Although Clark did feel like pummeling the group in front of him right away, he restrained himself.
"Hey, listen, the police are already on their way. If you don't want any trouble, leave right now!"
Suppressing his urge to act, Clark directly warned them.
The lead thug glared at Clark before signaling his group to leave.
"Lana, are you alright?"
Once the group left, Clark immediately went over to help Lana up.
"I'm fine."
Lana exhaled, clearly still shaken, with a frightened expression on her face.
Seeing her expression, Clark clenched his teeth and made a swift decision.
As the group of thugs exited the Talon Club, they headed toward an alleyway, laughing and chatting.
"Did you see her dumb face? Haha, she looked just like a scared quail. If you poked her, she might even make quail sounds."
"Hahaha!"
The others burst out laughing.
Looking up mid-laugh, they suddenly saw someone standing in front of them.
Clark stood there with a dark expression, blocking their path.
"Oh, look who it is, our speedy guy is here. Ran faster than anyone when he saw his little girlfriend fall. I thought 'Speedster' suited you."
The chubby thug with the big head taunted Clark.
"I don't want to see you at the Talon again, understand?"
Clark warned them.
"Oh, hear that? Hillbilly!"
Hearing Clark's threat, "Big Head" dropped his smile, moving closer to Clark's face. "We'll go wherever we want. In fact, we might just come back tomorrow."
Clark shook his head, prepared to leave. "This is the only warning you're getting. I won't repeat it."
"Oh? Got it."
It seemed "Big Head" had no intention of letting Clark leave. "You got a thing for that manager babe, huh? Too bad she's just a dirty, worthless…"
"Hoo!"
Clark let out a breath and stopped, clenching his right hand into a fist.
Bam!
His fist landed squarely on "Big Head's" face, sending him to the ground.
Seeing their leader down, the others hesitated, then lunged at Clark.
One of them kicked Clark, but was knocked back as if he'd hit a wall.
With just a gentle shove, Clark sent the others flying to the wall, crashing into a trash can with a dull thud.
Although Clark held back, his strength left the thugs disoriented.
One of them got up, sneering as he staggered, "What's wrong, hillbilly? Trying to scare me?"
Clark's patience was gone. He grabbed the thug by the collar, lifting him off the ground.
"You want coffee? Go somewhere else!"
With a firm throw, Clark sent "Big Head" flying out of the alley, where he landed on a police car moving slowly down the street.
The impact spider-webbed the car's windshield.
Screeeech!
The police car came to an abrupt stop, and an elderly policewoman got out.
Seeing her, Clark immediately realized he'd messed up and tried to leave.
But as he turned, he saw Lana a few steps away, staring at him in shock.
"Freeze!"
The policewoman entered the alley, her gun aimed at Clark.
"Hands on your head!"
Clark was confused but turned back, trying to explain. She immediately barked, "Don't move! Hands up, now!"
She looked ready to shoot if he resisted.
Clark glanced at Lana, sighed, and followed her orders, kneeling with his hands on his head.
Kent Farm.
Jonathan tried to reason with the policewoman. "Sheriff, we know our son. He'd never hurt anyone without a reason. If he did anything, it's because he felt he had to."
"And what kind of reason justifies tossing a man onto my car?"
The older officer chuckled, looking over at Clark sitting on the couch, head down.
Martha exchanged a look with Jonathan.
Eric, standing by the window, quietly sipped his coffee.
After a pause, Martha spoke up, "Clark only gets involved because he wants to help people."
The policewoman nodded, taking off her cap. "He might have a hero complex, but even heroes must obey the law. I'm charging him with assault!"
"What does that mean?"
Jonathan asked with a frown.
"Fines of $1,500, but the judge will decide the exact amount!"
Upon hearing the fine, Clark stood up. "That's impossible. We can't pay that!"
"Or we could arrange a deal, Mr. Kent."
The officer looked Clark in the eye. "You could do community service, cleaning up trash to save the world! And if the injured party sues, your damages might be even higher!"
She put her cap back on and walked out.
Once she was gone, silence fell over the family.
Eric set down his cup, unsurprised by Clark's outburst.
What did surprise him was how Clark had stuck around long enough to get caught.
"Don't worry, Clark; it's only some community service."
Martha tried to comfort him.
