American comics farmer: start by adopting the villain savior.

Chapter 140 Mr. Dior, he was selfless, noble and brave!
Just as Salafir was having her mushroom feast under the moon.

the other side:
Lex Data Center.

A cold blue light emanated from the massive array of server racks.

It reflected on Lex Luthor's bald head and expressionless face.

He stood in front of the central control console, where countless encrypted data, incomprehensible to ordinary people, flowed across the screen.

"Zizzi——!"

After a brief static interference sound, a processed, slightly tense voice came through.

"The data flow has stabilized, sir."

“The data traffic we intercepted was much larger than expected. He appears to be transferring large amounts of resources through multiple shell companies overseas, with the destinations being very unclear. The accounting is also very neat, almost flawless.”

“Very good.” A sharp glint flashed in Lex’s eyes: “Continue monitoring, but don’t try to trace the source, or the security system will detect it.”

"clear."

“But…” The other person paused, a hint of worry in their voice, “Sir, won’t the ‘weather system’ detect the abnormal rainfall if we keep extracting sample data like this?”

“As long as you follow the ‘timetable’ I give you and mimic normal data traffic, it won’t happen.”

"Remember, we are not conducting large-scale data theft; we are simply collecting critical information."

"Then..." The other person paused for a moment, a hint of worry in their voice, "Sir, you promised that once we've gathered the manpower for you, you will..."

“I will let the sunlight in,” Lex interrupted him, his voice icy, “but not now. What I need now is patience and… more intelligence.”

"I need you to find all the former employees who have complained about that man."

“I’ve already started, and I’m currently cross-referencing exit interviews, anonymous posts on internal forums, and performance reviews.” The other person seemed a bit troubled. “But the list is longer than I expected. I don’t know how to confirm who are truly ‘one of us’ and who are just venting.”

“Make tentative contact,” Lex instructed. “Spread a vague message in an untraceable way. Observe which potential recruits will react to our specific wavelength of 'light'.”

"Just remember to remain absolutely cautious."

"Go and find out all the legal structures, debt relationships, and equity composition of the group."

“Start with the lowest-level employee database. Find all the lower- and middle-level employees who were recently laid off or who had indirect contact with those unusual logistics or cash flows.”

"They are the weakest link in the chain."

".yes."

Communication ends.

Lex put his phone away and sat alone in the dim light, watching the complex data network diagram that was constantly being fed in and gradually building up on the main screen.

"You two did a very good job."

He turned around and clapped his hands lightly.

"You flatter me, Mr. Lex."

"This is just a preliminary data analysis."

Two white figures stood beside the control panel, bowing slightly and speaking humbly. But the slight upturn of their lips clearly revealed their inner excitement.

Derek Sampson, Elizabeth Shaw.

These are two key figures that Lex has successfully contacted and recruited recently.

They were senior scientists from the former Luther Group who had been deeply involved in the early development of Project Dawn, but were ultimately ruthlessly fired by their father for strongly questioning the unethical experimental direction and the brutal interference with the essence of life behind the project.

It has also been completely banned in academia and industry.

Lex, recognizing their talent and dissatisfied with Lionel, offered them lucrative compensation, an environment of absolute secrecy, and...
An opportunity to take revenge on his father.

This seemingly ordinary data center was the initial base built for them, and also the starting point for Lex to build his own independent kingdom.

“Sir, based on the backend access key you provided,” Dr. Sankson pushed up his glasses and pointed to a highlighted money chain on the screen: “Look here. The group has actually injected a huge amount of money into a ‘subway company’ registered in the metropolis, ostensibly for ‘underground engineering construction,’ but the amount far exceeds normal underground engineering investment.”

"Moreover, the payment cycle is extremely regular, which is obviously to support a project that is constantly burning money. Moreover, one batch is listed as 'geological exploration equipment', but its weight, special shockproof and constant temperature control system, and extraordinary radiation shielding level are completely inconsistent with the characteristics of geological equipment."

Sankerson zoomed in on a photo of a container taken from the backstage: "This looks more like the transport of highly radioactive materials, or... some kind of biological sample that is extremely sensitive to the environment. It reminds me of some of the standards required for culture protocols that were shelved in the early days of Project Dawn."

