Peter didn't know Leno Luther was investigating him; he was currently busy scolding Mark.
Clark, who was standing nearby, was also included in the scolding.
"Why are you fighting?"
Peter asked Clark first.
Clark said aggrievedly, "Mark said the leaf I drew looks like a dog's butt."
"Is that so?"
Peter looked at the guilty Mark.
"Yes, yes, Father."
Touching his still sore butt from the beating, Mark said with a bitter face.
He had thick skin, and others couldn't hurt him, but Peter could make him experience what pain felt like.
Peter casually picked up the plant leaf Clark had drawn with crayons.
"You shouldn't say that, Mark."
Peter educated Mark.
"But, Clark's drawing really does look like a dog's butt."
"There are many things in the World that look like a dog's butt, but that doesn't mean you should go around proclaiming it."
Peter casually closed the sketchbook and said to Mark, "Sometimes you have to hide your thoughts because you might hurt someone."
Listening to his godfather's words, Clark suddenly felt a little depressed.
Although he didn't quite understand, it seemed his godfather also thought the leaf he drew looked like a dog's butt.
Peter sat on the sofa and asked the two, "Do you know why I don't agree to let you go to school?"
Generally speaking, U.S. children usually start school at five or six years old.
Of course, specific regulations vary by state and school district, depending on local education policies, resource allocation, and family choices.
But in Smallville, most children aged five to six have already enrolled.
For example, Lana started school at five and is now a first-grader, about to become a second-grade senior.
"I don't know."
Mark shook his head blankly.
"Because you and Clark are not yet ready, ready not to hurt others and not to be hurt by others."
Jonathan and Martha had talked to him before about the two going to school.
But he refused, saying the two children weren't ready.
He could already imagine the scene of them being mocked as freaks after enrolling.
Clark in his previous life spent his time in such an environment.
Due to their physical constitution, neither of them had ever been injured, and they had no control over the magnitude of their strength, so they had no concept of physical harm.
Coupled with their immature personalities, if they were discriminated against by their classmates—
He was really afraid that Mark would get angry and kill a classmate in an instant.
"Father, are we humans?"
Mark thought of the scene of his father killing zombies, and he asked confusedly.
"Of course, we are all humans, you and I, and Clark, we are all humans."
Mark continued to ask, "Since we are humans, why are we different from others?"
"This is our gift, didn't Father tell you? This is also a responsibility, the responsibility to protect our family."
Clark's eyes immediately lit up when he heard Peter say "the responsibility to protect our family."
Mark nodded, still somewhat puzzled, and asked, "Then why do we have to control ourselves?"
Peter was silent for a moment, thinking of Jonathan's education of Clark.
A being like Superman is not an ordinary child; he has no awareness of his own destructiveness.
If ordinary parents were to educate him, it would probably be like a chicken teaching an eagle chick how to live like a chicken, and once he discovers he is not a "chicken," his suppressed instincts would completely spiral out of control.
Jonathan and Martha's education of Superman, on the other hand, was to restrict him from using his abilities, not to make him a "chicken," but to tell him that he didn't yet know how to be an eagle, that his mind couldn't bear the consequences of such power, so he should live as an ordinary person, carefully control his abilities, until the day he could control his power, and then bear the responsibility of that power.
Although Peter would not educate Mark and Clark in the same way as Jonathan and Martha, he could certainly draw some lessons from it.
He stroked their hair and said, "Because you cannot yet bear the consequences if this power gets out of control, so before you enroll, I have to teach you how to control yourselves."
"So..."
Clark looked up expectantly and said, "Godfather is going to be Mark and my teacher?"
"Mm-hmm, I am your first teacher."
"Then can Father teach me to draw?"
Clark didn't even call him "Godfather" anymore, directly calling him "Father" and asking Peter to teach him to draw.
Peter looked down at Clark's drawing of a "butt," feeling a little tired.
"I think a suitable profession for you might be a reporter, Clark."
Peter earnestly persuaded Clark to change careers.
The next day.
At the Smallville Town Center Church, almost everyone in town came to attend the funeral.
The Great Hall fire and terrorist attack resulted in over a dozen Deaths and more than twenty injuries, making it the town's largest casualty event since the 1950 tornado.
Peter, dressed in a black suit, brought Clark and Mark to their second funeral.
Compared to last time, the two little boys had clearly adapted to the funeral atmosphere, maintaining solemn expressions like the adults.
"Peter, thank you. If it weren't for you, Clark might have already..."
Martha and Jonathan thanked Peter.
"I am Clark's godfather, this is what I should do."
Peter exchanged a few pleasantries with the couple and asked, "How does the government view this attack?"
"I heard the Governor has commissioned a special committee to investigate. The media's temporary conclusion is a biochemical attack, where poisoned people lost their minds and attacked others, but we all know they were terrifying zombies."
Jonathan now completely believed Peter's "zombie theory."
"I never thought we'd have zombies in our town."
"Jonathan!"
Seeing someone approaching, Martha immediately tugged at her husband's sleeve, signaling him to be careful with his words.
"I hope I'm not disturbing you."
Leno Luther, with long hair and a unique demeanor, came up to greet everyone.
"Mr. Patrick, and Mr. Kent, right?"
He immediately called out their names and said to Peter, "My company had dealings with Mr. Patrick before due to business issues."
"You are?"
Peter looked at this overly familiar guy.
"I'm Leno Luther."
Upon hearing it was this entrepreneur, whose reputation in town was not very good, Jonathan didn't want to get involved with him and simply excused himself before leaving.
Leno Luther didn't care; his target wasn't the other person anyway.
"Mr. Luther, are you still planning to acquire my farm?"
Peter looked at the father of Superman's future archenemy, Lex Luthor, and asked with a frown.
This guy couldn't be a good person either, otherwise, how could he raise a ruthless figure like Lex?
"No, actually, we've given up on establishing the chemical plant. We're planning an agricultural subsidy program aimed at helping the town's farmers."
Peter looked at him in surprise upon hearing this.
Would this guy suddenly change his nature?