Chapter 491

Hal felt somewhat restless and distracted. Although he had already intended to abandon his identity as a Green Lantern, the mere thought of the recent events caused a sense of nihilistic frustration to linger constantly in his mind.

What had he done recently?

It seemed he had done quite a lot: he cooperated with Shiler to complete his plan, got into a fight with the citizens of Gotham, came to the Green Lantern Corps headquarters to take over the work of the adjutant, and then resigned directly in less than a day.

There had indeed been many events during this period, leaving him feeling somewhat exhausted. Yet, in reality, none of these things had achieved any results. He had gone in a big circle and turned back into an ordinary person.

Must power and justice coexist? Between the pursuit of power and the pursuit of justice, which one is actually right? In the process of pursuing power, must one abandon absolute justice? Justice without the guarantee of power is merely empty talk, and power without the guarantee of justice is merely tyranny...

Hal walked back slowly while pondering this question. When he took off the Green Lantern ring, he hadn't even considered how he should return, but soon, he would have no time to think about this problem.

Just as he was about to return to his previous dormitory along the skybridge, a team of people stopped him. Leading them was a rather elderly Green Lantern who said, "Apologies, but the Deputy Corps Commander requests your presence."

"Deputy Corps Commander?" Hal asked with some confusion.

"That's right. He was leading a patrol in a nearby sector previously and only returned today. Having heard of your heroic deeds, he wishes to see you."

"Apologies, but I am no longer a Green Lantern. Let me leave," Hal said, intending to push past them. However, the leading Green Lantern extended his arm, blocking Hal and forcing him back.

Hal looked into his eyes, but the leading Green Lantern remained unmoved. Hal shifted his gaze away and said, "Lead the way."

If anyone familiar with Hal had been nearby, they would have seen his mouth pressed into a straight line—a precursor to him losing his patience.

Crossing the skybridge and stepping into the elevator, as it ascended, Hal saw that the entire Oa city was peaceful. Everyone was performing their duties; Green Lanterns shuttled in twos and threes among the strangely shaped buildings, filled with laughter, as if everything from yesterday had never happened.

Arriving at the corridor again and walking to the office door, the leading Green Lantern knocked, and Hal walked in.

The person standing opposite him had a temperament and appearance completely different from Thaal. He looked very refined, with light gray skin, but his limbs and facial features were exactly the same as a human's. He even wore goggles similar to glasses over his eyes.

"Hello, my name is Owen," the Deputy Corps Commander spoke first. But Hal had gradually lost his patience and said, "Hello, I am Hal. You have already seen me; can I leave here now?"

"Why do you want to leave here, Hal?" Although Owen used a question, there was no sense of confusion in his tone; instead, it sounded more like a subtle reprimand.

"You have just achieved proud battle results and are called a hero by all the Green Lanterns. You led the Green Lanterns from the abyss of darkness to return home in glory. Why do you want to leave at this moment of celebrating victory?"

"Victory?" Hal asked. "Do you think that was a victory?"

"Why wouldn't it be? You saved everyone, you are the new hero of the Green Lantern Corps, and perhaps even the greatest Green Lantern in history. Doesn't this count as a victory?"

As he spoke, Owen smiled and draped an arm over Hal's shoulder, saying to him, "Indeed, there were some minor flaws in the process, but without a doubt, this will be the most glorious victory of your career."

While leading Hal forward, he took a document from the desk nearby and said, "I have already received orders. In two weeks, we will hold an investiture ceremony for you. You will receive the Badge of Light of the Green Lantern Corps and will also be elected the Best Green Lantern Warrior of this stellar year, appearing first at next year's parade."

Owen raised his hand and described it to Hal, "Do you know what a great honor this is? All the Green Lanterns on this planet dream of this; it represents the most glorious day of their careers."

"Applause, cheers, praise—you will become a hero praised by all, leaving your heroic deeds in the history books forever..."

Hal, however, let out a cold laugh and said, "Every greatest Green Lantern in history has to go through this routine, right?"

The smile on Owen's face slowly faded. He lowered his arm, released Hal, walked to his opposite side, looked into his eyes, and said, "It seems you come from a civilization with some cleverness, which reminds you of certain things in your hometown, right?"

"Since that is the case, I don't want to beat around the bush with you either."

Owen adjusted the glasses on his face and began to pace in the room, saying, "Sinestro, once the greatest Green Lantern, betrayed the Green Lantern Corps. This is a heinous event that has never happened in thousands of years."

"The Corps Commander of the Green Lantern Corps betrayed the Corps, which made us a joke in the universe. Our prestige plummeted, and even those weak civilizations in the fringe sectors no longer welcome us as they did before."

"We need a hero—a great and bright hero—to lead the Green Lantern Corps out of this predicament!"

Romance

"Do you know, Hal? The current Corps Commander, Thaal, only took the position in a time of crisis; he is actually not suitable for this position. And you, you are the best candidate for Corps Commander."

Owen turned his head to look out the window, where many Green Lanterns were flying, and said, "You will take over this powerful Corps. All civilizations in the universe will be respectful to you. You will bring peace and justice to the entire universe. How glorious..."

"I refuse."

When Hal's voice landed, it was like a thunderclap in a clear sky. Owen turned his head abruptly, staring coldly at Hal. Hal repeated it again: "I refuse."

