Louise, with one arm in a sling, hurried over to Eric, looked around, and asked, "Is Clark not here?"
"He's busy signing yearbooks for his classmates," Eric replied, then asked, "Are you here for his graduation ceremony?"
"No, actually, I'm not that interested in attending Clark's graduation. I'm more here as a participant for Chloe's graduation, which is why I entered Smallville High School."
After replying to Eric, Louise said, "But now something unexpected has happened. Chloe has been missing for a long time."
"Missing?" Eric frowned. "Then you should contact the police; they have their own methods for finding missing persons."
"I've already reported it, but I believe sometimes the police's methods aren't as effective as yours and Clark's."
A somewhat anxious Louise said to Eric, "I don't know what happened, but given Chloe's personality, she wouldn't miss such an important graduation ceremony."
"Hmm."
Eric nodded, pondered for a moment, then said to Bart, "Bart, go search the places Chloe frequents most. Miss Louise will tell you where those places are."
With that, he turned and walked into the room.
"Perhaps I can help too."
Jenna smiled slightly at the anxious Louise and said.
Meanwhile, Chloe, whom Louise was anxiously searching for, was in The Torch office, helplessly looking at Brandon.
Brandon Roy was a member of the school's photography club; he took the yearbook photos for graduating students and often provided photos for Chloe's The Torch.
But now, Brandon had become the person she most wanted to strangle.
Moreover, The Torch office where they were was not the Smallville High School's The Torch office, but rather the old school building located in Smallville.
Although the furnishings and layout of the old school building were almost identical to those of Smallville High School, this place had become a completely enclosed, abandoned, and uninhabited area.
Chloe was abducted by Brandon to accompany him in simulating high school life, making her the unlucky one.
Besides her, there were also the captain of the Sharks cheerleading team, some girls from the gymnastics team, and a few unlucky boys from the photography club.
"Brandon, you can't keep us here! Our lives need to move forward!" Chloe said to Brandon.
"I thought you'd understand me, Chloe. Some of us haven't gotten into our ideal universities like you. While you're staring blankly at a pile of application letters, the rest of my life and many others' will be spent working at the nearby video store."
Brandon suppressed his anger and said to Chloe, "I just want to preserve these living memories!"
"You can't force us!"
"Oh, really?"
Brandon sneered and looked at a boy who happened to be passing by outside.
The boy, whom he had abducted and forced to pretend to be living high school life, was now in trouble.
Brandon walked over and said to the boy, who was trembling with fear, "Wendell, come here!"
"I swear I didn't do anything! I was just about to take an exam!" Wendell immediately raised his hands and explained to Brandon.
"No, I saw you earlier trying to escape from the abandoned restroom. You should be punished! Also, Chloe doesn't quite understand what happens if she doesn't cooperate, so I need you to demonstrate it to her."
With that, he ignored Wendell's pleas and extended his hand, unleashing his power on him.
The moment Brandon's hands touched Wendell, a cold aura emanated from his fingers.
Wendell's begging body immediately turned into an ice sculpture emanating cold air.
Wendell was turned into an ice sculpture, completely frozen, unable to move, with only his rotating eyeballs indicating that he still had signs of life.
Watching Wendell's tragic state, Chloe covered her mouth in fright.
Brandon, satisfied with the result he had created, smiled slightly at Chloe and turned to leave.
"Oh, by the way, Chloe, I'll save you a seat at lunch. Remember to come over."
Watching him disappear, Chloe shook her head in annoyance, angrily pushing the documents off the table.
Just as she was thinking about how to escape, something else happened in the afternoon that made her despair again.
Lana had also been captured by this guy.
Looking at Lana, who had been turned into an ice sculpture, Chloe covered her forehead.
It seemed another companion would be added to their escape route.
At this moment, Clark was not yet aware that the girl he was constantly thinking about had been captured. He was anxiously discussing his recent dreams with Eric.
"Eric, I... I've been dreaming about Jor-El again recently."
Clark sat in the Secret Fortress in the barn and said to Eric, who was standing, "I don't know what it means."
Eric's eyes showed a thoughtful expression as he asked, "Is it still the same old 'conquer the world' spiel?"
"No, it's not like that."
Clark replied, "Honestly, I don't know why he keeps seeking me out, but he takes a hands-off approach with you, Eric."
He suddenly brought up Jor-El, wondering why he was so lenient with Eric.
"He also mentioned that you are another me, another son of his who is unique and has infinite possibilities. I don't know why he always targets me; maybe he thinks I'm weak enough?"
"No, you're not."
