Chapter Sixteen: The Prelude to Death

Two days later.

The bustling town festival finally arrived. A joyous atmosphere permeated the entire town. Colorful banners hung in every corner, and the townsfolk were dressed in their finest festival attire. In the central square, residents displayed local produce for sale. Among the jostling crowd, the air was filled with a cacophony of excited voices.

Homelander followed behind Peter, his eyes wide with wonder at the sights.

"Hey, Mr. Patrick!"

Nell, dressed in her festive outfit, greeted Peter warmly. Standing beside her was Lana, wearing a pale green dress and a flower crown, who greeted Peter with a shy, bashful smile.

"Uncle Patrick."

"Lana looks beautiful today." Peter reached out to touch the flower crown on her head, then replied to Nell, "Just call me Peter."

Nell, tall and long-legged with the elegant air of a mature woman, looked quite striking in her festival finery. Peter cast a glance at Homelander. He had expected the boy to be like Clark, interested in chasing after young girls like Lana. To his surprise, Homelander’s gaze kept furtively drifting toward Nell.

Peter felt a headache coming on. This kid truly hadn't changed a bit! Even after being reborn, he was still obsessed with mature women, just like in his previous life.

Wait, no. Peter stroked his chin in contemplation. Since this version of Homelander grew up without a mother, could this lack of maternal affection have triggered this "milf-hunting" soul of his? Perhaps he should find a mother figure for Homelander to make up for that deficit. Wonder Woman, Aquaman’s queen, or maybe Catwoman? These female superheroes he was familiar with entered his shortlist. There was no helping it; they were the only ones he knew. Normal people were out of the question—he was afraid Homelander might accidentally crush them if he used even a fraction of his strength.

While he was lost in these self-inflicted worries, night fell. In the town’s main auditorium, the residents began to watch the song and dance performances. Before the show started, Father Norman, who had rarely been seen lately, finally appeared to give a speech. Peter narrowed his eyes, staring at the man who had been absent in Metropolis for the past few days.

After saying a few words, the old man hurried off to the backstage area. Peter told Nell to keep an eye on Homelander and immediately followed him out.

After leaving the auditorium, Norman headed straight for his home. Once inside, he descended into the basement of his study, retrieved a book of dark magic, and hurried out again. As soon as he left, Peter emerged from the shadows. He entered the study, pushed open the door, and descended into the basement.

The basement was pitch black, and the canvas stacked in the corner emitted a faint smell of old paint. An altar stood in the center, with dim shadows standing around it like sentinels. Peter’s senses allowed him to see everything clearly even in the darkness. He walked slowly toward the altar.

The altar was decorated with candles and ritualistic human skulls, which shimmered like amber lagoons. His gaze shifted to a yellowing calendar on the wall. On it, someone had used a red pen to vaguely outline the silhouette of a shadow.

Observing his surroundings, Peter furrowed his brow. Was this old man, Norman, practicing dark magic? He immediately linked the resurrected walking corpses to Norman.

...

Meanwhile, in the auditorium, beneath the orange light spots lay a soft, dim glow, as if the sunset were burning like fire. Clark stood at the edge of the dance floor, watching the crowd.

"If you want to dance, Clark, you can ask a girl." Homelander appeared behind him unexpectedly.

"I don't know how to dance, Homelander."

"Neither do I. It’s normal for kids not to know how to dance, so don't be envious. Hey, Lana." Homelander turned around as he spoke to greet her.

"Hello, you two." Lana greeted them graciously.

Clark blushed slightly. He stole a glance at Lana, thinking her dress was beautiful. She smelled of Avon soap and Juicy Fruit gum, which made him feel nervous.

"Lana, I... I’m sorry we scared your horse last time." Clark had struggled for a long time to find a reason to strike up a conversation.

"I've already forgotten about it." Lana said she didn't mind. "It was Uncle Patrick who saved me, and Aunt Nell told me to thank him properly." She had a very good impression of Peter, seeing him as the classic knight of her childhood dreams. If she were a princess, she would definitely want such a knight to protect her.

But she soon became disheartened. Her Aunt Nell had told her she was a Cinderella. Cinderella turned into an ugly duckling at midnight, which made her sad. Just as Lana was fretting over why Cinderella's magic vanished at the stroke of twelve, a scream suddenly echoed through the hall.

Startled, she turned around and saw a sight she would never forget.

A man with gray, pale skin, a face covered in viscous blood, and a mouth torn nearly to his ears, suddenly began attacking the audience in a frenzy.

"Squelch!"

Blood sprayed from the neck of a bitten spectator. The monster, growling deep in its throat, immediately brought the nearest few people to the ground, dead. It all happened within a minute or two; no one understood what was happening, and everyone was paralyzed with shock.

Clark and Homelander also witnessed the scene, their mouths slightly agape in horror at the visceral spectacle. Then came the screams. The crowd, overcome with terror, began to scatter in a panic.

Homelander was the first to react, grabbing Clark and Lana and running toward the exit. Following the escape protocols Peter had taught him, he knew the priority was to get out of such an enclosed space.

When the trio reached the main entrance, they found everyone else had the same idea. Countless spectators were crammed against the doors, but the sturdy gates had been locked tight. No matter how hard the crowd pushed or smashed against them, the iron doors remained immovable. The people at the front were being crushed, gasping for air, cursing and crying.

"Clark! Homelander!" Jonathan and Martha, separated by the surging crowd, shouted their names as they were swept along by the tide of people. Nell was burning with anxiety; not only was her niece missing, but Homelander, whom Peter had asked her to watch, had also vanished.

"The fire exit!" Homelander, nearly suffocating, shouted to the other two. "Dad said that in an emergency, you can—you can escape through the fire exit!"

He struggled forward, shoving people aside as he went. Clark noticed clearly that Homelander slapped two boys and punched a screaming man in the eye along the way.