Despite Clark's struggle to adjust his position in the fall as a means of resisting the gravitational pull of the earth...
But Luke's foot was like a cannonball, hitting his chest with all his strength. Clark's bones were aching all over.
Clark found it incredibly difficult to even stretch a few fingers, let alone fly.
The out-of-control body rapidly flew and left the atmosphere in an instant.
Looking at the posture, it seemed like his head was down. He would land on his face first.
Boom!
A red streak was seen trailing a blaze of fire as it slammed down onto the hard ground.
A loud bang shook the Earth.
A large amount of smoke and dust rose like a grey-yellow wave rolling, sending up powerful air currents.
The solid rock formation collapsed, revealing a large oval crater.
"Cough cough ..."
Clark gasped. He barely opened his eyes and saw the dark red cloak that was fluttering uncontrollably.
"Are you awake now?"
Luke softly asked with a kind smile on his face.
The Kryptonian younger cousin, who was still firmly occupied by the negative personality, opened his mouth slightly. He seemed to be brewing some unfriendly swear words beginning with 'f'.
"Think before you answer. There is a price to pay for saying the wrong thing."
Luke cheerfully said so, but his kind eyes seemed dangerous.
He looked down on Clark, whose mind had been affected by the kryptonite, with a condescending look.
The thought of being shot down from outer space just now caused his young cousin's body to tense up.
"I'm awake, I'm awake."
After spawning a negative personality, Clark appeared to be a lot smarter than before.
Or rather, better at reading people's eyes.
"Are you really awake?"
Luke still seemed approachable and kind.
"Really! Cousin, I don't think I've ever been as sober as I am now!"
The young cousin, quite obedient to his inner will, replied.
Look at the way he addressed his 'cousin'; it was as if the previous fight was all a misunderstanding.
"That's good."
Luke nodded and casually asked, "It's question time. If you're sitting in a car and couldn't get through because of a traffic jam, and you happen to be in a hurry, what would you do?"
Clark was a little confused. 'Why is he suddenly asking that?'
Out of his first internal judgement, he subconsciously said, "Tell the driver to drive the car on the pavement? The road is crowded, but the sides should be wide open."
Luke couldn't help but give a thumbs up when he heard this and praised, "A very honest answer."
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Three punches were sent out!
The young cousin, who had collapsed in the pit, nearly vomited blood.
"Cousin, why are you beating me up again?!"
Clark's negative personality felt equally aggrieved.
'Was that the wrong answer?'
'If there's a traffic jam and you're in a hurry, why not drive to the sidewalk?'
"Because you didn't obey the rules of the road, Clark."
Luke withdrew his fist and then said, "How about you think again? What would you do?"
"Well, quietly sit in the car, listen to the radio, waiting for the traffic situation to ease...?"
Clark, who had a few more bruises on his left eye, thought carefully and came up with the standard answer.
"Very well, that more like what Superman would say."
Luke nodded with satisfaction. He felt that even though the black kryptonite distorted Clark's mind and gave birth to a negative personality...
He could still use the iron fist of justice to rehabilitate his younger cousin and bring him back to his senses.
Luke couldn't help smiling at the glittering tears in Clark's eyes.
'My younger cousin must have been moved by my good intentions, so he let out touching tears.'
"So, do you still want to rule the world?"
Luke, like a census worker, asked with concern.
"No, I don't want to."
Clark had learned his lesson this time. Even though his head was full of dark, evil and terrible thoughts, he would never say them.
"I just want to live a quiet life, work at sunrise and rest at sunset, and be a simple farmer."
Luke's mouth twitched. If he ignored his younger cousin's evasive eyes, he might really think that the negative personality that occupied Clark's body was preparing to turn over a new leaf.
After asking a few questions, Luke confirmed that Clark hadn't been subjected to some kind of psychotic attack that made people lose their minds and go crazy.
'What if it was some kind of charm magic or mind control or something?' There was no way the younger cousin could have kept such a clear mind.
Considering the kryptonite that was scattered throughout the town, he thought it was possible that Clark had been influenced by it.
Luke clearly remembered that, among the many types of kryptonite, black kryptonite could split a personality in two, giving people an opposite personality.
Like Clark and Supergirl Kara, both have had this experience before.
Thud!
Casually knocking his younger cousin's negative personality out with a blow, Luke carried the other party back to town.
