The current Clark was a selfish person who had lost his moral restraints.
Although he was reckless, he wasn't completely insane.
After a physically and mentally exhausting battle that completely shattered his confidence, Clark's mindset underwent a subtle change.
Indeed, as Eric said, he felt fear!
Extreme arrogance was followed by the fear of losing all courage.
Faced with Eric's threat, the personality endowed by the red kryptonite made him want to escape.
And the only way to escape was to take off that ruby ring!
Clark stretched out his hand with all his might, grabbed the ring on his finger, and tried to take it off.
At the same time, Eric's Heat Vision had already activated, aiming at Clark's eyes.
"Ah!"
Clark, groaning in pain, used all his strength to take off the ring in his hand and throw it away forcefully.
Eric's Heat Vision was about to unleash immense heat, ready to strike the opponent's eyes in the next second.
But witnessing Clark taking off the ruby ring, Eric hesitated for a moment.
In the end, he didn't aim his Heat Vision at Clark, but deflected it, shooting at the wall behind Clark instead.
"Sizzle!"
The Heat Vision grazed Clark's ear, impacting the wall behind him and piercing through it.
Feeling the heat by his ear, Clark could no longer stand and fell forward.
Eric retracted his Heat Vision and looked at his 'cheap big brother' who had fallen to the ground, unconscious.
After confirming that the other party was temporarily out of danger, he walked towards the ruby ring discarded on the ground.
He bent down and picked up the red kryptonite that had caused Clark's drastic change in personality.
He examined the ring carefully, lost in thought.
When Jonathan and Lana arrived at the abandoned factory, what they saw was Eric standing in the factory, which looked as if it had been shelled, while Clark lay on the ground, his life uncertain.
The factory was a mess, the ground was sunken and cracked, and the walls were covered with cracks like spiderwebs.
There was a large hole in the roof, and the metal scraps in the room were bent and broken, giving a strong visual impact.
Even seeing the aftermath, one could imagine the intensity of the battle the two had experienced.
Chloe shook her head and asked with a slightly bewildered look, "So, the battle between Supermen is over?"
No one answered her; Lana and Pete also looked shocked.
Jonathan, however, was calmer; he quickly walked to Clark's side, helped him up, and gave him a quick check.
"Eric."
After helping Clark up and handing him over to Chloe and the others, Jonathan walked towards Eric, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a relieved tone, "Eric, are you alright?"
As he spoke, Lana also walked towards Eric.
"I'm fine, Dad, just some torn clothes, no serious injuries."
Eric turned around and said upon hearing his father's voice.
At the same time, the ruby ring in his hand came into everyone's view.
Seeing the ruby ring in Eric's hand, Jonathan's heart tightened.
A fear from within rapidly invaded his heart.
Why was the ruby ring in Eric's hand?!
If Clark was affected by the red meteor ring, there were still remedies.
But once Eric was affected by the red meteor, no one would be his opponent, and even the whole world would be dragged into the abyss by him.
Fear gripped his heart like a beast.
Lana, standing nearby, also realized the seriousness of the situation and took a step back, somewhat disbelieving.
But to their surprise, Eric casually handed the ruby ring to his father.
"?"
Jonathan stared at the ring in his hand, Stunned It's.
"Eric, you weren't affected by the ring?"
He knew that both Clark and Eric were beings brought by alien spacecraft, and they possessed the same physical structure.
If Clark could be affected by the red meteor, Eric naturally couldn't escape either.
But why did Eric seem completely unaffected?
"If I wore it, I might become like Clark, with a drastically changed personality. But just by touching it, I can use the willpower within to curb and resist this transformation of the body."
Eric casually said to his father.
The talk of willpower was naturally an excuse he used to put off his father, but Jonathan and Lana clearly believed him.
Especially Lana, her eyes revealed admiration.
He can resist an erosion that Clark cannot endure?
This willpower must surpass most people in the world, right?!
A day later.
Kent Farm.
Clark hesitated at the door, took a deep breath, and pushed the door open.
In the living room, Jonathan and Martha were preparing dinner, and Eric was standing by the window reading a newspaper.
Jonathan had bandages on his back and shoulders; Clark had injured his muscles when he pushed him.
After Clark pushed the door open, Jonathan, Martha, and Eric all lowered their heads, doing their own things, as if they hadn't heard him open the door.
"I went to Jessica's house; she, her family has already moved away."
Clark was silent for a while, then spoke.
"Perhaps they won't flee anymore, but seek help from the authorities."
Martha, seeing her husband and younger son pretending not to hear, had no choice but to reply to Clark.
"I only hope she can be safe and sound, and no longer suffer harm."
Clark said sadly.
Now that he had lost the ruby ring, he had returned to his previous personality.
Although his rationality and personality had recovered, the shame and regret from all his previous absurd actions remained in his memory, and this was what tormented him the most.
Seeing Jonathan still unwilling to acknowledge him, Clark stepped forward and proactively apologized to his father.
"I'm sorry, Dad, I didn't mean to say those things or do those things."
"Clark."
Jonathan shook his head, straightening the dinner plate, "The red meteor might have affected your personality, but we have to face reality; there's a reason you think that way. Our family is poor compared to Lex's, but I only now realize how much you care about that."
Clark walked to his father's side and said sincerely, "Maybe sometimes that's how it is. But I also know that no matter how crazy I become, you will always support me and try to save me, and that's something all the money in the world can't buy."
Jonathan was silent for a moment upon hearing this, then exhaled and looked at Clark, "You will reflect, Clark, and that's always good, but you still almost made a big mistake. I hope you always understand what you are doing."
"I know, so thank you very much, Eric."
Clark looked at Eric, "Eric stopped me."
At the same time, a strange emotion arose in his heart.
In his personality affected by the red meteor, it seemed that in the end, due to fear, he gave up his identity?!
What was that?
Was he so scared by Eric that he gave up his independent personality, and fled and abandoned all his desires?!