American comics farmer: start by adopting the villain savior.

Chapter 169 Dawn Potion - Rebirth 0.5.

The edge of the farm.

The ancient windmill stood silently, its huge blades long since stopped turning, its wooden exterior walls weathered by years of wind and rain, covered with a thin layer of snow.

Years ago, after Dior accidentally disrupted the main axis, giving the Kent family an unexpected supply of flour to last for several months, the mill was gradually forgotten.

Locke kept saying he wanted to fix it, but as time went by, with farm affairs and various emergencies coming one after another, he himself gradually forgot about it, letting it fall into disuse and stagnate in the wind and snow.

but
Today, this forgotten mill has once again welcomed visitors.

A giant, snow-white wolf and a little boy, bundled up tightly but hopping about, crossed knee-deep snow and arrived at the tightly closed wooden door of the mill.

"This is it, Sister Kayla!"

Pointing to the mill, Salafir easily found a loose plank.

He stood on tiptoe and gently pulled.

"Click."

With a soft sound, the seemingly sealed, heavy wooden door slid open a crack.

Blinking, Kayla crouched down and followed Salafir silently into the room.

The mill's interior was more spacious than I had imagined, filled with abandoned farm tools and miscellaneous items, and the air was thick with the smell of rotting wood.

Some long-abandoned farm tools and miscellaneous items were scattered around, covered with a thick layer of dust.

Sunlight streamed through the broken windowpanes, creating hazy beams of light.

Without pausing, Salafir, like a little animal that knows its way around, headed straight for the creaking wooden staircase in the corner. Kayla followed with light, wolf-like steps, her paws barely making a sound on the old floor.

The second floor is relatively simple.

Only a huge, rusted millstone occupied the center.

until
"Watch it!"

Salafir smiled mysteriously and walked to an inconspicuous corner by the wall.

Extending a small hand, gently pressing on a seemingly ordinary wall panel and turning it clockwise.

"Crench--!"

A spinning sound followed.

Suddenly, a wooden plank on the ceiling slowly slid to one side, revealing an exquisite wooden ladder with a handrail!
Above the ladder.

A space that is completely different from the dilapidated scene downstairs can be vaguely seen.

"Come quickly."

Salafir nimbly climbed up, then turned back to call to Kayla, who was still looking around.

Kayla hesitated for a moment, then bent her hind leg slightly, and with a light leap, she entered the hidden space.

The sight that came into her view caused a hint of undisguised surprise to flash in her azure eyes.

This place is a completely different world from the dilapidated mill downstairs!

The space isn't very large, but it's furnished exquisitely and comfortably.

The floor was covered with a thick, soft, dark carpet, and the walls were covered with soundproof, patterned wallpaper. On the other side, there was an extremely comfortable-looking armchair and a small coffee table.

A classic-style solid wood cabinet stands against the wall.

Inside, hundreds of music CDs and vinyl records were neatly stacked.

Next to it was a somewhat dusty high-end record player, and...
A mini-fridge?!

"What are these?"

Kayla was puzzled, but subconsciously felt that the place was beautiful.

"It's Dior's secret base."

Salafir explained, muttering under her breath, "But Dio hasn't been here lately..."

As he spoke, he ran to the small refrigerator, took out two cans of juice, handed one to Kayla, and opened the other and gulped down a big mouthful.

“These round plates are called records, and they play the music inside.” He pointed to the record cabinet, trying to explain to his friends from the mountains, “Sometimes my brother hides here alone and listens to this music.”

"Oh~"

Kayla responded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Then, somewhat clumsily, it used its nose and front paws to pry open the pull tab on the can, then held the can in its mouth and gulped down the sweet juice.

The cool sweetness slid down her throat, making her squint her eyes in pleasure, and the tip of her tail swayed gently involuntarily.

Damn
As expected of a human product, even though Salafir brings her two bottles every time he comes, and she has drunk dozens of bottles by now, she still never gets tired of it.

“By the way, Salafir.” Kayla was still a little confused. She tilted her huge wolf head and asked, “Then… how did you know about this place? Wasn’t it supposed to be your… brother’s secret base?”

“My other brother brought me here.” Salafir chuckled, a little smug. “Brother Clark said that as long as you come here during the day, you’ll never run into Brother Dio. And because it’s daytime, there’s sunshine, and… what are those solar panels? Anyway, there won’t be any power outages here.”

As he spoke, he walked to the other side of the room.

There stood a very expensive-looking astronomical telescope.

The metal frame gleamed with a cool luster in the dim light, and the gold-stamped 'KENT' lettering on the black lens barrel was particularly eye-catching.

"And look."

Pointing to the telescope, Salafir's eyes sparkled, "Here, you can hear lots and lots of different music, eat delicious food from the fridge, and if you sneak over at night, you can even use this to look at the stars! Clark took me to see Saturn's rings last time!"

Curious, Kayla leaned closer and gently touched the cold metal body of the telescope with her cool nose, sniffing the metallic smell.

