Why is his holy light red?

Mercury initially intended to righteously refuse the makeover.

He knew very well that this was his father's plan. He didn't want him to engage in double-crossing and wanted to guide him onto the "right path" in this roundabout way.

But Mercury lacked that noble sentiment of selflessness and dedication to others, and was simply not cut out to be a hero.

However, Robert seemed to have seen through his idea, so he persuaded Mercury in the simplest way.

A cash check for one million.

"Take this first," Robert said casually, as if dismissing a restaurant waiter. "Go back and have a good talk with your parents. Consider this million as a down payment for signing the contract."

Without bleeding, without risking your life, and without even the camera pointing at you, a million dollars was already smashed in your face.

Sure enough, being an internet celebrity is really lucrative; you get a million before even signing a contract.

Given this, what reason is there to refuse?

Mercury worked himself to the bone just to improve his family's situation, and now that a million dollars was right in front of him, how could he possibly refuse?

He very naturally reached out, deftly picked up the check with two fingers, aligned the edges, folded it carefully, and then very securely stuffed it into his inner pocket.

Mercury solemnly promised, "Mr. Robert, I will do my job well."

It's just performing for an audience, much easier than double-crossing.

But after putting the check away, Mercury paused for a moment and tentatively asked, "Mr. Robert, are there any hidden conditions for taking this money? Don't you superheroes have any specific rules regarding financial transactions?"

Robert raised an eyebrow slightly: "Why do you ask that?"

"Eternal Life Technology tried to donate 50 million to 'Holy Light Angel,' but he refused without even looking at it. This isn't the first time something like this has happened." Mercury stared into Robert's eyes. "I thought there were some unspoken rules among superheroes, some special restrictions on how they make money."

"Oh, that was his personal choice." Robert's tone was filled with undisguised respect. "The Angel of Light is the purest hero I've ever seen."

Mercury wanted to roll his eyes, but in the end he could only manage to say, "That's probably one of the advantages of being single. You only have to worry about yourself, and you can easily cover your daily expenses by doing odd jobs."

To everyone's surprise, Robert said, "Who told you the Angel of Light is alone? He must have family or people he cares about. Your father, El, is the Angel of Light's best friend; didn't he tell you that?"

This confused Mercury. To outsiders, the angel of light was always an unapproachable, lonely deity with no weaknesses.

Wait a minute, something's not right. If Robert knew the secret of the Holy Angels, he shouldn't have told him, an "outsider."

Mercury felt as if he had stumbled upon some secret about superheroes and quickly asked, "Mr. Robert, how do you know that the Angel of Light has a family?"

"It's a speculation, but there are clues to follow," Robert calmly offered his answer. "I know that the Angels of Light have placed more than a hundred fake 'families' around the world."

"If he had no attachments, this behavior would be meaningless. Even if all the criminals in the world knew which bed the Holy Angel was sleeping in tonight, who could harm him? So, there is only one reason for doing this: he has family members, lovers, or friends who need protection. In any case, they are his weaknesses."

Mercury was somewhat shocked. More than a hundred fake families?

How much money will this cost?!

No wonder he couldn't afford to support his family; did he end up supporting a hundred families?

Mercury pressed on curiously, "If it's not some secret, could you tell me about it? I want to know how these fake families operate."

"It's not exactly a secret; top-tier superheroes all do this," Robert chuckled. "They don't even need to get involved; the Hero Association and governments around the world will handle everything. Even someone like me, who operates under my real name, has countless virtual addresses around the world to mislead those trying to track me. For example, this base you're in right now doesn't exist on any electronic map."

"So, you don't actually need to spend your own money?"

Mercury was more concerned with this.

"It's not just about money." Robert sighed, his expression unusually serious. "These fake addresses are inhabited by real people. There are superhumans arranged by the association, and there are specially trained agents."

"Outsiders simply cannot visualize the malice that superheroes bear. Take the Angel of Light, for example; his more than one hundred stunt double families suffer numerous attacks every year. Last year alone, dozens of decoy actors died in the line of duty. No matter how fast he flies, he can't save everyone from death. Even real superheroes don't know when they might sacrifice themselves."

