PFC Chapter 4381 The Justice League Assembles (29)
Chapter 4381 The Justice League Assembles (29)
Chapter 4381 Justice League: Assemble (Twenty-Nine)
In a fit of anger, Hal turned to fly away, but Carol quickly grabbed him and asked, "Where are you going?"
"They won't let me move it, right? Then I'll move it back for them!"
“Wait a minute.” Carroll pulled him back, then said, “The people who sent the agents are from the opposition. If you move the Capitol back to the Metropolitan Government, they can bring up the revote again, which is exactly what they want, isn’t it? They might even be secretly pleased, thinking their threat plan has worked…”
Hal calmed down a bit, and he realized it made sense. These people had come looking for his girlfriend because he had ruined their plans, so if things were to go back to normal, wouldn't that be exactly what they wanted?
It's not just about moving the Capitol back to the Metropolitan Government; moving it anywhere now would please the opposition. In short, anything that might disrupt the vote count could benefit them. So, whether it's moving the Capitol again or creating some other major disturbance, it's tantamount to helping their enemy.
But if he does nothing, on the one hand, he can't swallow his anger; on the other hand, the opposition party is his enemy, but isn't the ruling party also his enemy?
It's obvious that the group that came to him to move the Capitol Building was from the ruling party. They didn't want a revote and wanted things to get back on track quickly, so they asked him to move the Capitol Building.
But these people also failed to keep their promises. They had promised to reinstate him and waive his compensation, but his company never received any notification. These people are a bunch of liars!
In other words, if he stirs up trouble, the opposition party is happy; if he doesn't, the ruling party is happy. Regardless of whether he stirs up trouble or not, one of his two enemies will always be happy.
This infuriated Hal. Carol dragged him back to the apartment, where Hal threw out the agents he had defeated, and the two talked as they cleaned up the place.
"I'm sorry, darling, I didn't expect you to get involved in this," Hal sighed. "Thank goodness you're alright."
“I was terrified,” Carroll said. “These guys came in and pointed guns at my head, saying it wouldn’t do any good to sue them. It was so arrogant.”
After moving the sofa back to its original place, Hal became increasingly angry, so he simply sat down on the sofa with a cushion in his arms and began to daydream.
Carol went to the kitchen, poured two glasses of iced wine, handed them to Hal, sat down herself, and said, "I know you wanted to get revenge and teach them a lesson. But they're the ones with the power. They were the ones who asked you for a favor, and now that you've done it, they're labeling you a terrorist and hunting you down. Your strength alone is too weak."
“I haven’t had superpowers for very long,” Hal said. “One day, I was suddenly teleported to the coast, a big red guy gave me a ring, and suddenly I could fly. I was also teleported to a magical planet and trained with a bunch of weird and wonderful creatures…”
Carol sat down beside him, hugged him, and said, "I know you've been through a lot lately. First the accident, then this, it must be exhausting. I can move away from here for a while; they shouldn't be able to find me for a while..."
“No, that won’t work,” Hal said worriedly. “This isn’t a solution. If they can find this place, they can find your other addresses. How long will this cycle of moving around go on?”
"Do you remember when Superman gave that speech?" Carol asked again.
Hal looked at her, and then Carol said, "The only reason they dare to treat us like this is because we lack influence. Although your superpowers are powerful, you haven't had them for long enough. They don't know how strong you are or what your value is, which is why they dare to threaten you in such a careless way."
“But Superman is different. He’s been famous for a long time and is still invited by the government and the military to give speeches. He must have many useful people within these forces, and many people admire him. His influence is huge. Why don’t you go to him and ask him for help?”
Hal paused for a moment. He thought about it and then realized Carol's words made sense. Their current problem was that they couldn't directly retaliate against his enemies for the time being, otherwise they'd be doing all the work for others. However, they also wanted to protect themselves, but unfortunately, he had only recently gained his superpowers, and nobody took him seriously; even the most insignificant people dared to provoke him. While defeating these people wouldn't be difficult, their constant comings were too annoying, and Carol was just an ordinary person; she could easily get hurt, making it far too dangerous.
Since he couldn't make a name for himself in a short time, and he wanted to make sure that people wouldn't dare to mess with him, he might as well find a famous person to rely on, so that people would be hesitant to act against him.
In fact, many Americans are very familiar with this system. The United States is a very thorough society based on personal connections, where everyone must find their own "clique," which could be a classmate association, an industry circle, a family or in-law relationship, or even a community.
When you encounter trouble, having a strong gang connection can help you get through difficult times. Even homeless people, especially those in warmer states where they won't freeze to death, often have their own gangs, usually centered around drug dealers, forming a system of interests. Many drug dealers and gangs even help some homeless people in need to survive, allowing them to continue profiting from the situation.