Upon hearing this, Lex's eyes sharpened: "Doctor, be more specific."

"."

The two PhDs exchanged a glance, seemingly hesitant.

“Mr. Lex,” Dr. Sampson took a deep breath and continued, “that’s why we were fired. We questioned the ethical boundaries of certain aspects of Project Dawn. For example, using microbes from extreme environments for gene editing in an attempt to create ‘super life’ capable of… ‘purifying’ the environment, or even completely reshaping the ecosystem.”

"Or some taboo areas involving human gene enhancement."

Lex remained silent for a moment, processing this information.

My father was indeed conducting far more research than he had publicly claimed.

"Let's get back to work, dig out more research data, and organize it."

He said calmly, "Although we are still in a state of disguise, our company also needs some scientific research results to show the outside world a mysterious side of us."

"Yes."

Silence fell again in the analysis room, broken only by the faint hum of the server and the crisp sound of keyboards being tapped.

Lex, on the other hand, slowly walked to the windowsill.

Silently gazing at the cold moon hanging in the dark sky outside the window.

I took a deep breath of the fresh air.

His starting point for the plan seems perfect at the moment.

The father's surveillance network was vast, but it was difficult to fully penetrate Uncle Locke's Smallwell Farm.

He simply put on a clever act, feigning youthful boredom and rebellion, and successfully convinced his father that Lex Luthor intended to escape from that suffocating family.

And showed little interest in that grand 'plan'.

He believed that Lex Luther was content with the tranquility of Smallwell, a 'country town,' and even enjoyed working in the fields and playing with the soil all day long like a real farmer.

This illusion allowed him to take advantage of his position managing the assets of the Smallwell family and to quietly transfer large amounts of the group's funds out of the country through methods such as bookkeeping, fabricating agricultural cooperation projects, and using shell companies overseas for multiple layers of laundering.

His father, who was obsessed with the plan, would never notice the loss of these small sums of money.

These funds will become the sword he uses to stab his father.

but
In reality, these financial operations are just technical skills; with a little effort, he can always manage them.

Smallwell, and the people here, are the most important and unique part of his plan.
Here, given enough time, he will naturally gain the friendship and trust of the Kent family.

this.
That's the important moral capital that made the omnipotent Uncle Locke sympathize with him and maintain neutrality between him and his father, while also providing some protection!

He didn't want his father to forcefully stop him at the final stage of his plan.

of course
If Uncle Locke simply grabbed Father and gave him a good beating, leaving him in bed, he could find it amusing.

But if that happens...
His own empire was swallowed up by some old bastards.

In any case, he had to wait until his father cleared away the obstacles left by the other forces in America so that he could comfortably accept what he had left behind.

Take Wayne from Gotham, for example. If his father suddenly unleashed his powers and defeated him, Lex Luthor would be laughing all the way to the bank.

"Ailoke Farm".

Lex shrugged and looked up at the moon in the sky.

To be honest, putting aside all the scheming, life here is actually quite pleasant.

The kind and reliable Uncle Locke, the good-natured and upright Uncle Jonathan, the warm and sunny Aunt Martha, the quirky and interesting Dio, the honest and kind Clark, and the seemingly youngest but actually the most cunning and scheming younger brother, Za.
"?!"

"Saraphir?!"

Lex's relaxed expression froze instantly. He blinked sharply and leaned forward instinctively, almost touching the cold glass.

Just a moment ago, he was absolutely certain he hadn't misread it!

Under the cool moonlight, a huge, graceful, silvery-white figure carrying a familiar little figure in its mouth flashed past the treeline of the distant forest at an astonishing speed!

That outline... it was clearly...
Lex rubbed his eyes and looked again.

The night sky outside the window, illuminated by moonlight, was completely empty.

All that remained were the blurry outlines of distant mountains.

It was as if what he had just witnessed was a brief hallucination produced in his highly stressed mind.
-
Kayla slowly bent down and placed Salafir on the ground.

After Salafir regained his footing, he looked curiously at Kayla, who was still in wolf form, and asked:
"Sister Kayla, can't you turn back into a human? That way we can talk as we walk."

