Chapter Summaries

Detective Chimp and Barry discussed Darkseid’s influence on the Timeline, while Su Ming considered the Omega Effect and Darkseid’s plans. Su Ming rejected Little Dai’s proposal to contact the Entity of Life and prepared to choose another course of action.

• Little Dai proposed contacting the Entity of Life by using the White Lantern Ring and Tenth Metal at a magical node, but Bobo insisted on explaining his deductions about Darkseid, Hypertime, and Omega Energy first.
• Diana tried to end Bobo’s lengthy explanation, while Barry joined the discussion to talk about the Speed Force and Hypertime.
• Su Ming reviewed the Omega Effect’s powers and considered Darkseid’s possible return, Highfather’s revival, and the time he had to undermine Darkseid’s plans.
• Diana complained about the group’s chaotic discussion, and Bobo asked Su Ming for beer before Su Ming gave him Wuliangye and spicy snacks instead.
• Su Ming told Bobo they were setting out and said Little Dai’s plan to find the Entity of Life would ruin everything, prompting Diana to glare at him.

Deathstroke and Bobo reasoned that the Entity of Life had been suppressed by Skeletor’s soul-altering technology, then tracked Sinestro through his Power Rings. They concluded Sinestro was on Takron-Galtos, and Lobo warned that reaching the distant planet would take about a week.

• Deathstroke explained that the Entity of Life had ignored his attempts to contact it and had behaved strangely toward Sinestro.
• Bobo suggested the Anti-Life Equation, but Deathstroke identified Skeletor’s soul-altering Power of Grayskull as the likely cause.
• Deathstroke used Sinestro’s Power Rings to locate him, but the Green and Yellow Rings pointed to Oa and Takron-Galtos respectively.
• Su Ming deduced that Sinestro had given away the Green Lantern Ring and was carrying the Yellow Lantern Ring himself.
• Lobo recognized Takron-Galtos and said the journey from Earth would take about a week on his motorcycle.

Su Ming explained Takron-Galtos’s role as a prison for high-security criminals and political prisoners before leading a team there to find Sinestro and draw Darkseid’s attention. The group arrived on Takron, where Su Ming’s Black Lantern Ring burst into unusually powerful flames.

• Su Ming described Takron-Galtos, the Science Police who controlled it, and the Guardians’ use of the prison to silence political opponents.
• Su Ming told Lobo they would teleport to Takron and outlined a plan to find Sinestro, attract Darkseid, and otherwise end the Blackest Night.
• Batwoman kept Barbara and Dove at the Safehouse, and Su Ming warned them not to leave because appearances outside might be misleading.
• Su Ming, Lobo, and the others traveled to Takron through the Totem Network.
• Su Ming’s Black Lantern Ring erupted in powerful black flames when he stepped onto Takron, and he remarked that it had some kick.

Su Ming and the others entered Takron, a prison planet overrun by billions of Black Lantern Zombies, and sought a way to find Sinestro. They decided to reach the planet’s central control room and use its surveillance systems, then set off toward the core.

• Su Ming explained that Black Lantern Zombies pursued emotional bonds under Nekron’s control and that their overwhelming numbers had triggered his Black Lantern Ring.
• Su Ming used the ring to conceal the group from nearby zombies, but the zombies’ black light obscured his attempt to locate Sinestro with the Yellow Lantern Ring.
• Harley joked about the Power Rings’ programming as the group surveyed Takron’s vast prison levels.
• Su Ming proposed finding the central control room to restore the planet’s power and use its surveillance equipment to locate Sinestro.
• Bobo said the control room was probably at the planet’s core, and Su Ming prepared his Cloak to carry the group downward.
• Lobo admitted he had never seen the control room because prisoners had been delivered to Takron through an automated orbital station.

Su Ming and his companions descended to the bottom of the Abyss to find the Earth's core control room, while Lobo clashed with Diana over his insults. They reached the lowest level, where Su Ming began cutting through the ground as Strangle fought off Black Lantern Zombies.

• Su Ming warned Lobo to keep a low profile, and Lobo agreed after Su Ming threatened to leave him behind and cancel his magazine.
• Diana confronted Lobo for insulting Dove, but Barry stepped between them and reminded Diana that Lobo was their ally.
• Diana sensed the cries of dead souls, and Su Ming supported her claim before leading the group to the Abyss's lowest level.
• Su Ming used Godslayer to cut into the dense ground beneath them while Strangle spread across the floor to defend the group.
• Strangle destroyed the Black Lantern Rings of hundreds of attacking Lantern Zombies, leaving their bodies motionless.

