In the hospital, Matt Murdock, who had just been discharged, now found himself back in the emergency room.
Soon after, Richard and Benjamin arrived, finding Clark standing by the emergency room door, head bowed, muttering to himself.
"Clark..."
Benjamin walked over, attempting to comfort Clark, but Richard held him back.
"Richard... Clark..."
Richard shook his head.
"We should comfort and support him, but not right now."
On their way to the hospital, Richard and Benjamin had used their company's resources to understand what happened. From the public's view, Matt had been trying to save a blind man from an out-of-control truck. In doing so, he was exposed to chemicals that leaked from the overturned truck, which caused his eye injury.
Indeed, this was the scene from the public's perspective. Clark had tried his best to hit the truck, and many onlookers saw it. However, no one believed Clark had the strength to overturn a truck. They thought it was just a coincidence – a coincidence that saved a blind man's life but caused a child to lose his sight.
But when Richard and Benjamin heard the same story and details, they realized what Clark had truly done.
Did Clark have the strength to overturn a truck? They weren't sure. Since Benjamin had asked Clark to hide his extraordinary abilities two years ago, Clark had barely shown his immense strength. After all, a young child doesn't need much power in daily life.
But could Clark do it? They thought so. Even though Clark hadn't shown his power again, they believed he would continue to grow stronger as he got older.
Soon, the last person arrived: Matt's father, Jack Murdock.
This father, who had always done his best for his child, hadn't expected such an accident to happen to his son again, and that it would involve the Parker family.
He wanted to be angry, but for the same reason as before, he lacked the courage to confront the Parker family. If the previous burn was truly Clark's fault, he'd have reason to be furious. But this time, with the truck accident, he had no reason to be angry at all.
With nowhere to direct his sadness and anger, Jack simply collapsed in front of the emergency room door, shedding tears of frustration.
"I'm sorry, Matt. Daddy is so sorry. Daddy can't protect you at all..."
Benjamin and Richard could still bear this sight, but Clark couldn't. No one knew better than him how Matt was injured.
If he hadn't overturned the truck, the chemicals wouldn't have leaked. And if the chemicals hadn't leaked, Matt wouldn't have gone blind.
If he had reacted faster, he could have saved the blind man before Matt, and no one would have gotten hurt.
It's all my fault. If I could control my strength, if I didn't overturn the truck, if I had grabbed Matt before he acted, if I was the first one to rush to save him.
Even with a more comfortable life, Clark, as the son of Krypton and possessing almost every good quality, remained incredibly kind. So kind, in fact, that he blamed himself for everything.
"Uncle Jack, it's all my fault. If it weren't for me, Matt wouldn't have been hurt."
Clark knelt before Jack, crying and begging for forgiveness. This opened a floodgate for Jack's anger, making it almost unbearable. He lashed out at Clark.
But seeing Richard and Benjamin immediately come to Clark's side and pull him up, along with his own remaining composure, Jack finally stood. He sighed, turned to face the wall, and stopped looking at Clark.
"You are Matt's best friend. Matt talks about you often. Matt's injury last time must have been an accident. I'm not curious about what happened, but you certainly didn't want Matt to get hurt."
As Jack spoke, his entire body trembled. It was because he knew Clark was Matt's best friend that he couldn't say anything harsh; he couldn't unleash his anger.
"I've already planned to transfer Matt to another school. I'm sorry. Even though I know this isn't your fault, I truly don't dare to let Matt stay with you. You can call it superstition or stupidity, but I'm just an ordinary person. I don't want my child to get hurt, so... can you please leave?"
Jack's words were clear. Richard and Benjamin took the distraught Clark away from the hospital. Of course, they still paid all the medical expenses.
However, the next day, Benjamin found an envelope with Jack's name on it at his doorstep. It contained the medical expenses they had already paid.
Clearly, Jack, who was determined to leave with his son, didn't want to owe the Parker family anything. In his opinion, it wasn't Clark's fault at all. Clark was just an innocent child who happened to be near his son and became the target of an incompetent father's anger.
However, after this incident, Clark's emotions became even more shattered. In his mind, he had completely lost his friend Matt, and the reason was precisely his inhuman power.
Clark also felt fear for the first time, but this fear wasn't from urban legends or horror stories; it was from himself. Clark was afraid of himself. He even thought he was a monster—a monster that only hurt others.
In the following days, Clark stayed alone in his room, remaining indifferent even when May called him down for dinner.
He no longer wanted to go out because, in his opinion, every move he made could hurt others. And sitting in the living room downstairs were the people he loved most, and he couldn't bear to hurt them.
Benjamin and Richard didn't know, but after this incident, Clark had already tested it. Any part of his body had the power to easily take someone's life. Even a single strand of hair could strangle a person to death.
He... is not human... he... is just a monster. This thought became more and more deeply rooted in his mind.