Upon hearing this, the white wolf shook its enormous head somewhat embarrassedly:

"After leaving the cave, I didn't have enough 'energy' in my body, so I could only maintain my wolf form."

Her explanation was somewhat shy, as if she felt it was a little embarrassing.

"Oh~"

Salafir nodded as if suddenly understanding, completely comprehending the setting.

"Oh, I see! Sister Kayla, wait for me a moment! I accidentally made a hole in your house just now."

After saying that, he turned and ran to the large, dark hole that had been blown up and was still emitting some smoke.

Under Kayla's questioning gaze, the boy stretched out his two small hands and gently pressed them against the edge of the broken hole.

He didn't even close his eyes, but just focused his mind slightly, his small face showing a natural and focused expression.

next moment--

A soft and pure white light surged from his palm, turning into a tide that quickly spread outwards, covering the charred marks and broken rocks and soil!

Under Kayla's incredulous gaze, the shattered earth and rocks seemed to come alive, rapidly converging from all directions to fill, reshape, and reinforce...

In just a few breaths, the huge hole that was big enough for a person to pass through disappeared without a trace! The ground was restored to its original smoothness, and even the grass that had been knocked down by the shock wave stood up again, as if nothing had happened!
"!!!"

The white wolf's massive jaws opened slightly, its eyes filled with shock!
She stared intently at the intact ground, then suddenly looked up at Salafir, who looked relaxed, as if he had just dusted off his hands.

An ancient and sacred name exploded in her mind like a thunderclap—

"To weave everything as one pleases...to create all things..."

"Elezam?!"

Kayla was completely stunned, her mind unable to process the overwhelming information.

Before she could even recover from the shock...

"Swish"

"Squeak!"

"Cuckoo!"

"quack!"

A dense rustling sound came from the surrounding bushes and shadows.

Suddenly, the furry little creatures swarmed in from all directions, instantly surrounding Salafir! They nuzzled his legs affectionately, making anxious and aggrieved noises, clearly having waited there for a long time and were extremely worried.

Salafir immediately smiled, squatted down, and stroked each of their little heads, whispering words of comfort:

"I'm fine! Look, I even brought a new friend back!"

"."

Look at Salafir, surrounded by small animals, her smile brighter than the sun.

The white wolf gradually calmed down from its initial shock.

如果
If Salafir really is the prophesied Eletham.

That's pretty good too.

After a while.

Looking at the animals around her who were stuffed and lying on the ground, Salafir nodded in satisfaction.

The mushroom feast was a great success; everyone ate so much they collapsed on the floor.

Ugh.
If it weren't for Clark dancing, I really wanted him to join me. "Was the dance fun?"

Salafir longed for it.
-
The dance was a lot of fun.

The homecoming dance was in full swing, with melodious music and flowing lights.

Clark Kent was undoubtedly one of the brightest stars of the night.

He mastered the basic dance steps with almost no effort, and even danced quite well.

He successfully led Lana in a spin in the center of the dance floor, confident and elegant, completely unlike his usual shyness, drawing cheers and envious glances from those around them.

But when the music ended and everyone was resting...

Clark quietly left the noisy dance hall and headed towards the restroom.

But we had just reached a relatively quiet corridor
He stopped in his tracks.

The charming smile vanished instantly, replaced by an offended impatience and coldness. Without turning his head, he spoke coldly to the empty shadows:

"get out."

"..."

After a brief silence, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows of the pillars.

He was a tall, thin man with a sickly pale complexion.

A pair of eyes were fixed on Clark, filled with a kind of obsessive resentment.

Clark turned around and sized up the uninvited guest.

The other person was wearing a school uniform and looked like an ordinary student, but the hostility emanating from them was unusually sharp.

"Did Whitney and her bunch of useless cowards send you?"

Clark scoffed, assuming it was just another act of revenge from the same group, his tone full of disdain, "I don't have time to play these childish games with you. Don't mess with me again, and get lost!"

"."

However.
The boy was not intimidated by Clark's imposing manner. Instead, he took a step forward, his voice hoarse with excitement: "You and Mr. Dior are brothers, but you are completely different from him!"

