"Tick-tock."
The clock continued to tick.
But inside Earl, lying on the hospital bed, a colossal wave of turmoil was brewing.
Terror and helplessness washed over every cell and limb, permeating his internal organs, causing the black man to widen his eyes and open his thick lips, yet unable to utter a single sound.
The words "Luther" echoed repeatedly in his mind.
Those two words had occupied too much of his life. His current predicament was inextricably linked to the surname "Luther."
Earl had once fantasized that if he ever met someone from the Luther family, he would use his fists to deliver a brutal beating to their face.
But…
Gino stood there, his azure eyes fixed on Earl.
He didn't understand what was happening. Being watched by Gino filled him with an endless dread. The instinct hardwired into Earl's DNA screamed at him to run and scream, as if the figure before him wasn't human, but a ferocious white tiger.
This is absurd.
Earl swallowed hard, forcing down the fear that clawed at his insides, while clenching his fists.
"You... you're from the Luther family?"
"I'm the one asking the questions." Gino's expression was impatient, and a dark blue light began to glow in his eyes.
The air around them seemed to chill. Earl stared in horror at his arms, which were covered in goosebumps.
"Answer my question. What did Lionel do at the Chemical Plant ten years ago?"
Gino had never liked his father, an ambitious and evil capitalist. He hadn't even attended his grandfather's funeral.
He even suspected that if given enough benefits, his father would sell his soul.
Earl, fighting back his fear, trembled and opened his mouth, "No, you... you're from the Luther family. Luthers are all liars!"
"Alright, that's your choice." Gino didn't intend to waste time with the black man. He was going to freeze him and take him back to the Underground Base for questioning.
"Gino!"
The door was pushed open roughly, interrupting Gino's thoughts.
The young man turned around and saw Clark rushing in, his face anxious.
Clark's gaze swept over the hospital bed, the expressionless Gino, and the terrified Earl. He breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed his friend hadn't made a move yet.
"Gino, listen to me, there's been a misunderstanding." Clark walked over to Gino, staring into the young man's azure eyes, a little stunned.
Clark was puzzled. Gino's eyes seemed brighter than they had been just a few days ago?
"Clark."
Gino glanced at the boy and said, "I intend to ask him what he saw at Luther's factory. If needed, I can help him."
This wasn't a lie. For Gino, investigating what Lionel had done at the factory ten years ago was far more important than killing Earl.
"You're right."
A smile appeared on Clark's face; Gino's rare show of gentleness made him happy.
He turned to Earl and said, "Earl, Gino is my friend. He's a good person."
Clark's face was full of sincerity: "You can trust him."
Having said that, Earl should be able to believe him.
But, to Clark's surprise, Earl frowned, his face filled with resentment: "No, the Luther family are all bad people, Clark, you've been deceived by him!"
Earl was agitated, and his hands trembled constantly from his nervousness.
He felt betrayed.
"Clatter!"
A scene Clark knew well played out again. The black man's body convulsed violently, easily shattering the handcuffs with extreme speed.
"He wants to run." Gino didn't hesitate, his eyes shooting out pure blue beams of light.
"Wait!"
Clark's expression shifted dramatically, and he darted forward, placing himself in front of Earl.
Clark raised his arm.
"Crack!"
The azure ray struck Clark's metallic arm.
"Vzzzz!"
The azure light slowly enveloped Clark's entire arm.
Clark frowned slightly, a look of confusion in his eyes as he gazed at his arm.
"It hurts!"
A thick layer of frost quickly covered his checkered shirt, the piercing cold causing Clark to grimace in pain.
"Buzz!" The Freezing Ray continuously struck Clark's arm. The existing frost rapidly solidified into crystal-clear ice, encasing his entire arm.
Earl, the one Clark had saved, also stopped trembling. The Black man didn't hesitate; his dark green eyes scanned the surroundings, and his gaze landed on the window behind him.
"Shatter!"
The Black man embraced his head and smashed through the glass, leaping directly from the second story of the small building.
"Gino!"
Chloe and Pete arrived, seeing the blue beams continuously bombarding Clark.
"Buzz!"
The powerful, sky-blue beam pushed Clark backward, forcing him against the wall.
Clark lowered his head, only able to raise his arms to desperately block the beam.
He couldn't retreat; his father's friend was behind him.
Soon, Clark's lower body was also covered in a thick layer of ice under the beam's influence.
"Gino, stop it! What are you doing?"
Chloe rushed forward and grabbed Gino's arm, trying to stop him.
"Hoo."
Gino slowly exhaled a breath of cold air, Chloe's call bringing him back to his senses.
The young man extinguished the Freezing Ray in his eyes.
The hospital room was filled with a cold mist emanating from the ice.
In the corner, Clark's body was half-submerged in an ice pillar. His thick, handsome eyebrows were also damp with frost, and the terrifying cold made him shiver uncontrollably.
Clark forced his ice-covered eyelids open, using his legs to try and break free from the icy grip, but he found he couldn't move an inch.
Helpless, Clark could only look at Gino with his arms raised, and said sincerely, "Gino, there must be some misunderstanding."
"Clark." Gino clenched his teeth, angry at Clark's choice. "That guy escaped."
"And he's a murderer, and you just let him run?"
"Have you forgotten about Grey?"
Gino looked at Clark deeply, disappointed in his choice.
After saying that, the young man turned and left.
He was going to find out where Earl had run off to.
Once Gino was gone, the tense atmosphere in the room melted away. In the corner, Pete, who hadn't dared to breathe, greedily inhaled the cold air, while hugging his arms and looking around, he exclaimed, "This is incredible."
"Gino can actually shoot a Freezing Ray from his eyes!?"
After glancing at Clark, who was frozen in ice, Pete snickered, a bit mischievously. "Clark, can you shoot rays from your eyes too?"
Hearing Pete's words, Clark fell silent. The big boy tried to channel energy through his eyes, but there was no reaction.
Clark shook his head with a wry smile. "No, I can't."
The boy's gaze swept over the ice shards on the ground, his heart filled with seriousness.
Gino had become much stronger without him even realizing it.
Was this related to the days the other party had disappeared?
And what was the connection to that Chemical Plant?
Suppressing the doubts in his heart, Clark flashed his awkward smile again: "Now, quickly find a shovel and get me out of here, it's freezing in here!"
------------------------
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