For her, who has lived in the mountains for many years, this way of using sophisticated instruments to peer into the starry sky is both novel and somewhat incredible.

"awesome."

"but."

"Sarafil, are all your family members not here right now?"

Kayla asked, puzzled.

"Hmm." Salafir nodded, scratching his head. "Brother Clark went to town to find Sister Chloe, and Brother Dio should be on his way to that city called Gotham, right?"

"Dad took Uncle to get tested."

"Oh……"

Kayla responded softly, shifting her massive white body on the soft carpet to find a more comfortable position. Then, she raised her azure eyes, looked at Salafir, and asked the question that had been lingering in her mind for a moment:
"Then why... can't you take me to your house?"

“This place is nice, but it doesn’t feel like your ‘home’.”

"."

Salafir fell silent.

Bring the white Indian wolf home?
To be honest, he had been inexplicably avoiding this option.

I don't know who they're afraid of.
-
The scene shifts to the other side, Metropolitan Central Hospital.
The smell of disinfectant permeated the corridor.

Locke, Jonathan, and Martha were sitting on plastic chairs outside the clinic, waiting for their final medical reports.

"I'm serious, there's no need to waste this money!"

Jonathan Kent, the rancher who now looks no more than thirty, complained for what seemed like the umpteenth time, slapping his muscular chest with a loud thud:

"Look at me! I'm strong enough to take down a cannibal with one punch in the Amazon rainforest! I'm like a fish in water there, even better than when I was twenty! What need is there for any further examination?"

His tone was full of confusion, and even a little aggrieved.

You went swimming in the Amazon rainforest when you were twenty.
Locke glanced at Jonathan with suspicion, but in the end he just rolled his eyes at him and said, "It's just a routine check, just to put my mind at ease."

"Reassured?" Jonathan immediately retorted, "Reassured? What's there to be uneasy about? Don't you trust Salafil's abilities?"

He wore a smug look on his face, as if his nephew's ability was his pride.

"Hey"

Enraged by this nonsensical logic, Locke was about to speak.

"boom!"

Martha, who was standing next to him, couldn't stand it any longer and raised her hand to give Jonathan a sharp rap on the back of the head.

"Ouch!"

Jonathan covered his head and looked at his wife with a wronged expression.

“Sarafil curing you is incredibly lucky!” Martha glared at him. “But a medical checkup is the rule! Not just for you, but also for Locke. If you keep nagging, you won’t get any blueberry pie tonight!” Jonathan immediately wilted, muttering softly, “I was just worried about spending money…”

"You were afraid of interrupting your trip to that model shop in the Metropolis, weren't you?" Locke's lips twitched slightly as he mercilessly exposed him. "Jonathan, I remember when you bought the giant robot last time, didn't you say you'd given up collecting those things..."

"pat-"

Just then, the door to the examination room was pushed open, and the attending physician, wearing a clean white coat, came out with two paper reports, his face showing obvious surprise.

“Mr. Kent, Mrs. Kent, and… Mr. Locke.”

The doctor's gaze darted back and forth between the report and the two ridiculously young middle-aged farmers before him, his tone filled with incredulous admiration:
"The test results are in. I must say... you and Mr. Jonathan, you are both in excellent health! All indicators are at their best."

"Their cardiovascular function is particularly outstanding, with myocardial vitality and vascular elasticity... which is not at all like the condition that two middle-aged and elderly people with a family history of heart disease should have."

He paused, then concluded in an almost miraculous tone:
"Frankly, this is beyond the scope of conventional medical explanation."

"Great."

Martha let out a long sigh of relief, her tense shoulders finally relaxing, and a relieved smile appeared on her face. She subconsciously gripped Jonathan's hand tightly.

Locke nodded slightly, gaining a more intuitive understanding of Salafir's abilities.

"Thank you, doctor." Jonathan beamed as he took the report, gesturing smugly to Locke with his chin. "Then we'll take our leave."

The three men, holding the report, turned around with a relaxed expression, ready to leave.

but
“Mr. Locke,” the doctor suddenly called out to Locke, a perfectly timed smile on his face. “Please wait a moment. I’d like to confirm a few details in your medical report with you privately. It won’t take long.”

He then turned to Martha and Jonathan, and said gently:
"Mr. Kent, Mrs. Kent, you can go to the pharmacy on the first floor to see if they have any vitamins you need, or you can go to the coffee shop to rest."

Martha and Jonathan looked at each other, but after hesitating for a moment, they nodded and left first.

Locke raised an eyebrow and followed the doctor back into the examination room.

As soon as the door closed, the doctor's relaxed expression faded, replaced by a barely perceptible eagerness.

"Mr. Locke, please have a seat."

He gestured for Locke to sit down.

He then sat down at the computer and pulled up the electronic files of Locke and Jonathan.

“First of all, I must emphasize again that you and Mr. Jonathan are in excellent physical condition, far beyond what is typical,” the doctor said, getting straight to the point, but his tone became serious. “However, as a doctor, I must inform you of the potential risks.”

