Chapter 481: Talents Emerge in Arkham! (Patreon)

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"Lunacy! Lunacy! Why are there only lunatics in this City?!"

Clutching her injured shoulder, Carol and the Green Lanterns swiftly maneuvered between the high-rise buildings of Gotham, utilizing Green Lantern energy for low-altitude flight.

The reason they didn't fly higher was due to the Bat Wing patrolling the skies, armed with a load of missiles.

The massive high-rise buildings stretched in an orderly fashion, green dots of light flitting about like fireflies. On the immense screens adorning the high-rise building walls, colorful lights flowed, and as the green dots passed, a Joker-faced figure wearing a Joker's costume appeared on screen, facing the camera, saying:

"JokerJack here with your late-night weather forecast. Today's weather is clear, but there might be heavy snow at night. A wondrous creature named Green Lantern might grace the skies..."

"Alright, that's the weather report for today. Your host Jack is signing off... What's that? You're asking what I'll do after work? Of course, I'll take the chance to go for a joyride!"

"After all, tonight will be the night with the most Gotham Green Lanterns, hahaha!"

"Boom!"

After flying past the screen, Hal swiftly dodged a rocket, then turned around. The colossal screen had already burst into sparks from the explosion.

He increased his flying speed and positioned himself beside Carol, who was leading the way. He said, "This can't continue like this. Sooner or later, we'll be brought down!"

"What's going on in this City? Why so many lunatics?!" Carol pondered, looking down. The ground was filled with various Gang members chasing after them in armed trucks, mounted with all sorts of weapons, currently firing at them.

Indeed, the ring could shield the Green Lanterns from bullets and explosions, but it also consumed energy. Flight and evasive maneuvers also drained energy. Once their energy ran out, Carol dreaded to think of the consequences of falling into the hands of these lunatics.

"Hal, haven't you spent some time here? Is there a safer place for us to regroup and recharge?"

Carol glanced at the Green Lanterns who were struggling to fly, and asked Hal.

Originally, most members of the second squad were rookies. Despite their training, they had little experience in high-intensity missions. Yet, the experiences in Gotham were beyond high-intensity, bordering on hellish difficulty.

Green Lantern energy was a tool, lacking self-awareness and the ability to control a Green Lantern's actions. All of their movements were the result of their own thinking, controlling their bodies. In other words, although they could fly, how they flew required their own contemplation, just as any action demanded adjustments to their own bodily movements.

Now, the dense firepower network of Gotham forced them to constantly concentrate their attention, dealing with projectiles and explosive fragments from all directions.

The frequent and challenging aerial maneuvers, occurring roughly every three seconds, even strained Hal, who had once been a test pilot. The novice Green Lanterns without prior aerial experience were even more challenged.

With a resounding "boom," another explosion from a fighter jet missile struck, sending the young Green Lantern at the rear of the formation flying outward...

His reaction was a bit slow, failing to evade the residual impact. A nearby teammate attempted to fly over and rescue him, but was momentarily disoriented by a flashbang grenade, and was subsequently knocked down.

Hal and Carol, the two Green Lanterns with the best flying skills, hurriedly turned back for a rescue mission, putting in great effort to retrieve the two fallen comrades.

Hal connected with the physically exhausted Green Lantern, using his own Green Lantern energy to support him in flight. He then said to Carol, "There's hardly any safe place in this City. We better withdraw from here first."

Hal looked up at the sky where three Bat Wings were in constant circulation, then continued, "Someone needs to divert their attention. I'll take care of that."

Seeing his determined expression, Carol couldn't help but feel moved. He said, "Even though I've served in the Green Lantern Corps for so long, you're still the most outstanding newcomer I've ever met."

Hal turned his head towards him and said, "For justice."

Just as Carol was about to lead the other Green Lanterns away, Hal called them back, saying, "The troubles in this City haven't been dealt with yet. It's better if you relocate to other cities on Earth and await headquarters' support."

"I'm afraid we'll have to do the same. The remaining energy in our rings isn't enough to teleport us directly back to headquarters. You're a local, do you know where it's safer?"

After a moment of contemplation, Hal pointed in a direction. Carol nodded and said, "Once we find a secure stronghold, we'll call for support and then return immediately to assist you."

Hal saluted him, then turned his head and flew away. The other Green Lanterns watched his departing figure with solemn emotions.

