Chapter 494

In General Tyron's office, after delivering the documents, Hal turned to leave, but Tyron called out to him.

Tyron glanced at the documents as he said, "To be honest, I never expected you to forgive Owen. You must be a man of broad mind."

Hal paused, then said, "It's not that I forgave him—I just know the headquarters needs hands right now, and he's always handled paperwork. Without him, neither of us could finish all the work."

Tyron sighed, his tone tinged with melancholy: "Since Sinestro's betrayal, they've tightened control over headquarters. I've heard…"

Tyron lowered his voice and added, "They're planning to form a special military police unit—its members aren't Green Lanterns approved by the rings, but Green Lantern weapons they've created themselves."

"You saw Owen's situation—that was one of their experiments. They've been trying every possible way to extract Green Lantern energy, and the ring is just one of them."

"Will they succeed?" Hal asked.

"I don't know. But if they do, our position will be dire." Tyron looked deeply troubled, and Hal understood—everyone knew how terrifying a dedicated surveillance unit could be.

Green Lanterns were bound by certain rules within their rings, forbidden from using lethal force. But if this police unit was created, no one knew whether it would be bound by the same restrictions—if not, a horrific purge might be coming.

"I'm sorry, Hal, dragging you into this mess," Tyron said, lowering his eyes as if studying the report, though his thoughts had already drifted far away.

"Earth is just like my homeworld—places like ours find it nearly impossible to enter the cosmos. When a standout finally emerges, they're born in the wrong era."

Hal walked back, standing opposite Tyron, and said, "Is that so? I don't think so."

"You still don't understand the gravity, Hal. They put me here specifically because I have no civilization backing me. If they'd appointed a Legion Commander from an advanced civilization, replacing him later would face resistance from his home culture."

"But I… I'm just a bumpkin from a backwater. After years at headquarters, I only ended up as Assistant to the Deputy Commander. After Sinestro's betrayal, the former Deputy and both his aides failed to become the new Legion Commander."

"When this post fell to me, I knew what they intended. Still, I had to walk this path—even if it led to a dead end."

Hal fell silent, staring at Tyron's face. Tyron looked nearly human, which made it easier for Hal to read the emotions behind his expression.

But Hal said nothing. He turned to leave the room—just as he pushed open the door, Tyron murmured, "Hm?"

"Wait! Hal, come back!" Tyron called him again, frowning at the report. "I can't make sense of this financial report on Earth's aftermath."

"Oh? But I didn't handle that section," Hal said, looking uneasy. Tyron glanced up. "Just speak plainly. No need to hesitate."

Hal sighed. "I was working on it, but Owen said I'm from Earth—if I handled it myself, I'd show favoritism. So he took it away from me."

Tyron frowned, clearly displeased with Owen's move, yet found no fault—Green Lantern Corps rules did require avoiding conflicts of interest when dealing with one's home sector.

Tyron tapped the desk. "Go get Owen. I don't understand his report."

After a while, Hal brought Owen in. Owen's face was dark as a soot pot, glaring at Hal. Tyron ignored it and asked, "Your report says you want to increase the energy budget for Gotham's cleanup. Isn't the current allocation enough?"

"Don't even mention it!"

Owen scoffed. "That half-energy-drained bastard, Shiler Rodriguez—he's the one who did it."

"You think he held out in Gotham all that time on his own? Impossible! Do you really think everyone's the so-called Greatest Green Lantern?"

Owen's tone dripped with mockery, yet Tyron remained patient. "Then how? And what does this have to do with the budget?"

"He issued massive IOUs, hired plenty of mercenaries—including Constantine, infamous in the Spirit Realm."

"Spirit Realm? I'm not familiar with that. What's so special about him?"

"You don't need to know. Just know he's a stubborn nuisance, a bottom-feeder. If we don't pay, he'll storm headquarters. And he's deeply unnatural—anyone who opposes him or even serves alongside him dies horribly."

Owen took a deep breath, exasperated. "If we don't get rid of him, we'll be sickened to death."

"But what choice did he have? If you'd held Gotham that long, could you have done it without outside help?" Hal retorted loudly.

