American comics farmer: start by adopting the villain savior.

Chapter 122 Mr. Locke is the one everyone wants! He's the one the people desire!

Chapter 122 Mr. Locke is the one everyone wants! He's the one the people desire!
Kansas.

Smallwell.

The autumn air is crisp and clear, and the sun shines warmly.

Golden light bathed every corner of the town, adding a touch of warmth to the harvest celebration.

The grandest annual harvest festival celebration has begun amidst great anticipation!
The town's main street has already been renovated.

The roadsides were adorned with harvest wreaths woven from corn, pumpkins, sunflowers, and ribbons.

The air was filled with a unique and delightful aroma of roasted bell peppers, caramelized apples, and fresh straw.

In the center of the square, on a makeshift stage, a local country band was playing cheerful music with great enthusiasm, drawing applause and cheers from time to time.

Many young people dressed in traditional clothing danced the square dance in pairs.

Her skirt fluttered in the breeze, and her laughter was crisp and clear.

"It's really (chew chew chew). Not bad (chew chew chew)."

And amidst this jubilation...

A figure leaned against a lamppost at the edge of the square, taking small bites of a bright red, glistening candied hawthorn, and murmured between chews:
"Who invented this thing?"

He swallowed the second-to-last fruit.

The woman, dressed in an elegantly tailored black magician's suit and draped in a deep purple velvet cloak, licked the sugar stains from the corner of her lips and couldn't help but sigh:

"We can give these to the children at the next magic show."

Magic show?

Yes…

She is a magician.

Zatanna Zatala.

After touring the United States and completing performances in several cities, the tour returned to its starting point, Metropolitan, yesterday, bringing a perfect end to its several-year tour.

So, since she was already there, she boarded the bus to Smallville to visit this peaceful and tranquil town she hadn't seen for several years.

Just
My gaze swept over the ubiquitous giant advertisements on the hot air balloon—

"Luthertech - Building a Better Future" "Luthertech - A New Era of Energy"

Zatanna pursed her lips.

The tentacles of capital are truly ubiquitous. She thought that the state of the metropolis was the limit, but she never expected that even this peaceful town could not escape the shadow of the Luther Group.

I just don’t know…

How are Mr. Locke's family doing?

The farmer with strange powers, and the little guy surrounded by astonishing magical energy…

Lost in thought, Zatanna took a few steps forward and heard a loud and excited voice:

"Ladies and gentlemen! Next up is the most anticipated part of this year's Pumpkin Contest: the grand finale!"

"Next up is our pride of Smallwell, the representative of Kent Farm!"

"Please welcome—Mr. Locke Kent! And his brother—Mr. Jonathan Kent!"

The girl had just taken a bite of a hawthorn when she heard the sound and was startled, almost dropping the candied hawthorn.

Such a coincidence?
wrong…

It can't be called a coincidence.

After all, Mr. Locke's public identity was just an ordinary farmer, so it was perfectly normal for him to participate in such an agricultural celebration.

Intrigued, Zatanna quickly finished the remaining candied hawthorns, then deftly flicked her wrist, sending the bamboo skewer flying in a smooth arc and landing precisely in the distant trash can.

He then used his nimble movements to easily squeeze to the front of the crowd.

Sure enough, that familiar figure was there.

Five years have passed, but time seems to have left few traces on him; he remains upright with deep eyes.

only…

At this moment, his face no longer held the relaxed and indifferent expression she remembered; instead, it was unusually... serious and tense.
It's as if we're about to face some major challenge.

This made Zatanna also become serious.

Even Mr. Locke back then wasn't this serious when dealing with those hunting dogs!

Has something big happened?

Her gaze unconsciously shifted to where Locke's eyes were—

A pumpkin?!

She blinked.

That's when it suddenly dawned on me.

This looks like the finals of a pumpkin contest?

“Mr. Locke Kent!”

The host, clearly caught up in the atmosphere, raised his voice even higher: "Please, Mr. Jonathan, bring out your trump card to decide the outcome!"

"."

Locke's lips twitched upon hearing this.

How much did Lex pay you for the show...?

What could possibly inspire such passion in you for a few pumpkins?
"Cough cough!"

