Ch.343 Lanterns for Everyone

"We already encountered the user of the Stasis Force, and we killed him. Now we're trying to have Barry close that door," Diana said helplessly. She didn't blame Deathstroke; in that situation, it was best to deal with the enemy thoroughly.

Talking about what could have been was useless at this point. It was better to focus on solving the problem.

John scratched his head, glancing at Deathstroke leaning against the door while Barry had just left.

"Alright, it seems now we have to figure out how to deal with Umbrax itself."

"It's just outside the solar system, but to be safe, we need its trajectory and various parameters, which requires triangulation to determine its data," Cyborg immediately added.

"The Watchtower on the moon," John nodded affirmatively. Even though the moon had been blown to pieces, and its angle with Earth wasn't great, it was still the easiest place for triangulation.

"Let's go."

Without hesitation, Cyborg and John left the infirmary, flying into space through the giant hole John had made.

Su Ming had no intention of going with them. The two were planning to play computer games on the moon fragments, which didn't interest him. He carefully pondered the information they had gathered, trying to predict Sinestro's next move.

Yes, as the keeper of secrets, there was no way Sinestro was unaware that Umbrax had broken free.

The only explanation was that he chose to let it happen, or he himself had fallen under the control of the Invisible Spectrum.

As a Lantern Corps, it would inevitably seek to expand its ranks, distributing rings. If he kept thinking about regretful moments, then when they recruited more Lanterns, a ring would surely come to him.

He could obtain a Yellow Lantern ring by using the fear toxin. If he unleashed all his anger, he could probably get a Red Lantern ring too. His willpower was enough to meet the Green Lantern's requirements as well.

If he could get rings from three different Lantern Corps, then acquiring others shouldn't be an issue either.

Su Ming wasn't worried about being controlled by their energy—he had X-metal, after all.

The only problem now was that he didn't seem to have anything he regretted.

As a soul from China, although his past life had been rather ordinary, it was a peaceful, Buddhist-style life.

Life is like a game of chess; once you make a move, there's no taking it back.

Every decision he made, he strived to do his best, leaving nothing to regret.

"Mister Terrific, does the Justice League have any regret potions? Give me a bottle—I want to feel some regret."

Su Ming sighed. He was hoping he could use some external aid, like when he got the Yellow Lantern ring last time.

"???"

Mister Terrific, a Black man, looked utterly confused as he was tidying up the bed. It was as if question marks were popping out of his head.

Everyone knew regret potions weren't real, right? Besides, even if they existed, they were supposed to help someone reverse their decisions—not induce feelings of regret!

Seeing his reaction, Su Ming knew it wouldn't work. He lifted his gaze to the chandelier on the ceiling, reminiscing about running under the setting sun—it was his youth.

He had no regrets in his career.

Diana had already covered her face, unable to watch. She didn't know what Deathstroke was up to, but it felt very strange.

Aquaman scratched his head and offered a suggestion: "Why not consider the Indigo Lanterns? Their rings seem to make people feel regret."

Su Ming rolled his eyes. If he really wore an Indigo Lantern ring, then he'd definitely regret it.

It suppressed all emotions except compassion, essentially turning someone into a super saint. All the members of that Corps were former criminals, guilty of all sorts of evil.

Yet, once they wore the Indigo ring, they couldn't even bring themselves to swat a mosquito sucking their blood...

It was bizarre—an ultimate brainwashing tool. Whoever wore it turned foolish, but Su Ming had a soft spot for these fools. After all, who doesn't like saints?

But how could he feel some regret?

Su Ming left the infirmary with a cigarette in his mouth, flying out through the giant hole, then sitting on the roof of the Hall of Justice, basking in the sun. Just then, the Cloak of Levitation nudged him, flying off his shoulder to catch his attention.

It still held one corner, holding the gem Su Ming had given it earlier in Atlantis. The cloak raised the gem, and with a flash of light, the gem gradually melted, disappearing into its fibers.

The Cloak of Levitation shook its collar, then made a bowing gesture like a magician finishing a trick, bowing in all directions as if to say: "Look, I made the gem disappear!"

Regret.

Real regret. He shouldn't have let it rummage through his bag earlier. The energy from that gem should have been enough.

He'd only taken an extra one as a backup for safety, intending to take it back later. But after returning to the Hall of Justice, the sudden ambush made him forget about it.

And now, the cloak had 'eaten' it.

What to do? Shake the cloak by the neck and make it spit it out?

Impossible. He could only regret it.

At that moment, a purple light descended from the sky, landing directly on Su Ming's finger.

No oath, no welcome—the Unseen Light Corps ring simply phased through his armor, appearing on his finger.

"Could it have worked?"

Actually, it wasn't just that. As Su Ming looked up at the sky, countless purple lights rained down, covering the ground. Apart from the few Justice League members, every pedestrian on the streets, every tourist in the plaza—they were all chosen by Umbrax.

It had chosen 99% of Earth's population to join the Unseen Corps!

Immediately afterward, Su Ming felt a powerful will invade his mind, but as soon as it touched the X-metal in his skull, it dissipated.

The ring was still there, but Su Ming wasn't under control. However, the ordinary people on the streets were now all wearing purple-and-black uniforms, flying emotionlessly towards the Hall of Justice.

"This doesn't look good..."

Su Ming wasn't sure how well the Hall of Justice could withstand an attack from billions of Lanterns, but it was clear that Cyborg and John had failed their mission in space. They were most likely intercepted by Sinestro.

"Mister Terrific, raise the Hall of Justice's shield!" Su Ming shouted down through the hole.

No response—Mister Terrific had already fled...

"Damn it, that guy is so infuriating."

Su Ming jumped through the hole, found Barry meditating, and dragged him to the console. Finally, they managed to activate the shield.

Barry operated the cameras to observe the outside. Thousands of Unseen Lanterns were already shooting unstable purple beams from their rings, attacking the Hall of Justice.

Meanwhile, Wonder Woman and Aquaman were occupied with dealing with the tourists who had been visiting the Hall. They couldn't spare any time.

"What should we do? The shield won't last for more than a few hours." Barry looked to Su Ming for advice, simply out of reliance.

"A few hours? That's plenty of time. Contact the Suicide Squad to help coordinate defense. Get Deadshot on the roof and start shooting those guys down. I'll handle Umbrax."

He took the cigarette from his mouth and handed it to Barry. Barry hesitantly took it, unsure what Deathstroke meant.

Su Ming smiled faintly, put on his helmet, and let the Cloak of Levitation return to his shoulders.

"Set the cigarette aside. I'll be back soon."

Barry was even more confused.