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Whitney stood coldly, blocking the path of both David and Clark.
"Whitney, what do you want?" Clark looked wary and suspicious, being stopped at his doorstep.
"It's pretty obvious. He can't beat you over Lana in a straightforward manner, so he plans to use other methods."
David couldn't quite understand that because Clark's character was shy and honest. He wasn't particularly well-versed in romance either. While Whitney was the typical handsome blond guy, he hadn't lost many points in looks, and considering his past emotional history with Lana, he was a failure if he couldn't compete with Clark.
"Clark, I warned you. You can't blame me for what's going to happen today."
Whitney clenched his fist with his hands out of his pockets, making a cracking sound. His expression was as if he were a beast about to launch an attack.
"Whitney, what gave you the guts to show up in front of our house like this?"
Ignoring his aggressive posture, David questioned Whitney, with a puzzled tone.
Whitney admitted to himself that he had been feeling a bit intimidated by David after he handed him and his friends their asses, but that was in the past.
"I admit you are very good at fighting, but you can't even touch a single hair of mine now."
Whitney sneered and rolled up his sleeve, revealing a fluorescent tattoo that had been hidden beneath his clothes.
Ever since he joined that group, this tattoo granted him power, abilities that normal people didn't possess.
"Whitney, even if you were to beat me up, it wouldn't change anything."
Under the radiation unique to the meteorite, Clark's Kryptonian super strength rapidly dissipated. His legs weakened, and he appeared uncomfortable, attempting to reason.
"This method of yours is exactly what Lana doesn't like."
"I'll beat you first."
Clark's words were like adding fuel to the fire. Jealousy flared up in Whitney's eyes as he swung a punch toward Clark, who was caught off guard.
David stepped in, attempting to intercept the punch that wouldn't even qualify as a scratch to him.
"I'll just let you see my strength. See how I'll discipline your disobedient brother right in front of you!"
With his fist raised, Whitney sneered contemptuously, his body becoming a blur as he passed through David and lunged at Clark with a punch aimed at his head.
"Huh?"
David turned with a furrowed brow, witnessing Whitney's swift movement, which appeared slowed down to him as a silent film played at a fraction of its speed.
He vanished from his original position, taking Clark along with him, blinking almost 20 to 30 meters away.
The punch, intended to land for sure, missed as Whitney's fist struck empty air. The two brothers disappeared, almost like specters, appearing in the distance.
His expression changed, and David took a deep breath, wondering if he was hallucinating.
"You... How did you do that?"
"Whitney, your body...?"
Away from the radiation-imbued tattoo, Clark regained a bit of his strength. He remembered the scene where Whitney had phased through his brother like a ghost and was equally surprised.
"Are you okay, David?" he hurriedly turned to ask his brother, who had been phased through.
"I'm fine."
David replied briefly, raising an eyebrow as he looked at the bewildered Whitney in the distance.
Whitney had gained abilities from the meteorite as well. That wasn't all that surprising.
'If other people in town would gain abilities from the meteorite. How could the romantic rival of DC's son, Clark, remain uninvolved? And Whitney's abilities seem to be unique!'
"Do you have powers too? Do you have a tattoo as well?"
Clark, who was weakened, was outright ignored. Whitney stared at David in shock and anger.
Recalling how he and his team members had been defeated by this guy, who might have gained special abilities, and how he had been embarrassed in front of everyone, Whitney finally understood how they were defeated back then.
Whitney believed that some tattoos had given him these powers.
"I finally understand how you beat us back then!"
Whitney thought that he had ability due to those tattoos?
"Don't think of me as one of you meteor freaks."
David glanced at the tattoo on Whitney's wrist, his eyes narrowing slightly.
'Could someone have noticed the effect of Kryptonite fluorescence and developed unique tattoos based on it?'
How many people were tattooed like this? Would there be a new wave of powered individuals in town now?
"Once I beat you down, let's see if you can maintain that superior attitude!"
Whitney charged over, roaring like an enraged bull.
Swish!
David kicked a small rock from under his foot.
The rock shot out like a bullet on the road, but it passed right through Whitney's body, causing him no harm. Whitney sneered and continued charging.
"It's pointless. You can't hurt me at all!"
"Can you precisely control your powers and allow objects to pass through? Or is it that you don't need to control it at all?"
With a flicker, David appeared behind Whitney, swinging a hand chop downward.
Whitney, with his speed, couldn't possibly react in time to David's movement. His attack landed like striking through a hologram, barely noticeable.
Swish!
There was a sharp sound due to the attack traveling through the air.
Once David finished his strike, Whitney only belatedly realized that he had been punched, so he abruptly turned his head to see David behind him. With anger in his eyes, Whitney threw a punch, only for it to miss again.
David effortlessly dodged Whitney's attack and reappeared several dozen meters away, calmly observing him.
Whitney felt like a monkey being toyed with, letting out a frustrated growl.
