"What's going on?!"
Reed looked down from the apartment building, completely caught off guard by what was happening. In fact, Luthor himself hadn't expected that someone in New York would dare target something belonging to LexCorp, even if the serum wasn't being transported by a LexCorp-owned logistics company.
* * *
At the headquarters, Luthor received the news immediately, but he simply shook his head.
"Don't worry. Reed will take care of it."
Though he didn't want the scientist to become a hero, because once he turned into Mister Fantastic the man would be far too difficult to control, he also understood that Reed wouldn't just stand by after something like this.
But going forward, he would be watched more closely than ever. Luthor would make sure he never had the chance to become a hero again.
* * *
And so, under LexCorp's cold indifference, the military continued to fall back in the face of the terrorists who had injected themselves with the newly developed Yin-Yang Serum.
Even though the backup soldiers had taken the Scarlet Serum, it wasn't enough.
The so-called Yin-Yang Serum had been created using the genetic data of the late Mister Negative, who had been killed by Reid, and research left behind by Norman.
The power of Yin-Yang energy wasn't as directly destructive as the laser-based Scarlet Serum, but it was far more versatile. Even ordinary weapons could be enhanced using this energy. And those who injected the serum also gained heightened physical abilities.
On the rooftop, Reed watched the scene below, deeply anxious. He knew he couldn't stop everything by himself, but watching the soldiers fall like that still tore at him.
"Reed! The device you built, we can use it to call Green Lantern for help!"
Ben was the first to react. With his reminder, Reed suddenly realized that he wasn't completely helpless.
He had been worried earlier that if he tricked 'Green Lantern,' it might ruin any chance of convincing him to join the project later. But now, this was a real crisis. The perfect time to test his invention.
"I got it!"
He nodded firmly and activated the device in his hand.
In the next second, the special speaker transformed the pre-recorded message—"Green Lantern! Help!"—into an ultrasonic signal, precisely tuned to a frequency that 'Green Lantern' could detect, and launched it into the universe.
* * *
Meanwhile, somewhere in space.
'Hal' was finishing a routine patrol of the solar system. Just as he was about to relax a bit, he noticed a strange wave of energy.
By all accounts, he was still human. A person like him shouldn't be able to hear ultrasonic frequencies, and the power ring didn't directly enhance hearing. But in truth, while 'Hal's' body wasn't in the same league as powerhouses like Superman or Wonder Woman, it was still far beyond any regular human.
So the kind of ultrasonic signal that ordinary ears couldn't pick up, he could hear them perfectly.
"A distress call? Didn't think Reed would come up with something like this."
Even Reid, who had subconsciously underestimated Green Lantern due to preconceived notions, had overlooked one simple truth. While the man didn't appear especially outstanding compared to other heroes, he did possess genuine superhuman abilities.
It was no wonder that Reed Richards was known as the smartest man in the Marvel Universe.
"Well then, guess it's my cue to show up."
As he spoke, 'Hal's' ring flared with light and a thick glow of green energy wrapped around his body. In the blink of an eye, he shot forward like a streak of green lightning, heading straight for the source of the signal.
When he finally arrived above New York City, he immediately realized that this wasn't just some ploy to get his attention. Something serious was really going down.
"Someone's messing with LexCorp right now? Luthor's probably losing his mind."
He chuckled to himself. A moment later, his body blazed with green light as he dropped like a meteor into the heart of the chaos, landing right in the middle of the terrorists.
The devastating shockwave blasted through the area, hurling every single enemy into the air. Even those who had injected the Yin-Yang Serum and gained powers similar to Mister Negative stood no chance against a superhero like 'Hal.'
"Is that... Green Lantern?"
Not everyone had fled the scene. Some New Yorkers, still lingering nearby, broke into cheers the moment they saw him.
In that instant, it was as if 'Green Lantern' had truly replaced Captain America in their hearts, becoming the symbol of American heroism.
The soldiers who had been struggling to hold back the terrorists also breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, a real superhero had shown up to share the burden.
LexCorp's superpower serums had indeed made the country stronger, but their illegal circulation had also made the job of these people far more dangerous.
At the end of the day, a serum was just a shortcut and soldiers born without powers struggled to adapt to superhuman combat. Facing criminals who had gained abilities through various means, they often found themselves outmatched.
"Don't worry. This will be over soon."
'Hal' stood tall. In his hand, green energy formed several pairs of shackles. Then he turned his sharp gaze toward the terrorists who were slowly getting back on their feet.
'Time for some quiet.'
What followed ended quickly. The Scarlet Serum might have been a powerful military asset, but compared to the power of Green Lantern Ring, it was like comparing a spark to a lightning storm. With minimal effort and barely any time, 'Hal' wiped out every last foe.
Just when everyone thought he would head back into space, their hero suddenly changed direction. He soared toward a nearby rooftop and landed in front of Reed.
"A device that can convert sound into ultrasonic signals and transmit them into space? There's no way you built that on the fly. You wanted to see me, didn't you? Just say it. What do you want?"
Since Reed had already reached out to him, there was no point in hiding anything anymore. 'Hal' went straight to the point.
"It's like this, Green Lantern. I need to rely on LexCorp to conduct an experiment involving a cosmic storm. But Mr. Luthor has doubts about the safety of the whole thing. That's why we need you to be there during the experiment—to ensure our safety. The real reason I contacted you was to ask for your help with this."
"I see."
'Hal' crossed his arms and fell silent, appearing deep in thought.
Reed grew tense. He truly wanted to complete the experiment. It wasn't for fame or fortune. He just wanted to prove himself, to finally shed the label of a third-rate scientist.
"I'll do it. I'll keep an eye on the experiment from a distance. If anything goes wrong with the cosmic storm, I'll step in and get you out of danger. In fact, even if you hadn't come to me, as long as I was still in the solar system, there's no way I would've let you get hurt."
"That's great!"
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