Chapter 4420: Prelude to Darkness (Part 12)

The two who woke up first actually weren't because they were how rational and calm they were, but because they had their own characteristics in handling emotional relationships.

Barry could be said to have adopted the most correct method. He firmly believed that his parents loved him, and it was that kind of love without dead ends in all directions, firmly believing that his parents could absolutely not do anything to harm him. So when the impostors appeared, it didn't fit his expectations for his parents at all, so naturally, he soon realized they were monsters.

J'onn could be said to stem from a professional inertia. In the choice between emotion and duty, he chose duty early on, and also firmly believed that the people he loved would support him. Plus, he was the one who had lost his closest kin for the longest time among everyone. Time can indeed soothe pain, so although it was very tragic back then, he had already walked out of the shadows of the past, so he wasn't that agitated anymore.

That these two people could wake up didn't mean others could too. This kind of attack aimed at psychology had nothing to do with physical strength and superpowers, only affected by this person's personality and emotional state. Although the emotional state had been filled to the fullest, personality itself was also a decisive factor. Some people just couldn't make a decision in this regard. Because this wasn't a mistake, correcting it was even more troublesome.

"I think Hal and Arthur's problems aren't big," J'onn said. "Both of them are very mature. Hal has a girlfriend, and Arthur's father is still alive. They don't need the love of the dead that much."

"Victor will be a big problem," J'onn analyzed further. "His mother's death hasn't been long; it's exactly the period of greatest sadness. His father, although still alive, clearly gives him insufficient companionship, making him unable to get enough love from him. Then he can only count on his mother. He is the most likely to sink."

"I'm not very clear about Diana's situation," J'onn said. "Her parents should both still be alive, but perhaps there are some other relatively important people who died. Because I know too little, let's temporarily classify her as high-risk level too."

Barry nodded, recognizing J'onn's judgment, and then he asked again: "Then Batman? He seems to have lost a son before, right?"

"You don't need to worry about this," Schiller said. "He and Damian have already met. The little bird can't escape his palm."

Barry opened his eyes wide in surprise. He wanted to ask a few more questions, but J'onn hurriedly pulled him and whispered: "You ask less about Batman's affairs. The relationships of those Gothamites are all abnormal. Discussing too much will affect your mental health."

Clark on the side was somewhat hesitant and said: "No matter what, Bruce should also be very sad, right? I'll go over tonight. Perhaps I can comfort him."

The other few people had no opinion either. They discussed it and felt it was better to help Hal and Arthur solve their problems first, so they could have more manpower. Moreover, Hal had saved Victor's life, and even put himself in it. Until now, the problem hadn't been solved, and Victor also had very strong feelings of guilt toward him. Perhaps they could use this point to persuade him.

"Where is Hal's hometown? Coast City?" They said while walking out, "Shouldn't be hard to find, right?"

"If Victor were here, it would be easy to check the address. But now it's better not to disturb him," J'onn said. "Let's go to Coast City first; I'll search for brainwaves."

Barry took him to Coast City. J'onn began to search for brainwaves; although Coast City was big, there was no need to check the whole city. Hal had revealed that he grew up by the sea, and the old house was in the fishermen's gathering area. Just check that side.

Sure enough, soon they found Hal's brainwaves. The two rushed over at the fastest speed and saw Hal and his father sitting in front of the fireplace in the old house eating.

J'onn was somewhat worried, but Barry pulled him, and cleared his throat outside the door. Seeing them come, Hal stood up very enthusiastically to welcome them, then said: "This is my father. You can call him Old Jordan or Old Joe."

J'onn and Barry didn't know what kind of act he was putting on, so they could only nod to the man in front of them like normal polite greetings.

Hal's father actually couldn't be considered old, looking still middle-aged, his spirit also looked very good, and he was eating the grilled fish on the stove with relish.

J'onn gave Hal a look. Hal shook his head at him. So they sat down together to eat grilled fish. When Barry was about to move his fork, Hal stopped him and said: "This is too spicy, you can't eat it; I'll get you some bread in a while."

Barry was somewhat surprised. His taste was indeed relatively light, but it wasn't that he couldn't eat any spice at all, and this grilled fish didn't look that spicy. However, Barry had an advantage, which was being obedient. He nodded and said: "Actually, I wasn't very hungry originally; I just wanted to taste your craftsmanship. Not eating is also fine."

Hal poured wine for his father, saying somewhat unwillingly while pouring: "Drink less. My friends are still here."

"It's okay... it's okay..." Old Jordan muttered.

A meal was eaten for more than half an hour. Old Jordan was really drinking quite a bit. In the end, he was drunk to the point of unconsciousness. Actually, he didn't drink much; J'onn suspected that Hal might have added something to the grilled fish.

After he was completely drunk, Hal sighed, wrapped him in green lantern energy, and sent him into the world of the green lantern ring.

J'onn realized that Hal wasn't bewitched; he was just more stable than all of them. Therefore, he wasn't using a kind of escapist attitude to forcibly control people, but was able to adopt a more daily way to end this farce with ease.

