Chapter 442 Cold Wind Prelude (Part 2) (Patreon)

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"Somebody betrayed our location to those Agents," Bruce said as he helped Clark up and laid him on the bed. He explained, "Just a moment ago, both Lex and I were pursued. I went to save him first before coming to find you."

Before Clark could ask, Bruce continued, "He was in worse shape than you. When I reached him, he had already been knocked unconscious by the Agents."

"Are these Agents crazy?!" Clark asked, utterly puzzled. Bruce replied solemnly, "Initially, they might have thought we killed Benjamin, so pursuing us wouldn't be surprising."

"But now, it's obvious that someone has manipulated them, someone skilled at inciting them. They've turned the Agents into our enemies, and the situation is getting out of control."

"So, they really have gone insane," Clark concluded.

"I..." Clark started to speak, thinking that he could lead the group away from there. But just as Bruce seemed to anticipate what he was about to say, he somberly interrupted, "Haven't you noticed? There's some force affecting this Manor. Things are starting to become abnormal, and I will investigate it. Otherwise, this anomaly might affect the entire Metropolis."

"I've been wanting to say this," Clark hesitated for a moment, sighed, and finally admitted, "I've been feeling a bit uneasy ever since I arrived here."

"In what situations do you feel this way?" Bruce frowned and asked.

"I don't know. I've never been sick before; my body has always been healthy, and I've never experienced anything like this," Clark said, clearly perplexed.

"That further proves that there might be something wrong underground in the Manor," Bruce speculated, rubbing his chin. "Lex told me that his father knew about the underground area and that there might be evidence of secret human experiments conducted by previous mayors."

"These experiments could be related to radiation, which means there might be a massive radiation source underground."

Clark immediately sat up on the bed and said, "We have to find that thing! We can't let it affect the citizens of Metropolis!"

"Right now, those Agents see us as enemies. They're searching for us throughout the Manor, and they're heavily armed."

"I'm not afraid of them. I can escape no matter where I encounter them. But you and Lex can't. I can't leave you both behind, as that maniac has influenced the Agents, and they might go after you with deadly intent."

"I... I'll be okay lying here for a while," Clark insisted, not wanting to be a burden, but soon he realized that things were getting worse.

His strength was indeed returning, but after reaching a certain point, the rate of recovery slowed down. The range of his biological abilities was limited as well. This meant that his powers were temporarily weakened.

"From the time you first felt weak until now, exactly two hours have passed. I speculate that the radiation underground might be periodic," Bruce reasoned earnestly.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Clark's face also turned serious. Regaining some strength, he got up from the bed, shook his head in silence, finding it hard to explain the source of his intuition to Bruce.

Just then, a series of footsteps echoed from the corridor, sounding like Agents running. Bruce walked to the door and peeked through a small crack, seeing the Agents rushing down the staircase.

"We need to get out of here. Do you have the strength?" Bruce tore off the bedsheet and twisted it into a rope, then entered the bathroom and tied the rope to a water pipe.

Clark hesitated for a moment, but the noise outside was getting louder. So, when Bruce jumped out of the window and landed on the balcony below, Clark also walked to the window.

Bruce looked up at him, seeming to urge him silently. However, to Bruce's surprise, Clark didn't grab the bedsheet rope. Instead, Clark flew out directly.

Though still weak, flying out of the window didn't require much effort. Descending just two floors, Clark landed smoothly. Turning his head to Bruce, he said, "Alright, I acknowledge, I do have some abilities beyond ordinary."

Just then, a window two floors above them opened, and Lex's head popped out. He threw a rope towards them, which Bruce caught. With a leap, Bruce reached the adjacent balcony, then climbed up by pushing against the wall.

Clark gestured in place, looking around to make sure there were no others nearby, and then flew straight to Lex's room.

Lex glanced at Clark, then at Bruce, and said, "Seems like he's become your personal helicopter engine."

Ignoring Lex's remark, Bruce went to the center of the room, surveying the furnishings. He noticed that this room hadn't undergone modernization and seemed like an abandoned servant's quarters.

"We can only access this place through the secret passage downstairs, which is not easy to navigate, so it's temporarily safe," Lex said, leaning against the window frame and looking outside at the swarm of Agents in the Manor's courtyard.

Clark stepped forward, sounding a bit anxious, "We need to quickly figure out a way to find the possible radiation source and resolve the misunderstanding with the Agents..."

