"Luthor?"
The bald young man standing in front of the stall smiled faintly.
"Call me Lex," he said warmly. "You did save my life, Clark."
Lex Luthor was dressed in a tailored silver-gray suit that looked expensive even at a glance. Despite his young age, he already carried the refined temperament of someone raised among elites. There was confidence in his posture and a calm intelligence in his eyes.
However, traces of youthful arrogance still lingered between his brows, the faint frivolity typical of someone who had grown up surrounded by enormous wealth.
At this moment, he had not yet become the cold and calculating billionaire the world would one day know.
Clark chuckled awkwardly.
"Even if you insisted on giving me that truck as a thank-you gift, you don't have to be so polite every time we meet."
Then he asked curiously.
"So why are you here, Lex?"
Clark still held a favorable impression of him. After all, Lex had gifted him a pickup truck to thank him for saving his life.
Lex spread his hands slightly and replied with a light, humorous tone.
"Why shouldn't I be here?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"Do you think my life should only consist of nightclubs, luxury boutiques, and sports car dealerships? Spending money all day and throwing parties?"
Clark laughed.
"I didn't mean that."
Lex shrugged.
"Besides, when someone feels a little depressed, going for a walk somewhere quiet can help clear the mind."
Victor raised an eyebrow and spoke calmly.
"So the heir to a billionaire empire wanders through the countryside like an ordinary tourist, strolling around a rural market and buying hot dogs and fruit to cheer himself up?"
His tone was casual, but the question carried a faint sharpness.
"Is the endless green of Metropolis's golf courses not relaxing enough?"
For a moment the atmosphere grew strangely delicate.
Clark sensed something odd immediately.
He had the vague feeling that his brother didn't particularly like Lex Luthor.
Clark couldn't quite understand why.
Personally, Clark felt some sympathy for Lex.
The last time he returned the pickup truck to the Luthor estate, the two of them had spoken for a while.
During that conversation, Clark had asked about Lex's bald head.
Lex had explained that more than ten years ago his father brought him to this town to inspect a fertilizer plant. On the same day, the devastating meteor shower struck.
After exposure to the strange radiation from the meteor storm, all of his hair had fallen out permanently.
Although Lex had spoken with a cold and dismissive tone, Clark could still remember the faint loneliness hidden behind those words.
"I was looked down upon by my father and mocked by classmates who thought I was some kind of freak," Lex had said.
"But it wasn't entirely a bad thing."
He had smirked slightly.
"It taught me a useful lesson. Solitude encourages clear thinking."
He paused for a moment before adding,
"Cattle and sheep move in herds. Wild beasts travel alone."
Clark remembered that even though Lex had sounded confident, his expression at the time had revealed that he hadn't completely come to terms with it.
Lex turned toward Victor now.
"And who might this be?"
"My brother, Victor," Clark said quickly.
Lex studied Victor quietly for a moment before offering a polite smile.
"Nice to meet you, Victor."
Victor simply nodded.
Lex sighed softly.
"The Metropolis Golf Club is wonderful," he admitted, "but I'm not in a hurry to return there."
He looked off toward the open countryside.
"Not until I stop being the laughingstock of everyone."
Clark frowned slightly.
"What happened, Lex?"
Lex chuckled self-deprecatingly.
"My father believes that the offspring of lions must prove themselves brave and capable."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Since I've reached this age without producing any results impressive enough to satisfy him, he decided to exile me here."
Lex spread his hands lightly.
"He assigned me to manage the fertilizer plant in this town."
The Luthor Group possessed enormous assets spread throughout the United States. In Metropolis especially, the company's influence touched nearly every aspect of daily life.
Food, transportation, construction, technology—the Luthor name appeared everywhere.
For someone who was supposed to inherit such a massive empire, being sent away from the company's core operations to manage a small fertilizer factory in a rural town was essentially a public demotion.
Among the wealthy circles of Metropolis, the reputation of the Luthor heir had never been particularly flattering.
Stories about Lex's reckless behavior during his youth had circulated for years.
Rumor had it that his father had spent staggering amounts of money building newspapers and even prisons just to prevent Lex's scandals from appearing in headlines or landing him behind bars.
Perhaps that cold and calculating old man had finally concluded that his son was hopeless.
Clark felt sympathy rising in his chest.
"Well," he said gently, "if you manage the fertilizer plant well, maybe your father will let you return someday."
He scratched his head.
"After all… I heard you're his only son."
Lex smiled faintly.
"Maybe."
Then his eyes gleamed with renewed energy.
"But I think focusing on that fertilizer plant would be rather boring."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Instead, I'd prefer to open a new path."
He adjusted his cuff calmly.
"Did you know that modern car glass originated from a failed chemistry experiment?"
"And Coca-Cola became popular because a doctor once tried to create a syrup to treat headaches."
Lex's voice became animated as he spoke.
"Clark, Victor, do you know how many massive business opportunities begin as something completely insignificant?"
