Actually, as for the collaboration Amanda mentioned, Clark really did consider it. Although he has Super Vision and Super Hearing, he can't focus his attention every single moment. Unless it's some huge commotion like last time when that monster appeared, he wouldn't notice the minor disasters happening far away.
However, the souls lost in these disasters might not be fewer than in larger disasters. If he could save them, Clark would still like to, as it's not much trouble anyway.
But if he patrols Earth every day, he would have no time for himself at all. He also needs to rest. So if someone could notify him at critical moments, that would be much better.
Amanda led Clark into a spacious circular office. Several large screens were placed at the center of the office. Amanda operated the system and explained to him: "We primarily handle disasters that ordinary people cannot solve, and require the intervention of superpower users. We prioritize based on impact range and the number of affected people. We've already hired a few superpower users. You don't need to solve all the problems."
Clark stared at the screen and noticed that people were indeed performing disaster relief. Some were helping straighten tilted buildings, others were rescuing a trapped research team in a blizzard, and some were searching for ships in the storm.
"Looks pretty good," Clark said.
"Yes, and you won't be working for free. We'll charge rescue fees from these people and give you a share. We'll also pay for the best insurance for you. If you encounter any trouble, you can come to us."
Amanda turned and said, "Superpower users are destined to be extraordinary. You will attract a lot of attention and trouble. Fighting alone might not be lost, but will definitely be tiresome. If we step in to solve troubles for you, isn't that a good option?"
Clark weighed this in his mind. He thought this model was indeed good. But after learning from experience, he had suffered enough losses, and wasn't going to trust others easily again. So he said: "It looks pretty good for now. But I'm not sure if I can get used to it. So I might need to go back and think it over."
"Alright. Don't worry, we don't force anyone here. You can leave if you want. If you make up your mind, send us an email." Amanda took a business card from her pocket, handed it to him, and said, "A.R.G.U.S. welcomes you anytime."
Back at the apartment door, Clark looked down at the business card. He wasn't the kind of person who acted alone. He felt that, as an alien baby, his wisdom and vision might not be enough. He needed to find someone knowledgeable to consult.
By the time Clark landed inside Wayne Manor, it was already midnight. Bruce still hadn't slept, and Clark suspected he didn't need sleep because whenever he came, Bruce was awake and always working.
This time it was a bit more formal, Bruce was in the study reading documents. Clark climbed in through the window, tiptoed to walk behind him with the intention to scare him, but Bruce spoke first, startling him instead.
"My window frame comes from a 16th-century French Castle. If you came up the stairs and knocked, I'd also let you in."
Clark quickly stepped back two paces, looked at the wooden window frame, thankfully not dirty, and then suspiciously examined the window, which didn't seem like something from the 16th century.
After this episode, Clark almost forgot what he wanted to ask. He walked over to the chair by the window and sat down, organized his thoughts, explained the situation, and then asked: "What do you think about this?"
"Sounds good," Bruce slowly turned to the next page of the document and then said, "Sounds very promising."
"So there's a problem with the execution?" Clark said to himself, "I just feel something's off. What do you think their motive is?"
Bruce shook his head and said: "I don't know either."
"Alright. I guess I'll refuse then," Clark said, "I'm doing fine as I am, no need to cooperate with them, right?"
Bruce gently put down the document, turned his head to look at him, then said, "When they approach you, you already have no choice."
Clark's face suddenly changed, then said: "What do you mean? They've put a bomb in my house?"
"You have no option to refuse. Otherwise, they'll entangle you."
Clark was somewhat skeptical and said: "They haven't forced me to agree."
"They just haven't verbally forced you to agree. If you don't believe, wait and you'll see."
Clark didn't get any answers and could only return to his apartment. The next morning, a lawyer came to knock on the door.
"Hello, are you Mr. Kent?" the lawyer nodded at him and then said, "I'm Mr. Andevich's proxy lawyer, your landlord. Due to poor business conditions abroad, your landlord must return to Metropolis, and this is his only residence in Metropolis. As the landlord, he has the right to terminate all contracts with tenants under these circumstances. This is the termination letter, this is the filing document, this is the community consent form, and this is the property fee settlement invoice. My client requires you to move out of the house within a day."
When the lawyer handed the documents to Clark, he was stunned and said: "We signed a three-year contract, I've lived here for less than a year and a half..."
"Yes, I've explained the situation. According to New Jersey State law, when the landlord needs to return to their only residence, they may request tenants to unconditionally terminate the contract. Upon our review, your landlord indeed meets this condition. The rental contract has already been terminated. You must move out immediately, otherwise, we'll take compulsory measures. Any losses caused during this period will be your responsibility."