Clark slumped. "Sorry, Mom. I shouldn't have done that."
But it wasn't long before Martha's words about community service were overturned.
The injury report from the man Clark had punched — "Big Head" — stated he had "severe cervical spine injuries."
He was demanding compensation of one million dollars!
"Serious harm, pain, and loss of livelihood."
Clark read the report, stunned.
Martha crossed her arms, sighing. "They say Andy will never walk again. He's hired one of the country's top lawyers."
Eric, standing nearby, added his own jab. "You threw him at a car, Clark. That's an undeniable fact."
Clark set the report down and, seeing the worried faces of his parents, walked over to the window.
"Maybe this is how it starts. Kara once said: 'This is an imperfect race; use your power to rule them!' I always thought she was wrong, but now it sounds reasonable."
Noticing Clark's shift in tone, Jonathan hurried over to offer some wisdom, "Clark, when I was your age, I got into plenty of fights. That feeling isn't unique to aliens. The key is understanding the consequences."
"Yes."
Martha added, "Sometimes the decisions you make in seconds can affect you for life."
Jonathan continued, "Maybe humanity is flawed, but those same flawed humans raised you. You're more like them than you think."
Clark listened to his parents' encouragement and nodded.
His words before were mostly out of anger.
After calming down, he said goodnight to his parents and headed to his room.
As he opened the door, he found Eric sitting on his bed.
"You?"
Clark pointed at the stairs, then back at Eric.
"Alright, Eric, next time you decide to use super-speed, maybe don't target my room."
"What if I could pay the million?"
Eric leaned forward, his expression calm.
"A million?"
Clark was shocked! "You have a million?"
"Of course. Didn't you search my room?"
"I…"
Clark awkwardly replied, "I was under the influence of the red meteor ring. Eric, you'd really pay the million for me?"
"A million isn't much to me."
Hearing this, Clark felt embarrassed, and he began to reflect.
"You're really not mad about before? I kept pestering you about Kara and Krypton, even neglecting my family's feelings…"
"Clark, it's good that you're reflecting, but no need to do it in front of me."
Eric stood up, ready to leave. "Or maybe there's a way to avoid paying the million."
"What?"
Clark was surprised.
"Don't worry about it. I'll handle this."
As he opened the door, Eric's tone remained steady.
"Oh…thanks, Eric."
Clark thanked him earnestly.
"I didn't mean what I said about Kara. I… I'm an Earthling, just like you, Eric. I see myself as just another kid from the farm. I've never felt superior."
"Maybe. No need to thank me. I just don't want to see the farm go bankrupt. And next time, if you throw someone, try not to get caught."
Ignoring Clark's awkward expression, Eric left the room.
Late at night.
Eric left the farm alone, heading somewhere.
Andy Hawkins, the one demanding the million, was throwing a party at home with his friends.
The neck brace around his neck was half-off, as he laughed, bragging about conning Clark.
Eric pushed open the door and entered.
Everyone froze, staring at the unexpected stranger.
"I'm curious."
Eric walked up to Andy, expression unchanging. "Isn't your cervical spine broken?"
"Who the hell are you? How'd you get in?"
Andy snapped, realizing what was happening.
His friends glared, ready to jump Eric.
But Eric was calm. "Or did you just fake it?"
With a swift motion, he snatched Andy's neck brace.
Andy blinked, dumbfounded. "How… how did you do that?"
Seeing his neck brace in Eric's hand, Andy nervously touched his neck.
"Seems like you're fine without it. I'm Clark Kent's brother. Since you're uninjured, how about dropping the charges?"
Hearing that he was Clark's brother, Andy's anger flared. "Oh, you're here to plead for that hillbilly? Well, tell him to get that million ready! If he comes near me again, he'll rot in prison!"
"Paying you a million wouldn't be a problem, as long as…"
Eric moved swiftly, grabbing Andy by the neck.
With a sharp twist, a horrifying snap echoed through the room.
Andy fell lifeless to the floor, eyes wide in disbelief.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
This is the 100th Chapter on Webnovel!!! Check out the Patreon!!!!
10 Advance Chapters: patreon.com/ReadingOasis
Make Sure to give a Review!
Collections please!
Send Power Stones!
-----------------------------------------------------------------