In the office of Corps Leader Tylenol, after Hal had handed over the documents, he turned to leave, but was stopped by Tylenol.
While reviewing the documents, Tylenol spoke, "Truth be told, I didn't expect you to forgive Owen. It seems you possess a broad-minded nature."
Hal hesitated a moment before answering, "It's not that I forgave him, but I know that headquarters needs staff right now, and he often handles clerical work. Without him, we won't be able to manage all the tasks."
Tylenol sighed, remarking somberly, "Ever since Sinestro's betrayal, they have been keeping a keen eye on this headquarters. I've heard..."
He lowered his voice, continuing, "They intend to form a special constabulary unit, the members of which aren't traditional Green Lanterns chosen by the Green Lantern Ring, but artificial Green Lantern soldiers of their creation."
"You've seen Owen's situation - that's an experiment they've conducted before. They've been trying various ways to harness Green Lantern energy, and the Green Lantern Ring is just one of them."
"Will they succeed?" Hal asked.
"I don't know. But if they do, our position will become extremely precarious." Tylenol looked troubled. Hal understood his feelings - anyone would dread the oversight of such an imposing constabulary.
Moreover, Green Lanterns are constrained by certain rules within their Green Lantern Rings that prevent the use of lethal force. Yet if this constabulary was created, it was uncertain whether they would be bound by such restrictions. If not, they may be facing a terrifying purge.
"I'm sorry, Hal, for involving you in all this." Tylenol looked down as if reading the report, but his thoughts seemed far away.
"Earth is like my home, too. It's difficult for places as remote as ours to join the cosmos. We finally have a promising candidate, but his time hasn't come yet."
Hal walked back and stood opposite to Tylenol. "Is that so? I don't see it that way."
"You don't understand the gravity of the situation, Hal. The truth is, they chose me because I have no civilized backing. If they proposed a Corps leader from an advanced civilization and later wanted to replace him, they would face resistance from the civilization behind him."
"But me... I'm just a yokel from a small town. Even after many years at headquarters, I've only managed to become an assistant lieutenant. After Sinestro's betrayal, the original lieutenant and two deputy officials failed to assume the position of Corps leader."
"When the position fell to me, I knew their intentions. Despite that, I had to walk this path, even if it might lead to a dead end."
Hal was silent for a moment, regarding Tylenol. Tylenol looked very human, which made it easier for Hal to grasp the emotions conveyed by his expressions.
But Hal said nothing. He was about to leave the room when Tylenol let out a puzzled, "Huh?"
"Wait! Hal, come back!" Tylenol called him back. He frowned at the report, saying, "The financial report about Earth's aftermath, I can't quite make heads or tails of it."
"Oh? But I didn't write this part," Hal said, a difficult look on his face. Tylenol glanced at him and said, "Out with it. No beating around the bush."
Hal sighed and said, "I was working on that part, but Owen said that as an Earthling, I would be biased. He took the task away."
Tylenol's brows wrinkled, seemingly dissatisfied with Owen's actions. But he finds no fault in Owen's reasoning. It is indeed Green Lantern Corps protocol to avoid conflicts of interest when it comes to matters involving one's homeland.
Tylenol tapped his desk, instructing, "Go fetch Owen. I can't quite understand the report he submitted."
After a while, Hal brought Owen back. Owen had a trace of impatience on his face, and he gave Hal a look as dark as a pot's bottom. Tylenol didn't care. He asked, "Your report mentions an increase in the budget for Gotham's reconstruction. Is the current budget not enough?"
"Don't get me started!"
Owen snorted dismissively, "Earlier, that Schiller Rodriguez who depleted half the energy reserves - that was his handiwork."
"Do you think he managed to hang on that long in Gotham on his own? It's wishful thinking! You think everyone is the supposed 'greatest' Green Lantern?"
Owen's tone was dripping with sarcasm, but Tylenol persisted, "So, how did he survive? And how does this relate to the budget?"
"He issued a ton of promissory notes, hiring a great number of mercenaries, including the infamous Constantine from the Spirit Realm."
"The Spirit Realm? I'm not familiar with that, what happened?"
"You don't need to know. You only need to know that he's a menace, an absolute piece of work. If we don't meet his demands, he'll make a scene at headquarters. Moreover, this man is very sinister. Anyone who goes against him or belongs to his squad, they meet gruesome ends."
Owen took a deep breath, looking somewhat helpless, "If we don't get rid of him, we'll be tormented to death."
"Even so, that's not a reason for him to promise vast sums of reward! Do you know how scarce our energy is now? The recharge time for the Lantern Furnaces in over a hundred sectors has been delayed!" Owen ranted back loudly.
