Kent Farm.
Eric and Clark sat at the dining table, waiting for Martha to bake cookies in the fireplace.
Rachel sat in her high chair, obediently watching her two older brothers, her eyes unblinking.
From time to time, she would reach out her hand and wave it in the air, as if she had discovered something extraordinary.
"State Councilor?"
Eric frowned and asked Jonathan, "Dad, why do you suddenly want to run for State Councilor?"
"Actually, it was suggested to me by people from the State government, and after careful consideration, I agreed. If I can do something for Smallville, running for State Councilor is a challenging but not impossible task for me."
Jonathan shrugged and said to Eric.
Beside him, Martha listened to her husband while putting on her gloves, preparing to open the fireplace and take out the baked cookies.
"Let me help you."
Seeing Martha's movement, Jonathan immediately stepped forward to help.
"No need, I can still do this much, Jonathan."
Martha, with a slight smile on her lips, said to her husband, "What you should be thinking about now is how you're going to get elected."
"Although it's difficult, it's not without any chance."
Jonathan replied while reaching his hand into the cookies, preparing to take one to taste.
However, the cookies were too hot, causing him to let out a cry.
"Ouch!"
Watching her husband suck air through his fingers, Martha said with amusement, "You deserved that, Jonathan! And there are already enough politicians with their hands in the cookie jar."
Facing his wife's teasing, Jonathan took a deep breath, "Martha, can I take that as you urging me to run for election?"
"No, I don't have that thought. I just hope you succeed."
Martha said while arranging the cookies on the serving plate.
"I'll try my best, but right now I just want to enjoy the holiday and spend time with my family."
"President's Day? If it weren't for schools and public services being closed, I don't think anyone would want to celebrate such a holiday, after all, it doesn't have much to do with us."
Martha replied from the side.
Today is February 22nd, President's Day, a legal holiday in the United States, to commemorate the deceased founding father of the United States, George Washington.
Although it is a public holiday, most public transportation systems are unaffected, and many stores even hold sales promotions.
"As long as I can spend the holiday with my family, it's a memorable day for me."
Jonathan picked up a cookie and returned to his seat.
Seeing Rachel's eyes eagerly looking at the cookie in his hand, Jonathan tentatively broke off a small piece of the cookie beside him and brought it to Rachel's mouth.
Curious Rachel opened her small mouth, about to lick the cookie Jonathan offered her.
But she was immediately stopped by Martha.
"Hey, Jonathan, you can't feed Rachel that!"
Martha excitedly snatched the cookie from Jonathan's hand, "Rachel is still small, she can't eat this, and the doctor said she's allergic to peanut butter, she definitely can't try this."
Seeing his wife snatch the cookie from his hand, Jonathan felt a bit embarrassed.
"Sorry, I just saw Rachel was interested in it, so I wanted to see her reaction."
"Children at this age are very curious about everything."
Martha picked up Rachel and gently coaxed her in her arms, "You forgot that when Clark was very young, he loved to swallow crayons. If we hadn't stopped him, who knows how many 'Crayola' he would have eaten."
Hearing his mother mention that he used to love eating crayons when he was little, Clark awkwardly rubbed his nose and asked, "Did I? I don't remember that."
"Of course, you did."
Martha gently lifted little Rachel's lips to check if she had eaten anything she shouldn't have, and said, "Eric liked to draw with crayons, and you liked to sit beside him and watch, occasionally grabbing a crayon and putting it in your mouth. If Jonathan and I hadn't found out early, you probably would have swallowed the whole box of crayons."
"Maybe, but I don't remember anything from that time."
Clark smiled awkwardly and glanced at Eric.
"Hmm, I still remember."
Eric directly affirmed what Martha said, "I also remember, Clark, besides eating crayons, your favorite thing to do was somersaults."
Since Eric inherited his memories from his previous life from a young age, he remembered things from his childhood very clearly.
"Hehe."
Hearing Eric's backstabbing, Clark stopped talking and just smiled foolishly.
After tasting a cookie, Eric stood up and walked towards Martha, "Can I hold her, Mom?"
"Of course, Rachel is closest to you."
Martha handed little Rachel to Eric, a slight smile on her lips.
Holding the infant version of Raven in his arms, Eric looked at her bright, expressive eyes and the red dot on her forehead, feeling the vibrant life force within her. ඏ ♦ ♦ ♦
And Rachel, perhaps sensing some warm presence within Eric, comfortably snuggled into Eric's embrace.
She stretched out her fair little hand, grasped Eric's clothes, closed her eyes, and began to sleep.
It seemed Eric's embrace gave her enough sense of security.
Eric reached out his hand and gently stroked the red dot between her eyebrows.
A powerful, warm energy flowed through Eric's fingers into his body.
It nourished the "Doomsday Template" loaded within him like a clear spring, alleviating some of the violent emotions in his heart.
Perhaps sensing the violent, terrifying, and unknowable dark and profound emotions within Eric, Rachel frowned, turned over in Eric's arms, released her grip on Eric's clothes, and reached out her small hand to hold Eric's hand that was stroking the red dot on her forehead.
Gently withdrawing the hand that was stroking the red dot in the center of Rachel's forehead, Eric tried to relax his emotions.
"Rachel's eyes seem to see things we can't see."
Martha, standing beside Eric, said, "She is always able to feel others' emotions very thoughtfully and carefully. Sometimes I'm happy, and Rachel will be happy with me. Sometimes I'm a little sad, and Rachel will also be sad with me."