Clark frowned even more deeply.

Dior? How did he get dragged into this again?
“Mr. Dior,” the boy continued in that resentful tone, as if accusing someone, “He was selfless, brave, and noble! At only eight years old, he risked his life to save people during a meteorite attack!”

"And you, Clark Kent! You're selfish and only know how to bully your classmates! You don't deserve to be his brother! You don't deserve to be the king of Homecoming!"

"You're not even as good as Mr. Dior's pee!"

"?!"

Clark smiled.

I was so angry at the absurd accusation and the extremely jarring contrast that I laughed.

Comparing Dior to him?

And they even say Dior is 'selfless' and 'brave and noble'?
This was the most ridiculous Antarctic joke he had ever heard!

but.
At this moment, what surged up more was a feeling of being offended and a sudden burst of anger.

His eyes narrowed dangerously, and without another word, he sprang into action, moving so fast that he left only a blur in his wake!
The next second, she appeared in front of the boy.

One hand gripped the other's neck like an iron clamp, effortlessly lifting him off the ground!

"Ugh!"

Caught off guard, he kicked his legs in vain in the air, his face turning red rapidly from suffocation.

Clark leaned closer, his eyes, which gleamed red in the dim light, fixed on him coldly, his voice low and threatening:
"If you're so capable, repeat all that nonsense you just said."

But the man whose throat was being choked did not beg for mercy. Instead, a look of crazy determination flashed in his eyes. He struggled to raise his hands and suddenly grabbed Clark's wrists that were choking him!

“Sizzle——!!!”

All of a sudden!
Blinding blue arcs of electricity suddenly erupted from his hands! They instantly spread throughout Clark's entire body!

The corridor lights flickered a few times due to the sudden surge of powerful electricity!

but.
Clark didn't even twitch an eyebrow.

The powerful electric current, strong enough to instantly stun an elephant, was to him nothing more than the slightest static sting, not even enough to paralyze his muscles for a moment.

He tilted his head, looking at the other person's face, which had become even paler from unleashing their full power, and a cruel, playful smile curled at the corner of his lips:

"Oh, discharging electricity? Is this your confidence?"

"!?!?"

The madness in the boy's eyes was instantly replaced by unbelievable fear!

He used all his strength to strike.
It had absolutely no effect on the person in front of him?!
With a cold snort, Clark seemed to have lost interest in playing around as well.

He tightened his grip on the other person's neck slightly, causing the person to roll their eyes back due to lack of oxygen, and then...
"boom!"

With a muffled thud, the man was sent flying uncontrollably, crashing heavily against the wall in the distance of the corridor before slid softly to the ground, emitting a series of painful coughs and groans.

He struggled to get up, but all the bones in his body felt like they were falling apart, and his electrical abilities seemed to have been temporarily exhausted due to the burst of power and the heavy blow.

Clark walked slowly over, looking down at the disheveled boy on the ground, his eyes showing no pity:

I noticed you this morning.

"But now it seems like it was just a joke."

"I don't know your name, nor do I know what kind of spell Dio cast on you. But remember this..."

He crouched down, his voice extremely low, yet carrying a chillingly oppressive quality:

"Don't mess with me again. And don't compare me to him."

"Otherwise, it won't be so simple next time."

After saying that, he stood up, straightened his slightly disheveled suit collar as if he had just casually swatted away an annoying fly, and then, without even glancing at the trembling figure on the ground, turned and walked straight toward the restroom.

After struggling for a while, watching Clark walk into the bathroom, the man's eyes were filled with a deeper, more twisted resentment.

"boom-"

The door closed, and by the time Clark came out of the bathroom, the man had vanished.

He touched the ring on his finger that was flashing red, then turned to leave, preparing to return to the dance floor where he enjoyed adoration and attention.

However.
Another petite yet resolute figure suddenly blocked his way.

It's Chloe Sullivan.

Her short blonde hair was a little messy, and she was breathing rapidly.

Those blue eyes, which were always full of curiosity and energy, were now fixed on Clark, filled with an unwavering determination.

"You are not Clark!"

