In the hospital bed, smelling strongly of disinfectant.
Clark slowly woke up.
The pain in his head reminded Clark that everything that had happened recently was very real.
"Hey, you're awake?" Lana's voice sounded in his ears.
The girl held an apple in her hand, skillfully flipping a paring knife to peel the skin, her big eyes full of concern: "You were too reckless."
Clark was silent. He had been sent to the hospital, but what had happened afterward?
The boy asked, "What happened?"
Lana played with the knife in her hand, her big eyes blinking: "The Luthor chemical plant set off the alarm, and then it's said the culprit, agitated, shot up the elevator. After that, the hardware malfunctioned, and they fell from a height, smashing their head."
"Now everyone is safe, except you, who lost a bit of blood from your head."
Listening to Lana's explanation, Clark fell silent.
It seemed Gino had handled everything. Yes, the Luthor Family was always clever and shrewd.
"Aunt and Uncle have been looking after you. Martha went back to the farm to prepare dinner for you, leaving me here to watch over you."
"But, how did you get hurt?"
Lana handed Clark an apple that smelled of fruit.
The girl had seen Gino and Clark's displays before. Both possessed extraordinary abilities, but she wasn't sure what could possibly hurt Clark.
Clark pursed his lips. The boy, still in his hospital gown, used his hands to sit up slowly in bed.
Looking into the goddess's eyes, Clark hesitated for a moment before telling Lana what had happened between him and Gino.
"Oh my God!" Hearing Clark's description, Lana couldn't help but cover her mouth. "That's just..."
Punching an opponent's head and exploding it – that was too brutal. Lana simply couldn't imagine such a scene.
"You think Gino was wrong, right?" Clark's big eyes lit up, a look of longing for agreement in them.
But, to Clark's surprise, Lana shook her head after some serious thought.
"No, Clark," Lana said, parting her lips slightly. "If I were Gino, I might also choose a forceful method to subdue the murderer. It's the best choice for everyone."
She carefully glanced at Clark, then held up two fingers, pinching them together as she explained, "Sometimes, you should be a little more cautious."
Hearing Lana's words, Clark unusually didn't respond. Instead, he lowered his head and stared at his hands.
Even Lana thought he was wrong?
Young Clark raised his head, his eyes gazing at the scenery outside the window in a daze.
Under the setting sun, several birds perched on a large tree, chirping to each other.
Clark knew he had lost his friend, Gino.
Luthor Manor.
At the door to the hall, the cleaning maids all bowed to greet the young heir.
The girls exchanged glances, silently discussing how Gino seemed to be in a bad mood today.
"Hmm."
Gino nodded indifferently and drank the milk brought to him by the blonde maid in one gulp.
"Sigh."
Gino exhaled a long breath and collapsed onto the sofa, closing his eyes slightly.
Too much had happened today, and he felt mentally exhausted.
A faint scent of perfume invaded his senses.
Immediately after, Gino felt someone embrace him from behind, a pair of fair, soft arms resting on his chest.
They trailed downwards.
Slap!
Gino slowly opened his eyes, gently clasping the mischievous hands.
Through the LCD television screen in front of him, a woman in a black gown with a good figure was embracing Gino with a seductive expression.
"I'll give you three seconds to let go of me," Gino said coldly, his voice laced with a severity that made the woman's eyes flicker with unease.
She instinctively released her grip, touching the goosebumps that had risen on her arm, her eyes filled with a mixture of surprise and uncertainty.
Why had she obeyed a mere child?
But the woman quickly regained her composure. She tossed her wavy, golden hair, a look of seduction on her face, and parted her red lips to reveal a row of white teeth, her beautiful eyes fixed on Gino.
She moved her long legs, swaying her curvy figure, and gently sat on the sofa beside Gino.
She lowered her voice, attempting to create an ambiguous atmosphere: "I didn't expect you to treat me so poorly."
Gino ignored the woman, picking up the unfinished milk on the table and taking a sip, then glanced at her with a sneer: "Victoria, what is there about you that deserves my respect?"
"A woman who is nothing but a pretty face and only knows how to sell herself to get what she wants. A stupid woman."
Gino didn't hide his contempt for Victoria, staring at her as her face turned green. "Whether you were sent by Lionel to test Lex, or by the Harvey Family to steal commercial secrets, that's a matter between you and Lex."
"Don't bother me. I'm not interested in business."
With his godlike power, Gino had no need for wealth.
Having said that, Gino stood up without hesitation and returned to his room.
Lying on the spacious bed, Gino sighed softly.
Information about Victoria flashed through his mind.
This beautiful woman's name was Victoria Harvey.
And the Harvey Family had always been rivals of the Luthor Family.
It seemed that his old friend's sudden visit was likely on behalf of the Harvey Family, or perhaps carrying Lionel's will to bring Lex another test.
It was essentially a "honey pot," designed to test whether the family's future heir could resist the temptations of beauty and other such tricks.
"But they've underestimated Lex," Gino sneered, already anticipating the intellectual sparring between Lex and these fools.
Smallville Police Department.
Inside the evidence room, the officers stood in a line, stiff and silent, like soldiers awaiting inspection.
The reason was simple: a stout woman, dressed in a suit and tie, stood before them.
Her dark skin confirmed her identity as a Black woman.
Rumor had it that this woman was a VIP from the White House, having previously worked for large, violent organizations like the FBI and CIA.
"A small town, where hundreds of people die each year from all sorts of strange reasons." Amanda stared at the various photos on the wall.
Shriveled mummies, a mechanic charred by electricity, and the headless corpse that recently died at the Luthor factory.
These mysterious and bizarre events were the reason she came to town.
Amanda picked up the files on the table and casually flipped through them. Her well-informed mind quickly led her to a conclusion: this report was full of holes.
"An elevator falling on someone's head couldn't possibly cause this kind of injury."
Amanda looked at the blood-soaked photos, a cold smile playing on her thick lips. "It's more like their head was blown open at close range by a heavy Barrett."
She then picked up the missing Julie's case file, her expression complex. The day before the girl disappeared, a person in town died from losing 98% of their body fat.
Amanda lowered her eyes, pondering. "These missing people are all concentrated at Smallville High School, or they have connections to the Luthor Chemical Plant."
Looking at these strange and mysterious cases, Amanda's eyes sparkled with a peculiar light.
As a lackey for the big shots in the White House, she knew that the world wasn't as simple as it seemed on the surface.
Not long ago, she received an assignment to investigate the strange events that had been occurring in Smallville for years.
Her brown eyes scanned the file on the "[Luthor Factory case]", and a sneer curled her lips: "Let's start with this one."
PS: The sixty-sixth chapter I wrote this morning was a bit off, mainly because I was trying too hard to be cool, ignoring the logic of the language and the conflict of viewpoints. I revised the dialogue details tonight to highlight the contradictions and psychological changes between the protagonists, making the logic smoother. You can go back and take a look, over.
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