"Stone fragments hit his collarbone... It's possible..." Locke repeated the doctor's words, his eyes unfocused. He was clearly still in a daze.
"Hey! Look at me!"
Jonathan shook him hard by the shoulders. "Dio needs you to stay sharp right now!"
The words hit him like a bucket of ice water.
Locke took a deep breath, just about to speak, when the operating room doors suddenly opened. A doctor walked out, mask still on, blood on his gloves.
"Who's Mr. Kent?"
"I am!" both men said at once.
Locke surged forward, his heart pounding in his chest. "How's my boy?!"
"Relax, Mr. Kent."
"Your child is very lucky—and smart, too. At that distance…"
"Maybe because he hid behind a big rock, there aren't many traces of the shockwave on his body. And the fragment only cut his collarbone. A little higher, and if it had nicked the carotid artery in the neck, it would've been fatal."
"Oh, one more thing." The doctor hesitated, then pulled off his mask, lowering his voice. "The meteor fragments seem to contain some kind of radioactive substance. The dose is small, but your son had an unusual reaction—his white blood cell count spiked after surgery. It could be dangerous. I suggest you bring him in for a checkup every..."
"My apologies," the doctor said, seeing Lock's silence. He assumed he was putting too much pressure on him. After all, when something like this happens to a child, no parent could not be worried.
"Can we see him?" Jonathan asked on Locke's behalf.
"Not yet," the doctor wiped sweat from his brow. "He'll need to be monitored in a sterile ward for 24 hours first."
Lock slumped into a cold plastic chair, his hands unconsciously clenching and unclenching.
Radioactive material.
Kryptonite.
The words spun endlessly in his mind.
"How could it be kryptonite?"
He muttered inwardly. "Clark's been here eight years already… his ship crashed back then…"
Unless—
it wasn't from Clark's ship at all. Another one?
"Locke."
Jonathan's voice dragged him back to the present. The usually cheerful farmer wore a guilty expression. "I'm sorry. I didn't keep an eye on Dio. If I'd noticed him sneaking after you—"
Locke gave a bitter smile, patting his brother-in-arms on the shoulder.
"Jonathan, this isn't your fault. In the end, I'm the one who brought the kids into town."
"How could there be a meteor? And no warnings either, just like back then…"
Jonathan sighed heavily and sat down beside him. "It's too dangerous. I heard a few of the meteors even hit downtown. A couple was struck and killed… left behind only their daughter. It's so sad..."
Locke nodded mechanically, his thoughts still circling back to kryptonite.
Then, like remembering something crucial, he groaned and rubbed his temples.
"Jonathan—I forgot to tell you. It was our cornfield that got hit."
"The new one we just bought?" Jonathan's eyes widened. That was the new field they had just started clearing together!
"Yes." Locke nodded heavily. "Your share of the loss, I'll—"
"Ahem, Locke." Jonathan said, a familiar smile returning to his face. "Did you forget?"
"We bought commercial insurance! Meteorites count the same as airplanes—'falling objects from the sky' are explicitly covered!"
Locke froze for a moment, then let out a helpless laugh.
Seeing Locke smile again, Jonathan nodded with satisfaction.
"I'll go check on Martha."
He stood up and headed toward the garden. "You get some rest. I'll bring you back something to eat."
Locke only nodded, left brooding alone on the bench.
Through the window, he looked up at the sky—
Now calm and blue once more, as if the disaster a few hours ago had never happened.
But his gaze seemed to pierce through the clouds, reaching far beyond.
If this really was kryptonite, what did its appearance mean? An accident—or some kind of signal?
Tap, tap, tap—
Footsteps echoed again in the corridor, this time the crisp sound of leather shoes striking the floor.
Locke looked up and saw Lionel approaching, supporting a pale-faced Lex.
And what was shocking was…
The boy's already thin hair had completely fallen out, leaving only a smooth scalp gleaming unnaturally pale under the lights.
"Mr. Kent."
Lionel stepped forward and shook Locke's hand with solemnity. "I've heard everything. Dio is a hero."
"If I had a choice, I'd rather he not be one," Locke said with a bitter smile, shaking his head.
He regretted it.
He regretted teaching Dio about so-called courage so early.
Lionel, clearly understanding, nodded and turned his gaze toward the operating room behind his gold-rimmed glasses.
"Dio's medical expenses will be covered by the LuthorCorp. And as for your farm's damages, I'll take care of that as well." He paused, and for once allowed a sincere smile. "After all, my son was also something of a hero this time, wasn't he?"
The businessman turned, gently rubbing Lex's smooth scalp, his tone unusually tender:
"Lex, you've earned your father's respect. To have the courage to follow Dio—that's good. But…"
His voice grew heavier. "Like Mr. Kent, if possible, I'd rather you not grow through something like this."
The boy nodded silently, but his eyes remained fixed on the operating room doors.
Reaching out, Locke lightly touched the smooth head, then looked at Lionel.
"The effects of radiation," Lionel sighed. "The initial examination shows the meteor's shockwave radiation may have altered part of Lex's DNA. The hair loss could be permanent."
"Well, I won't say more. You've had enough to bear."
Lionel straightened his suit collar, then pulled a gilded business card from his inner pocket and handed it to Locke.
Under the hallway's stark lights, the card gleamed with understated luxury, the edges etched with the LuthorCorp's emblematic design.
"And with so many company matters still requiring my attention…" His voice returned to the calm poise of a corporate elite. "Truly, Mr. Kent, I admire you. To rush into a field and face a meteor head-on without hesitation…"
"That kind of courage is rare in today's world."
A faint cedar scent lingered as Locke accepted the card, his fingertips brushing over the embossed golden letters.
He turned it over casually.
On the back was a handwritten private number.
"My earlier offer still stands," Lionel said with a slight nod. "The doors of LuthorCorp will always be open to you."
With that, he didn't linger further, taking Lex's hand and preparing to leave.
Yet the boy kept looking back toward the operating room.
His eyes were filled with complex emotions—
Worry, reluctance, and a flicker of newfound defiance.
"Come along, Lex," Lionel urged softly. "Let Dio rest well."
The boy's bare scalp shone conspicuously under the lights.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end only bowed to Locke. "Please… thank Dio for me."
Watching the father and son's retreating figures, Locke gave a helpless smile.
Thank him?
It's I who should thank you, Lex Luthor.
The doctor had been clear: without that desperate tackle, the meteor fragment might have struck Dio's neck—or his head!