"The usual aftermath is covered by the government and association. But I heard that the Holy Angel himself is stubbornly insisting on paying an extra, exorbitant sum as compensation. Considering his habit of refusing any donations... to raise this huge sum, he might have to collect recyclables every day to earn enough money."

Mercury remained silent for a long time, then finally sighed, "That criminal truly deserved to die."

So it was those supervillains who kept his family living in poverty. Mercury suddenly felt an urge to strike back hard against evil.

"Alright, it's getting late, I'll take you home."

Robert glanced at the time, then casually waved. A miniature drone glided over, suspending a translucent sheet in front of Mercury.

"Here, this is a dedicated communication phone."

Mercury accepted it with both hands. It felt cool to the touch, but there were no traces of metal or visible seams. From its appearance alone, it was a translucent acrylic sheet.

But the moment his fingertip touched the surface, the beam of light lit up, and the holographic interface rippled into view like waves.

After quickly completing the biometric binding of fingerprints and voiceprints, the familiar operating system finally appeared.

Mercury examined the thin plate for a while, turning it over and over, before finally looking up and asking somewhat awkwardly, "Mr. Robert, where's the charging port on this thing?"

Robert didn't even look up, casually saying, "No need to charge. The built-in power is enough for ten years. When it's worn out, just throw it away and replace it with a new one."

Mercury silently gripped the thin plate tightly.

He's just a country bumpkin from the slums, but he's really learned something new today.

Robert's arrangements were seamless; after dropping Mercury off at the transit airport, even the direct flight to Arujah was already prepared.

Seated in the luxurious first class cabin, and with the flight attendants' curious and courteous service, Mercury reluctantly ended his three-hour flight.

This is the life of the rich! So you can actually order steak on a plane, and there are even individual screens where you can watch movies and play games!

Back in Auriga, Mercury looked out through the glass of the terminal at this suffocatingly divided city of rich and poor.

The boy's resolve hardened; he was determined to become rich.

However, as soon as he stepped out of the airport, Mercury suddenly discovered a problem—it took him almost halfway across the city of Aruja to get from the airport to his home.

"Wait, Mr. Robert didn't prepare a car for me? Taking a taxi home from here isn't cheap!"

Mercury sighed. His hard-earned savings had just been confiscated by his own father, leaving him with only a few crumpled bills in his pocket. As for the million-dollar check… using it for the fare was clearly unrealistic.

Just as Mercury gritted his teeth, preparing to endure the pain of queuing in the taxi waiting area, a faint sound suddenly came from his inner pocket.

The translucent, thin phone without a charging port vibrated.

He took out his phone, unlocked it with his fingerprint, and an unread message suddenly popped up on the holographic screen: [You've made so much money, when are you going to settle my share?]

Mercury's pupils suddenly contracted.

The sender's number was completely unfamiliar, practically unknown, but the profile picture was a simple monochrome "camera" icon.

Mercury recognized the symbol at a glance—his long-time but never-seen intelligence broker.

This phone is a specially made device that Robert just gave me. It doesn't even look like a regular communicator. How did this information broker know this new number?

Could it be that he really has the ability to predict the future?

Mercury's thumb flew across the screen: "I've handed that box over to your client according to procedure. It's settled."

The other party replied almost instantly: 【Don't you know whether you gave it to them or not?】

Mercury's eye twitched, and he slammed his fist on the virtual keyboard: "You pervert, have you been spying on me all this time?!"

This time, the reply from the other side appeared after a while: "Stop fantasizing. I have absolutely no interest in spying on you. Go online and see for yourself. The Holy Angel appeared in Aru Tree City, condemning his best friend's son for his self-destructive behavior—this news is already the number one trending topic online! And you're telling me you've completed the deal?! Have you no shame?!"

Mercurio was somewhat embarrassed. So the whole internet already knew about this? Those journalism students really know how to ride the wave of trending topics.

Before Mercury could explain, a second message popped up: "For the sake of our past, I'll give you a free piece of information. Once you leave the terminal, absolutely do not get on any form of transportation. If you manage to walk out of your house tonight, remember to transfer my share immediately."