Clark's parents still didn't agree to the requirements for joining the football team tryouts.
Clark, dejected, slung his backpack over his shoulder and went out, glancing around.
The tire tracks on the dirt road in front of the farm were clear. The school bus should be nearing the school by now.
"I can't reveal my abnormalities in front of others, but as long as no one sees it's fine."
A smile touched Clark's lips as he shouldered his bag. His body flickered, disappearing from his spot, and he dashed into the sprawling cornfield, faster than a speeding bullet, stirring up a powerful gust of wind.
From the sky, the green waves were parted as if by Moses' staff.
Hiss!
Except for the bus driver and someone whose car had broken down on the way, they chatted for a bit, asking if help was needed, which caused a slight delay.
The school bus drove smoothly and stopped punctually in front of the small town's high school.
Students disembarked the bus one after another, walking into the campus in twos and threes.
After getting off the bus, David glanced at a sign with a meteorite pattern in the distance. It was weathered by the wind and rain, old and faded.
[Welcome to Smallville – The Meteorite Capital of the World]
More than ten years ago, a meteor shower rained down on this small town, bringing disaster, but also opportunity.
The townspeople tried to capitalize on the "Meteorite Capital" selling point to become a tourist destination and develop the town.
However, looking at the road that could be crossed in just a few steps on the town's main street, and the low-rise buildings everywhere, it was not hard to guess the outcome.
David withdrew his gaze and casually walked towards the campus, which was in full bloom with cherry blossoms, his hands in his pockets.
"Meteorite Capital, Clark will have a lot to deal with in the future."
The so-called meteorites were actually Kryptonite that descended to Earth with the spaceship of the son of Krypton.
"As everyone knows, Kryptonite is Superman's fatal weakness. Once in contact, it causes pain and weakness in the short term, and fatal death in the long term."
A small green stone could make a god among men, strong enough to move continents, kneel powerlessly on the ground.
He had paid a little attention as he grew up. There was an unusual amount of Kryptonite in this town. To exaggerate, you might even kick out a couple of stones while walking on the road. He believed that various villains who would oppose Superman in the future would never have to worry about where to find Kryptonite.
Chloe and Pete got off the bus, catching up to him. The three of them walked towards the campus together.
"Hi, good morning, Chloe, Pete."
Dressed in jeans and a classic thick blue plaid shirt, Clark appeared from somewhere, holding a few books, trying to pretend he had arrived early and greeted them.
"Didn't David say you were behind us?"
Chloe's 'weirdness radar' activated, her face full of confusion.
How did Clark, who missed the school bus, get to school before them?
"I took a shortcut and left much earlier. David didn't see me."
Clark recalled how David's words that morning had disrupted his plan.
Even without David's reminder, it was unlikely his parents would have agreed. Still, he was annoyed and put his arm around David's shoulders, chiding his younger brother, who had a blank expression, with a smile.
"You know, David never really paid much attention to me."
"Really?"
Their suspicion didn't decrease at all as they looked at David.
They remembered David saying that Clark had encountered some difficulties when seeking his parents' consent to try out for the football team that morning and was still trying persistently.
"Whatever."
David shrugged off Clark's hand and walked ahead into the campus.
He began to consider whether he should pick out a small piece of Kryptonite from the ones he had collected before to carry with him.
Just in case the son of Krypton used him as an excuse to lie again.
Clark, having just played a trick, breathed a slight sigh of relief.
His family, living with him day and night, knew perfectly well about his extraordinary nature.
While others didn't know how he did it, David definitely did.
Fortunately, David hadn't exposed him as he predicted. Speaking of which, his brother had always been very mature.
Looking at his brother's retreating back, Clark smiled.
Even after discovering that his older brother possessed super strength and was faster than sound, he, as his younger brother, had never felt unbalanced, despite being ordinary.
However, such abnormality didn't bring many benefits.
Thinking of this, his brows furrowed again.
"Hiss..."
Suddenly, Clark's strength seemed to drain away instantly. He felt a wave of weakness and discomfort, losing his balance and falling to the ground, his books scattering everywhere.
Whitney, with his girlfriend Lana by his side, passed by and cast a disdainful glance.
Lana stopped to help him pick up his books when she saw him fall. She glanced at the book in her hand and smiled.
"Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche?"
"Clark, do you consider yourself an ordinary person or a superman?"
Hearing her voice, David glanced back.
His eyes swept over Lana's fair chest, where a green crystal necklace hung.
