"Elaine, can you really get in touch with Lucas?" Kara asked seriously as she looked at her.
"There's no way to make direct contact," Elaine replied.
"I can only confirm his general condition."
"And this ability can only be used once every few days," she added.
"At most, I can determine whether he's safe."
"That's enough," Kara said, her anxiety immediately easing.
"See? I told you so—hmph!" Carrie puffed out her cheeks proudly.
Elaine sighed, picked up a piece of candy from the table, and held it to Carrie's mouth.
"Ahh—"
She began coaxing her gently.
Seeing this, Kara smiled in relief and turned back to the kitchen to continue cooking.
Although a housekeeper came daily to help, Kara still preferred cooking herself—it helped maintain warmth and harmony in the household.
Ding-dong—
The doorbell rang.
Carrie was the first to rush over and open the door. When she saw who it was, she immediately called out,
"Hello, Brother Clark!"
Clark smiled and gently patted her head.
"Is Kara home?"
Carrie nodded eagerly.
"Sister Kara is home!"
Soon, everyone gathered and took their seats in the living room.
"Still no news from Lucas?" Clark asked as soon as he sat down, looking at Kara.
"Yes," Kara replied, glancing briefly at Elaine.
"We can confirm that he's safe, but we still can't establish contact."
"I see. That puts my mind at ease," Clark said, holding Lois's hand.
"Hm?" At that moment, Kara's eyes flickered slightly.
Two seconds later, she smiled and said,
"Congratulations, Clark."
Clark looked confused.
"Why are you congratulating me?"
Kara quickly realized he hadn't noticed yet and laughed softly.
"Haven't you noticed? There's an extra 'person' beside you now."
At first, Clark didn't understand. Then his expression froze—before instantly turning to excitement.
"Lois! When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?"
He became flustered, his words tumbling out.
Kara shook her head helplessly.
"You didn't even notice, and you still call yourself her boyfriend?"
Only then did Clark fully understand. He hurriedly turned to Lois.
"I'm sorry, Lois. I got too excited. Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"
Looking at the flustered man in front of her, Lois couldn't help laughing as she lightly tapped him.
"Alright, alright. It hasn't even been two months yet—you don't need to be this nervous."
Carrie ran over and stared curiously at Lois's stomach.
"Is there a baby inside?"
"Yes, there is, Carrie," Lois replied with a gentle smile.
"Then… is the baby tasty?" Carrie asked innocently.
"…"
Everyone fell silent.
After a joyful dinner, they continued chatting in the living room.
With Elaine having confirmed Lucas's safety, Kara felt much more at ease.
Clark, meanwhile, was still dizzy with happiness from the news of Lois's pregnancy.
Just then, the doorbell rang again.
Carrie had already fallen asleep in her hanging chair, so Elaine went to answer the door.
"Oh! Beautiful Miss Elaine," a familiar voice greeted her.
"Every visit to Lucas's home is always such a delightful and eagerly anticipated occasion."
Soon, Luthor entered the living room.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, his expression turned serious.
"I know you're all concerned about Lucas's safety and whereabouts," he said.
"That's why I'm here—to bring you relevant information."
However, once he finished speaking, he noticed that everyone's reactions were calmer than he had expected.
"You all…?"
At that moment, Luthor felt like a chef who had prepared a grand feast, only to find the diners reacting with mild interest rather than excitement.
"Just say it directly, Luthor," Kara said, breaking the awkward silence.
"Alright," Luthor nodded.
"About half an hour ago, one of our group's satellites received a signal—from outer space."
He continued gravely,
"Lucas instructed me before his departure that if we ever received such a signal, it would confirm that he was safe."
"And most importantly," Luthor added,
"our scientists have confirmed that the signal originated from outside the Milky Way."
Clark and Kara exchanged glances. They both understood what that distance meant.
"Thank you, Luthor," Kara said sincerely.
Although Elaine had already confirmed Lucas's safety, this report made the information far more concrete.
"It seems you've already obtained confirmation through other channels," Luthor said thoughtfully.
"I'm quite curious—who possesses such remarkable abilities?"
He had already deduced that they must have another source.
"Sorry, Luthor," Kara replied apologetically, shaking her head.
"That's not something we can disclose right now."
After all, explaining Elaine's ability would sound far too fantastical.
"Oh, that's quite alright," Luthor replied warmly.
"If you need any assistance, just let me know."
"Of course," Kara said.
After a bit more conversation, Luthor took his leave, choosing not to disturb them further.
Once outside, he sat down in his car.
With his eyes closed and his head resting against the seat, he asked calmly,
"Any reaction from Phastos's side?"
His subordinate replied immediately,
"No, sir. He's remained in his lab, focused on his research. No unusual activity."
Luthor slowly opened his eyes.
"As expected. I suspected it earlier—only Phastos could accomplish something like this."
"It seems that man still has abilities we're unaware of."
The subordinate hesitated before continuing,
"Boss, we've tried to buy off the people around him. So far, only one has been successfully recruited—the rest—"
"That's enough," Luthor interrupted calmly.
"Abandon that plan."
"I suspect the one you recruited was deliberately planted by him."
"Understood, sir," the subordinate replied.
The car fell silent, filled only with the hum of the engine and Luthor's steady breathing.
---
Three months earlier.
Far beyond the Milky Way—
In a dead galaxy littered with drifting asteroid fragments, the fabric of space suddenly began to distort.
Like ripples spreading across a calm lake struck by sudden wind, waves of distortion expanded outward.
Moments later, a long, pitch-black spacecraft pierced through the distortion and appeared in this region of space.
_____
T/N:
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