He arrived at the Luthor villa and saw Lex, who had passed out, and the black crystal that had rolled onto the carpet.
With his strong Super Kryptonian physique, Luke had no fear of being fatally affected by the radiation energy of the kryptonite.
He bent down to pick up the piece of black kryptonite, placed it in his palm and played with it for a moment, and returned it to its lead box.
"Lex, are you all right?"
Luke patted the unconscious godson. He used his Super Vision to tentatively determine that the other party only had a few broken bones, and the problem was minor and not life-threatening.
Compared with physical injuries, the shock may be a little worse.
After all, it seems that Lex should have been the first to discover this rare piece of black kryptonite.
Therefore, he might have been influenced before Clark, which spawned a negative personality.
The thought of this gave Luke a bit of a headache.
At this period of time, Lex Luthor was barely a normal teenager with a good character.
Although he was a little too proud and liked to show off, it was just some harmless minor things.
Luke didn't want to see Lex get his personality split by the black kryptonite and thus go down the path of a villain.
"I hope he's okay."
He threw Clark, who was knocked unconscious, and Lex onto the bed in the next bedroom.
The radiation energy of the kryptonite was time-limited, and his younger cousin would regain consciousness in a while.
As for Lex, he would have to see if he could recover later.
If it really didn't work out, Luke would have to find someone from the magical world to give his godson a little spiritual healing.
At this point in time, Constantine, the Hellblazer, wasn't born yet.
But people like Doctor Fate, Madame Xanadu and others had already appeared.
Luke was confident that with his personal charm, the other parties wouldn't refuse to do him this little favour.
For the next few days, Luke stayed in Lex's villa.
Clark, who was internally consumed with negativity, sobered up several times during this period. At first, he tried to escape his older cousin's clutches and regain his freedom.
Who else in this world would be a match for him, other than Luke?
As long as he was out of the other's grasp, Clark could live a comfortable life.
But each time Luke caught him, he was beaten up.
His younger cousin learned his lesson and became much more obedient.
By contrast, Lex was very quiet.
The negative personality caused by the black kryptonite changed his temperament.
More reserved and more inclined to use devious tricks.
Most of the reason why Clark got his ass kicked so many times was Lex's underhanded encouragement.
But facing Luke, who had no weaknesses and looked invincible...
Even if Superman and Luthor both teamed up, it wouldn't help.
...
...
After nearly two weeks of living in seclusion, the evil, terrifying voice in Clark's head finally disappeared.
He felt like he had been sleeping for a long time. Then he opened his hazy eyes, overwhelmed by the strangeness of everything before him.
"What did I do?"
Clark recalled some bits and pieces and suddenly felt a strong sense of guilt.
He remembered the way he set fire to a car with his Heat Vision, using unbridled violence to send the town's inhabitants running in panic and fear...
He even tried to kill his older cousin.
The bad memories made Clark feel awful.
"Looking at the guilty look on your face, you're probably really sober now."
Luke's voice came from the doorway. He was carrying some hot milk and cereal and handed it to his younger cousin.
"Are you enjoying living with Lex these days ... no, I should say sharing a bed?"
Clark automatically ignored his older cousin's ambiguous banter since he was the one who forbade them from leaving the master bedroom on the second floor of the villa.
Fortunately, Lex's villa was large, and there was plenty of living space.
Of course, no matter how large the bedroom was, there was only one bed.
So, Luke was right to say that Superman and Luthor shared a bed.
"Did I hurt those ... innocent people?"
Clark looked sad. For Superman, who had a higher sense of morality, this was a terrible thing to do.
If he had hurt, or killed innocent townspeople while he was out of his mind, then he probably wouldn't have been able to break out of the psychological trauma for the rest of his life.
"I haven't heard of any casualties for the time being; you just caused some financial losses."
Luke shrugged and whispered, "Like the collapsed shops, the streets and roads that need to be repaired, and some of the buildings that have been affected ... but you don't have to worry, it's all being paid for by Vought Enterprise."
Clark took the breakfast, casting a grateful look at his older cousin.
"Where's Lex? How is he?"
The younger cousin asked with some concern as he ate and drank his fill and glanced at his still unconscious best friend.
"He's also influenced by the black kryptonite and is still under observation."
Taking Clark out of the bedroom, Luke examined the other party to make sure the negative personality was gone.