Her voice wasn't loud, but it sounded like a hammer blow in the silent corridor.

是 的
Chloe thought about it a lot.

From the boy's harshness a few days ago, to his extravagant spending and completely different dancing skills today, and then to the cruel scene she secretly witnessed just now.
He actually knocked that person away like trash, and was completely unaffected by the electric current.

No matter how she thought about it, she was absolutely certain—

"Give Clark's body back to him!"

Chloe mustered all her courage and angrily rebuked the familiar yet unfamiliar presence before her.

She even imagined that some alien creature or demon had possessed her friend.

“Chloe…” Clark’s brows furrowed instantly, a flash of extremely impatient rage crossing his face. He was completely enraged by these repeated provocations. “What nonsense are you spouting!”

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Chloe's shoulder, easily lifting her off the ground and pinning her against the open window in the corridor in a few steps!

The girl's body was almost hanging out of the window!

The night breeze ruffled Chloe's blond hair, and below was the cold, hard ground.

"I am him! I am Clark Kent!"

Clark growled at her, his voice filled with a hysterical frenzy of being questioned about his identity, his eyes flashing a dangerous crimson in the darkness, "Look at yourself!"

Fear gripped Chloe instantly.

But looking into those crazed eyes, she became even more convinced of her judgment.

She gritted her teeth, her voice trembling with fear, yet she continued repeating without flinching:

"You're not him...you're definitely not Clark..."

"asshole!"

As if those words had struck a nerve, Clark abruptly pulled Chloe back from the window and roughly threw her to the ground.

Chloe fell to the ground, a sharp pain shooting through her elbows and knees, but she only let out a muffled groan before immediately raising her head, still stubbornly glaring at Clark.

Looking at the pair of eyes on the ground, filled with disgust and fear yet unwavering determination, Clark's violent interest vanished instantly, replaced by an intensely agitated frustration.

He stopped looking at Chloe and turned to walk away.

"Definitely not Clark."

Chloe sat on the ground, sniffling, her nose stinging, but she didn't cry.

With trembling hands, she raised the camera that she had been clutching tightly in her hand.

He clearly recorded everything that had just happened.

She has to tell Uncle Locke!

Only Uncle Locke knows what's going on! We must rescue the real Clark!
They did not return to the noisy ball.

Clark walked alone on the dark path leading to Kent Farm. The evening breeze blew against him, but it couldn't dispel the raging fire in his heart.

"I am not Clark..."

"You are not him..."

Chloe's disgusted voice echoed repeatedly in his mind like a curse.

"I am Clark!"

He let out a low growl and slammed his fist into a tree next to him that was as thick as an adult's thigh!

“Crack—boom!”

The tree trunk snapped in two, and the upper part crashed to the ground with a loud thud.

Panting heavily, Clark looked at his unharmed fist, then looked down at the ring on his finger that shimmered with an ominous red light in the night.

How could he not know that his dramatic change was due to this strange ring?
But so what? !

The ring is not the reason at all!

It was just a starting point!
One key!
It simply allows the true self, which has been suppressed for too long, to awaken!

He, Clark Kent, possesses superhuman strength!
He was born to be a being above all living beings!
One should be in control of everything like a king, doing whatever one pleases!
The person I was before, that kind, gentle, and even somewhat cowardly self, was nothing more than a false personality corrupted and distorted by the environment under the weak education of my adoptive parents, who taught me to be "ordinary," "friendly," and "hidden"!
Look at Dior!

Both being superhumans, how did Uncle Locke teach him?
Confident, powerful, arrogant, never hiding their desires and abilities, and in control of everything!

That's what superhumans should look like! They were born to be superior to others!
And their own parents?

Jonathan and Martha?

They were just two ordinary 'Muggles'!
How could they possibly comprehend his power?

How could one possibly teach him how to properly use this innate power?
Their logic will only bind him, weaken him, and turn him into a ridiculous lion trying to blend into the flock!

Thinking about this, Clark couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.

He rudely pushed open the Kent's door, the sound particularly jarring in the quiet night.

The warm light inside the room couldn't illuminate the ever-burning crimson in his eyes.

(End of this chapter)