was a good man. Though his early life had been far from smooth—his dream of becoming a test pilot crushed by his family's opposition, forcing him into ground logistics—he never gave up, and was ultimately chosen by the Green Lantern, a symbol of unwavering will.

After becoming a Green Lantern, he did his best to punish evil and protect the good, striving tirelessly to maintain peace. But within days of arriving in Gotham, he caused the largest traffic jam in the city's history.

The chaos he triggered by landing on a traffic light pole was far worse than it appeared: hundreds of accidents erupted at the central roundabout, and with so many vehicles to tow, the towing company hadn't finished by nightfall—and that very night, Gotham experienced its heaviest snowstorm ever recorded.

With the ground beneath Gotham now frozen solid and temperatures plummeting, the snow lasted for days and nights, only stopping last night. This snowfall, bordering on a disaster, left Gotham's transportation in utter collapse; the wreckage at the central roundabout still hadn't been cleared, and the city's entire traffic system had ground to a halt.

Hal had planned to reveal his identity as a Green Lantern and use his powers to restore order, but seeing police officers everywhere carrying rocket launchers and machine guns, he doubted his presence would carry enough deterrent.

He couldn't understand this strange city or anything about it; he felt utterly unable to fit in. He had already decided to leave—but that lingering guilt haunted him, keeping him paralyzed, unable to go.

Then, last night, he suddenly received a letter from Shiler, who said their joint battle against the Fear Demon had been a great success, and he wished to invite those who fought alongside him to his home for a gathering.

Recalling that battle, Hal still felt like he was dreaming—he had never imagined facing such a terrifying monster. Yet, defeating it had brought him an extraordinary sense of accomplishment.

Since it was Shiler's celebration, Hal felt he could attend—he had contributed, after all.

Hal shoved his hands into the pockets of his flight jacket, walking while kicking small stones on the road, when a faint "ding-ding-ding" rang out behind him. With a "whoosh," a newspaper boy on a bicycle zipped past him.

Hal's eyes widened. The boy turned his head, grinned, and stuck out his tongue. Just as Hal raised a fist to express his anger, another swarm of newspaper boys pedaled past him in a flurry.

Hal choked on the snow and dust stirred up by their passage. He waved his hand in front of his face, took a few more steps, and looked up to see a small mailbox with a wooden sign reading "Rodriguez Residence."

Hal walked over and rang the bell. Soon, a butler emerged, dressed in a tailored suit, white shirt, white gloves, and a bow tie. Hal awkwardly rubbed his hands—he had never experienced such aristocratic service.

Merkel nodded with a smile and opened the estate's gate. As Hal stepped into the parlor, he saw three others already waiting: besides Shiler, the other two were Victor and Gordon.

Victor was holding a glass of water, explaining basic physics to Dick, who sat beside him. Shiler held Elsa, patting her back as she reluctantly released her grip on the cane.

Harvey's first glance fell on Elsa's unusual teeth. He had been tailing her before, but kept his distance to avoid detection; outside Wayne Manor, she rarely opened her mouth, so Hal had never seen their shape.

Such shark-like teeth, even on a little girl, looked terrifying. Worse still, her teeth resembled a wood chipper—she bit down, and the cane snapped cleanly in two. With a few "crunches," the once smooth, polished wooden shaft turned to splinters…

"Hey, Elsa, stop that!" Dick jumped off the sofa to stop her. Elsa spat out several times, ejecting wood chips from her mouth. Shiler noticed Hal's entrance, stood up, stepped forward, shook his hand, and said: "Hello. How have you been?"

"Uh… fine." Hal's attention was fixed on Elsa, so his reply was distracted. Shiler followed his gaze, turned to look at Elsa tumbling on the sofa, and said: "A lively little girl, isn't she?"

"That depends on how you define 'lively,'" Hal said, struggling.

Shiler smiled, looking at Elsa: "Lively is the opposite of her father. I can't believe Bruce has such a lively, adorable daughter."

Hal pursed his lips: "We all know she isn't his…"

As he spoke those words, a sudden chill prickled his back. Hal nervously turned around—but saw nothing.

Soon, candles were lit, and the estate's lights blazed to life. Silver and glassware shimmered, casting rippling halos. A sharp "clink" echoed as several glasses touched, their colorful wines swirling like churning waves.

