"Barry, I heard from Thea that there really are quite a few aliens. They're intelligent life just like us—and like the citizens of Metropolis, they're survivors as well." Oliver selectively shared part of what he knew. Unsure of Barry's intentions, he didn't mention specific numbers.
The two had just met, so their acquaintance was shallow. Oliver held things back, and Barry wasn't about to reveal his own concerns either. Before long, they shifted to other topics.
Barry's imagination was impressive—he actually managed to connect his mother's case to aliens. Thea, who had been quietly listening in, thought it over briefly and then pushed it to the back of her mind. The one who really needed worrying about was the Reverse-Flash; this had little to do with her.
The wedding was warm and heartfelt. Although there weren't many guests, the atmosphere was exceptionally lively.
Detective Lance probably never imagined that, as an ordinary man who had spent his life fighting for the police force, his wedding would end up gathering nearly half of Earth's male and female superheroes. At this moment, Lance was beaming, feeling that life could hardly get any better.
After the wedding, Oliver and Tommy left together. The two close friends had far too much to talk about. Seeing this, Thea remembered something and stopped Laurel, who was about to leave.
Under Laurel's puzzled gaze, Thea handed her a silver-white briefcase.
"You know about my abilities, right? This is something I prepared for Tommy. I never knew how to give it to him, so you pass it on."
When Laurel's expression shifted from confusion to alarm, Thea realized she had misunderstood. "You're overthinking it. Actually... actually... Tommy is my half-brother."
This was far too awkward to explain. Thea felt she'd rather fight Brainiac eight hundred times than bring this up. This was all Malcolm's fault!
She glossed over the older generation's affairs and explained the injection details instead. "If Tommy asks, don't say it was from me. You know how bad his relationship with his father is. It's only just improved. If Tommy found out his father had something like... this, the outcome would be unpredictable."
Laurel's not-so-brilliant mind ran through the tangled relationships. All she could think was: your family is really messy. Or looked at another way—whether she chose Oliver or Tommy, Thea would still be her relative.
Taking the briefcase in a slight daze, Laurel left, while Thea finally felt a heavy weight lift from her heart. Like Oliver, whether Tommy chose to inject it himself or give it to Laurel was his own decision. They were all adults—Thea wouldn't interfere.
After the wedding, the women agreed to go shopping and get beauty treatments together. When they returned to Thea's secret base, they found Oliver and Tommy already there. Officially, the two were sparring; what it really meant was something only they understood.
The women had gone on a major spending spree, bags large and small in hand, all in great spirits. Thanks to Star City's excellent public security, population growth had naturally driven commercial prosperity. Star City was now one of the few genuinely safe and stable cities.
"Who do you think will win?" Felicity—the only one who didn't understand martial arts and also the one who bought the most—asked Thea quietly after putting her things away and watching the fight.
To be honest, this was the first time Thea had properly watched Tommy fight. After only a couple of glances, she knew Tommy wasn't Oliver's match. This was an era without internal energy or long-term cultivation—combat techniques were limited, and how they were applied depended entirely on the individual.
Deathstroke's Kali martial arts came from the Philippines, but Thea would wager that even the art's founder couldn't beat Deathstroke himself. That was the human factor.
Oliver's talent for combat was exceptional. Later on, when Ra's al Ghul abandoned Batman and sought Green Arrow as his successor, it spoke volumes about Oliver's value. Stripped of all technological gear, his combat strength was only a notch below Batman's.
For Green Arrow—a mere human—to become the eighth powerhouse beyond the Justice League's Big Seven wasn't just about popularity. His strength had been proven by history.
Tommy's aptitude lagged far behind Oliver's. Though it was clear he trained hard and had endured a year of brutal trials in Gotham, his innate limits were decisive. Without a major stroke of fortune, he would top out as a lower-mid second-tier hero.
Most critically, Thea could tell that Oliver had injected divine blood. In terms of raw physical ability, he already completely outclassed Tommy. By rights, Oliver should have ended the fight within twenty moves. Of course, he wouldn't do that to his best friend. Just as Thea had done to him days earlier, Oliver deliberately slowed himself down, and the two exchanged moves convincingly.
Tommy spun in midair, drew an arrow, nocked it, aimed, and fired. The entire motion was fluid and aesthetically pleasing—it was obvious how much effort he'd put in.
Oliver didn't block it head-on, sidestepping left instead. What he didn't expect was that Tommy, sacrificing his own balance, loosed another arrow while still in the air. This time, Oliver had no chance to dodge. He reached out with his right hand, intending to catch it.
Still not enough experience. Thea could see that the arrow's power and angle were nearly perfect. Oliver had underestimated it—he couldn't catch that arrow.
A flicker of yellow light—both tangible and intangible—lit up in her eyes. Moving with impossible speed, it struck the arrow directly.
With a faint vibration, the arrow dissipated into nothingness, as if it had never existed.
The immediate result of Tommy's shot was that he fell straight to the ground. Oliver grabbed at empty air. Both of them turned toward the doorway at the same time—only then realizing a group of women had been watching the whole show.
The two men were a little embarrassed. Oliver pulled Tommy to his feet and, grasping for something to say, remarked to Thea, "Your base is pretty good..."
Yes, yes—it was originally yours, of course you'd think so. Thea looked at him speechlessly.
"Ollie, what are you planning to do next?" Thea still wanted to know his true thoughts. After all, Star City had changed drastically. Criminals still existed, but honestly, not many.
After being home for several days, Oliver had thought about it too. His original plan had been to eliminate the names in his little notebook—stopping killing with killing. That was his conviction at the time.
But under the butterfly effect of Thea's actions, Star City had changed far too quickly. Malcolm, the ultimate boss, had vanished outright. Of the remaining minor criminals, some had changed professions, others had left for different cities. Less than a third of the names in his notebook remained.
Moira controlled the city now. The shadow forces at her disposal couldn't compare to Malcolm's, but passing along information was still possible. In public, Detective Lance cracked down on crime; in private, Shado and Felicity provided covert support. Star City might not dare claim to be the safest city in the nation, but ranking among the top was beyond doubt.
Shado had also repeatedly warned Oliver not to kill, leaving Green Arrow feeling lost—he had little left to do.
Especially now, with Barbara returning to Batman's team in Gotham and Laurel and Tommy back in Star City, four heroes—two men and two women—found themselves staring at one another, hard-pressed to even find someone to pick a fight with.