บท 5: Chapter 5: Are You Threatening Me?
"There's a dark force drifting in the air of Smallville!"
"It needs us to act! Are you ready, Clark?"
A blonde boy holding a toy gun, draped in a slightly ill-fitting US flag cape, spoke righteously.
The dark-haired boy, called Clark, looked a bit indignant and replied, "This isn't fair, Azu. We agreed that I would be the officer this time, and you'd be the soldier."
Azu put his hands on his hips and said, "The officer should be the stronger one. I'm stronger and smarter, so Clark, you'll be the soldier boy."
Clark immediately exposed his lie, "But last time Aunt Nell gave us a test, and I scored higher than you."
"That was because I wasn't serious, I..."
Azu's face flushed red, and he quickly changed the topic. "Hey—look, there's a monster over there! Watch my fist!"
Saying this, he dashed into the cornfield.
"John, that flag cape you're wearing... maybe we should return it!" Clark called out to Azu.
The flag from the farmhouse roof had been taken by Azu as his cape.
Clark feared they'd be scolded by his godfather when they returned.
But seeing how indifferent Azu seemed, he had no choice but to follow him into the cornfield.
"Thud!"
Clark had barely entered the field when Azu tackled him to the ground.
Just as Clark was about to resist, he heard Azu whisper in his ear, "Don't move! Listen! They're coming!"
Azu's serious tone made Clark nervous too. He swallowed hard and tightened his Zorro mask.
"Really?"
"Yes, listen, the dark lords are coming to attack us. We need to be ready."
Clark genuinely believed the dark lords were approaching.
He held his breath, straining his ears to catch any sound around them.
At first, all he heard was the rustling of leaves in the wind and Azu's heavy breathing as he lay on top of him.
Then he started to hear a chaotic mix of noises entering his ears.
It was the sound of cars driving on the road, the bleating of sheep running on the grass.
Soon after, even more chaotic noises filled his ears.
He could even catch whispers of voices.
"Bzzzz!"
A piercing noise rang in his ears, causing him sharp pain.
Clark clutched his ears, groaning in agony.
Startled, Azu quickly got up, looking at him in a panic. "What's wrong with you, Clark?"
"My... my ears hurt a little."
The pain came and went quickly for Clark, and soon he was back to normal.
Still clutching his ears, he nervously asked Azu, "Am I deaf?"
"No!"
Azu snapped, "If you were deaf, how could you hear me, you idiot!"
Helping Clark up, he said, "We need to head back home now, or Dad will get mad."
Though Azu wanted to keep playing, he had promised his father to be home by five o'clock.
The two boys chased each other, goofing around as they ran back to the farm.
"Dad! Clark's ears almost went deaf!"
As soon as Azu entered the farm, he shouted loudly.
But Clark noticed a few cars parked in the yard and immediately pulled Azu back.
Azu also noticed the situation and stopped yelling.
The two walked into the living room, where they saw Peter talking with a few men in suits.
"Dad."
"Godfather."
They both greeted quietly.
Peter glanced at them and said, "John, Clark, go upstairs."
"Okay."
They obediently headed upstairs.
Once his two adopted sons were upstairs, Peter turned to face the men in suits.
It had been six years since he found Homelander as a child.
Now, both Homelander and Superman had grown into young boys, yet time had not left any marks on Peter's face.
He still looked exactly as he had six years ago.
As Martha often said, it was as if God had favored him, granting him the magic of eternal youth.
God's favor, of course, was nonsense.
The real reason was the watch he wore on his wrist, which not only enhanced his physical abilities but also greatly slowed his aging process.
His strength, endurance, speed, reflexes, and agility had all been dramatically improved.
By now, Peter suspected his skin could even withstand small-caliber bullets.
As time went on, his physical abilities would only continue to improve due to the watch's enhancement.
He figured that if he lived another hundred years, he might even become as strong as Superman.
Does that count as getting stronger just being a sloth?
It turned out that, no matter the era, living like a sloth was the best lifestyle for him!
The only pity was—
He glanced at the watch on his wrist. There was still about one-fifth of the dial to go before it completed a full circle.
He had originally thought it would finish quickly, and the meteor shower would soon arrive.
But after six years, it still hadn't happened.
So it turns out you calculate time in years?!
If he hadn't gained the anti-aging ability, he feared he'd die of old age before seeing a single meteor shower.
"Mr. Podrick."
The man with a hooked nose sitting across from Peter noticed him looking at his watch and assumed he was getting impatient.
Smiling, the man said, "Luthor Energy Group is planning to build a chemical plant in Smallville. After careful consideration, we've determined the plant's location, and your farm is within our planned area."
"We hope to purchase your farm. Of course, we'll offer you adequate compensation."
As he spoke, he pulled out a check from his suit pocket and placed it on the table.
Peter coldly looked at him and said, "What if I say no?"
Although the farm didn't hold the same deep meaning for Peter as it did for Jonathan, the meteor shower had occurred on the farm.
If he sold it, how would he find super-powered babies in the future?
Besides, he wasn't short of money.
Over the past few years, he had looted a lot of dirty money from gangsters.
With his Superman-like abilities, dealing with those thugs had been a piece of cake.
Hearing Peter's blunt refusal, the smile on the hooked-nose man's face vanished, replaced by a tone as cold as steel.
"Normally, Luthor Group doesn't treat collaborators harshly, but for those who don't cooperate, our methods might not be so gentle."
Peter narrowed his eyes, furrowing his brows as he stared at the man. "Are you threatening me?"
"No, of course not. We're a legitimate company. I'm merely talking about normal business practices."
The hooked-nose man stood up, extending his hand toward Peter.
"I hope you'll reconsider, Mr. Podrick."
Peter didn't shake his hand, responding flatly, "My answer will never change."
Meanwhile...
At the corner of the second-floor staircase, Azu had overheard his father's conversation with the hooked-nose man. His fists clenched tightly.
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