Superman's Day of Suffering

"Or maybe Clark was avoiding an awkward silence."

Eric gently set down the newspaper in his hands.

"An awkward silence?"

Jonathan looked at Eric in confusion.

"Wandering around outside at night and only coming home after you and Mom have gone to bed, all to avoid an awkward silence."

Unlike Jonathan and Martha, Eric did not seem worried. He said casually, "Clark thinks he shouldn't be punished for having gifts."

"Did Clark tell you that?"

Martha asked with a slight frown.

"No. He usually doesn't open up to me, especially when he thinks Dad and I are on the same side."

"Fine, put the awkward silence aside for now. Eric, go look for him outside. I don't believe Clark would just wander around without telling us."

Jonathan took Eric's coat from the rack and handed it to him.

Eric said nothing more. After putting on his coat, he headed straight into the night.

He used his Super Vision to scan the surroundings.

The flat farmland was sparsely populated and unobstructed, allowing Eric's Super Vision to easily see objects miles away.

The secret base at the Fortress of Solitude, the school, Lana's farm, the bar.

He checked every place Clark might possibly be.

There was still nothing.

Eric's expression grew more serious.

Could something really have happened?

In a cornfield near Luthor Company's Third Fertilizer Plant, the silence was shattered.

"Huff! Huff!"

Heavy panting mingled with faint groans.

In a clearing within the cornfield stood a wooden cross.

Clark was bare-chested, wearing nothing but shorts, and was tightly bound to the cross.

A conspicuous "S" had been painted across his chest in red paint, while the hair on his forehead was soaked with sweat.

With his head lowered, Clark panted painfully as he tried to free his bound hands.

But the Kryptonite necklace hanging from his chest severely suppressed his strength, making even the slightest movement difficult.

Breaking free from the ropes binding him to the cross was out of the question.

Several miles away from Clark, in another cornfield, a curly-haired young man who looked like a high school student stood with his hands in his pockets, watching Clark on the cross as though he were suffering a crucifixion. His expression was complicated.

Whoosh!

A violent gust swept in, making the corn stalks sway wildly.

The young man raised a hand to shield his eyes from the dust.

When he opened them again, he found a stranger standing beside him.

Eric had arrived amid the gale.

Though he did not yet possess the ability to fly, after spending some time searching, he had finally found Clark.

Activating his Super Speed, he arrived in the cornfield in an instant.

The hurricane kicked up by his rapid movement sent the surrounding corn stalks toppling in every direction.

"Did you do this?"

Eric glanced at Clark bound to the cross in the distance and asked the curly-haired young man bluntly.

"Me? I couldn't do something like that. It was those guys from the football team."

Though startled by Eric's imposing presence, the curly-haired young man shook his head in denial.

"Before every game, those bastards pick a scarecrow, tie him up here, and humiliate and torture him!"

The young man seemed deeply dissatisfied with the football team's actions as well. Hatred showed in his eyes. "I thought they would stop after what happened, but they only got worse! Evil never disappears, and they never reflect or change!"

As Eric listened, his eyes narrowed. "Sounds like you were once hung on a cross and used as a scarecrow too. What's your name?"

"Jeremy."

The curly-haired young man smiled faintly. "Have you heard my name before?"

"Uh-huh. You're the guy who was tied up here as a scarecrow three years ago and then disappeared, right?"

Eric had heard that three years ago, some unlucky guy had been selected by the football team to be tied to a cross as a scarecrow. The next day, the "scarecrow" had mysteriously vanished.

That unlucky guy seemed to have been named Jeremy.

As that thought flashed through Eric's mind, he slowly turned to face Jeremy. A red glint flashed through his eyes. "Jeremy, I think you must have heard my name too."

"Why would I have heard your name?" Jeremy asked in surprise.

"Eric Kent! When you stole the meteorite from my locker, you must have seen that name on it."

The moment he finished speaking, scarlet light shot from Eric's eyes.

Sizzle!

The searing Heat Vision, though limited by the Homelander template and unable to reach full power, still pierced through Jeremy's shoulder in an instant.

"Argh!"

With a scream, Jeremy was blasted away by the force of the Heat Vision.

Bang!

His body slammed heavily into the cornfield and continued sliding backward across the ground.

The earth was plowed into a deep trench, while the struck corn stalks were flattened and shattered into pieces.

"Cough, cough."

Lying amid the completely flattened corn stalks, Jeremy coughed painfully.

Clutching his shoulder, he struggled to his feet.

The next second, Eric stood before him.

"Your physical capabilities surpass those of ordinary people. You can still stand after that. You used Kryptonite to strengthen your body, didn't you?"

Eric's cold voice entered his ears.

"You!"

Jeremy wanted to say something, but Eric punched him in the stomach.

"Pfft!"

He spat out a mouthful of blood.

It felt as though his stomach had been struck by a speeding locomotive, his organs seeming to shift out of place in an instant.

"Surprised? I can sense the smell of Kryptonite. It's inside your body. You stole the key to my locker and took my Kryptonite, didn't you?"

From the very first moment he saw him, Eric had known that this man was the thief who had stolen his Kryptonite.

Not only could he sense the smell of Kryptonite coming from the other man's body, but his scent also matched the trace left in front of Eric's locker.

"Ungh!"

Blood trickled from the corner of Jeremy's mouth, but he did not answer. He only glared at Eric with hatred in his eyes.

The next second, a massive ball of energy erupted from his body!

Silver-white arcs of lightning shot into the sky like silver serpents!

More lightning carrying intense high-voltage electricity surrounded Eric.

"Bastard, die!"

With silver light flashing in his eyes, Jeremy roared. The crackling lightning surged toward Eric in an instant.

The violent lightning filled the sky, making even the air tremble faintly.

"Is this the power of lightning?"

To Jeremy's despair, Eric stood unharmed within the mass of lightning.

Other than his clothes being somewhat tattered.

Eric stretched out a hand and lightly clenched it. The lightning surrounding him immediately vanished without a trace!

Thanks to "Reader 1455147117727412224" for the tip. Muah! Have a great weekend, everyone!