"Alright, everyone, hurry and get on the bus, Clark, speed it up!"
At Smallville Elementary School, Martha McDonald clapped her hands, directing the chaotic students onto the school bus.
Clark looked back at the gloomy Mark, slowing down to wait for him.
"John, you look unhappy?"
"Yes, because I've already visited Old Hori's collection once, last time for my birthday."
Mark said dejectedly, "I wanted Dad to help me ask for leave to clear weeds from the farm, but Dad refused."
"What did Godfather say?"
Clark asked curiously.
"Dad said, no part-time jobs during school."
Mark plopped down on a seat towards the back of the school bus, resting his arms on the seat in front, supporting his chin.
He sighed, mimicking Peter, and said in an old-fashioned tone, "Ah, another boring day."
"Students, we are visiting the museum today. I hope everyone has a wonderful day, but before enjoying our time, we must follow the rules."
Teacher Martha waited until all the students were on the bus before she began explaining the tour process and precautions to them.
Old Hori sat at the very front of the school bus, serving as the security guard for this activity.
His cloudy eyes occasionally flashed with a sharp glint as he surveyed the students on the bus.
The school bus quickly started and drove along the road towards the museum.
"I hate buses."
Mark looked at the scenery flying past the window and said to Clark, who was sitting next to him, "The school bus feels just like a bus."
"You've ridden a bus? John."
Clark asked in surprise.
Since Peter and Jonathan's families both had cars, Clark usually traveled by car.
He had never experienced a bus.
"Of course, one time Dad forgot to drive and took me on a bus."
Mark's experience at the time was terrible.
"There was a guy sitting in front of us, and he smelled like a mix of urine and Doritos. He was wearing hobo-style clothes, and Dad said his clothes were at the forefront of fashion trends, so he didn't know if he was genuinely homeless or just a guy who chased trends without restraint."
Clark felt that his Godfather's remark was both a joke and the truth.
Frowning and thinking for a long time, Clark finally concluded: this might be Godfather's cold joke.
From Godfather's mouth, words he didn't understand would suddenly pop out.
Whenever he asked, Godfather would tell him it was a cold joke.
For example, one time Godfather seriously asked him how to prevent a woman's body from breaking into three pieces if he flew up and caught a woman falling at high speed with his arm.
Mark didn't notice Clark's conflicted expression; he supported his chin with one hand, boredly looking at the scenery outside the window.
The school bus continued to drive forward, passing the Honeycomb, which sold agricultural products, and then drove onto a bridge.
A pickup truck loaded with paint drove over from the opposite lane.
Seeing the pickup truck, the school bus driver prepared to slow down.
But just as the two vehicles were about to meet, the paint-filled pickup truck suddenly crossed the center line and crashed towards the school bus.
"Fuck!!"
Seeing the out-of-control pickup truck crashing over, the driver cursed, immediately gripping the steering wheel, his knuckles turning white from the strain, and at the same time, he slammed on the brakes.
The tires shrieked like lambs waiting to be slaughtered!
The rear of the bus violently swung to one side!
The students inside the school bus were excitedly discussing the activity when they suddenly felt a moment of weightlessness.
"Bang!"
The standing students were heavily thrown onto the seats, emitting dull thudding sounds.
Martha McConner was explaining precautions to the students when the school bus suddenly swung to one side.
Caught off guard, she was violently thrown against the carriage.
With a "bang," her forehead hit, making her dizzy and unstable.
Clark and Mark were also thrown to one side, but both quickly regained their balance.
"Screech!"
The school bus made a piercing braking sound on the road, and the black skid marks emitted a pungent, burning smell.
To avoid the impact of the pickup truck, the school bus lost control and rushed towards the bridge.
At the critical moment, the driver, with his rich driving experience, finally brought the vehicle to a stop.
It was only a few inches from plunging off the road.
The surroundings were completely silent; even the students who had been screaming and crying earlier stopped in unison.
Only the gradually cooling car engine made a sputtering sound.
The shaken driver seemed to want to cry, but then suddenly wanted to laugh.
He successfully saved a school bus full of students!
He did it!
However, before he could celebrate his success, the out-of-control pickup truck rushed over the next second.
"Bang!"
The paint-filled pickup truck crashed into the rear of the school bus.
The car door caved in, and shattered glass rained down inside the bus.
The air vibrated with the sound of car horns and the loud clang of metal colliding and deforming.
"Fa—!"
Before the driver could finish cursing, the school bus emitted a "creak, creak" sound that grated on the teeth, and plunged into the river below the bridge.
"Thud!"
The school bus violently hit the surface of the Smallville River, making a deafening sound.
Icy river water immediately surged into the school bus.
The murky river water quickly enveloped the students in the school bus.
The terrified students screamed, descending into chaos.
Some wanted to escape immediately, while others screamed and frantically ran towards the back of the school bus.
But the speed at which the river water poured in exceeded everyone's expectations, quickly submerging half of the school bus.
Old Hori, sitting in the front row, was shaken senseless by the school bus's fall, but the bridge wasn't very high, so he didn't lose consciousness.
He quickly took off his coat, ignoring the crying students, and rushed to the shattered car window at the fastest speed.
Escaping the sinking school bus, he swam forward.
He was extremely familiar with this river, so he easily got out of the school bus's sinking area.
"Splash!"
Surfacing from the Water, his aged body once again transformed into a youthful one.
He hesitated for a moment, wanting to go and save people.
But then he thought that if he saved people like this now, it might lead to his identity being exposed.
Ultimately, he shook his head, glanced at the school bus, and swam towards the shore.
More and more water poured into the school bus, and Martha McConner had already swallowed several mouthfuls of river water.
The noisy cries reached her ears, making her headache even worse.
"Here, quick!"
She endured the headache, grabbed a little girl's shoulder, and tried to push her out of the window.
But perhaps due to fear, the little girl clung tightly to her arm, tears in her eyes, refusing to let go.
Clark, sitting in the back seat, wiped the water from his face, staring blankly at the scene of Teacher Martha and the girl in front of him.