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Chapter 2323: Gotham Music Festival (25)_1

"You said you weren't going, right?" Hal looked at Shiller, who was changing his clothes, and said, "And even if you do go, why drag me into it?"

Hal looked down at the formal wear in his hands and said, "I can't just interfere with Gotham's affairs willy-nilly; Bruce and I have an agreement. Even though the ship might not have been arranged by Gothamites, it's still docked within the waters of Gotham. If I use Green Lantern energy, I would surely be discovered by Batman – actually, by all three Batmans."

As Shiller straightened his tie in front of the mirror, he turned to look at Hal and said, "Do you really think Bruce got sunburnt? Mayor Roy thinks the legendary gambling ship's docking is a good publicity stunt – gamblers are tourists too, after all. And Bruce's noncommittal attitude clearly shows he wants nothing to do with it, which is why he's feigning illness."

"But here comes the problem, I didn't receive an invitation, so how do I get on board?" asked Hal with his hands spread out.

Shiller pointed to a table nearby; Hal walked over and saw a gold-embossed ticket lying quietly next to Shiller's invitation.

"In addition to gambling games, the Dakotazo is also a luxurious casino cruise. Anyone with money can buy a ticket, though ordinary guests can only participate in the general games on the yacht's first level. But that's not important – getting on the ship is what matters."

Hal felt there was an implication in his words. As he fingered the edge of the ticket, he hesitated and said, "Although I could cheat using Green Lantern energy, some gambling games can't be managed just by peeking at the cards in advance. And my luck is just so-so."

"Don't worry," Shiller said in his usual calm tone, "it may not be as difficult as you think. Just consider it a bit of fun."

Hal was still hesitant as he picked up the ticket and looked at it, noting the exquisite gold embossing and his name specially written on it. Instinctively, he asked, "How much for this ticket?"

"80,000 dollars."

Hal bumped into the edge of the table with a thud, straightened up his body, then pretended to adjust a non-existent tie, saying, "Do you think this suit is okay? Should I wear a tie with a pattern?"

Shiller, who was bending down to adjust his cufflinks, looked up at Hal and said, "I think this suit suits you well, but if you'd like something a bit more flashy, there are ties in the third compartment of the wardrobe, in the drawer below."

Soon, they were both dressed. Shiller wore a dark silver suit that looked grey in the shadows, but shimmered with a subtle satiny sheen under the light.

In Hal's memory, Shiller hardly ever wore bright clothes. The man appeared like a huge black hole that absorbed light, yet when he himself started to shine, he was like a celestial body in the dark cosmos that blinked eternally, possessing a unique and mysterious allure.

The invitation made it clear that the Dakotazo would dock at Gotham's Pier 5 at 8 p.m. tonight. Ordinary guests with tickets would board first, followed closely by the guests participating in the gambling games.

Once the cruise ship left the pier, a small boat would wait at the dock, ready to transport those who hold an invitation and accepted a challenge to the ship – meaning there would be no chance for challengers and challengees to meet at the dock before the ship sailed.

Hal and Shiller arrived at the dock at 7:30 and discovered many tourists already waiting there, mostly young men and women dressed in a variety of expensive custom suits or trendy and fashionable outfits, every accessory on them costing a pretty penny.

These were clearly wealthy individuals who had paid for tickets to enjoy themselves aboard the ship, while in the corner of the waiting room, some less brilliantly dressed and particularly tired-looking individuals could also be seen – no guessing was needed to figure out that they were there to gamble.

Challengees had to go ahead to another room to wait, so Hal entered the waiting hall of the pier alone. He was comparatively late; not only was every seat taken, but the floor was also crowded with people standing close together.

The facilities at Gotham's piers were relatively old, and although they had been renovated to welcome visitors for the music festival, the piers were clearly not the main arrival point for tourists. Therefore, the refurbishment was only a quick fix, making the place look a bit cleaner yet still cramped and stuffy.

Listening to the complaints around him, Hal sighed softly. He used a thin amount of Green Lantern energy to cool himself down – there was plenty of energy to spare anyway – so he spread the energy a bit further out. People only felt a comfortable breeze passing through and found themselves relaxing a bit.

For much of his time as a Green Lantern, Hal had been immersed in the Lantern Furnace at the headquarters, and his integration with the Green Lantern energy was deeper than other lanterns, making him more adept at wielding it.

After becoming the Ion Lantern, Hal felt the Green Lantern energy was like one of his organs – they were one and the same, inseparable.

At that moment, as the Green Lantern energy spread out, Hal was able to sense the conditions of all sorts of people and even faintly hear their thoughts.

