novelhk Chapter 275 Revisited Kent Farm
Chapter 275 Revisited Kent Farm
Chapter 275 Returning to Kent Farm
Clark didn't join in the drinking, but for some reason, in that situation, he seemed to have been drinking too, and was a little dizzy. His adorable appearance attracted many female heroes to interact with him, so when Rune and Raven brought Clark home, Clark still had several very obvious lipstick marks on his face.
Fortunately, those female heroes knew their limits, otherwise Clark might have really lost his innocence today.
Before entering the farm, Rune cast a spell to make all the ordinary people subconsciously ignore his eyes, as he didn't want Jonathan and Martha to worry.
"—You too, I know you really want to talk about your experience, but please don't let anything slip, okay?"
Clark nodded. Although he knew that Rune's eyes had been restored, it did not mean that the boy's guilt had lessened much.
The farm was now shrouded in darkness. Jonathan sat on the sofa with the TV on, a cup of hot cocoa in his hand, but his eyes were fixed on Rune's room.
Martha had just finished cleaning the kitchen. Although Rune wasn't there, he always thoughtfully prepared food for the day, so all she had to do now was take the food out of the refrigerator, eat, and then wash the dishes.
When Martha saw her husband's anxious expression, she couldn't help but smile, while Jonathan coughed awkwardly twice.
"Ahem, do you think Clark and the others will be back today?" Jonathan asked, twirling his glass. "Runn said he'd definitely be back this afternoon, but—it's already so late—"
Martha placed her hand on her husband's shoulder: "Don't worry, they'll be fine. These kids are much stronger than we are."
"But the oldest of them is only seventeen, Martha—" Jonathan's voice carried an undeniable worry: "Heroes from another world might involve them in some operations, and judging from what Steve said, they'll be facing more than just armed thugs; they might get injured—"
Just then, a glimmer of light flashed in Rune's room. Though brief, it was bright enough that Martha and Jonathan held their breath. Sure enough, after the light faded, several familiar figures emerged from the room.
Clark walked out of the room, still wearing the same red plaid shirt he had left in, though it looked a little wrinkled. His face still held a hint of confusion and self-reproach. Then came Rune and Raven, Raven looking quite happy.
"My God, Clark seems to have grown a lot, even though he was only there for a day." Jonathan blinked.
Indeed, although Clark's face still showed confusion and self-blame, Jonathan could sense that he was trying to shoulder something, something abstract but often talked about—responsibility.
But Martha was more concerned with something else—she squinted and whispered to Jonathan, "Jonathan, look at Clark's face, isn't it—uh..."
Jonathan also noticed that on Clark's face, on the upper left side of his neck, near his jawline, there was a noticeable red mark. This was the most obvious one; there were quite a few in other places as well.
"Uh—" Jonathan stammered, "It looks like it's going to be tonight's—"
Martha covered her mouth with her hand, unsure whether to laugh or worry. Then, she looked at Rune, and in the next instant, she screamed, "Rune, what happened to your eyes?"
Rune felt a sense of unease. He had clearly used magic to make the other ordinary people ignore him, so how could he still be discovered?
Clark recounted the day's events to Jonathan and Martha, including his conflict with Rune, while Raven added details about what Rune had done on the cancerous Earth.
Halfway through the story, Martha and Jonathan exchanged a shocked glance, already sensing what was about to happen. But upon hearing that Rune had destroyed another Earth, they still breathed a sigh of relief.
"This is the dilemma faced by heroes in another universe," Rune added. "This trolley problem is unsolvable; we can only weigh the pros and cons. If Earth in another universe were normal, I wouldn't even get involved, let alone destroy it."
"That sounds really cruel." Jonathan remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, "But actually, this kind of situation sometimes happens on farms. If one sheep gets a contagious disease, and it's not treated, the whole flock will suffer. Or if one tree gets infested with pests, and it's not cut down, it will spread to the entire orchard—"
"That's different, Father!" Clark retorted.
Jonathan nodded: "But the principle is the same. We can certainly take the sheep or the tree to the doctor, but what if we don't have enough time?"
The man's tone was surprisingly calm: "Rune, are you sure there's no other choice? Even if there's only a one in ten million chance?"
Rune shook his head. All the carbon-based life forms in the other universe had been assimilated by the evil god, with no possibility of returning to normal. Moreover, according to Iron Man, in the normal Marvel universe, Steve had even staked himself and the other six Infinity Stones.
It also failed to prevent the collision between the two universes.
"That's it, son," Jonathan insisted. "Sometimes we have to make tough decisions to protect more lives. This isn't murder, and while it's not something to be proud of, it's not a sin we should carry forever."
As he finished speaking, Jonathan looked at Rune: "Sometimes, being a hero isn't about glorious victories, it's about making tough choices."
Clark glanced at Rune, then said softly, "But I'm scared. I'm scared that it will be even easier to make this decision again. What if next time we face less clear-cut choices? What if there are still 10% normal life forms left in another universe? And the time after that..."
What if another universe only has 20% of normal life remaining?
Jonathan and Martha exchanged a worried look; this was a question they couldn't easily answer. This moral dilemma was bound to lead to some terrible consequences, such as turning a decent man into a damned traitor. And the Kents knew who Clark was referring to with his last words.
Jonathan concluded, "Some things don't have simple answers. The line between good and evil in this world isn't always clear-cut. But one thing I can be sure of is that Rune is definitely your strongest support. He knows exactly what he's doing. And you, you are the kindest and most moral person we know. You need to take Rune's advice into consideration, but you must weigh the final choice yourself."