Chapter 561: Sinestro Corps Attacks (1)
The Yellow Lanterns
With a sense of confusion, Hal opened the Central System and found the news concerning Sinestro. Seeing the first page, he paused.
"Sinestro Corps?"
He continued scrolling. The more he read, the more solemn his expression became. The information described in the report was like a thunderbolt from a clear sky; it completely stunned him.
Sinestro?
Sinestro Corps?
Yellow Lantern Rings?
"How is this possible?"
Ganthet said mournfully, "Thaal is no longer the Corps Leader we knew. He has become a heinous criminal."
Hal still couldn't believe it. "Recruiting criminals and forming a Sinestro Corps? Why would he do this?"
"It might be for revenge."
Ganthet sighed. "During his captivity, his wife and daughter died, and the government he established collapsed. Korugar is once again engulfed in war. Although these events are not directly related to Oa, no one can guarantee he won't blame us for it."
Hal hesitated. "You said his wife and daughter..."
Ganthet nodded with a bitter smile. Seeing this, Hal fell silent. Sinestro deeply loved his family. Now that this had happened, he would probably collapse, too, if he were in his shoes.
"Where is he now?"
"He was last seen in Sector 873, where he consumed a low-level civilized species."
Hal's mouth twitched slightly. A civilization meant at least hundreds of millions of people. So many innocent lives were just gone.
"Will Thaal really wage war against us?"
"What do you think?"
Hal stopped talking. After a while, he asked,
"How many members do they have?"
"The known Yellow Lantern warriors number twenty-seven. They are all the most terrifying criminals from major planets."
"Where did he get so many rings?"
"We don't know."
Hal sighed deeply. "Did you set up the same defense system on Korugar as you did on Earth?"
Ganthet did not answer the question, and his silence was an admission.
Hal felt speechless. "I really don't understand why you think the other half of Parallax's body is on Earth. I've searched my home thoroughly, and the Fear Entity isn't there."
"Perhaps, it was sealed."
The statement was suggestive, but Hal couldn't figure it out. He could only ask tentatively,
"Sealed by what? Magic? Or technology?"
"I am not from Earth, so I don't know the specifics of Earth matters. Hal, you should go back and investigate. If you can find the other half of the Fear Entity, we can use that to locate Sinestro's hiding place. The sooner we catch him, the fewer people will die. I hope you understand."
Hal was helpless. He wanted to argue, but seeing Ganthet's expression, he swallowed his words.
With things escalating, he began to doubt his own judgment. The Guardians were the supreme beings of Oa, having lived for hundreds of millions of years with infinite knowledge and wisdom. Their words had never been wrong.
"Could I really be wrong?"
Hal pondered this. Returning to Earth, he resumed his investigation, analyzing every detail.
The Purple Warrior
The power of Fear first appeared in Coast City. Hector Hammond was infected by it and spread fear throughout the city, sucking the life out of hundreds of citizens. That case had a huge impact and remains a nightmare that people in Coast City don't want to recall.
Hector was the first host, meaning if Parallax truly came to Earth, it would certainly have established a connection with him.
Hal used Oa's technology to hack into the military database, searching for all information related to Hector, the dried corpse case, and other keywords. He actually found a suspicious detail.
It turned out that the person who defeated Hector Hammond was not the military, as reported in the news, but a meteorite—a meteorite that fell from outer space and coincidentally struck him.
How could that be a coincidence?
Hal didn't believe it. Using this clue as a starting point, he continued his search. Gradually, a somewhat blurred photo appeared before him. The photo showed a woman suspended in mid-air, wearing form-fitting purple battle armor and a crescent-shaped silver headpiece. Her figure was curvaceous—simply perfect.
Based on previous intelligence, the woman who defeated Hector Hammond was this woman.
"She looks familiar."
Hal stared at the photo. The more he looked, the more wrong it felt. Suddenly, a figure flashed through his mind.
Carol Ferris!
"No, I must be seeing things. How could Carol be the purple-clad female warrior? Impossible."
Hal slapped his forehead, constantly admonishing himself to calm down. When he looked again, the female warrior in the photo and the woman in his memory began to merge, becoming the same person.
"It really is her."
Hal was stunned. "Carol is a metahuman?"
They had known each other since childhood, friends for over a decade, yet he didn't know she had superpowers.
"No wonder you chose Luke Shaw. I truly knew nothing."
Hal felt a bit self-mocking. He immediately cast aside any unnecessary thoughts and continued to investigate the purple-clad warrior. As the intelligence he gathered increased, his initial doubt completely vanished.
He could now confirm that Carol was the purple-clad warrior.
Hector Hammond was defeated by her, so could Parallax be connected to her?
Hal did not hesitate and immediately headed to Ferris Aircraft. Learning that Carol hadn't been to work in months, he went to her house to look for her but came up empty.
He learned from her parents that Carol was traveling and didn't know when she would return.
Hal had a headache. With no other choice, he headed to Metropolis to find the man he least wanted to see.
Luke exhaled a smoke ring, speaking indifferently.
"Are you looking for me, or are you looking for my girlfriend?"
"I'm looking for Carol."
"Which is my girlfriend."
Hal's mouth twitched. He suppressed his anger and said, "I have serious business with Carol, not the kind of thing you're thinking of."
"What is it? I'll pass it on."
Hal was speechless.
"Call her over. The three of us can talk face-to-face."
"I'm afraid that won't work."
Luke extinguished the cigarette. "Carol won't be back for a while. You can just tell me what you need to say."
Hal frowned. "Did something happen to her?"
"No."
"Then why can't she come back? How about this: tell me her contact information, and we can talk over the phone."
Luke stared at him coldly, his eyes filled with a chilling menace.
Hal felt inexplicably uneasy. He instinctively took a step back, saying awkwardly,
"Don't get the wrong idea. I didn't mean anything by it. It's just... just... Forget it. I'll just tell you."
"Have you ever seen a large insect—golden-yellow, multi-limbed, multi-jointed, with a large, terrifying mouth?"
Luke's heart stirred. Isn't he describing Parallax? He kept his thoughts hidden, his expression unchanged, and asked casually,
"Why are you asking about a bug? Is it related to Carol?"
Hal explained, "That bug is called Parallax. It's a terrifying creature that spreads and devours fear, constantly growing stronger. Hector Hammond's power came from it."
"Parallax was last seen on Earth, but then it disappeared. Its disappearance may be related to the purple-clad warrior who defeated Hector Hammond." As he spoke, he observed Luke.
"According to our intelligence, Carol is the purple-clad warrior."
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