After being scolded by Sinestro all night, Hal decided to reclaim his courage.
"I am Hal Jordan, the fearless Green Lantern, and I absolutely cannot be afraid."
"For the Green Lantern Corps, for Abin Sur, for Tom, for Ca… Carol, I must defeat you, Luke Shaw, just you wait, I will definitely defeat you and take back what is mine."
Hal frantically hyped himself up in front of the mirror, then took the Browning pistol he bought from the black market and headed to the suburbs.
He could feel that the ring was beneath the artificial lake in the suburbs, and it was very likely that Luke Shaw had a secret base there.
Hal took out his pistol and cautiously searched the area, but after several hours of turning over hundreds of meters in every direction, he still couldn't find an entrance.
"Damn it, where is it?"
Hal cursed angrily, looking up at the sky. A bolt of lightning struck, illuminating half the sky, and soon, a drizzle began to fall. The rain grew heavier and denser, painting the world in a gray hue.
Hal, freezing like a dog, could only huddle in his car, arms tucked in, cursing the heavens and lamenting his bad luck.
Coast City's autumn is rainy, and once it starts, it never seems to end.
From morning until evening, the heavy rain never stopped. Hal, huddled in his van, felt like a pug abandoned by its owner—cold in body and heart.
As night fell, he could only spare Luke Shaw's life for now and deal with him tomorrow.
Early the next morning, after his alarm clock rang five times, Hal groggily opened his eyes. His limbs felt heavy as if filled with lead, his head ached, his throat was scratchy, his body felt weak, and he couldn't muster any strength. Taking his temperature, it was, as expected, 39.5°C.
Looking at the number on the thermometer, Hal fell into a long silence.
At this moment, he wanted to kill someone.
At this moment, Sinestro also wanted to kill someone, and not just kill, but also beat someone. He strongly suspected that Abin Sur's ring had a programming error to choose such a simpleton as its host.
A Green Lantern Corps soldier nearby couldn't stand it anymore and said in a deep voice,
"He needs us."
Sinestro shook his head indifferently, "The Corps needs elites, not cowards. This is his trial. If he cannot complete it, he is not worthy of the power ring."
The soldier frowned and said, "But the ring chose him."
"The ring is the ring, and I am I."
After leaving such an almost cold-blooded remark, Sinestro turned and left, his overbearing style leaving the soldier beside him speechless.
The technology of Oa far surpassed that of Earth. The Green Lantern Corps soldiers who arrived on Earth quickly learned the true nature of this planet from the internet. While they disdained the backwardness of human civilization, they also had to confront the powerful superheroes.
Especially Superman of Metropolis, who could lift oil rigs, tow cruise ships, carry airplanes... his immense strength commanded awe.
After returning to the spaceship, Sinestro put Hal's matter out of his mind and focused on the search. The tracker showed that Parallax's landing point was Earth, and it hadn't left since arriving.
This meant it was highly likely that it had possessed some Earth creature, possibly a surface dweller or an Atlantean from the ocean floor.
Finding a hidden target among billions of people
was no easy task. Fortunately, the recent mummified corpse cases provided them with a clue. The abilities of Hector Hammond, the perpetrator of the mummified corpse cases, were strikingly similar to Parallax. If nothing unexpected happened, he was the infected individual who summoned Parallax to Earth.
Upon confirming the information, Sinestro immediately issued an order to search for Hector Hammond with full effort.
The big-headed monster had already become the fuse for all events.
Northeast of Coast City, within a hidden missile base.
Amanda and Jason Lowe, the President's assistant who had rushed over, went to the laboratory together. Inside the innermost culture dish of the lab, a perfectly preserved, lifelike, giant head floated quietly.
Just one glance, and Jason looked as if he had seen a ghost, instantly losing all color.
"He... he..."
"He's under my special control and won't wake up, so you don't need to worry."
Jason immediately breathed a sigh of relief, carefully observing for a few moments to confirm that the head in the culture dish showed no signs of waking, then slowly turned his head and said with extreme seriousness,
"Madam, I must remind you that your current actions are already endangering national security."
Amanda extended her hand,
"Let's talk outside."
Jason gritted his teeth, took one last reluctant look at the head, and turned to walk out.
The two came to the reception room, and Amanda personally brewed a cup of coffee and placed it in front of Jason.
"I have always held deep admiration for His Excellency the President, but due to Dick Cheney and others, some misunderstandings occurred. I sincerely hope these misunderstandings become a thing of the past."
After speaking, she picked up a piece of milk candy and put it into the coffee.
The milk candy quickly melted in the hot coffee, emitting an enticing milky aroma. Jason inexplicably shook his head,
"Ms. Waller, you're thinking too simply."
"We've always been well aware of what you and your A.R.G.U.S. have been doing behind the President's back. Now that you're down on your luck, you want to forget all the past unpleasantness..."
Jason smiled coldly, with undisguised disgust on his face, "What do you take us for?"
Amanda ignored the other person's expression, picked up a spoon, and stirred the coffee. Only after the milk candy had dissolved did she slowly say,
"His Excellency the President's biggest concern right now is the upcoming election. According to the latest polls, his approval rating is less than thirty percent, making it almost impossible for him to win, unless his campaign opponent encounters another unforeseen incident."
Amanda picked up her milk tea, took a sip, "Things only happen once, not twice. To prevent similar incidents from happening, Congress and the Federal Court have made detailed arrangements. If you continue to play those games, they will send Joel Nash to prison on charges of endangering national security, condemning him to never see the sun again."
"As the President's most trusted assistant, your fate won't be much better then."
Jason was stunned for a moment, then said coldly,
"Are you threatening me?!"
Amanda shook her head, "I can raise His Excellency the President's approval rating from thirty percent to forty percent."
"What a joke."
Jason stood up directly, "Ms. Waller, I don't have time to waste here with you. Millions of votes, how could you possibly manipulate them?"
"If I said it, I have the ability to do it. Just like Hector, you expended so much manpower and resources, and still couldn't do anything about him. If I hadn't intervened in time, Coast City would have already become hell."
Those words were like cold water splashed on Jason's head, instantly calming him down. After a few seconds of silence, he sat back down in his chair.
"I need to know the detailed measures." He paused, then added, "And your demands."
Amanda placed the pre-prepared documents on the table.
"It's all in here. You can read it while you talk to the President. I have deep apologies and hopes for Mr. Nash, and I sincerely hope we can board the same warship, fight side by side, and become close friends."
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