Chapter 603: Using the Sword to Kill the Eagle (Part 1) (Patreon)

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As Clark stared at the medal, his eyes widened in shock. He exclaimed, "This is the Soviet Union... my God! They're Soviet Union spies!"

He used his finger to wipe the badge and examined it closely, saying, "Correct. I've seen this emblem on television. My father told me that the country on the other side... what was their ideology called?"

"I remember, my parents even had an argument about it because my father didn't trust the U.S. government's propaganda and thought the other country was not that bad. My mother accused him of seeking attention."

Clark seemed lost in thought, clearly reminiscing about a distant land that he often heard about during his upbringing. Then he glanced down at the two individuals lying on the ground and said, "But why would they be monitoring me? Could it be that they want to use me to bring about the destruction of the U.S.?"

Bat Cat jumped onto the table across from Clark and asked, "You really believe that they are spies from the country represented by this badge?"

"Well, what else could it be?" Clark was momentarily puzzled by the question.

"Do you think people write their names on their faces when they're up to no good?" Bat Cat asked in exasperation.

"I haven't done anything wrong," Clark shook his head earnestly. Bat Cat covered his eyes with his paw and said, "If they were indeed spies from some country, why would they carry identification while on a mission? Is it to let you know who they are when you defeat them?"

Clark finally realized the point and said, "You're right. Spies wouldn't carry identification. They would want to remain anonymous."

Clark wasn't foolish; he just hadn't experienced anything like this before. His life had been far from eventful before he went to college. He had led a routine life, working on the farm, watching television, or chatting with family members. He was a simple small-town youth.

But ever since he got caught up in the mysteries of Metropolis, his peaceful life had been disrupted. Now, Clark longed to return to that simple and serene existence, but that seemed impossible because he knew someone was watching him.

For the sake of his own safety and, more importantly, his family's, Clark had no choice but to confront this threat. He concentrated, looking at Bat Cat, and said, "If they're not KGB, then who are they? And why carry a Soviet Union badge?"

At that moment, Pikachu jumped down from the sofa and onto the same table where Bat Cat was standing, shoulder to shoulder with him.

He adopted a detective's mindset and said, "Let's try to see it from their perspective. Before their surveillance of you, they might have thought you were just a very innocent college student, even more innocent than the average citizens of Metropolis."

Clark nodded, not ashamed to acknowledge this. He said, "When I first came to Metropolis, many people said the same thing about me, that I was a country bumpkin. But I don't see anything wrong with that. My parents worked hard to raise me. Who isn't like that? Am I not fitting in well now?"

"Indeed, their information may be outdated, and they might not know that you've changed, especially that you brought a talking cat home today who can also reason," Pikachu said, producing a cigarette from somewhere and holding it in his mouth. Then he continued, "If, based on your original innocent nature, you saw this badge, what would you have thought?"

"I would have been angry," Clark frowned. He stepped away from the two individuals on the ground, saying, "Regardless of who they are, they can't just barge into my room like this. It's illegal! I may have special abilities, but have I used them for criminal purposes? I've been using these powers to do good, and they want to exploit me." Clark rarely wore such a serious expression, indicating his strong disapproval of their actions.

Superman wasn't an entirely pure hero; in many situations, he displayed as much willpower to stick to his principles as Batman. When his domain was threatened, he could get very angry.

"Correct. If you were still as innocent and impulsive as before, without experiencing such things, you might have confronted the country represented by this badge out of anger. At the very least, you might have located their base in Metropolis and demanded an explanation," Pikachu explained.

Clark thought for a moment, then nodded slowly. He said, "If it weren't for you all, I might have done just that. The thought of them being spies, breaking into my dorm room, would have led me to think they might threaten my parents. I would certainly have gone after them."

"Correct. That's their goal."

"For a small-town youth who recently moved to the city, this trick is more than enough. I'm not Batman; I don't overthink things before taking action..."

"One hundred times," Bat Cat added with a disdainful snort.

"So, these two individuals are likely opponents of the KGB. Opponents of the KGB... could it be the CIA?" Clark frowned, scratching his head. "Is the CIA really this underhanded? Knowing I have superpowers, planting evidence on the other side to make me use my abilities against them?"

"In the world of intelligence institutions, they all play dirty. You can't do this job while being straightforward," Bat Cat replied with a shake of his head.

"Well, it seems I don't have much choice. I can't go after my own country's intelligence agency on its own soil. My parents still live here," Clark said, feeling a bit frustrated.

"Don't worry, let's first examine these two individuals and see if we can find any evidence on them. If they've left some clues behind, it might give you the upper hand."

Bat Cat jumped down from the table and circled around the two individuals. First, he checked their clothing pockets and then had Clark turn them over to examine their eyes and mouths.

