Chapter 484: Talent Abounds in Arkham! (Mid)

"Crazy! Crazy! Why is everyone in this city insane?!"

Carol, clutching his injured shoulder, and the Green Lanterns swiftly darted between Gotham's towering skyscrapers, flying low using Green Lantern energy.

They didn't fly higher because patrol drones loaded with missiles hovered above.

Massive buildings stood shoulder to shoulder; green light points danced like fireflies, while giant screens on the walls shimmered with light—when the green dots passed, a smiling face painted like the Joker stared into the camera and said:

"This is Joker Jack bringing you tonight's weather forecast: clear skies today, possible heavy snow tonight, and in the sky, a miraculous creature called the Green Lanterns will appear…"

"That's all for tonight's weather report, because host Jack is off duty… What? You ask what I'll do after work? Of course, I'll take a nice drive!"

"After all, tonight will be Gotham's greenest night, hahahaahaha!"

"Boom!"

After flying past the screen, Hal dodged a rocket missile, turned back, and saw the giant screen shattered into sparks.

He increased his speed, flying alongside Carol, and said: "This won't work—we'll be shot down eventually!"

"What the hell is going on in this city? Why are there so many lunatics?!" Carol was baffled; he looked down and saw gangs chasing them, each armed with heavily modified trucks bristling with weapons, firing at them relentlessly.

The ring could shield Lanterns from bullets and explosions, but it consumed energy—and flying and evading drained it too. If energy ran out, Carol couldn't bear to imagine what would happen if they fell into the hands of these madmen.

"Hal, you've been here a while—any safe spots we can use to regroup?"

Carol glanced at the Green Lanterns, visibly exhausted, and asked Hal.

Most of the second squad were rookies; though trained, they'd rarely faced high-intensity missions. Gotham's ordeal wasn't just high-intensity—it was hell mode from the start.

Green Lantern energy was merely a tool, lacking self-awareness or control over the Lanterns' actions—all movements were consciously decided and physically executed by the Lanterns themselves. They could fly, but how to fly, and what maneuvers to make, required constant mental and physical adjustment.

The density of Gotham's fire network forced them to maintain peak concentration at all times, dodging stray bullets and shrapnel from all directions.

An average of one high-difficulty aerial maneuver every three seconds was wearing even Hal, a former test pilot, to the bone—let alone these Green Lanterns with no aerial combat experience.

"Boom!" Another missile strike from a Bat-plane exploded at the rear of the formation, blasting the young Lantern clean out of the sky.

He reacted too slowly, caught in the blast wave; a teammate lunged to rescue him, but was blinded by a flashbang, then immediately shot down.

Hal and Carol, the two best flyers, wheeled back to rescue them, struggling hard to pull both men back.

Hal linked his Green Lantern energy to the exhausted Lantern and carried him, then said to Carol: "There's almost no safe place in this city—we should withdraw."

Hal looked up at the three Bat-planes circling overhead and added: "Someone needs to draw them away. I'll do it."

Seeing his resolute expression, Carol felt moved: "Even after all my years in the Green Lantern Corps, you're the most outstanding rookie I've ever seen."

Hal turned to him and said: "For justice."

As Carol prepared to lead the other Lanterns away, Hal called them back: "The city's crisis isn't resolved—you should relocate to another city on Earth and wait for headquarters' support."

"We'll probably have to. Our rings don't have enough energy left to teleport back to headquarters. You're local—do you know anywhere safe?"

Hal thought for a moment, then pointed in a direction. Carol nodded and said:

"Once we find a secure base, we'll call for support and return immediately to extract you."

Hal saluted him, then turned and flew off. The other Lanterns watched his retreating figure, filled with solemn emotion.

In their eyes, staying even one more second in this chaotic, insane city required immense courage—and Hal was clearly the lone warrior who charged into danger.

Hal flew near one Bat-plane; he spoke to its pilot—unknown what he said—then the plane chased him away. The other two followed, and the Lanterns seized the chance to flee Gotham.

Once they were far enough, Hal stopped, vanished, and reappeared in the Bat-plane's co-pilot seat. Batman turned, squinting at him.

Hal turned to Batman and shrugged: "I think you know who to find."

Batman turned back, pressed a button on the control panel, and a smooth voice announced: "Navigating… destination… Rodriguez Estate."

When Batman stepped into the Rodriguez Estate, Schiller and Constantine were already drinking on the sofa.

Glasses clinked against the coffee table, golden liquor splashing into the glasses, sparkling like tiny fireworks.

Batman lifted his glass without drinking; beside him, Hal had no hesitation and downed his whiskey in one gulp.

The cold liquor cleared his mind and eased his flight fatigue. Schiller opened his mouth to speak, but Batman said: "No need to explain why you're targeting the Green Lanterns—in this matter, our positions align."

Schiller took a sip, brushed his chest, raised his glass to Batman: "That's why I like talking to smart people—skip the irrelevant moralizing and excuses. This all started when Constantine called me, saying he needed to check into Arkham Asylum…"

Constantine took a large gulp, refilled his glass from the bottle.

He leaned back, arms resting on the sofa back, shaking his head: "No choice—my personal charm is too strong. A little boy named Bruce chased me all over town, furious I went to the red-light district, causing chaos there—even when I just wanted to relax, he wouldn't leave me alone…"

Hal spat out his drink. Constantine caught the glint of Batman's batarang and cleared his throat: "Alright, no jokes. Originally, I called Schiller just to hide."

"But this damn miser, this greedy Scrooge, made me do him a favor before letting me check in."

"So you provoked the gang war inside the hospital?" Batman asked.

"Originally, I was supposed to handle it—but I didn't expect two other fools inside the hospital were also planning chaos, hoping to escape. So I turned their scheme against them and amplified the disorder."

"What about the Green Lanterns' arrival?" Batman turned to Schiller, but Schiller looked at Hal, who shrugged and explained how he'd gone to Oa for reinforcements.

"You started the gang war, then made the Green Lanterns land right in the middle of the chaos—your goal was to make them realize Earth's danger?"

"But that won't deter them. It won't drive them away—it'll just make these green flies, brainwashed by justice, buzz around Earth." Batman offered his assessment.

From his wording, it was clear Batman had no fondness for the Green Lantern Corps. Understandable—he was the only local among the four. Just moments ago, those glowing green figures had flown brazenly over Gotham, causing more crashes and making gangs destroy buildings.

More importantly, Batman saw Gotham as his domain, with near-obsessive control over it. These intruders had stormed in without permission. Had Hal not stopped Batman from chasing them in the Bat-plane, Carol and his team wouldn't have escaped.

"My intent wasn't to deter them," Schiller set his glass down.

"Then what are you doing? Your actions will only draw their attention to Earth and bring them all here."

"My goal is to bring them here."

No sooner had Schiller spoken than the phone rang. Merkel descended the stairs, picked up the receiver: "Hello, Rodriguez Estate. Yes, he's…."

He placed the phone on the coffee table, handed the receiver to Schiller, who said into it: "Oh? You're already on your way? … Good, I'll wait."

Batman stared at Schiller, sensing what was coming. Schiller then said into the phone:

"See you soon, Clark."