Hold It in Your Mouth

Time passed neither quickly nor slowly, merely slipping through people's fingers without their notice.

Gerry held a slip of paper in his hand, then tied the letter to an insect and controlled it as it flew toward Luthor Manor.

After finishing everything, a smile appeared on Gerry's greasy, pale face. He closed his eyes in satisfaction.

This feeling of using his brain was simply wonderful. He felt that he was the smartest person in this town.

Once he ate Jino and Clark's flesh and absorbed their genes, he would become even stronger.

As he thought this, insects faintly writhed beneath the skin of Gerry's face.

"Thump~"

The webbing set up outside the steel factory had been disturbed. Gerry abruptly opened his eyes, a mocking curve rising at the corner of his mouth. "They're here."

Though he did not understand why Jino had arrived so quickly, Gerry was already growing impatient.

"Bang!"

Dropping from the sky like an insect, Gerry's legs landed heavily on the iron floor, producing a dull boom.

Gerry lowered his body, hiding behind a thick steel pipe like an agile dung beetle.

This spot happened to overlook the entire factory and was also a blind spot near the entrance, making it ideal for an ambush and kill.

"Uh."

Clark, hanging in midair, had a greenish face. He opened his mouth, wanting to shout a warning to Jino, but pain and weakness had drained all strength from his body. Clark could not make a sound and could only watch helplessly as Gerry's arms transformed into sharp, bladed forelimbs.

Clark's large eyes were filled with helplessness. He could not let his friend die because of him!

The surroundings were quiet. Apart from Clark's pained groans and the buzzing of the wind stirring the webbing, there was only the slow, heavy sound of footsteps—tap, tap—approaching.

"Huff, huff."

Gerry's breathing grew heavier. He gripped the Kryptonite tightly in both hands. He was ready.

The instant Jino showed himself, Gerry would pounce and press the Kryptonite against him. Then that guy would weaken and collapse just like Clark.

Tap, tap.

The footsteps drew closer, and their owner seemed anxious.

Closer, even closer!

Just as Gerry tensed his body and prepared to spring like a mantis, the footsteps suddenly stopped.

"What's going on?"

Gerry frowned, but before he could react, an iron can flew out from the distance. Propelled by terrifying speed, it became a blur and whistled toward Gerry's face.

"Bang!"

Gerry was struck before he had any chance to react.

The heavy iron can smashed into his face, leaving Gerry's head spinning. One of his teeth shattered, and the broken tooth shot from his mouth along with a spray of blood.

He could not understand it. He had been hiding in the shadows, so why had he been discovered?

His body slammed heavily into a steel pipe. Out of the corner of his eye, Gerry saw the iron can crash to the ground, then—

"Bang!"

The iron can suddenly exploded. The next instant, countless dense clouds of green gas poured out from within, sweeping through the entire factory like a tsunami.

"What?"

Gerry instinctively inhaled deeply.

Whoosh!

The green gas rushed through the air and into his windpipe.

"Aah!"

His internal organs felt as though they were being scorched by flames. The intense pain made Gerry let out a shrill scream.

Itchy—too itchy. His entire body itched.

Gerry flailed his arms and frantically scratched at the itching skin.

His claws pierced through his skin and sliced open the flesh beneath it, blood flowing down from the torn wounds.

Under Gerry's relentless scratching, the once sinister Gerry soon clawed himself into a bloody mess!

"This gas!"

Gerry's body would not stop trembling, his mind growing hazy.

I have to get out of here!

Gerry trembled as he tried to stand.

But what happened next filled Gerry with even greater despair.

Whoosh, whoosh!

Dozens of identical iron cans were thrown down from the shadows, and another mass of thick mist sprayed from them.

The green gas continued spreading through the air until everywhere the eye could see within the factory had become a "green sea," making it impossible even to tell directions apart.

"Damn you, Jino Luthor!" Gerry screamed miserably. As the thick mist increased, his skin began to crack and split apart. Countless dead insects, such as cockroaches and flies, kept tumbling from the churning flesh.

His entire body was in pain, weak and powerless. Gerry was now experiencing Clark's suffering firsthand.

Then, amid the dense fog, Gerry suddenly heard heavy breathing.

"Huff, huff."

It seemed to be a figure wearing protective gear. He wore a gas mask and a layer of silver-gray protective clothing, walking toward Gerry with his hands behind his back, unhurried and calm.

Jino was not in a hurry at all. Truly.

Five minutes earlier, after using the map to guess Gerry's location, he had rushed to the factory to investigate. When he found Gerry hiding inside and Clark suspended in midair, Jino had not rashly charged in to save him.

He had first spent two seconds running to his own company to find Lex, then collected several dozen Gene Bombs designed specifically for Gerry from him. Only then had he leisurely come here and "given" all those Gene Bombs to Gerry.

At that moment, Jino wore a lead protective suit, his azure eyes watching the monster-like, blood-covered Gerry with interest.

"You look awful."

Jino smiled and stepped closer. He knew Gerry had Kryptonite in his hand, so before coming, he had put on a lead protective suit made at great expense. Naturally, it could block Kryptonite's effects on him.

Furthermore, Gerry already looked close to death. Jino was not worried that he could pierce his protective suit, so he fearlessly stood two meters away from Gerry and mocked him coldly.

"You shameless bastard!" Gerry's none-too-bright mind had already guessed what that green smoke was—some kind of "pesticide" made specifically for him.

"Thanks for the compliment."

Jino leisurely played with the last can of pesticide in his hand. Like a true villain, he slowly walked toward Gerry and said, "Last time, Clark's stupidity let you escape."

"Now he's hanging in the air. No one can save you."

Hearing Jino's words, Gerry struggled to open his pus-filled eyes, his complicated gaze landing on Clark overhead.

If he had not tied up Clark, would he still have had a chance to escape?

"Don't look at him with those pathetic eyes. You don't deserve to." Jino smiled as he spoke, mercilessly gripping Gerry's chin.

With only a light squeeze, the jaw that had already been crushed to fragments fell open.

"Mm, open wide, and hold it in." Jino gripped the iron can and stuffed the pesticide into Gerry's monster-like mouth.

Then, beneath Gerry's terrified and despairing gaze, the boy gently twisted open the valve.

"Pfft~"

As the valve opened, countless streams of green smoke poured through Gerry's mouth and into his body.

In the final second before his consciousness dissolved, Gerry heard Jino chuckle. "I wonder whether Lex can still study a corpse that's rotted this badly."

That demon had even considered how to use his corpse after he died.

Thanks to reader 1455147117727412224 for the 600-point donation! Thank you, boss! (Shouting loudly + bowing + serious face + sincere face)