Chapter 316: The Tragedy of Glen Carr
A Town Annihilated
At six o'clock in the morning, the town of Glen Carr welcomed its first rays of sunlight as police sirens wailed through the air.
The red sun emerged over the headland, half-crimson and half-azure. The two colors intertwined, making the sky look like a masterpiece of oil paint. Sadly, the people of the town would never see such beauty again.
Metropolis Police Commissioner Clem Webner and Sergeant Green rushed to the crime scene overnight. With A.R.G.U.S. suffering heavy casualties and severe understaffing, this atrocity, which was sure to shock the nation, had to be handled by the police.
The officers assigned to examine the scene were pale, their eyes filled with deep anxiety and fear.
The town environment was horrific: blood and scattered body parts were everywhere, like a scene from a horror story. The deaths were extremely brutal and spine-chilling.
The investigation report was immediately delivered to Commissioner Webner.
Reading the data in the report, the Commissioner's face turned ashen, his arm trembling.
"The entire town of one thousand three hundred and fifty-two people—all dead. Not a single survivor."
Speaking the words seemed to drain all the strength from Commissioner Webner.
Green's eye twitched violently. He lowered his voice, asking hoarsely,
"Commissioner, what do we do?"
Webner forced himself to suppress his fear.
"Have all the bodies been examined?"
Green nodded heavily. "It's extremely similar to the Bloody Christmas case. Some bodies were dissected, others were desiccated husks. We reviewed the town's security footage. The killer is a purple monster covered in nodules, with eyes that emit a red light. The method is incredibly brutal, even cold-blooded."
"Commissioner, notify A.R.G.U.S. This isn't a case we can handle."
Webner gave a bitter smile. "Didn't you hear? Yesterday, the A.R.G.U.S. convoy was attacked by an unknown creature. Besides General Lane and a few guards, all personnel were slaughtered."
"Because of that incident, General Lane has been recalled to the White House for questioning. He's struggling to protect himself; he doesn't have the capacity to take on a new case."
"Then what are we supposed to do? We can't send police officers to their deaths! That monster eats people!"
Webner waved his hand, sighing.
"I've already called the White House. They'll handle the follow-up."
"All we can do is secure the scene as best as possible."
"My God, what is happening to the world?"
Superman Investigates
The massacre of over a thousand people overnight quickly dominated major media outlets, becoming the focus of morning news.
Reporters swarmed the area. The police were short-handed and could only control the town's main entrances; the other areas were impossible to defend. Consequently, gruesome, bloody photos began to fill reporters' cameras.
With the proliferation of online platforms, many amateur journalists joined the fray, setting up their own columns to gain income by posting news, photos, and various secrets.
As a result, even before the police could hold a press conference, internal information about the case was already flooding the internet.
In an apartment in downtown Metropolis.
Clark Kent and Lois Lane, having just woken up, scrolled through the news headlines.
Photos describing the Glen Carr tragedy were promoted to the front page by users, accompanied by case details and insider analysis. A few skilled hackers even posted pictures of the perpetrator stolen from police files.
Though blurry, Clark immediately recognized the creature in the photo.
"Are you sure it's him?" Lois asked.
"Yes," Clark confirmed.
"Over a thousand people..."
Lois hugged herself, feeling cold. "Old people, children—all dead. It's horrible."
Clark said gravely, "We have to find it. We absolutely cannot let this disaster continue. Lois, I need your help."
"Are you talking about A.R.G.U.S.?"
Clark nodded slightly. "There are rumors online that the meteorite that birthed the purple monster is in A.R.G.U.S.'s hands. I don't know if the information is accurate, but I need you to find out. If it is true, we can use that as a starting point."
"I understand."
Lois sighed softly, pulled out her phone, and made several calls. As Sam Lane's daughter, she had significant contacts in both the military and political spheres, and those people were generally willing to provide her with assistance.
However, this time was different.
After hanging up, Lois sank onto the sofa, staring blankly ahead.
"What's wrong? What happened?" Clark asked.
Lois mumbled, "My father is under investigation at the White House. Someone suspects he has a close relationship with the Bloody Christmas killer. The White House has suspended his work."
"How is that possible?"
Clark was shocked by the news.
Lois whispered, "Yesterday afternoon, the A.R.G.U.S. convoy was attacked by the purple monster. Aside from my father and three guards, the rest of the thirty-plus personnel were slaughtered. The reason the monster left survivors is that it recognized my father and spared him. The three surviving guards all confirmed this."
"Because of this, the higher-ups suspect my father colluded with the monster and have recalled him for investigation."
"This..."
Clark didn't know what to say. The director of A.R.G.U.S. knowing the monster sounded absurd. But as the "future son-in-law," he had to ask,
"Is there some misunderstanding?"
Lois shook her head. "Father admitted it. He does know the monster. The monster is a human parasitized by an alien bug named Joshua Allen, a delivery man. He delivered a package to our house on Christmas Day and met Father then. That's how they know each other."
"Joshua Allen!"
Clark muttered the name, recalling his own previous encounter with the creature. "We must find him quickly. Do you have any leads?"
Lois gave a wry smile. "After Father was detained, A.R.G.U.S. is in chaos. There are no leads. This time, we're on our own."
Clark comforted her.
"Don't worry. Everything will be fine."
Searching the Suburbs
Concerned for his "father-in-law's" safety, Clark decided to give the investigation his undivided attention. If he could resolve this incident and clear the General's name, the man would surely view him favorably, instead of treating him coldly as before.
With a plan decided, the two began their investigation.
Joshua had grown up in Mexico. At 17, he and "friends" had illegally crossed into the United States and never obtained citizenship. This meant that official agencies had no files on him.
Lois and Clark split up. Lois contacted a journalist friend in Mexico to investigate Joshua Allen's identity and background. Clark, meanwhile, went to the southern suburbs of Metropolis—the area populated by Mexican immigrants.
The environment there was poor. The ground was uneven, the houses were low and dilapidated, and there were many shanties.
Finding clues here would be difficult, but Clark had his own method. He expanded his senses, gathering the conversations of everyone nearby, analyzing them in his mind, extracting useful information, and piecing it together.
Half an hour later, Clark arrived at a factory shed. He pushed open the old door and said to the Mexican man inside, who was smoking opium,
"I'm looking for Joshua Allen."
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