The Super Kryptonian H'el card he had, was quite powerful in terms of mental abilities and was no less powerful than a psychic like the White Queen.
"As many have seen, Superman had turned into a raging criminal."
Luke sat behind his desk and folded his arms, looking over at Clark, who hadn't gotten over his feelings of remorse.
"Clark, you need to restore your image. In technical terms, you need an urgent PR campaign."
'PR?'
The younger cousin looked up with confusion in his eyes.
"That's right; there must be no stain on the image of justice. This will make the public suspicious of you, wary of you, and even reject you."
Luke snapped his fingers, like an agent at an entertainment company, and began to analyse the negative effects of Superman's loss of control.
"So, what should I do?"
Clark scratched his head. He really didn't know what he should do.
"First of all, you need to communicate with the outside world; an equal conversation brings trust, and the power of words can change the public's impression of you."
Luke spoke eloquently, slightly leaning back in his broad chair.
"Secondly, a well-prepared press conference. A public appearance will help boost Superman's fame, allowing people to 'get to know' you and flesh out your image."
"Finally, there is the packaging. Generally speaking, stars need to specifically develop a persona that meets the aesthetic and likability of the public, such as genius, academic master, and so on. Graduating from a prestigious school is just a basic requirement, various awards, and then make up and exaggerate some stories, such as sitting under a tree and then an apple dropped on your head, and you discovered the basic laws of how the world works."
"Or if you chopped down a cherry tree as a child and later revealed a rare and good quality by being brave enough to admit your mistake ..."
"The public loves interesting, inspirational stories and legends that go beyond the imagination; they satisfy the innermost desires and emotions of most people."
Clark was confused. He just wanted to be a superhero. Why was it so difficult?
"Fortunately, Superman doesn't need a persona, you just need to be genuine, and the public will be impressed."
Luke smiled and seriously said so.
"Clark, you're kind enough and righteous enough. You don't lack the courage to devote yourself ... the world needs such a moral symbol."
His younger cousin looked down, seemingly a bit embarrassed.
He believed that he wasn't as perfect as his older cousin said he was at all and had many shortcomings.
"So, get ready for your debut, Clark! Let everyone see you and see Superman!"
Luke said so.
This was his plan.
There was no need for Superman to hide himself.
The fact that Clark Kent was the son of Krypton shouldn't be a secret.
Not to mention the Justice League, like the various villains; even the government and A.R.G.U.S, knew about it.
It was better known than 'Batman is Bruce Wayne'.
"Is it really okay?"
Clark still hesitated.
"You have to believe in yourself, and you have to believe in me."
Luke said with a nod.
...
...
Another week went by.
At the Hilton Hotel in Metropolis, the venue on the 31st floor.
Newspapers, magazines, and television reporters, large and small, all received invitations from Vought Enterprise.
To summarise what was written, it basically said, 'I have a big announcement to make, so if you need a headline, come on in'.
"What's Vought Enterprise going to announce? The partnership plan with the Lexcorp, or the fact that it's got a defense contract from the military?"
"That wouldn't make headlines anymore. Don't you see that even the editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet is here? Something big must have happened!"
"I prefer to keep track of Superman's news. It's a much more significant boost to newspaper sales."
"Superman? He disappeared for some time. I heard that he went crazy in a small town in Kansas, causing a lot of casualties. We are going to do an article on that matter."
"..."
There was a lot of discussion in the venue, even if the press conference hadn't started yet.
Apart from the staff of the organisers, the main character hadn't shown up yet, and everyone was acting relaxed.
"Ahem, welcome to Vought Enterprise's press conference."
Luke, wearing a suit, walked on stage and tested the microphone to see if it was working.
"The reason I have invited you all is to introduce you to someone."
"He is Metropolis' son of tomorrow and a superhero in the eyes of the public ..."
"He has stopped derailed and overturned trains and saved hundreds of lives from a falling plane ..."
As Luke's powerful voice resonated throughout the room, everyone held their breath, and a glint of anticipation rose in their eyes.
"... it's an honour to introduce him to everyone here."
After a long speech, Luke stepped aside.
Behind them, the doors to the right opened, and a red cloaked person entered the venue.
With a tall, strong and sturdy frame, he walked up to the stage and took hold of the microphone.
"I am Superman."
So he said.
The words fell like a heavy bomb into the water, stirring up a raging wave of voices.
...
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