"Where else can I go? Oh God...where else can I go?"
The sound of weeping carried by the evening breeze, red poppies swaying like waves. Sin and blood ebbed and flowed on this ancient land, never ceasing. But hearing this lament growing from the flower of sin, everyone would ponder a question, why is this happening?
As he left the field, Oliver saw the sunrise on the horizon. He stood by the ridge, sighing, "Why is this...Who is to blame?"
"The Mexican government? But they want to outlaw drugs. The farmers? But they are just trying to survive, even failing at that. Us? But we only want to help them..."
"If we killed all the drug dealers, would that stop all this?" Oliver asked a question that Hal couldn't answer, but inwardly he knew the answer was negative.
Where there are buyers, there will be sellers, and as long as there are people willing to sell, they will find ways to grow, and as long as there are growers, there will be sellers and buyers. It felt like an insoluble endgame.
Oliver sat down by the ridge and began to think deeply, how could this dead end be solved?
Killing all the drug dealers, overthrowing the current government, saving all the farmers, none of these alone would help. They would only worsen the situation. All three must be done simultaneously and perfectly to stand a chance.
Yet, Oliver was at a loss. He did not know what to do; it seemed like an impossible feat. Even if Hal had such formidable power, he couldn't achieve it.
Or perhaps it was not about power or will, something critical was missing.
On the road south, the three became much quieter. They were all thinking about this problem but found no answers, not until their boat slowly approached Sinaloa State. They briefly escaped this state of mind and began their real pursuit.
It wasn't smooth sailing; every local was an accomplice to the drug dealers. They were fierce and tight-lipped, making intel hard to come by.
The difficulty was not defeating them but locating the leader, Galado. Sensing a possible threat, the cunning Galado disappeared.
With Hal's Green Lantern ability, Arthur's ability to communicate with fish, and Oliver's tactics and wisdom, they tracked Galado to Guadalajara City and finally found him in a very well-hidden basement.
In comparison to these talented superheroes, it was quite an achievement for an ordinary person.
Hal and the others were simply unfamiliar with the land, didn't understand the structure of the drug cartel, and lacked information, making it difficult to catch an ordinary person.
But, this was just the beginning. The captured Galado didn't think he had done anything wrong. His forceful voice, tinged with a Spanish accent, echoed in the dimly lit basement, full of righteous indignation.
"I was born here. Guadalajara is my hometown. From the time I was born, drugs were everywhere here. Being a drug courier was part of my daily life."
"We were poor; I needed to make money. I just bought an everyday commodity and sold it to others. What's wrong with that?"
"I made some money and wanted to make more. Someone came to me saying he wanted to make money too, and we could partner up. So, I agreed."
"Then I discovered, that man was Guadalajara's Deputy Mayor. He has two mistresses and three illegitimate children. He needs to support them, so he needs money. As long as I can make money for him, he will protect me."
"Surviving is essential here, more than anything else." Galado sat in his chair, fearless, in a matter-of-fact tone, " I want to survive. Those who don't, should die."
"I rented a boat and started a business. Initially, it wasn't successful, but then not only the Deputy Mayor, but the Mayor and Governor saw potential in me. I shared the money I earned with them, and they let me do my business."
"But, you Americans... oh, that's you guys. You damn greedy people! You don't want me to make money. You're in cahoots with those old men in Congress, waging a drug war that cost me a fortune. You all deserve to die!"
"Do you even know what you are saying?!" Arthur, the most innocent of them all, was furious. "Do you even realize how many people your business has killed?!"
"And do you know how many people you Americans have killed?" Galado looked up disdainfully. "Not only did you kill us, you killed your own people. The screams of dying agents, I can still hear them."
"You..." Arthur was lost for words. "You heartless villain! How could you..."
Galado scrutinized Arthur. "It seems, you've also lived at sea for many years. You're a big guy, had you worked for me, you'd have gotten ahead by now."
Galado shifted his position, leaning back on his chair. "You guys can't seriously believe you are righteous? You, yes, you, the big guy, answer me. Why did America get the Mexican government to wage a drug war?"
"To stop you from killing innocents." Oliver replied.
"I wasn't asking you, and you didn't answer correctly." Galado smirked. "America wanted to suppress Mexico's local industries so your companies could step in."
"You burned plantations, drove farmers off their lands, sunk our ships, and exterminated all armed resistance. The purpose was to make Mexicans kneel, to work in your factories."
"When every company here is American-owned, you can just reduce wages, hire us cheaply, then sell the products at high prices, earn money to do this in other countries, open more companies, hire more people at low wages. This is your way of conquering the world."
"I will kill every American I come across." Galado extended a finger. "You had it coming when you invaded our country."
Oliver gaped. What Galado said about how Americans conquered the world made something click in his mind, but the feeling of something missing grew stronger.
"And…" Galado added. "It's not just Mexican mayors and governors who profit from my business, those big-nosed American bosses have also made a tidy sum from me."
"How do you think my drugs get sold all over the west coast of America? Can us Mexicans manage that alone? Let me tell you, locals in the States are even better at this."
"Those big corporations and conglomerates, they sell us trade routes and ships, help us fix customs. The local mob helps us offload goods. Local government officials help us sort out legal issues. My business is thriving, thanks to them."
"Even the CIA is our partner. They turn a blind eye on our shipping lines and occasionally work with us to kill those Cubans. Had it not been for their intelligence during the drug war, my losses would've been greater."
Hal narrowed his eyes. "Who in America has been collaborating with you?"
"Don't give me that look of disbelief." Galado shook his head. "Most coastal cities collaborate with me."
"In Seashore City, I cooperate with 'the Frenchman', who is reportedly the biggest ship business owner there. In Gotham City, the Spense family is also a good partner of mine. Oh, and how could I forget my old mate, the Quinn Family? We've been in business for over a decade..."
"What did you just say?!" Oliver's eyes widened. Galado's heavy Spanish-accented English was hard to understand, so Oliver asked again:"Who did you say has been working with you for a decade?"
"The Quinn Family, Qui—in——"
Oliver stood frozen on the spot, as if struck by lightning.