Why is his holy light red?

Chapter 126 Above All Things

I don't know if Volcanic Rock is really getting old and has picked up the old man's bad habit of looking for someone to play chess with. But since I'm here today to kill time, Mercury doesn't mind finding something to do.

"Playing chess is fine, but using Vincent as a wager is out of the question."

As Mercury spoke, he reached out and pinched an obsidian chess piece.

The instant his fingertips touched the piece, the intense heat of the molten lava inside caused his expression to change slightly. But as a rich, red holy light rapidly condensed at his fingertips, Mercury withstood the heat that could melt bones and firmly grasped the piece.

A hint of surprise flashed in Volcanic Stone's eyes: "You've improved very quickly."

Mercury shrugged casually: "After all, I just saved the world and even fought the ultimate boss head-on."

His red holy light indeed progressed rapidly.

Like the Holy Light Angel, this power is constantly and automatically increasing, especially after experiencing intense life-and-death battles, the basic attributes of the red Holy Light have seen a comprehensive surge.

In the past, the temperature of this lava would have been enough to easily penetrate his holy light defenses; but now, he only needs to concentrate slightly to barely withstand it.

However, Mercury gradually discovered that his Holy Light seemed to be a bizarre panel that "only adds numerical values, but not any mechanics."

Resistance and defense are maxed out across the board, and strength enhancement and self-healing abilities are becoming increasingly abnormal, but there are no fancy new skills or special effects.

Perhaps it has something to do with his mindset. Why worry about so much? Max out your defense, then use your left and right punches for high damage. It's simple and straightforward.

Volcanic Rock casually moved a piece, asking in bewilderment, "Why won't you bring him to me? Vincent certainly has exceptional talent, but he's on the wrong path. If this continues, he'll be nothing more than a giant flamethrower."

"If you want to teach him, go find him yourself. I've heard that Vincent's father was one of your loyal subordinates. It shouldn't be difficult for you to find him." Mercury picked up a pawn and slammed it heavily onto the volcanic rock pawn. The two pieces, with lava flowing inside, collided and instantly merged into a new mass of dark red lava, which was considered a "capture."

Volcanic Rock took another step and shook his head helplessly: "You talented young people can never understand my lofty ideals. Vincent, like you, is trapped in that ridiculous 'Superpower Act,' naively believing that he can enjoy that illusory glory bestowed upon him by ordinary people. In reality? I know that kid is suffering terribly, almost drowning in pervasive discrimination."

Mercury looked at the volcanic rock as if it were a lunatic, and finally couldn't help but say, "Old man, you really should see a psychiatrist to check your brain."

If this old madman hadn't brainwashed Vincent's father back then, how could Vincent have been burdened with the heavy stigma of being the "son of a serial killer"? How could he have suffered such inhuman discrimination and bullying from a young age? Now this instigator is actually putting on a compassionate savior act here; he's definitely in the late stages of schizophrenia.

Volcanic rock, however, was completely unconcerned about Mercury's offense.

"You are still lost sheep, unable to hear the gospel of God. But I know very well that one day you will understand this truth and then willingly come to my side." The volcanic rock's eyes revealed a fanatical divinity. "Superhumans and ordinary people are two completely different species! Just like Homo sapiens and Neanderthals in the past, the end of evolution is destined to be that only one race can become the master of the world."

Volcanic Rock firmly believes that he is carrying out God's will. Faced with the "dullness" of his fellow human beings, he is willing to show divine tolerance until the day they finally awaken to the truth.

Mercury sneered: "So you want to groom Vincent, to have him inherit your will and continue his bloody rampage outside?"

Once Mercury had fully adapted to the high temperature of the pieces, the game of lava chess returned to a pure contest of skill. Unfortunately, Mercury's understanding of chess was limited to "knowing how to move," while Volcanic Rock's skill level was clearly several levels higher than Mercury's.

After only a few moves, Mercury felt like he had run into a trap, with several key pieces being captured one after another, and the situation turning into a one-sided defeat.

As he placed his piece, Volcanic Rock slowly explained, "I never kill for the sake of killing. My past killings were merely to prove a truth to the world: there is absolutely no possibility of peaceful coexistence between two completely different races. In fact, we don't need to deliberately slaughter humans; given time, the laws of evolution will naturally eliminate them completely. I'm only revealing this truth to awaken those compatriots who are still pretending to be asleep."

"Have you ever thought that many superpowered people's family members and friends are the ordinary people you say should be eliminated?" Mercury forced himself to take a few steps, feeling that every path to survival on the chessboard was blocked.

"I said, ordinary people can live on as pets. Just as humans, as the world's dominant species, keep cats and dogs." With a flick of his finger, Volcanic Stone pushed the Queen deep into enemy territory, arrogantly declaring, "But pets are ultimately just pets. Ordinary people and superhumans are like humans and ornamental fish in a fish tank—General!"

Mercury frowned, staring intently at the chessboard, a chill running down his spine. He was cornered; no matter what move he made, it seemed he couldn't escape checkmate.

Seeing Mercury's predicament as he racked his brains, Volcanic Rock revealed a victor's smile: "Look, just like now."

