The next day.
Noon.
Clark sat alone on the fence of the Kent farm, watching from a distance.
His face was full of confusion and sadness, revealing complex emotions.
Just an hour ago, he had a heated argument with his father, Jonathan.
The reason was that Clark saved Lex Luthor, who had fallen into the river.
As a token of gratitude, the other party sent him a brand-new sports car.
A cool, expensive, and flashy sports car was the perfect gift for a young high school student.
Even Clark couldn’t help feeling excited.
Superman, with his perfect character, was in a childish and confused adolescent state, just like ordinary people.
Longing for the recognition of others, wanting to be the man of the hour in school, winning his crush that he admired in secret …
A sports car could change a lot of things.
But Jonathan didn’t think so.
The son was courageous and had a good character, which was worthy of appreciation.
But he shouldn’t ask for a reward for a good deed, even if the other party offered to give it.
Jonathan was an exemplary figure with a very high moral standard.
But for this reason, as his son, Clark sometimes felt very depressed.
“I didn’t jump in to save Lex. His car hit me at 60 miles per hour.”
Clark’s pent-up emotions that couldn’t be held back anymore finally burst out.
“And now I’m standing in front of you. You always said I should be normal, is this normal?”
“I can’t take part in any sports activities. I don’t have any friends at school. I have to learn to hide myself … If I can be a normal person, I’m willing to give anything.”
Jonathan watched his son run to the barn’s upper floor, which was Clark’s private territory.
He once named it ‘the Fortress of Solitude’.
In desperation, Jonathan realised that it was time to tell Clark the truth.
So, he found his son and told him all about the meteorite shower 17 years ago and the spaceship that crashed on Kent farm.
This almost made Clark’s brain shut down.
Anyone who suddenly learned that he wasn’t born of his parents and that he was an alien would be in a state of devastation, just like him.
Although Clark had wanted to learn the truth from his parents on numerous occasions…
About his own superpower, those special qualities that differ from those of ordinary people…
But when the truth came, he wasn’t so happy.
Looking at the spaceship full of futuristic technology in the barn, Clark didn’t know what expression to make.
When the old question was answered, new ones would follow.
‘Who the hell am I?’
‘Where are my biological parents?’
‘Where do I come from?’
… too many questions, turning Clark’s into a ball of wool that couldn’t be sorted through.
“People are afraid of things they don’t understand, so I couldn’t let you show them your ability.”
Jonathan spoke meaningfully to Clark and said, “You are the answer, son. The answer to the question, ‘Is man alone in the universe?’ “
“I don’t want to be the answer!”
Clark’s expression was somewhat painful, with tears in his eyes.
He was used to everything about Earth, everything about Kansas, everything about the small town.
But now, someone told him that it wasn’t where he belonged.
Clark, who was still psychologically fragile and hadn’t grown up yet, couldn’t accept it.
He jumped straight out of the window and quickly disappeared from Jonathan’s sight.
…
…
Clark, an isolated boy, sat on the railing, tilting his head at a forty-five-degree angle, staring at the darkening sky.
As the night fell, a few stars loomed.
“Hmm?”
Suddenly, a dark red cloth blocked his view.
Subconsciously moving his eyes, he saw… cloak, boots, uniforms … ‘Luke?’
The other party’s feet were hovering off the ground, suspended in mid-air.
The dark red cloak behind him fluttered like a rolling wave.
Compared with the gentleness and kindness when meeting during the day, Luke was now full of a sense of oppression and a sense of authority.
“You … can fly?”
Clark, who was still thinking like a normal human being, looked surprised as if he had seen an alien.
“What’s the surprise?”
Luke stopped in the air, watching his Kryptonian cousin for a while.
He lived right next door to the Kent farm…
For Superman’s super hearing, the previous father-son quarrel was something that sounded like it just happened beyond a cardboard barrier.
He could hear them, very clearly.
“Clark, you have great strength. You have a body of steel. Let go of your senses. You can even hear all the sounds of the whole town. You have X-ray vision, being able to see through flesh and bone…”
Luke landed slowly, looked straight at Clark with a puzzled face, and softly said, “Compared with the above, is seeing me fly really surprising?”
Clark was speechless and didn’t know how to answer.
Although he vaguely felt that something was wrong, what Luke said made sense.
“Wait! How do you know … those things?”
Clark’s thoughts that were a little slow turned several times before he suddenly reacted.
The secret that he and his parents had been hiding for so long had been exposed.
“Because I have all the abilities that I mentioned earlier.”
Luke smiled with the aura of a kind elder and faintly said, “Stupid cousin, haven’t you realised the problem yet?”
“We come from the same place, we belong to the same race, and have similar abilities.”
“You should think of me as your third cousin.”
Luke’s words fell like a bombshell, which made Clark dizzy and his ears buzzing.
He had learned too many unbelievable truths today and was caught off guard when he heard even more shocking news.
Just like an old vintage Pentium computer attempting to jump-start Cyberpunk 2077.
What would happen? Naturally, it was self-evident.
Suddenly, Luke saw a wisp of smoke floating above his younger cousin’s head.
It seems that the already inadequate brain was burned out.
“… cousin?”
After a few minutes, Clark, who calmed down, looked strange.
He was currently in a state of semi-doubt, his mind telling him that it was all a lie!
But rational thinking kept reminding him that this was probably all true.
“Of course. I’m your long-lost third cousin, who you finally met after being separated for years.”
Luke, with a serious face, began to talk nonsense.
“Clark, I came to this planet earlier than you.”
“You should have heard of the mysterious meteorite that once crashed in Kent Farm and created a crater. That’s where my ship landed.”
Clark instantly became somewhat more convinced, as there had been a meteorite crash at Kent Farm before him.
But there was no residue at the scene, which turned it into a mysterious tale in the small town.
Rumours were also spread that some kind of body-snatching alien was lurking in town, ready to kill everyone. It caused a brief panic in the town.
“Then, what’s the name of our planet? Where are my biological parents? What’s my name …?”
Clark had a lot of questions in his heart. He looked at Luke with expectant eyes, eager to get answers from the other party.
“Don’t worry, Clark, let’s take it one at a time.”
Luke waved his hand, signalling his younger cousin to relax and not be overly impatient.
The corners of his mouth hooked up as if thinking of some kind of interesting scene and said softly. “You are actually a Saiyan from the planet Vegeta, named ‘Kakarot’, sent to Earth as a mid-class warrior, on a mission.”
“Kakarot? Mid-class warrior?”
Clark slightly frowned and repeated it.
‘Why does it feel a little weird …’
“Yes, one of the hallmarks of the Saiyans is that when anger rises, their hair will change colour.”
Luke nodded his head vigorously and affirmed.
“When the time comes, you will awaken the powerful forces in your body — Clark, if you want to be a qualified Saiyan, you should dye your hair green, which is the fashion trend for us Saiyans.”
“So… cousin… why is your hair like that?”
Clark touched the small curly hair on his forehead with some hesitation.
Dyeing his hair in a conservative town wasn’t a good choice.
‘What if he was labelled as a punk?’
“Personally, I don’t like the colour very much, but it suits you.”
Luke said with a smile, his eyes full of sincerity.