Clearing his throat, Locke quickly composed himself, abruptly turning to Jonathan beside him, and said in a deep voice, "Jonathan!"

The old farmer, whose name was called, was taken aback: "What's wrong, Locke?"

"it's time!"

Locke's eyes sharpened, and strange lines appeared on his face:

"Just take out... 'that'!"

"What?!!"

Jonathan's reaction was so intense that he almost cried out.

His face was filled with immense shock and disbelief!
It even caused the surrounding audience to hold their breath and crane their necks in curiosity.

"Good heavens! Oh my brother Locke! You...you really want to take out 'that' here?!"

The old farmer's voice even trembled slightly with excitement:
"This...this is just a regular pumpkin contest! Is it really necessary?! That's a family heirloom of the Kent family!"

"It's alright, Jonathan!"

Taking a deep breath, Locke's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an almost obstinate conviction!

The sound clearly resonated throughout the suddenly quiet square:
"In any competition, big or small, we must give it our all! This is a family motto passed down through generations in the Kent family! We can never slack off!"

"Besides, we're doing this for the town's charity!"

These words immediately sparked a lively discussion among the audience below, with many showing expressions of admiration and curiosity.

Who would have thought that the generous and gentle Kent family had such a deep-rooted family tradition of learning!

Ugh.
Such boundless love!

but
These words still drew merciless sneers from the other side of the stage.

"Hahahaha! Ridiculous!"

Stand behind the exquisitely carved and rather large pumpkin.

The old man, dressed in an expensive suit and with his hair neatly combed, gave Locke a merciless laugh!

"Locke! Stop with the charade and your death throes!"

He patted the obviously valuable art pumpkin in front of him with a smug look on his face. "Look at my 'Goddess of Harvest' sculpted by a famous artist! And look at yours! This year's champion is definitely me, Anthony! Hahahaha!"

Zatanna couldn't help but chuckle as she watched the old man on stage, who was so emotional he was practically jumping up and down.

How could a pumpkin competition be so exciting?
Immediately, she heard the smiling whispers and explanations from the onlookers around her.

"This Anthony has lost for six years in a row!"

An elderly man wearing reading glasses, who looked like a regular in the small town, shook his head, his tone tinged with schadenfreude.

"In the past five years, they lost to Mrs. Martha's apple pie and Jonathan's woodworking skills. This year, they finally felt that the Kent family had run out of new ideas, so they spent a lot of money to make a carved pumpkin. But they were up against the unassuming Mr. Locke..."

"Tsk tsk, I think it's risky."

"No wonder he was so agitated."

A middle-aged woman holding a child chimed in, her tone more impartial, "After all, it's a charity pumpkin contest; the ultimate winner gets the right to designate $30,000 for specific charitable purposes."

"The Kents wanted to use the money to repair the main road in our town, which had been in disrepair for years, but Anthony wanted to use it to repair the section of road leading to his villa and warehouse..."

"This is no simple competition; it's a battle for the 'road'!"

It turns out it involved the use of charitable funds, and they'd been losing for six consecutive years...

Zatanna's lips curved into a helpless smile; no wonder Mr. Anthony looked like he had lost his temper and was determined to win.

but
What kind of pumpkin will Mr. Locke use to deal with this?
The girl turned her gaze with great interest to the center of the competition field.

then
She, like all the other onlookers, was completely stunned.

Even the host on stage became stammering, his voice almost distorted with shock:
“That…that’s a crane?! Mr. Jonathan Kent, what are you doing?!”

That's right!

Under the incredulous gaze of everyone, Jonathan Kent actually drove a small mobile crane, rumbling, to the back of the competition stage!

The crane arm moved slowly and soon hooked onto an extremely large object covered by a huge black cloth.

They carefully placed it in the center of the playing field!

Locke stepped forward and abruptly ripped off the black cloth—

It revealed the one below...

Golden and shiny!
Its size is comparable to that of a small car.

A super giant pumpkin!!!
"My goodness!!!!"

The entire square erupted in deafening gasps, and the crowd went into a frenzy.

"What kind of pumpkin is this?! Is it a pumpkin spirit?!"

"It's huge! This pumpkin wouldn't even fit in the world's largest toilet!"

