novelhk Chapter 4: The Second Characteristic
Chapter 4: The Second Characteristic
Red and blue neon lights flashed wildly as paramedics bustled about.
In the crowd, an old man with a bulbous nose and a face red and wrinkled from sun exposure and alcohol said thankfully:
"My God, we've finally found Jerome! Who would have thought that he'd sneaked off to the upper reaches of the Elbo River without anyone noticing?"
I really don't know how he got there; the bridge that led there has been collapsed for over ten years..."
Jerome?
Upon hearing the name, Lucas felt a strange sense of familiarity.
After thinking for a while, I finally remembered that this was the unlucky ex-boyfriend of Superman who was stripped down to his underwear by the football team when he fell to Earth and tied to a wooden cross in a cornfield with an "S" drawn on his chest!
How many days have passed, and it's only now that we've found it?
Is the person still alive?
Oh, I forgot, at this time Jerome's body should have been continuously subjected to the radiation and modification of Kryptonite, and his vitality was passively and terrifyingly tenacious during this period.
All it takes is 12 years of coma to become an electrical freak who controls electricity.
The downside is that it can short-circuit when exposed to water.
What a great deal!
...
The ambulance and police arrived suddenly and left in a hurry.
Soon, the town returned to peace, and the residents who had gathered dispersed in twos and threes, rejoining the lively carnival.
The Kents drove back to the farm to discuss where to hang their custom-made 14-inch family photo in the most prominent position.
With the harvest festival now over, the farmland along Highway 8 that Jonathan had recently sold has been completely transformed.
The sign, which originally read "Hometown of Creamy Corn," has been changed to "Welcome to the Meteorite Capital."
It's bigger and more noticeable than before.
The entire farmland was also transformed.
It has nothing to do with meteorites.
Inside the farmland, some amusement facilities with outer space elements and souvenir shops have been built.
In addition, these business-savvy Americans used specially made sickle tools to cut out symmetrical and neat giant geometric symbols in the cornfields.
They publicly claimed that this was a special signal left to humanity by outer space.
Sure enough, in the period that followed, the gimmick attracted quite a few tourists who came from other places.
Of course, all of this has nothing to do with Lucas.
His daily life was simple, monotonous, yet full of passion.
In addition to consistently training all the muscles in my body, I've recently added eye exercises to my routine.
It mainly consists of fixed-point gazing, blinking training, and rapid eye tracking training.
To Lucas's surprise, on the third day, when he was training his eyes again, lines of text suddenly flashed in his vision:
[Achievement: One million times each of fixed-point gazing, blinking training, and visual tracking]
[Reward: Gain the trait - Divine Insight.]
[Cumulative Eye Training: 1/1 million]
After glancing at the contents, Lucas couldn't help but feel a slight surge of excitement.
After the initial crawling achievement, the second achievement finally appeared.
Life feels more promising now!
I just don't understand the prerequisites for activating this achievement.
After all, he used his eyes every day before, and even without special training, farsightedness and nearsightedness were inevitable, but there were no related achievement requirements.
As for whether it was due to special training...
Then why don't the arms and legs appear separately anymore?
But it doesn't matter if I can't figure it out, as long as I can become stronger.
In order to activate the second trait more quickly, Lucas specifically planned out his daily activity time.
Aside from necessary sleep, meals, and bodily functions, he has about ten hours of free time each day.
Five hours are dedicated to training all the muscles in the body, and five hours are dedicated to eye training.
[Refined Through a Thousand Hammers] can significantly improve the strength of flesh and blood, which is also crucial for one's future development. It is the foundation of everything and should definitely not be neglected.
Busy days always seem to fly by.
Especially this process where you can clearly feel your body getting stronger step by step.
The monotonous daily routine didn't make him feel bored; on the contrary, it was precisely this dullness that made his mind more and more stable.
The prerequisite is that Clark, that little brat, doesn't wet the bed.
Yes.
Even though he had mastered walking skills, Clark's bedwetting problem did not improve and even became more and more frequent.
This left Lucas speechless, and he felt an urge to nip Superman in the bud.
Fortunately, a few days later, the kind-hearted Ms. Martha finally couldn't bear to see it anymore and bought a brand new crib.
To be precise, it's a low bed for children.
Lucas is over ten months old and looks taller and stronger than a one-year-old... It's clearly not appropriate for him to continue sleeping in a crib.
The bed was delivered in the afternoon, and because space was limited at the farmhouse, it was installed next to the Clark baby crib.
Lucas excitedly ran to the crib, greedily inhaling the fresh scent of the wood and the subtle hint of varnish emanating from the wooden planks.
Finally, I can get a good night's sleep!
Lucas cherishes his new bed.
Even the intensity of my evening exercise has been greatly reduced, for fear that the new bed won't withstand the strain.
……
The wooden dining table, bathed in a dim yellow light, reflects a faint, hazy glow onto the aged glass.
The Kents bowed their heads slightly, placing their hands folded on the edge of the table in a reverent manner.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for your favor on this farm, for providing food and security.
Bless us with safe labor and protect my children.
May it grant us a heart of contentment and kindness.
Bless this food, and bless those who suffer in the world.
In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
As Protestant members, praying before meals is an ingrained daily habit.
Unlike traditional Christianity, they don't need any complicated rituals; they only need to silently recite in their hearts.
After dinner, Jonathan looked at Clark with a more serious expression.
This little guy, who is still bedwetting, has recently made great strides in strength. At only six months old, he can easily lift objects weighing 20 or 30 kilograms with one hand.
Although he didn't know which alien planet Clark came from deep within the starry sky, this diligent and honest middle-aged farmer from Kansas knew very well that as he grew older, the extraordinary qualities of the boy would only increasingly transcend the boundaries of ordinary people's understanding.
Jonathan had no idea what changes might occur at that time.
As a native Kansasian who has lived here for generations and a devout Methodist, he was exceptionally clear-headed: in a time when faith has not yet healed the barriers between people and human nature remains narrow, the world is simply not prepared to accept things that overturn common sense.
If Clark had enough power to protect himself, that would be fine. What worries him most is that his power is insufficient and has instead brought trouble upon himself.
In addition, the upbringing and future of this alien adopted son have been weighing on his mind lately.
He was constantly worried that once Clark's alien identity was made public, it would likely arouse suspicion, fear and exclusion from the world.
At best, he would face severe criticism; at worst, he would be forced into exile. Clark might very well lose his conscience and humanity amidst the endless malice...