"Tap, tap, tap."
The clock continued to tick.
But inside Earl's mind, a storm raged.
Terror and helplessness consumed every cell and limb, infiltrating his very core, causing the black man to widen his eyes and open his thick lips, unable to utter a sound.
The word "Luthor" echoed in his mind.
Those two syllables had dominated so much of his life, and his current predicament was inextricably linked to the Luthor name.
Earl had once fantasized that if he ever met a member of the Luthor family, he would smash his fist into their face.
But...
Gino stood there, his eyes a clear, blue that were fixed on Earl.
He didn't understand what was happening. Being watched by Gino filled him with an endless dread. The instincts etched into Earl's very DNA urged him to flee and scream, as if the figure before him wasn't a human, but a savage white tiger.
This is absurd.
Earl swallowed hard, forcing down the fear that clawed at him, while clenching his fists.
"You... you are from the Luthor family?"
"I am the one asking questions," Gino said, his expression impatient. His eyes began to glow with a dark blue light.
The air around them seemed to drop in temperature, and 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, evil capitalist. He hadn't even attended his grandfather's funeral.
He even suspected that if given enough benefits, Lionel would sell his soul.
Earl, trembling with fear, stammered, "No, you, you're from the Luthor family! Luthors are all liars!"
"Alright, that's your choice." Gino didn't intend to waste time with the black man; he wanted to freeze him and bring him back to the Underground Base for interrogation.
"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 bed, the expressionless Gino, and the terrified Earl. He breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed his friend hadn't killed him.
"Gino, listen to me, there's been a misunderstanding." Clark walked over to Gino, gazing into the boy's azure eyes, momentarily stunned.
Clark felt a flicker of doubt. Hadn't seen him for a few days, but Gino's eyes seemed brighter?
"Clark."
Gino glanced at the boy and said, "I intend to ask him what he saw at the Luthor factory. If he needs it, I can help him."
It wasn't a lie. For Gino, uncovering what Lionel had done at the factory ten years ago was far more important than killing Earl.
"You're right."
A smile spread across Clark's face; Gino's rare display 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."
Earl should believe him, now that he'd said that.
But, to Clark's surprise, Earl frowned, his face filled with resentment: "No, the Luthor family are all bad people, Clark, you've been deceived by him!"
Earl was agitated, his hands trembling from nervousness.
He felt betrayed.
"Clatter!"
A familiar scene played out again for Clark. The black man's body convulsed violently, easily shattering the handcuffs with extreme speed.
"He's trying to escape." Gino didn't hesitate, his eyes shooting out a pure blue beam of light.
"Wait!"
Clark's expression shifted dramatically as he swiftly moved to stand in front of Earl.
Clark raised his arm.
"Zap!"
The azure beam struck Clark's steel arm.
"Whirr!"
The azure light slowly enveloped Clark's entire arm.
Clark frowned slightly, his eyes filled with confusion as he looked at his arm.
"It hurts!"
A thick layer of frost quickly covered his plaid jacket, and the piercing cold caused Clark to display a pained expression.
"Whirr!" The Freezing Ray continuously struck Clark's arm, and the original frost rapidly condensed into crystal-clear ice, encasing Clark's entire arm.
Earl, who had been rescued by Clark, also stopped trembling. Without hesitation, the black man's eerie green eyes scanned the surroundings, finally settling on the window behind him.
"Shatter!"
The black man, clutching his head, smashed through the glass, leaping from the second-story building.
"Gino!"
Chloe and Pete arrived, witnessing the continuous bombardment of Clark by a blue beam.
"Buzz!"
The powerful azure beam pushed Clark, forcing him back against the wall.
Clark lowered his head, struggling to block the beam with his arms.
He couldn't retreat; his father's friend was behind him.
Soon, Clark's lower body was also encased in a thick layer of ice, enveloped by the beam.
"Gino, stop it! What are you doing?"
Chloe rushed forward, grabbing 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.
At this moment, the hospital room was filled with cold mist emanating from the ice, which floated throughout the entire room.
Clark, half of his body encased in an ice pillar, was stuck in the corner. His handsome, thick eyebrows were also dampened by the frost. The terrifying cold made Clark shiver uncontrollably.
Clark strained to lift his eyelids, which were covered in frost. He used 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 with a sincere face, "Gino, there must be a misunderstanding."
"Clark." Gino gritted his teeth, feeling angry at Clark's choice. "That guy got away."
"And he's a murderer, and you just let him go?"
"Have you forgotten about Grey?"
Gino looked deeply at Clark; he was very disappointed in Clark's choice.
After saying this, the young man turned and left.
He had to find out where Earl had run off to.
After Gino left, the tense atmosphere in the room dissipated. In a corner, Pete, who hadn't dared to breathe, greedily inhaled the cold air, while looking around with his arms crossed, and exclaimed, "This is incredible."
"Gino can shoot a Freezing Ray from his eyes!?"
Looking at Clark, frozen in ice, Pete grinned mischievously, "Clark, can you also shoot rays from your eyes?"
Hearing Pete's words, Clark fell silent. The big boy tried to mobilize his eyes to feel the energy, but there was no response.
Clark smiled wryly and shook his head, "No, I can't."
The boy's gaze swept over the ice chips on the ground, his heart filled with gravity.
Without realizing it, Gino had become much stronger again.
Is this related to the days the other person disappeared?
And what does it have to do with that chemical plant?
Suppressing the doubts in his heart, Clark forced a clumsy smile: "Now, hurry and find a shovel to get me out of here, it's freezing in here!"
------------------------
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