The car, loaded with barrels of colorant and natural pigment dyes, screeched with a heart-stopping friction and braking sound, sliding precariously towards Lex.
Before Lex could react, there was a loud bang, and the car finally lost its balance, flipping onto its side.
All the dye barrels loaded on the car rolled off, heading towards the crowd at the outdoor cafe.
People who were enjoying the sunshine and coffee leisurely never expected such a sudden misfortune; they were instantly engulfed by the rolling dye barrels.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The dye barrels, carrying immense energy, simultaneously spilled their dyes outwards and directly knocked the astonished crowd into the lake.
Lex had just stood up when he was knocked down by a high-speed rolling barrel.
Losing his balance, he fell into the lake.
His chest was accidentally hit, and his vision momentarily went black.
Barrels weighing hundreds of kilograms crashed into the lake, producing deafening sounds, and various dyes rushed out of the barrels, quickly coloring the lake water in a myriad of hues.
Lex endured the pain, struggling to swim out of the icy lake water.
However, the barrels and various debris crashing down left no space for swimming in the entire artificial lake.
The pungent and dizzying smell gradually blurred his consciousness.
His strength quickly faded, and he struggled as his entire body began to sink to the bottom of the lake.
Drowning, cold, and the irritation of chemicals—under multiple factors, Lex's consciousness began to enter a bizarre and hallucinatory phase.
Is this what they call a near-death experience?
As his sense of self was continuously weakened, various memories flashed back in Lex's mind.
Finally, his consciousness even transcended a chaotic void, arriving at a place he himself couldn't comprehend.
In his hallucination, he was dressed in a white suit, standing inside the supreme power building known as the White House.
The scene shifted again, and he, as the President, arrived in a sunflower field bathed in golden sunlight.
Extremely surprised, he reached out and touched a sunflower.
The sunflower immediately withered and vanished at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the clear sky instantly became incredibly gloomy.
Beneath the vanished sunflowers, countless terrifying white bones suddenly appeared, spread across the ground endlessly, while a terrifying monster emerged from the gloomy sky.
Its hideous and terrifying appearance, along with its all-consuming power, instilled endless fear in anyone who saw it.
"Splash!"
Lex was pulled out of the icy lake water.
His oxygen-deprived mouth and nose could finally breathe air freely, and his consciousness returned to his body.
Breathing heavily, he looked at the person who had rescued him.
"Are you alright?"
Clark's body was submerged in the water; he wiped off some green dye that had accidentally stained his hair and asked the other person.
After leaving home, he had originally planned to walk around and clear his mind, but unexpectedly, he encountered a traffic accident.
Eager to save people, Clark disregarded the risk of exposing himself and immediately jumped into the lake to rescue people.
"I'm fine."
Lex, feeling a bit disoriented, blinked his eyes and took deep breaths, letting reason return to his mind.
"You saved me?!"
Lex asked, panting, "May I know your name, friend?"
"You're welcome!"
Clark did not tell Lex his name, but easily dragged Lex's body, which was submerged in the cold lake water, to the shore.
The dye barrels that were obstructing the way were easily pushed aside by Clark.
Lex's eyes widened in disbelief.
One must know that those were heavy objects weighing tens, even hundreds of kilograms.
Not to mention in water, even on land, probably no one could do it so effortlessly, right?!
Under Lex's incredulous gaze, Clark brought him to the shore.
The people waiting nearby immediately scrambled to help Lex up.
After helping Lex to safety, Clark continued to go back into the water to rescue others.
On the shore, wrapped in a blanket, Lex's body trembled from the cold, but his eyes were fixed on Clark, who continued to rescue people in the lake.
Something was brewing continuously in his restless heart, and his expression was filled with solemnity and doubt.
Two hours later.
Kent Farm.
Lex drove his Lexus to drop Clark off at the entrance.
Lex, who still had a faint pungent smell on him, opened the car door for the other person.
"Aren't you going to invite me in, Clark? After all, you saved my life, and I need some time to observe and consider how to repay you."
Lex smiled as he asked Clark.
After being rescued by Clark, he had kept his gaze fixed on the other person, and when Clark was about to leave, he stopped him and insisted on driving him home.
This was why they returned together.
"Of course."
Clark thought for a moment and invited Lex to get out of the car and come into the farm.
Although his father did not have a good impression of the Luthor Group, through their brief interaction, he felt that Lex was not as bad as the rumors about the Luthor Family suggested.
Polite, humorous, and unpretentious—this was his first impression of Lex.
Martha was a bit surprised by Lex's arrival; she had never imagined that her family could be connected to someone from the Luthor Family.
"Would you like something to drink? Coffee, or a beverage?"
Martha asked Lex, who was looking around the surroundings.
Eric and Jonathan were out; she was the only one home now.
"No, Mrs. Kent, I just had a rather thorough drink in the lake, and now my stomach feels a bit full, so I don't want anything to drink."
Lex said to Martha with a double meaning.
Martha looked at Clark, puzzled, then smiled and left the living room with a head full of questions, leaving the private space to Clark and his new friend.
"Hmm, this is the first time I've smelled such a rich artichoke scent; it's quite invigorating."
Lex said, feeling relaxed.
"The smell of the farm is certainly a bit different from the smell of the city."
Clark was not as outgoing as Lex, and his expression was a bit reserved.
"Uh-huh."
Lex nodded, his gaze suddenly catching a pencil sketch placed on the round table.
"This is?!"
Looking at the content of the sketch, Lex was instantly stunned, and his entire body fell into an uncontrollable tremor!
In the painting, the sky was gloomy as if it were about to completely collapse, and beneath the ground were countless white bones, continuously spreading out, with no end in sight.
Standing in mid-air was a hideous and terrifying monster, enveloped by an oppressive and terrifying aura, as if foretelling an all-consuming fate.
Most importantly, this painting was identical to the scene he had witnessed when he was on the verge of death!
"This is Eric's work."
Clark saw that the other person was staring at the painting motionless, and took the initiative to explain to him.
"Eric?"
"Eric Kent, my younger brother. Do you also think his painting is very talented?"
Clark asked curiously.