Chapter 486: Codename Emerald (Part 1) (Patreon)

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In the central core of LightBlink's Green Lantern headquarters, Hal sat quietly in front of the screen, looking at the information.

Just a moment ago, his ring reminded him that he could download the necessary information into his ring and access Green Lantern energy at any time to transfer it into his own mind.

But Hal didn't press the confirm button.

From birth to growing up, Hal always considered himself a good person. While he wasn't the type to constantly think of others and disregard his own feelings, nor was he a selfless saint, he sometimes acted on impulse, went his own way, argued with his parents, and had conflicts with friends. However, the belief in helping the weak and saving people from danger was deeply ingrained in him.

Throughout his life, many people had received his help. He had rescued drowning children, stopped robbers on the streets, and assisted homeless beggars even when he wasn't wealthy. He wasn't a savior of the world, just an ordinary good person with a conscience.

Therefore, when facing many significant choices, he would hesitate and feel lost.

In his view, Earth was his home, where everything he loved resided, and he felt obligated to dedicate all his efforts to protect it.

During his early days as a Green Lantern, he was exhilarated by his newfound superpowers and excitedly shared a lot of information with the Green Lantern network. Upon realizing the abnormality in this act, he felt guilty for his impulsive actions.

So, when Schiller approached him, asking for his cooperation in a plan to extract energy from the Green Lantern, he agreed.

As a Green Lantern, he understood better than Schiller that Green Lantern energy was not an inexhaustible resource. Even if Schiller depleted half of the energy from the Green Lantern headquarters, given enough time, the energy would gradually replenish.

And now, standing before the core of these confidential information, Hal finally understood that Schiller desired far more than just energy.

He wanted the entire Green Lantern Corps.

Only now did Hal piece together the whole picture.

Initially, Schiller sent Hal to seek help from the Green Lantern Corps and bring back a small team to Gotham to expose them to the dangers of Gotham and trap them there.

When they were trapped in dire situations, with energy running low, they would inevitably call for reinforcements.

This way, most of the headquarters' fighting force would be diverted to Gotham. When they arrived, Schiller would use other means to take them down, leaving all the Green Lanterns, including the Corps' leader, in a precarious situation.

At this moment, Hal would step forward, turn the tide, and save the day amidst chaos.

This was akin to Schiller bringing in countless powerful supporting roles, all to highlight the main character, Hal, and award him with immense credit.

This credit would not only allow him to skip the novice phase of being a Green Lantern but also elevate him within the Green Lantern Corps, bypassing the long process of accumulating merits, overseas missions, and the like, straight into the core.

Thinking of this, Hal sighed inwardly, recalling the words Alfred spoke at mayorManor...

"When we need a spy in a high position, we generally do three things."

"First, destabilize the region, so that most of the upper echelons are busy quelling the chaos."

"Secondly, have other agents create some troubles that only the spy has the capacity to resolve, providing an opportunity for them to take over."

"Thirdly, take advantage of the chaos to eliminate one or several important figures among the high-ranking personnel, creating vacancies for the spy to fill."

"Lastly, we no longer need to enforce the spy's takeover through force, but rather let things naturally progress."

"If this attempt fails, we will patiently wait for the next opportunity. In a vast institution with complex personnel relationships, there will always be a chance for us to place the right person in the right position."

Hal suddenly realized what seemed absurd to him: Alfred had already given him the answers even before these events had begun.

Schiller's actions were traceable; in their field, these were like mathematical formulas, well-practiced, refined, summarized, and distilled by countless individuals.

Hal didn't know whether the Green Lanterns also employed such tactics, but without a doubt, Schiller's plan had succeeded.

And the only variable left was his choice.

Hal sat at the table, looking at the smooth desktop reflecting the cool light of the screen – data flowing, points of light blinking, like stars reflected on a lake's surface.

He understood that Schiller hadn't told him everything beforehand to give him a chance to choose.

Hal couldn't comprehend why Schiller had done it this way, why he had staked such significant human and material resources on his whim.

Could he truly make such an important decision? Could he really be entrusted with the responsibility to choose Earth's future?

Batman had the same question.

Within the manor, he still sat rigidly on the sofa, keeping his back straight and not allowing it to touch the sofa's backrest. He asked:

"Actually, you could have done all of this yourself. You have the Green Lantern ring, you're also a member of the Lantern Corps, your acting and abilities are better than that person named Hal, and most importantly, you would undoubtedly choose Earth."

"Why are you so sure?" Schiller countered.

"Because if it weren't the case, you wouldn't have orchestrated all of this."

