"cthulhu, I swear, I will never touch such books again."
Courtney put the book with "cthulhu" written on its cover back into her bag.
Her previous negotiation with Jessica had been somewhat unsuccessful.
The other party didn't want to discuss the story in Smallville too much; instead, she warned Courtney not to provoke the guy who stole her Star Scepter.
Finally, after a persistent effort, Jessica slightly relented and gave her a book titled "cthulhu."
So Courtney invited her three companions—Wildcat, Hourman, and Midnight Doctor—and the four of them went to Smallville to investigate the author of this book.
This was also why the four of them appeared at Smallville High School during the day and were discovered by Pat.
The original Wildcat, Hourman, and Midnight Doctor were already Death; Courtney's three "superhero" companions were merely high school students equipped with the gear of three deceased superheroes.
"Hey, Courtney!"
As soon as Courtney secretly slipped into her bedroom, she encountered an awkward scene.
Her stepfather, Pat, was waiting for her in the room.
Pat was sitting on the bed, with a pile of equipment placed beside him.
"Wow, what is this?"
Courtney smiled awkwardly, pretending to be ignorant as she asked Pat.
"That's what I should be asking you, Courtney. You shouldn't have stolen these things!"
He said, pointing to a Green Lantern on the bed, "This is no joke; this lantern can easily kill you!"
Courtney, intimidated by Pat's aura, coughed unnaturally and asked in a low voice, "What is it used for?"
"Fortunately, it doesn't have a ring right now, so it can't do anything. I don't understand what you were thinking. Why would you want to steal these things, Courtney?"
"I… I didn't steal them. I just wanted to borrow them."
Courtney said guiltily.
"That's stealing!"
"Okay, even if it is stealing, I saw you weren't doing anything, so I thought I had to take some action."
Courtney raised her voice slightly as she spoke to her stepfather.
"I thought we had an agreement."
Pat said disappointedly, "But it seems not."
"Pat, we need to stop the Injustice Society and retrieve the Star Scepter from that guy. It's Starman's relic, so we need to form the Justice Society."
"Apparently, you've already started, haven't you?"
Pat pointed to a red-and-gold uniform on the bed. "I see Hourman's equipment but no hourglass, Midnight Doctor's goggles, Wildcat's uniform… Hmm, I suppose you've already found new owners for these items, like your classmates, right?"
"Yes," Courtney replied weakly.
"Courtney, you're putting these kids in real danger! I want you to bring back Midnight Doctor's goggles and Wildcat's uniform right now, understood?"
"I can't!"
"Listen, I won't let you and your friends get into danger. Think about the members of the Justice Society. Do you want to end up like them?"
Pat said sternly to his daughter.
He had never used such a harsh tone before.
"I…"
Courtney mumbled, "Midnight Doctor's goggles are an intelligent computer system. Using them, we found out about the guy who defeated Brainwave."
She pulled a book from her backpack and handed it to a surprised Pat. "The author of this book, Eric Kent, that's his name, and he's the one who stole the Star Scepter."
"!"
Pat took "cthulhu" from Courtney's hand in shock.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, the four of us went to Smallville High School, and we investigated there and confirmed it was him."
After flipping through a few pages of the book in his hand, Pat shook his head. "I think it's best if we don't act rashly, especially concerning him, Eric Kent."
"Perhaps he's a madman, or rather, someone whose sanity isn't quite normal."
"Why?"
Courtney asked in confusion.
"I once worked with Doctor Fate, and such an existence…"
Pat said seriously, "If he possesses the kind of power you mentioned and has such dark thoughts… I think that person must be countless times more terrifying than the Injustice Society."
Courtney saw her stepfather's serious expression and nodded, half-believing, half-doubting.
Why did she feel that he was more rational than anyone else?!
Kent Farm.
After Jonathan finished repairing the gap in the cattle pen, he found Martha was gone.
After thinking for a moment, he walked towards the barn where the spaceship was kept.
Entering the barn and pushing open the cellar door, he indeed found Martha inside.
"Martha!"
Jonathan walked behind Martha, who had her arms crossed and was staring blankly at the spaceship. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"
Jonathan walked over and gently put his arm around his wife's shoulder.
Martha replied, "I… I was thinking about Clark and Eric coming here, how the spaceship protected them, and how it affects me."
