"Clark, are you okay?"
Outside the door, Richard had taken Matthew to wait for the ambulance by the teaching building. Inside, Ben immediately stepped forward, grabbed the toilet door handle, and tried to open it.
The twisting sound of the handle startled Clark, who was terrified. He instantly gripped the handle tightly, stopping Ben from opening the door. It was clear Clark hadn't locked it; the teachers couldn't open it because he was holding the handle so firmly. With the teachers and elementary students, they couldn't force it open without Clark's consent.
But Ben's voice didn't calm Clark; it made him more sensitive. He suddenly realized he wasn't human at all – he was a monster. He didn't want his beloved father to see him that way, and he didn't want to lose his wonderful family.
Yet, Clark's excitement made him even less able to control his powers. Red rays shot from his eyes, hitting the metal door handle. In an instant, the heat rays made the handle scorching hot, over 100 degrees.
"Ah! This..."
Ben felt a searing pain in his hand gripping the handle. Instinctively, he wanted to let go, but his willpower made him hold on. He knew Clark must have gone through another strange change, which scared him, making him not want to be seen.
And Ben couldn't let Clark's abilities be exposed to so many people. So, instead of letting go, he forced himself to hold on tighter, using his broad palm to cover the now red-hot handle.
"Everyone, Clark might be a little upset. Can you give my son and me some private space?"
"I understand."
The elementary school teacher nodded, gathered the students, and left. Though curious about what happened to Clark, as a teacher, she had to respect the privacy of students and parents. Besides, the man in front of her was a senior executive at Parker Biotechnology—someone she couldn't afford to offend.
Even after everyone had left, Ben still didn't loosen his grip on the handle. His skin burned, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air.
"Clark, I don't know what happened to you, but I love you..."
Ben pressed his head against the door, speaking with the deepest sincerity. "I hope you remember this: no matter what you look like, no matter what changes happen to your body, you will always be my son, my family, and the person I love most."
Inside the bathroom, listening to Ben's words, Clark was deeply moved and slowly relaxed. The uncontrollable heat in his eyes began to fade, and even the strength of his grip on the handles lessened.
However, Ben couldn't notice that Clark had stopped resisting. After such a severe burn, he couldn't feel anything but pain in his palm. But Ben didn't even groan.
"You will always be our child; we will always love you..."
It wasn't until Clark slowly opened the bathroom door that Ben removed his right hand the moment he saw Clark. Even with his skin completely torn away, he showed no sign of pain. Instead, he ignored the lingering red light in Clark's eyes and hugged his child.
"It's okay, Clark, it's okay."
At the school gate, Richard waited for the ambulance with Matthew. As a biologist, he understood wounds. He wasn't a doctor, but he was sure the boy's arm injuries couldn't have happened at school.
Even if someone had rushed into the cafeteria's stove, a normal person wouldn't be injured like this. People move away quickly when burned by flames; it was impossible for Matthew's entire arm to be burned and cooked by high heat. Such a wound would only appear if someone had forcefully held Matthew's arm down under an intense flame.
But Richard also knew that over the past two years, Clark had become a bit arrogant due to his talent, but he was definitely not someone who enjoyed bullying others. Richard was very clear on this.
Since all normal possibilities were ruled out, the only possibility, no matter how unbelievable, had to be the truth. Clark had likely awakened some new abilities. In addition to his physical fitness and smart brain, Clark must have other special traits.
Thinking this, Richard decided on the simplest way to get an answer: ask directly. He wasn't a suspicious person. He was Clark's uncle. If he had questions, he would just ask.
"Student Matthew, may I ask what happened to cause your injuries?"
Matthew remained silent. The matter was too strange. He also thought he shouldn't reveal the truth, so he hesitated. Clark was his friend, his only friend. And it was Clark, younger but stronger than him, who had saved him from bullies.
"Matthew, I'm Clark's relative. I care about him very much and want to know what happened so I can better help him. If you truly know something, I hope you won't hide it. We are all trying to do what's best for Clark."
Even though Ben became a multi-millionaire, he still acted like an ordinary father in Clark's eyes. However, Richard, as the uncle, did more behind the scenes. He investigated every friend Clark had and thus had some impression of Matthew.
Matthew's father was Jack Murdock, an underground boxer. What he did wasn't glorious, even illegal, but he was a good father. Forced by life, he had no other choice, but he put all his effort into ensuring Matthew got the best education to change his life.
Therefore, Richard recognized Matthew as Clark's friend—a kind child who came from a difficult background. He knew that if he spoke this way, Matthew would surely agree to his request.
And sure enough, after a moment's thought, Matthew nodded and said, "Clark and I were talking in the hallway about yesterday's football game in New York City. But today, Clark seemed to still be half asleep and kept rubbing his eyes.
He looked very uncomfortable, but we didn't pay much attention to it. But once, when Clark rubbed his eyes and opened them again, two red beams of light came out of Clark's eyes, and that's how my arm..."
It was that simple. These strange changes were enough to scare Clark, who was only eight years old. Not to mention that his sudden changes also hurt his friend.
Richard now understood why Clark had locked himself in the bathroom and wouldn't see anyone. This was no longer just amazing talent; it was impossible for humans to shoot rays from their eyes strong enough to instantly burn a tough arm.