章 350: Time To Find Out
Hal led the boy through the forest behind the house. The towering trees cast long shadows, and the air grew cooler as they walked deeper into the woods. After a while, they reached a solid mountain wall. It loomed in front of them, a massive, rugged face of stone that seemed entirely ordinary at first glance. The bare rocks were jagged, and moss clung to some of the cracks, but nothing about it appeared unusual. To the naked eye, it was just a lifeless slab of rock.
But Hal's lantern ring told a different story. It pulsed faintly on his hand, signaling the presence of something hidden behind the wall.
Hal trusted his ring without question. If it was detecting something here, then there was undoubtedly more to this mountain than met the eye. He stood still for a moment, studying the rock face.
The boy, staying close to Hal, tilted his head. "What's so special about this wall?" he asked quietly, his voice filled with curiosity and a little nervousness.
Hal glanced at him and smiled. "It doesn't look like much, does it? But the ring's picking up something. Let's take a closer look."
Hal activated the scanning function on his ring. A bright green beam shot out, washing over the surface of the wall. The light spread out in a grid-like pattern, tracing every crack and crevice in the stone. Hal watched the results carefully. The ring's scans revealed something extraordinary: a hollow space concealed behind the rock.
"See that?" Hal said, pointing at the faint outlines the ring highlighted. "There's a whole space behind this wall. Someone carved it out, probably a long time ago, and then sealed it off so no one could find it."
The boy's eyes widened. "So… it's a secret hideout?"
"Looks like it," Hal replied. "And whoever built it did a good job. Without this ring, we'd have never known it was here."
Hal walked closer to the wall, running his hand along the rough surface. He began looking for anything that might hint at a hidden mechanism—a loose rock, a hidden lever, anything that might open a door. But the wall was unyielding and gave away no clues.
Hal stepped back, crossing his arms. "What would Batman do?" he muttered to himself.
The boy gave him a puzzled look. "Batman? Who's that?"
Hal chuckled. "A guy I know who's great at figuring out stuff like this. He'd probably look for some kind of hidden switch or decode a secret puzzle to open the door. Me? I'm not that subtle."
The boy frowned. "So… what are you going to do?"
Hal grinned. "The Green Lantern way. If there's a wall in the way, I'll just make a door."
Raising his right hand, Hal channeled the full power of his lantern ring. Green energy surged out, forming a massive glowing drill in mid-air. The drill hovered for a moment, humming with power, before Hal sent it hurtling toward the rock wall.
The drill struck the stone with a deafening roar, and shards of rock exploded in all directions. The boy flinched, shielding his face from the flying debris. The mountain shook under the force of the impact, and cracks began to spread across the surface.
Hal didn't stop there. He summoned several more drills, each one a different size, and sent them smashing into the wall one after another. The combined force was immense. Dust and rubble filled the air as the drills tore into the mountain, carving a deep hole into the rock.
The boy watched in awe as the seemingly impenetrable wall began to give way. After a few minutes of relentless drilling, the resistance suddenly vanished. With a loud rumble, the wall crumbled, revealing a dark opening beyond.
Hal stepped back, wiping the dust off his uniform. "There we go," he said with a satisfied grin. "Let's see what's inside."
He turned to the boy. "Stay here for now. I'm going to check it out."
The boy hesitated, glancing nervously at the dark entrance. "Are you sure? What if something's in there?"
Hal knelt down and gave the boy a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "I'll be fine. The ring's got me covered. Just stay here and keep an eye out, okay?"
The boy nodded reluctantly. Hal straightened up and stepped into the cave. As he entered, the lantern symbol on his chest began to glow, casting a green light that illuminated the darkness. The cave was larger than he'd expected. The walls were rough and uneven, suggesting they had been carved out with crude tools. The air was cool and damp, and the faint sound of dripping water echoed in the distance.
Hal walked slowly, his eyes scanning the space. He couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't alone. The lantern ring picked up faint movement ahead, but it wasn't clear what it was.
Then he saw them: a pair of glowing eyes staring at him from the shadows to his right. Before Hal could react, a dark figure shot out of the shadows, moving with incredible speed. It was fast—too fast for Hal to raise his defenses in time. The figure slammed into him with the force of a freight train, sending him flying sideways. He hit the rocky ground hard, sliding several feet before coming to a stop. Green energy trailed behind him as he tumbled.
Hal groaned and quickly got to his feet, his ring already glowing as he prepared for another attack. The figure stood in front of him now, partially illuminated by the green light. It was humanoid in shape, draped in a tattered green robe. Its face was obscured, but its glowing eyes burned with intensity.
Hal raised his fist, summoning a shield of green energy just as the figure lunged at him again. The creature's fist collided with the shield, producing a shockwave that echoed through the cave. The force of the impact was immense, but the shield held firm.
"Alright, tough guy," Hal muttered. "Let's see how you handle this."
With a flick of his wrist, Hal transformed the shield into a spinning chainsaw. He swung it toward the figure's legs, aiming to throw it off balance. At the same time, he summoned a glowing sword in his other hand and slashed diagonally at the figure's upper body.
The figure was fast—faster than Hal expected. It twisted its body, narrowly avoiding the chainsaw, and ducked under the sword. Then, with lightning speed, it countered with a powerful kick to Hal's midsection. The kick connected with Hal's protective force field, sending him sliding backward across the rocky floor.
Hal gritted his teeth as he came to a stop. "Okay," he said, his tone tinged with frustration. "You're fast. I'll give you that. But let's see if you're smart."
During their brief exchange, Hal had discreetly used his ring to plant a glowing green mine on the ground. As the figure stepped forward to attack again, the mine detonated with a brilliant flash of light and a thunderous boom.
The explosion sent the figure flying backward, slamming it into the cave wall with a loud thud. Hal stood tall, a triumphant grin on his face.
"Gotcha," he said, brushing off his uniform. "Who says Green Lanterns can't be clever?"
As the dust settled, Hal approached the downed figure cautiously. He wasn't sure what—or who—it was, but it was time to find out.
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