"That's no excuse for promising huge payouts! Do you know how tight our energy reserves are? Over a hundred sector lanterns have had their charging delayed!" Owen shouted back.

As the two neared a fight, Tyron intervened. "Alright, I see your point—but Gotham's demanding compensation, and this…"

"These damn surface-dwellers somehow got hold of cosmic communication. They say if we don't pay, they'll leak the whole thing."

Owen rubbed his temples. "Our reputation's already shattered. If this blows up, the Green Lantern Corps' standing will collapse."

"Of course their demands are outrageous—I won't pay a cent," Owen crossed his arms. "I'll give them one percent. They're just ignorant surface folk—pocket change will shut them up."

"Each item seems small, but together they add up," Tyron said, worried—but finally signed off.

After Owen left, Hal didn't go. He sat across from Tyron. "If things turn worst-case, what will you do?"

Tyron shook his head. "If I had a solution, they wouldn't have chosen me."

Hal took a deep breath. Tyron sensed he had something to say. "Is what you want to say hard to voice?"

"No. I just want to know—do they have surveillance here?"

Tyron lifted his gaze, locking eyes with Hal. Hal stared back, resolute, not a flicker of guilt. Finally, Tyron said, "Relax. Former Commander Sinestro was paranoid. Since they still needed to rely on him, this office has no surveillance."

"Don't you want to save yourself?" Hal asked. "Are you just going to wait until they build their police unit, ride over your back, maybe even kill you?"

Tyron fell silent. "It's not that I don't want to—I can't. Hal, not everyone has your talent. You got the ring barely a moment ago, and already earned the Ion Shark's recognition."

"But I have a plan. Want to hear it?"

Tyron set down his report, studying Hal. A flicker of hesitation crossed his brow—he sensed Hal's words might be shocking.

Then he heard Hal say: "Not just for yourself, but for your civilization, your homeworld, and every place like ours…"

"Speak. Whatever you say stays in this room."

Hal pointed at the report. "You see what's written here? In every energy expenditure listed, Owen and I each take one-fifth."

Tyron's eyes widened slowly. Anger crept onto his face—then froze. "You…"

"Exactly what you think. But we're defending ourselves. We must hoard strength for the purge coming—otherwise, we'll just wait for the blade."

"Tyron, they betrayed us first."

As the words ended, Hal saw Tyron's Adam's apple tremble. He continued: "Now, this plan only lacks one final piece. Owen and I alone can only do so much."

"And those energies…" Hal extended his arm, pointing to the next room. "They're right there. Once those damned police kill us, they'll take them. Are you just going to sit here and wait?"

Tyron's lips trembled. "But I'm the Legion Commander—I can't…"

Hal placed his hand on the desk. "I don't believe you don't know—the Green Lantern Corps under their control doesn't represent justice for anyone. We're just their gun, and Green Lantern energy is their bullet."

Tyron fell silent. He drew a deep breath, his chest trembling. Hal's words were like a demon's whisper—he had to admit, he was tempted. He knew better than anyone how powerful Green Lantern energy was.

"But we can't abuse this energy. You know—without ring certification, you can't use it. Even if you extract it, ordinary people can't wield it."

"What if I have a way?"

Tyron's heart began pounding. His throat went dry. "You mean… you have a way to let surface-dwellers use Green Lantern energy? As… an energy source?"

"A universal energy source," Hal added.

Tyron's hands began to shake. "Are you sure?"

Hal nodded. Tyron fell silent—long minutes passed, perhaps over ten. He said nothing, lost in memory. From his eyes, Hal saw he was thinking of his homeworld.

g.

Hal wasn't surprised. Even without a high education, he knew—if human civilization could harness Green Lantern energy as a power source, even temporarily, even just enough for experiments or energy-limited devices, it would be a quantum leap.

After a long wait, he finally heard Tyron say:

"... What do you plan to do?"

"Do you remember Shiler Rodriguez, who once guarded Gotham?"

"Uh… yes. But didn't you say he was injured in the chaos and is resting at home?"

"Yes. But he's recovered. I've recommended him as Internal Deputy Commander of the Green Lantern Corps—specifically for finance."

Tyron hesitated. "You mean… he can…"

Hal nodded firmly.

"He really can."