Clark was furious. He slowly clenched his fists, wishing he could use his Cyclops vision to burn all these documents in front of him, but he knew that just burning the contract wouldn't help. Since it was already filed with the community, he had no choice but to leave.
Now he understood why Bruce said he had no choice. It turned out Amanda wasn't just being polite when she said to come to her if there was trouble; she would genuinely create trouble to force him to seek their help.
With a loud "bang," Clark slammed the door, angrily heading to the bedroom. Fine, moving out isn't a big deal! He'll move! Dream on if they think he'll yield to them!
Clark took out his phone, hesitated for a moment, and finally dialed Diana's number.
"Hello, Diana? Here's the thing, there's a problem with my house, and I can't stay there temporarily. Can I... What? You have to move too? How did you find a place?"
"Uh, you haven't found one? Then you... Oh, you went back to Amazon. What about your job? Alright. Having a skill is good. No worries, I'll think of something else."
After hanging up, Clark sighed. He sat on the sofa and opened the rental app. But he knew he wouldn't find any place. Most places don't accept tenants in winter.
This is actually due to America's bizarre rules. Although many homes in America have fireplaces, they also have heating, and there's a heating fee that must be paid in advance. The heating company must receive the payment to provide heating.
It's quite normal; after all, you can't expect free service. Heating fees aren't outrageously expensive, but the problem is if you miss the payment window, you can't pay it afterward. This means if you don't pay during the specified time, there will be no heating for the whole winter.
Landlords won't advance heating fees; tenants have to pay them themselves. This means if you don't sign a contract during the heating fee payment period, you can't pay for the year.
Very few manage to move in during that window period, and it's already past the payment period. Once missed, landlords won't look for tenants in winter because if a tenant freezes to death in the house, the entire community's home prices might drop. Even if a landlord wants to rent, others in the community won't agree.
It sounds bizarre to have a house yet freeze to death, but it's not uncommon. With many standalone buildings and serious alcohol and drug issues in America, if the fireplace isn't tended properly in the absence of heating, one could freeze to death in their sleep.
Clark wanted to find a single apartment that's just become available. This is his only chance. Single apartments downtown have central heating, so there's no heating fee issue. However, these apartments have long-term leases, strictly prohibit subletting, and if the tenant wants to renew, the landlord has to renew unconditionally. Rarely are there any vacancies.
Remembering Diana said she's already moved out, Clark tried to find her previous apartment to rent, only to discover someone else had already rented it. He was still a step too slow.
After searching for a long time, it wasn't that he didn't find a suitable place, but rather there was simply none. Not a single livable apartment. Even when he extended his search to Brood Haven, he found nothing.
As for why not search Gotham, it's not just because there are too many crazies there, but mainly because rent in Gotham is more expensive than in Metropolis, making it unaffordable on Clark's salary. Moreover, due to so many vandals, landlords have a lot of requirements, making rental applications as complex as writing a dissertation. It's simply impossible to rent there.
Clark searched for a long time but found nothing, pacing anxiously around the house. Hesitating for quite a while, he finally dialed Lois's number.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, he stammered out his situation. Lois seemed surprised but said, "Sorry, this time I might really be of no help. I had terminated my lease before I was admitted to the hospital. I'll have to stay in the hospital for at least two or three months, and once I recover, I plan to go on vacation to avoid the spotlight. So, I currently don't have a fixed address either..."
"Don't worry," Lois said, "I know some real estate agents; I'll ask around for you. However, you shouldn't have come to me for this. Why not ask Shiller?"
Clark suddenly realized, right, why didn't he go to Shiller?
In fact, he called Diana and Lois just to find a temporary place to stay and then slowly find a rental. But if someone could help him rent a place immediately, then there wouldn't be a need for temporary accommodation.
So he dialed Shiller's number and said, "Hey, my dear fan? Do you have some time later? Yes. I have something I'd like to ask for your help. See you later."
Half an hour later, at the café, upon hearing Clark's predicament, Shiller raised an eyebrow in surprise, looking him up and down, and then asked, "You mean to say, you've been to the world's richest man's home three times a week and haven't noticed if there's a guest room that could accommodate you?"
Clark's mouth was agape.
Half an hour later, Bruce, opening the door, squinted as he looked at Clark standing outside with bundles and bags, saying, "I don't recall having..."
"You're saying you have French window frames from the 16th century but no guest room at your place?"
Seeing the innocent look in Clark's blue eyes, Bruce could only sigh, open the door, and say.
"... Come in."