Chapter 481

Hal, who had just teleported to Oa using Green Lantern energy, was surveying the surroundings of the teleportation platform—a completely transparent chamber shaped like a cylinder, through whose glass walls stretched an alien city that opened his eyes to wonders beyond imagination.

Most prominent was the nearest green spiral-shaped building, enormous in size, its height stretching beyond sight; around it rose many irregular skyscrapers, connected by transparent glass walkways, through which numerous Green Lanterns emitting green light flew back and forth.

As Hal was lost in gazing at it all, a squad of Green Lanterns swiftly entered through the chamber's sole door, and their leader bowed to Hal.

Hal returned the bow as instructed by his Green Lantern ring, and the young Green Lantern said with a serious expression: "Hal Jordan, it's a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to our family."

"Thank you."

"Please follow me—our Corps Commander wants to see you." The young Green Lantern spoke, but several others behind him slowly moved to flank Hal.

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Hal had undergone training at an air force base and possessed basic military discipline; he frowned, sensing hostility.

Yet he showed no panic, for before coming here, Shiler had rehearsed possible scenarios with him, and this reaction from the other Green Lanterns had not exceeded Shiler's expectations.

Hal had also anticipated that when a Green Lantern accepts the ring and registers with the Green Lantern Corps, their name is sent to the Corps' headquarters; thus, if the Corps Commander wished to check, he could easily discover any Green Lantern's identity and sector of origin—all Green Lanterns are registered under real names at headquarters.

So Hal knew that after such a massive energy drain, the Corps Commander would inevitably investigate who had extracted it—and would inevitably trace it back to Shiler, and learn the name of Earth.

And here he was, another Green Lantern from Earth, appearing suddenly at headquarters—what treatment he would receive was obvious.

But Hal had prepared ample explanations; he followed the young Green Lantern forward, crossed another transparent corridor, then flew together into the massive building.

Re-entering indoors, they took an elevator to the top floor, and finally, in a vast hall bathed in green light, Hal met the Green Lantern Corps' Corps Commander.

He was a tall, middle-aged man with a beard along his temples; Hal bowed to him, and the Corps Commander nodded, asking sternly: "You are Hal Jordan."

Hal nodded and gave a brief self-introduction; due to his former military service, his bearing stood out remarkably—even more so than other Green Lanterns who had already undergone Oa's training.

"I am the Green Lantern Corps' Corps Commander. You may call me Tyrone. The new recruit instructor told me you delayed your reporting. Why?"

"Because headquarters previously sent me an emergency order stating that Sinestro, the Yellow Lantern Corps' Corps Commander, had appeared on Earth. I was ordered to investigate, so my superior submitted a request to delay my reporting."

"Then why, after completing your mission, did you still not report?"

"After completing the primary mission, I was ordered to remain in the city where Sinestro had appeared, to investigate any lingering threats or hazards he might have left behind."

Hal's answer was flawless, matching exactly what the Corps Commander had seen in the records; the Corps Commander then asked: "Do you know the newly recruited Green Lantern from your sector, Shiler Rodriguez?"

"I do." Hal replied without expression. "I've just come from him, and I bring a message he wishes to convey to headquarters."

The Corps Commander and his aide both frowned; the Corps Commander asked: "A message? What message?"

"He says he needs support."

"Needs support???" The aide could no longer contain himself. "He drained nearly half of headquarters' energy in two days—and he still needs support???"

But Hal replied solemnly: "I believe it is necessary. During my time in that city, I discovered it may be the most dangerous place in the entire universe..."

His serious tone made several young Green Lanterns exchange glances, as if they wanted to laugh.

Even Tyrone, with his excellent composure, was growing irritated. "Hal, new recruits with white-ring Green Lanterns always exaggerate the danger of missions—but it's not because the mission is truly dangerous; it's because they're cowardly..."

"As far as I know, Sector 2814, where Earth is located, is a remote sector, far from the central sectors, with very few registered civilizations. I see nothing there worthy of being called dangerous."

"Then why did Sinestro choose to appear there?" Hal posed a question no one present could answer.

Since Sinestro's defection from the Green Lantern Corps, the Corps' prestige had suffered a severe blow; most Green Lanterns viewed this traitor as a thorn in their side.

So when Sinestro's presence was detected on Earth, they didn't even consider that Hal, Earth's sole Green Lantern, was still an untrained novice—they ordered him to investigate the Yellow Lanterns anyway.

