Chapter Thirty-Two: Revenge and Rebirth

Late at night.

Smallville Elementary School. Under the glow of the moonlight, the river was wreathed in mist.

Old Hory, who had taken Clark to the infirmary earlier that day, walked slowly toward the riverbank. Deep within the river, a faint, greenish luminescence shimmered.

Old Hory glanced left and right. Satisfied that he was alone, he took a deep breath and plunged into the water with a splash. As he slowly submerged, the surface of the river gradually calmed.

"Splash!"

A few minutes later, Old Hory broke the surface.

After being soaked in the river, his originally aged, wrinkled face had transformed into that of a young man. His frail, withered physique had been replaced by a body rippling with powerful muscle.

Once he waded ashore, Old Hory retrieved a backpack he had hidden in advance and changed into the clothes he had prepared. Now dressed, he looked like a trendy, young Black man.

Savoring this youthful body, he closed his eyes and clenched his fists, feeling the surging power within. His body trembled slightly; he was intoxicated by this sensation, almost unable to resist the urge to unleash that power immediately.

Opening his eyes, he shook the water from his hair. Looking up, he cast his gaze into the dark night and whispered a name: "Andy Hawkins."

...

"Thud!"

At the auto repair shop, Andy Hawkins slammed the car door shut and clapped his hands. He rubbed his lower back, shaking his head in resignation. As he aged, his stamina was not what it used to be. In his youth, he could spend three hours lying on the ground repairing a car without feeling a hint of fatigue. Now, after just one hour, his back was so sore he could barely stand.

He closed the garage door and turned to leave, only to see a silhouette standing before him. Startled, he recoiled sharply. In the thin moonlight, Andy Hawkins saw a young Black man wearing a baseball cap.

"Good heavens! Kid, you scared the life out of me." Andy Hawkins let out a breath, assuming the young man was there for car repairs.

"I have a Dodge Coronet 500, Mr. Hawkins. Could you help me fix it?" Hory approached, his voice low.

"A Dodge Coronet 500? That’s an antique from the last century. Is that your grandfather's car?" Andy Hawkins looked at him, surprised. "Young people today don't usually care for those."

"I like old things." Hory shrugged and walked toward him. "Do you know how that car got broken?"

Without waiting for Andy to answer, he continued, "Forty years ago, four high school students drove that car to a bar. Maybe they’d had too much to drink, but they did something stupid—they tried to rob a jewelry store."

Andy Hawkins had been smiling as he listened, but the story began to sound increasingly wrong.

"As it turned out, those unlucky guys ran straight into a police patrol. They were caught, obviously. To escape punishment, three of them pinned the blame on another Black kid."

Andy Hawkins felt cold sweat instantly break out across his forehead.

"That Black high schooler was a promising baseball player, destined for the major leagues after graduation. But that charge completely destroyed his life."

Andy Hawkins stared at him, filled with terror. "Who... who are you exactly?"

"Of the three who escaped punishment, one was named Andy Hawkins. And the man they framed was Hory Mays."

At this, Hory took off his baseball cap, revealing the face that Andy Hawkins could not believe.

"You... Hory? It's you! No! No, that's impossible!"

He recognized the man as the young Hory. But how could he have regained his youth?

"Long time no see, Andy. I am Hory Mays."

Hory relished the look of horror on the other man's face. A rush of pleasure surged within him. "Want to know why I’m here? It’s not complicated. You ruined my life, and after I got out of prison, I left Smallville. I only recently returned. I thought I’d never have a chance at revenge, but then..."

He walked unhurriedly to a car and leaned against it. "One day, I was walking by the river and accidentally fell in."

"Have you ever heard the legend of the mermaid?" Hory crossed his arms over his chest. "They say there is a kind of mermaid in this world; if you eat its flesh, you can regain your youth. Perhaps... I accidentally bit into a piece of mermaid meat in that river, and so I regained my youth and gained strength far beyond that of a normal man. It’s incredible! If it hadn't happened to me, I wouldn't have believed it was anything more than a fairy tale."

Andy Hawkins scrambled to apologize. "I'm sorry, Hory. I... I didn't want to do it. They were the ones who said we had to pin it all on you. I tried to stop them..."

"Shh!" Hory made a silencing gesture. "I know you're a good man, Andy."

"But..." His tone shifted abruptly. "You are also a weak one!"

In the next second, he moved instantly to Andy Hawkins' side. Hory's hand formed a blade and struck the man’s neck. Andy Hawkins' face flushed deep red, his eyes bulging as if they were being sucked back into his skull. Losing his balance, he clutched his throat and collapsed backward.

He felt his feet being lifted, not by his own will, but because Hory was dragging him. His consciousness began to fade, and waves of piercing pain shot through his lower back. He tried to cry out for help, but no sound could escape his throat. Finally, as he was dragged away, his consciousness slipped into darkness.

...

"Bang!"

At the Kent Farm, Azo caught the baseball Peter had thrown to him. The two were playing a game of catch after dinner.

Azo held the ball and asked, puzzled, "Dad, what happened to Clark today?"

"He had an allergic reaction to that green rock. So, don't let him touch that kind of thing in the future, John." Peter made up an excuse for Clark.

"A green rock?" Azo controlled his strength and tossed the ball back to Peter gently. "I'll protect Clark and make sure he doesn't touch those rocks," Azo said, puffing out his chest.

"By the way, Dad." He suddenly remembered something important and stopped throwing. "Mr. McConnell said the school is going to the museum next week." He looked at Peter with expectant eyes. "Dad, can you write me a note to get out of it? I already went once on my birthday."

"You don't want to participate in the activity?"

"Yeah, I can stay home and weed the garden. Didn't you say the faster I finish weeding, the more pay I get?" Azo had become completely obsessed with the "great cause" of earning pocket money.