The next day dawned, and the Kent family set off in their old pickup truck, enjoying the highway scenery along the way. The atmosphere was starkly different from when Clark was alone, and the gloom in his heart gradually dispersed.
"Welcome back next time…" Around noon, coming out of a buffet restaurant in the city, Robert left satisfied, while the restaurant manager, with a forced smile, saw off Robert and his family, bracing himself for the guests who hadn't had their fill.
It wasn't the manager's fault for being unprepared; from Robert's satisfaction, it was evident how much he had consumed.
During the meal, the manager had his suspicions about Robert, but Jonathan, well-prepared, presented a competitive eater's certificate, leaving the manager speechless and resigned to his fate.
"Oh? Then I'll come back next time. I must say, your food really suits my taste…" Robert's eyes lit up at the manager's words, looking forward to it, "though the portion for the steak was a bit small. I suggest adding pasta to each serving, and those tasty breads could be more plentiful!"
The manager's mouth twitched slightly, then, looking around, he whispered to Robert, "Kid, how about this, I'll give you money to go to Frank's Buffet down the street on the left. Their price is five dollars higher than ours, but they offer more bread and the chefs cook steaks faster."
"Really? That's great!" Robert laughed, thrilled by the unexpected gain from just a meal. It seemed there was more to be gained than just prize money from eating contests!
Soon, with the money discreetly given by the manager, Robert promised not to return, easing the manager's worries as he went to attend to other customers.
However, Robert didn't head to another buffet right away; he planned to try it on the way back, considering Clark still owed him a second meal.
Thus, the Kents hit the road again. After a while, as Clark listened to Martha's jokes, his expression suddenly turned serious. He fixed his gaze ahead, where a storm was brewing into a tornado, wreaking havoc and devouring everything in its path!
"Wait! Dad! Stop!" At the same time, meditating Robert sensed something was amiss. He opened his eyes, looked in the direction of the tornado, and urgently called out. Jonathan, driving, also saw the distant tornado and the people and cars fleeing towards them.
Instinctively, Jonathan stopped the car and got out to look. Seeing the panicked people running towards them, he snapped back to reality and shouted to the three, "Quick! Take cover under that bridge!"
Following Jonathan's words, he began guiding the panicked people, while Clark, instinctively following his father's instructions, headed for the bridge with Martha.
"What a joke? We're young and strong. You're here to evacuate the crowd, and we're supposed to hide?" Robert refused to blindly follow Jonathan's command, joining him to help evacuate the people instead.
Clark, regaining his senses, quickly told Martha, "Mom, go under the bridge first, I'll help…"
"Be careful!" Martha, worried, nodded. She didn't show any intention of holding them back but hurried to the bridge, anxiously twisting her fingers while watching her family.
Despite knowing Clark and Robert were extraordinary, Martha felt utterly uncertain facing such a terrifying natural disaster.
And if Clark and Robert revealed their remarkable abilities, it could lead to more trouble later on.
"Helping is fine, but remember what I've always said!" Jonathan, sharing the same concern, didn't mind his sons helping but didn't want their abilities exposed.
"Okay! We'll be careful!" Clark quickly nodded, joining Robert in evacuating the surrounding crowd.
At first, the evacuation went smoothly, but as the tornado approached, the wind pressure increased, causing chaos among the people. Robert and Clark were fine, but even Jonathan began to struggle.
"Dad, go to the bridge with them, Clark and I can handle it here!" Seeing this, Robert frowned and shouted to Jonathan.
"No!" Jonathan was stubborn. He had always hoped Clark wouldn't intervene in crises, but facing this disaster, he chose to help others, contradicting his teachings yet making sense.
Jonathan was a kind man, willing to risk danger to save others while not wanting his sons to expose their abilities and attract attention.
"Help! Save me and the children, please!"
At that moment, a woman's terrified plea for help came from not far away. Jonathan, without hesitation, struggled towards the voice, followed by a resigned Robert.
Reaching the source, they found a car overturned, its door pinned down by another vehicle, trapping a woman and two children inside.
With a push, Jonathan tried to move the car without success. Robert, without hesitation, smashed the front windshield with his elbow, crawled in, and first handed out the children, then pulled out the woman. Jonathan, mouth agape, ultimately remained silent.
"Clark, help, one child each, we need to move fast!" Sensing the growing wind, Robert quickly picked up a child and called out to Clark.
"Okay!" Clark, not letting Jonathan struggle with a child, also took one and hurried towards the bridge.
The woman followed closely behind Robert and Clark, while Jonathan didn't rush to leave, looking around to see if anyone else was trapped.
Soon, spotting a blood-stained piece of clothing, Jonathan moved towards it and found a body, lifeless and crushed on the ground.
As Jonathan sighed, a car door swept up by the wind hit him.
"Dad!" Just as Robert put down a child, he saw this and rushed towards Jonathan. But Jonathan, struggling up, smiled at his sons, reminding Clark of his father's words, holding back Robert.