Even though he was in a big city, something about it felt incredibly strange to Clark.
Clark's clothes had burned away when he broke through the atmosphere. With no other option, he walked into a clothing store, left enough cash on the counter, and picked out a set of children's clothes to change into.
But what he didn't notice was that while he was changing, countless figures began to gather from all directions, heading into the store.
These people all had red eyes, ferocious, bloodthirsty expressions, and even blood dripping from their fingertips. It was clear they'd hurt themselves before hurting others. They were like the zombies from sci-fi horror movies, but unlike typical zombies, their bodies weren't decayed. Yet, like zombies, they relentlessly attacked any living thing.
When Clark came out of the dressing room in his new clothes, he was met with countless hideous faces and their ruthless attacks.
"What!!!"
Following Clark's scream, everyone rushed into the clothing store. The small shop became packed, like a chaotic shopping event. Clark's fearful screams were lost amid their bloodthirsty, animalistic roars.
"No! Stay away from me!!"
Clark wasn't hurt. His body was much stronger than he imagined. Even with whatever unknown changes had occurred to these ordinary people, it was almost impossible for them to harm him.
But seeing the faces crowding around him and the blood dripping from their mouths, Clark broke down. Such a scene was too intense for an eight-year-old like him.
Under this stress, Clark's strength surged again. Dozens of adult men were pushed back by his sheer force, crashing through the clothing store's reinforced glass and spilling out onto the street.
Once in the open, these people could no longer restrict Clark's movements. He quickly broke free of their grasp and ran, not caring that his new clothes were tearing again.
"Help! Someone's attacking me!"
He saw quite a few figures, but as Clark got closer, he realized that the people moving on the street, just like those who attacked him, had red eyes and blood on their fingertips and mouths. It was clear how many people they had already attacked.
"Oh no! It's blocked!"
Clark couldn't fly. Faced with people surrounding him from every direction, he had nowhere to run. He could only watch as these crazed individuals closed in.
At the same time, he was terrified. Could this be some special virus? He feared he might turn into one of them.
Clark cried.
Realizing he had no escape, he could no longer hold back his fear and burst into tears.
After all, he was only eight years old. Even with a Kryptonian physique, he was still just a child and hadn't realized his true identity. Because of this, his Kryptonian abilities hadn't been fully awakened.
And the education he'd received was that of an ordinary human. What eight-year-old wouldn't be terrified when faced with such a sight? Not everyone has an ancient mentor living in their mind, and not everyone has lived more lives than everyone in a book combined.
The crowd drew nearer, but Clark didn't resist at all. His mind was blank. In that moment, he didn't know what to do.
From the appearance of the tornado onward, everything had happened too suddenly. Clark's young mind couldn't possibly comprehend it.
Just as the approaching crowd was about to touch Clark, a blue and red figure flew in from the sky like a phantom.
As it swept across the ground, it also scooped up the crying Clark.
When his vision rose above the clouds, Clark suddenly realized he was safe. And the person who saved him...
Clark was held in the man's arms. When he looked up, he saw a familiar profile. He felt like he'd seen this face somewhere before.
Then, Clark saw the large 'S' logo on the other person's chest and the red cape fluttering behind him.
"Super... Superman?"
Hearing Clark's words, Superman lowered his head and gave Clark a gentle smile.
"Don't worry, you're safe now. But wait, you'd better close your eyes, otherwise you might get infected with the virus."
Superman's words were simple, but they seemed to have a calming magic that soothed Clark, who was still a little scared.
At the same time, Clark asked the question he couldn't help but ask since seeing Superman.
"Isn't Superman... a fictional comic book character?"
Superman frowned. He was indeed famous, but not because of comics. There were no comic books about him in this world, and he had never sold the rights to his image to anyone. The only comic characters here were Spider-Man and Iron Man.
However, despite his confusion, Superman didn't ask right away. Instead, he spoke to Clark while slowly descending.
"Close your eyes and don't look at any LCD screen."
Hearing this, Clark obediently closed his eyes, feeling the breeze on his face from an unearthly perspective, until they arrived inside the Daily Planet building. At Superman's signal, Clark opened his eyes.
"Really the Daily Planet?"
At this moment, Superman wasn't focused on Clark's surprise, because he was also surprised. The child in front of him looked almost exactly like he did when he was a boy. Except for the hairstyle, they were the same person.
"Clark, you're back..."
When Superman's wife learned he had returned, she immediately stepped forward to greet him, but at the same time, she noticed Clark looking around.
"Who is this child?"
Feeling their gazes, Clark finally turned his attention to Superman's face.
This time, with no magnificent pectoral muscles blocking his view, Clark could see Superman's appearance clearly, and even with just one glance, he understood something.
Because Superman's face was so similar to his own, he had been wondering where he had seen Superman's face before. It turned out it was in the mirror at his own home.
Although due to his age, Superman's face showed more wisdom and maturity that Clark lacked, along with the perseverance of a warrior and hero, anyone who had seen Superman's face would not be mistaken. Clark looked exactly like Superman when he was a child.
"Child, what's your name?"
"Clark Parker, and you are..."
"Clark Kent..."