Batman's response was a perfectly accurate answer. Schiller had gone through all this effort, circled around, elevated Hal, because he hoped to have someone control the Green Lantern Corps, making them stand on Earth's side.

However, Batman's doubt was reasonable – Schiller could have executed all of this himself. He could have masterminded such a significant event, making himself the protagonist, shining bright amid the chaotic downfall of all the Green Lanterns, becoming a Hero who saved them from dire situations and receiving people's admiration, thus stepping into the power core of the Lantern Corps.

Batman had no doubt that Schiller could do it even better. Although Schiller often claimed he was just an ordinary person, when faced with Hal, he would say Hal was the strongest-willed person in the world and that he was far from being like Hal...

However, Schiller's way of doing things was predestined – he didn't need that much physical strength; conversely, the manipulative power plays and political intrigue were far more critical.

Batman believed that if Schiller successfully entered the leadership core of the Green Lantern Corps, soon enough, Oa Star would become a sub-domain of Earth.

"Batman, I think I've mentioned this to you before – you're a bit too focused on efficiency, too oriented towards objectives, to the extent that you sometimes overlook the ancillary benefits."

Schiller placed his glass down and explained, "Indeed, if I were to do it myself, the efficiency would be much higher. I wouldn't even need to direct this play. I could just follow the regular process, report to Oa Star, train, and quickly climb to the higher echelons of the Green Lantern Corps."

"But if I did that, I'd still be me. For me, it would merely be a task without much effect of tempering, and it would be rather dull. I'm already standing on Earth's side, and this matter wouldn't bring about any change for me."

"However, Hal is different. Despite his current youth, he possesses boundless potential. What's even more important is that he hasn't been brainwashed by the Green Lanterns' notions of peace and justice. There's still room for transformation."

"Since we can use this opportunity to forge a staunch supporter on Earth's side, why not?"

Constantine on the other side of the sofa asked again, "The issue is, how can you be so sure that Hal would choose Earth? Even if he's an Earthling, the abilities of the Green Lantern are so powerful without requiring a cost. What if he becomes tempted?"

"If I'm not mistaken, he should be at the Green Lantern Corps headquarters right now, possibly discovering some confidential information. But given his previous allegiance to the Green Lantern Corps' ideology, how could his stance suddenly change?" Schiller smiled, poured himself a drink from the bottle, watching the golden liquid flow slowly into the glass. His tone remained calm as he said, "But don't tell me you all think you were born flawless."

"I certainly..." Constantine was about to acknowledge when he saw Batman squinting at him. The words died on his lips.

To cover up the awkwardness, Constantine cleared his throat a couple of times and then said, "Well, even if we aren't born flawless, what are you trying to express?"

"I mean to say that we can give him some time. When he realizes the true nature of the problem, he'll stand with his compatriots more firmly than anyone else."

"The true nature of the problem..." Batman slightly drew out his tone at the end. This wasn't common; evidently, he had realized something. He continued, "I remember you told a story once – after Space was born, a race called the Space Guardians emerged..."

"Correct, I remember. I probably told you that they were a wise species, though not always as wise as they'd like to believe."

Batman seemed to understand something. He said, "No intelligent being can be completely selfless."

To some extent, the smarter one is, the more self-interested they become. This statement is correct because intelligent individuals can analyze the gains, losses, and benefits of a matter more clearly and obtain the maximum result at the least cost...

"However, upholding justice, maintaining peace, aiding the weak – these actions themselves are large investments but yield almost no returns."

"Many people refer to the Heroes who are willing to do these things as 'fools' because their actions appear foolish."

"Devoting one's money, energy, time, all of it to weaklings who are seemingly unrelated, doesn't align with the requirements of risk investment theory."

"Because that itself isn't an investment." Batman added, "If you're seeking returns, don't become a Hero."

However, this statement made Constantine raise an eyebrow. He paused for a moment, shrugged his shoulders, and muttered to himself, "Alright, you all are Heroes, and I'm the rotten one... I'm just rotten, I'm after returns."

"Of course..." Schiller's tone shifted, "While this spirit is admirable, an entirely arduous journey isn't worthy of promotion. Returns can motivate Heroes to wield greater power. So, my job is to discuss something practical behind this great spirit..."

"Getting off track." Schiller took a sip of his drink and then said, "I don't need to guide Hal to reject the others any longer because the group he's representing has never been about justice, nor is it fair."

"There's no true justice in Space; only might prevails. And since everyone wields power, I hope we're mightier."

Within the Green Lantern Corps headquarters, Hal ultimately didn't press the confirmation button. He merely stood up, gazed at everything on Oa Star through the window, turned around, and left the core.

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 487: Code Name Emerald (Part 1)