To headquarters' surprise, Hal completed his mission well—and precisely because of that, his question left everyone speechless.

"You mean Earth has some special quality?"

"Yes. In my mission report, I described Sinestro's motive for appearing as 'unknown'—because I found no concrete evidence."

"But based on my investigations these past days, I suspect the Yellow Lantern Corps' lantern-beast sensed a powerful concentration of fear energy somewhere in a city on Earth—and that's what drew Sinestro there."

The Corps Commander and his aide exchanged glances; the Corps Commander's expression softened slightly. He cleared his throat and said: "Even so, it shouldn't have consumed half of headquarters' energy in two days."

Hal hesitated, as if wanting to say something, but held back; the aide said: "You may speak freely—there's no need to worry."

"Well, I was wondering—during the process of him draining so much energy, didn't you notice? If you did, why didn't you stop him?"

Before the Corps Commander could speak, the aide sighed:

"The ring only returns to headquarters for recharging when its energy is completely depleted. But very few Green Lanterns use up all their energy before recharging—headquarters' energy has never been drained this fast before. We lacked the proper alert mechanisms."

The Corps Commander interrupted: "We'll improve this in the future. But first, we must clarify: what exactly is going on with this Green Lantern, Rodriguez?"

"Actually, he originally intended to report in with me—but conditions where he is are dire. He can't leave, so he sent me to request support."

"What kind of place could possibly drain his ring's energy over a thousand times in two days???" The aide was utterly baffled.

"That's precisely why I'm here." Hal's expression grew even more serious. "I know you may suspect some conspiracy—that we're stealing Green Lantern energy through cheating means."

"But Earth's pursuit of justice will not change because of such suspicions. To prove we are using this power for righteous purposes, I request permission to bring back a small team to support my friend Rodriguez—and to prove to you that we have not abused Green Lantern energy."

Hal's open, honest demeanor made the group hesitate. They had imagined many possible attitudes from him—but never this: he was genuinely seeking support, and even wanted other Green Lanterns to go to Earth to assist.

"How many do you want to bring back?"

Hal feigned thought, then gave the answer Shiler had prepared: "I'd like at least five—but the more, the better."

The aide widened his eyes. "That many? Is it really necessary?"

"My companion Shiler drained his ring's energy over a thousand times in two days—that's the strongest evidence. He couldn't have made the energy vanish into thin air, could he?"

Hal spread his hands, speaking sincerely: "Even as a novice Green Lantern, I know the ring's safety locks are highly secure. This energy was definitely consumed—and a place capable of consuming so much energy could endanger fewer than a full team of Green Lanterns."

The aide nodded. Hal's logic was sound. He had even greater confidence in the ring's safety locks—this Green Lantern named Shiler must be in an extreme, life-threatening situation to repeatedly drain his ring's energy.

At that moment, the Corps Commander waved his hand. "We don't have many personnel left at headquarters—most are newly trained recruits. Very well, Carol..."

The Corps Commander turned to his aide. "Take five from your Second Squad and go with Hal to Earth. If it's truly that dangerous, send me a signal immediately—I'll send reinforcements."

Carol said nothing, merely saluted, then walked to Hal and said: "Let's go. Green Lanterns fear no danger. Peace and justice are our lifelong pursuits."

Hal saluted him; both saw unwavering resolve in each other's eyes.

As the Green Lanterns gathered personnel, checked their rings, and prepared to depart for the unknown world of Earth, the chaos within Arkham Asylum escalated further.

Strangely, the gunfire within the asylum was gradually fading—the gangland shootout had largely ended.

But Gotham locals knew a rule: the streets are most dangerous not when gunfire is raging, but when the shootout nears its end, when all sides tally their losses and their bosses sit down to negotiate.

On the third-floor corridor of the asylum, steady footsteps echoed. At the door of an office, a gloved white hand gently knocked.

When the door opened, the gang bosses inside saw Alberto, dressed in a suit, standing outside, expressionless, staring into the room.

The boss nearest the door pulled over a chair, but Alberto showed no intention of sitting. He walked to the center of the room and looked at the gang bosses who had just been shouting and spitting saliva at each other, and said:

"Do you know that this hospital, which you just reduced to rubble with automatic weapons and rocket launchers, is where I'm scheduled to intern for the next two years?"