The Dust Settles

"You really made quite a scene this time."

Inside Lex's castle, Dilos took a sip of the large frozen orange juice he was holding and replied, "I couldn't help it. Who told that bastard to be so ruthless?"

As Dilos savored the icy sensation of the orange juice, he rolled his eyes at Lex.

"Besides, shouldn't you be the one benefiting from this? Not only did your meteorite collection increase, but you also obtained the Fountain of Youth and the seventy-year-old man who confirmed its existence."

Dilos crossed his legs and looked at Lex with a smug expression. "I think you should be thanking me. Look at the immense value of the treasure I brought you."

At these words, Lex's face darkened abruptly. He stared at Dilos and said through gritted teeth, "The Fountain of Youth you mentioned is completely useless; it only worked for that old man."

"No way," Dilos said, sounding skeptical. "Was there something special about that old man?"

"He was a mutant."

A single sentence explained everything. Mutant genes were simply too unique. While possessing powerful abilities, they also rejected other mutant powers. The mysteries surrounding them were so numerous that they remained unsolved to this day.

Although research into mutant genes was being conducted all over the world, the only person with a true understanding of them was General William Stryker, who served the U.S. government.

"That's not all," Lex sighed. "Not long after that old man was locked in the lab, he reverted from his youthful state back to his elderly one. His organs failed rapidly in a short period, and we couldn't determine the cause. Within just a few minutes, he was dead. The blood drawn from him didn't yield anything useful either; it had lost all its activity."

"I see." Dilos rubbed his chin. He finally understood why Lex looked so conflicted. The treasure humanity desired most had been right in front of him, only to slip through his fingers for reasons unknown.

"Relax, relax." Dilos walked over and patted Lex on the shoulder to comfort him. "These are just minor details. If you missed out, you missed out. The key is that you're still alive. Besides, you're still so young; the problem of aging is still a long way off for you."

Lex couldn't help but offer a wry smile. "You're certainly broad-minded. You were the one who put in the most effort for this, yet you have no thoughts on the matter?"

"It's better not to dwell on things once they've passed," Dilos shrugged. "It's lucky if you get such good things, but it's no big deal if you don't. Besides, there's no point in obsessing over it, is there? Instead of that, why not treat yourself to a hearty meal like I am?"

As he spoke, Dilos continued to drink his orange juice, the look of enjoyment on his face making one wonder if he were consuming some rare, priceless delicacy.

"Fine, you win." Lex looked at Dilos with a hint of amusement, the gloom in his heart dissipating significantly.

"By the way," Lex suddenly wore a meaningful smile. "There's something you need to know. Care to guess what it is?"

Dilos looked back at him and asked, "Good news or bad news?"

Lex didn't answer, instead picking up the wine glass on the table and taking a sip of the red wine inside. "Why don't you guess for yourself?"

"Someone is looking to buy the film rights for Harry Potter from me, right?"

"?! " Lex suddenly stared at Dilos, his face full of disbelief.

"How did you know?" Lex looked at Dilos's incredibly calm face in shock. "Did they come to you directly?"

Dilos shook his head, a gesture that left Lex even more confused. The latter then said with some uncertainty, "You couldn't possibly have mind-reading powers, could you?"

Dilos shook his head helplessly and explained in a deadpan tone, "Lex, I have a lot of confidence in Harry Potter. Besides, now that those people see the novels selling so well, how could they not be tempted to use it to rake in money?"

"This was an obvious, inevitable event. Is there any need to guess?" The smug look on Dilos's face made Lex want to stomp on it hard. However, his upbringing was excellent, so he restrained himself.

But Lex hadn't considered one thing. Even if his upbringing hadn't been so good, could he really compare to Dilos in terms of raw combat power?

After his talk with Lex, Dilos returned home.

However, Dilos didn't lecture Chloe any further. Based on his understanding of her, whenever family or anything related to Clark was involved, Chloe would charge in headlong without a second thought.

The next day, Dilos left Smallville abruptly by plane, taking his luggage without saying goodbye to Chloe. Chloe only received a locked box from Gabe, along with a disc that Dilos had specifically asked Gabe to hand over to her.

