Chapter 478: Green Lantern Corps in Trouble
Chapter 478: Green Lantern Corps in Trouble
Just now, Hal, who had used the Green Lantern energy to teleport to Oa Star, was observing the scenery around the teleportation platform. This was a fully transparent cabin, shaped like a cylinder, and through the surrounding glass, he could see the breathtaking alien city.
The most prominent feature was a large green spiral-shaped building, which was enormous and seemed to stretch endlessly. Surrounding the spiral building were many irregular high-rise buildings, connected by transparent glass corridors. Many green Green Lanterns were flying through these corridors, emitting green light.
While Hal was engrossed in observing everything, a group of green Green Lanterns quickly approached him from the only door in the teleportation cabin. The person leading them greeted Hal with a bow.
Following the introduction in the Green Lantern ring, Hal also bowed to him. The young green Green Lantern's face turned serious as he said, "Hal Jordan, it's a pleasure to meet you. Welcome to join our family."
"Thank you."
"Please follow me. Our Corps leader wants to meet you." The young green Green Lantern said this, but the other green Green Lanterns behind him slowly approached Hal.
Having received training in the Air Force base, Hal had basic military knowledge. He frowned, sensing that the newcomers were unfriendly.
However, he didn't show any panic because before coming here, Schiller had prepared him for possible situations. The reactions of the other Green Lanterns didn't exceed Schiller's expectations.
In fact, Hal had already thought about it. When a Green Lantern accepted the ring and registered as a member of the Green Lantern Corps, their names would be sent to the Corps headquarters. Therefore, if the Corps leader wanted to investigate, they could find out the name and sector of any Green Lantern. All Green Lanterns at the Corps headquarters were registered under their real names.
So Hal knew that after consuming so much energy, the Corps leader would definitely investigate who had extracted the energy. It would eventually lead to Schiller, and they would also learn the name of Earth.As a Green Lantern from Earth, Hal had appeared at the headquarters at the same time. It was easy to imagine what kind of treatment he would receive.
But Hal had prepared sufficient reasons. So, he followed the young green Green Lantern and walked forward, passing through a transparent covered bridge, and then flew together into the giant building.
Entering the interior once again, they took an elevator to the top floor and finally met the Corps leader in a brightly lit hall filled with green light.
The Corps leader was a tall middle-aged man with a beard at the corners of his temples. Hal greeted him with a bow, and the Corps leader nodded, his face serious as he asked, "You are Hal Jordan."
Hal nodded and gave a brief self-introduction. Due to his previous military career, his demeanor was outstanding, even more so than the other green Green Lanterns who had undergone training on Oa.
"I am the Corps leader of the Green Lantern Corps. You can call me Thalos. I heard from the new student instructor that you delayed reporting. Why?"
"Because previously, headquarters conveyed an urgent order to me, informing me that Sinestro, the Corps leader of the Yellow Lantern Corps, had arrived on Earth. I was ordered to investigate this matter, so my superior helped me report the delayed arrival."
"Then why didn't you report after completing the mission?"
"After completing the main mission, I was ordered to stay in the City where Sinestro had appeared, to investigate any potential dangers and threats he might have left behind."
Hal's answer was concise, similar to what the Corps leader had read in the materials. The Corps leader then asked, "Do you know Schiller Rodriguez, the newly appointed Green Lantern of your sector?"
"I do." Hal answered expressionlessly. He continued, "I came from him and brought a message he wanted to convey to headquarters."
The Corps leader and his deputy frowned. The Corps leader asked, "A message? What message?"
"He said he needs support."
"Support?" The deputy next to the Corps leader couldn't help but speak up. He said, "He depleted almost half of the headquarters' energy in just two days, and he still needs support?"
But Hal firmly said, "I believe it is necessary because during my time in that City, I discovered that it may be the most dangerous place in the entire space..."
His serious tone made the young green Green Lanterns beside him exchange glances, seemingly wanting to laugh.
Even the well-cultivated Corps leader, Thalos, was a little angry at this point. He said, "Hal, rookie Green Lanterns tend to exaggerate the danger of certain missions, not because the missions are truly dangerous, but because of their own cowardice..."
"As far as I know, Sector 2814, where Earth is located, is a relatively remote sector, far from the central sectors, and has a small number of registered civilizations. I don't think there is anything that can be called dangerous there."
"Then why did Sinestro choose to descend there?" Hal posed a question that no one present could answer.
Since Sinestro's defection from the Green Lantern Corps, the Corps' prestige had suffered a significant blow. Most Green Lanterns considered him a thorn in their side.
So, when Sinestro showed up on Earth, they didn't even consider the fact that Hal, Earth's only Green Lantern, was still an untrained rookie. They assigned him the task of investigating the Yellow Lanterns.
