"The government says they'll officially submit the request to Turkey in three days. Did Queen Group convince them?"
"No. I don't know what happened either. It just feels like the government suddenly became extremely proactive."
Thea was currently on a video call with Batman. His question puzzled her too. Everything had been progressing step by step—it should have taken at least another month. Yet suddenly the government had gone crazy and approved all the paperwork at once. Thea even suspected Batman had activated his hidden contacts.
"If it wasn't because of our cooperation, then the only ones who can push the government are the military or A.R.G.U.S. I'll help you take on part of the pressure, but be careful."
Batman warned her, and the call soon ended.
To ordinary citizens, the whole thing looked like a Wayne Enterprises project with Queen Group assisting. But those in the upper circles all knew exactly who the real initiator was. It was impossible to make them selectively forget Thea.
If only I could just brainwash all of them…
Thea leaned back, long legs on the desk, daydreaming lazily.
Too bad that wasn't realistic.
She shook her head to clear it. Her rapidly climbing power level was starting to affect her mindset—she now thought of magic before anything else. That was not normal.
There was too much dark magic in the Constantine inheritance.
She decided to take a few days off, sunbathe, and get her mentality back to normal.
But she got only one hour of sunshine before someone interrupted her.
"Commander Lyla… long time no see."
Thea greeted the woman standing before her—Lyla Michaels, dressed head-to-toe in black tactical gear.
At least she recognized her. Lyla showing up herself explained a lot. Thea immediately understood: A.R.G.U.S. had likely helped push the government into clearing the path. But no one ever helped for free. She'd listen to what they wanted.
"Amanda wants to see you."
Lyla had long shed her earlier greenness. The gentle young woman was mostly gone, replaced by sharp discipline and iron command. After a few words of small talk, she got straight to the point.
Quite an attitude…
Thea disliked the way Amanda treated her like a subordinate. But she held back. They were still half-allies; no need to start a fight over vanity. She wasn't doing anything important today anyway—might as well meet.
"Where?"
"Coast City. Our plane is downstairs."
Thea blinked, then smirked. "Let's go."
The distance from Star City to Coast City was no joke. The A.R.G.U.S. plane flew for more than an hour before descending into the coastal metropolis.
On the way, Thea recalled something. If her memory wasn't wrong… this was the hometown of the future Green Lantern.
Once in a private car, she watched the scenery roll by. Complete buildings, peaceful streets, relaxed citizens.
Which meant the Green Lantern hadn't debuted yet.
Coast City was similar in scale to Star City. Together, the two still weren't equal to Metropolis or Gotham—both were relatively peaceful first-tier cities.
But Thea knew that was an illusion. Once Green Lantern put on that ring, the civilians' peaceful days would be over. Being the Green Lantern Corps' designated Earth branch office made Coast City a nightmare to live in.
Best-case scenario?
You woke up to find your house (and you) blown sky-high by Red Lanterns or Yellow Lanterns.
Worst-case?
An alien chased you for two blocks and stomped you flat.
No exaggeration—this was Coast City's future. Funeral homes would skyrocket. Insurance, housing, energy markets? Collapse.
This thrilling lifestyle would continue until Black Hand arrived—ending the chaos not with peace but by wiping out the entire city in a single move.
"Eh? Lyla, you got married?"
Sitting in the back seat, Thea's gaze fell on Lyla's left hand—a wedding ring shining brightly.
Lyla lifted her hand admiringly, a smile blooming. "Yes. A fellow soldier I served with in Afghanistan."
"Well, congratulations!"
Thea pretended to be happy for her. But if her memory was right, Lyla and John Diggle's first marriage wouldn't last long. Lyla was rising fast in her career; Diggle, after leaving the military, would struggle miserably. If Oliver hadn't later dragged him into the hero business, they would never have remarried.
Talking about husbands was the fastest way for women to bond.
Thea avoided talking about herself and clung tightly to Lyla's topics:
"Your husband must be very gentle."
"He does housework? Impossible—miracles do exist…"
Under such chatter, their relationship gradually warmed—not like in Gotham when they fought side by side, but no longer coldly professional either.
When the vehicle stopped at an abandoned warehouse and agents moved to open the door, Lyla leaned close to Thea's ear and whispered:
"Amanda has noticed your supernatural abilities. Be careful."
Then she straightened with a stern expression, as if she hadn't said a word.
So it's that.
Thea pretended not to react. She had long prepared for this. But Amanda's attitude was clearly becoming more arrogant.
Was it because she held more cards… or because she believed controlling Oliver meant controlling Thea?
Should she give Amanda a small lesson… or a big one?
So hard to choose.
They stepped inside. Lyla completed several layers of ID checks and retinal scans before the massive metal doors finally opened, revealing the A.R.G.U.S. base.
"This is your secret base?" Thea asked despite knowing.
How much taxpayer money did this monstrosity cost?!
The two-and-a-half-meter-tall, half-meter-thick metal door alone was worth more than her entire Star City base.
Should she rebuild her base? Or just expand it?
After seeing the Batcave and now this, her own hideout felt embarrassingly simple.
"This is Coast City Base No. 3," Lyla explained calmly.
Thea's mouth opened slightly.
Meaning… there were at least two more bases like this in Coast City alone?
As she mentally calculated how many millions were burned on these facilities—
A deep boom shook the entire interior.
Even at the entrance, they felt the impact.
"Something happened!"
Lyla and the two agents drew their guns and rushed inside.