"Ah!"
The students inside the school bus that had fallen into the river screamed in terror.
Cries and screams mixed together.
The stocky, short bully who had been mocking Clark rolled backward as the bus tilted.
Thud! Thud! Thud! His body kept hitting the interior walls and seats of the bus until his back slammed into the iron frame of the rear window. He groaned and passed out.
The other delinquent students who had been standing suffered the same fate as the bully, being tossed around inside the bus.
The other students who were seated held on tightly to whatever they could, avoiding serious injuries during the bus's descent.
But the reprieve was short-lived as the turbulent river water quickly started flooding in.
"Oh my God! Help!"
"Damn it! The water's coming in! We're going to drown! Break the windows and get out now!"
"Help! I don't want to die, and I can't swim! Somebody, please help me! Sob…"
Seeing the murky, rushing water pour in, the already terrified high schoolers fell into an even greater panic.
They shoved and pushed each other, scrambling to the bus windows.
A girl who was exhausted and bleeding from her head was knocked to the ground, submerged in the freezing, murky river water, trying to stand up but finding herself too weak.
The bus continued to sink, and the icy, swirling water flooded in faster and faster.
Death was drawing near! The girl, pushed to the ground and swallowing mouthfuls of water, had given up hope.
In the next second, a pair of strong hands grabbed her arm and pulled her up with force.
"Are you okay?"
The girl, saved from near drowning by Clark, burst into tears.
"Thank you, thank you, Kent."
"It's okay. Stay calm. We're going to be alright."
Clark patted the girl's shoulder, then looked toward the seat where Eric had been sitting.
It was empty!
Eric must have already escaped!
Knowing his brother, Clark was sure Eric had left the bus the moment the accident happened.
Clark knew that Eric, unlike himself, had awakened the latent power within him from a very young age.
Eric's speed and strength far surpassed his own.
With this in mind, Clark took off his jacket and swam against the torrent, heading outside.
Despite his father's warning to hide his abilities, this was an emergency. If he didn't use his powers, his classmates would be doomed.
He couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
"Splash!"
Surfacing from the nearly submerged bus, Clark took a deep breath and dove back underwater.
Grabbing the iron frame at the back of the bus, he used all his strength to tear it open against the river's current.
After exiting the bus, he looked up through the murky water.
In his blurry vision, he saw someone standing on the bridge, watching him coldly.
It was Eric!
That jerk!
Even Clark, who was usually mild-mannered, felt a surge of anger.
Causing trouble and then not caring about the consequences as if everyone's lives were irrelevant to him!
While Clark knew Eric had a harsh personality, he hadn't expected such cold indifference! Right now, all he wanted to do was go back and give Eric a piece of his mind! Suppressing his anger, Clark grabbed the back of the bus and tried to lift it.
The newly awakened "Son of Krypton" had no problem lifting a bus under normal circumstances.
But now, the bus was submerged, filled with tons of water, and the resistance underwater was much greater than in the air, making it extremely difficult!
"Argh!"
With a roar, his arm muscles bulged explosively.
Summoning all his strength, his steel-like cells screamed out! The sound of muscle fibers tearing echoed underwater as he lifted the bus slowly.
"No! This is too slow!" Clark's eyes flashed with urgency.
At this rate, the students trapped inside wouldn't last until he managed to lift the bus out of the water.
"Eric!"
Desperate, Clark shouted toward Eric on the bridge.
He knew his brother's abilities. If Eric helped, he could easily pull the bus out of the river.
Eric's hearing was also far superior to his own, so he would definitely hear him.
"If you don't help, I'll tell Dad and Mom!"
The "I'll tell Mom and Dad" strategy that had always worked before now failed.
Eric stood motionless on the bridge.
Clark's strength was waning, and his efforts to lift the bus slowed.
Just as despair began to set in, the water's surface suddenly exploded.
It was like a missile had launched from the water!
The next second, Eric was in front of him, single-handedly grabbing the bus and yanking it upward.
The bus shot out of the water, heading for the surface.
Boom! The orange bus burst out of the water with a loud explosion.
The surrounding water sprayed into the air, falling like a sudden downpour.
The struggling, drowning students gasped for air, grateful to be alive.
The glaring, dusky sunlight shone down, and everything seemed surreal.
The bus, now near the shore, left the surviving students either shivering under blankets or sobbing in their parents' arms.
Police cars and ambulances were parked on the bridge, with officers and medical personnel bustling about.
Clark, wrapped in a blanket given by a nurse, stared at the pebbles beneath his feet, his eyes empty.
His chest heaved, reflecting his inner turmoil.
Eric stood nearby, emotionlessly watching a few girls who had been on the bus.
These girls, saved by Clark, had seen him lifting the bus.
Of course, Eric had moved too fast for them to see him, so they assumed Clark had single-handedly pulled the bus from the river.
This was why they kept giving Clark strange, complex looks.
"Hey! Eric, Clark!"
A familiar voice called out from behind Eric.
Turning around, they saw Jonathan running over, panting.
Still in his work clothes, Jonathan must have rushed over from the farm upon hearing the news.
His face was full of worry, his graying hair slightly disheveled. He grabbed Eric's shoulder and anxiously patted his face. "Son, are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
"That's good. Clark."
After making sure Eric was okay, Jonathan walked over to Clark, squatting down to pat his face.
"Clark, are you hurt?"
"No, Dad."
Clark forced a smile at his father.
"Let's go home."
Jonathan glanced at the bus near the riverbank, frowned, and patted Eric and Clark on the shoulders.
He then took off his coat and draped it over Eric.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
10 Advance Chapters: patreon.com/ReadingOasis