"How can I possibly stay calm?! I'm glowing! And it's green!" Dick yelled back at him.
Clearly, he was sowhat bewildered by the current situation, like a real child, he said: "Oh my God! I can't believe, how do I go to school tomorrow? How do I explain to my teacher that I started glowing overnight?!"
Continuing, he looked a bit downcast: "Our school is very strict, we must have traditional hair colors, not even dyeing hair is allowed. If the teacher sees my hair has turned green, and my whole body has turned green, she'll definitely get angry and call my parents!"
Hal was at a loss for words, clearly, he had no experience raising a child and didn't know how to deal with Dick's realistic, but sowhat overly realistic logic.
"Plus, I'm supposed to visit my biological parents at the end of this month. They're pretty old-fashioned, even at Christmas they only use dark green. How do I explain that I suddenly turned greener than a Christmas elf??"
Hal stared at the ceiling of Wayne Manor. When he first acquired this power, he also dread about how wonderful it would be if he had obtained this power earlier, but now he found that the teenage ntality is the world's greatest mystery.
Dick didn't care about this magical teleportation ability or whether he could control this powerful force, he only cared about his body glowing green.
At this mont, amidst all these troubles, Hal suddenly had so different thoughts.
Is he really clear-headed?
An ordinary person indeed should be puzzled by their strange appearance when launching their power after obtaining the Green Lantern Ring, but Hal found that he never had this feeling.
Even if he caused a big traffic jam because he resembled a green traffic light, he never doubted it.
At this mont, Hal suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. Like all humans who found out they might be controlled by sothing, the shock from the accidental separation from the Green Lantern Ring brought Hal to realize many abnormalities he overlooked before.
Recalling Alfred's previous words to him, cold sweat soaked his back. The thick pilot's jacket couldn't make him feel warm.
What the hell was he doing? Obtaining an alien's power, reporting this information to aliens? Has he been bought off, or is he being controlled?
Undoubtedly, even as a newcor, Hal is still a fundantally good man. His strong will makes him not afraid of admitting mistakes and imdiately finding a way to redy them.
He struggled to move his body, turned the chair around, and said to Batman: "The problem might be more serious than we imagine."
"Indeed, if you can't co up with a cure for Dick, then..."
"No, that's not what I ant!" Hal interrupted Batman, who rarely got interrupted. Batman silently looked at Hal, but Hal continued: "I think there's a problem."
He sighed and said, "As you know, I accidentally obtained a Green Lantern Ring with magical powers. The alien who gave this ring died in a spaceship crash, he told about the existence of the Green Lantern Corps."
"Then, the power of this ring connected to the Green Lantern Corps. They told about the Corps' history. I was deeply moved and felt honored to be able to join such a team."
"The first official mission I received was to investigate the arrival of the Yellow Lantern in Gotham. You all know what happened later."
"And the second mission I received was to monitor the movents of the Yellow Lantern Corps mbers."
"In the information I received, the Yellow Lantern Corps is described as a terrifying entity. They interfere with the Green Lantern Knight's work and bring destruction and fear to the cosmos."
"And the terrifying creature I saw in the dreamworld corroborated this point, which made believe even more that the Green Lantern Corps is committed to maintaining peace and tranquility in the cosmos."
"But I don't know..." Hal showed a look of hesitation. He said, "I might have actually leaked too much information to this mysterious Green Lantern Corps. I haven't even been to their headquarters, only remote contact..."
"I was eager to complete the mission. I thought I should report the ins and outs of this matter to prevent the evil Yellow Lantern Corps mbers referred to in their communication from causing any harm to Earth, so..."
As Hal looked up, he saw Batman squinting his eyes. For so reason, when he saw this expression, Hal had a feeling of foreboding.
"Why did you think the safety of Earth should be entrusted to outsiders?" Batman asked a very critical question, and Hal had no answer.
"Did they ever tell you the real origin of the Green Lantern Ring?" Batman asked another question, but Hal still couldn't answer. He said,
"I heard it's the first race that was born in the cosmos that created this team to maintain cosmic peace..."
"So, it's still created by intelligent life, has its leaders, division of labor, different departnts, bases, various mbers..."
Batman, with his arms crossed, asked: "How can you ensure that the data you uploaded will not be seen by those who should not see it? How can you ensure that the leadership of this team has no malice towards Earth?"