"We haven't gathered like this in a while…" Gordon began. He shifted slightly to make room for the butler pouring wine. "Pity, several people couldn't come due to various reasons."

"No matter. We have a new friend." Shiler raised his glass toward Hal. Hal raised his in return, took a sip, then said: "I never introduced myself before, but you probably know—I'm Hal, Hal Jordan."

"A famous surname. That Jordan from the Bulls is having a real moment right now," Victor chimed in.

Hal laughed and shook his head: "Because he's so popular, people keep asking if I'm related to him. Good lord, I've never even been to Chicago."

Hal continued: "I was originally a test pilot, but later switched to ground logistics. Now I work at an air force base in Haibincheng."

Then he extended his hand, revealing his Green Lantern ring: "As you've seen before, I'm a Green Lantern of the Green Lantern Corps, also known as the Emerald Knight."

"I've always wanted to ask—what exactly is the Green Lantern Corps?" Gordon asked, puzzled.

"Think of it as an organization maintaining cosmic peace. They divide the universe into sectors and assign Green Lanterns to guard them. I'm the Lantern assigned to Earth's sector, responsible for Earth's safety."

Hal briefly explained the history and code of the Green Lantern Corps. Gordon's furrowed brow eased slightly. He said: "You should know how big a mess you caused in Gotham's central roundabout. Even now, the crime bosses keep asking me what that Green Lantern really was."

Hal's expression turned guilty. He pulled his lips downward and asked: "And what did you tell them?"

"I originally planned to say a glowing superhuman landed on the traffic light and caused the accident. But…"

Gordon looked at Shiler. Shiler set down his utensils, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and said: "I advised him not to. In other cities, that explanation would be dismissed as fantasy—a ridiculous excuse by the police to shift blame."

"But this is Gotham. People here believe anything. If Gordon said that, they'd dig up the entire city to find you."

Shiler shook his head, looked at Hal, and said: "Believe me—even with your powers, once you're trapped in Gotham's mud, you might not even get a chance to run."

Hearing this, Hal felt the temperature drop again. He shivered, raised his glass, and drank. The spicy liquor warmed him slightly. He looked at Shiler, raised his glass in gratitude, and said: "Thank you, Professor. I appreciate your understanding. I didn't mean to—honestly, I had no idea Gotham's traffic was this bad…"

1200ksw.

"It's fine. I'm an outsider too," Shiler said, raising his glass and taking a sip. He smiled: "Though few notice, when it comes to traffic, I'm just as clueless as any outsider."

"You're only clueless about that," Gordon added with a laugh.

"By the way, what are you planning to do with this girl?" Hal asked, looking at Elsa beside Shiler. The butler had prepared a child's meal full of broccoli and carrots. Elsa accepted it without complaint, though her expression suggested she'd rather gnaw on raw carrots.

"What do you mean, 'do'?" Shiler asked Hal. "Bruce Wayne has formally adopted her. Her full name is Elizabeth Martha Wayne."

"But…" Hal's expression turned strained. "We all know how she came to be—that monster…"

Victor was the first to shake his head. He looked at Hal: "But now, she's no longer that monster. If her soul were still like that, or if she could revert to that form, I'd agree she needs monitoring to prevent harm to ordinary people."

"But now, Elsa is human in both soul and body. She deserves the rights any human child has."

"Moreover…" Victor looked at Elsa. "Clearly, she's intelligent and teachable—no different from any human child. If she ever harms society, it will be due to failed education."

Shiler looked at Victor in surprise: "I didn't know you were a proponent of nurture over nature."

"I've said before: my wife and I once taught very young children. Through that, I deeply understood the importance of nurture in shaping a human being."

Gordon set down his glass and rubbed his temple: "Though I'm worried she might cause trouble later, does Gotham really lack chaos?"

"Sharp teeth, super strength, incredible speed—sounds terrifying. But in Gotham, there are far worse things."

Gordon speared a piece of steak with his fork and put it in his mouth.

"Remember the disturbance at the cathedral last time? Everyone there went mad. We had to work hard just to bring them back to their senses."

"I didn't know about that," Victor turned to Gordon. "That incident that severely damaged Gotham Cathedral? What exactly happened?"

Gordon sighed and looked at Shiler. Shiler calmly continued eating his meal, then said:

"It all begins with something beneath Gotham Cathedral called the 'Pool of Wine.'"