"It's huge! So huge that it ignites the farmer's spirit deep within me! It feels like... it feels like it's about to swell up and unfurl its flag!"

"This must be the Kent family's hidden agricultural expertise! It's terrifying! No wonder they're known as the infamous Smallwell agricultural tycoon—Kent!"

"Lo...Lo...Locke?!"

Across from him, Anthony pointed at the giant pumpkin with trembling fingers, stammering, his face turning pale.

"What...what?! Where did you get this thing?!"

Locke crossed his arms, a mysterious smile on his face, as if he had already anticipated everyone's reaction.

He even imitated a peculiar accent, speaking slowly and deliberately:
“Anthony, your next sentence will be—'Locke, you cheated! You definitely used hormones!'”

Almost instinctively, in a state of extreme shock, Anthony blurted out a roar:

"Locke, you cheated! You definitely used hormones!!"

As soon as he said it, he suddenly realized that the other party had predicted his moves!
This familiar scene made Anthony tremble as he said, "After all these years, can't you let me win just once?"

"Let you win?"

Jonathan, who had just jumped down from the crane operator's cab, snorted irritably and dusted off his hands:
"What benefits would you get from winning the championship, other than having your road repaired? The community rating doesn't affect you, so of course you don't care if the main road is easy to drive on!"

“And!” He paused, raising his voice to make sure everyone could hear, “Who told you we use hormones?! Our Kent Farm has been in business for generations, would we ever use that kind of stuff?”

As if he had anticipated this, Jonathan clapped his hands confidently and said loudly:

"So we're specially prepared! Lex, make him lose convincingly!"

"Lex?"

The onlookers were taken aback; the name seemed vaguely familiar.

next moment.
Then everyone saw a young man in a suit who stood out conspicuously in the sunlight.

It was only when he calmly walked out of the crowd with a document in his hand that everyone suddenly came to their senses.

This isn't the same 'philanthropist' who's been frequently seen in Smallwell lately, shutting down polluting chemical plants and providing subsidies to unemployed workers—

Mr. Luther?!

With an impeccable smile on his face, Luther waved his hand, signaling his assistant to hand the documents to the stunned host, and then clearly stated into the microphone:

"This is the sample analysis report of the pumpkins sent by Kent Farm, issued by a third-party authoritative testing agency under Luther Technology."

"The report shows that all components of the pumpkin meet organic standards and no artificial hormones or illegal additives were detected."

"Its enormous size can perhaps only be attributed to the unparalleled planting techniques of the Kent family..."

"A tiny bit of Kansas miracle."

hear the words
Anthony, standing opposite, went from deathly pale to ashen, and finally turned completely ashen-faced.

Lex Luthor...

Locke, you bastard...

The townspeople might not know the relationship between your two families, but do you think I wouldn't?!
You're all in cahoots!

He roared inwardly, then felt everything go black and the world spin.

Smallwell's Sky...

blacken!

They were completely overshadowed by the Kent family!
He lost again this year.
Private road repair plans…

Soaking in the hot springs again.

"Um"

"If anyone has any further questions..."

Luther picked up the test report again, as if to hand it to the residents in the front row below, to demonstrate openness and transparency.

Before he could finish speaking, the villagers below erupted in even more enthusiastic support:

"No need for further words, Mr. Luther!"

"Do you think we Smallwells don't know what kind of people you and Locke are?!"

"Yes, yes! We trust the Kent family! We trust you!"

In no time, the crowd's emotions were ignited, and they quickly turned to condemning the loser, Anthony.
"You swindler! You're always trying to cut our costs! Last time you took my corn, you shortchanged me by a hundred dollars!"

"That's right! Last time they charged me for wheat, they insisted on some kind of 'service fee,' and ripped me off by fifty dollars!"

"Support Mr. Locke! The Kent family truly deserves the title!"

"The will of the people is in! Kent's mega-melon is the real victory!!"
Luther maintained a polite smile, seemingly unsurprised by the overwhelming public opinion.

He turned his head slightly and glanced at the host beside him, who seemed somewhat at a loss.

