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Chapter 488: Code Name Emerald (2)

Hal was feeling somewhat agitated. Even though he had decided to relinquish his identity as a Green Lantern, the recent events left him with a sense of empty frustration swirling in his mind.

What had he done recently?

It seemed like he had done a lot: assisting Schiller with his plan, engaging in a fight with the citizens of Gotham, taking over as adjutant at the Green Lantern Corps headquarters, and then resigning within less than a day.

There had indeed been a lot happening during this period, and it left him feeling somewhat weary. But in reality, none of these actions had achieved any results. He had come full circle, returning to being an ordinary person.

Did power and justice need to coexist? Which was the right path to pursue, power or justice? Must absolute justice be abandoned during the pursuit of power? Justice without the assurance of power was mere empty talk, just as power without the safeguard of justice was tyranny...

As Hal pondered these questions, he slowly walked back, lost in thought. When he removed the Green Lantern ring, he hadn't even considered how he was going to get back. However, he soon had no time to contemplate that.

Just as he was about to reach his former quarters through the covered bridge, a group of people intercepted him. Leading them was a fairly senior Green Lantern. He said, "I apologize, but the Deputy Leader wishes to see you."

"The Deputy Leader?" Hal asked with some confusion.

"Correct. He was leading a patrol in a nearby sector and just returned today. Upon hearing of your heroic deeds, he wanted to meet you."

"I'm sorry, but I'm no longer a Green Lantern. Let me leave," Hal said, then attempted to pass through the group. However, the leading Green Lantern raised his arm and blocked Hal.

Hal looked into his eyes, but the leader of the Green Lanterns remained unmoved. Hal shifted his gaze away and said, "Lead the way."

If anyone familiar with Hal were nearby, they would see his mouth tightening into a straight line, a sign of his diminishing patience.

Passing through the covered bridge and stepping into the elevator, as the elevator ascended, Hal witnessed the tranquility that enveloped the entire Oa Star City. Everyone was going about their tasks, Green Lanterns were moving in pairs through the uniquely shaped buildings, laughter and conversations filled the air, as if nothing had happened the day before.

Back in the corridor once more and in front of the office door, the Green Lantern leader knocked on the door, and Hal entered.

The person standing opposite him was entirely different in temperament and appearance from Thaal. He seemed quite refined, with light grey skin, but his physique and facial features were identical to humanity's. He even wore goggles similar to glasses over his eyes.

"Hello, I'm Owen," the Deputy Leader spoke first, but Hal was gradually losing his patience. He said, "Hello, I'm Hal. You've seen me, can I leave now?"

"Why do you want to leave here, Hal?" Though Owen phrased it as a question, his tone didn't carry any uncertainty. Instead, it held an implicit reproach.

"You've just achieved a remarkable victory. You've been hailed as a hero by all the Green Lanterns. Leading them out of the dark Abyss, you've returned triumphantly. So why would you leave at this moment of celebration?"...

"Victory?" Hal asked. "Do you consider that a victory?"

"Why wouldn't it be? You saved everyone. You're the new hero of the Green Lantern Corps, possibly the greatest Green Lantern in history. Can't that be called a victory?"

As he spoke, Owen chuckled and slung an arm over Hal's shoulder. He said, "True, there were some minor flaws in the process, but without a doubt, this will be the most splendid victory of your career."

Walking forward with Hal, Owen retrieved a set of materials from a nearby desk. He said, "I've received orders. In two weeks, we will be awarding you. You will receive the Bright Badge of the Green Lantern Corps and be elected the Best Green Lantern Warrior of this star year. You'll lead the parade in next year's ceremony."

Owen raised his hand, gesturing to Hal, and described, "Do you know how big an honor this is? Every Green Lantern on this planet aspires to this. It signifies the most glorious day in their careers."

"Applause, cheers, praise—you will become a hero people talk about, and your heroic deeds will be forever recorded in history..."

However, Hal's expression turned into a wry smile. He said, "All the greatest Green Lanterns in history get this treatment, right?"

Owen's smile gradually faded from his face. He released his arm from Hal and walked to the opposite side, looking into Hal's eyes. He said, "It seems you come from a clever civilization, which reminds you of certain things from your homeland, doesn't it?"

"Since that's the case, I don't want to beat around the bush with you."

Owen adjusted his glasses on his face and began pacing around the room. He said, "Sinestro, the once-greatest Green Lantern, defected from the Green Lantern Corps. This is an unprecedented heinous event in the course of millennia."

"The leader of the Green Lantern Corps betrayed the Corps, making us a laughingstock in space. Our prestige plummeted, and even the weaker civilizations in the peripheral sectors no longer welcome us."

"We need a hero, a great and shining hero, to lead the Green Lantern Corps out of this predicament!"

"Do you know, Hal? The current Corps leader, Thaal, was appointed in a time of crisis. He's not suited for this position. And you—you are the best candidate for Corps leader."

Owen turned his head to look out the window, where numerous Green Lanterns were flying. He continued, "You will take charge of this powerful Corps. All civilizations in space will respect you, and you will bring peace and justice to the entire universe. How splendid..."

"I refuse."

As Hal's voice landed, it was like a thunderclap in the clear sky. Owen abruptly turned, his gaze coldly fixed on Hal. Hal repeated, "I refuse."

