Thump!
Eric stood on the ground, frowning as he stared at the "giant" before him—Solomon Grundy. Google Search Read
After a fight with Wonder Woman, to prevent himself from being ganged up on by the four (especially since the woman who seemed to be Zatanna was looking at him with increasingly dangerous eyes), he had to retreat early.
Although he wasn't seriously injured, his clothes were quite torn, so he had to go home first to change before picking up his parents and bringing them back to Kent Farm.
Noticing someone following him on the way, Eric parked the car at Kent Farm and walked alone into the deserted woods.
Solomon Grundy, who had been beaten by him until he cried and begged for mercy, was hiding in the woods. Seeing Eric appear, he immediately revealed himself.
Eric looked coldly at Grandy, who was now in a fawning posture.
"Why are you following me?"
"It's Grandy's master!"
Grandy stammered a few words.
Eric could sense what the big guy wanted to convey.
He wants to recognize me as his master?
Is it because I beat him up?
"Master or whatever? Is that something you just casually decide?"
Eric shook his head and turned to leave.
If it were someone a bit more pleasing to the eye, he might have extended his limited sympathy and empathy.
But for such a massive and ugly zombie-like existence, he had no interest whatsoever, nor any sympathy.
Seeing Eric about to leave, Grandy immediately followed him.
Zzzzt!
A beam of Heat Vision struck Grandy's shoulder, instantly knocking him backward.
With a thud, Grandy fell heavily to the ground, causing a slight tremor in the woods.
"If you follow me again, you will die!"
Eric's eyes flickered with a red glow, and his tone exuded chilling coldness.
Perhaps sensing Eric's undisguised killing intent, Grandy cowered, looking at Eric with fearful eyes, not daring to follow anymore.
After threatening Grandy, Eric left the woods and returned to Kent Farm.
As soon as he returned, he saw Clark standing at the door, waiting for him.
"Eric!"
Seeing his younger brother approach, Clark immediately called out to him.
"Is the Blue Valley matter resolved?"
Eric asked him.
"Hmm, it's resolved, but…"
Clark reached out and touched the cattle pen, saying with a complex tone, "I know you solved most of it for me. The underground base in Blue Valley, those people from the Injustice Society, that was you…"
He originally wanted to say "killed," but remembering he was at Kent Farm, he decided such a word shouldn't be used and changed it to "handled."
"Was that handled by you, Eric?"
"Is that very important to you?"
Eric was silent for a moment before asking.
"It's not important, or rather, it's not unimportant. Either way, I still want to thank you."
Clark patted the cattle pen and said, "You saved everyone—Smallville, Blue Valley, and the people of Metropolis. If you hadn't arrived early, many more people would have been hurt. I just…"
Watching the bull in the cattle pen run happily, Clark's eyes showed a hint of confusion, "I find that sometimes I can't do anything. I hope to achieve something great, but each time the result is not satisfactory."
Clark expressed his lack of self-confidence, "Just like stopping the Injustice Society this time, you still ended up helping me. Eric, maybe I'm just not meant to be given too much attention and expectation."
Hearing Clark's words, Eric was a little surprised.
Superman is feeling unconfident?
Although he really wanted to tell him directly, "You are naturally destined to be the existence everyone pays attention to and expects," he was silent for a moment before saying, "If you're feeling this way because you led a bunch of kids into action and didn't show the leadership and achievements you should have, Clark, don't be discouraged, because no one cares about that."
"Really?"
Clark moved his hand from the cattle pen and turned to lean against the fence. "I feel like I should be able to do more."
At this stage, Clark was a bit down in spirit. He felt like he was always living in his brother's shadow.
In every aspect, Eric did better than him.
While it didn't lead to jealousy, he still wanted to do something to prove himself to Eric.
"Clark, if you care too much, you'll experience too much regret."
Eric shook his head and turned to leave. "You never compare yourself to others, because you've always been that special person. Also, next time you have psychological issues like this, go see a doctor. I'm not interested in becoming your personal therapist."
Clark watched Eric's retreating back, and a sudden surge of regret rose within him.
Did what I just said make Eric misunderstand that I was blaming him?
He turned around and looked at the calves running in the cattle pen, feeling a bit dejected.
It seemed his clumsy tongue had messed things up again!
Meanwhile, Eric, who had left the cattle pen, frowned slightly.
Icicle's thoughts had resonated with him.
He hoped that the future Clark wouldn't develop thoughts like Icicle's.
Destroying Metropolis and Gotham, such extreme acts of villainy, should ideally not arise in Clark's mind.
Talon Club.
Lana let out a long sigh, seeing her Aunt Neil had returned to normal.
"That's great, Aunt Neil, you're okay."
Hugging Neil, tears welled up in Lana's eyes.
"You've been standing here ever since the first table paid their bill. No matter how much I called, you wouldn't wake up."
"Really?"
Neil blinked in confusion. "Was I just standing here? Didn't go anywhere?"
"You were standing here the whole time, just staring at the club's customers, and I couldn't wake you up."
Lana didn't know what had happened to Aunt Neil, and wiped away her tears as she replied.
"I went to a strange place. No, I shouldn't say strange, it was a place I've seen countless times."
Neil stood up and walked to the bookshelf, taking out a book.
She flipped to an illustration—a grotesque and terrifying entity in a dark starry sky.
"Just now, I saw this terrifying existence that makes you fear it with just one glance. Although it was in a dream, it felt incredibly real."
Fear appeared on Neil's face. "So real that you believe such things absolutely exist in the universe, and one day, they will surely descend."
"This is Eric's book, right? Although a bit strange, these drawings and the content are mostly fictional, aren't they?"