Startled by that look, the host snapped back to reality, wiped the cold sweat from his brow, quickly grabbed the microphone, and tried to steer the conversation back on track, announcing loudly:

"Since everyone agrees on the quality of Kent Farm's pumpkins, let's now welcome our three distinguished judges, specially invited for this competition!"

"First of all, we arrived late from Florida's Sunshine Coast."

"Our old friend Smallwell, a seasoned connoisseur of agricultural products, Mr. Bob!"

"Oh!"

The crowd cheered in a very gracious manner.

An elderly man with dark skin, wearing a Hawaiian shirt, walked onto the stage with a smile.

The old man had clearly enjoyed himself at the beach recently.

"The second one! It's our Smallwell shepherd, Mr. Henry Sullivan!"

"Oh!"

Cheers erupted again.

Old Henry, dressed in a neat plaid shirt, waved to everyone with a kind smile.

"And the last one—"

The host paused, his voice slightly softer, "Our town's tax bureau—"

“Chief Christen.” “…”

An eerie silence instantly fell over the crowd.

Countless eyes turned to the man in the sharp suit who walked onto the stage with a slightly embarrassed expression.

Damn lottery! Why did they have to pick our tax bureau this year?!

Christen cursed inwardly, but quickly put on an extremely enthusiastic expression, even...
With a slightly fawning smile.

Since things have come to this, we have no choice but to go for it, even if it's tough!

He didn't want to offend the Kent family and Luther, which would cost him his position as director.

And so, to everyone's astonishment...

Then, the notoriously greedy, despicable, and shameless Chief Christen rushed to Locke's giant pumpkin.

He launched into a torrent of flowery, overwhelming praise!

"A miracle! This is simply a miracle in the history of agriculture!"

His voice was loud and clear, his expression exaggerated, “Look at this perfect color! This amazing size! This perfect shape! This could totally apply for a Guinness World Record! This is absolutely the world’s largest and most perfect pumpkin! There’s no other like it!”

"Mr. Kent is not only the pride of Smallville, but also an agricultural role model for all of Kansas and even the entire United States! This fully demonstrates the enormous production potential that farmers can unleash with the support of our reasonable tax policies..."

This barrage of praise made Locke blush and dig his toes into the ground.

This guy…

No wonder he rose to the position of bureau chief in just five years.

His ability to be opportunistic and flatter is truly remarkable!

and…

Locke glanced at old Bob and old Henry beside him, who were smiling and nodding frequently, and felt even more helpless.

He couldn't help but look at his brother next to him with a questioning gaze.

Let's discuss this further—

Did you and Lex collude? Did you even bribe the judges?
"I don't have any..."

Jonathan looked equally bewildered and replied in a low voice, "The three judges for the annual charity pumpkin contest are randomly selected from residents of three different professions in town. This year, they actually picked these three..."

"."

"Locke! What nonsense are you thinking!"

Old Bob on the stage seemed to notice the doubt on Locke's face, so he immediately leaned closer to him, lowered his voice, and said sternly:
"Do you think I would abuse my power for personal gain?"

"If I, old Bob, were such a snob, how could I have ever picked you up from that godforsaken place, Gotham, back then..."

"Cough! Cough! Cough!"

Locke suddenly coughed violently, abruptly interrupting old Bob's impending bombshell revelation.

"Alright, alright, Mr. Bob."

Seeing this, old Henry quickly smiled and smoothed things over. He stroked his chin and suggested, "Since everyone is so enthusiastic, for the sake of absolute fairness..."

"How about... we let all the residents present vote to decide? What do you think? That would be the most convincing way to convince everyone."

Lex, standing nearby, immediately nodded and smiled:

"Mr. Henry's suggestion is excellent, and I fully agree with it. Democratic voting best reflects the will of the people."

"..."

Christen stood to the side, his face darkening further.

What exactly is he here for?
He gave an awkward performance of praise in public and then got democratized?
"Okay! Due to... uh... force majeure, the competition organizing committee has made a temporary decision!"

The host reacted swiftly, immediately announcing loudly, "The final result of the final will now be decided by a vote of all residents present!"

"Those who support Mr. Anthony's pumpkin, please vote on the left! Those who support Mr. Kent's pumpkin, please vote on the right!"

"it is good!"

"Wise choice!"

