Is there something wrong with this guy's brain?
Luke was utterly perplexed. Who did it think it was? Hector, Hal Jordan, or Superman?
Come on, I'm Luke Shaw, the transmigator who controls the green flame.
You run into my body, and it's like throwing a meat bun to a dog... bah, bah... what's the difference between that and a beauty throwing herself into my arms?
Luke raised his hand, and the green flame scattered across the island quickly converged towards him. The green flame permeated his skin, seeping into every cell and every bit of his soul. The flames burned fiercely, turning Luke into a man of fire.
A piercing scream, filled with endless despair, echoed from his mind.
Luke shook his head speechlessly. With a tremor of his body, a yellow orb of light, completely enveloped by green flame, appeared in his right hand. Inside the orb resided a small, multi-limbed, segmented insect-like creature – the original form of Parallax.
"Let me go, let me go."
"I don't want to die, please, Earthling, I am willing to submit."
The voice from within the orb was exceptionally urgent.
Luke chuckled twice, then tightened his grip.
Crack!
The orb shattered, and the green flame surged, forming a large net that completely surrounded the small insect inside.
"No, no, no, no!!!!"
"I won't let you off, Luke Shaw, native of Sector 2814 of the universe, I remember you, and I will definitely come back for revenge."
The insect shrieked and struggled in the flames, uttering various venomous curses. Luke sneered, increasing the heat. The green flame corroded its body and incinerated its spiritual essence, until only a mottled yellow glow remained.
"What is this?"
Luke curiously examined it for a few moments. Suddenly, an immense fear surged from his heart, causing his entire body to tremble. His fingers shook incessantly, his face turned pale, and within two seconds, his forehead was covered in a dense sweat.
What a terrifying power!
Luke involuntarily took a step back, his expression unable to conceal his shock.
What kind of thing is this, so terrifying? Could it be... As he thought of something, his eyes instantly lit up.
The Emotional Spectrum is one of the fundamental essences of the universe. Each emotion represents a power derived from rules: Rage, Avarice, Fear, Willpower, Hope, Compassion, and Love. These seven emotions all have corresponding physicalized entities.
Parallax is the source of fear.
The yellow glow was what remained after Parallax was incinerated. It could resist the burning of the green flame, and in terms of power level, it was at least on the same tier.
The power of rules?
Luke rubbed his chin, feeling a bit eager. One of the universe's fundamental essences, the primordial power representing fear. If he could get his hands on it... Luke couldn't help but feel tempted. But then, thinking of its inherent power, he hesitated.
This thing is too dangerous; a slight misstep could cost him his life.
After a long hesitation, Luke gritted his teeth. It was now or never; he couldn't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Thinking this, he took a deep breath and carefully extended his right hand to touch the yellow glow enveloped by the green flame.
Sweat streamed down his cheeks. Luke held his breath, fully prepared. Slowly, his fingertip touched the glow.
Boom!
An unimaginable psychic shock exploded in his mind.
He rolled his eyes and collapsed directly to the ground.
The yellow glow flowed and changed, conjuring various bizarre worlds. The structures of these worlds were completely different from any known planets; there were no living creatures, no water sources, only various forms of yellow particles.
The green flame burned fiercely, permeating every world, turning each into a sea of fire.
This process seemed very long, but in reality, only a few seconds passed.
Soon, the yellow glow disappeared, replaced by an energy orb shimmering with green light. The energy orb melted into Luke's glabella and vanished.
The battle ended, and the island returned to tranquility. This calm lasted only a few minutes, as strong impacts began to arrive from afar.
Not long after, Carol, her face covered in bruises, and Linda, her clothes tattered, appeared above the island.
Linda snorted coldly, picked up the Ghost Armor, and disappeared.
Carol likewise snorted in return, using her superpowers to restore the dilapidated island to its previous state. Then she found Hector's large head in the ruins and disappeared in another direction... Hector was dead!
On television, President Joel Nash personally announced the news.
Afterward, Coast City erupted in its most enthusiastic celebration ever. Citizens poured out of their homes, singing and dancing in the streets.
Every district was celebrating, and the joyful atmosphere swept away the gloom that had previously hung over the city.
The killer was dead; there was no longer a need to hide at home, trembling with fear. Was there anything more worth celebrating than that?
Because the army and FBI were deployed, the credit for taking down Hector was naturally attributed to the government. Coupled with extensive media coverage, the FBI's ace five-person team and the Fourth Mechanized Infantry Division quickly became heroes in people's minds.
As for the civilian casualties and economic losses caused by the battle, that was a matter for later consideration.
In the hearts of the American people, who primarily embraced present-day hedonism, heroes came first; everything else took a backseat.
Of course, the joy belonged only to the common people, while the White House office was shrouded in gloom.
Around the topic of whether Hector was dead or not, the various bigwigs had been arguing for two hours and still hadn't reached a conclusion. President Joel Nash, for the sake of the upcoming election, unilaterally announced Hector's death without definitive confirmation.
Doing so boosted his approval rating in Coast City by at least 10 points, but it also put the military and FBI in an extremely awkward position.
As the saying goes, if he's alive, we need to see him; if he's dead, we need to see his body.
Without seeing a body, death could not be declared.
The Fourth Mechanized Infantry Division and the FBI searched around the meteorite crater for several hours but couldn't find Hector's body. He had disappeared, possibly pulverized by the meteorite, or perhaps too severely injured and temporarily in hiding.
The former would be fine, but if it were the latter, it would be a huge problem. Such an extremely dangerous anti-human element, once recovered and returned, how would they explain it to the citizens of Coast City? Who would bear this responsibility?
FBI Director Jack Harvey and Attorney General Marshall Warren strongly urged the President to retract his previous statement and wait until everything had settled before making any announcements.
How could Joel Nash listen to him? American presidents are elected every four years and can serve a maximum of two terms. He had only served one, and with the next general election approaching, how could he go back on his word?
To win, he needed approval ratings!
To get approval ratings, he had to make the public clearly understand that he was the best presidential candidate. Even if the chances of winning were extremely low, he had to fight for it by any means necessary—this was Joel Nash's creed.
The two sides argued fiercely over the matter. In the end, an angry Jack Harvey and Marshall Warren stormed out, followed by Vice President Dick Cheney and several military representatives.
The vast office was left with only the President and a few of his close confidantes.
Joel said in a deep voice, "Any results on the meteorite incident?"
Assistant Jensen Lau shook his head.
"No definite news, but the people over there said that A.R.G.U.S. has relevant intelligence."
"A.R.G.U.S.?"
Joel narrowed his eyes, a hint of coldness flashing within them.
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