"I am Grodd, not some animal, you purple-skinned eggplant!" Sinestro's complaint hadn't even finished when an unusually deep, muffled voice resonated in his mind.
He couldn't help but glance at Grodd. Was this gorilla speaking?
"Yes, Grodd has very powerful telepathic abilities," Thea said leisurely. She hadn't heard Grodd's words, but from Sinestro's expression she could guess a thing or two.
"Telepathic abilities..." Sinestro had the mind of a formidable warlord. He didn't care about being called a purple-skinned eggplant; he was weighing the strength of this ability.
Originally, he thought that with a height of three meters and weighing several tons, Grodd was a melee-type warrior. He hadn't expected him to be a psychic type. It wasn't that there were no species in the universe capable of mind control—Sinestro had seen plenty—but most of them had frail bodies. A psychic user with a physique as massive as Grodd's was extremely rare.
Grodd's two huge nostrils snorted hot air in dissatisfaction. Sinestro asked Thea, "How strong is his mind control?"
Thea looked around at the few people surrounding Sinestro. She had met Lyssa Drak last time. Amon Sur was Abin Sur's son; she had seen him a few times before, and this guy had also been swindled into joining the Yellow Lanterns.
As for the remaining two strangers, one was shrouded entirely in black mist, and the other was an alien woman with a mouth full of sharp teeth.
The guy shrouded in black mist was likely the Weaponer, a life form from the Antimatter Universe whose strength was somewhat unfathomable. Thea aimed her target at the sharp-toothed woman and gave Grodd a mental signal.
Grodd's mind control was silent and invisible. There was no explosion, no flash of fire. The red-haired, sharp-toothed alien woman simply walked leisurely to Thea's side.
"Karu-Sil! Are you alright? Answer me!" Sinestro shouted loudly. But his subordinate was now completely controlled. She slowly opened her mouth: "I am Grodd."
Are you kidding me?! Controlled so easily? Sinestro was in disbelief, but the facts were right in front of him. He realized this gorilla was nothing like the ones in the Lantern Ring database.
In fact, Grodd's mind control could succeed even against Sinestro. Thea just didn't want to blow his confidence. Ring-bearers needed a very stable state of mind; a Sinestro without a perfect mindset probably wouldn't be able to raise the banner of rebellion.
Rings of the same color could attack each other, but Thea's and his rings were essentially one and the same; they absolutely could not attack each other. The ring's judgment was very strict. Any subjective intent to harm would cause the deceased's ring to seek another host immediately. This was why, despite both harboring ulterior motives, they never came to blows.
Thea's plan was not to hinder him at all, but even to support his defection. Let him and Hal Jordan go have their love-hate relationship. Whether Sinestro died in battle or returned to the Green Lanterns, the two rings would eventually merge back into one.
She signaled Grodd to release the mind control on the sharp-toothed woman, Karu-Sil.
The sharp-toothed woman's eyes went from confusion to terror in just one second. "What did you do to me...!" Although her tone was questioning, her feet didn't stop for a moment as she ran back to Sinestro's side at full speed.
Sinestro nodded silently. "Your Earth truly has many strange species... Grodd can join the Sinestro Corps. He will fight for me too, correct?"
"Of course. But he has to return to Earth with me to handle some business first. After that, let him stay here with you." Thea smiled very happily. Grodd's mind control ability was a hybrid of her initial suggestion spells and his skyrocketing psychic power. As long as his ability remained, his loyalty was guaranteed. Thea also didn't want him stationed on Earth permanently. Seeing more cosmic life would broaden his horizons, and he wouldn't think of himself as such an anomaly anymore.
The two finalized the agreement. Sinestro granted Grodd a new Lantern Ring, while Thea registered the names of these individuals into the Book of Parallax.
Upon putting on the ring, perhaps due to some personal consideration, Grodd's combat uniform wasn't in the form of a tight bodysuit. Instead, it featured shoulder guards and arm guards, looking like a suit of armor.
This armored gorilla looked a bit like Vegeta's Great Ape transformation, Thea thought speechlessly. However, Grodd's construct ability disappointed her a little. His imagination was too limited. The few things he constructed were surgical knives, electric drills, and the like, mixed in with two bananas.
I'll develop his imagination later! Thea considered this trip complete. Grodd had transitioned from an Earth creature to a cosmic being. As long as he wanted to enhance his constructs, he would have to see more and think more. As his knowledge and vision broadened, this process would also dilute his hatred for humanity.
Bidding farewell to Sinestro and the others, Thea took Grodd back to Earth.
Deathstroke had already sent back news about the Shark God. Since this wasn't exactly a justice-oriented operation, Thea didn't call Diana. Instead, she recalled Deadman, who was playing on an alien planet, preparing to take her subordinates to confront the god head-on.
"How was it? Did you get your revenge?" Thea first went to Poison Ivy's residence. At this moment, Poison Ivy was hugging her knees alone, sitting in front of the window in a daze.
Pamela didn't answer Thea's question. Her voice was a bit hoarse. "The school cancelled my enrollment. They actually thought I was dead, hehe..."
She was clearly laughing, but there was no joy in her words. Thea didn't know how to comfort her.
Pamela habitually wiped her face twice, but there was still no trace of tears.
"What do you need me to do?"
"I want to help broaden your worldview. Let you see how small your previous world was. Change your clothes and come with me."
Pamela was half-doubting, half-believing, but the suggestion spell made her trust Thea's words. She changed her clothes and followed closely behind.
Thea sensed Deathstroke's location and opened a blue portal in a deserted area. The two walked in.
Having watched Enchantress use teleportation so many times, Thea had summarized her own spatial knowledge. The portal couldn't be too large; if it were too big, it would waste magic power unnecessarily. If it were too small, anyone passing through would be very uncomfortable. Thea couldn't open portals casually with a wave of her hand yet, but with pre-casting, she could open a safe and comfortable portal.
"This little girl is the helper you found to slaughter a god?" Deathstroke, wearing his standard combat suit and carrying twin swords on his back, asked. Thea always wore a mask, so he could only determine that Thea was female and knew nothing else. But Pamela hadn't disguised her appearance at all. Dressed simply like a contemporary college student and still dizzy from the teleport, she looked a bit... dopey in Deathstroke's eyes!
"Everyone has a time when they are green. You weren't much better than her when you debuted, right? Her potential is huge." Thea explained casually. Poison Ivy's future achievements were extraordinary. Thea planned to hand over the task of training her to Slade. Didn't this guy like to act like a senior, calling everyone "kid" all day long? Let him train Poison Ivy slowly!