President Joel Nash
If one were to rank all US presidents, Joel Nash would surely be at the very bottom.
The scandals surrounding him were simply too numerous: corruption, bribery, being gay, office romance, a cultist, and so on. Every so often, CNN would leak some insider news related to him.
The American people had become accustomed to the President's incompetence. Many didn't even regard him as the President, just a temporary placeholder. This attitude also permeated the White House.
Aside from a few small, powerless departments and his assistant, Jason Lowe, no one paid any attention to Joel Nash. They wouldn't even give him a polite look in public.
Joel Nash was arguably one of the most disrespected presidents in the world.
The reasons for this situation were complex, but the root cause lay in four words: an improper ascent.
Four years ago, fifty-one-year-old Joel Nash entered the presidential race as a third-tier Republican candidate. No one rated his chances; his own campaign team thought he had no hope of winning. Yet, Joel Nash believed otherwise. No matter how others lobbied or persuaded him, he stubbornly refused to quit, sticking to the race like a shadow, accompanying the frontrunners all the way to the final stage of the election.
At the time, many treated him as a joke. A candidate with less than 5% of the vote? It was ridiculous.
Then, a miracle happened.
The top-ranked candidate suddenly suffered a heart attack and "coincidentally" ran into traffic congestion on the way to the hospital. And then he was gone.
The frontrunner died of a sudden heart attack, making the second-ranked candidate ecstatic. Unfortunately, soon after, a video of him assaulting a minor went viral online, and he, too, was eliminated.
The first and second candidates were both taken out in mysterious ways. Nothing like this had ever happened in US history. Once could be an accident, but twice meant there had to be a necessary factor. Based on the "principle of maximum beneficiary," public opinion quickly pointed the finger at the third-ranked candidate. All sorts of conspiracy theories flooded in. Major media outlets condemned him, calling him the darkest conspirator and the most shameless usurper of state power in history.
Under pressure from multiple fronts, "Candidate Three" immediately held a press conference and announced his withdrawal from the race.
Thus, a surreal scene unfolded.
The frontrunner was gone, the second candidate was ruined, and the third quit. Of the four candidates, only Joel Nash remained. There were no other choices.
The matter was so bizarre, so strange. It's no wonder people say that persistence leads to victory; Joel Nash's personal experience was the perfect illustration of that phrase.
The campaign, which had consumed countless manpower and resources, ended in an outlandish way. Not only the media but the public found it laughable.
Congressmen from both parties and high-ranking political officials had no choice but to begrudgingly accept Joel Nash as the President-elect. Thus, the President with the lowest popular vote in history was born.
With such a dark history, how could anyone in the White House respect him? Departments like the FBI, the Justice Department, and A.R.G.U.S. (led by the Vice President) were all privately investigating the truth of what happened that year.
They suspected the President had ties to an evil organization and manipulated the election through sinister means.
Unfortunately, after three years of investigation, no evidence was found. Joel Nash still sat in the presidential seat, as steady as an old dog.
Power dictates authority. The President is, after all, the President. You can ignore the man, but you cannot ignore the authority he wields. Just like now, the Justice Department and the FBI were using the dry corpse case to challenge the military faction led by the Vice President, but the ultimate decision rested with Joel Nash. If he didn't nod, there would be no special approval document.
A President's Decision
Time slowly ticked by in the strange atmosphere. Joel Nash took two sips of coffee and, under everyone's gaze, slowly spoke.
"Hector Hammond is an extremely dangerous metahuman. The innocent citizens who have died by his hand exceed one hundred..."
"Dick, how much do you know about him?"
Vice President Dick Cheney was momentarily stunned. He motioned, and his assistant placed a stack of documents on the table.
"Hector Hammond's identity, background, history, family situation, and combat analysis are all included."
Joel opened the file, quickly scanned it, and then asked,
"How confident are you that you can eliminate him?"
Dick Cheney answered without hesitation, "One hundred percent."
Joel smiled, then turned to the grim-faced FBI Director Jack Harvey, and asked, "How confident are you?"
Jack Harvey frowned, but also replied, "One hundred percent."
"A hundred percent confidence from everyone. That's excellent."
"Since you can both do it, then take action. Hector Hammond is a heinous killer and a severe threat to national security. Every second he remains alive is a provocation to the nation. I will sign the special approval document, allowing you to snipe and kill him on sight."
Joel Nash looked at the "big shots" in the room with expectation.
"What do you all think?"
Everyone: "..."
Seriously, he's mediating again! How many times is this?
Dick Cheney was slightly relieved. He said gravely, "I fully support the President's decision." Then he looked across the table. Attorney General Marshall Warren and FBI Director Jack Harvey exchanged glances. Although they were internally furious, they had no choice but to grudgingly agree.
After the meeting, the elimination operation officially began. Both sides immediately gathered their capable subordinates to form special action teams.
The military's order was to eliminate Hector Hammond at all costs; they wanted the body, not a live person. The FBI, however, chose to capture him alive if possible.
With differing orders, their operational approaches also varied. Dick Cheney directly activated the Fourth Infantry Division to carry out a humanitarian strike on Hector Hammond.
The FBI opted to use metahumans.
Both sides raced against time, not stopping for a moment. They both hoped to find Hector Hammond first—either to capture him or to kill him. As for failure... that was not an option.
Hal Jordan's Resolve
Coast City.
Since Hector's exaggerated performance, the entire city had been shrouded in a terrifying shadow.
The internet had also gone quiet.
No one imagined Hector would be so insane, killing people in a way that defied comprehension at a press conference called by the police chief.
Ten police officers and twenty-six reporters were all dead, without a single survivor.
The sight of the dried corpses piled up outside the police station was deeply seared into the minds of the citizens.
In a dilapidated apartment somewhere, Hal Jordan struggled to sit up, despite his throbbing body, after watching the television report.
Tom, his friend, quickly said, "Your body isn't healed yet. Don't move."
Hal ignored his friend. He gripped the edge of the bed with his right hand, which had only two remaining fingers, and slowly moved his body. When his casted legs finally touched the ground, he forced his core muscles to engage and stood up from the bed.
A searing pain shot up from his legs, but he grit his teeth and suppressed it with sheer willpower. Using the wall for support, he moved step by step toward the door.
Tom moved to help him, but Hal pushed his hand away. Tom's expression immediately turned complex.
"Hal, we're best friends."
"I know."
Hal stopped. After a few seconds, he said slowly, "That's why I don't want you to stay here." He paused, adding,
"I'm going to see Luke Shaw."
Tom's face changed dramatically.
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