The voting process was simple and brutal, and the result was completely predictable.

“Mr. Anthony…”

The host looked at the statistics sheet in his hand and said with sympathy, "He received... 18 votes!"

"and."

"Mr. Kent!"

The host looked at the sea of people on the right and his voice suddenly rose, "Received... 138 votes!"

"oh!!!"

The residents below the stage erupted in cheers of victory!
but.
Only Locke had a strange expression, with his brows slightly furrowed.

Total votes: 156?
There were only slightly over a hundred people present to vote just now...

Where did all these tickets come from?

His gaze unconsciously swept across the excited crowd below, until it settled on a slightly out-of-place figure—

The woman who stood out from the crowd, wearing a wide-brimmed magician's hat and a deep purple cloak.

She seemed to notice Locke's gaze, raised her head, and revealed a pretty face with a sly smile under the brim of her hat.

He even secretly gave Locke an OK sign.

"."

Locke instantly understood where those extra dozens of votes came from.

Vote rigging?

Or are they using magic to rig the votes?!

He gasped.

I couldn't laugh or cry for a while.

We've won...

Locke rubbed his temples, silently complaining to himself:
Why does his win feel so strange, like it was orchestrated by fans or official manipulation?
"Residents"

"Next," Luther calmly took the microphone from the host, cleared his throat, and said in a gentle yet penetrating voice, "we will now move on to the heartwarming part of this harvest festival—the pumpkin charity sale."

He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping across the entire room, before continuing:

"All proceeds from the charity sale will go to the town's charity fund to help our neighbors in need, improve community facilities, and brighten the lives of more people."

He smiled slightly and announced clearly:

“On behalf of Lex Enterprises, I hereby purchase this ‘Super Pumpkin’ cultivated by Mr. Kent for $50,000.”
-
Just as Lex's generous donation and announcement of additional funds brought the atmosphere to a climax—

On the other side of the square.

"Sarafil, what are we doing here?"

Clark's tall figure seemed somewhat lost. He looked down in confusion at his younger brother, who was tugging at his trouser leg and trying to slip away from the crowd. "Aren't we going to watch Dad and Uncle's pumpkin contest? They look like they're about to win!"

"Wait a little longer, you'll understand in a bit."

Without turning her head, Salafir whispered mysteriously, "Really. Believe me!"

"Oh……"

Despite his doubts, Clark stopped as instructed.

I stood with my younger brother behind the honey stall, which had a faint, sweet aroma.

After a brief silence, Salafir suddenly looked up at her with wary eyes, glancing around cautiously, and asked in a low voice:

"Chloe...she shouldn't be around here, right?"

“Chloe?” Clark scratched his head. “She should be judging the pumpkin contest with Grandpa Henry right now, on the other side of the stage, far away from here.”

"Oh, that's good." Salafir visibly relaxed upon hearing this.

The plan goes through!
"You little rascal..." Clark couldn't help but chuckle at his appearance, squatting down to ruffle his younger brother's soft hair. "What mischief are you up to now? So secretive..."

"?!"

Before he could finish speaking, his whole body suddenly trembled!
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a familiar and bright figure gracefully moving through the crowd.

They walked in the direction they were from.

It's Lana Lang!

The girl wore a light yellow floral dress today, the hem of which swayed gently with her steps.

Her chestnut-brown hair was carefully braided into a loose side braid, draped over her shoulder, making her skin appear even whiter.

Sunlight fell on her smiling face, her bright eyes seemed to gleam, and she looked fresh and radiant, like a girl who had stepped out of a pastoral painting.

but.
"It's over..."

Clark, however, showed no appreciation whatsoever.

He instantly felt his limbs go weak.

That familiar feeling of weakness and suffocation that always comes when you get close to Lana seems to be brewing again.

Clark took a deep breath and tried to remain calm.

He simply lowered his voice and said quickly to Salafir:
“Sarafil, remember to support me later, there are a lot of people here.”

"..."

Salafil waved his little hand nonchalantly, his tone incredibly relaxed.

"Don't worry, dear brother, nothing happened."

"?"

I was a little confused by my brother's overly calm reaction.

Before he could think about it, Lana had already come running over.

