Su Zhan returned to Earth with Carol Ferris in his arms, the soft green glow of his Aether Lantern ring illuminating their descent through the night sky. The city below was already cloaked in darkness, its lights sparkling like distant stars. He landed quietly on the balcony of his hotel suite, making sure no one noticed their arrival. Gently, he set Carol down, but the moment her feet touched the floor, she nearly stumbled. Su Zhan caught her, steadying her with a warm smile.
"Take it easy," he said softly. "You should rest a bit."
Carol blushed, still flushed from the excitement and exhaustion of their incredible night. "It's your fault, you know. I've never felt anything like that before. You're… relentless."
Su Zhan laughed quietly, holding her close. "Can you blame me? You're irresistible. I couldn't help myself."
Carol rolled her eyes, but there was affection in her gaze. "Next time, warn me before you sweep me off my feet—literally and figuratively."
He guided her to the bed and sat beside her, letting her rest her head on his shoulder. The intimacy of the moment was not lost on him; the warmth of her skin, the gentle rise and fall of her breath, and the way she nestled into his side made him want to freeze time. For a while, they simply enjoyed the quiet, the world outside forgotten.
Eventually, Carol looked up at him, her eyes soft. "When are you leaving?"
Su Zhan brushed a strand of hair from her face. "I'll stay for breakfast, then I have to go handle some things. I promise I'll come back as soon as I can—at most, a month."
Carol nodded, her expression a mixture of sadness and hope. "I'll be waiting. When you come back, will you stay for good?"
He smiled, squeezing her hand. "That's the plan. I want to settle down here with you. In the meantime, maybe you can help me look for a place to live?"
Carol's face lit up, her earlier fatigue forgotten. "Of course! I'd love that."
They spent the rest of the morning together, lingering over breakfast in the hotel restaurant. Their conversation was light and full of laughter, but beneath it all was a sense of something deeper—a promise of a future together.
When it was finally time to part, Carol was reluctant to let him go, and Su Zhan found himself wishing he could stay longer. He watched her leave, her figure disappearing into the city, before returning to his room.
Alone, Su Zhan took a moment to check the news. Reports of the Green Lantern's appearance were everywhere, but he paid little attention. Instead, he focused on the broader picture: Superman was still only a rumor, the Flash had yet to make his debut in Central City, and Oliver Queen was still missing—stranded on the island that would one day forge him into the Arrow. Su Zhan analyzed the headlines, piecing together the timeline of this world. He realized he stood at the very beginning of a new era for heroes.
He considered whether to erase the Green Lantern plane and continue here, since all the DC worlds were interconnected. But after some thought, he decided to open a new plane instead. Only by opening new planes could he trigger new system tasks—and with new tasks came the opportunity to upgrade his system. As long as doing so would not affect Carol, it was the best choice.
"System, can I leave early and go to the next plane?" Su Zhan asked.
The system responded promptly, "Yes, you may transfer now."
With nothing left to tie him down, Su Zhan activated the transfer. The world around him blurred, and in an instant, he found himself stepping from the Green Lantern universe into a new world—the Power universe.
He arrived at his organization's base, where his loyal assistant Kira greeted him with a bright smile. "Welcome back, Master!"
Su Zhan nodded. "I just wanted to see how things are going. How is the progress coming along?"
Kira responded efficiently, "The pharmacy is still under development, but there's been no major breakthrough yet. We've successfully trained eight new superpowered individuals, and our funds have grown to about eight hundred million dollars. As for the person you asked about, we've received some leads and have dispatched people to investigate."
"Good. Bring me the three weakest superpowered recruits. I want to absorb their abilities. We need to keep the organization elite—if they can't cut it, they should return to normal life. Also, convert some of our cash reserves into gold bars," Su Zhan instructed.
Kira nodded and hurried off to carry out his orders.
Su Zhan took a moment to rest, reflecting on the organization's progress. For him, this base was like a well-oiled machine—a source of power, resources, and information. Soon, the three new recruits arrived. Without ceremony, Su Zhan absorbed their abilities, altering their memories so they could return to ordinary lives, free of the burdens and dangers of superpowers.
Afterward, he had a meal prepared by Kira and spent the rest of the day reviewing reports and planning his next moves. The time in both planes flowed the same, and by the time he finished his work here, it was already late at night.
Feeling the weight of the day, Su Zhan decided to take a shower and get some rest. As he prepared for bed, he noticed Kira was still in the room, waiting quietly. He smiled, knowing that even as one adventure ended, another was always about to begin.