"Dad?"
"Is something on your mind, John?"
At the farm, after dinner, Peter and Mark were playing a game of crumpled paper basketball.
They were competing to see who could throw a crumpled piece of paper into the wastebasket first.
For Peter, who was gradually becoming a superhuman, this was naturally no challenge at all.
But to keep the game interesting, he didn't accurately throw the paper ball into the wastebasket; instead, he intentionally threw it off target.
"A little. Clark and I had an argument."
Mark dejectedly threw the paper ball towards the trash can.
With a "thud," the paper ball accurately landed inside, but because he threw it with too much force, it quickly bounced out.
This made him feel even worse.
In the past, when he played this game with his father, he could always accurately control his strength.
He knew he was a bit strong, so with his father's help, he had been learning to control his power.
"An argument? What did you argue about?"
Peter crumpled a piece of newspaper into a ball, then turned to face the young Mark.
Mark said somewhat guiltily, "I said some harsh things."
"So you think you hurt him? Is that right?"
"A little."
Peter casually threw the paper ball forward, and with a "thump," it obediently landed in the trash can.
He clapped his hands. "Looks like my luck is better tonight; I've made three shots first."
He knew why Mark and Clark had argued.
Clark tended to cling to him and liked to share everything with him.
This time, he also acted as a little tattletale and told him about Mark using his Laser Eyes and almost cutting a car in half.
He wasn't surprised that Mark did something like that.
After all, this kid liked to cause trouble with his Laser Eyes; in his previous life, he had shot "chickens" with his Laser Eyes, and when he was little, he even cut a gunman in half with his Laser Eyes.
And he found that Mark's personality had some issues.
While not as bad as in his previous life, he was not as stable as Clark.
For example, Mark in his previous life lacked love, yearned for recognition, and cared excessively about what others thought of him.
Now, he also showed signs of this, being sensitive and craving affection.
For instance, if he paid a little more attention to Clark, Mark would immediately feel abandoned.
Mark's personality in his previous life was volatile; he would blast people's heads off one moment and then calmly fake a smile the next.
This kid now also had such a personality.
One second he would be laughing and playing a game, and the next he would push down and beat up a child who quietly spoke ill of him.
Now, it's not just a personality issue; he's even trying to kill people.
He was also planning to get rid of the hooked-nose man who threatened him, but he didn't want it to be in this way.
After all, this method was not only unsafe but also very easy to trace.
However, he still approved of Mark's intention to protect him.
Many thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. Peter coughed and said to the dejected Mark, "Since you think you hurt Clark, and you've realized this mistake, that proves you don't want this friendship to end, right?"
Mark blinked. "That's right."
"So what do you think is the best way to handle it?"
"I—I should apologize to Clark?"
"Correct."
"But..."
Mark hesitated, saying, "But wouldn't that..."
He wanted to say, wouldn't that make him look like he was in the wrong, and he wouldn't be able to hold his head high?
He cared a lot about what others thought of him.
Peter stroked Mark's golden hair. He knew what the other party wanted to say. "No, that will only make you seem more mature than Clark."
Mark's eyes immediately lit up. "Dad, do you really think I'm more mature than Clark?"
"Of course."
Mark's dejected mood immediately improved.
"Besides the apology."
Peter asked him, "Is there anything else you want to tell me, John?"
Mark hesitated for a moment. "No, nothing."
"Really?"
Stared at by Peter's sharp gaze, he immediately felt a bit guilty.
"I think... I might have done something wrong."
Although he wanted to hide it, he still caved under Peter's piercing gaze.
Peter not only educated him gently but also occasionally punished him.
For example, punishments like no TV for a day, or eating vegetarian food for three consecutive days.
Although they weren't physical punishments, they were more terrifying than that.
Mark would rather take a beating; anyway, he was thick-skinned and wouldn't feel pain no matter how he was hit.
So he cautiously explained how his Laser Eyes caused the hooked-nose man's car accident.
"Did I do something wrong, Dad? Clark said I did wrong."
Mark asked Peter with some confusion.
"No, it shouldn't be judged as right or wrong."
Peter said to him, "You hurt him because he tried to hurt us, right?"
"Yes."
Mark nodded repeatedly. "He wanted to hurt Dad."
"Yes, so they should be punished, but you shouldn't do it this way."
Peter tried to teach Mark to be strategic.
"On one hand, not everyone in that car deserved to be punished with Death, and on the other hand, it's very easy for others to find out this way."
Peter said to him, "Until you have enough power, Mark, you cannot expose your abilities."
"I—I understand, Dad."
Mark nodded, seemingly understanding yet not fully.
"Very good, go rest."
"Good night, Dad."
Mark said good night to Peter and prepared to go upstairs to rest.
"Don't forget your milk. Drink it all before bed."
Peter reminded him.
"Okay, Dad."
Mark ran upstairs with a "thump, thump, thump."
Perhaps drinking milk was ingrained in Mark's genes.
Now, Mark, who grew up on the farm, also had a mysterious obsession with milk.
Even without Peter's reminder, he would drink it all in one go.
After Mark went upstairs, Peter sat down and casually took out the mail from the mailbox from earlier in the day.
They were all flyers from the Christian Immersion Church and financial advertisements from the bank.
After a quick scan, he pulled out a funeral obituary from among them.
"Louis Wilson?"
Staring at the sender's name, Peter frowned slightly.
This seemed to be his original body's cousin?
After transmigrating into the original body, he rarely contacted distant relatives, and his memories of these people were already a bit blurry.
After opening the obituary, he found that this cousin also lived in Smallville.
This cousin's youngest son had unfortunately passed away in a car accident, and the funeral was to be held the day after tomorrow. The other party hoped he could attend.
Attend the funeral?
Peter put down the letter and looked out at the night.