The Missing Clark

"Whitney?!"

Lana looked at her boyfriend, not knowing why he had called out to Eric.

Whitney reached out and patted Lana's arm, signaling that everything was fine.

The students watching the spectacle in the hallway turned their attention toward Whitney.

This handsome blond guy was Lana's boyfriend and the captain of the football team.

Whitney walked up to Eric and glared at him with hostility.

Even though Eric completely overshadowed him in both size and presence.

"Looks like we've got a promising showdown. I'm betting Whitney loses in the end!"

Chloe pulled five dollars from her pocket and handed it to Pete.

"Okay, even though I think so too, I think it might not end the way you said. Eric is a Kent, after all. Maybe he'll choke at the crucial moment just like Clark."

Clark had traumatized Pete too deeply, leaving him with little confidence in Eric.

"Watch yourself, Kent boy! You have no idea who you're messing with."

Whitney threatened him bluntly.

"Is that so?"

Eric narrowed his eyes. A flash of crimson light passed through them, and naked killing intent surged from his body.

"Is this brain-damaged idiot talking to me?!"

Locked in Eric's killing intent, Whitney's entire body immediately stiffened.

It was as if he had been thrown into an icy cellar in an instant, making even breathing difficult.

The students watching, including Pete and Chloe, had no idea why Whitney had suddenly frozen in place.

"Whitney."

Seeing her boyfriend standing there unsteadily, even trembling slightly, Lana called out to him in a worried voice.

Just as she was about to step forward, her vision blurred.

At some point, Clark had appeared behind her boyfriend.

"Eric."

The suddenly appearing Clark placed a hand on his younger brother's shoulder.

With pleading in his eyes, Clark shook his head at Eric.

"Don't do anything... Eric, this is school."

Seeing the "Son of Krypton" acting so humbly before his goddess, Eric frowned and withdrew the killing intent directed at Whitney.

Though he had only arrived in this world sixteen years ago, Eric had often secretly gone to Metropolis for practical combat training.

Drug dealers, gangsters, robbers, and murderers. Many criminals had met miserable ends during his training.

Having grown accustomed to killing and bloodshed, the killing intent he casually released was naturally enough to leave ordinary people too terrified to move.

"Clark, do you think all this is worth it?"

Eric, who had been about to leave, suddenly stopped and asked Clark.

"What?"

Clark blinked in confusion.

"Whatever. Just don't play the good guy in front of me next time. My patience is limited, after all."

After saying that, Eric walked straight out of the hallway.

Leaving behind a lost and helpless Clark, as well as a teeth-gritting Whitney.

Seeing that there would be no show after all, the other students in the hallway dispersed as well.

"Clark, you were so cool today!"

When Clark approached the pair, Chloe greeted him with her "praise."

But judging by her gritted expression, it did not look like positive praise at all.

"Looks like Chloe is a little unhappy that you helped Whitney."

Pete shrugged.

"The football team tried to assassinate me. Can't I express my dissatisfaction?"

Chloe snatched the books from Pete's arms and complained irritably, "Shouldn't Whitney, the captain and chief culprit behind the team, take responsibility? If you hadn't shown up, Clark, that guy would probably have been beaten senseless by your brother."

"Sorry, Chloe."

Chloe, whose words came as fast as a machine gun, rolled her eyes. "Fine, I accept your apology. But next time you're around Lana, you'd better keep a clear head."

"Hey, Chloe, why does it seem like the football team is specifically targeting you?"

Seeing Clark's awkward expression, Pete immediately changed the subject.

"Probably because I wrote that article, 'Football: Sport or Abuse,' before?"

Chloe said sourly.

Listening to his two best friends chat, Clark turned his gaze toward Lana, who was leaving with her boyfriend.

Their eyes met, and Lana gave Clark a grateful look.

Whitney, meanwhile, looked at Clark with eyes full of resentment.

After entering the classroom, Eric began considering who might have stolen his lead box.

There were no signs that the locker lock had been forced open, which meant the thief had used a key.

That basically confirmed that the thief was someone from within the school.

After all, only someone at the school would have the chance to get hold of a key.

Was there anyone suspicious?

As he thought, Eric activated his super hearing, trying to receive and filter the voices of everyone in the school.

His super hearing was not yet absurd enough to cover an entire city.

But covering the entire campus within its range was no problem at all.

After his ears had been tortured for half an hour, Eric gave up on using super hearing to steal useful information.

He would probably be driven into depression by the chaotic, piercing noise before he found anything useful.

With super hearing proving ineffective, Eric used his super vision to search for clues.

Although his eyes could clearly see things several miles away, their effectiveness dropped sharply once he tried to see through walls or human bodies.

The progress of his "Homelander Template" had only reached 70%, meaning none of his abilities had yet reached Homelander's normal level.

After searching around without results, he reluctantly gave up on using his super vision.

Unlike Superman, he was unaffected by lead but was hindered by zinc. Unless someone had deliberately used zinc to block his vision, he would definitely have spotted any Kryptonite on campus.

Now that his super vision had found nothing, the odds of Kryptonite being on school grounds were extremely slim.

The day's classes soon came to an end.

After school, Eric slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked home.

The school bus had been sent in for repairs after yesterday's incident, so his only means of getting around was his own two feet.

Though, at his current level, even a bus was slower than walking.

Kent Farm.

"Eric, Clark didn't come back with you?"

Martha, who was preparing dinner in the kitchen, leaned out and asked Eric.

"No."

Eric was sitting at the dining table reading the Torch and gave a brief reply.

The Torch was Smallville High School's school paper. Though its print quality was average, the quality of its content far exceeded what one would expect from a school publication.

"I wonder where Clark went. If he went to a friend's house, he usually calls first."

Martha, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen and looked at the clock on the wall with concern.

The hour hand pointed to seven.

At this time on most days, Clark would normally be sitting at the dining table having dinner with his family.

"I'll call his classmates' houses. Eric, go look around nearby. Maybe Clark is somewhere near the farm."

Jonathan instructed Eric as he got up to make the calls.

Thanks to "Reader 1455147117727412224" for the donation. You've spent too much again—bows! Thank you all for your support. If you have any votes, please send some my way.