In their eyes, even staying an extra second in this chaotic and madly dangerous City required immense courage. Hal was undoubtedly a valiant soul who faced adversity head-on.

Hal flew to a nearby Bat Wing and had a conversation with someone inside it. The jet followed him and soon after, the remaining two jets were also led away by him. Seizing this opportunity, the Green Lanterns left Gotham city through the skies.

After flying a distance, Hal finally came to a stop. For a moment, he vanished and reappeared in the co-pilot's seat of the Bat Wing. Batman turned his head and squinted at him.

Hal also turned his head to look at Batman and shrugged, saying, "I suppose you must know who to look for."

Batman turned back and pressed a button on the control panel. The navigation voice spoke in a pleasing tone, "Navigating to destination... Rodriguez Manor."

As Batman entered Rodriguez Manor, Schiller and Constantine were already sitting on the sofa, sipping their drinks.

The clinking of cups against the tea table emitted a clear sound, and the golden liquid poured into the cups, creating dazzling splashes.

Batman lifted his glass expressionlessly, though he didn't drink. Beside him, Hal, however, unabashedly downed the whiskey from his glass.

The icy liquid refreshed his mind considerably, alleviating the fatigue from the recent flight. Schiller opened his mouth, about to speak, when Batman interjected, "No need to explain your reasons for dealing with the Green Lanterns. In this aspect, our stances align."

Schiller took a sip of his drink and then lightly patted his chest. Raising his glass toward Batman, he said, "This is why I enjoy conversing with intelligent people. Let's skip the less important reasons and excuses. We should start from the last time Constantine called me on the phone, saying he needed to be hospitalized at Arkham Asylum..."

Constantine held his glass, taking a large gulp of his drink. Then he picked up the bottle and refilled his cup.

Leaning back relaxed against the sofa's backrest, hands resting on the back of the chair, Constantine continued with a shake of his head, "Can't help it, my personal charm is just too irresistible. There's this lad named Bruce who chased me all over the city. He was unhappy when I went to the red-light district, and he caused a ruckus there. Even when I tried to relax a bit, he wouldn't leave me be..."

Hal sprayed a mouthful of his drink in a "pfft." Catching the glint of Batman's sharp Batarang, Constantine cleared his throat and said, "Alright, no joking. Originally, I called Schiller just to find a place to hide."

"But that blasted cheapskate, that wretched Green Lantern, insisted I do something for him before he'd let me in."

"So, you instigated the gang shootout in the hospital?" Batman asked.

"According to the original plan, I indeed did it, but I didn't expect there to be two restless guys in the hospital who wanted to cause some chaos and use it as a cover to escape. I took advantage of the situation and escalated the chaos a bit."

"What's the deal with the Green Lantern's arrival?" Batman turned to Schiller, but Schiller turned his head toward Hal. Hal shrugged and explained how he went to Oa Star to request support.

"So, you stirred up a gang shootout to make the Green Lanterns realize the danger of Earth?" Batman inquired.

"But I'm afraid that's not enough to deter them or make them leave Earth. It might even lead these justice-brainwashed green flies to buzz around Earth more persistently." Batman provided an evaluation.

From his choice of words, it was evident that Batman didn't hold a favorable view of the Green Lantern Corps. But that could be understood. He was the only local among the four, and just recently, these individuals emitting green light had flown through Gotham's skies, causing numerous car accidents and Gangs to destroy many buildings.

More importantly, Batman considered Gotham his territory. He had an almost obsessive control over Gotham, and these people had barged in without anyone's permission. If it weren't for Hal stopping Batman from pursuing them in a fighter jet, Carol and the others wouldn't have escaped yet.

"My intention wasn't to intimidate them either." Schiller placed his glass down.

"What were you trying to achieve? Your sequence of actions will only draw their attention to Earth and lead them here."

"My purpose is to draw them here."

As Schiller finished speaking, the sound of a telephone ringing echoed in the room. Merkel descended the staircase, picked up the receiver, and said, "Hello, this is Rodriguez Manor. Yes, he's here..."

As he spoke, he brought the telephone to the tea table and handed the receiver to Schiller. Facing the other end of the line, Schiller said, "Oh, I see. You're already on the road?... Alright, I'll be waiting for you."

Batman stared at Schiller, seemingly having a premonition. Just then, they heard Schiller saying on the telephone:

"Well then, see you later, Clark."

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 482: Emerging Talents in Arkham! (Part 2)