Why is his holy light red?

Chapter 106 Vincent, Suffering from Discrimination

Mercury wasn't actually too nervous looking at the screen full of red "doomsday countdown" news.

To put it bluntly, the moon deorbiting will at most reset the Earth's surface ecosystem; the Earth won't explode into cosmic dust on the spot.

The casualty figures may be extremely horrific, but when the sky falls, there will always be angels of light to help hold it up.

After confirming that his mother and sister had been taken to the association's highest-level safe house, Mercury felt half relieved.

After confirming that all my friends had gathered at the Church of Divine Grace, I felt a little relieved.

Since the end of the world has nothing to do with him, Mercury has to start planning something else.

With thirteen hours left before the death countdown, the city's security system was practically nonexistent. All police officers and high-ranking heroes had been redeployed, and even the upper district might not be able to manage.

The root zone is a completely "no man's land".

If the apocalypse truly arrives, this wretched place will be the first to run out of water and food. People will fight to the death for even half a moldy loaf of bread. And those gangsters, drug dealers, and capitalists' black gloves entrenched in the sewers are definitely hoarding supplies right now, preparing to take advantage of the chaos.

Mercury had long disliked these bastards. He was disgusted when he investigated the immortality technology company. If it weren't for the help of these unscrupulous local bullies, where would the immortality technology company have gotten so many living people to conduct biochemical experiments?

Playing the hero in everyday life is incredibly frustrating. Arresting people requires evidence, and these scumbags might be bailed out by the legal teams of powerful conglomerates the moment they're in jail.

But now?

It's the end of the world, guys! Who the hell cares about the law anymore?!

The city's surveillance system was paralyzed, and order collapsed completely.

In situations like this, no one cares whether you have a body camera on or not, and there's no need to go through legal procedures; a simple statement of self-defense is enough to get by.

At this point, neither the lawmakers nor the gang members in the Tree Roots District care about their fate.

Now, by uprooting those cancerous elements, we can not only seize their hoarded premium resources and distribute some "doomsday benefits" to the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled in the Tree Root District, but also eliminate future troubles forever.

This kind of reasonable and legal "zero-dollar purchase" combined with "black-on-black" is simply exhilarating.

However, Rex and Nora, these two "good kids," should absolutely not be involved in this kind of activity.

Having confirmed that Rex and Nora had left, Mercury prepared to slip away and head to the Roots District.

"bite"

A crisp metallic click suddenly came from the shadows ahead, followed by a cluster of crimson flames flickering in the dim corridor.

Mercury paused, his eyes instantly turning cold, and his right hand, tucked into his pocket, began to glow with a faint, dark red holy light.

The firelight illuminated a face that hadn't been seen in a long time, a slightly gloomy one—Vincent.

Since their last unpleasant encounter, she has had almost no communication with Mercury.

"You were waiting for me?" Mercury put his hands in his pockets, and a faint dark red light was already flowing from his fingertips.

This kid has a stubborn and extreme personality, and they haven't spoken since their last argument. Now he's suddenly blocking the road; who knows if he's had some serious illness?

"You were waiting for me?" Mercury asked coldly.

Vincent remained silent, only repeatedly opening and closing the lighter, the "click-clack" sound echoing down the corridor. He stepped out of the shadows, bathed in the flickering light, and said bluntly, "I'm going to work with you."

"With me?" Mercury chuckled, mercilessly mocking, "Don't be ridiculous, brother. The Upper City is short-handed for disaster relief right now. With your abilities, you could easily rescue a few rich people there, racking up guild points with your eyes closed. Why are you blindly following me?"

Vincent remained silent, but instead flicked his wrist, tossing the metal flip lighter toward Mercury: "Try lighting it."

Mercury caught it with a frown and casually flicked the grinding wheel.

"Click."

There was only a tiny spark, but the lighter couldn't light it.

"This lighter is out of fuel," Vincent said casually.

"Just say what you mean, don't play riddles with me."

Mercury's patience was running out. Could this piece of junk even be lit? What did it have to do with going to the root zone?

Vincent gave a wry smile and said self-deprecatingly, "You know what? The rules I, as a trainee hero, have to follow are different from yours. The association has explicit rules that people with my background are absolutely not allowed to use superpowers in public without permission."

"So, even though I can create flames with a flick of my finger, I have to carry this empty lighter with me whenever I go out. If I were to be robbed on the street, even if I used my powers to defend myself, I would have to use it as a cover and make up a story that the fire was started with a lighter."

Mercury was stunned for a moment upon hearing this. Being treated differently to this extent was even more frustrating than wearing an electronic ankle monitor.

"What exactly did your father do that was so serious? Why is the association resorting to such a collective punishment?" Mercury couldn't help but ask.

"Crimes against humanity. Volcanic rock, have you heard of that name?" Vincent said quietly.

Mercury's eyes widened instantly: "What?! Volcanic Rock is your father?!"