Doing this had another benefit, which was that in case there was still use for this impostor in the future, he could be taken out and placed by the stove, saying he was drunk to death, rather than controlled. Then this play could continue to be performed.

Barry couldn't help but give Hal a thumbs up. Actually, if he had been a bit calmer at the time, he could have done the same, pretending to be their good son, and then secretly knocking them out, letting them not know their plan had failed, which might be used to paralyze the enemy in the future.

After picking up Hal, they changed course to Atlantis. Hal produced a green lantern bubble and took several people into the sea. But because they were worried that breaking into Atlantis was a bit impolite, they didn't go in directly, but contacted Arthur from far away with brainwaves.

Not long after, Arthur and Mera came to welcome them, accompanied by faint confusion in the brainwaves. J'onn thought Arthur was confused about why they came, so he hurriedly explained: "We learned from Schiller that resurrection from the dead might be a conspiracy woven by an extremely powerful existence wanting to clear cosmic life. This matter cannot be lost, so we came over to take a look."

"No resurrection from the dead," Arthur said.

"What?"

"My mother didn't resurrect," Arthur scratched his head and said. "We are also very strange about this matter."

"Impossible, right? It's impossible that he wants to deal with everyone, but missed you alone. Could it be that she didn't return to Atlantis?"

"But if she isn't the Queen, then she is just an ordinary Atlantean. Where else can she go? Land wouldn't accept her even more."

J'onn was also somewhat puzzled. If according to what Schiller said, this is a conspiracy, these fake people resurrected from the dead are here to make trouble. Then Arthur's mother should have returned openly, because she is more legitimate than Arthur, and can completely provoke the seven seas of the ocean, create chaos in the seabed, and even attack the mainland. This is the most beneficial choice for him; it's unlikely she resurrected but didn't return.

The group discussed it for a while, but didn't study clearly where the former Queen went. They walked all the way and returned to Arthur's palace. Arthur sat on the throne, and the group teased him one after another.

"You really look like it," Hal said. "Greetings, King Aquaman."

Arthur waved his hand somewhat disgustedly and said: "Actually, I don't like staying in the seabed at all. If it weren't for watching this group of idiots, not letting them want to attack the mainland at every turn, I would have returned to Amnesty Bay long ago."

They chatted about some things related to Atlantis again, but finally the topic turned back to the Queen. Hal asked: "How did your mother die back then? Just because of resisting marriage?"

"That's not it; she was finally forced to marry, and even gave birth to my brother. It's just that she killed my brother's father, leading to him being exiled."

"Wait, exile, instead of execution?"

Arthur was stunned, then said: "She was exiled to the depths of the Trench, and since then has disappeared..."

He said while looking at Mera, because this statement was given to him by Mera. Mera frowned and said: "That is a barren land; Atlanteans can't survive there. Every generation exiled to the depths of the Trench has never had anyone return alive."

"That's not necessarily true," Hal stood up and said. "Perhaps, the Queen didn't return because she didn't die at all."

Arthur and Mera stood up one after another. Arthur walked down from the throne and said: "You mean, my mother has always been alive, just locked in the Trench?"

"That's not necessarily true either. Maybe it's that she doesn't want to come out herself. After all, being forced to separate from her lover, being forced to give birth to a child with someone else, and that illegitimate child is destined to inherit the throne of Atlantis. If it were me, I wouldn't want to come out either," Hal said.

Arthur nodded and said: "If you put it that way, it really is like this. If she watched Orm's face every day, she would probably be angered to death."

"Let's go, let's go to the place of exile and see," Arthur said and left, but J'onn stopped him and said: "Although it is indeed possible, it's still impossible to distinguish whether it is resurrection after death, or never died. Must be cautious and careful."

Arthur shook his head and said: "Whether it is resurrection after death, or never died, I won't let her return. On one hand, I still have use for Orm; I'm afraid if she gets angry, she will kill Orm. On the other hand, a country cannot have two masters. If she returns, my legitimacy will be questioned, and the seven seas of the ocean will still fall into turmoil."

"It's better to say, if she is very active in wanting to return, then she is very likely an impostor. Because she knows very well that this will shake my authority. She loves my father so much, she won't do this."

J'onn felt relieved, and the group went to the depths of the Trench together. Although the Trench also has the Trench tribe, they don't live at the bottom, but on the rock wall. The very bottom of the Trench is barren, dark, simply the most terrifying prison.

There is a barrier preventing living things from entering and leaving, but it can't affect Arthur who has already inherited the throne. They passed through the barrier and went all the way down to the bottom. Others were a bit panicked; this place was too terrifying, not looking like a place for people.

However, after walking forward for a distance, Arthur stopped his steps for no reason. He turned his head to look in one direction, where a faint light actually lit up. He slowly walked toward there, and then saw a familiar lighthouse.

A woman sat on the steps at the entrance of the lighthouse, just like his father had been looking forward to in the darkness for countless days and nights, staring at the empty darkness in a daze.

?? Let me see the new Three Kingdoms meme in the comment section again and I'll pierce my own ears deaf!! ===== CHAPTER 4421 =====