"Godfather, my mom and dad were kidnapped?"
Clark stood up, looking at Peter in a daze.
"Dad, who did it?"
Mark's small face also tightened.
"I don't know."
Peter put away the letter, his brow furrowed slightly.
The sender had informed him in the letter that Jonathan and Martha were kidnapped, and demanded that he deliver Clark and Mark to a designated location before 11 PM.
Was it that black man Jonathan mentioned yesterday?
Lost in thought, he looked up and saw Clark's unease and helplessness. Peter reached out and stroked his hair, "Don't worry, Godfather will bring your mom and dad back."
"I..."
Clark's eyes instantly welled up, "Godfather."
"You trust Godfather, right? Clark, look into my eyes, do you believe in Godfather?"
Peter squatted down, holding his hand.
"Yes, yes, I believe in Godfather."
Under Peter's comfort, Clark quickly calmed down.
"Very good, Godfather promises you that I will bring your mom and dad back before 11 o'clock, but you must stay at the Farm, with Mark."
Peter straightened Clark's messy collar, "You are the older brother, take good care of Mark, can you do that?"
Of course, he wouldn't bring Clark and Mark along.
Although he could ensure the safety of the two boys no matter what trap the other party set, it was best to avoid exposing elementary school children directly to such bloody scenes.
"I can, but Godfather, I want to go with you."
A determined look appeared in Clark's eyes, "I can help you, and I can punish those bad guys who kidnapped Mom and Dad."
"Me too, Dad."
Mark also volunteered, "Dad, I can help you deal with them, and I can protect you."
"Dad can protect himself, don't you two have confidence in Dad?"
Mark's expression was conflicted, "But...Dad..."
He believed Peter, but he was also afraid that his father would end up like Uncle Jonathan and them, tied up by villains.
The conflicted emotions made him unable to explain.
After comforting Mark and Clark, Peter picked up his coat, started the car in the courtyard, and drove out.
The sky began to rain, and the rain pattered against the windshield.
The wipers swayed back and forth, and the "hushing" sound of the wet tires entered his ears.
Ten minutes later, Peter drove the car onto the gravel shoulder and turned off the engine.
The trading location the other party mentioned was this abandoned factory in front of him.
Peter got out of the car and walked onto an empty, sandy road.
Soon, a row of barbed wire appeared before him.
The barbed wire fence and a large gate blocked anyone who wanted to enter the factory.
The top of the fence was clumsily wrapped with circles of rusted wire.
Signs were stuck in the ground, tied to the fence.
These signs were made of plywood or scraps of metal, and the messages painted on them were not yet dry, and the size of each letter was inconsistent—some letters were large, some were small.
"No Hunting!"
"First Rule. God is Watching You"
"God Knows Who Is Lying"
"Is There Life After Death? Trespassers Will Be Found"
"Stop Here! Otherwise, You Will Be Severely Punished"
"Strictly Forbidden To Climb This Fence"
—
Looking at the words on these signs, Peter shook his head slightly.
God is watching him?
He casually pushed forward, and the gate was blasted several meters away with a "boom," crashing heavily to the ground.
"God is dead, now Superman is born."
Entering the abandoned factory, Peter saw a figure standing on a high platform inside the factory.
"Peter Patrick?"
Horry turned around, looking surprised at Peter, who had come alone.
"You don't seem to have brought Clark and John as we agreed."
Peter didn't speak; he scrutinized Horry's appearance, his brows furrowed.
Although it was the first time he had seen this guy, he felt a sense of familiarity.
"What do you want? I think I alone can satisfy you."
Peter took a step forward and said to him.
"No."
Horry shook his head, "Neither you nor the Kent couple are what I want. Clark and John are. You didn't do as I said, so I can only say it's a pity."
Peter sneered, "I'm looking forward to how you'll express your 'regret.'"
At the same time, Patrick Farm.
Mark put on his shoes and coat, preparing to go support his father.
He pushed open the door and walked into the courtyard, only to be stopped by Clark, who was coming downstairs.
"John, you can't leave the Farm."
Clark grabbed Mark's arm, "Godfather told us to stay at the Farm."
"Dad needs our help, otherwise he might also be kidnapped, we can't stay at the Farm."
Mark said excitedly, "He needs us. Right now, Dad is in the school bus, and the school bus is about to fall into the river. I must go save him."
"Godfather doesn't need you to save him, and he's not in the school bus. He told us to trust him."
Although Clark initially wanted to go save his parents immediately, he had now calmed down and chose to trust Godfather.
"Don't you trust Godfather anymore?"
"No, this isn't trust, Clark. Dad said that sometimes, when a crisis happens, most people act based on deeply ingrained instincts. I'm just following my instincts."
Mark bit his lip, wiping the rain from his face, "You're wrong, Clark."
Clark's hair was wet with rain, and the expression on his face was exceptionally firm, "Godfather told me to take care of you, I can't let you leave. I believe Godfather, you don't believe him, John, you are the one who is wrong."
"You idiot! Why don't you understand yet, it's all your fault!"
Mark's blood rushed to his head, and his face flushed, "If you hadn't insisted on pushing the school bus up back then, your parents wouldn't have been kidnapped. This is the 'price' Dad talked about!"
Clark was stunned on the spot, "What?!"
"This is the price I'm talking about, Clark, you idiot, do you understand?"
Clark's face also turned red from Mark's words, "This isn't the price! What do you want me to do? Watch them all die?"
"What do other people's deaths have to do with us?"
"Godfather said that human life is extremely precious!"
"That's other people's lives!"
"Life doesn't distinguish between you and me, they are equally important!"
"So you're willing to let your mom and dad die for a bus full of people?"
"Shut up! John!"
"You shut up!"
Mark was somewhat irrational and directly pushed Clark away.
"Bang!"
Under the burst of super strength, Clark was pushed dozens of meters away.
With a "boom," Clark's body directly smashed through the Barn wall and hit the ground, making a deafening sound.