"Have you gone mad?" Owen's voice grew colder. "You would become the leader of the Green Lantern Corps, commanding the entire Corps, becoming the greatest Green Lantern!"

"I'll say it one last time. I refuse."

Hal raised the Green Lantern ring he had been gripping in his hand. He said, "When it first sought me out, the visions of peace and justice it depicted deeply moved me. It gave me a sense of purpose in life. I felt that dedicating my life to the cause of great justice would leave me with no regrets."...

"But now, you and your rhetoric make me feel deeply disgusted."

With that, he tossed the ring away. When the metallic ring struck Owen's chestplate, the impact resounded even more intensely than thunder, almost deafening.

Hal wanted to turn and leave, but suddenly, a powerful surge of emerald light—Havok—struck him, sending him flying. With a resounding thud, he crashed into the wall and slumped to the ground.

"Cough, cough..." Hal coughed forcefully, feeling that his ribs were likely broken. He saw Owen approaching with a fierce expression. He heard Owen's voice, distorted with anger.

"I don't understand why they chose you! A mere bumpkin from a backwater village, just happened to get lucky and saved that bunch of losers, and now you've caught their favor. They actually want to mold you into a hero!"

"They? Cough, cough... Who are they?" Suppressing the pain, Hal breathed rapidly and asked.

"You can't understand them, because you're nothing more than a lowly creature that can't even fly. But they—they are an advanced civilization that originated in the earliest days of space. They possess technology beyond your imagination. They're the ones who created the Green Lantern Corps. I call them the Guardians of Space..."

Hal kept coughing, feeling his breathing becoming labored. The Green Lantern ring he had thrown suddenly lifted into the air, seemingly flying toward him, but Owen swiped it away with a wave of his hand.

"I'm tempted to kill you, but I can't defy their orders. So, you'd better behave and listen..."

With a loud bang, the door swung open. Thaal, the leader of the Green Lantern Corps, entered the room. He said to Owen, "Stop! You've gone too far, Owen!"

"Thaal, are you suggesting you'd defy their orders?"

"They didn't tell you to injure him." Thaal looked at Hal lying on the ground. He said, "You injuring him, or forcing him to do something, won't help. If he can't call the Green Lantern ring on his own, what kind of Green Lantern hero is he?"

"Stop telling me what to do, Thaal. You should know, if it weren't for your petty scheming, this position should rightfully be mine!"

Thaal sighed and said, "Everything you have is given by them, so you treat them like gods. But have you ever thought why they don't want you to become the Corps leader? Because you aren't truly a Green Lantern. Your ring is specially crafted, and you..."

"Boom!" A thick beam of green light struck Thaal, sending him flying. Thaal's shields lit up, but Owen raised a sword made of green light and charged at him.

"Stop!" Hal shouted.

But Owen showed no intention of stopping. He seemed to have been driven to madness. Hal lay on the ground, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly.

Then, he began to levitate, a more intense green light radiating from within him. The ion shark, which hadn't appeared since he removed the ring, materialized once again from his chest.

His wounds healed, his strength restored, energy replenished, Hal stretched his body in midair. The green light within him resembled a solid emerald, like a lush forest. He was different from everyone else, yet more beautiful than them all.

In a moment, a large green hand grabbed Owen, lifting him into the air. Owen struggled while turning his head, spotting the ring still floating in the distance and Hal's empty finger. He shouted:

"This can't be!

You don't have a ring!

How is this possible..."

"Yeah," Hal said with a sigh, as if reflecting. "I don't have a ring, yet I can still wield the power of the Green Lantern. So, what's the use of the ring? Who created it? And who's controlling it?"

"Greater justice..." Hal took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. A thousand words were swallowed back, and ultimately, he said nothing.

"Let him go, Hal! You can't kill in the Green Lantern Corps headquarters. It will trigger an alarm. Put him down quickly!"

Thaal kept trying to dissuade him, but he didn't hold much hope. Hal was clearly furious to the extreme. Anyone who had been ambushed like this wouldn't spare their assailant.

However, what surprised him was that the large green hand actually let go. As the green light dissipated, Hal landed gently. He approached Thaal, helping him up.

Thaal sighed and told Hal, "You better leave. If they come, you won't be able to escape."

He looked into Hal's eyes and said, "I also come from a remote sector. My civilization hasn't established a nation yet, but that's not important. It's forever my home. One day, I will return there."

"After returning to Earth, don't come back." Thaal turned and walked toward Owen.

But at that moment, he saw Hal turning and walking toward the ring, picking it up and placing it back on his finger. Then he asked, "When is the ceremony?"

Thaal saw Hal standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, his back facing the light outside, his expression shrouded in darkness.

Hal's eyes were half-closed, devoid of anger and sadness, only a kind of inscrutable calmness.

Inside the Manor, as the night passed, the dawn's light rose from the horizon. A ring emanating green light soared through the brilliant light and stopped in front of Schiller.

Schiller reached out, his fingertip touching the ring for a moment. Countless pieces of information flooded into his mind. In the final moments of these transmissions, he heard a somewhat sighing voice:

"Hal Jordan is online, codename... Emerald."

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