When Clark and Kaius rushed to the Native American site to the west, the protest demonstration had already ended.
They surveyed the surroundings, took photos, and prepared to head back to write a report on the situation.
"Kaius, did you hear something?" Clark suddenly stopped, listening intently.
Kaius looked around but didn't hear anything other than the rumble of machines from the construction site.
Of course, the possibility of a couple doing something private in the woods a kilometer away could be ruled out. With Clark's focused personality, he wouldn't pay attention to such things anyway.
"No, I didn't hear anything. What's wrong?" Kaius asked, puzzled.
Clark's eyes scanned the area, finally settling on the excavation site. Narrowing his eyes, he adjusted his glasses slightly to use his x-ray vision to peer underground.
His expression changed instantly. "Damn it! The ground is hollow. Didn't they check the area before starting the excavation?"
To save money, the local construction crew had apparently skipped essential geological surveys.
Clark rushed to the wire fence surrounding the construction site and shouted, "Stop now! You're in danger!"
But no one listened.
Kaius also removed his glasses and saw what Clark had seen—a massive void beneath the surface. The excavator was already dangerously close to collapsing the fragile upper layer.
Moments later, the inevitable happened. The ground gave way, collapsing into the void below. Workers and machinery began plummeting into the chasm.
Rumble!
The hollow beneath the ground was more than ten meters deep. A fall from that height would almost certainly be fatal.
As the ground gave way, Clark tore through the wire mesh in front of him, dashed at super speed, and caught the excavator's shovel.
"Ugh!" he grunted as he lifted the excavator with one hand.
Kaius sprinted past him and tossed him a mask. "Here, put this on!"
Without waiting for a response, he jumped into the cave to rescue the falling workers.
Although Clark possessed super speed, he couldn't run vertically along rock walls like Kaius. Using his agility, he bounded between the rock faces, catching workers before they hit the ground.
The rescue operation didn't take long. After ensuring the workers were safe, Kaius climbed out of the chasm, ready to leave. But he noticed Clark hadn't come up yet.
Frowning, he jumped back into the cave in full view of the crowd.
"Oh my God, who are those masked people?"
"Did you see that guy lift an excavator with one hand?"
"I recognize them!" another onlooker exclaimed. "When the town bank was robbed, two masked heroes claiming to be Superman and an Avenger saved everyone!"
The gathered crowd erupted into excited murmurs, while nearby, Professor Joseph Rowen stared reverently into the cave.
"The prophecy has come true. The savior Naman has finally appeared!"
Inside the cave, Kaius found Clark staring intently at strange patterns etched into the cave walls.
"Clark, what's got your attention?" he asked.
Clark pointed to the carvings. "This writing... I've seen it before."
Kaius felt inexplicably uneasy. Although he couldn't decipher their meaning, he immediately recognized them—they were Kryptonian script!
"This isn't Earth's language. Is it from your home planet?"
Clark nodded, his expression serious. "Yes, it is. There are similar symbols on my spaceship." He stepped closer to examine the writing more carefully.
In the center of the inscriptions, there was a small hole. Its shape was unmistakable—it matched the crest of the House of El, Superman's family emblem.
"This hole... it's identical to the key from my ship!" Clark said, astonished.
Meanwhile, Kaius wandered over to another part of the cave and noticed a large, white mural on one of the walls.
"Clark, come look at this mural—it seems to be telling a story."
Clark momentarily shifted his attention away from the hole and turned to see what Kaius was pointing at.
The first image depicted a catastrophic scene: countless meteorites crashing down from the sky, destroying the land. Amidst the ruins, a lone figure stood tall.
"This is…" Clark's face grew tense as he studied the figure in the mural. It bore a striking resemblance to him. Uneasily, he continued examining the remaining paintings.
The subsequent images were more abstract and required some interpretation. Kaius guessed their meaning: the figure in the mural, seemingly alien, displayed superhuman strength, the ability to shoot fire from their eyes, and other extraordinary powers.
"This cave must be at least 500 years old," Clark murmured, his voice tinged with disbelief. "How could these murals depict me centuries before I arrived on Earth?"
A storm of questions swirled in Clark's mind as he meticulously examined every detail, hoping to uncover answers about his origins.
Kaius, however, shook his head. He doubted the figure depicted was Clark specifically. "Clark, it's possible the person shown here isn't you. Any Kryptonian who came to Earth would have displayed similar powers."
He paused before adding, "Even Kryptonians couldn't predict events 500 years into the future. The most logical explanation is that another Kryptonian came to Earth centuries ago and was worshipped as a god by the local indigenous people."
Before Clark could respond, the sound of vehicles approaching echoed from outside. The rumble of engines was soon joined by the unmistakable wail of sirens.
"The police are here," Kaius said. "We need to go!"
Clark, however, was reluctant to leave. "This could be the key to understanding my origins! I might be able to insert the key from my spaceship into that hole!"
Kaius grabbed the stunned Clark by the arm. "This cave isn't going anywhere. Let's leave now. Once things settle down, you can return as a school reporter to study it further."
Though frustrated, Clark reluctantly agreed. Unbeknownst to him, Kaius already knew the truth about Clark's origins, including his family history.
As the two departed, local authorities arrived to investigate the collapse. News of the mysterious cave spread quickly online, and it was soon dubbed "Kavachi Cave" by the local community.
The discovery eventually reached the ears of Lex Luthor, who wasted no time arriving at the site with a team of scholars specializing in ancient symbols.
"This is remarkable," one of the scholars said in awe, studying the inscriptions. "These symbols don't correspond to any known language on Earth."
Lex carefully examined the murals and finally focused on the Kryptonian writing and the crest-shaped hole.
"This hole… it's designed to hold something," Lex murmured, intrigued. "Bring me the necessary equipment. I need to analyze it."
Turning to the scholars, he ordered, "Decipher these symbols as quickly as possible. I want to know exactly what they say."