Deathstroke’s group found the abandoned Science Police facility beneath the planet’s surface and restored its power. Su Ming and Barry reached the control room to access surveillance and locate Sinestro.

• Deathstroke opened a passage to the underground complex, and Diana led the group inside.
• Little Dai found no people or bodies, and Su Ming concluded that the Science Police had fled.
• Bobo guided Barry as he repaired the central power device, restoring the facility’s lights.
• Bobo sent Deathstroke and Barry to inspect the monitoring room, and Barry carried Deathstroke to its floating control room.
• Su Ming began accessing the global surveillance network to find Sinestro.

Deathstroke took control of the Tech Police system with Strangle while Barry distracted its racist AI, and the Adjutant began tracking Sinestro. The search revealed the Black Lantern Zombies’ settlements and located Sinestro thirty thousand kilometers away, surrounded by a huge horde.

• The Tech Police AI threatened Deathstroke and Barry, then confessed to targeting people of color and accused Barry of hundreds of thousands of felonies.
• Deathstroke used Strangle to take over the system while Barry kept the AI occupied, and the Adjutant began searching surveillance footage for Sinestro.
• The Adjutant’s footage showed Black Lantern Zombies wandering in groups, occupying settlements, and sending out hunting parties for Survivors.
• The Adjutant located Sinestro thirty thousand kilometers away and displayed a huge horde of Black Lantern Zombies besieging him.
• Su Ming asked the Adjutant to pause and zoom in on the horde, pointing out several zombies that had caught Deathstroke’s attention.

Sinestro fought through the New God Lantern Zombies on Takron-Galtos using White Lantern light and fear, while enduring the pull of his Black Lantern Ring. After joining up with Su Ming, he revealed that he was searching for Darkseid’s son to help with his next plan.

• Sinestro used White Lantern energy to trap New God Lantern Zombies in cycles of life and death, then continued toward his destination despite their attacks.
• Orion tried to warn Sinestro that Nekron knew his plan, but the pain of dying cut him off before he could finish.
• Su Ming arrived with his companions and asked Sinestro about his daughter, who had gone to save her friends on Oa with a Green Lantern Ring.
• Sinestro discussed Soranik’s relationships with Kyle Rayner and Hal Jordan, then returned to the seriousness of his mission.
• Sinestro told Su Ming he had come to Takron-Galtos to find a New God, and clarified that he sought Darkseid’s son rather than Darkseid.

Su Ming realized Sinestro was searching for Mister Miracle, Scott, because he hoped Scott could enter the realm of the dead and rescue Hal’s soul. Sinestro confirmed the plan and said he was trying to make amends and preserve the world’s hope.

• Su Ming recalled how Highfather raised Orion as an heir while Darkseid imprisoned Scott, who later escaped Apokolips with Big Barda’s help and became Mister Miracle.
• Su Ming described Scott’s unmatched ability to escape prisons and other impossible situations, making him a valuable Justice League rescuer.
• Su Ming deduced that Sinestro wanted Mister Miracle to enter the realm of the dead and save Hal’s soul.
• Sinestro nodded and admitted that he wanted to make up for his past mistakes and believed the world still had hope.

Sinestro led the group through the prison until Mister Miracle appeared and guided them into hiding. In safety, Scott reunited with the living travelers, then broke down over Big Barda becoming a Black Lantern Zombie as Harley offered him bizarre advice.

• Sinestro spotted Desaad and a force of Lantern Zombie New Gods ahead, and Su Ming inferred that Scott was nearby.
• Mister Miracle revealed a hidden doorway and ushered the group inside, where he said they would be safe from discovery for at least two hours.
• Scott recognized that the newcomers were from other Earths, greeted them warmly, and hugged everyone, including Lobo.
• Scott began crying because Big Barda had become a Black Lantern Zombie and was hunting him with the other New Gods.
• Harley tried to comfort Scott with a dirty joke about satisfying his wife's appetite, and he mistakenly asked whether cucumbers could cure Black Lantern Zombies.