Lex furrowed his brow, a hint of malice flashing between his eyebrows. "Resolve the misunderstanding? I have no misunderstandings with the dead."

"You... you want to kill them all?" Clark stared wide-eyed, as if he had heard something inconceivable. He stammered, "This... this can't be true? Even if... but..."

"They held back when shooting at you? They wanted to kill me, so why can't I kill them?" Lex reached up and touched the back of his neck, where blood stains from the previous attack by the Agents still remained.

He walked up to Clark, staring into his eyes and said, "Because of your strength, these ordinary people can't harm you. Of course, you can pretend to be magnanimous and tolerate them."

"But if Wayne hadn't arrived in time, I would've been dead in their hands. I'm just seeking revenge."

Clark looked at him in silence because he knew Lex was right, but he still strongly resisted the idea of killing.

Apart from Clark, the other two had no anxious expressions on their faces because they knew the Agents were not a real threat. They had ways to avoid them. The only problem was the "informant" who leaked their unknown information.

Just then, with a loud bang, the secret door on the floor was forced open again.

This time, the first sound wasn't footsteps but the firing of bullets. The rapid succession of gunshots was like a fierce storm. Clark, with his back to the secret door, turned around and extended his hands to stop the bullets.

Bruce opened the window and said, "Let's go!"

Bruce jumped out first, followed by Lex, who was slower. Finally, Clark flew out directly in front of the Agents. However, this time, there was no balcony directly below them. They had to jump diagonally downward.

Bruce jumped over first, rolling as much as he could on the narrow balcony, but he still hit his arm. Lex didn't dare to jump because he knew he didn't have the strength to make it across. If he didn't make it, this was the sixth floor, and he would most likely lose his life.

Clark, on the other hand, flew up into the sky and then caught Lex's arms from below, taking him down together. Both of them landed on the balcony, fell, and then got up. Lex had a cut on his forehead, and Clark was panting for breath.

After his powers were weakened, his flying abilities had changed from 360-degree unrestricted flight to something more like gliding. Carrying someone with significant weight like Lex consumed a considerable amount of Clark's strength.

The group had no time for small talk and rushed into the room through the open balcony door. Unfortunately, this room was occupied. Bruce quickly lunged at the woman who was about to scream, knocking her unconscious, and then dragged her into the bathroom.

When he came out, Bruce rolled up his sleeves and saw that his elbow joint had swollen from the previous impact. He was injured more than he'd like.

"This won't work. The person supplying real-time location information to the Agents is likely in a control room or something similar," Bruce said, looking around to find the position of the surveillance.

English Manor's ceilings and walls were adorned with numerous patterns, and the furniture had various intricate designs, making it challenging to identify the location of the cameras.

But the feeling of being watched made Bruce uneasy. Just then, Lex spoke up, "We need to test something. Is there any delay between the surveillance feed and the monitor? Is there a delay when the person on the other end reports to the Agents? And is there a delay between the Agents receiving the information and taking action?"

"If we can combine these delays, we might have a buffer period that we can use to set traps and deal with them."

"I was thinking the same thing," Bruce confirmed the idea. But then he looked at Lex and Clark, saying, "The only problem is that both of you are in bad shape."

Bruce held his arm and looked at Lex, "If we're going to test this, we'll have to lead them in circles at least twice, and your stamina may not support you to keep running."

"And him..." Bruce turned to Clark, "Although I speculate the radiation surge occurs every two hours, the data is insufficient, and my estimation may not be accurate. If it erupts midway, you'll lose your ability to move immediately."

"But right now, I'm much stronger than both of you," Clark stepped forward, looking at Lex and saying, "You lead the way, and I'll carry him."

"I'm not afraid of bullets; I can fly, and I'm much faster. I can also sense their positions. Once I weaken, you both can leave immediately without worrying about me. They can't kill me."

"I really don't know where this laughable confidence of yours comes from," Lex stared at Clark intently and said, "Haven't you noticed? Those Agents have gone mad. They dare to shoot anyone."

"I'm not saying they won't dare to kill me; I'm saying they can't kill me."

At this moment, Clark's face was serious, and his voice carried a convincing air of authority as he said, "Impacts, sharp weapons, bullets, fire, and all the weapons in the world—nothing can harm me if I don't want to be hurt."

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