“A stone fragment injured his collarbone…
possibly…”
Rock repeated the doctor’s words, but his eyes were entirely out of focus, clearly still in a state of shock.
“Hey!
Look at me!” Jonathan shook his shoulders firmly.
“Dio needs you to stay sharp right now!”
The words acted like a bucket of ice water, snapping Rock back to reality.
He took a deep breath.
Just as he was about to speak, the operating room doors swung open.
A masked doctor stepped out, his rubber gloves still stained with blood.
“Who is Mr.
Kent?”
“I am!” both men spoke in unison.
Rock darted forward first, his heart hammering wildly in his chest.
“How’s the boy?”
“Relax, Mr.
Kent.
The boy was very lucky, and very smart.
Given the close range…
It was likely because he ducked behind a large rock that he escaped the worst of the shockwave.
The fragment only grazed his collarbone.
If it had been slightly higher and hit his carotid artery, it would’ve been fatal.”
“Oh, one more thing.” The doctor hesitated for a moment, pulled down his mask, and added, “The meteorite fragment seems to contain some kind of radioactive material.
Although the dosage wasn’t high, the boy had an unusual reaction.
His white blood cell count surged dramatically after surgery.
It might be somewhat dangerous, so I recommend bringing him in for annual checkups—”
“Ah, my apologies, I’m rambling.”
Seeing Rock’s silent reaction, the doctor assumed he was putting too much pressure on the family.
After all, with a child suffering an accident like this, no parent wouldn’t be worried.
“Can we see him?” Jonathan asked on behalf of the stunned Rock.
“Not just yet,” the doctor said, wiping sweat from his forehead.
“He needs to be monitored in an isolation ward for twenty-four hours.”
Rock sank weakly onto the hospital’s cold plastic bench, his hands mechanically clenching and unclenching.
*Radioactive material…*
*Kryptonite…*
The terms swirled relentlessly in his mind.
*How could it be Kryptonite?* he murmured silently to himself.
*Clark came eight years ago, and his Kryptonian ship crashed back then too…*
Unless…
It wasn’t Kryptonite from Clark’s ship, but another one?
“Rock.”
Jonathan’s voice pulled him back to reality.
The normally optimistic farmer was now consumed by guilt.
“I’m sorry.
If I had noticed him sneaking after you…”
Rock offered a bitter smile, shaking his head as he patted his old friend on the shoulder.
“Jonathan, it’s not your fault.
When it comes down to it, I was the one who brought the kids into town.”
“Why were there meteorites?
And with no warning at all, just like back then.”
Jonathan let out a heavy sigh and sat beside Rock.
“It was way too dangerous.
I heard two or three meteors from that shower struck downtown.
A couple was even hit directly, leaving behind a young daughter.
Poor little girl…”
Rock nodded mechanically, his mind still fixated on the Kryptonite.
Suddenly, as if remembering something important, he rubbed his temples in frustration.
“By the way, Jonathan, I forgot to tell you—it was our cornfield that got hit.”
“The new plot we bought?” Jonathan’s eyes widened.
That was the new field they had just partnered up to clear!
“Yeah…” Rock nodded heavily.
“Your share of the loss, I’ll—”
“Ahem…
Rock,” Jonathan interrupted, a familiar grin returning to his face.
“Did you forget?
We bought commercial insurance!
Meteorites fall under ‘falling objects’—just like airplanes—and are explicitly covered!”
Rock froze for two seconds before letting out a helpless laugh.
Seeing Rock smile, Jonathan nodded in satisfaction.
“I’m going to check on Martha.” He stood up and walked toward the courtyard.
“Get some rest.
I’ll bring you something to eat in a bit.”
Nodding, Rock remained sitting alone on the bench, lost in melancholy.
He stared out the window at the sky—
It had returned to a calm, brilliant blue, as if the disaster hours earlier had never happened.
Yet his gaze seemed to penetrate the clouds, looking into the deep beyond.
If this really was Kryptonite, what did its appearance signify?
An accident, or some kind of sign?
Footsteps echoed down the hallway once again—the crisp click of leather dress shoes against the tile.
Rock looked up to see Lionel Luthor walking over, accompanied by a pale-faced Lex Luthor.
To his shock…
Young Lex’s thin hair was completely gone.
Nothing remained but a smooth, bald scalp gleaming unnaturally under the corridor lights.
“Mr.
Kent.” Lionel stepped forward and shook Rock’s hand firmly.
“I’ve heard everything.
“If I had a choice, I’d rather he wasn’t,” Rock replied with a bitter smile.
He regretted it.
He regretted instilling that so-called courage in Dio so early.
Nodding in deep agreement, Lionel turned his gaze toward the operating room, his eyes sharp behind gold-rimmed glasses.
“LuthorCorp will cover all of Dio’s medical expenses.
Beyond that, I will personally handle the damages to your farm.” He paused, offering a rare, genuine smile.
“After all, my own boy played the hero today as well, didn’t he?”
The industrialist turned and patted Lex’s smooth head, a rare warmth in his tone.
“Lex, I am deeply impressed by you.
You had the courage to follow Dio, and that is commendable.
But…” His voice softened.
“Just like Mr.
Rock, if I had a choice, I wouldn’t want you to grow up through a trial like this.”
Young Lex nodded silently, his eyes glued to the operating room door.
Reaching out, Rock gently patted Lex’s bald head before looking at Lionel.
“It was the radiation,” Lionel sighed.
“Initial checks indicate that radiation in the meteorite’s shockwave altered parts of Lex’s DNA.
The hair loss might be permanent.
Anyway, I won’t keep you.
You need time to compose yourself.”
Lionel adjusted his suit collar and drew a gold-embossed business card from his inner pocket, handing it to Rock.
The card glinted with subtle luxury under the lights, its edges detailed with LuthorCorp’s iconic emblem.
“Besides, I have pressing company matters to handle.” His tone reverted to the composed demeanor of a corporate titan.
“Frankly, Mr.
Rock, I admire you deeply.
Charging into a wheat field without hesitation to face a meteor storm…
That kind of courage is rare in today’s world.”
Accompanying a faint scent of cedarwood, Rock took the card, his thumb tracing the raised gold lettering.
He flipped it over casually.
On the back, a private phone number was written by hand.
“My previous offer stands anytime,” Lionel gave a subtle nod.
“LuthorCorp’s doors are always open to you.”
With that, he didn’t linger, taking Lex’s hand to leave.
As his father led him away, Lex repeatedly looked back toward the operating room.
His eyes were filled with complex emotions—worry, reluctance, and a newfound resolve.
“Let’s go, Lex,” Lionel urged softly.
“Let Dio rest.”
The boy’s smooth bald head was strikingly noticeable under the corridor lights.
He opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he simply bowed to Rock.
“Please…
please thank Dio for me.”
Watching the father and son walk away, Rock smiled helplessly.
*Thank him?*
*I’m the one who should thank you on Dio’s behalf, Lex Luthor.*
The doctor had made it clear: without Lex throwing himself over Dio, that fragment might very well have struck Dio’s neck or head!