Su Ming and his allies found Mister Miracle hiding in the prison’s maintenance passages and asked him to help rescue someone for Sinestro. Scott agreed, but warned that freeing the target might be beyond him if the person was only a soul.

• Scott led Su Ming, Harley, Deathstroke, and Sinestro through the prison’s pipe-lined passages, explaining that he had hidden there from the Black Lantern New Gods.
• The group reached a maintenance station, where Su Ming ordered the robots to clear a place for them to rest.
• Deathstroke explained that Sinestro needed Scott’s help rescuing someone, and Scott agreed as long as the target was alive.
• Su Ming clarified that the rescue might involve retrieving a soul, and Scott said he could not promise he could pull someone out of Heaven or Hell.
• Sinestro prepared to remove his White Lantern Ring and said the soul had to be delivered to Hal because he was their universe’s last hope.

Su Ming gave Mister Miracle a duplicate White Lantern Ring to help rescue Hal Jordan while he and Laurie prepared to purify Takron’s water system and eliminate its Black Lantern zombies. After energizing the reservoir, Su Ming encouraged Laurie to remain a mercenary if that suited her.

• Su Ming gave Scott a duplicate White Lantern Ring and asked him to bring it to Hal Jordan’s soul, while Sinestro thanked him.
• Scott left to enter the dimension of the dead, and Su Ming set out with Laurie to deal with the lantern zombies.
• Laurie fought the enemies they encountered as Su Ming infused the fire-suppression reservoir with White Lantern energy.
• Su Ming and Laurie discussed Darkseid, the Entity of Life, and Laurie’s comfort with violence and uncertainty about becoming a superhero.
• Su Ming ordered the Adjutant to activate the fire-suppression system and spread the energized water across Takron.

Su Ming purified the Lantern Zombies on the planet, explaining why their souls could be reclaimed while ordinary souls should be left to the afterlife. He and Laurie headed back to reunite with the others, uncertain whether another Timeline shift had occurred.

• Laurie heard the Lantern Zombies across the planet wailing as the White Lantern mist dissolved their bodies.
• Su Ming chose not to resurrect the prisoners or Apokolips's army and purified Big Barda and Orion as well.
• Su Ming explained the afterlife's soul cycle and why Black Lantern Zombie souls could be rescued from Nekron.
• Su Ming told Laurie that the Lantern Zombies' pain came mostly from their emotions, not their ruined bodies.
• Su Ming and Laurie set off to meet the others, while Laurie worried they might have been thrown onto another Timeline.

Su Ming returned to find Hal resurrected as a White Lantern, and Hal discussed his plans with the group. They decided to head to Oa to support Soranik while Hal prepared to revive other Lantern Corps before the Green Lantern Corps.

• Su Ming and Takron returned to the maintenance room, where Mister Miracle had already resurrected Hal and everyone was sharing food.
• Hal thanked Su Ming, revealed that he had forged a new Power Ring in the Realm of Souls, and suggested naming it Deng Jie.
• Su Ming urged Hal to go to Oa with them because Soranik had gone there, and Hal insisted they support her.
• Sinestro defended Soranik's independence and said she would not die easily.
• Bobo warned Hal against resurrecting the Green Lantern Corps first because the Guardians might exploit the resulting power vacuum.
• Hal said he would make White Lantern Rings and resurrect the Red and Violet Lantern Corps first, while Bobo argued with him and Su Ming spoke privately with Harley and Little Dai.

Hal took the group toward Oa while Su Ming arranged to repurpose the Takron prison as a livestock facility. Scott mourned the wife he had seen in the Soul World, but Harley arranged a food delivery that brought Colonel Sanders to the ship near Oa.

• Su Ming had the Adjutant move Takron to the Spectre Universe, where he planned to use it for breeding animals instead of holding prisoners.
• Scott told Harley he wanted to return to save Big Barda but feared delaying the mission to Oa.
• Harley called in an order for fried chicken and other food to be delivered to Oa's orbit.
• Hal brought the ship to Oa after fighting Black Lantern Zombies and found Colonel Sanders waiting with the delivery.
• Deathstroke pulled Colonel Sanders aboard, and Harley rushed to the insulated food box.

Hal explained that Scott wanted to resurrect Big Barda and copied another White Lantern Ring, while the group prepared to head to Oa. Deathstroke left with his team to purify the Guardians of the Universe as Scott stayed behind to wait for Big Barda.

