In the presidential suite of the Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, Hal and Oliver were playing cards. Looking out of the window, Arthur was swimming in the outdoor pool downstairs. Many beauties were focused on his strong and handsome physique, exclaiming with every movement he made.
"His boat handling skills are average, but he sure knows how to flaunt his muscles," Oliver sighed, "I was like that in my younger days, hitting the gym two months prior just to show off at pool parties."
"You should be grateful for your fitness journey. It gave you a decent physique when you were stranded on that deserted island. Without it, you wouldn't have made it this far," Hal said, as he threw out a card.
Oliver nodded, then said, "I just called home to Star City. My butler was shocked but ecstatic to hear I'm alive. He hopes I can return as soon as possible..."
"Why are you still here then?" Hal checked his watch and remarked, "Star City isn't far from here. If you leave now, you could make it there by dawn."
Oliver shook his head and replied, "Throughout my time on the deserted island, I've been contemplating one question: where do people's sufferings truly originate from?"
"That's a sudden deep thought. Are you a philosopher now?" Hal teased, taking a sip of his cold sparkling water and drawing in a sharp breath. "I thought that only individuals like Professor Shiller would research these seemingly pointless philosophical questions."
"How can you say it's pointless? Haven't you ever wondered about it?"
"I have, but what good does just thinking do?" Hal sighed. "Contemplating these issues won't alleviate anyone's sufferings in the world. I'd rather spend that time directly helping others."
"But can your help eradicate all the suffering in the world?" Oliver challenged.
"Of course not, but easing a bit of pain is still significant, isn't it? Saving one person at a time still matters," Hal countered.
"That's a negative perspective. Unless we truly understand the root cause of everyone's suffering on a spiritual level, we will never be able to truly save them." Oliver responded seriously.
Hal paused his shuffling and said, "I've heard a similar narrative from someone before."
"Who?" Oliver gazed into his eyes.
"Probably Shiller. I feel that out of everyone I know, only he would say things like this." Hal scratched his head. "Sometimes, I can't understand those psychological and philosophical theories, but often those words circulate continuously in my head, as if I've understood and remembered them."
"When he was treating my wounds, he didn't really come across as someone patient enough to read philosophy," Oliver smirked.
Just then, the door to the room opened. Shiller walked in and upon seeing the two playing cards in the living room, asked, "You guys aren't asleep yet?"
"It's still early. More importantly, how was your visit with your old friend? He didn't invite you to stay the night?" Hal inquired, looking up at him.
"Indeed," Shiller huffed, "because he wanted to invite another guest, a beautiful policewoman."
Hal and Oliver laughed simultaneously, clearly taking delight in Shiller's predicament. After changing his shoes, Shiller joined them on the couch and dealt himself a hand.
The three engaged in chit-chat while playing cards and conversation gradually drifted back to the topic of surviving on the deserted island. Hal remembered something Oliver had said earlier and asked, "What was that about drug dealers slaughtering an entire village? What happened?"
"When I first arrived on the island, I found traces of human activity. I was overjoyed, but as I followed the traces, I found no living person, just the ruins of a village."
"It must have been where the original island inhabitants lived. Judging from the remnants of their daily lives, it looked as if nobody had been active there for quite some time."
"I didn't find any bodies, but I did find some limbs. Following these clues, I discovered where those damned butchers buried the villagers. There were about a dozen bodies there, presumably the entire village…"
"The whole village was ransacked. Nothing of use was left behind. I thought about settling there, but…"
Oliver shook his head, sadness crossing his face, "Seeing traces of their past lives and thinking about the state of their bodies, I was filled with sorrow. Also, the site was far from a fresh water source and food was scarce, so in the end, I left."
"Those damned drug dealers, they're becoming more and more audacious!" Hal sucked in a sharp breath, "You probably don't know, but there was a time when Seashore City relied on fishing for its living. Back then, the seafarers feared the drug dealers from South America the most."
"If they were attacked by pirates, the pirates would just kidnap the crew and demand a ransom. As long as you gave them some money, they wouldn't easily kill. If the captain was willing to pay up, you could give up the cargo to ensure everyone's safety."
"But drug dealers are different; they've completely lost their humanity. They don't need any survivors. Once they board a ship, they kill all the crew." Hal's face darkened as he recalled, "My oldest uncle, my father's eldest brother, was killed by them."
"And if you dare resist, they'll torture you to death, then dump your body in the sea. My uncle was a retired army officer. He suffered inhumane torture and his body was never recovered..."
Hal lowered his head, the sadness in his brow more apparent. He said, "After that, my parents firmly disagreed with me going far away. Because I am their eldest son, they worry that I would encounter the same danger as my uncle..."
