You Should Be Glad I Didn't End Your Career

Sixteen years ago, the spaceship carrying Superman crashed in Smallville.

What had fallen to Earth along with it were Kryptonite stones from Superman's home planet, Krypton, commonly known as "Kryptonite."

They could strip Superman of his powers and leave him weak and helpless; in severe cases, they could cause him to fall unconscious or even die.

Naturally, the scheming and sinister Eric would not miss such an opportunity.

Ever since he had been able to move around on his own, he had begun collecting the "Kryptonite" that had fallen across town.

To keep Clark from discovering it, he had even specifically sealed it in lead packaging.

Lead could restrain Superman, blocking his vision and senses.

The Kryptonite fragments stored inside the lead box were what Eric had collected around town over the past month. He had originally planned to take them home today, but someone had stolen them!

Although there had not been much, it still made the ever-cautious Eric suspicious.

Were those dark forces lurking in the shadows beginning to stir?

Or had certain factions that had already noticed Superman's powers begun making preparations ahead of time?

No!

Clark was only a high school student now. No one had yet realized what changes he would bring to this world in the future.

Then who was it?

Closing his locker door, Eric found himself filled with doubts.

Bang!

A violent sound of something heavy striking came from an office at the other end of the hallway.

Immediately afterward came an enraged roar loud enough to echo through the entire corridor.

"I'll show you what authority is! I've worked here for twenty-five years and brought countless honors to this school, yet you, my students, are standing up to attack me just to cover up your despicable crimes! Shameless! Despicable! Betrayal!"

The roar was accompanied by the sound of a desk being pounded. It was easy to imagine just how furious the person shouting was.

Coach Watt from the football team?!

Hearing the roar reverberating through the corridor, Eric frowned.

He had met Coach Watt a few times.

The man had always wanted to recruit him for the football team, so they had dealt with each other on several occasions.

But Jonathan had opposed it, so he ultimately had not joined the team.

Eric's gaze passed through the wall, and he vaguely saw the players being scolded inside.

He had no idea why the coach, who had always been beloved by his players, was so furious with them.

Coach Watt was probably just in a bad mood lately.

Shaking his head, Eric prepared to turn and leave.

Creak!

The coach's office door opened, and the dejected players filed out one after another.

"Hey! Looks like Coach Watt has run into some trouble. Otherwise, he wouldn't have lost his composure like that."

Chloe was standing in the hallway, getting ready for class. Seeing this, she excitedly spoke to Pete.

"Hold these for me. I'm taking a picture."

Handing her books to the Black kid beside her, Chloe's reporter instincts kicked in, and she pulled out her camera to take a photo.

But Chloe's attempt to take a picture was immediately noticed by a strongly built football player.

Annoyed at Chloe for meddling, the player casually hurled the football in his hand at her.

Chloe, who was raising her camera, failed to notice it and was struck directly in the shoulder.

"Ugh."

With a pained groan, Chloe immediately staggered backward uncontrollably.

Wanting to protect the camera in her hands, she barely managed to keep from falling as she took several steps back, her back crashing into Eric's locker.

Clang!

Her body collided with the locker, producing a crisp sound.

"Hey! Guys, don't start anything!"

Seeing that Chloe had been hurt, Pete immediately stepped in front of her and tried to stop the football players.

The tall, burly player who had thrown the football ignored Pete with an indifferent expression and walked over to Chloe.

He cast a disdainful glance at Chloe, then bent down to pick up the football from the floor.

"What are you trying to do? Attempting to assassinate a fellow student in broad daylight?"

Holding her aching shoulder, Chloe glared at him and demanded.

"Just a warning. Stop picking fights with the football team over and over."

The burly player threatened her in a low voice.

"Oh, did I hit a sensitive spot? Now I know who sent me that threatening letter last time. It was full of grammatical errors and crude language. I thought some homeless man who had never gone to school wrote it."

Chloe shot back without holding her tongue.

The burly man did not respond and prepared to turn away.

The moment he turned, he saw Eric standing silently beside the lockers.

Then he caught sight of the words "Eric Kent" on the locker.

"You're Eric Kent? Coach Watt mentions you all the time. Even though you never joined, you're practically famous among the football team."

A mocking smile curled across the burly man's lips as he extended his hand toward Eric.

"Dan, Dan Brown!"

Seeing the malicious grin at the corner of his mouth, Chloe knew he was definitely planning to pull something while shaking hands.

Looking at the idiot standing before him and provoking him, Eric merely gave him a cold glance before turning away.

Dan Brown's hand froze in midair, an awkward expression appearing on his face.

The awkwardness soon turned to resentment. Clenching the football in his hand, he hurled it fiercely at Eric.

Thrown with tremendous force, the football shot toward the back of Eric's head in an instant.

Lana had just entered the school building, chatting and laughing with her boyfriend. Seeing the football flying toward the back of Eric's head, she could not help covering her mouth.

But unlike what everyone expected, Eric was not knocked down.

At the instant the football came infinitely close to his body, he caught it steadily with one hand.

As if he had caught nothing more than some insignificant, weightless object.

His body did not even sway.

After catching the football, Eric casually tossed it forward. The football shot toward the stunned Dan Brown like an arrow released from a bow.

Bang! The football slammed into his stomach!

Dan Brown instantly felt a sharp pain in his abdomen, as though he had been struck by a hammer.

He involuntarily bent over, and his back crashed hard into a metal locker with an earth-shaking bang.

"Urgh...!"

Dan Brown clutched his stomach and groaned, tears nearly spilling from the pain.

Not only did his stomach hurt, but his tailbone had also struck the locker painfully.

Having delivered a Sweetheart Punch, Eric glanced at Dan Brown, who was crouching on the ground, shook his head, and turned to leave.

If there had not been so many people at school, an idiot who dared provoke him like that would have spent at least half a year in the hospital, his career completely over.

Chloe, standing beside Dan Brown, was utterly stunned.

She had not expected Clark's younger brother to be this much of a "freak" too!

He had effortlessly caught the football, then casually flung it back with enough force to land a devastating hit on that bastard Dan Brown.

Were all the Kents such "freaks"?!

While feeling immensely satisfied, Chloe also developed a strong interest in Eric.

Watching Chloe's eyes light up, Pete knew that Miss Reporter's "weirdo radar" had gone off again.

If nothing unexpected happened, Eric would definitely be seriously "harassed" by her next in the name of journalism.

"Stop!"

A sudden voice called out to Eric just as he was about to leave.

Thanks to "Reader 1455147117727412224" for the tip. Hearts! Thank you all for your support. I hope everyone is always happy!