"Are you crazy?" Owen's voice became colder. "You will become the Corps Commander of the Green Lantern Corps, lead the entire Green Lantern Corps, and become the greatest Green Lantern!"

"I will say it one last time: I refuse."

Hal raised the Green Lantern ring he had been clutching in his hand and said, "When it first found me, the peace and justice it depicted to me deeply moved me, allowing me to find the direction of my life. I felt that if I could dedicate my life to the great cause of justice, I would die without regrets."

"But now, you and your rhetoric make me feel deeply disgusted."

As he spoke, he threw the ring out. When the metal ring hit the metal armor on Owen's chest, the clear sound of the collision was more intense than thunder, almost deafening.

Hal wanted to turn and leave, but suddenly, a powerful green light shockwave knocked him flying. With a "thud," he hit the wall, and after landing, he collapsed on the ground.

"Cough, cough..." Hal coughed forcefully a few times, feeling that his ribs were broken. He saw Owen walking up with a ferocious face, and he heard that Owen's voice had become distorted.

"I don't understand why they chose you either! A bumpkin from the sticks who just got lucky, saved that bunch of losers, and got their favor—they actually want to build you into a hero!"

"They? Cough, cough... who are they?" Hal asked, enduring the pain and breathing rapidly.

"You cannot understand them because you are just a low-level creature who can't even fly. And they, they are a high-level civilization born at the beginning of the universe, with advanced technology you cannot imagine. The Green Lantern Corps was created by them single-handedly. I call them, the Guardians of the Universe..."

Hal coughed incessantly, feeling his breathing becoming difficult. The Green Lantern ring he had thrown away suddenly flew up, wanting to fly toward him, but was swatted away by Owen with a wave of his hand.

"I really want to kill you, but I cannot disobey their orders. So, you had better be honest and obedient..."

With a "bang," the door was pushed open, and the Green Lantern Corps Commander, Thaal, walked in. He said to Owen, "Stop! You are going too far! Owen!"

"Thaal, do you want to disobey their orders?"

"They did not tell you to hurt him." Thaal glanced at Hal lying on the ground and said, "It is useless for you to hurt him or force him to do certain things. If he cannot summon the Green Lantern ring on his own, what kind of Green Lantern hero is he?"

"Don't boss me around, Thaal. You should understand that if it weren't for your little tricks, this position should have been mine!"

Thaal sighed and said, "Everything you have was given by them, so you treat them like gods. But have you ever thought about why they are unwilling to let you become Corps Commander? Because you are actually not a Green Lantern at all. Your ring is specially made, you..."

"Bang!" A thick green light beam hit Thaal, knocking him flying. The shield on Thaal's body lit up suddenly, but Owen raised a sword made of green light and charged over.

"Stop!" Hal shouted.

But Owen had no intention of stopping; he seemed to have been stimulated to the point of madness. Hal lay on the spot and took a deep breath.

Then, he slowly floated up. A more intense green light radiated from his body. That Ion Shark, which had not appeared since he pulled off the ring, emerged from his chest again.

Wounds healed, physical strength recovered, and power surged. Hal stretched his body in mid-air. The green light in his body was like a solid piece of jade, and also like a lush forest—different from everyone else, yet more beautiful than them all.

In an instant, a large green hand grabbed Owen and lifted him into mid-air. Owen struggled while turning his head, seeing the ring still floating in the distance and Hal's empty fingers. He shouted:

"This is impossible!

You don't have a ring!

How is it possible..."

"Yeah," Hal said as if sighing, "I don't have a ring, yet I can still use the energy of the Green Lantern. So, what is the use of the ring? Who created it? And who is controlling it?"

"Greater justice..." Hal took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. A thousand words were swallowed back, and in the end, he said nothing.

"Put him down, Hal! You cannot kill in the Green Lantern Corps headquarters. You will trigger the alarm. Put him down quickly!"

Thaal kept trying to persuade him, but he didn't hold much hope. Hal was clearly angry to the extreme; anyone who was ambushed like this probably wouldn't let the culprit go.

But to his surprise, that large green hand really let go. As the green light dissipated, Hal slowly landed. He came to Thaal and helped him up.

Thaal sighed and said to Hal, "You should go quickly. If they come, you probably won't be able to leave."

He looked into Hal's eyes and said to him, "I also come from a remote sector. My civilization has not yet established a nation, but that is not important. That place will always be my home. One day, I will return there."

"After returning to Earth, don't come back." After saying this, Thaal turned and walked toward Owen.

But at this moment, he saw Hal turn around, walk toward the ring, pick it up, bring it back to his hand, and then ask:

"When is the investiture ceremony?"

Thaal saw Hal standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, with his back to the light outside, his expression hidden in the darkness.

Hal's eyes were half-closed, and there was no anger or sadness on his face, only a calmness that made one unable to read him.

In the manor, the night had passed. When the dawn light rose from the horizon, a ring emitting green light pierced through the brilliant light and stopped in front of Shiler.

Shiler reached out his hand. The moment his fingertips touched the ring, countless pieces of information were transmitted to his brain. At the end of this information, he heard a voice with a slight sigh:

"Hal Jordan is online, codename... Emerald."