The Green Lantern Corps soldiers did not approve of Sinestro's actions, but no one stood up to oppose him. After all, he was the leader of the Green Lantern Corps, a great warrior with a distinguished record.
Soon, the Guardians' order reached the ship's central system: Sinestro was to be relieved of all his duties and stripped of his Green Lantern status.
This decision meant that Sinestro was no longer protected by the ship and had only two choices: one, enter the brig and await judgment; two, leave on his own.
He chose the latter without hesitation.
In Washington D.C., inside the Vice President's official residence.
Dick Cheney was discussing with several of his confidantes how to handle the alien attack on the A.R.G.U.S. base. The key to this case was not the "escaped" alien, but the attitude of the Department of Defense.
The 4th Infantry Division was the army's ace—the pride of the U.S. military. Now, because of A.R.G.U.S.'s destruction, many powerful generals were dissatisfied with Dick Cheney, believing that he was responsible for the tragedy.
This was the most fatal blow.
As an excellent politician, Dick Cheney clearly understood his advantages. The biggest reason he dared to lord over the president was his identity as a military spokesperson. With the support of the military, he could act with impunity. Once the Department of Defense chose another partner, all his power and status would instantly vanish.
For his political career and a happy and prosperous old age, Dick Cheney had to find a way to mend the rift with the military and absolutely prevent others from taking advantage of the situation.
As for the aliens... he hadn't even considered them.
Mending a broken mirror sounds easy, but it's very troublesome in practice.
Dick Cheney and his confidantes pondered for most of the day but couldn't find a suitable method. The office was filled with smoke, and everyone was preoccupied. Just then, the roof exploded, and a green light descended from the sky.
The light flickered, transforming into a red-skinned humanoid creature—it was the alien who had attacked the underground base.
The faces of the people in the room changed drastically, and they quickly pulled out their weapons. The next second, countless green chains flew out from the ground, coiling around their bodies and binding them to the floor, unable to move.
The imposing Sinestro came before Dick Cheney, staring at him coldly.
"Dick Cheney?"
Dick Cheney gritted his teeth and sharply retorted, "I warn you, this is the Vice President's official residence. Your current actions are not only breaking and entering but also involve national security. I advise you to leave immediately, or you will be provoking the entire United States."
"It seems you are Dick Cheney."
Sinestro grabbed him by the collar and burst through the window, disappearing like a streak of light.
Soon, the news that the Vice President had been abducted by an alien reached the White House office. Joel Nash, ecstatic, on one hand ordered the FBI and CIA to conduct a full search, and on the other hand, ordered Jensen Lowe to open champagne, staging an intimate two-person party in the office. Unfortunately, before one round of activity was completed, the police station delivered "good" news:
Dick Cheney was found in a nearby forest, in good physical condition, unharmed, just a bit pale—a chilling paleness... Luke Shaw!
This was the name Sinestro got from the Vice President's mouth. The meteorite that killed Hector was closely related to Luke Shaw, which meant that this guy named Luke Shaw was very likely the first human on Earth to see Parallax.
This name sounds a bit familiar?
The person who took Hal's ring also seemed to be named Luke Shaw!
Sinestro stroked his chin in thought for a moment, then went to Coast City and found Hal Jordan strolling on the street. He didn't approach him but concealed himself, following him from a distance.
The judgment had dealt him a huge blow, making him despondent and filled with various negative emotions. Sinestro didn't like this, but he couldn't refute the Guardians' reasoning. They weren't wrong; the killing at the time didn't stem from will,
but from anger and hatred.
It was anger and hatred that drove him to wantonly slaughter intelligent species of lower civilizations, which was absolutely forbidden in the Green Lantern Corps.
Because of this "massacre," his great and glorious Green Lantern career might very well come to an end.
Therefore, before leaving, he wanted to observe the successor chosen by his close friend, to see if this human named Hal Jordan was worthy of inheriting Abin Sur's great qualities.
Hal didn't know that a pair of eyes were silently watching him from behind. Having just been discharged from the hospital, he was planning to go to a restaurant to eat something and fill his stomach.
They say you only appreciate something after you lose it. When he first got the ring, Hal didn't think being a Green Lantern was such a great profession; he just thought it was cool, fun, and impressive. The power brought by the ring gave him the illusion of a nobody turning into somebody, which led to the subsequent series of tragedies.
Many times, he thought, if he hadn't caused trouble at the Young Masters' Gang headquarters, the outcome might have been different.
That bastard Luke Shaw, though annoying, was a rule-abiding guy. As long as you didn't provoke him, he usually couldn't be bothered with you.
Unfortunately, there's no going back in time, and no "if only" option. Three fingers, the Green Lantern ring, and the dream of being a pilot—this was the price he paid for that impulse.
Was it tragic?
It was indeed tragic. Fortunately, he survived, and Tom wasn't implicated because of this incident.
After these days of recuperation, Hal had recovered from the despair of losing everything and began to think about the future.
Without the ring and having lost his fingers, what else could he do?
A mechanic?
Not a bad choice. With his skills and brains, he could certainly become the best aircraft mechanic. But why was there always a sense of unwillingness in his heart?
Once, a great career lay before me, and I didn't cherish it. Only when I lost it did I regret it deeply. The most painful thing in the world is probably this. If Heaven could give me a chance to do it again, I would definitely say to Luke Shaw... "Help!"
"Wuwuwu!!! Help me, wuwu!!"
A sudden cry for help interrupted Hal's thoughts. He looked up and saw a young girl being dragged into a van by two burly men at the intersection ahead.
"Stop, let her go."
Without thinking, Hal rushed forward. One of the burly men pulled out a pistol and fired. Hal quickly rolled into a nearby baby supplies store. A bullet grazed his body, sparking on the ground.
Hal pulled out his Browning pistol, which he carried with him, and aimed at the van's tires.
Bang, bang!
Two shots later, the tires immediately deflated.
One burly man cursed "shit," threw the girl to his companion, and took out a submachine gun from the van, walking and firing wildly.
Bullets poured out, shattering large sections of doors and window glass. The female cashier in the store, not noticing the situation outside, was hit in the abdomen and fell into a pool of blood.
"Bastard!"
Hal cursed, disregarding the danger, and quickly rushed into the store, dragging the injured female cashier to a safe place and giving her a simple bandage using the medical skills he learned in the army.
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