"I want to avenge these villagers." After hesitating a bit, Oliver still said, "I know, drug trafficking has been going on for a long time. It's likely hard to eradicate, but I feel that I cannot stand by and do nothing."
"What do you plan to do?" Hal immediately asked. Clearly, he also held this thought. Oliver turned his head, glanced out the window, and looked at Arthur, who was still playing in the pool downstairs, and said:
"Arthur can communicate with fish. He said before that an Orca mother was killed by these drug dealers. We can use his ability, have the Orca lead the way, find the base of the drug dealers, and then avenge the villagers."
Shiller had been silent all along. Both Hal and Oliver looked at him. Shiller didn't express an opinion. He just said, "If you guys want to go, then go ahead. However, I get seasick, so I won't be joining you."
"Don't you think they're truly merciless?" Hal asked, looking at Shiller's unchanged expression. But then he quickly added, "Ah, I didn't mean you necessarily have to go..."
Shiller sighed and said, "Have you thought about why all this happened?"
"Of course, it's because of those vicious drug dealers!" Hal absolutely detested them, seizing every chance to verbally abuse them. He gritted his teeth and said, "I'm going to wipe them all out and avenge all the innocents..."
Having said that, Hal stood up, seeming unable to contain his anger. Oliver also stood up with him. They were in agreement on this point. After a while, they called up Arthur. When he heard that they were going to deal with drug dealers, he agreed as well, saying:
"The Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea have rich fisheries. Many fleets go there to catch fish during the abundant seasons, they're not afraid of pirates, but they are most afraid of these drug dealers. Their methods are brutal, I've heard such dreadful tales ever since I was a kid."
"We'll depart now. I can use the lantern's energy to make the ship move quickly. In combination with the Orca's guidance, we should be able to reach our destination quickly. Once we find their base, they're done for."
"Let's depart now." Oliver also said, recalling the horrible scene he witnessed on the deserted island.
After the three of them left, Shiller didn't have much leisure time. Lucifer and Chloe found him again. When they entered the hotel room, it was already lit up. Shiller was about to go for breakfast, so the three of them headed to the hotel's restaurant to eat and chat.
"So, you found Delilah's partner and made a fuss at his wedding to get the clues?" Shiller asked, after taking a bite of a salad.
"He was non-cooperative," Lucifer snorted, and Chloe showed a helpless expression, saying, "You should have listened to me, we should have gone by the book..."
"Alright, anyway, you achieved your goal, what clues did you get out?" Shiller asked.
"Delilah's partner told us, she had a boyfriend who often beat her. Delilah once cried in the recording studio. Officer Chloe and I went to the boyfriend's house. He's a rapper and leads a chaotic private life..."
"By the time we got there, he was high. I had to figure out a way to sober him up. I hoisted him over the balcony, let him get some air, and he finally gave us a clue."
"He said he beat Delilah because she cheated. Delilah often consulted a psychiatrist, the psychiatrist's name is Linda."
"So, we came to find you, we are hoping you could do us a favor." Lucifer glanced at Chloe and took the lead to say, "That psychiatrist named Linda is very tricky. I think, since you're a renowned psychologist, you should be able to convince her. We want to know who Delilah's adultery partner is?"
"Did he tell you that keeping patient confidentiality is the professional ethic of psychiatrists?" Shiller asked.
Chloe nodded immediately and said, "Exactly, that's what she said. We asked repeatedly, but she did not waver at all, so we thought..."
"Keeping patient confidentiality indeed is the professional ethic of psychiatrists. It's the same for me. So, I won't force my colleagues to reveal secrets, but I think there should be better ways to investigate the truth."
Chloe and Lucifer exchanged glances, then looked at Shiller together. Shiller was cutting food on his plate and said, "Although I don't know much about popular music, I do know that along with the rise of popular music and commercial movies, there's another thing, entertainment newspapers."
"Even in Gotham, I can hear the newspapers boy running down the street shouting the gossips between stars, then how do entertainment newspapers get these gossips?"
It took Chloe a moment to comprehend, then she exclaimed out of the blue, "Paparazzi! Right! Delilah has been trending recently, the paparazzi must be following her! Let's go, we will head to the Beacon Newspaper, that's the biggest gossip newspaper on the West Coast..."
Having said that, Chloe immediately stood up and rushed out. Lucifer turned back to glance at Shiller, giving him a thumbs up before chasing after Chloe.
Just then, while dining, Shiller put down his fork, slightly turned his head, and glanced at a corner of the hotel's restaurant. There was a familiar figure getting his meal.
The figure was clad in a black and yellow uniform, standing out amongst the crowd of suits and long skirts.
"Long time no see... Deathstroke."