Chapter 560: Eternal Life
A Promise of Forever
The night was short, and after a night of passion, Luke reluctantly climbed out of bed at Diana's urging. By the time he was washed up, Diana was already dressed and ready to leave.
"Where are you going?"
"Back to the museum. I haven't been to work in two months. I have a lot of artifacts to process."
"Wait a moment, I'll drive you."
"No need."
Diana smiled and shook her head. "Until you sort out things with Linda and Carol, it's better if our relationship isn't made public."
Luke felt a warmth in his heart and an indescribable happiness. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her slender waist.
"Give me your left hand."
Diana was confused but complied. Luke magically produced a beautiful white gold ring engraved with mysterious symbols.
"What new technology is this?"
"It's not high-tech, just a ring I made myself."
Luke took her left hand and slipped the ring onto her middle finger. "The symbols are an ancient magic spell that means eternal life (Yong Sheng Yong Shi). The frosted texture is our names, written with a photolithography machine. Guess how many times?"
Diana trembled, trying to suppress her joy. "How many?"
"Nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine."
Luke smiled gently, his eyes full of affection. "Adding you and me, that makes ten thousand."
Diana could no longer contain her happiness. Her body went limp in his arms. Luke picked her up by the waist and carried her toward the bedroom.
"No, I have to go to work."
"Let them wait. You're not going anywhere today."
Barbara's Envy
The next morning, Diana reluctantly left the hotel. On the way back, she constantly gazed at the ring, a smile occasionally gracing her lips. It was the same when she reached the museum; her eyes were only on the ring, oblivious to everything else. Completely focused, she didn't notice someone in front of her until she bumped into them.
"Barbara?"
"You... you're fine."
Barbara Ann Minerva rubbed her sore arm, complaining, "I didn't realize you were so strong."
"That was a subconscious reaction."
Diana helped her friend up. "Why were you standing in front of me without saying anything?"
"I called you, twice, and you ignored me."
As she spoke, her gaze shifted to the white gold ring on Diana's left hand, and her eyes went wide.
"What a beautiful ring! Such delicate patterns! It's absolutely stunning."
"I think it's very beautiful too."
Diana was overjoyed, holding up her finger to admire it. When her friend reached out, she quickly pulled her hand back.
"Time to work."
Barbara was persistent, trailing behind her like a shadow. "Let me see it! Just one look, one look!"
"No."
"Then tell me who gave it to you."
"I bought it myself."
"Do you think I'm stupid? Who buys themselves a ring like that?"
Diana stopped and chuckled lightly. "I do."
With that, she walked gracefully up to the second floor. Her beautiful figure caused all the employees to turn their heads, followed by helpless sighs. The beauty was great, but she didn't belong to them.
Barbara stomped her foot in frustration. Noticing the gazes of those around her, a hint of loneliness flashed in her eyes.
Compared to the stunningly beautiful and elegant Diana, she felt like an unwanted ugly duckling. Even wearing the most expensive dress and the most exquisite makeup, she couldn't attract the attention of the opposite sex.
She was an inconsequential presence. It was true when she was a child, and it was true now.
A sliver of resentment surfaced in her heart. Barbara clenched her fist and whispered to herself,
"Diana, I wish I could be just like you."
Building the Justice League Base
North of Indiana, in the forested area near the lake.
With the purchase agreement signed, the land covering twenty-five square kilometers now belonged to Luke. This area would become the headquarters of the Justice League.
When Luke arrived, Barry was directing the construction team in clearing the land. Seeing him, Barry quickly approached.
"Boss, you finally made it! I've been swamped these last few days."
Luke looked around, examining the environment while nodding.
"Nice scenery, and the terrain is hidden enough. With the canyons, river, and hills, we'll excavate that cliff over there and build the underground base."
Barry was excited. "I carefully selected this spot! Clark and the others like it too. But there are a few problems we can't solve."
"What problems?"
Barry glanced around and whispered,
"The above-ground construction can be handled by the construction team, but what about the underground part? I'm afraid they'll leak information."
"Can't you just make them sign non-disclosure agreements?"
"It won't work. The workload for the underground base is huge. The workers will definitely notice something is wrong. I don't want this place ending up as a headline."
"What do you suggest?"
Barry hesitated. "Could we build a batch of construction robots?"
Luke pondered for a few seconds, then slowly nodded.
"Construction robots alone aren't enough. We'll also need demolition teams, excavation teams, and a 3D printing machine."
Barry was curious. "What's a 3D printing machine?"
"New technology. It replaces traditional building methods with 3D printing. The speed can be increased tens of times over."
"Really?"
"You'll know in a month."
Luke circled the area a few times, modifying the design blueprint based on the terrain until it was near perfection before leaving. The base construction was naturally left to Barry, as he was the only one in the group with the time for it.
For the next two weeks, Luke stayed at his deep-sea factory east of Metropolis, producing construction robots while developing the 3D construction printer. As for Linda and Carol...
Honestly, it was tricky.
The issue was already out in the open. He couldn't play games or pretend to be a time management expert anymore. If he wanted to have his cake and eat it too, the only way was to proceed openly with both relationships.
The difficulty was comparable to climbing Mount Everest. Effort alone wasn't enough; he needed a chance, and he needed luck.
Luke wasn't short on luck; he was just waiting for the opportunity.
Hal Jordan's Warning
On Oa, headquarters of the Green Lantern Corps.
A furious Hal Jordan, disregarding the guards' blockade, forced his way into the main hall and shouted at Ganthet, who was reviewing intelligence.
"The space-time nodes near the solar system—did you prepare them?"
Ganthet nodded. "To be precise, they were prepared for Sinestro."
"You plan to use Earth as bait to lure him in?"
"Yes."
Ganthet did not argue but answered directly. "This is the Guardians' decision, and it is the best way to capture Sinestro."
Hal was furious. "Have you considered Earth? What will happen to Earth if a major battle breaks out? There are billions of lives there!"
"I understand your concern, but..." His tone became incredibly serious. "We did nothing wrong. Sinestro is definitely heading to Earth. Those space-time nodes are to prevent emergencies and to protect the people of Earth to the greatest extent possible."
Hal was exasperated.
"How many times do I have to tell you? Parallax is not on Earth! Why won't you believe me?"
Ganthet took a few steps forward and patted Hal's shoulder.
"This is the Guardians' decision, not mine. The Central Battery has the latest intelligence on Sinestro. Go take a look. You'll understand when you read it."
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