These two people were remarkably clean-cut, which made the medal even more suspicious. Clark sighed and said, "I'll fly them out to a concealed location first and set them down there. Otherwise, if my classmates see them, it could spell trouble for me."

Clark glanced at his watch and exclaimed, "Right now! I need to hurry; they're about to finish their classes!"

After Clark had flown the two individuals to a corner of a small alley and returned, he saw Pikachu and Bat Cat talking through the window. Without giving it much thought, he flew in through the window.

"Hey! We just came up with a plan," Pikachu waved at Clark and said, "You may be alone and lack connections, but you can definitely seek help from friends."

"Seek help from friends? Who can help me? It's the Central Intelligence Agency on the other side. Who can deal with them?" Clark questioned.

Pikachu leaped onto Clark's shoulder with a swift movement. As Clark turned to look at him, Pikachu said, "Have you forgotten? You still need to deliver me to a guy named Luthor. I really don't want to stay with this annoying cat any longer. Let's go find him."

"The Luthor family is a prominent figure in Metropolis and one of the top conglomerates globally. If they want to contact the CIA and issue a warning, it would certainly be easier for them than for you," Clark reasoned.

Clark thought for a moment, realizing the rationale behind Pikachu's suggestion. Although he was a small-town youth, Lex was the current head of the Luthor family. They had met at Mayor Manor before, and Clark felt their relationship was decent.

Even if it meant owing Lex a favor, Clark was determined to ensure his parents wouldn't be targeted by the intelligence agency. With this in mind, he grabbed the pet carrier containing Pikachu and knocked on the door of Luthor Manor.

Inside Luthor Manor, Lex, wearing a neck brace, was having the positioning of his device adjusted by his butler. A large bruise was visible on his jaw, and it was evident that it had been caused by some kind of weapon.

Hearing the knock on the door, Lex paused for a moment. He waved off his butler and said, "If it's my father's old friends, tell them I'm injured and recovering. We can discuss business matters later."

The butler nodded and went to answer the door. After a while, he returned and informed Lex, "It's someone named Clark Kent. He's carrying a pet carrier and appears to be a college student."

Lex raised an eyebrow, blinked, and then said to the butler, "Let him in."

Once Clark entered, he couldn't help but admire the luxurious decor inside Luthor Manor. Lex stood in the center of the grand hall, arms crossed, and said, "Impressive, isn't it? You probably haven't seen a house like this in your small town."

"You're absolutely right. My family's little cabin can't compare to this," Clark replied, his eyes scanning the opulent surroundings. He nearly bumped into a table, stumbled a bit, and awkwardly adjusted his posture before continuing to admire.

Lex had a barrage of sarcastic remarks on the tip of his tongue but decided against it. He sensed that Clark's compliments were sincere rather than sarcastic. Lex didn't want to mock Clark now; doing so would make him seem immature.

So, Lex pursed his lips without saying a word and then turned to the butler, saying, "Prepare dinner."

"Oh, are you inviting me for dinner? That's perfect because I've only had a hotdog in the morning and nothing else since. I've been busy until now, and I'm quite hungry," Clark said, placing his hand on his stomach.

Lex had initially intended to say, "If you have something to discuss, please do so and don't disrupt my dinner." However, Clark's words made him hesitate. Refusing to let Clark have dinner with him would make him seem petty.

In just three minutes of their meeting, Lex had held back two sets of remarks. The good news was that his jaw didn't hurt anymore, but the bad news was that his heart did. Lex let out a sigh, turned around, and walked back into the house, saying, "What's on your mind? Did you come here to boast about catching another plane today?"

"Huh? How did you know... No, I didn't come to talk about that. I came to give you this," Clark caught up to Lex, intercepted him, and placed the pet carrier in front of him.

As the pet carrier door opened, a yellow mouse emerged, startling Lex. He then heard the yellow mouse speak, "Hey, little Luthor, I'm your teacher Schiller's pet. His manor got blown up, so he wants to foster me here."

Lex widened his eyes, looked at Pikachu, and then said, "But then again, who else in this world has a talking mouse as a pet?"

"He's not just a talker," Clark shook his head and said, "He can also generate electricity."

"Generate electricity? Really? Show me," Lex said, intrigued, staring at Pikachu.

Just at that moment, Clark reached out and firmly pressed down on Pikachu, who was gearing up. Then he said to Lex, "No, you'd better not let him try it here..."

"Why not?"

"Didn't you hear what he said earlier? Professor Shiller's manor got blown up."

"So what?"

"Guess how it got blown up?"

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 604: Borrowing the Blade to Kill the Eagle (Part 2)