Chapter 318: The Plan Unfolds!
A Cold Welcome
The three of them walked, stopping and starting, through a narrow corridor to reach the villa's side parlor.
The parlor was decorated primarily in silvery-white, favoring a modern, technological style. Ample light and a bright, open space gave a sense of expansiveness. Standing inside made one feel mentally and physically relaxed.
"If either of you requires anything, please feel free to find me. I will be right outside the door," the attendant said, opening the door and gesturing for them to enter.
Clark nodded slightly and stepped inside the parlor. A wave of heat immediately washed over him; compared to the cold outside, the room felt as warm as spring.
He followed the stairs down. After a few steps, an unusually shaped fruit tree came into view.
It was an old tree of indeterminate age. Spots of green leaves climbed its gnarled branches, yet several fresh, tempting-looking fruits hung from them.
The orange-yellow fruits shimmered faintly. They were not oranges, tangerines, or persimmons; they seemed to be a never-before-seen species.
Lois examined it closely but couldn't identify the tree.
Next to the old tree was a sofa where a girl in a gray wool sweater, who didn't look very old, sat. She wore a helmet and her hands moved rapidly, apparently engrossed in a virtual game.
Clark said uncertainly, "Linda?"
The moment the name was spoken, the girl instantly stopped, yanked off the helmet, and looked over with annoyance.
"Clark Kent? Lois Lane? What are you doing here? Who let you in?"
Clark felt a bit awkward. Lois smiled.
"Luke invited us for a meal."
Linda snorted. "That annoying guy, stirring up trouble for no reason."
She tossed the helmet aside and clattered up the stairs in her slippers, heading upstairs. The last person she wanted to see was her "cousin's" annoying face.
Clark quickly interjected, "Kara, I need to talk to you about the alien parasite."
Hearing this, the girl stopped and frowned.
"How do you know about the alien parasite?"
"I met him."
"Did you fight?"
Clark nodded. "We fought, and there was a battle. He stole quite a bit of life force from me." He paused, then asked, "Did you meet him too?"
Linda sneered. "Don't even mention that disgusting thing. It makes me sick just thinking about it."
"The huge crater on the beach—was that caused by you?"
"Who else could it have been?" The girl tilted her head back, extremely disdainful. "I taught him a good lesson! If it hadn't been so dark, there's no way I would have let him escape."
As she spoke, Linda sounded extremely cocky, but her acting was poor. Everything about her seemed to suggest she was covering something up.
Lois instantly saw through the pretense, her expression strange.
"You're much stronger than Clark. After his fight with the Parasite, he had to eat half a truckload of food to recover."
A flush of abnormal red flashed across Linda's cheeks. She cleared her throat, deciding to steer clear of the topic.
"What are you two doing here?"
Lois placed a stack of files on the table. "This is the information we gathered on the Parasite: Joshua Allen, twenty-four, a Mexican undocumented immigrant. This was his identity before he was parasitized."
"Oh!"
Linda became interested. She opened the file and quickly scanned through it, her brow furrowing deeper with every page.
"Is everything written here true?"
"Absolutely."
"Comi? You came here for Comi."
"Yes," Lois said gravely. "Before Clark went to the suburbs to investigate, Comi had already been taken away by the Hongmen. I believe this must be related to Mr. Shaw. Is he investigating the Parasite as well?"
"I don't know, but if that Mexican girl named Comi was really taken by the Hongmen, then you certainly came to the right place. Just wait, Luke will be back soon."
With that, the girl seemed to lose interest in the conversation. She turned on the TV and watched a boring program.
Lois scanned the room, pointing at the fruit tree.
"I've never seen that fruit tree. What kind is it?"
"I don't know. Luke got it from a desolate place called the Swamp Forest. He claims it's the only one of its kind in the world."
"No wonder! I haven't seen anything like it."
Lois looked impressed. She briefly considered taking a picture with her camera but gave up the idea. She continued,
"Is that helmet next to you a gaming device?"
Linda picked up the helmet. "This?"
"Yes, that's the one."
The girl glanced at the Silent Superman, Clark, and sneered. "This isn't a game device. It's a combat simulation system specifically issued to soldiers by Kryptonian scientists. Of course, some traitors who've forgotten what Krypton even looked like would never have seen one."
Clark: "..."
I didn't even say anything, and you still mock me!
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door. Accompanied by a gust of cold air, Luke returned. He scanned the hall and smiled.
"Since you're here, let's eat. We can talk over dinner."
Clark wasn't interested in eating; his sole purpose for coming was Comi. Lois, however, shook her head, subtly indicating they should wait.
The group moved to the dining room. Attendants served the meticulously prepared food onto the table. Today's main course was French baked escargots, which were exquisite. Even Luke, who usually preferred spicy food, was captivated by the surprisingly sweet-and-savory flavor.
Perhaps due to the presence of outsiders, Linda was noticeably reserved at the dining table, completely lacking her usual boldness. It took her several minutes to finish one serving of escargots.
After eating their fill, Luke smiled.
"We didn't prepare too many ingredients, so please forgive any shortcomings."
Lois replied, "Mr. Shaw is too modest. Food this delicious can't be found anywhere else. Thank you for your kind hospitality."
"Please don't call me Mr. Shaw, just call me Luke. I believe you two came here for something else, right?"
Lois and Clark exchanged a look. Clark said solemnly,
"We are looking for Joshua Allen."
Luke nodded. "I know him. He's the poor fellow parasitized by an alien bug. He caused a commotion at the villa last night. After being chased away, he ran to the town of Glen Carr. You should have heard what happened next."
Lois frowned.
"I don't understand why he showed up here. Logically, you shouldn't know each other."
"His target was the meteorite, and I just happen to have a piece of it."
The moment the words left his mouth, both Clark and Lois were stunned. They had never imagined that Luke Shaw possessed a meteorite fragment. No wonder the Parasite had clashed with Linda; the root cause was right here.
According to intelligence provided by A.R.G.U.S. insiders, the alien parasite had a strong sense of territory and would mercilessly consume any of its own kind that appeared within its domain.
"Mr. Sh—Luke, could we see the meteorite?" Lois asked.
Luke was silent, appearing hesitant.
Lois quickly added, "We have no other intention, just to look at it. We absolutely won't try anything else."
Luke thought for a moment, then slowly said,
"I can let you see it, but you must promise to keep this secret. You cannot tell anyone else, including your father, General Lane. If you break this oath, don't blame me for retaliating."
Lois nodded forcefully.
"We give you our word. We absolutely won't tell anyone."
"Follow me, then!"
🗒️NOTE:
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
Explore up to 20 chapters in advance!