Clark seemed to be having a very long, surreal dream.
In the dream, a gray-skinned, oppressive alien humanoid had one hand clutching his neck and the other grabbing a black-clad, bat-like, chin-faced man.
"Darkseid is eternal."
The terrifying, gruesome figure growled in a low voice, and then a scorching beam of light shot from his eyes, engulfing Clark.
"Ah!"
Clark yelled, the dream so vivid it left him covered in a cold sweat.
His vision gradually cleared. Clark heard the rustling sound of footsteps on dirt. He saw lush trees all around and damp earth. The cool morning air filling his lungs made Clark shiver.
He found himself being carried on someone's back; it was broad and solid, just like when his father used to hold him as a child.
"Awake? If you're awake, walk yourself."
A detached yet familiar voice sounded in front of Clark, calming him.
Thump.
Jino set Clark down. The big boy stumbled on the damp ground, then slowly steadied himself.
Clark's eyes were full of complex emotions as he looked at Jino's back.
Jino's attitude made Clark a little sad, but he knew he was in the wrong.
The kind Clark knew even better what he should do.
"Jino." Clark's expression was conflicted, and he lowered his head like a misbehaving elementary school student, mumbling, "I'm sorry, I was wrong."
"Last night, Gerry attacked me and killed many people."
"Sigh."
Hearing Clark's apology, Jino sighed. The young man said nothing, turning to look at Clark's sincere eyes.
The young man walked up to Clark and simply patted his shoulder: "Don't do that again."
"M-hm, m-hm."
Hearing Clark readily agree, Jino just smiled, not taking it seriously.
Clark's inherent kindness would only lead him to make the same choice the next time he faced a similar dilemma.
But that was Clark. Everyone had their innate character.
Forcing his will onto others and demanding they change was typical American hegemony, and Jino didn't like that. There were too few kind people in this world; letting Clark remain kind was perfectly fine.
The two walked side by side, and for a moment, the atmosphere was silent.
"Jino." It was Clark who broke the silence. He hesitated, asking, "How is Lana Lang?"
"She's fine. She slept at my Castle last night." Jino glanced at Clark: "But I advise you to think carefully about how you're going to explain to Jonathan and Martha why you didn't come home last night."
Hearing Jino's words, Clark's face stiffened. The big boy immediately gasped and pursed his lips, saying, "I, I forgot!"
Offending Jonathan wasn't scary; Clark had argued with his father more than once.
But if Martha got angry, both he and Jonathan would have to shut up.
"I have to go."
Clark scratched his head awkwardly, looking at Jino: "You should come over for dinner sometime."
After this experience, Clark clearly regarded Jino as a close friend.
"Hm."
Jino nodded, saying nothing, just watching Clark's figure turn into an afterimage and leave.
After Clark left, Jino slowly walked back to his own Castle.
Learning from the old butler that Lana Lang had already left, Jino didn't mind, strolling leisurely into the main hall.
After only a few steps, Jino saw three men in suits, wearing glasses, smelling of cologne, and with watches on their wrists.
Their attire was typical of urban elite white-collar workers.
"Woah, I didn't know we had guests?"
Jino raised an eyebrow and smiled, taking the milk a maid offered him and taking a sip.
"Mr. Jino."
The white man leading the three puffed out his chest: "We've been waiting for Lex for an hour, and he hasn't shown up yet."
"Hm, Dominic, I don't deal with company matters." Jino shook his head, like a playboy, picking up a cue stick from the pool table and toying with it, his gaze playfully sweeping over the three men: "What did father send you here for?"
"It's…"
"Don't speak yet, let me guess."
Jino leaned down, easily sinking a yellow ball into the pocket: "It's because of the company's financial losses."
The Luthor Family had many businesses in Smallville. Jino knew Lex had secretly used a sum of money to advance his experimental project.
"Yes."
Dominic, one of Lionel's assistants, pushed up his glasses. "Mr. Lionel believes Mr. Lex will take drastic action and lay off those employees."
"Ha, then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed." Jino chuckled. His older brother has always been incredibly opinionated, to the point of being excessive.
"If I were you, I'd just leave wisely, because you won't be seeing him today."
If he guessed correctly, Lex was probably already in the lab studying Gerry's body.
"Hmph."
Listening to Jino's advice, Dominic's face turned green, seething with anger.
Of course, his anger wasn't directed at Jino, but at that arrogant Lex.
As Lionel's assistant, Dominic knew how terrible the relationship between him and Lex was.
He took a deep breath, then waved his subordinates away. "In that case, I will convey Lex's attitude to Mr. Lionel."
The three men left Castle, and Jino tossed aside his golf club, calling for a few maids to massage his shoulders.
Jino closed his eyes and dozed off for a while. It wasn't long before he heard a rapid series of footsteps.
The steps were swift and decisive; Jino knew his cheap older brother had arrived.
Lex, who had just entered the hall, took off his suit jacket and glanced at Jino, who was sprawled on the sofa having his legs massaged by the maids.
"Did those annoying guys leave?"
"Ah, they left, but I'm guessing the person you hate most will be here soon." Jino shrugged. "Another round of intense arguments is coming."
"Heh, he doesn't understand the greatness of this experiment, and I won't let him know." Lex sneered, dismissing the approaching Lionel.
He looked down on his father, and his father always felt Lex didn't respect him.
If one had to describe their relationship in a single phrase, it would be "at odds."
"So, how's the experiment?" Jino chuckled, waving his hand. The maids respectfully left, leaving only Jino and Lex in the hall.
Hearing Jino mention the experiment, a flame of passion seemed to burn in Lex's eyes. "Unimaginable. Do you know those Kryptonite? They can actually modify Human Gene, bringing about all sorts of strange abilities!"
"So?"
Jino shrugged.
Lex leaned against the billiard table, thoughtfully stroking his chin. "If I were to enhance the DNA of those transformed individuals with Kryptonite, and then add the Clark Gene you once mentioned, what kind of thing could I create?"
------------------------
Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Guys, I've uploaded some High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! Feel free to check it out-if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
" Saiyan's in the Marvel Universe "
" Marvel: Starts with Asking Questions About Iron Man "
" DC Universe: You're Fishing, And You Got the Superman Template? " many more are available
Your support means a lot-thanks in advance, legends!
patreon.com/SuperTL
(End of Chapter)