Lana also liked this book quite a bit. After all, it was because of her recommendation that Eric's series of books could be published, and she felt she played a role in it.
This was a unique bond between her and Eric, so to her, it held extraordinary significance.
"Hmm, maybe, but what I just saw almost perfectly overlapped with this. Because it was too real, I couldn't determine whether it was real or illusory."
Neil's head was still a bit dizzy. She rubbed her forehead and said, "Now I wonder if Eric is a genius or a prophet, Lana. Do you know Van Gogh's 'The Starry Night'?"
"Yes, I know. Van Gogh's painting is very famous."
"The starry sky is twisted into a winding, flowing river, and even the background universe is beginning to distort. The giant cypress tree reaching to the clouds is like a black flame. Although strange, it's unforgettable at first glance."
After rubbing her forehead, Neil looked up at the sunset outside the window. "Perhaps Eric, like Van Gogh, has eyes and thoughts that can see the vast and strange universes that we cannot."
"Ha, Eric isn't crazy, Lana!"
In the Talon Club's coffee lounge, Chloe took a latte from Lana's hand and thanked her. "And I don't think Eric can be compared to Van Gogh. Didn't you say Neil is a mystic enthusiast? I think you need to be selective about what you accept."
After stirring her coffee for a while, Chloe continued, "But one thing is certain: Eric's books will become even more popular, sparking a new round of discussion."
"Hmm."
Lana nodded thoughtfully.
"Let's see what the TV says, though I'm growing increasingly skeptical of the government's authority in terms of public trust."
Chloe said, turning her gaze to the television.
"The National Weather Center confirms that an earthquake occurred in the surrounding areas, including Metropolis, Kansas. The earthquake caused a weather satellite to malfunction, and debris from the fallen weather satellite has already been found in the Metropolis area."
The female announcer's report came from the TV.
"I don't quite understand what all adults suddenly standing still has to do with a malfunctioning weather satellite."
Lana complained to Chloe.
"Uh huh, Lana, you have to learn to make connections. The reason adults were standing still, staring at the sky, is because they were looking at the falling satellite."
Chloe offered a seemingly plausible explanation.
"I think that explanation is incredibly stupid."
Lana retorted mercilessly.
"Alright, the real reason is they're using one fake news story to cover up another big story."
Chloe tasted the coffee Lana made. "But I'm going to keep investigating this. Maybe I'll discover some big news, an exclusive big story for The Torch."
"Perhaps, but I still advise you to be careful, as the whole thing feels eerie."
Lana stood up. "Sorry, a customer just arrived. I need to work, Chloe."
After Lana left, Chloe placed her notebook on the coffee table, pulled out a pen from her bag, and began sketching and writing in the notebook.
Kent Farm.
Eric was also sketching and writing on paper, but unlike Chloe's quick news sketches, Eric was just doodling casually.
He already knew that some of the people in Metropolis, Smallville, and Blue Valley, who had been controlled by Brainwave, had glimpsed some dark entities in Brainwave's consciousness.
But Brainwave had only seen the tip of the iceberg, so Eric wasn't worried about anything being leaked.
Furthermore, he had used Brainwave to plant certain thoughts in these people's minds, so he was even less concerned.
Late at night, everything was still.
Martha was suddenly awakened by a sound.
There seemed to be a noise outside Kent Farm.
Due to her pregnancy, her sleep had been very light lately, and she was easily awakened by any sound.
Realizing there was a sound outside, Martha, worried it might be a thief, immediately woke her husband.
"Doesn't sound like a thief."
Jonathan listened for a moment with his ears perked. "And the sound is coming from the barn, the barn where the spaceship used to be hidden."
"Could the spaceship have come back?"
Martha asked worriedly.
What she feared and worried about most was Jor-El, who had always tried to take Eric and Clark away.
"No, I'll go check."
Jonathan got out of bed and said to Martha, "You stay here and don't move. Don't go out."
"Should we wake Eric and Clark?"
Martha suggested to her husband, "Let them go with you."
"No need."
Jonathan put on his clothes and got up, walking outside. "If the spaceship has flown back, I need to have a good talk with him and solve the problem once and for all."
As soon as he stepped out into the hallway, he saw Eric standing outside.
"Eric?"
Jonathan was a little surprised; he hadn't expected his younger son to be there.
"I'll go with you, Dad."
Eric said straightforwardly.
"You heard it too?"
"Yes."
Eric not only heard the sounds coming from the barn but also saw what was in the cellar using his X-ray Vision.
Frowning, he said to Jonathan, "Or maybe I should just go by myself."
"Don't worry about my safety, Eric."
Jonathan patted Eric's shoulder. "You need to know that for a father, no matter how extraordinary his son is, in his father's eyes, he is still the one who needs to be protected."
After taking a shotgun from the storage room, Jonathan and Eric went downstairs together.
After they went downstairs, they opened the door, and a blast of cold air immediately rushed in.
Jonathan looked through the night toward the cellar where the spaceship used to be hidden.
A "grunt, grunt" sound came from inside the barn, and the ground trembled slightly.
Eric and his father exchanged glances, then walked toward the barn.
Pushing open the barn door, Jonathan turned on his flashlight.
A strong beam of light illuminated the inside of the barn.
The neatly stacked straw bales were overturned everywhere, and corn stalks and farm tools were scattered throughout the barn.
The cellar door was open, and the barn walls were faintly vibrating, with loud panting sounds coming from inside.
Leaving his father waiting at the door, Eric walked to the top of the cellar, looked down, and then descended the wooden steps.
"I warned you, if you dare to come near here again, I will kill you!"
Eric, with crimson light flashing in his eyes, aimed at the entity in the cellar—Solomon Grundy.
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