Do You Want to Invite the Wolf into the House?

"Eric, thank you for saving me during the fire in the editor's office."

Chloe thanked Eric.

Having just left the hospital, she quickly turned her attention to Torch.

Although the original editor's office was unusable after the fire, Chloe had received special approval from the school and requisitioned a storage room as a temporary office.

The two of them were standing in the temporary office now, and Chloe solemnly thanked Eric.

"You should thank Clark. I didn't do much."

Eric replied in a somewhat distant tone.

"Of course, I know. Clark told me that if you hadn't shown up, he couldn't have gotten there in time. You were the one who subdued Coach Watt. In a sense, you saved me too, so this isn't a thank-you without reason."

Chloe shrugged and picked up the coffee she had just brewed.

The temporary office had no heating, and feeling slightly chilly, she rubbed her arms. Then she complained to Eric, "Right now, I feel like I've got one foot out the door. My heart's already somewhere else, ready to leave at any moment. I've never wanted to return to the old office more than I do now."

As she spoke, she looked toward Eric.

Seeing that his attention remained fixed on the newspaper in front of him, Chloe felt a little dejected.

It seemed that no matter what she did, she could not draw his attention.

Was Eric even more of an unyielding straight man than Clark?

After letting her thoughts run wild for a while, she looked at Eric as he flipped through recent newspapers.

A headline on the paper caught her eye—<New Fly Energy Company President Moira Adams Dies in the Slums!>

"I know them."

Chloe stepped forward and said, "They call themselves a new energy company, but the pollution from their thermal power generation is no less than that of traditional energy companies. Compared to New Fly Energy Company, I think Luthor Fertilizer Factory could practically be named Metropolis's most environmentally friendly business."

Eric ignored Chloe's words and instead focused on the words "Star City Queen Enterprises" in the newspaper.

After pondering for a moment, he asked Chloe, "Do you know Oliver Queen?"

"Someone from Queen Enterprises?"

Chloe shook her head blankly. "I only know Queen Enterprises' president, Robert Queen. What's the connection between them?"

"Forget it."

Eric put down the newspaper.

Green Arrow was probably still enjoying the life of a playboy. It would be some time before he was stranded on that deserted island and received a reeducation from life.

After finishing today's newspaper, Eric continued going through papers from the previous few days.

He quickly found the report about the attempted assassination of Lionel Luthor.

Lionel, Moira.

Combining that with the personnel list he had obtained from the reporter Chris, Eric quickly determined that these businessmen's deaths were very likely connected to the so-called Owl Council.

Judging from that list, the next target the Owl Council intended to eliminate after Moira was probably—

Lex Luthor!

After staring thoughtfully at the newspaper for a while, Eric put it down, said "Thanks" to Chloe, and left the temporary office.

Lex Luthor?

Good luck to him.

But since the Owl Council had set its sights on Lex, they would naturally send their "Talons."

If he followed those Talons back to their source, there was a good chance he could find the owls' nest.

As Eric left the temporary office, his eyes narrowed, and he made up his mind at once.

That afternoon, Eric returned to the farm.

He had just been about to heat up the meat stew and pizza in the refrigerator when an unexpected visitor arrived.

"Clark isn't back yet."

Eric said expressionlessly to Lana, who had come to the door.

"Actually, I'm not here to see Clark."

Lana said somewhat awkwardly to Eric, "I came to see you, Eric."

"Me? I don't think we have anything in common."

Eric put the pizza he had taken out back into the refrigerator and said casually, "I'd even say I have more in common with your aunt than I do with you."

"Whew!"

Lana let out a breath. "I came to apologize to you."

"Apologize?"

"Yes. I showed the manuscript to Aunt Nell without your permission. If you feel offended, I'll apologize."

Though she was apologizing, an indescribable sense of grievance welled up inside her.

She did not know why Eric treated her this way.

Excessively cold and distant, as though they were still strangers.

She had thought that through those words and drawings, they had formed a tacit understanding.

A connection between friends, a meeting of kindred spirits.

"There's no need."

Eric shook his head. "If I cared, I wouldn't have let you take the manuscript. No apology is necessary. Is there anything else?"

"Yes."

Lana looked at Eric's slightly impatient expression, fell silent for a few seconds, then said to him:

"I wanted to discuss some issues in Cthulhu with you. There are things I didn't understand. For example, you wanted to convey the theme that 'behind false peace lies the cruel truth of the world,' but why do you keep suggesting that people should not shatter that false peace? And in Whispers in the Dark, you mentioned that man who went mad in Gotham. What was his real identity?"

The moment she began talking about Eric's Cthulhu work, Lana became visibly excited.

"I can't give you the answers."

Eric shook his head coldly. "Some things never had answers to begin with, nor is there any need to seek them."

"..."

Lana's enthusiasm was quickly extinguished.

Her lips moved, but in the end, she said nothing.

"I understand."

After standing there in silence for a moment, she said goodbye to Eric.

"Aunt Nell asked me to help clean the stables recently, so I need to head back first. Will you be attending the party tonight?"

"What party?"

"Clark didn't tell you? He wants to have a small gathering at home."

After saying that, she saw Eric's displeased expression and immediately realized she had said the wrong thing. Looking awkward, she said, "I should get going. Bye!"

Lana left quickly, leaving Eric standing there in a thoroughly foul mood.

A few minutes later.

"Hey, Eric, I saw Lana."

As soon as Clark entered the living room, he called out to Eric, "What did Lana come here for?"

"You can ask her. Clark, are you planning to throw a party at home tonight?"

Caught off guard by Eric's sudden question, Clark froze for a moment.

"It's just a small gathering, only a few friends—Chloe, Pete, and the others, plus Lana."

"Oh, and Lex too."

He added afterward.

The moment Eric heard that Lex Luthor would be attending the party, his brows immediately furrowed.

He cast a dangerous look at Clark.

Do you want to invite the wolf into the house?!

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