"Instead of dodging around, why don't you stand your ground? What's so impressive about evading?"
But David paid him no attention.
'Is it an ability that doesn't require constant adjustment, something passive?' David mused, his eyes deep in thought.
Whitney had gained powers. Although he didn't have the speed and strength of previous superhumans; he was no stronger than an average person.
'But in terms of defense, he's exceptionally unique in that area!'
Directly transforming into a phantom, penetrating all physical matter, immune to physical attacks!
Even Superman would have a hard time dealing with it.
David's eyes slightly narrowed.
"Whitney, calm down."
Seeing that David's speed far exceeded his own, Whitney threw a punch at Clark. However, Clark wouldn't just stand still waiting for him to hit. Especially since his arm emitted a kryptonite glow, he hurriedly retreated several tens of meters.
"You have abilities too? Well, of course, you're fucking brothers!"
Shocked by Clark also demonstrating ghostly speed, Whitney looked at this one, then at that one, facing two brothers he couldn't even touch, he angrily roared.
"If you're capable, don't hide, face me like a man."
Just now, he said that David couldn't even touch a strand of his hair, and now he looked like a clown, even more embarrassed.
"Look now I'm not hiding, what can you do then?"
Having some suspicion about his abilities, David remained expressionless and flashed in front of Whitney.
Bang!
Whitney's fist hit David's chest hard. Despite the force of about eight to nine hundred pounds, even a scratch couldn't be made. It felt like hitting a steel plate, and he withdrew his hand in pain and backed away: "Why is your body so hard, my hand!"
Ignoring Whitney's muffled groan, David frowned and looked at his palm.
'I originally thought that Whitney's ability would at least restore solidity when he physically attacked someone.'
Being hit by a painless and numb attack on his chest for a millisecond, he didn't expect that his attempt to grab it would be met with air.
However, his speed was too fast; Whitney didn't notice at all.
'Even when attacking others, his body remains intangible?'
He can hit others, but others can't hit him, his body oscillating between solidity and intangibility?
"Your ability is quite impressive, but unfortunately, your strength and speed are too weak."
Looking up, David sighed slightly in amazement.
Having such an ability would almost make him invincible. And with a bit of super strength and speed, even a fully grown Clark would find dealing with Whitney quite challenging.
"If I hadn't held back earlier, you'd be lying on the ground in agony now, instead of having the strength to mock me."
Amid the burning pain, Whitney covered his bruised hand and gritted his teeth in a low growl.
He shouldn't have held back; he should have taught this arrogant guy a lesson he'd remember for life!
"Oh? How are you going to deal with me?"
David asked, genuinely curious.
Unlike Clark, who has a kryptonite weakness, so he can only stand at a distance and not approach Whitney., David didn't have any of these vulnerabilities.
"I'll pass through your flesh and strike your heart with a punch!"
Whitney wouldn't believe that if he'd punched the delicate organs and guts with force, David could still mock him so casually.
"You'll be on your knees, knowing the hellish pain!"
He said, throwing another punch.
"Is that all?"
David thought there might be more to his abilities and effortlessly dodged.
With his physical strength, even if his internal organs were hit by a missile, it wouldn't be a problem. But he had no interest in standing still and being attacked by Whitney, who now knew his capabilities.
"Go home, Whitney."
Clark teleported close, restraining David, and standing between the two, a serious expression on his face as he advised Whitney to go home.
"This ends here. It was just a momentary impulsive anger. Don't go down the path of crime."
He understood his brother's personality deeply. David could ignore the previous attacks, but the recent attempt to strike his internal organs definitely struck a nerve.
"You're too late for that."
Thinking about the situation, Whitney's face twisted in anger.
"How do you think I got this tattoo?"
"What do you mean?" Clark's expression changed. Could Whitney have used this ability to do something bad?
"The bank robbery, was it you and the others?"
David remembered the peculiar bank heist from the noon news report. The vault door and floor were intact, but the jewelry and gold bars had disappeared.
"I had almost convinced Lana to change her mind and get back with me, this is all because of you!"
Ignoring their conversation, Whitney swung his fist once again at Clark.
In only just a few days of additional football training, Clark took away Lana from him. When he tried to find Lana again, she politely asked him not to keep bothering her.
"She doesn't want others to misunderstand that we're still together."
"Tell me who those 'others' are, Clark!"
As they stood tens of paces apart, a humiliated feeling of being played with arose in Whitney, his clenched fist reflecting his furious gaze.
It was obvious to him who that "other person" was. After that, he went to a bar and ended up meeting a group of people unintentionally.
Among them was someone who had seen his baseball game and thought he was a strong candidate. They brought him into their group.
"Just mix a little tattoo ink with meteorite solution, and you can gain the power of intangibility, allowing you to enter and exit bank vaults as if they were nothing."
"But I never thought that I and the others would easily trick the police. Now, I just want to teach you a lesson that you can't achieve."
