Chapter 27: Yellow Ring(2)
"Soul, divine power, and magic?" Luka clenched his fist.
"I can sense something new within me, but..."
Before he could finish, Luka's expression suddenly turned solemn.
The itching sensation he thought had subsided after his evolution suddenly surged back.
With no other distractions, Luka quickly pinpointed the source of these recurring transformations.
He gestured for Rachel to be quiet, glanced up at the corrugated iron roof of the abandoned factory warehouse, then levitated slightly and drifted toward the warehouse's main entrance.
Nightwing switched off his earpiece and cautiously shifted his position, peering through the observation hole again.
Only the gray-robed girl remained in the clearing, while Luka was nowhere to be seen.
Damn it!
Just as Nightwing prepared to relocate, a voice tinged with amusement sounded right beside his ear.
"What are you doing up here?"
Nightwing froze, instinctively holding his breath as his mind raced for an excuse.
Although Nightwing knew Batman had likely sent him to monitor Luka, the two had spent three days together, squatting in various nooks and crannies of Gotham City.
Luka was undoubtedly intimately familiar with Nightwing's hairstyle, accent, physique, and everything else about him.
Considering Luka's Kryptonian-like physical capabilities, Nightwing's superhero outfit, a tactical suit and an extra eye mask, probably wouldn't fool Luka's heightened senses at all.
Nightwing turned his head awkwardly.
"Well, you know, being a private detective who moonlights as a superhero... that's perfectly reasonable, right?"
But Nightwing realized Luka wasn't even looking at him.
The young Viltrumite stood solemnly, eyes fixed on the sky, pointing toward the vast mingling of yellow and green light that nearly blanketed half of Gotham.
"What's that?"
A deep, gravelly voice answered from behind them.
"Green Lantern. And a yellow ring searching for someone capable of spreading great fear."
At some point, a pitch-black figure had also appeared at the edge of the warehouse roof, staring vigilantly at Luka.
Batman stared intently at Luka's expression. He had already guessed who the Yellow Lantern Ring was coming for, and he knew firsthand the kind of scum that made up the Yellow Lantern Corps.
What exactly made Luka so attractive to the Yellow Lantern Ring remained a mystery.
The only pressing question was: why hadn't the ring descended yet?
"Spread fear?" Luka asked, feigning confusion.
In truth, he retained some memories and impressions of the Yellow Lantern Ring. He also understood why it continued to hover over Gotham.
From the moment he fully merged with his soul, he had rejected the call from the depths of space.
Of course, this didn't completely deter the Yellow Lantern Ring from seeking a host.
Firstly, Gotham City harbored more than one candidate suitable for the ring. Secondly, it could still sense Luka's presence.
However, the ring's intelligence program couldn't comprehend why the host who had once drawn it so powerfully now emitted such a faint signal.
"The Yellow Lantern Corps, like the Green Lantern Corps where the Green Lanterns belong, is a cosmic organization. But unlike the Green Lanterns who seek those with indomitable will, the Yellow Lanterns seek warriors capable of spreading fear. You seem to fit that criteria," Batman said, watching Luka until he stopped observing the light in the sky and met his gaze.
"I see. A corps that delights in spreading fear? Sounds just like a man-made Viltrumite civilization."
Luka suddenly had a moment of clarity, then gave Batman and Nightwing, who were slowly backing away, a knowing smile.
He slowly raised his right hand towards the sky.
The bewildered Yellow Lantern ring instantly stopped its aimless wandering. Its intelligence program had locked onto Luka again, a powerful being capable of easily spreading fear.
In the ring's identification code, the Gotham City below seemed to suddenly light up with a beacon that overwhelmed everything around it.
The ring shook off the furious Green Lantern and plunged downward without hesitation.
"Intelligent lifeform locked! You belong to the Yellow Lantern Corps!"
"What are you doing?! Luka!"
Nightwing's eyes widened in disbelief, and he couldn't help but shout.
Though he didn't fully understand what Luka had experienced in the past, he found it inconceivable that the gentle young man he had spent three days with would make such a decisive choice after learning about the Yellow Lantern Corps' background.
Batman remained silent beside him, already crouched low, his hand gripping three batarangs armed with high explosives. His expression was impassive, showing neither surprise nor emotion.
Luka's current choice had long been anticipated in Batman's countless contingency plans.
In the sky behind the Yellow Lantern Ring, Green Lantern, disregarding Batman's warnings, roared in anger as he dove downward.
The only one whose expression remained unchanged was Raven, who had just emerged from the warehouse at a leisurely pace. She pulled her gray hood back up, tilted her head slightly, and watched the scene above with an impassive gaze.
"How boring..."
The tense atmosphere abruptly shattered as Luka's hand suddenly shifted.
Just as the Yellow Lantern Ring was about to slip onto his finger, he jerked his arm back sharply, then swiftly reached out and clenched the ring tightly in his fist.
Nightwing nearly tripped over his own feet from this sudden maneuver, stumbling on the rusty iron plating.
Green Lantern had already conjured a massive green energy fist. He swore that no matter who was down there, if they dared to become a Yellow Lantern right in front of him, he would punch that damned person and the ring flying together.
But when he clearly saw the youth's actions, he slammed on the brakes, halting mid-air.
No one knew better than Hal Jordan how difficult it was to capture a Lantern Ring without a host. Sometimes, even Superman couldn't stop it from forcibly attaching itself to the finger of its chosen wearer.
Yet Luka casually held it in his hand.
Hal cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Uh, hey there, that's not a toy you're holding. It's an extremely dangerous cosmic-level strategic weapon. Please... please hand it over."
Batman, after a rare half-second of stunned silence, quietly put the batarangs away.
"Why is everyone so tense? It was just a joke."
Luka shook his fist, the violently struggling yellow light still seeping through the gaps between his fingers.
"To be honest, these energies are actually stimulating my body to evolve. It's a truly rare treasure."
Luka slowly floated toward the silent Batman, extending his hand holding the Yellow Lantern Ring.
"I worked hard to escape Viltrum. I didn't do it just to join another cosmic organization built on terror."
"The Yellow Lantern Corps? No thanks."
Luka glanced at the silent Batman, then at the slowly descending Green Lantern, raising an eyebrow.
"You guys should be able to safeguard this thing, right? Plus, I have some additional questions about this Yellow Lantern Ring."
"Safeguard it? The Fear Spectrum's radiation is extremely dangerous. There's nothing on Earth that can handle it—"
Hal was about to say he would take custody of the ring and bring it back to Oa for processing when Batman suddenly produced a black, square box.
"Put it in here. This box can isolate the spectral energy radiation."
With a "click," the box snapped shut. Hal stared in shock at his Green Lantern Ring, which had indeed stopped emitting its warning alarms. Then, his gaze turned to Batman, filled with alarm.
"Wait, where did you get that thing?! Oa told me there's no such material in the entire galaxy!"
Batman ignored Hal's frantic shouting, flicked his cape, and flew off the warehouse roof.
"Your questions will be discussed in the Batcave."