That old man is the second most powerful freak in the world! Mercury had personally experienced the terror of that old monster before. If it weren't for the golden holy light given to him by the Holy Angel, he would have been roasted to a medium-rare state from the inside out.

Vincent's expression turned even more bitter, like he'd swallowed a bitter pill: "If it really is him, then I'll accept it. Unfortunately, my father was just a fanatical follower who slaughtered civilians alongside Volcanic Rock. His mind was filled with superpower supremacy, and he did nothing but cruel and violent dirty work, yet his own superpower was weaker than a revolver!"

For a moment, Mercury even felt a little sorry for the guy.

Even though he didn't become a big boss as a villain, his crimes were as heavy as volcanic rock, and he made his family suffer a fate worse than death. He was really unlucky.

"Unlike you new starlets, I don't even have authorization." Vincent clenched his fists, his knuckles white, his voice almost overflowing with resentment. "I went to the Upper City to meddle without permission," and not only will I not get a single point, but I'll also be severely punished and given a demerit!

"Besides, which of those rich people in the Upper City doesn't have information on the Association's heroes? Do you think they wouldn't know my father was a war criminal who committed crimes against humanity? Even if the world ended today and the sky fell, they would never let the offspring of a criminal set foot on their territory! If I dared to go, I'd just be beaten out of the house like a stray dog ​​by their private bodyguards!"

Mercury remained silent.

Put yourself in his shoes. If he were constantly targeted by these ridiculous rules, he would have flipped the Hero Association's table long ago. What kind of hero would he be?

He lowered the wariness in his eyes and re-examined the peer in front of him who was almost driven crazy by reality.

"Then what use are you to me? I'm not here to earn some damn points." Mercury stared at him, making no attempt to hide his true feelings.

"No matter what you do, I know that following you is the only chance I have in this life!"

Vincent's bloodshot eyes were fixed on Mercury, revealing a desperate and mad ambition.

"The city of Auriga is about to descend into chaos! You deliberately sent Rex and the others away; it's definitely not because you went home to sleep. You're planning something big!"

Vincent took a sudden step forward, lowering his posture to the lowest possible level, his tone almost pleading, yet revealing a desperate ruthlessness: "Take me with you! Whatever you want to do, I'll be your henchman, your lackey! As long as it lets me get ahead—I'm fucking fed up with being a dog that everyone looks down on my whole life!"

Mercury looked at Vincent's expectant eyes and remained silent for a long time.

Finally, Mercury, somewhat reluctantly, asked, "Then, have you ever killed anyone?"

Vincent was suddenly stunned, and the fierce determination he had just displayed instantly froze.

His Adam's apple bobbed, his eyes darted around, then he forced a louder voice, saying excitedly, "Killed, killed! Of course—my father was a murderous monster! I have his blood in my veins—how could I not have killed someone!"

Seeing his erratic breathing, Mercury couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Vincent always has the sinister face of a villain, but he's as pure as a little white flower?

"Alright, stop forcing yourself. If you want to come, just follow along."

Mercury, too lazy to expose him, casually tossed the empty lighter back to Vincent and said in a cold tone, "Let me make this clear first, I'm not going to play house this time, nor am I going to farm hero points. You guessed it, I'm going to pull off something big."

He strode off into the shadows: "In the eyes of the rich in the Upper City, what happens there is meaningless; according to the Hero Association's rules, what I'm about to do tonight is absolutely not about upholding justice," it would even be defined as an extremely heinous massacre.

"But I grew up in the root zone. I watched with my own eyes how that place gradually rotted away and eventually became a cannibalistic hell."

Mercury stopped and turned his head slightly. The shadows of the corridor completely swallowed half of his face, leaving only one eye that faintly glowed with a dark red light.

"Since it's hell, it's naturally full of demons. I'm going back this time to eliminate these demons by any means necessary. Vincent, wanting to rise to the top with me is fine. But before that, are you prepared to get your hands stained with blood?"

Vincent looked at the boy in front of him as if he were seeing Mercury all over again.

Previously, he only thought that Mercury was the son of a famous reporter, with a better background and stronger superpowers than him, and was a hundred times luckier than him.

Vincent felt that such a person was no different from a spoiled brat; he would definitely have a smooth and successful life, like Rex, who could have a wonderful life without any effort.

But Mercury was different; when he went mad, he was even more insane than his own son, a murderer.

Now, Mercury stood in the shadows of the corridor, the red light in his eyes growing brighter and brighter, as if he were the greatest demon in the Root District.

Vincent felt his heart pounding. Following him might not be a good choice?

But just as Mercury turned away with a hint of disappointment, Vincent gritted his teeth and strode after him.

"Wait, I'm willing! I'm willing to do anything, as long as you're willing to take me with you. I don't want to be a worthless person who's discriminated against anymore!"

These words were shouted out by Vincent, and it's fortunate that the association is currently empty, otherwise it would have attracted a lot of onlookers.

Mercury smiled and beckoned to Vincent, then said, "Stay close, I'm not waiting for you!"