Chapter 652: Raging Waves of the Red Sea (Part 2)

In the presidential suite of the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, Hal and Oliver were playing cards. Looking out the window, Arthur was swimming in the outdoor pool downstairs. Many beautiful women were focused on his strong, toned physique, letting out bursts of exclamation as he moved.

"He doesn't sail very well, but he sure knows how to show off his muscles." Oliver sighed and said, "I was like that when I was young. To show off my muscles at pool parties, I'd spend two months in the gym beforehand."

"You should be grateful for your gym experience; it gave you a decent physique for surviving on a deserted island, otherwise you definitely wouldn't have lasted until now." Hal threw out a card and said.

Oliver nodded, then added, "I just called back to Star City, and my butler was surprised that I was still alive, and very happy. He hopes I can go back soon..."

"Then why are you still here?" Hal reached out and glanced at his watch, saying, "Star City isn't far from here. If you leave now, you should be able to arrive before dawn."

Oliver shook his head and said, "During those days on the deserted island, I kept thinking about one question: where does people's suffering come from?"

"Why are you suddenly thinking about things like this? Are you a philosopher too?" Hal took a sip of cold sparkling water, gasped, and then said, "I thought only professors like Schiller would study such useless philosophical questions."

"How can you say it's useless? Haven't you ever thought about it?"

"I have, but is just thinking about it useful?" Hal sighed and said, "You sitting here thinking about these questions won't reduce anyone's suffering in this world. I'd rather use that time to help others."

"But can your help make all the suffering in this world disappear?" Oliver asked.

"Of course not, but saving one person counts as one, doesn't it?" Hal said.

"That's a completely passive way of thinking. If you can't figure out from a spiritual level why everyone is suffering, you'll never be able to truly save them," Oliver said very seriously.

Hal's hand, which was fiddling with the playing cards, paused. He said, "I've heard similar rhetoric from someone before."

"Who?" Oliver looked into his eyes and asked.

"It must be Schiller. I feel that among the people I know, only he would say things like that." Hal scratched his head and said, "Sometimes I can't understand those psychology and philosophy theories, but many times, those words will swirl in my head, as if I've already understood and remembered them."

"When he was treating my wounds, he didn't seem like someone with the patience to read philosophy," Oliver curled his lip and said.

Just as he said this, the room door rang. Schiller opened the door, looked at the two people sitting in the middle of the living room playing cards, and said, "You two aren't asleep yet?"

"It's still early. What about you? How was your trip to visit an old friend? He didn't even let you stay the night?" Hal looked up at him and asked.

Schiller snorted and said, "Yeah, because he wanted to let someone else stay the night—a pretty policewoman."

Oliver and Hal laughed in unison, clearly gloating. After Schiller changed his shoes, he walked in, sat down next to the sofa, and also drew a hand of cards.

The three chatted while playing cards, and as they talked, they returned to the topic of island survival. Hal remembered what Oliver had said earlier and asked, "You said some drug dealers massacred an entire village. What exactly happened?"

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"When I first arrived on the island, I found traces of people living there. I was overjoyed, but after following them, I didn't find any living people, but rather the ruins of a village."

"That must have been where the original islanders lived. Judging by the traces of life, the last time anyone was active there must have been a long time ago."

"I didn't find any bodies, but I found some severed limbs. Following these traces, I found the place where these damn butchers buried those villagers. There were about a dozen bodies there; that must have been all the villagers..."

"The whole village was ransacked by them; nothing useful was left. I originally wanted to survive there, but..."

Oliver shook his head, showing a sad expression, and said, "I saw the traces of their lives, and then thought of the miserable state of their bodies, and felt very sad. Plus, it was far from fresh water, and food wasn't abundant, so in the end, I left."

"Damn drug dealers, they're getting more and more rampant!" Hal took a deep breath and said, "You might not know, but Coast City also relied on fishing for a time. At that time, the ocean-going ships that went out to sea were most afraid of the drug dealers from South America."

"If you encounter pirates, pirates will only kidnap the crew and then demand a ransom. As long as you come up with some money, they won't easily kill you. If the captain is willing to spend the money, as long as the cargo is handed over, at least there's no danger to life."

"But drug dealers are different. They have no humanity at all. They don't need any living witnesses. As long as they board the ship, they will kill all the crew." Hal's face was very gloomy. He said, "My uncle, my father's eldest brother, died at their hands."

"And if you dare to resist, they will torture you to death and then throw you into the sea. My uncle was a retired army officer; he suffered inhumane torture, and even his body couldn't be found..."

Hal lowered his head, the sadness between his brows more obvious. He said, "Since then, my parents firmly disagreed with me going far away because I am their eldest son, and they were worried that I would encounter the same danger as my uncle..."

