As Su Zhan stepped into the Arrow world, a series of crisp system prompts echoed in his mind.
"Mainline mission: Help Arrow protect Star City."
"Branch task one: Cooperate with Arrow to complete more than one mission together."
"Branch task two: Raise your friendship with Arrow to at least 50 percent."
"Plot task: Lead the formation of the Justice League."
"Friendship function unlocked…"
Su Zhan was a little surprised. It was normal for the system to release tasks, but this time, the functions seemed to have expanded. "System, what is the friendship function?" he asked.
"Friendship, as the name suggests, is the degree of friendly relations. The higher the friendship, the stronger the trust and bond. When friendship reaches 80 percent or higher, the fighting field will unlock," the system explained.
Su Zhan raised an eyebrow. "What is the fighting field? It seems like you're getting more and more features after every upgrade."
"The fighting field is a special training space. When a character's friendship reaches 80 percent, they can appear in the fighting field. The host can spar with them, learn from them, and improve combat ability," the system replied.
Su Zhan smiled. "That's actually pretty useful. It's like having a personal training ground. The more friends I make, the more people I can learn from. Is this friendship function only available in copies, or does it work in the main world too?"
"It works everywhere," the system confirmed.
Su Zhan nodded in satisfaction. "So, this function unlocked because I opened the third copy. But this plot task… leading the formation of the Justice League? Didn't I already have the Green Lantern copy? And I only get to stay seven days in each world. How am I supposed to form the Justice League in a week? Isn't that a bit much?"
"The plot task refers to joint missions that are opened across different planes of the same world. There is no time limit," the system replied.
Su Zhan breathed a sigh of relief. "No time limit? That's much better. Even if I don't complete it right away, there's no penalty. I just won't get the reward. With no time pressure, I can take my time."
He reviewed the tasks. The main and branch missions needed to be completed as soon as possible, but the plot mission could wait. For now, he had something else on his mind.
He wanted to check on Carol Ferris to make sure she was still safe in the seaside city. Only then would he feel comfortable erasing the Green Lantern copy and opening a new world, knowing the timeline would remain connected.
Su Zhan bought a map at a newsstand, found the location of the seaside city, and then summoned the energy of the Lantern ring. He soared into the sky, flying quickly toward his destination.
It did not take long for him to arrive in the seaside city, where he quickly found Carol's home among the many high-rise buildings. He floated gently onto her balcony and slipped inside. The apartment was empty; Carol must still be at work. After a moment's thought, Su Zhan pulled out his phone and called her.
"Hello, this is Carol," she answered, her voice warm and familiar.
He smiled. "Hello, it's me."
There was a surprised gasp on the other end, followed by a rush of breath. "You finally called! I tried to reach you so many times but couldn't get through. I was worried something had happened."
"Maybe the signal was bad," Su Zhan replied, his voice soft. "Where are you now?"
"I'm at the company. Is your business finished? When are you coming back?" She asked, her tone hopeful.
"You'll have to wait a bit longer, but I sent something to your home," Su Zhan teased.
"What did you send?" Carol asked, curiosity piqued.
"You'll see when you get home. I have something to handle here, so I'll hang up for now," Su Zhan said, ending the call with a smile.
Carol stared at her phone, her curiosity burning. What had he sent? She found it impossible to focus on work, so she simply decided to head home and see for herself.
She drove home quickly, heart pounding with anticipation. When she arrived, she looked around the entrance but saw nothing. "Didn't he say he sent something? There's nothing here. Could it be… inside?" she wondered.
She hurriedly unlocked the door and rushed inside.
"Su Zhan? Is it you? Are you back?" She called out, her voice trembling with excitement.
Su Zhan was sitting in the living room, and when he heard her, he couldn't help but smile. "How did you know I was back?"
Carol's eyes lit up with joy. She ran over and threw herself into his arms, nearly knocking him onto the sofa with her enthusiasm.
"I just had a feeling!" She laughed, hugging him tightly.
Su Zhan kissed her gently. "I wanted to surprise you, but you're too smart. You figured it out right away."
Carol beamed. "I don't know how; I just sensed it. But how did you get in?"
He pointed to the balcony. "Did you forget I can fly?"
She giggled, smacking her forehead. "Of course! I can't believe I forgot. So, are you staying this time, or do you have to leave again?"
Su Zhan's expression softened. "I don't want to leave, but sometimes I have to. You know I have special abilities, and sometimes I need to be a hero."
Carol nodded, understanding. "As long as you come back, it's okay to be apart sometimes."
"Oh, right! You asked me to help you find a house. I already found a few options. I'll take you to see them when you have time," she remembered.
Su Zhan shook his head apologetically. "Let's look at them later. I still have things to handle. Are you busy this week? If not, would you like to go somewhere with me?"
"I can make time," Carol replied without hesitation.
"Great. Arrange your schedule, and when you're ready, let's go together," Su Zhan said, his eyes full of promise.
He planned to take her to Star City. It would be both a vacation and a chance to work on his mission. Since Carol already knew about his identity, there was nothing to hide.
Carol nodded eagerly and quickly made the necessary calls to clear her schedule. Half an hour later, everything was set. Su Zhan wrapped his arms around her, and together they stepped onto the balcony. Slowly, they lifted off, drifting into the sky and flying toward Star City, ready for a new adventure together.