"I don't know."
Turning his head away, unable to face the Kryptonite necklace, Clark felt a pang of discomfort. He stammered, The 'superman' Lana mentioned wasn't referring to Clark's future hero alias.
The philosopher Nietzsche had once proposed a concept of the powerful human, naming those who were unbound by worldly rules and morality, who surpassed themselves and ordinary people, who possessed abundant creativity and strong will, as 'supermen'.
"Speak of the devil, here comes the Kryptonite."
Sympathetically rubbing his chin, David temporarily dismissed the idea of carrying Kryptonite with him in the future.
The future Superman was already miserable enough. Facing his dream girl, he couldn't even speak to her freely because of the Kryptonite necklace. Every time the person he secretly admired appeared, it was usually when he was embarrassed.
"Let's go."
Seeing his girlfriend talking to Clark, Whitney felt a surge of jealousy. But since he hadn't done anything in front of his girlfriend, he kissed Lana, put his arm around his shy girlfriend, and they left, leaving behind an awkward figure picking up books from the ground.
"David?"
Footsteps approached. Clark looked up and saw David walking over.
His eyes lit up, thinking his brother was going to help him pick up his books.
"How pathetic, Clark."
Throwing out the sentence, David shook his head and left.
Faced with his brother's deliberate mockery, Clark was furious.
After picking up his books, the four of them walked into the building. By the lockers in the hallway, hormone-driven boys and girls were talking animatedly, trying their best to exude charm and conquer the opposite sex in front of them, accepting their invitations.
"Spring has sprung."
Sensing the atmosphere of the school, David sighed.
"Are you referring to the upcoming spring dance? David?"
Chloe blinked and asked, "Do you have a dance partner?"
"David has never been interested in these kinds of things."
Pete shrugged and invited, "How about you be my dance partner, Chloe? Strictly as friends."
It would be good to have a companion so they wouldn't feel too awkward at the dance.
"Clark, what about you?"
"..."
The four of them chatted as they entered the classroom.
After a morning of studying, it was time for lunch and school dismissal.
"David, cough, are you going home alone today?"
Clark told David to go home first, as if it were a serious matter.
"I'm going to the sports field to support Pete in his tryouts."
"Support Pete?"
David scanned him up and down and chuckled at the remark.
"I'm almost embarrassed to expose you, Clark."
After saying that, he didn't bother with the blushing Clark, who wanted to argue. David put his hands in his pockets and turned away, leaving with a flourish.
He got on the school bus.
David watched the scenery outside the window.
The excuse about watching Pete's tryouts was just a cover. Clark was clearly smitten and using it as an excuse to go to the field to watch Lana and her teammates practice cheerleading.
In response, David could only comment: "He's asking for trouble."
The field wasn't just for cheerleading; it also had the football team. A lot of PDA and jealousy awaited Clark there.
On the school bus, Chloe sat beside him, leaning on her backpack and quietly writing her article.
Her writing style was consistent with her usual sharp tone. It was an article about the football team titled "Football: Sport or Barbarism," intended for publication in the school newspaper.
On the bridge, there was little traffic. The school bus driver drove quickly and smoothly.
He didn't notice the broken piece of steel lying on the asphalt road where the car had broken down that morning.
Screech!
The school bus, which had been driving smoothly, suddenly had its tire burst and deflate.
Bang!
The car skidded uncontrollably. It was too late to swerve, and with a horrified expression on the driver's face, the school bus smashed through the bridge railing and plunged off the bridge.
The school bus flew through the air.
"Ah!"
Suddenly weightless, their bodies lifted, and everyone in the bus screamed.
David's expression changed.
Before the high school students could finish screaming, the school bus nosedived into the water, creating a massive splash.
Gurgle gurgle.
The heavy school bus, weighing over ten tons, rapidly sank to the bottom of the river.
The turbulent, icy river water quickly poured in through the gaps in the vehicle's body, submerging their knees in the blink of an eye.
"Help, somebody help!"
Those inside the school bus, not bothering with their dizziness from the fall, quickly stood up, screaming in terror and banging on the car windows.
Chloe's face turned pale with fear as she screamed too, even more terrified because she couldn't swim.
"I don't want to die! Can anyone save me!"
A desperate and terrifying atmosphere quickly spread through the bus, fear engulfing everyone.
"What bad luck."
The water reached his waist, soaking his clothes. David, far from acting like he was in a life-or-death crisis, looked around and frowned.
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