"Heart disease, especially in cases like yours that seem to have a family history of it..."

He pointed to the genetic history of Locke and Jonathan's family in the file.

There are records there about the cause of death of a certain man.

The man who suffered an acute heart attack after a night of heavy drinking and ultimately died alone on the farm.
"...The root cause often lies in certain defects at the genetic level. The current state of 'health' may only be a temporary suppression or delay of the overt risks, and it is difficult to say that the alarm has been lifted at its root."

Locke listened silently, his face expressionless, and simply nodded slightly.

He was actually quite calm inside.

After all, I have already undergone a complete transformation. How could a mere genetic disease possibly shake the surging power within me?

In addition to Salafir's power
The sword of Damocles that once hung over the heads of the Kent men had long been crushed by his absolute power, along with the shadow of death left by that alcoholic father.
It has been thrown into the dustbin of history.

"?"

The doctor was somewhat taken aback by Locke's calm reaction, which even carried an almost indifferent certainty.

"However, Mr. Locke, please allow me to tell you..."

"Modern medicine is advancing rapidly. Hereditary diseases that we used to think were incurable now have breakthrough solutions."

As he spoke, he skillfully opened a file on the computer.

Pull out a well-produced promotional material.

A futuristic blue medicine bottle image appeared on the screen, next to striking artistic lettering.

--dawn.

"What is this?" Locke raised an eyebrow, his tone flat, showing no interest.

"This is a revolutionary gene-correcting drug, 'Rebirth 0.5,' Mr. Locke!" The doctor's tone became eager, as if introducing a priceless treasure. "It can precisely locate and repair defective segments in the human gene sequence, fundamentally curing more than 30% of known hereditary diseases! These include various types of cardiovascular genetic risks!"

As he spoke, he quickly opened several carefully prepared case study pages.

"Look, this is a famous baseball star who was once plagued by familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which nearly ended his professional career. But after receiving a course of 'Rebirth 0.5' treatment, not only was the disease eradicated, but his athletic performance even reached a new peak!"

Several photos of energetic athletes and seemingly authoritative medical data comparison charts flashed across the screen.

And clips from the match:

The deafening cheers and the commentator's excited, hoarse shouts pierced the silence of the consultation room—

"A home run! A stunning home run!"

"My God! The number 12 swinger! He's an alien! That ball went so high and so far!!"

"."

Locke had some recollection of it.

Isn't this the Mets Monarchs baseball game that Clark and Salafir watched before?
"And this Hollywood star, with familial hypercholesterolemia... this Wall Street elite, with hereditary arrhythmia..." The doctor listed off one glamorous example after another, "They all regained their health and became stronger and more perfect through 'Rebirth 0.5'!"

Finally, the doctor looked intently at Locke:
“Mr. Locke, this means that the heart problem that has plagued your Kent family for generations may be completely cured in your and Mr. Jonathan’s generation!”

"You and Mr. Jonathan will no longer need to worry about the next possible 'accident'!"

The consultation room quieted down, with only the soft hum of the computer fan breaking the silence.

The smell of disinfectant in the air seemed even stronger, mixed with a faint, stale medicinal odor, making one's chest feel heavy. The few anatomical diagrams and yellowed medical certificates hanging on the wall appeared particularly jarring in this silence.

Locke's face remained expressionless.

There was neither excitement nor aversion, only a kind of indifferent calm.

He stood up decisively.

"Thank you for letting me know, doctor."

"However, we Kent family matters are none of our concern. We will take care of our own health."

Before he finished speaking, without even asking the price, he turned around deftly and opened the door to the consultation room without hesitation.

He strode out.

His retreating figure was resolute, leaving no room for maneuver.

"Clap."

With the soft click of the door hinges closing, the noise outside also disappeared, making the inside and outside of the clinic two separate worlds once again.

The doctor's eagerness vanished without a trace.

He shook his head slightly, as if he had just completed a less-than-successful task, and casually turned off the glamorous promotional material on the screen.

Then he sat back down at the computer and began typing rapidly on the keyboard.

He brought up an encrypted communication interface and began typing information with a blank expression:
[The target refused, showing no clear support or opposition. Additionally: The test subject has been injected with the drug and released into Gotham.]

Enter.

Message sent.

Without waiting for a reply, the doctor unplugged all the cables from the computer tower. Then, he took out a device that looked like a strong magnet from a drawer and placed it on the hard drive bay of the tower.

"Zi——!"

After a slight electrical noise, the hard drive was completely physically destroyed.

But that doesn't seem to be enough.

He then took out a small spray gun and quickly burned the key parts of the keyboard and motherboard, filling the air with the pungent smell of burning plastic.

The entire process was swift and efficient, all to ensure that no data could be recovered.

Only after he finished all this did he casually toss the broken computer equipment into the toilet, as if he had just dealt with a routine task.

Next, I pushed open the door to the examination room, walked into the corridor, and prepared to greet the next patient.

The sunlight outside the window was perfect, shining on him.

The white coat looked spotless.

(End of this chapter)