Martha gazed at little Rachel, quiet in Eric's arms, and said, "Perhaps she can see emotions in the air that we don't notice, perhaps in her eyes, various emotions are colorful, and she can capture these emotion-laden colors."
"Maybe."
Looking at Rachel's serene sleeping face, Eric nodded, "She has always been a very special girl."
"Oh, right."
Clark, who was busy with cookies nearby, suddenly remembered something and asked Jonathan, "Dad, do you have any competitors?"
"Yes."
Jonathan nodded and said, "Lex also wants to run for State Councilor. In a sense, we are now competitors."
"Lex?"
Clark was a little surprised to hear that name.
But then he immediately understood when he thought of Lex's identity.
However...
Although Lex was his friend, he could only side with his father now and become a member of his father's campaign team.
Clark thought to himself.
On the other side.
On a dark street, Lex Luthor got out of his car and entered an uninhabited alley.
Someone was already waiting for him in the alley.
"I don't quite understand why we have to meet here."
Lex said to the man standing not far from him.
"It's simple, I never make house calls. If you want my help, you have to come here."
The black man walked towards Lex, saying in an unhurried tone, "Unless you don't want to defeat Jonathan Kent."
"So you have some means?"
Lex asked the black man, his expression unchanged.
"Not yet."
The black man shook his head, "However, for now, I have an excellent little invention that can choose who becomes a State Councilor, spread someone's good name like gospel, or ruin someone's reputation."
Lex knew what he was talking about.
It was nothing more than digging up dirt on the opponent and attacking them through public opinion.
"I'll think about it and give you an answer immediately."
After a moment of hesitation, Lex ultimately did not agree to the other party, merely giving an ambiguous reply before leaving the alley.
At this time, he was far from the unscrupulous Lex Luthor of later generations.
He couldn't even make a decision about running for State Councilor and engaging in a public opinion battle.
Preoccupied, he returned to Luther Manor, only to find his father, Lionel, waiting for him in an armchair.
"You look troubled, Lex. Generally, when a person faces a major life choice, he becomes indecisive and shows that trait on his face."
"Is that so? But generally, I prefer to show bad emotions to people I don't like. You're not welcome here, Lionel."
Facing his son's impolite words, Lionel did not get angry. Instead, he stood up and said with a sincere expression, "I know you've always been angry with me. It was my fault for switching bodies with you last time, but I've reflected on it, and I can compensate you."
"How will you compensate?"
Lex looked at his father with a mocking gaze.
"My liver was in its late stage, and my life was counting down. At that time, I was overcome by fear, which is why I thought of every possible life-saving method. But after our bodies were switched, my liver miraculously healed. Doctors said it was an impossible miracle."
Lionel seemed to be sincerely apologizing to his son, "I will atone for my mistakes. Now I have established a children's fund to help children in need."
"That sounds good, but wealthy people like you often set up foundations. I don't know if it's for tax avoidance or for networking. The only thing I can be sure of is that you won't suddenly transform from someone who wanted to take his son's life into a charitable person who enjoys helping others."
Lex said mockingly.
"I'm trying to make my amends, no matter how you see it, Lex."
Lionel still said with a sincere expression.
Gazing into his father's eyes, Lex shook his head, and after a long moment, said, "Whatever you want. If you're willing to stay, you can choose any room here."
Facing his father, Lex ultimately softened.
"Thank you."
Lionel thanked Lex and prepared to leave.
But he quickly stopped, turned around, and faced Lex, "Lex, are you running for this term's State Councilor?"
"Yes, I need to achieve some goals, and the identity of State Councilor is the first step towards achieving that goal. You'll support me, won't you, father?"
"I..."
Looking into Lex's eyes, Lionel did not answer directly, only saying, "You will succeed," and then left the living room.
After his father left, Lex sat on the armchair, a thoughtful expression on his face.
He had no particular thoughts about Lionel's change.
Whether the other party truly wanted to turn over a new leaf and start anew, or if it was just a facade, he didn't care. The only thing he cared about now was that the other party not interfere with his State Councilor election.
He had been planning this election for a long time, and no one, not even his father, could affect his plan.
"Jonathan Kent, huh?"
Lex, with a complex expression in his eyes, stood up and walked to the safe, taking out a document from inside.
This was something he had obtained earlier, regarding the vampire incident that had recently occurred at Metropolis University.
Although the relevant documents had been sealed by some people, he still managed to obtain some top-secret documents through his own means.
For example, the vampire blood of the infected person from this incident.
Obtaining the vampire blood of an infected person through special channels was not an impossible feat for him.
"Eric?"
Lex's eyes narrowed as he looked at Eric's name mentioned in the document.
Although he didn't know Eric's role in it, he believed that Eric's involvement was far more than just being a suspect in a murder.
Lex, with a solemn look in his eyes, put down the document bag and took out the vampire blood sample from the second layer of the safe.
Observing the bright red blood sample inside, Lex's brows furrowed.
More powerful vampire blood?
Even people with special abilities would be infected.
So, what would be the consequences for humanity if this blood were used on a large scale?
Lex's eyes flickered with complex light, and many thoughts instantly flashed through his mind.
.
-------------------------------
I've already uploaded 40 chapters of this story on Patreon!
If you enjoy it, come check out the latest chapters in advance.
[patreon.com/TripleCrown07]
Thank you so much for your support!!!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"