Eric shook his head. "We've had conflicts before, but I broke free from his control. Also, Clark, you've got one thing wrong: he is not my father!"
Eric stared at the setting sun outside and said, "Let's get back on track, Clark. What did you dream about?"
"I dreamed I walked into that cave again."
Clark said with a somewhat confused look in his eyes, "The light in the cave told me that I am the survivor of the greatest civilization. If I don't uphold my mission, then human civilization will be destroyed. The civilization information of Krypton is encoded on three magical stones and hidden in several remote corners of the Earth."
"Magical stones?" Eric thought of the crystal stones with Kryptonian script engraved on their surface that Bart had stolen from Luther Manor.
"Yes. He told me that greed would drive humans to seek the magical stones, and they wouldn't have enough power to resist the temptation. The whole world would fall into famine and war, and Earth would eventually face destruction. I must find the three magical stones; the fate of the world is in my hands!"
Clark said, touching the telescope he had just dug out last night.
Eric looked at the telescope Clark was fiddling with. "You haven't used this thing in a long time."
"Regardless,"
Eric glanced at the rising moon, "if you're not ready to bear the fate and responsibility of the world, no one can force you, Clark. You saw what the three magical stones looked like, right?"
Eric asked him.
"Yes."
After Clark described the appearance of the crystal stones, Eric nodded.
After glancing at the sparkling farmland under the moon, Eric walked down the stairs.
"Oh, right."
Just as he stepped onto the stairs, Eric suddenly stopped.
"The reason Dad didn't agree to you going to Kansas Central University was because he hoped you wouldn't bury your potential because of family. You're like Dad, but even more stubborn. When he was young, he faced the same choice as you. Because of family, he gave up the opportunity to go to university and chose the farm."
"He doesn't want you to hate him; he doesn't want you to have regrets in your life."
After speaking, he stepped down the wooden stairs, leaving a stunned Clark behind.
After Eric's footsteps disappeared, Clark recovered from his daze and reached out to caress the telescope that had been with him since middle school.
The next day, early morning.
Smallville High School.
Louise found Clark, who was preparing for the graduation ceremony, and told him the news that Lana and Chloe were missing.
After some investigation, the two locked their suspicions on Brandon from the photography club.
After breaking into his darkroom, they quickly discovered a suspicious location—an abandoned high school southwest of the town, a prison-like place sealed off by high walls and a dome.
Upon discovering it, the two immediately rushed to the destination.
Meanwhile, Chloe and Lana, whom they were searching for, had already begun to save themselves.
Bang!
Taking advantage of the moment Chloe was talking to Brandon, Lana raised a wooden stick and hit him on the head.
Brandon immediately fell to the ground, unconscious.
After successfully striking, Lana immediately reached into the unconscious Brandon's pocket, took out the keys, and ran out with Chloe.
"Please take me with you!"
A girl who witnessed their "crime" scene, seeing them about to escape, immediately followed and pleaded.
So, the three of them ran towards the exit together.
Because Lana accidentally twisted her ankle, Chloe could only help her, causing them to slow down.
The girl named Heli didn't mind the two of them and ran straight ahead.
When the two of them breathlessly reached the entrance, they found Brandon already standing at the top of the stairs.
"Chloe, I thought you shared my ideas about the future, but I was wrong."
Chloe, supporting Lana, replied, "Brandon, you can't keep us trapped here forever. You have to let me go!"
Brandon, with one hand hidden behind his back, said, "No! I don't think you want to leave, otherwise you'll end up like your friend, Heli."
With that, he extended the hand from behind his back, and a large human head appeared in his hand, which he threw towards the two of them.
Watching Heli's long-haired head dance in the air, Lana screamed in terror, while Chloe struggled to maintain her nearly collapsing emotions.
Bang!
The frozen head fell from above, hitting the stairs with a crisp sound like breaking ice.
Brandon, with a frozen expression, walked down the stairs step by step, revealing his right hand, ready to freeze the two of them.
"Hey!"
Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice came from behind.
Brandon turned around and saw a somewhat unfamiliar figure standing behind him.
Seeing Eric suddenly appear, Chloe and Lana at the bottom of the stairs were almost moved to tears of joy.
"Are you... are you the rescuer here to save them?"
Brandon cautiously stepped back.
"No."
Eric shook his head. "Rather than saying I'm here to save people, I'm here to fulfill your wish."
"What?"
Before he could react, Eric instantly moved in front of Brandon and immediately grabbed his neck.
Brandon, suddenly attacked, did not panic. He immediately touched Eric's body with his hand, preparing to freeze him into an icicle.
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