When Lana is attacked by her obsessed school pal Jake Pollan in the deserted swimming pool of Smallville High School, he is mortally shot by an unknown shooter. Meanwhile, Lex Luthor joins Luthor Corp. and his father, Lionel, requires a $50 million life insurance from him which increases Lex's suspicions. Clark investigates the murder of Jake, and finds that the criminal is Jake's friend Van McNulty, who is killing people affected by the meteor rock radiation, and Lex is the next in his death list. When Clark saves Lex, Van sees that he is special and includes Clark in his bill, and learning of his vulnerability, the growingly paranoid and racist Van concocts and shoots Clark with a kryptonite bullet, and then decides to go after Lana for her association with Clark. Also, Chloe discovers that Lionel has taken all her research documents of Clark after discovering that she has begun investigating Lex.