Chapter 51: The Resentment of the Martian Manhunter

"Ah-hem!"

A man of African descent cleared his throat, signaling his presence to Azu. "Hello, I'm John Jones."

Azu took a deep breath, eyeing the imposing figure before him warily. His mind raced with confusion—how had this man managed to stop his full-strength punch so effortlessly?

The tall, broad-shouldered man with thick, dark brows seemed to sense Azu's inner turmoil. He stepped forward, speaking calmly, "No need to be so guarded. I'm not here to cause trouble."

Just then, Clark arrived, noticing the stranger in the barn. Instinctively, he stood beside Azu, his gaze filled with suspicion.

Seeing the wary expressions on both boys' faces, the man pulled out his credentials. "I'm John Jones, a member of the FBI. Relax, kids. There's no need to be so tense."

Azu wasn't buying it. He'd recently had a run-in with a man impersonating a police officer, and who knew if this guy was another fake FBI agent? He didn't even recognize the badge.

Deciding to investigate further, Azu focused his super-hearing on Jones' heartbeat.

Odd… his heartbeat was steady.

Following Peter's advice, Azu then watched Jones' eyes. His dad had once told him that people often blink or look up and to the right when lying, as the brain activates creative thought. Dilating pupils or twitching eyelids could also signal deception.

Surprisingly, Jones' gaze was steady, showing no signs of lying or nervousness.

"Dad isn't home," Azu finally said, still cautious but unwilling to probe further. "Maybe you should come back when he's here."

Jones glanced at Clark and Azu thoughtfully. "I would like to meet Mr. Podrick, but how about we have a little chat first?"

He looked over at Clark, "Clark."

Clark's eyes widened in surprise. "How do you know my name?"

Jones smiled. "And I can guess what you're thinking."

Clark's jaw dropped as Jones continued, "You're wondering if I came here to arrest you. Maybe even curious about how much you'd be worth in prison cigarettes, right?"

Clark was taken aback. How had Jones guessed his thoughts so precisely? He'd actually been worried the agent was here because of Don's death.

"And you…" Jones turned his gaze to Azu, reaching out with his telepathic abilities to see what was on the boy's mind.

His expression darkened as he realized the chaotic, unconventional thoughts running through Azu's head. Despite the boy's strong abilities, his thoughts were rather offbeat. Azu was imagining forcing Jones, who had superpowers, to stay and work on his family's farm for free, as if it were the 18th century!

This kid's father—Peter Podrick—must be quite the character, Jones thought, mentally labeling Peter a "scoundrel" even before meeting him.

"Ah-hem…" Jones cleared his throat, trying to shift the conversation. "When is your father expected back?"

"Not sure," Clark replied, barely noticing the odd expression on Jones' face. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "Mr. Jones, are you here to investigate the alien spaceship?"

"What?"

Jones paused, looking confused.

Clark continued excitedly, "Everyone's talking about a UFO landing! Our class even formed a Science Investigation Team to explore the alien rumors. Are you here for that?"

"No." Jones shook his head, his expression turning serious. "There's no alien spaceship. It's a kind of parasitic organism that's arrived here. Tell your friends to stay indoors at night—these creatures are dangerous."

"Dangerous parasites?" Clark gulped, looking nervous.

"Yes, to stay safe, it's best for everyone to remain home." Jones looked up at the fading sunset. "Well, kids, I've got to go. Good luck."

Waving goodbye, Jones headed downstairs. As he disappeared into the night, his appearance began to shift.

His dark skin faded to a deep green, his eyes glowed red, and he donned a cloak. Exuding a powerful presence, John Jones—also known as J'onn J'onzz or the "Martian Manhunter"—took off, hovering over Smallville. Closing his eyes, he activated his super-senses, scanning for anything suspicious.

J'onn J'onzz, from Mars, possessed abilities including super strength, speed, endurance, telepathy, and shapeshifting. His guise as an FBI agent was just one of his forms used to combat crime.

His mission in Smallville: capture the alien parasites. But he had unexpectedly encountered two remarkable kids along the way.

He knew Clark was Kryptonian, but what was Azu?

Contemplating, he continued scanning the area, searching for traces of the parasite.

After a while, he opened his eyes, finding no clues about the parasite or Azu's origins. Shaking his head, he turned and flew off.

Meanwhile…

"Huff! Huff!" Lex Luthor, panting, hurried along the road. Frustrated about having to leave Smallville for Metropolis, he had impulsively snuck out of his mansion.

Initially, he'd just intended to hide out briefly before heading back, but he'd somehow gotten lost.

With a flashlight in hand, he wrapped his coat tighter, glancing at the road ahead. Pushing down his rising fear, he forced himself to keep moving forward.

As he walked, he occasionally glanced up, catching glimpses of stars through the dark treetops. Branches of dense shrubs snagged his shoulders as he made his way through the overgrown paths.

Switching the flashlight from one hand to another, his fear grew with each step.

He could feel something following him from behind.

Swallowing hard, Lex mustered the courage to spin around.

A rustling noise suddenly came from his left rear side, and a foul odor filled the air.

Filled with terror, Lex immediately broke into a sprint.

Thud!

In his haste, he stumbled over a tangle of vines and fell flat on the ground.