Just as it seemed the two were going to argue, Tylenol quickly intervened, "Alright, that makes some sense, but Gotham's demand for damages, that..."
"Those damned surface-dwellers managed to bring in galactic communication somehow. They're threatening to publicize this matter if we don't compensate them..."
Owen rubbed his temples, commenting, "Our reputation has already taken quite a hit. If this blows up into a scandal, the authority of the Green Lantern Corps would be significantly undermined."
"Of course, their demands are entirely outlandish. I won't fulfill them to the letter." Owen crossed his arms, "One percent at most. After all, those are just uninformed surface-dwellers. A small sum should suffice to settle them."
"Each item may not cost much, but all together they add up to a significant amount," Tylenol said worriedly. In the end, he still signed his agreement.
After Owen left, Hal stayed behind. He sat across from Tylenol and asked him, "What's your plan if things go south?"
Tylenol shook his head, "If I had a way to deal with it, they wouldn't have chosen me."
Hal deeply inhaled, Tylenol could tell he had something to say. With a thoughtful look, Tylenol asked, "Are you finding it hard to say your next words?"
"No, I just want to know if there are any surveillance devices left by them?"
Tylenol raised his eyes and stared into Hal's, who was looking back at him with unwavering determination. In the end, Tylenol reassured him, "Rest assured, the former leader, Sinestro, is a suspicious individual. They even needed to keep an eye on him, so there's definitely no surveillance equipment in this office."
"Don't you want to take measures to protect yourself?" Hal asked him, "Are you just going to sit back and let them build up the constabulary, rule over you, and potentially even end your life?"
Tylenol was silent. He finally said, "It's not that I don't want to, it's just that I can't. Hal, not everyone is as gifted as you, earning the approval of the Ion Shark immediately after obtaining the Green Lantern Ring."
"But I have a solution, do you want to hear it?"
Tylenol put down the report he was reading and looked at Hal, his brows furrowing with hesitation. He had an inkling that Hal's words might be shocking.
Then he heard Hal say, "Not just for you but also for your civilization, your homeland, and places like our home..."
"Speak, whatever you say will not leave this room."
Hal pointed at the report and said, "As you can see in the report, of the total energy consumption reported here, Owen and I each account for a fifth."
Tylenol's eyes widened slowly, anger etching his features. But it froze instantly. He said, "You guys..."
"As you suspect, but we're only defending ourselves. We must accumulate power in anticipation of the potential purge, otherwise we'll be sitting ducks."
"Tylenol, they betrayed us first."
As Hal finished, he saw Tylenol swallow hard. He continued, "And now, we are only missing the final piece of our plan. With just me and Owen, we can only plan small operations."
"And all those energies..." Hal extended his arm, pointing next door, "They're there, waiting to be seized by those damned constables. Do you plan to simply sit here and wait?"
Tylenol's lips trembled, he said, "But as the leader of the Corps, I can't..."
Hal placed his hand on the table, "I don't believe that you aren't aware that the Green Lantern Corps, being controlled by them, doesn't represent anyone's justice. We're just their universal tool of domination, and the Green Lantern energy is the weapon."
Tylenol fell silent, he sucked in a deep breath. His chest trembling, Hal's words echoed in his ears like a devil's whisper. He had to admit, the temptation was strong, he knew just how powerful Green Lantern energy could be.
"But we can't misuse such energy. You should know, without the ring's approval, we can't harness this energy. Even if we extracted them, normal beings can't use it."
"What if I told you, I have a method?"
Tylenol's heart pounded harder, he gulped, "Are you saying... you have a way for earthbound beings to harness the Green Lantern energy? As.....a renewable energy source?"
"A universal energy source," Hal added.
Tylenol's hands began to tremble, "Are you sure?"
Hal nodded. Tylenol fell silent. After waiting for a long time, probably ten minutes or so, without uttering a word, he seemed lost in memories. From the look in his eyes, Hal could tell Tylenol was thinking of his homeland.
Hal was not surprised. Even without a high education, he understood that if human civilization could use the Green Lantern energy as a power source, even temporarily or in limited quantities for experimentation and the construction of some energy-intensive devices, it would be a quantum leap for civilization.
After a long wait, he finally heard Tylenol ask:
"...What's your plan?"
"Do you remember, Schiller Rodriguez who was previously stationed in Gotham?"
"Uh... Yes, but didn't you say he was injured and recuperating back home?"
"Yes, but he's recovered now. I recommend him as the Deputy Commander in charge of finance for the Green Lantern Corps."
Tylenol hesitated, "You mean he could..."
Hal emphatically nodded:
"Yes, he truly can."