• Hal told the Colonel that Scott wanted to resurrect his wife and copied another White Lantern Ring.
• The Colonel paused the discussion to perform a promotional dance with his muscular bodyguards.
• The resurrected Red and Violet Lanterns arrived, and Hal and Carol openly kissed while Deathstroke decided his group would not travel with the Lantern Corps.
• Scott stayed behind to wait for Big Barda, while Deathstroke took his team toward Oa to purify the Guardians of the Universe.
• Deathstroke's group entered Oa's atmosphere and drew the attention of pursuing Black Lantern Zombies.

Su Ming led his group through Oa’s sewers to the Lantern Ring Spire, intending to capture the Black Lantern Guardians and extract their souls. He assigned the team their roles as they prepared to attack.

• Cloak carried Su Ming, Barry, Diana, and the others through the sewers while Deathstroke used a White Light-charged Flashbang to stop their pursuers.
• Su Ming revealed that Strangle had read Hal’s memories, explaining how he knew Oa’s layout and why he had brought Hal there.
• Su Ming told Barry and Diana that stopping the Guardians would protect Earth and the multiverse, and the group agreed to fight together.
• Su Ming identified the Lantern Ring Spire as their destination and explained that the Guardians’ routines might draw the Black Lantern Zombies there.
• Su Ming assigned Barry to trap the Guardians with a Speed Force Storm, Diana and Lobo to bring the zombies to him, and Laurie to extract their souls into a Black Diamond.

Deathstroke reviewed the Guardians of the Universe’s history of betrayals, cover-ups, and disasters across the universe. He decided to test killing the Guardians on Earth-12 in a Timeline simulation before targeting their Earth-0 Otherworld Variants.

• The Maltusians captured Ion after Huron introduced them to the Emotional Spectrum, gaining immense power and splitting into the Oans, Zamarons, and Controllers.
• The Oans massacred their wives and children, while the surviving Zamarons formed the Violet Lantern Corps and hidden descendants became the Controllers and Orange Lanterns.
• The Oans fought a civil war, and the victors became the Guardians of the Universe, exiling their defeated opponents in a time-frozen box that later became the Future Shadow Council.
• The Guardians repeatedly manipulated the Lantern Corps, betrayed the First Generation Lanterns to Darkseid, and covered up disasters including the Hunter Massacre, Zero Hour, Blackest Night, and the Third Generation Corps crisis.
• Deathstroke decided to simulate killing the Earth-12 Guardians first and, if the results were good, kill their Earth-0 Otherworld Variants.

Su Ming’s group spied on the Black Lantern Guardians as they plotted to destroy Earth, but a Red and Violet Lantern assault sent them into a panic. Scarface tried to rally them with a plan to unleash their weapons, only for Su Ming to ambush the Guardians.

• Strangle opened a hole beside the council spire’s meeting hall, allowing Su Ming to observe the Black Lantern Guardians discussing how to impose peace across the universe.
• The Guardians identified Earth as their next target and complained that humanity continued to resist them.
• Kilowog warned the Guardians that the Red Lantern Corps and Violet Lantern Corps had attacked the Central Power Battery, with Hal and Sinestro working together.
• The Guardians panicked, but Scarface calmed them and proposed activating the Manhunters, releasing Parallax, and detonating the Central Power Battery.
• Su Ming burst from beneath Scarface and impaled him with a greatsword while a golden-electric tornado engulfed the meeting hall.

Su Ming and his allies used Tenth Metal and the Black Diamond to capture the Black Lantern Guardians’ souls, leaving only Ganthet. Diana asked Su Ming to spare him some harshness, and Su Ming put Ganthet in the Regret Chair to question him.

• Su Ming pinned Scarface with the Nightfall Greatsword while Black Alice prepared to extract his soul with the Black Diamond.
• Black Alice drew Scarface’s soul into the diamond, and Strangle crushed his powerless Black Lantern Ring.
• Diana and Lobo delivered the other Guardians to Su Ming, who impaled them on the greatsword so Black Alice could trap their souls.
• The group captured every Guardian except Ganthet, whom Diana asked Su Ming to treat gently.
• Su Ming seated Ganthet in the Regret Chair, and Ganthet said he deeply regretted what had happened.