"I swear by Cthulhu, I'll never touch a book like this again."
Carter put the book with "Cthulhu" written on the cover back into her bag.
Her negotiation with Jessica had somewhat failed.
Jessica didn't want to discuss much about the stories in Smallville but instead warned her not to mess with the guy who stole her cosmic staff.
After much pestering, Jessica reluctantly handed Carter a book titled "Cthulhu."
So, Carter invited her three companions—Wildcat, Hourman, and Midnight Doctor—to investigate the book's author in Smallville.
This was also why they appeared at Smallville High School during the day and were discovered by Pete.
The original Wildcat, Hourman, and Midnight Doctor had already died, and Carter's three companions, "superheroes," were just high school students equipped with the gear of the deceased heroes.
"Hey, Carter!"
Just as she sneaked into her bedroom, Carter found herself in an awkward situation.
Her stepfather Pat was waiting for her in the room.
Pat sat on the bed, surrounded by a pile of equipment.
"Wow, what's this?"
Carter asked, pretending to be clueless.
"This is what I should be asking you, Carter. You shouldn't have taken these things!"
He pointed at a green lantern on the bed. "This isn't a joke; this lantern can easily kill you!"
Intimidated by Pat's stern demeanor, Carter coughed nervously and asked in a low voice, "What is it for?"
"Fortunately, it doesn't have a ring, so it can't do anything now. I don't understand what you were thinking. Why did you take these things, Carter?"
"I-I didn't steal them. I just wanted to borrow them."
Carter replied guiltily.
"That's still stealing!"
"Okay, let's call it stealing. I saw you doing nothing, so I thought we needed to take some action."
Carter raised her voice slightly, speaking to her stepfather.
"I thought we were on the same page."
Pat said disappointedly, "But it seems we're not."
"Pat, we need to stop the Injustice Society and retrieve the cosmic staff from that guy. It's a relic from the Starman, so we need to reestablish the Justice Society."
"Clearly, you've already started, haven't you?"
Pat pointed at a red and gold uniform on the bed. "I see Hourman's gear, but I don't see the hourglass, Midnight Doctor's goggles, or Wildcat's uniform. I suppose you've found new owners for these items, like your classmates, right?"
"Yes." Carter replied weakly.
"Carter, you're putting these kids in real danger! I want you to bring back Midnight Doctor's goggles and Wildcat's uniform now, do you understand?"
"I can't!"
"Listen, I won't let you and your friends get into danger. Think about what happened to the Justice Society members. Do you want to end up like them?"
Pat said sternly to his daughter.
He had never used such a harsh tone before.
"I…"
Carter hesitated and said, "Midnight Doctor's goggles are an intelligent computer system. We used them to find out about the guy who defeated Brainwave."
She pulled a book from her bag and handed it to the astonished Pat. "The author of this book, Eric Kent, that's his name. He's also the one who stole the cosmic staff."
"What!"
Pat was shocked as he took "Cthulhu" from Carter's hand.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, the four of us went to Smallville High School. We investigated and confirmed it was him."
Flipping through a few pages of the book, Pat shook his head. "I think we'd better not act rashly, especially when it comes to him, Eric Kent."
"Maybe he's a madman or someone with a very unstable mind."
"Why?"
Carter asked, puzzled.
"I once worked with Doctor Fate. Such beings…"
Pat said seriously, "If he has the power you mentioned and such dark thoughts, I think he's far more terrifying than the Injustice Society."
Seeing her stepfather's serious expression, Carter nodded half-believingly.
Why did she feel that he was more rational than anyone?
Kent Farm.
After repairing the gap in the cattle pen, Jonathan noticed Martha was nowhere to be found.
Thinking for a moment, he walked towards the barn where the spaceship was stored.
Entering the barn, he opened the cellar door and found Martha inside.
"Martha!"
Jonathan walked to his wife, who stood with her arms crossed, staring blankly at the spaceship. "Are you okay, sweetheart?"
Jonathan gently hugged his wife's shoulders.
Martha replied, "I-I've been thinking about how the spaceship protected Clark and Eric and how it affected me."