This left Clark with no choice but to watch helplessly as the girl approached, even smiling and waving at them.

"Clark! Salafir!"

She jogged up to the two of them, slightly out of breath.

Her cheeks were flushed with a healthy rosy glow, and her smile was bright.

Nodding, Clark was prepared for his legs to give way and he might collapse at any moment.

He forced a smile and greeted them:

"Long time no see, Lana."

As soon as he said it, he was stunned before the other person could speak.

How could I...

He managed to say a complete sentence? And his voice didn't tremble?
At that moment, Clark suddenly realized that he felt no weakness or discomfort whatsoever.

On the contrary, I felt unusually relaxed?

An unprecedented sense of ease! The invisible shackles that had been pressing down on him whenever Lana got close suddenly vanished!
"Good afternoon, Clark."

Lana responded with a smile.

Their gazes lingered on Clark's face for a moment, seemingly puzzled by his unusually natural demeanor today.

"good afternoon."

Clark responded almost instinctively, his tone even more composed than before.

He incredulously twitched his fingers slightly, then silently felt his heartbeat—

Everything is normal! Even stronger than usual!

Standing to the side, watching her brother's silly, surprised and delighted expression, as if he had discovered a new continent, Salafir shrugged helplessly, took Lana's hand, and said impatiently:

"Sister Lana, let's take brother to see him quickly!"

"What are you looking at?"

Clark was still completely confused.

Lana blinked, looking at Clark with slight surprise: "You didn't know, Clark?"

"Know what..."

The boy was even more confused. He looked at Salafir, feeling as if he had been betrayed by his younger brother.

I shouldn't have rushed to save this little guy so quickly when he got a spanking from Dior because of his business card last time.

"Did Salafir cause you any trouble again?" Clark asked Lana apologetically. "I'm sorry, my brother can be a bit naughty sometimes..."

"No no no."

Lana quickly waved her hand and explained with a smile, "Sarafil said he really liked the green stone bracelet I gave him last time, but he called me later to tell me that he accidentally lost it."

“I think it’s a real shame. I hope I can take him to buy some similar small stones or ornaments today.”

"???"

A huge question mark instantly appeared on Clark's face.

A telephone? A bracelet? A small green stone?
Salafir, when did you get a phone? When did you get the bracelet from Lana?
When did you lose it?

And green
He was about to voice his many questions when he saw Salafir naturally take Lana's hand, happily pull her forward, and even turn back to wink at him mischievously.

"What exactly is going on...?"

Clark was completely baffled, but he could see that his brother and Lana had already walked away.

This left him no choice but to suppress his doubts and quickly follow.

Before long, the three of them were walking side by side on the bustling market street.

but.
Salafir, the instigator, walked slightly ahead quietly, her little ears perked up, listening to the sounds behind her.

Clark and Lana were originally just brought along—

But Clark unexpectedly discovered that he was completely normal today.
It was even a pleasant and comfortable experience to talk to Lana.

Lana was also surprised that Clark had changed from being shy and silent to being proactive and talkative.

The two chatted back and forth, from schoolwork to the upcoming homecoming dance and rugby game after the harvest festival.

The atmosphere was incredibly harmonious, with laughter frequently breaking the silence.

"Brother, isn't it a bit unethical of you to trick your big, simple-minded brother into buying those kinds of stones?"

The cold voice of "Divine Capital" echoed silently in Salafir's mind.

“Shen Du, you don’t understand.”

Salafir thought to herself, "If I don't bring Clark along, how will I know which of the stones sold at the market will actually work for him, and which are just useless ordinary stones? I have to let him try them out in person to find out."

"."

This overly powerful logic left "Shen Du" speechless for a moment.

seem…

That makes a lot of sense?
"Brother...you..."

"Shen Du" wanted to refute, but seemed unable to.

"Humph!"

Salafir proudly raised her little head.

But then, as if suddenly remembering something, he snorted coldly:
“Shen Du, let me remind you, we’ve already said three sentences today.”

"Daily chat limit has been reached."

"I won't lift your ban until you honestly tell me where you went and what you did when you sneaked away last time!"

"……childish."

"Shen Du" scoffed dismissively, his tone filled with disdain: