Jonathan: I Bought Insurance, Locke! (Please Read On)

"Stone fragments injured his collarbone. Possibly..."

Locke repeated the doctor's words, but his eyes were unfocused. He was clearly still in a daze.

"Hey! Look at me!"

Jonathan shook his shoulders hard. "Dio needs you to stay awake right now!"

The words were like a bucket of ice water, jolting Locke awake.

He took a deep breath and was about to speak when the operating room door suddenly opened. A masked doctor stepped out, blood still staining his rubber gloves. "Who is Mr. Kent?"

"I am!" both men answered in unison.

In the end, Locke was the one who rushed forward in a single stride, his heart pounding wildly against his chest. "How is my child?"

"Please calm down, Mr. Kent."

"Your child was very fortunate—and very smart, considering how close he was."

"Maybe because he hid behind a large rock, there were barely any signs of blast impact on his body. And the fragment only grazed his collarbone. If it had gone any higher and hit an artery in his neck, it would have been dangerous."

"Oh, and one more thing." The doctor hesitated for a moment, removed his mask, and could not help adding, "The meteorite fragment seemed to contain some kind of radioactive substance? The dosage was not high, but the child had an abnormal reaction. His white blood cell count rose sharply after surgery, which may be somewhat dangerous. I recommend bringing him in for a physical every year—"

"Sorry, sorry. I was rambling."

Seeing Locke remain silent, the doctor thought he had put too much pressure on him.

After all, no family would not worry after something like this happened to their child.

"Can we see him?" Jonathan asked on behalf of the stunned Locke.

"Not yet." The doctor wiped the sweat from his forehead. "He needs to be observed in a sterile ward for twenty-four hours first."

Locke slumped onto the hospital's cold plastic chair, his hands unconsciously clenching and relaxing.

Radioactive substance.

Kryptonite.

The words kept circling through his mind.

"How could it be Kryptonite?"

He muttered inwardly, Clark had already been here for eight years, and the Kryptonian ship crashed back then too...

Unless...

It was not Kryptonite from Clark's ship, but from another one?

"Locke."

Jonathan's voice pulled him back to reality. The ever-optimistic farmer was now filled with guilt. "I'm sorry. I didn't keep an eye on Dio. If I'd noticed that he secretly followed you..."

Locke gave a bitter smile, shook his head, and patted his old friend on the shoulder.

"Jonathan, this isn't your fault. In the end, I was the one who brought the children to town."

"How could there be meteorites? And there wasn't any warning at all, just like back then."

Jonathan let out a long sigh and sat beside Locke. "It was far too dangerous. I heard two or three meteorites from that shower hit the town center. There was even a couple who were struck directly by one, leaving behind a daughter. It's heartbreaking."

Locke nodded mechanically, but his thoughts remained fixed on Kryptonite.

Suddenly, as if recalling something important, he rubbed his temples in frustration.

"Right, Jonathan. I forgot to tell you—the meteorite hit our cornfield."

"The new plot we bought?"

Jonathan's eyes widened. That was the new field they had only just cleared together!

"Yes." Locke nodded heavily. "I'll cover your share of the losses—"

"Ahem. Locke."

Jonathan's familiar smile returned. "Have you forgotten?"

"We bought commercial insurance! Meteorites, like airplanes, count as 'falling objects' and 'objects falling from the sky.' They're explicitly covered!"

Locke froze for two seconds, then broke into a helpless laugh.

Seeing Locke smile, Jonathan nodded in satisfaction.

"I'll go check on Martha."

He stood and headed toward the garden. "Get some rest first. I'll bring you something later while I'm at it."

Nodding, Locke sat alone on the bench in melancholy.

He looked out at the sky through the window—

It had returned to a tranquil azure, as if the disaster from hours ago had never happened.

Yet his gaze seemed to pierce through the clouds and see somewhere farther away.

If this really was Kryptonite, what did its appearance mean? Was it an accident, or some kind of signal?

"Tap, tap, tap."

Footsteps sounded down the corridor again, this time the crisp click of leather shoes against the floor.

Locke looked up and saw Lionel approaching with a pale-faced Lex.

And what was shocking was—

Little Luthor's already sparse hair had completely vanished, leaving only a smooth scalp that reflected an unnatural pallor beneath the lights.

"Mr. Kent."

Lionel stepped forward and solemnly shook Locke's hand. "I've heard everything. Dio is a hero."

"If possible, I would rather he hadn't become one." Locke shook his head with a bitter smile.

He regretted it.

He regretted teaching Dio about that so-called courage so early.

Lionel nodded in deep agreement, his gaze behind gold-rimmed glasses turning toward the operating room.

"Dio's medical expenses will be covered by LuthorCorp. In addition, I will cover your farm's losses." He paused, revealing a rare sincere smile. "After all, my child became a hero this time too, didn't he?"

The businessman turned and touched Lex's smooth head, rare warmth in his voice.

"Lex, your father sees you in a new light. You had the courage to follow Dio. That is good. But..."

His voice lowered. "Just like Mr. Locke, if possible, Father does not want you to grow through something like this."

Little Luthor nodded silently, though his eyes never left the operating room doors.

Locke reached out and gently touched Lex's smooth head, then looked at Lionel.

"The effects of radioactive material." Lionel sighed. "Initial examinations show that radiation from the meteorite's shock wave may have altered parts of Lex's DNA. The hair loss may be permanent."

"All right, I won't say more. You may need some time to settle your emotions."

Lionel adjusted his suit collar and took out a gold-embossed business card from his inner pocket, handing it to Locke.

The card gleamed with understated luxury beneath the corridor lights, its edges inlaid with LuthorCorp's signature pattern.

"And my company has many matters that need handling." His voice returned to the calm composure unique to a business elite. "Honestly, Mr. Locke, I sincerely admire you. Being able to rush into a cornfield without hesitation in a critical moment and face meteorites head-on..."

"Such courage is truly rare in today's society."

Accompanied by a faint scent of cedarwood, Locke took the card, his fingertips brushing over the raised gold lettering.

He casually turned it over twice.

A private number had been handwritten on the back of the business card.

"My previous invitation remains open at any time." Lionel gave a slight nod. "LuthorCorp's doors will always be open to you."

With that, he did not linger and took Lex's hand to leave.

Yet Lex, led away by his father, kept looking back toward the operating room.

His eyes were filled with complicated emotions—

Worry, reluctance, and a trace of newly born stubbornness.

"Come on, Lex." Lionel urged softly. "Let Dio rest properly."

The boy's bald head was especially conspicuous beneath the corridor lights.

He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he merely bowed to Locke. "Please... please thank Dio for me."

Watching the father and son depart.

Locke smiled helplessly.

Thank him?

I should be thanking you on Dio's behalf, Lex Luthor.

The doctor had made it very clear. Without Lex's desperate tackle, that meteorite could very likely have struck Dio in the neck or head!