Confused, Chloe had no choice but to open the disc on her laptop in her room. Before doing so, she followed the instructions on the note Dilos had left behind: she drew the curtains and connected her headphones to the laptop. Then, she played the video on the disc.

The next second, Chloe's pupils constricted sharply. A video appeared on the screen. The protagonist in the video was none other than Clark, the person she longed for day and night.

If that were all, it would have been fine. But when the Clark in the video lifted a tractor next to him as if it were a schoolbag, Chloe lost her composure.

Next, she watched as Clark worked in the farm barn at ten times the speed of a normal person.

It was a terrible feeling to have years of common sense shattered, and it took a long while for Chloe to process what she was seeing.

"Chloe."

A familiar voice came from behind her ears, and Chloe jerked her head up. She discovered that at some point, the video of Clark had been replaced by a selfie of Dilos.

"By the time you see this video, I'll already be in New York. I believe you also understand why I was so against you being with Clark; I filmed these videos whenever Clark wasn't paying attention."

"Clark is often too meddlesome, and he acts without thinking, which easily causes harm to those around him. You aren't invulnerable like he is. One moment of carelessness, and you could very well be killed by his reckless behavior."

Hearing this, Chloe felt a mix of emotions. There was the warmth of her cousin caring for her, but also the frustration of realizing the disparity between herself and Clark.

In the video, Dilos wore a gentle expression. "But, Chloe, if you still intend to pursue Clark after knowing this, I will support you with everything I have. So, have you made up your mind?"

Seemingly not expecting Dilos to say this, Chloe opened her mouth, wanting to speak several times but not knowing how. Finally, she looked at the figure on the screen, her struggle turning into determination, and she nodded slowly.

"Alright, I knew you'd think that way. You were so attached to me when you were little, and now that you're grown up, you're already thinking about other men." It was as if Dilos knew Chloe too well; the moment she nodded, Dilos's slightly distressed voice came from the screen.

Chloe couldn't help but laugh and cry at the same time. Then, Dilos in the video curled his lip, looking unwilling. "Since that's the case, as your brother, I can only help you with all my might. See that box with the combination lock? The password is your birthday. Open it and take a look. Inside is the help I'm giving you."

Chloe then looked at the box beside her. It was the size of a palm and looked nothing special. But when she opened the lock, the contents made her mouth twitch.

Clark Kent's Strategy Guide

A small red book with this title sat in the box, accompanied by a note.

"Produced by Dilos, guaranteed quality. If you possess this peerless guide and still haven't caught Clark within two months, then you deserve to be single for the rest of your life! Don't you dare tell anyone you're my sister when you go out; that would be an insult to my character!"

"Damn it!" Chloe cursed for once. "Who curses their own sister to be single for life?!"

Chloe's face was filled with disbelief as she shook her fist fiercely at Dilos on the screen.

"Oh, right, you didn't know, did you, Chloe?" Dilos suddenly flashed a wicked grin. "Besides setting things on fire, Clark's eyes can also see through objects~"

"What?!" Chloe shrieked, tightening her clothes around herself. Seeing that he had anticipated her reaction, Dilos burst into hysterical laughter on the video call.

"Hahahaha, you look so funny right now. It's not like you don't know that Clark, that goody-two-shoes and total blockhead, hasn't even peeked at Lana; how could he possibly peek at you? You're being way too full of yourself."

"Dilos!!"

Hearing Chloe's roar from upstairs, Gabe, who was busy cooking, couldn't help but sigh with a mix of helplessness and amusement.

New York...

"Achoo!" Dilos, who had already stepped off the plane, looked at the sky with a puzzled expression.

"That's strange. With such nice weather and my strong constitution, how could I possibly sneeze?" Thinking this, Dilos suddenly wore a wicked grin. "Judging by the time, cute little Chloe must have discovered what I left for her by now. It's just a pity I'm not there; otherwise, I would definitely have taken a photo of her as a souvenir."

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"Hello, Mr. Sullivan. It's an honor to meet you. My name is Peter, Peter Parker."

"The honor is mine, Spider-Man."

"Excuse me, what did you just say?"

"Nothing, just a slip of the tongue." Dilos smiled and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Peter Parker."