Hal shook his head, Batman looked into his eyes and asked him, "You don't want to answer, or you don't know? I hope for your sake, it's the forr."
Hal found his lips were dry, he wetted them, spoke in a sowhat somber tone, "I... I don't know."
"You joined a company without fully understanding its nature, scale, personnel structure, operating system, and even uploaded all your personal, family, neighbors, streets data to their network..."
As Batman's tone grew darker, Hal's ominous premonition intensified. But then, Alfred suddenly spoke, "Sir, Professor Rodriguez just called, inquiring about the situation here."
"He heard Aisha's scream and expressed concern. He said he would wait by the phone until he was assured of our safety. I think, so as not to keep your esteed professor awake all night, you should return his call now..."
The pressure around Batman had dropped to its lowest point, yet hearing Alfred's words, he remained silent for a mont before heading to the telephone table.
As soon as Batman answered, Shiller's voice ca through, "I bet, by now, you're holding Hal captive and interrogating him about the Green Lantern Corps, am I right?"
"I have 'captured' nobody, neither am I 'interrogating' him," Batman imdiately corrected Shiller's wording. as Shiller quickly added: "Alright then, I think, you should have invited Green Lantern Hal to sit down and securely fixed him in place."
"Then, during your casual chat, you must have stumbled upon so unexpected leads about the Green Lantern Corps."
"What do you think about the Green Lantern Corps?" Shiller asked him.
"A group of aliens who might pose a threat to Earth at any mont, and who are already developing espionage on our planet," Batman replied.
"Just as I thought." Shiller said, "Firstly, I had no idea why Hal ended up at Wayne Manor. Secondly, if you want to investigate the Green Lantern Corps, the best approach is to start with the Green Lantern ring."
"Recall the last box I gave you? You probably know what's inside by now..."
After hanging up the phone, Batman felt slightly calr. Applying any violent form of interrogation on Hal now would only escalate the situation, dealing with Dick's condition was what mattered most.
While Batman had been on the phone, Hal had been trying to communicate with Dick. However, they seed to be speaking different languages.
Hal was continually stressing to Dick the importance of staying calm and controlling his power. But in his current state, Dick was in a panic. The two were not on the sa wavelength.
When Batman returned, Hal heaved a sigh, "Even though I admit I'm not a good teacher, I don't know how to teach a teenager to use the power of will. When I was ten, I probably couldn't even spell 'will.'
"I don't think I can teach him, but I also don't know who else could, to teach soone to control this kind of power, one must have harnessed it themselves.
"But the Green Lantern Corps selection criteria are strict, not one in a billion would et the standards. Where can I find another Green Lantern?"
Batman silently stared at Hal, catching his gaze, Hal said, "There's no way around this, and how could you not understand? The Green Lantern has a very high requirent for willpower, which an ordinary person can't achieve."
Seeing Batman keep his focus on him, Hal could only explain, "Ok, if there is a secret, you must focus your attention, demonstrate your willpower... "
"I got this ring from another alien, but getting the approval of the Green Lantern... it cost ... "
While he was talking, a familiar green light gliding by from the window. Hal widened his eyes. A ring radiating a faint green light hovered quietly between him and Batman.
Upon hearing the recognizable oath of the Green Lantern Corps, Hal opened his mouth in disbelief and said, "Wait, I know the Green Lantern ring is reissued, but I haven't reported any loss, how co... "
Before he could finish, the glowing green ring flew towards Batman and clung to him like a pet dog waiting for its master's touch.
As Hal was still in disbelief, sothing even more astonishing happened. Batman slowly opened his mouth and said, 'I refuse.'
The glowing Green Lantern ring hung mid-air, then at a painstakingly slow pace, as if reluctant to leave, it slowly floated out the window of Wayne Manor. Alas, Batman's change of heart never ca.
"I just wanted to see if it actually works." Batman confessed.
Hal coughed dryly, he said, "Being chosen by a lantern ring is a precious opportunity. There are probably few in the world who get this chance, and you just... "
As Hal was speaking, Batman left the hall. After a while, he ca back, carrying a box in his hand. Sitting down on the sofa, under Hal's gaze, he opens the box.
A clattering soft noise erupted-
A pile of lantern rings scattered across the table.
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