Clark reached out and touched the old woman's wrinkled hand.
A few seconds later, his vision blurred.
It was as if the world before him had changed.
A cataclysmic scene unfolded before him. A blood-red dusk blanketed the sky; skyscrapers had been pierced through, homes had collapsed, fires raged, and billowing columns of black smoke shot into the heavens.
People fled in every direction, while the desperate wails of countless thousands drilled into his ears like sounds from hell.
A massive trench, as though carved by a giant finger from the sky, stretched before him. Pain wracked Clark's entire body as if he had been struck by a meteorite. Lying at the end of the trench, he struggled to raise his head against his body's will.
Whoosh!
A black-haired man in a black combat suit covered in mysterious dark-gold patterns slowly descended from the sky. His body was lean, powerful, and well-proportioned.
Half a meter above the ground, loose stones rose on their own and orbited him like celestial bodies.
His overwhelming presence pressed down on everyone like a majestic god descending upon the mortal world, making it hard to breathe.
"David?"
Seeing such a terrifying scene, then seeing his unfamiliar yet familiar younger brother, Clark was utterly stunned.
It was as if he were trapped in a dream. He could only watch, unable to control anything. He could not even speak, and his perspective was limited.
"Clark, look around you."
The lava-like red glow still lingered in David's eyes as he shook his head slightly.
"I didn't want to do this. You were too disobedient. You forced my hand."
"What did you mean?"
Clark was shocked and confused. Had David done all this?
Chaotic thoughts flashed through his mind. Had he refused to submit to David, and then David had fought him and destroyed this city?
"Wait, this looks like Metropolis!"
Clark recognized it.
In the distance, the iconic golden globe statue atop the Daily Planet building lay on the ground after apparently being used as a weapon to smash through several buildings.
"Could it be that what I feared has still happened? David lost himself in power and took the path of evil, and I stood against him to stop him?"
Uncertainty filled his heart.
As if to confirm Clark's thoughts, he felt endless rage welling up from within his future self. The fury in his eyes was like a volcano about to erupt.
"Brother, you need to be corrected!"
His future self shouted coldly with overwhelming force. Having just leaped into the air, he drove his fist toward his younger brother like one god charging another hostile god.
Whoosh!
A golden rope like lightning flew over in an instant and looped around his waist.
Almost at the same time, several green chains that seemed made of green crystal wound around his body like snakes. Several enormous spikes nailed the chains to the ground, stopping him from advancing.
His forward momentum came to a sudden halt as he was viciously yanked back.
His cannonball-like body stopped, sending only a blast wave spreading outward.
They had been less than a few inches from crashing face-to-face. David hovered in midair without even blinking.
"You're the one who needs to be taught a lesson, my brother."
"Who was helping David?"
Clark wondered.
Future Clark angrily turned his head. He saw a valiant, beautiful figure like a warrior goddess, wearing a crown and armored battle dress. She had braced herself against the shattered ground and tightly gripped the glowing golden rope.
On the other side, a brown-haired man in a glowing green bodysuit flew in the air. His usually casual, smiling face was now grave. A gem-like ring on his hand glowed as he struggled to keep the manifested chains and spikes from being torn apart.
Both of them gritted their teeth, straining so hard they could not utter a word. Only by giving everything they had could they barely hold back future Clark, who was like a maddened bull.
"David's helpers?"
Clark's heart jolted.
Were they David's evil allies? Or his lackeys?
Bang!
Before he could think further, David flashed before him and brought down his fist like a meteorite, smashing him back into the ground.
Future Clark's body slammed into the ground, gouging out a crater dozens of feet wide. The surging force traveled through more than a dozen streets like a raging sea, causing several nearby buildings to shake continuously as their windows shattered one after another.
Smack!
"What should we do?"
A deep, rich voice rang out.
A grappling hook sank into the wall of a building, and a bat-like monstrous silhouette swung over.
He spread his black, bat-wing-like cape and landed steadily on the ground. His cold expression kept strangers at a distance, while the darkness surrounding him was as thick and unending as the clouds hanging over Gotham in legend, instinctively making people feel oppressed and afraid.
Clark had doubted whether this future was real, whether his younger brother had truly embarked on a dark path. But suddenly, the scales in his heart tipped.
He studied him closely. This Bat Monster really did not look like a good person, as though he had been born utterly cut off from the light.
Could anyone who associated with him be a good person?
"Clark, if our parents saw this, they would be heartbroken."
David frowned as he spoke and raised his hand, seemingly about to do something.
Crack!
The scene suddenly shattered.
Clark's consciousness returned to reality. Before him, the shocked Cassandra turned her head to look over.
Cassandra opened her eyes, as if her prediction of the future had ended, but she immediately looked at David in astonishment. David looked confused.
Why was she looking at him? Hadn't she been looking into Clark's future?
Could it be that in Clark's future, she had seen him looking like an alien?
"David, you...!"
Clark, having just returned to reality, abruptly sprang to his feet.
A towering, thick smokestack dozens of meters in diameter stood upon the ground.
The tiny figure of Sean withdrew his palm from it with a look of intoxication. At his feet, more than a dozen factory workers had frozen into ice sculptures, terror still on their faces.
Frost covered and froze the entire enormous smokestack.
Coldness and a return to normal alternated constantly. Each time he absorbed enough heat, his strength rose another level.
Only when a feeling close to being stuffed full came over him did Sean stop.
Now, he felt incomparably powerful!
Excitedly, he glanced at the dozen or so flattened brass bullets on the ground. When they had struck him earlier, they had not even been able to scratch an itch.
He did not dare imagine how powerful he was now.
He picked up a crowbar from the ground, one that a power plant patrol worker had used as a weapon.
Creak!
A teeth-grating sound rang out.
The crowbar twisted into a spiral under terrifying force.
"That's still not my limit."
Sean pressed both hands against the mangled crowbar and exerted himself viciously. The steel squeezed out between his fingers like clay.
Seeing this, ecstatic delight appeared on his face, and he burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Modern civilization was practically built upon steel. There was almost nothing in the world harder than steel.
He was now powerful enough to shake the entire world. Even the police could not control him.
From now on, the town would be his playground, for him to do whatever he wanted.
"What should I start with?"
Should he find a pretty girl and ask whether she wanted to experience his strong steel arms?
No!
A figure appeared in Sean's mind.
"David!"
Yesterday, that guy had sent him running with just one look and one sentence.
He spoke the name with resentment. "You think you're such a great fighter?"
Thinking of how he had slunk away in fear before several people yesterday, Sean had originally wanted to forget that humiliating incident. But now, uncontrollable rage and humiliation flooded his heart. He gritted his teeth. "I'm no longer who I used to be."
What were a few football team players? Now, he alone could stand against an armed army!
Leaving behind a field of lifeless ice sculptures, Sean clenched his fists and left the power plant. With a cold expression, he headed toward Kent Farm.
"I swear you'll regret daring to treat me like that, David!"
Before you continue