As the day went on, the world remained glued to the story surrounding Oliver Queen, but then, the unprecedented happened.
Just a little past noon, a new headline broke, once again drawing the attention of the public.
[Breaking News: The security convoy in charge of transporting the recently arrested Oliver Queen has fallen victim to an attack.]
A story that had been so closely followed was now gradually losing the attention of the elite, who had assumed the situation was over.
Oliver would face trial, receive a harsh sentence, and the world would continue. With so many resources already wasted, the government didn't overdo the security around Oliver.
And now, they were paying the price.
One headache was immediately replaced by another, with many now wondering, *just who would do this?*
Given the circumstances, everyone had the same suspect in mind: the Justice League.
It only made sense for them to try and rescue their comrade, especially since they hadn't publicly dismissed him from the League or commented on his actions.
The attention quickly fell on them. If Oliver was innocent, why didn't the League show support? And if he was guilty, why didn't they condemn him?
From the public's perspective, the only reasonable conclusion was that they knew he was guilty but saved him anyway. Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense.
Even the various government organizations investigating the incident couldn't find a reasonable explanation.
The evidence at the scene was nearly nonexistent—no video, no audio, no prints, minimal damage, no fatalities. Their immediate response was to suspect the League. After all, it was their style never to kill.
As for Arias? His image didn't even spark any connection to the incident. Why would it? Many had already accepted that he was behind Oliver's incrimination.
Meanwhile, the various members of the Justice League were equally confused by the news.
Even Batman's first thoughts were that one or two League members might have been behind the rescue. He didn't jump to conclusions, but to better understand the situation, he would need to investigate the crime scene… which was now no longer possible. Shortly after the news regarding Oliver's escape, another headline broke.
[The government calls for the Justice League to turn themselves in as prime suspects behind the believed orchestrated escape of Oliver Queen (Green Arrow).]
While the world remained drowned in confusion and misinformation, the truth of the situation took shape later that day, after the sun had set, in Gotham City's harbor.
Inside a dimly lit warehouse, Cheshire and Rose stood by a lone metallic door, their backs against the wall, arms crossed.
Both had their gazes focused on a sight not too far from them—Oliver Queen, gagged and bound, lay on the floor in a sorry state, struggling hard to break free. His muffled shouts were inaudible. Neither Rose nor Cheshire spoke, knowing the importance of keeping their voices unknown unless told otherwise.
**Bang~ Bang~**
In the next moment, the door rang with two loud knocks. Neither Cheshire nor Rose was fazed—one stayed alert while the other opened the door.
Only when they saw Arias standing outside did they fully open it.
"Good work. You can go now." He said casually, gesturing for both of them to leave before shutting the door and approaching the immobile Oliver.
Without getting too close, Arias used his telekinesis to remove the bag from Oliver's head, followed by the gag.
Upon seeing Arias, Oliver's eyes burned with rage.
"You!! I just knew it had to be you! Come to finish the job?"
Arias, however, only shook his head, smiling mockingly.
"Even in such a sorry state, your stupidity really shines through. Spare me your pointless threats. If I wanted you dead, I could do so with a thought."
Stubborn and drowning in anger, Oliver snapped back, "Then why didn't you? Why did you involve an innocent girl?"
Hearing this, Arias raised an eyebrow before laughing. His voice echoed through the large warehouse as he shook his head again.
"Tsk, tsk. I really did give you too much credit if you think I'm behind your fall from grace. No, that was the revenge of the Human Supremacy Group."
After saying this, Arias's smile faded, and he looked at Oliver with seriousness.
"I promise you, my problems with you are far from resolved, but you're the least of my concerns."
Oliver scoffed angrily.
"You expect me to believe a monster like you?"
In turn, Arias scoffed back.
"I don't care whether you believe me or not. Nothing would change. If I were behind it, I would simply say so. After all, no matter what you do, no matter how much you hate me, you're powerless against me."
Hearing Arias's firm refusal and logic, Oliver began to have doubts.
"If you hate me so much, then why bring me here? To get your revenge for exposing the truth?"
Once again, Arias shook his head at Oliver's claims.
"The world is facing an unprecedented threat, and you think I'd concern myself with something I could deal with leisurely? You think too highly of yourself, Oliver."
"The reason you're here is simply to act as bait. With you free, there's a chance the Human Supremacy Group will make another move against you or other members of the League. I intend to use that move to gather information. Plain and simple."
Without further explanation, Arias reached into his pocket and dropped a card and a knife onto the floor.
Oliver looked at the two items, frowning.
"What's this?"
Arias turned to leave and gave his answer.
"A knife for you to break free, and a card with some money. If you're truly hell-bent on learning the truth, get on the ship departing in 10 minutes. If you still think I'm responsible for your miserable state, feel free to come after me so I can end your life. In the end, the choice is yours, Oliver."
Saying nothing more, Arias's echoing footsteps resounded in the warehouse as he left, leaving Oliver staring at the items with a conflicted mind.
He hated Arias, truly. But what Arias said was true—he could kill Oliver with a mere thought. With the possibility of Melanie's death coming from another party, Oliver felt a strong need to pursue the truth.
But in reality, he was now nothing more than a deluded pawn of the man who had taken everything from him.