With the ship not yet arrived and nothing else to do, Hal pretended to be a psychologist and began to focus on listening to others' thoughts. Although it wasn't Mind Reading Technique and only surface-level thoughts could be heard, listening to others complain about the heat, the slow arrival of the ship, and their intentions to voice their grievances about the reception once on board was quite amusing.

While Hal was using the Green Lantern energy to feel the state of everyone in the place, his expression suddenly turned stern, for in the corner opposite the waiting hall, he sensed a familiar figure through the Green Lantern energy.

"Hey, wait." Hal turned his head to look over there and immediately started pushing his way through the crowd, tirelessly sidestepping and weaving through as he walked and called out: "Sorry! Excuse me! Sorry! Please let me through."

It was already crowded, and physical contact only made it hotter. Hal's heedless behavior of forcing his way through the crowd only incited further anger, with complaints rising one after another.

From that moment, Hal knew things were turning sour. Sure enough, the figure heard the commotion and disappeared through the rear door of the waiting room in just a couple of strides.

Hal let out a low growl of rage but then helplessly sighed, slowing his steps to try and catch him by taking an alternate route out.

But just then, a strong and powerful arm grabbed Hal's arm. Turning his head, amidst the many dull and annoyed eyes, he saw a pair of determined blue eyes.

Clark pulled Hal out through the side door, momentarily freeing him from the crowded throng. Hal couldn't help but curse, looking at Clark, he said, "What are you doing here too? Don't tell me you guys planned this. I knew it wouldn't be good. Do you know what this is all about, Clark?"

His tone was quite intense, obviously because Clark was not meant to be here, and Clark didn't get angry at his rage, instead he placed a hand on Hal's shoulder and said, "I know, you think even if the sky fell down, I wouldn't gamble. In fact, I didn't come here to gamble."

"Then why are you here?!" Hal was obviously very angry, he said, "And don't tell me it's out of curiosity, or that you've never seen anything like this before. Do you know how many people have fallen into the abyss and shattered to pieces because of that kind of curiosity? Do you think being an alien makes you immune?"

Clark sighed and said, "Hal, Hal! Calm down! You know if I was curious about gambling, I'd have plenty of opportunities to get involved with it, without having to come here."

Finally cooling off, Hal put his hands on his hips and turned his body around, sighing and saying, "Then what are you doing here? Even if it's not related to gambling, it's still dangerous here."

"I followed Oliver,"

Hal's eyes widened in disbelief, he said, "So that figure I just saw was really Oliver?"

"It was him," Clark glanced towards the rear door of the dock and said, "Our friend, Oliver Queen."

"But I never heard of him having a gambling habit."

"He's not here to gamble," Clark said with a slight frown, "He doesn't have a boat ticket. It's highly likely he's here to take part in that so-called Lantern Gambling Game."

Hal covered his forehead, looking up at the sky, Clark immediately stroked his back to help him catch his breath. Hal took a deep breath and said, "I can't believe it. With us around, Oliver still feels like he's in big trouble, with no way out, as if he were alone in the world. This may be the most infuriating thing I've encountered in a decade."

Clark knew he was understating it, and probably had guessed it even before being told, which is why he had been so agitated just a moment ago.

Anyone who found out that a good friend has turned up here, clearly not to buy a ship ticket, would feel angry.

Facing a seemingly insurmountable problem, and then choosing to board a mysterious cruise, gambling with one's life instead of asking for help from friends, would infuriate anyone in the position of that friend.

It's like having a close friend with whom you've been through life and death, and the first thing you think of when you need money is to take out a high-interest loan, even though you're not only not poor, but quite well off, perfectly capable of helping him. To those who value loyalty, it's tantamount to an insult.

Clark watched Hal's face turn red with anger, and could only comfort him before speaking, "Actually, when I lost control at the bar, it was because I sensed something wrong with Oliver. His emotions were too intense. But Doctor Schiller was there at the time, he didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so I didn't say anything."

"He doesn't want to make a big deal out of anything!" Hal, blinded by anger, said without mincing his words, "I can't stand people who keep everything to themselves and wait until conflicts escalate beyond repair before stepping in to show off their brilliant minds! Batman is another one!"

Clark was a bit helpless. In fact, he and Hal shared the same feelings: if a friend is in trouble, they should ask and speak frankly, and then everyone should do their utmost to help as much as they can. Any trouble should be nipped in the bud to minimize the pain for everyone involved.

But this wasn't how people like Schiller and Batman worked. They chose to observe in silence, wait calmly, and only act when the other person was ready to talk, or the problem became too big to ignore.

Clark couldn't understand such people in the past, but now he knew, his friends were mature adults with their own reasoning. If they were in any trouble but unwilling to speak up, they surely had their reasons.

Forcing them to talk, while ultimately helpful, also creates suffering for those reluctant to reveal their hearts, trading their pain for the speaker's sense of self-righteous gratification.