Hal used to be a test pilot, and the factional struggles within the aviation industry he worked in were extremely fierce. Ground crew and pilots, pilots and test pilots, and test pilots and test pilots were constantly testing and fighting, desperately trying to kick each other out. In the end, those who survived weren't necessarily the most technically skilled, but rather the most adept at palace intrigue.
Many of the most absurd air disasters in the United States happen precisely because of this. Many people focus their energy on eliminating dissidents, and the moment they are most united is the moment the plane crashes.
Hal was able to establish himself in this industry and become the highest-paid test pilot because, on the one hand, he had excellent mental fortitude and had saved several accidents; on the other hand, he had a good girlfriend, Carole, who was the heiress of the sixth-largest airline on the West Coast, and under normal circumstances, no one would dare to mess with him.
This accident was not only due to his own recklessness and overconfidence, believing that he could reverse the loss of control of the aircraft as before, thus choosing a more risky maneuvering strategy; it was also because many people had long been dissatisfied with him, and finally caught him red-handed, with several parties working together to kick him out of the game.
Carol did try to help him, but the trouble he had caused this time was too great, and the other side's offensive was particularly fierce. It was impossible to save him completely, so he could only resign for now and try to go back later.
Hal didn't go bankrupt because it was just a temporary measure. Both his girlfriend Carol and his father-in-law Ferris wanted him to return to the industry, but they needed to wait until things calmed down before they could figure out how to do it.
Hal agreed to the politicians' conditions to get back to his job because he didn't want to put too much pressure on Carol. After all, if he caused trouble, Carol might get scolded by her father. If he could get back on his own merits, his girlfriend would have an easier time.
But now, returning to his post is probably impossible. He needs to figure out how to evade both parties' persecution, and ideally, slap them in the face. Carol's suggestion is essentially just finding another gang.
Hal was originally a test pilot, one of the highest-paid pilots, and he also had a girlfriend who was even richer. All his connections revolved around these two identities.
But now that he's a superhuman, and he'll be operating under that identity for a long time to come, he'll have to find a superhuman gang to help him resolve his current troubles.
Americans readily accept such identity shifts. Due to class segregation policies, you can only associate with people of your class. If there's even the slightest change, such as suddenly making a small fortune or catching a trend and earning extra money, you're very likely to completely abandon your old circle and embrace a new one.
So Hal immediately realized: the test pilot circle wasn't working; he had to find a circle of superpowered individuals. Carol's suggestion of Superman was indeed good; Superman seemed both righteous and powerful. If he took Carol to him and told him he was being hunted, the other man should be willing to help him.
Once you can establish a connection, things will be much easier. Social interactions are about give and take, and with my own abilities, I'll definitely be able to help Superman in the future, which will solidify my position in the industry.
The only problem is that they're both from the West Coast, and if they want to join Superman's circle, they'll have to go to the East Coast. They'll be unfamiliar with the area and might need some time to adjust.
The two stood up simultaneously and began packing. Carol hugged Hal and kissed his cheek, then said, "It's alright. My mother left me two houses in the Metropolis; they're her family's property. We can stay there first, and then I'll convince my dad to buy us a new one..."
“Oh no, Carol, this is just too…”
“Alright, I paid all your property taxes. Let’s not worry about it, Mr. Superhero.” Carol smoothed her hair back, took out her phone, and said, “Hello? Is there a flight? To Metropolis? No, no, no, we can’t wait. Fine, let’s get two first-class tickets.”
Then, as she packed her things, she turned to Hal and said, "Sorry, the private jet route will take a while, so we'd better get there as soon as possible. I've had my assistant book two first-class tickets..."
At that moment, Hal went up and hugged Carol, then said, "Darling, first class isn't as fast as me."
With a "whoosh," he carried Carol into the sky. Carol looked down in surprise. An ordinary person might have been terrified, but Carol was a pilot, an astronaut, and had even worked on the International Space Station; she wasn't afraid of this.
“Welcome to Hal Jordan’s exclusive flight route.” Hal kissed Carol on the forehead and then said, “Let’s go.”
Before long, the two appeared in the skies above the metropolis. Carol surveyed the terrain, then took out her phone to search for the location, pointed in a direction, and the two flew there together.
As their figures streaked across the sky, Diana, who was just coming out of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, looked up, somewhat puzzled, in the direction they had left. Then she took out her phone and called Bruce, asking, "Did Superman message you? Is he back?"
"Not yet, what's wrong?"
"I just saw a man carrying a woman flying by. Wasn't that Clark and Louise? Could there be another couple like that in Metropolis?"
As she spoke, Bruce had already turned on his computer and started retrieving surveillance footage. Soon, images of Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris flying together in an embrace appeared on his computer screen.
He turned on the computer again, pulled up the two people's information, and seeing the string of airline titles following Carroll's name, he said in a low voice, "They've come just in time. Diana, I'll send you the information. They seem to be in trouble. Please visit them on our behalf."