To the surprise of the Corps headquarters, Hal performed well in his mission. And because of this, his question left everyone present stumped.
"Are you suggesting that Earth has something special about it?"
"Correct. The description in my mission report states that Sinestro's motive for descending is 'unknown' because I haven't found any concrete evidence.""But in fact, based on my investigation these days, I speculate that it may be because the Lantern Corps' light beasts in a certain city on Earth sensed a strong power of fear, so they attracted Sinestro there."
The Corps leader and his deputy exchanged glances. The leader's expression softened a bit, and he coughed before saying, "But even so, it shouldn't have used up half of the headquarters' energy in just two days, right?"
Hal hesitated for a moment, seeming to have something to say, but in the end, he didn't say it. The deputy, however, said, "You can speak freely, no need to worry."
"Well, actually, I wanted to ask, didn't you notice when he was drawing so much energy? And if you did notice, why didn't you stop him?"
Before the Corps leader could speak, the deputy said helplessly, "Only when the energy in the ring is completely depleted will it return to the headquarters for recharging. But rarely does a Green Lantern use up all the energy and then recharge. The headquarters' energy has never been consumed so quickly before, and we lack the corresponding alarm mechanism."
The Corps leader interrupted him and said, "We will improve on this in the future, but first, we need to figure out what's going on with this Green Lantern named Rodriguez."
"In fact, he originally wanted to come with me to report, but the situation where he is isn't optimistic. He can't get away right now, so he can only ask for support through me."
"What kind of place is he trapped in that would make him use up the energy of the ring thousands of times in two days?" The deputy was completely puzzled.
"That's why I'm here." Hal's expression became more and more serious. He said, "I know you may be suspecting some conspiracy behind this, thinking that we are using some cheating methods to steal the Green Lantern's energy."
"But the pursuit of justice by the people of Earth will never change because of such speculations. In order to prove that we are indeed using this power on the right path, I hope to bring back a team to support my friend Rodriguez and also prove to you that we are not abusing the Green Lantern's energy."
Hal's straightforward attitude made the others hesitate. They had imagined many attitudes from Hal, but they didn't expect him to really come seeking support, and he even hoped to have other Green Lanterns go to Earth to assist.
"How many people do you hope to bring back?"
Hal pretended to think for a moment and then gave the answer Schiller had prepared. He said, "I hope for at least five people, but the more the better."
The deputy widened his eyes and said, "Is it really necessary to bring so many?"
"My companion Schiller used up the energy of the ring thousands of times in two days. That is the most powerful evidence. He couldn't have just made the power disappear out of thin air, right?"
Hal spread his hands and explained very sincerely, "Even if I am a rookie Green Lantern, I know that the safety lock on the ring is very secure. These energies must have been consumed, and a place that can consume so much energy is likely to be dangerous for a team of Green Lanterns."
The deputy nodded at his words. Hal's reasoning was indeed reasonable, and he had more confidence in the safety lock on the Green Lantern ring. This Green Lantern named Schiller must be in an extremely dangerous situation to repeatedly consume the energy in the ring.
At this point, the Corps leader waved his hand and said, "We don't have many people left at headquarters, and most of them are newly trained rookies. How about this, Carol..." The Corps leader turned his head to his deputy and said, "You take five people from the second squad and go with Hal to Earth to take a look. If it's really that dangerous, send a signal to me at any time, and I will send people to support you."
Carol didn't say anything, she just saluted and then walked towards Hal, saying, "Let's go, Green Lanterns fear no danger. Peace and justice are our lifelong pursuit."
Hal saluted her back, and both of them saw a determined look in each other's eyes.
Just as the Green Lanterns were summoning manpower, checking their rings, and preparing to go to the unknown land of Earth, the chaos in Arkham Asylum escalated.
Strangely enough, the gunfire in the hospital gradually subsided, and the gang shootout was basically over.
However, the people of Gotham knew a rule: the most dangerous time on the streets of Gotham was not when a shootout with gunfire was taking place, but when the shootout was coming to an end, and everyone was counting their losses and the bosses from all sides sat down to negotiate.
On the third floor corridor of the mental hospital, steady footsteps suddenly sounded. In front of an office door, a hand wearing white gloves lightly tapped on the door.
After the door opened, the gang leaders in the room saw Alberto, dressed in a suit, standing outside, staring expressionlessly at the situation in the room.
The leader closest to the door brought a chair over, but Alberto showed no intention of sitting down. He walked to the center of the room and looked at the gang leaders who had just been arguing, saying, "Do you know that this hospital, which you just devastated with machine guns and rocket launchers, is where I will be interning for the next two years?"
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