Jonathan, holding his wife, let out a breath and kissed her forehead.
"It gave us two miracles, didn't it?"
"I hope you're right."
Martha forced a faint smile and said to her husband.
But soon, her body trembled slightly.
Jonathan, holding her, quickly noticed her abnormality. "Martha, are you alright?"
"I… I don't know. My head is splitting, my emotions are unstable, my days and nights are reversed, and there's that woman named Kara. I'm a little scared. Maybe she really can take Eric and Clark away. Clark even wavered… I've always been afraid of these things, even to the point of being abnormal."
"Hey, Martha, look at me."
Jonathan held his wife, making her eyes meet his.
"Doctor Beck said you're very healthy, and your pregnancy is completely normal."
Martha's mood didn't improve with her husband's comfort. She shook her head, "No, my conception was unusual. I want to ask Helen Bryce to examine me tomorrow."
"No!"
Jonathan immediately refused.
"I trust her. She's seen Clark's blood and witnessed the miracle of my survival. She's always kept our secret."
Jonathan shook his head. "She's Lex Luthor's fiancée. If you need more opinions, anyone but her. Martha, I don't want our secret to become gossip for others."
Facing her husband's stubbornness, Martha sighed helplessly and turned her head away.
"Do you know? I once had a near-Death experience in the hospital. That feeling was very strange… My soul floated in the air, quietly watching everything happening before me. Jonathan, do you know what I saw?"
Without waiting for her husband to reply, Martha continued, "I saw our son. He was emitting a golden glow all over, as if he had transformed into the power of the sun, dispelling those things within me. At that time, I thought he might be the embodiment of the sun. It's absurd, right? But that was what I thought at the time…"
"You can't catch the sun, can you?"
Martha looked at Jonathan with a confused gaze. "That strange girl said Eric doesn't belong on Earth, and I'm really scared. She might be able to persuade Clark, but she can't persuade Eric, I'm sure of that. But what if one day, Eric also leaves us?!"
After hearing his wife's words, Jonathan's brows furrowed.
He couldn't believe his wife had seen such an incredible scene involving Eric.
Although surprised, he hid his expression and gently comforted his wife.
"No, what you saw might not be real. Neither Eric nor Clark will leave us."
After a conversation, the couple emerged from the cellar and walked towards the living room.
As soon as they entered, they found the girl named Kara, who had appeared last night, standing by the window, dressed in a white dress, quietly gazing at the scenery outside.
Clark was also in the room. Seeing his parents push the door open, he awkwardly rubbed his nose.
"I just came in too."
He explained to his parents.
"It's afternoon now. She's been standing there since you went to school, Clark."
Jonathan took the towel from his arm and said somewhat helplessly.
Martha glanced at Kara. "She hasn't even eaten anything."
"Martha."
Jonathan said to his wife, "Her appetite shouldn't be our concern right now."
"Dad."
Clark hesitated, then said to Jonathan, "She just told me I come from a place called Krypton. I think what she said might be true, otherwise, her power can't be explained."
"Clark, you know, many people in this town have been contaminated. They might all have some incredible power. I don't trust her!"
Jonathan said to Clark seriously.
"Jonathan, you are the one not to be trusted! You will betray Kal one day."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he heard Kara's voice from behind him.
Unbeknownst to them, Kara was already standing behind them.
"You!"
Jonathan glared at Kara and said in an angry tone, "I am Clark's father! I love my son! How could I betray him?"
"Wait!"
Kara, who was about to refute Jonathan, suddenly became serious.
"Quiet!"
"Someone is eavesdropping nearby!"
After saying that, she instantly vanished from the spot, leaving the three stunned people behind.
Clark looked in the direction where Kara had disappeared.
His eyes could track her movements.
His gaze instantly caught sight of Kara.
On a secluded road outside the farm, a car was parked on a small path extending from the highway.
Courtney in the car was urging Hourman to leave quickly.
But suddenly, she heard a gust of wind, and the next second, a blonde girl about her age appeared at the car window.
"It seems you two were eavesdropping on our conversation."
Bang!
She reached out and grabbed Hourman, who was wearing a mask, by the neck, and dragged him out of the car.
"I've never liked little mice who hide their faces."
Kara threw the Hourman she had grabbed onto the ground with a loud thud.
Then she grabbed Courtney, who was sitting in the very back, trying to pull her out.
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