Chapter 563: First Gathering in the Hall of Justice
The Deal with Hal Jordan
"Are you kidding me? There's no way I'm giving that information to you."
Luke pulled up a chair and sat down, stating expressionlessly,
"Give me what I want, and I'll tell you the whereabouts of Parallax."
Hal was silent, his brows slightly furrowed, his eyes full of distrust.
Luke continued, "Besides Parallax, I can also help you—no, I should say, help the Green Lantern Corps—capture Thaal Sinestro."
This statement moved Hal.
"You know where he is?"
Luke held out his hand. "The files."
Hal Jordan hesitated, unsure whether to trust Luke. After a long moment, he made up his mind. "Wait here, I'll be right back."
He stood up and went to the restroom. A few minutes later, he returned to the table and set down a uniquely designed disc.
"The information you asked for is all in there. Now, tell me the whereabouts of Parallax."
Luke picked up the disc, examining it curiously.
"Oa technology?"
Hal scoffed. "Just a little trinket, nothing special."
Luke used his AI to scan the disc. After learning its internal structure, he casually tossed it onto the table.
"It is indeed a little trinket."
"Stop with the nonsense. Tell me about Parallax's whereabouts, and Sinestro—how do you plan to catch him?"
"He'll come to Earth within two months. If he doesn't, I'll come back and find you."
Hal was dumbfounded.
What kind of answer is that?
Luke ignored his shock, pocketed the disc, and stood up to leave.
Hal couldn't help but shout, "How do you know he'll come to Earth? You have to give me an explanation!"
Luke paused. "Since I told you to your face, I'm not lying. As for whether he'll show up, it's 70% possible, with a 30% chance of an accident."
"You can take a gamble."
Hal was speechless.
This guy is getting more and more annoying. I really don't know how Carol fell for him.
The Gathering
Back home, Luke extracted the information from the disc and displayed it on his computer. Hal Jordan, despite his unpleasant attitude, was thorough, providing a full copy of Thaal Sinestro's life history.
Born on Korugar, his mother died young, and his father died in war. He followed his father's footsteps into war, was later chosen by a Lantern Ring, and became a Green Lantern. His subsequent service was vaguely detailed but primarily related to missions.
Luke had to admit the man was formidable. During his tenure as a Green Lantern, he resolved tens of thousands of conflicts, large and small, and saved dozens of civilizations from destruction. His record of achievement ranked first in the Green Lantern Corps, far ahead of the second-place member.
After reading his biography, Luke turned to the intelligence section. It recorded critical information: during his imprisonment, Korugar's rebels had broken through the capital, systematically dismantling the "utopian" regime Sinestro had painstakingly built. They had also killed his wife and daughter, cutting off their heads and hanging them on a flag.
A chill ran down Luke's spine for no apparent reason.
Luke stepped away from the computer, his eyebrows furrowed into a tight frown.
Sacrifice wife and daughter to the heavens, and the magic power will be boundless!
The scariest people in the world aren't rational powerhouses, but unhinged fanatics. That guy's mental state was highly unstable, and there was no telling when he might snap.
"I shouldn't have provoked him," Luke regretted. Since the deed was done, all he could do was prepare early.
He wouldn't hand over the Fear Essence core he possessed, and Sinestro wouldn't give up. A major battle between them was inevitable—a fight to the death.
A Sinestro possessed by Parallax was likely a multi-universal threat. According to the comics, besides possessing all the powers of Yellow Fear, he could also distort time and interfere with reality.
Of course, those were the messy operations of comic book writers. The essence of Yellow Fear was emotion; it could interfere with reality, but distorting time?
Luke sneered. If he could truly distort time, he wouldn't have been helpless while watching his wife and daughter suffer a gruesome death.
However, the ability to merely modify reality was enough to cause a huge headache.
"Thaal Sinestro!"
Luke sighed, feeling immense pressure, and his gaze became grim.
This guy was the strongest enemy he had encountered to date. Even a Super-Kryptonian like H'El could not compare to him.
To win, he had to be fully prepared.
Alliance Briefing
North of Indiana, in the yet-to-be-completed Hall of Justice.
Luke stood before the conference table. Flanking him were Diana, Clark, J'onn, Barry Allen, and a Kryptonian girl whose hands were bound and who glared at Luke every so often.
Linda had been forcibly brought here without explanation, leaving her furious.
Luke brought up the relevant files on the Green Lantern Corps, Parallax, and Sinestro for everyone to review. He then walked up to Linda and unlocked the Kryptonite chains on her wrists. The atmosphere immediately grew tense.
Everyone watched the exchange while reviewing the files. Diana tensed her body, ready to intervene at any moment.
Though angry, Linda wouldn't physically assault him. She just glared at him with furious eyes.
Luke gave a wry smile and spoke in a mosquito-like voice,
"Do me a favor and we'll talk about this later."
Though his voice was quiet, everyone present had sharp hearing. Hearing this, their expressions instantly became strange.
Linda ground her teeth and snarled like a hungry kitten. Luke was utterly embarrassed, constantly signaling her with his eyes. After dozens of blinks, she finally calmed down, snorted angrily, and turned her head away.
Luke secretly sighed in relief and returned to his seat. Time ticked by. After reviewing the information, Clark said gravely,
"Are you sure Sinestro will attack Earth?"
"He definitely will."
Pausing, Luke said solemnly, "Three years ago, Parallax came to Earth. It was on the island west of Coast City."
At his words, everyone's faces changed. According to the files, Parallax was a terrifying entity that had destroyed countless civilizations. If it truly came to Earth...
"I defeated it and sealed it using a certain method. Linda was present."
Everyone subconsciously looked at the Kryptonian girl, who merely grunted, confirming the answer.
Diana put down the files and said gravely,
"So, half of Parallax's body is in your possession."
"Yes."
Luke sighed. "I never considered that when I sealed it. Now, the other half of Parallax has escaped Oa and merged with Thaal Sinestro, who was called the greatest Green Lantern. They are definitely coming to Earth."
"How long do we have?"
"Two months."
Luke held up two fingers. "This is the result I obtained through a certain method—an 80% certainty." He paused, saying helplessly, "Ultimately, this is my fault. If only I had..."
"Stop faking it."
Linda scoffed. "If you want us to help, just say so directly."
Luke was left speechless.
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