"I want to avenge these villagers." Oliver hesitated, but he still said it out loud: "I know the drug trade has a long history, and I'm afraid it's hard to eradicate, but I feel I can't stand by and watch."

"What do you plan to do?" Hal asked immediately. Clearly, he had the same idea. Oliver turned his head, glanced out the window at Arthur, who was still playing in the pool downstairs, and said:

"Arthur can communicate with fish. Earlier he said that a killer whale's mother was killed by these drug dealers. Then we can use his ability to let the killer whale lead the way, find the base of this group of drug dealers for us, and then avenge those villagers."

Schiller remained silent. Hal and Oliver both looked at him. Schiller didn't express an opinion; he just said, "If you want to go, then go. But I get seasick, so I won't go with you."

"Don't you think they are really cruel?" Hal looked at Schiller's unchanging expression and asked, but then he added, "Ah, I didn't mean you have to go..."

Schiller sighed and said, "Have you ever thought about why all this happens?"

"Of course, because of that group of vicious drug dealers!" Hal had a deep hatred for this group and wouldn't miss any chance to curse them. He gritted his teeth and said, "I must wipe them all out and avenge all the innocent people..."

After saying this, Hal stood up, seemingly furious. Oliver stood up with him. The two reached an agreement on this point. After a while, Arthur was called up. Hearing that they were going to deal with drug dealers, he also agreed, saying:

"The Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea have rich fisheries. Many fleets go there to fish during the resource-rich seasons. They aren't afraid of pirates; they are most afraid of encountering this group of drug dealers. Their methods are very cruel. I've heard such terrible legends since I was a child."

"We'll leave now. I can use the power of the Green Lantern to make the ship go very fast, and with the guidance of the killer whale, we should be able to reach our destination very quickly. Once we find their base, they're finished."

"Let's go now." Oliver remembered the miserable state he saw on the deserted island and also said.

After the three left, Schiller didn't have much leisure time. Lucifer and Chloe found him again. When the two walked into the hotel room, it was already dawn. Schiller was planning to have breakfast, so the three came to the hotel restaurant, chatting while eating.

"So, you went to find Delilah's partner and caused a scene at his wedding to get a clue?" Schiller took a bite of salad and asked.

"That's because he wasn't cooperating," Lucifer snorted. Chloe showed a helpless expression and said, "You should have listened to me; we should have done things by the book..."

"Alright, the goal was achieved anyway. What clues did you find?" Schiller asked.

"Delilah's partner told us she had a boyfriend who often beat her. Delilah had even cried in the recording studio. Detective Chloe and I went to Delilah's boyfriend's house. He's a rapper, and his private life is very chaotic..."

"When we went, he was high. I had to find a way to make him sober up. I picked him up and hung him outside the balcony, let him blow in the wind for a while, and he finally gave up the clue."

"He said he hit Delilah because she cheated, and Delilah often went to a psychologist to vent. That psychologist is named Linda."

"So, we came to find you, actually hoping you could do us a favor." Lucifer glanced at Chloe and took the initiative to say, "That psychologist named Linda is very difficult. I think, since you are a famous psychologist, you should be able to persuade her. We want to know who Delilah's affair partner was."

"Did she tell you that keeping secrets for patients is a psychologist's professional ethics?" Schiller asked.

Chloe nodded immediately and said, "That's right, that's exactly what she said. We asked repeatedly many times, but she didn't waver at all, so we thought..."

"Keeping secrets for patients is indeed a psychologist's professional ethics, and it is for me too. So, I won't force my peers to reveal secrets, but I think there should be a better way to investigate the truth."

Chloe and Lucifer looked at each other, then looked at Schiller together. Schiller cut the food on his plate with a knife and fork and said, "Although I don't know much about pop music, I know that along with the rise of pop music and commercial films, there is one more thing: entertainment newspapers."

"Even in Gotham, I can hear newsboys running on the street shouting gossip about celebrities. So how do entertainment newspapers get this gossip?"

Chloe was stunned for a moment, then suddenly exclaimed, "Paparazzi! Right! Delilah has been red-hot recently; paparazzi must be following her! Let's go, we're going to the Weather Vane Newspaper office; that's the largest gossip newspaper on the West Coast..."

After saying this, Chloe stood up and ran out in a hurry. Lucifer looked back at Schiller, gave him a "well done" gesture, and chased after Chloe.

But at this moment, Schiller, who was eating, put down his fork, turned his head slightly, and glanced at the corner of the hotel restaurant. There was a figure he was familiar with, getting food.

That figure was wearing a yellow and black uniform, looking out of place among the suits and long dresses.

"Long time no see... Deathstroke." ===== CHAPTER 653 =====