Jonathan exhaled and kissed her forehead.
"It gave us two miracles, didn't it?"
"I hope you're right."
Martha smiled faintly at her husband.
But soon, her body began to tremble slightly.
Jonathan quickly noticed her unusual behavior. "Martha, are you okay?"
"I-I don't know. I have severe headaches, emotional instability, my days and nights are mixed up… and that woman, Kara. I'm scared. Maybe she can really take Eric and Clark away. Even Clark is wavering. I've always been afraid of this. I might even be abnormal."
"Hey, Martha, look at me."
Jonathan hugged his wife and made her look into his eyes.
"Dr. Baker said you're healthy. Your pregnancy is perfectly normal."
Martha did not feel better from her husband's reassurance. She shook her head. "No, my pregnancy was unusual. I want to ask Helen Bryce to check me tomorrow."
"No!"
Jonathan immediately refused.
"I trust her. She has seen Clark's blood and witnessed my miraculous recovery. She's always kept our secret."
Jonathan shook his head. "She's Lex Luthor's fiancée. If you need more opinions, anyone but her. Martha, I don't want our secret to become someone's gossip."
Facing her husband's stubbornness, Martha sighed helplessly and turned her head aside.
"You know, I once had a near-death experience in the hospital. It was a strange feeling… my soul floated above, quietly watching everything unfold. Jonathan, do you know what I saw?"
Before her husband could answer, Martha continued, "I saw our son, emitting golden light, like the embodiment of the sun, dispelling the things inside me. At that moment, I thought he might be the embodiment of the sun. Ridiculous, right? But that's what I thought then."
"The sun can't be held, right?"
Martha looked at Jonathan with a puzzled expression. "That strange girl said Eric doesn't belong to Earth. I'm really scared. She might persuade Clark, but she can't persuade Eric. I'm sure of that. But what if one day, Eric also leaves us?"
Hearing his wife's words, Jonathan frowned.
He couldn't imagine that his wife saw such an incredible scene.
Though surprised, he hid his expression and gently comforted his wife.
"It won't happen. Maybe what you saw wasn't real. Neither Eric nor Clark will leave us."
After their conversation, the couple left the cellar and headed to the living room.
As they entered, they saw Kara, the girl from last night, standing by the window in a white dress, quietly gazing outside.
Clark was also in the room. Seeing his parents enter, he awkwardly touched his nose.
"I just came in."
He explained to his parents.
"It's afternoon now. She's been standing there since you left for school, Clark."
Jonathan said, taking the towel off his arm.
Martha glanced at Kara. "She hasn't eaten anything."
"Martha."
Jonathan said to his wife, "Our concern shouldn't be her appetite."
"Dad."
Clark hesitated before saying to Jonathan, "She told me I come from a place called Krypton. I think she might be telling the truth. Otherwise, I can't explain her powers."
"Clark, you know, many people in this town have been affected. They might have extraordinary powers. I don't trust her!"
Jonathan said sternly to Clark.
"Jonathan, you're the one who's untrustworthy! One day, you'll betray Kal."
Before he could respond, Kara's voice came from behind him.
She had somehow appeared behind them.
"You!"
Jonathan glared at Kara angrily. "I'm Clark's father. I love my son! How could I betray him?"
"Wait!"
Kara, ready to retort, suddenly turned serious.
"Quiet!"
"There's someone eavesdropping nearby!"
She disappeared in an instant, leaving the three standing there in shock.
Clark looked in the direction where Kara vanished.
His eyes could follow her movement.
In a remote spot outside the farm, on a small road branching off the main road, a car was parked.
Inside the car, Carter was urging Hourman to leave quickly.
Suddenly, hearing a gust of wind, she saw a blonde girl about her age appear at the car window.
"Looks like you were eavesdropping on our conversation."
Bang!
Kara grabbed the masked Hourman by the neck and dragged him out of the car.
"I've always hated sneaky little mice."
Kara threw Hourman to the ground with a thud.
Then, she reached for Carter in the back seat, trying to pull her out.
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