"Like a seed buried beneath the soil."
"At first nobody notices it."
"But once the right person discovers it… waters it… nurtures it…"
He smiled.
"That seed can eventually grow into a towering tree admired by the world."
Clark laughed.
"So you came to the countryside to search for seeds?"
Lex smiled.
"Something like that."
Victor spoke slowly.
"Have you found the seed yet, Lex?"
Lex shook his head slightly.
"Not yet."
Then he added calmly,
"But no matter what you're searching for, patience is the most important thing, isn't it?"
For a brief moment, his eyes met Victor's.
Lex chuckled gracefully.
It had to be said that aside from the rumors of reckless behavior, Lex had clearly received excellent education and etiquette training. His speech was refined, his posture elegant, and his conversation charming.
People naturally felt comfortable around him.
Victor, however, felt none of that charm.
His eyes remained indifferent.
Because he understood something clearly.
Lex believed he had already discovered a seed.
He was merely in the process of digging it up.
And that seed was standing right beside Victor.
Clark Kent.
The boy who had been struck head-on by a sports car traveling over two hundred miles per hour, smashed through a concrete guardrail, plunged into a river… and emerged completely unharmed.
Today's meeting might very well be the beginning of Lex Luthor's quiet investigation.
"Clark, Victor!"
Jonathan's voice suddenly called out from behind them.
He and Martha had just finished negotiating with a customer and were returning to the stall with bright smiles.
"A customer is hosting a party and wants a large order of fruit," Jonathan explained. "But we didn't bring enough with us."
Victor and Clark stood up.
Clark quickly introduced Lex.
"Dad, Mom, this is Lex Luthor."
Lex immediately extended his hand politely.
"Mr. Kent, Mrs. Kent, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Jonathan paused briefly before shaking his hand.
Then he turned to his sons.
"You two should head back and bring more fruit. Don't keep the customers waiting."
His tone was polite but distant.
It was clear he had no intention of chatting with Lex.
Lex's smile remained on his face, but it stiffened slightly.
"Alright, Dad," Victor said.
He and Clark walked away toward the pickup truck.
Clark scratched his head as they exited the market.
"Dad doesn't seem to like Lex very much."
Victor sneered faintly.
"Dad has never liked the Luthor family."
"Before the Luthor Group used various methods to acquire land and build that fertilizer plant, the river near the town wasn't green."
He gestured toward the distant countryside.
"There used to be grass growing along the banks."
"The soil wasn't black and foul-smelling either."
Now, the pollution had become a permanent scar across the town's landscape.
Clark frowned.
"But that isn't Lex's fault," he said. "Back then he was just a kid."
Victor said nothing.
At that moment—
"Hey, Clark! Victor!"
Two familiar voices called out.
Clark turned and saw Chloe and Pete walking toward them happily.
"Perfect weather for a walk," Chloe said cheerfully, taking a deep breath of the fresh spring air.
"The sunshine feels amazing."
They chatted casually for a while before Pete suddenly remembered something.
"Oh right," he said. "Have you guys seen Greg?"
Clark shook his head.
"No. Why?"
Pete lowered his voice.
"You might not believe this."
"Yesterday Greg knocked Whitney unconscious at the school gate and sent him to the hospital."
Clark frowned in shock.
"What?"
Chloe crossed her arms.
"The police started investigating afterward."
"They went to Greg's house… and found his mother dead."
Pete glanced around cautiously before whispering,
"Her body was wrapped in something that looked like spider webbing."
"And Greg is missing."
The atmosphere immediately became tense.
Clark's expression darkened.
"You're saying… Greg killed his own mother?"
Chloe shrugged.
"It sounds impossible, but that's what the police suspect."
"Maybe whatever changed him mentally affected his mind too."
Pete looked serious.
"If you run into him, be careful."
Clark nodded slowly.
Victor also nodded thoughtfully.
Could kryptonite really cause both genetic mutations and psychological changes?
"Anyway," Chloe said suddenly, smiling again, "where's your stall?"
"We're not doing anything right now. We can help out."
"Thanks," Clark said gratefully.
After pointing them toward the stall, Clark and Victor climbed into the pickup truck and drove away.
Soon they reached a quiet rural road.
Clark gripped the steering wheel absent-mindedly, his thoughts clearly elsewhere.
"Clark," Victor said flatly, "maybe you should watch the road."
"If this truck flips over, we won't get hurt—but the farm will still have to pay for the damage."
Clark barely reacted.
"What if Greg really has gone crazy?" he said worriedly.
He glanced sideways.
"Would Lana be in danger?"
Victor suddenly narrowed his eyes.
"Move the wheel," he said sharply.
Clark blinked.
"What—?"
Victor grabbed the steering wheel instantly.
Ahead of them—
A dark figure suddenly dropped from the top of a roadside tree.
Moving with terrifying speed, like a mantis lunging at its prey, the figure crossed several meters in a single leap and crashed toward the truck with violent force.
....
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