Voicing his great resentment, Whitney's eyes gradually turned sinister.
"Clark, David, I wonder if your parents have this kind of ability too!"
He thought of how to force the two of them closer to him.
"That's enough, stop."
Watching Whitney walk towards the farmhouse cabin, Clark's face showed shock. He swiftly moved to intercept him, saying in a low voice, "You've changed, Whitney!"
He couldn't understand.
Despite being rivals with Whitney all along, the previous Whitney had been arrogant, rude, and concerned about his image, but he was never capable of these things.
"Jealousy is one of humanity's original sins, and learning to deal with it is difficult..."
David wasn't interested in how Whitney had become this way. He only heard that he intended harm to his parents. David's voice turned icy, his eyes glowing with a purple light. "Turning bad, however, is quite simple!"
Bang!
A purple energy beam shot through Whitney's legs and hit the ground beneath him.
Like a missile strike, dirt exploded, creating a deep pit over two meters tall. Although Whitney wasn't harmed, he fell into the pit.
"So, you can shoot lasers from your eyes like a robot."
"David, you've truly amazed me."
David appeared next to the edge of the pit. Whitney stood up from the bottom, his shock barely concealed. Looking at each other.
"But do you think this can stop me?"
Whitney clenched his fist and used his intangible ability to walk through the earth, like walking through water, step by step back up to the surface.
"The power to topple skyscrapers doesn't even scratch you. Your ability is quite intriguing, the combination of tangibility and intangibility."
Watching this scene, David's face remained impassive. He spoke calmly, "But did you realize? you're still breathing."
Breathing was a fundamental fact of life, something people often ignore subconsciously, but not him.
Whitney's human nature hadn't changed fundamentally. He couldn't fly, couldn't defy gravity, and most crucially, he needed to breathe.
Snap!
Whitney's steps faltered. Looking at David's emotionless face, he felt a sense of foreboding. However, he coldly smiled.
"So what? Can you lock me in a box and suffocate me?"
"Is there anything that can lock me up?"
Whitney paused, his tone mocking. He lunged forward, attempting to plunge his hands into David's chest to grasp his heart, but as expected, he missed.
"Or perhaps you intend to take all the air from my surroundings in one breath?"
Everyone needed to breathe; it wasn't really a weakness.
"I don't possess that ability."
David sidestepped several meters away, using cosmic energy to emit a high-temperature beam that swept the surroundings.
Hiss!
"Ugh..."
The intense heat vaporized the air within dozens of meters. Just as Whitney emerged from the ground, he struggled to breathe, collapsing to the ground. His face turned red from the effort, and he clutched his neck, gasping for air.
"But I have another method to achieve the same effect." David paused before continuing casually.
"I... I can't breathe, save... save me!"
Crawling on the ground, struggling to escape the thin atmosphere, Whitney's face had turned purple. He reached out a trembling hand toward the approaching death, a look of desperation in his eyes.
"David?"
Clark, accustomed to his younger brother's ruthless methods, rushed forward to help Whitney, who was on the brink of suffocation.
But as soon as he neared Whitney, the kryptonite-infused tattoo turned him back into an ordinary human, or perhaps even weaker. He began to feel lightheaded and oxygen-deprived, eventually losing consciousness.
After a few seconds, David turned and carried the unconscious Clark away. As for the dying Whitney, he glanced at the kryptonite tattoo on his wrist and withdrew his gaze, unaffected.
'Tangibility and intangibility through tattoos...'
"I... I don't want to die."
His vision darkening, overwhelmed by the pain of suffocation, Whitney's consciousness faded. The last thing he saw was David's cold expression.
Regret surged within him – he shouldn't have come to teach the two brothers a lesson. But it was too late.
Thud.
His hand, extended in supplication and plea, fell weakly to the ground. Whitney gradually lost his breath.
…..
"Why, why is it like this!"
The bright mirror was thrown harshly onto the ground, and the copper antique mirror shattered and deeply embedded into the floor, disappearing from sight.
Behind the desk, Atkins stood screaming like a shrew, her voice hoarse and extremely unpleasant.
Even though she now possessed immense strength, astonishing speed, and a body stronger than steel that could withstand blades and bullets, even a machine gun seemed like a toy before her. As if she were a true god, it still couldn't compensate for what she had lost.
"This is simply not right!"
In the decoratively antique and elegant study, Luther's eyes were filled with a love deeper than the ocean. He stood beside her like a devoted servant as if he wouldn't hesitate for a moment even if the current Atkins were to carve out his own heart.
Even though Atkins's current appearance was incredibly ugly, her body bloated, her skin rough like sandpaper, her voice as unpleasant as a vulture's cry, like a monstrous creature that could quiet a crying child.
She tightly gripped the stone in her hand, her gaze urgent and fierce.
"So, this is the wish the wishing stone granted me? No, I can't accept this. I need to make another wish!"
"Wait a moment, something's not right."
Atkins suddenly thought of something.
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