"You're trapped by the rules created by mortals, thinking according to their logic, so you're destined to lose this game to me. But you clearly possess the power to easily crush this chessboard. Remember how you beat me last time? You used superhuman power, not the rules set by mortals."

"Let go of those unnecessary moral burdens, child. Break free of your shackles and build a new world that belongs purely to the superhuman. You will find that everything will become free and comfortable."

Mercury ignored his grand, pyramid-scheme-like speech.

He simply sighed, silently took out his phone from his pocket, and skillfully opened the AI ​​assistant.

The camera swept across the obsidian chessboard, and a red line, a path to survival, immediately appeared on the screen. Mercury didn't even lift an eyelid; he precisely moved a piece according to the AI's instructions.

Volcanic Rock's previously confident brow furrowed suddenly. He stared at the chessboard in thought for a moment, then placed his piece again: "Checkmate."

military!"

Mercury didn't hesitate for even half a second. He looked down at the screen and continued to move his pieces according to the optimal solution given by the AI.

The sound of chess pieces falling on the board became more frequent, but Volcano Stone's brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

In the end, Mercury slammed his pawn heavily onto the board, forcing the once-powerful Volcanic Rock king into a corner with no way out.

"General! You have lost."

Volcanic Rock stared at the game in front of him, which had been turned around in a desperate attempt, and remained silent for a long time.

Mercury turned off his phone, put it back in his pocket, then looked up and mercilessly shattered the old man's fantasy: "Old man, the biggest flaw in your theory is that you imagine superhumans as a god-like species that completely crushes ordinary people. But the reality is, 99% of the superpowers in this world are less lethal than the cheapest revolver. And ordinary assembly line factories can mass-produce millions of those revolvers a year."

Mercury stood up, looking down at the world's second-best: "Superhumans, in essence, are not entirely superior to ordinary people. It's meaningless to use yourself and the Holy Angels—extreme exceptions—to represent the entire group. Because the vast majority of the technological civilization we enjoy and rely on today was invented by what you call 'pets.' Even a super genius like Robert couldn't completely solve the Millennium Prize Problems left by ordinary mathematicians."

Mercury dusted off his clothes, leaving behind a final, sarcastic remark: "Sometimes, it doesn't necessarily have to be someone who wants to dominate."

Above whom?

A rough, volcanic stone hand swept across the obsidian tabletop, and scalding lava instantly smoothed out the remaining pieces along with the chess pieces.

Instead of flying into a rage, he remained surprisingly calm: "Fine, you win. I'll tell you everything I know."

"Wait, I never agreed to wager Vincent on you." Mercury frowned warily.

"Whatever." Volcanic Rock waved his hand dismissively. "That little girl made a very good point earlier. I never had any faith in those idiots' escape from the start. They just want to trade a few days of escape for a longer sentence, or a meaningless death. By handing over the intelligence to you, you can be better prepared and more likely to bring them back alive. At least—we can reduce the amount of superhuman bloodshed."

"Let's try our luck at these addresses; we might find some clues."

As soon as he finished speaking, several thin streams of dark red lava suddenly surged from the obsidian tabletop. They slithered like serpents, quickly cooled and solidified, transforming into several precise addresses.

Mercury quickly pulled out his phone and took a picture of the address. After doing all this, he looked up, his gaze complex as he looked at the old monster with his face covered in Bible tattoos.

Although the old man was extremely paranoid and an incurable extreme racist, he seemed to be wholeheartedly making plans for his "fellow countrymen."

Mercury put away his phone and sighed, "Since you're being so cooperative, I'll put in a good word for Vincent when I get back."

One word. But I'm only responsible for relaying the message; whether he's willing to come and become your apprentice is his own business.

The volcanic rock smiled and said, "I'm not making a deal with a little kid like you. Time will tell, and you'll eventually understand my good intentions."

"Alright then." Mercury shrugged, waving his phone. "So, old man, want to try a different difficulty level for the next round?"

Volcanic Rock glanced disdainfully at Mercury's high-tech phone, snorted, and strode towards the bustling construction site.

Nora, who had been holding her breath, finally deflated like a punctured balloon when the imposing silhouette of the volcanic rock completely disappeared into the swirling dust.

She patted her chest, her voice low with lingering fear: "My God, you're incredibly audacious! You actually dared to talk back to him to his face and even cheated using your phone!"

"You're the one who's amazing. I never expected you to go directly to him for information," Mercury said.

Nora laughed, "Isn't that because of you? And do I have to flatter him when I speak to him? You're the one who's really something, talking without any politeness. He's a ruthless criminal who kills without blinking an eye!"

"What makes him the most ruthless?" Mercury scoffed dismissively. Those suit-clad capitalists at "Eternal Life Technology" had killed ten times more people for their experiments than he had. Besides, this old man wasn't as concerned with saving face as you might think. I fought him once, and my victory was hardly honorable, but he readily conceded defeat. It's a pity his brain was brainwashed by extreme racism."

The "fellow humans" recognized by the volcanic rock are far too narrow. There are only a few million superhumans in the world at most, yet this old man attempts to trample the remaining billions of ordinary people into ants under his feet. No normal person can accept that.

Despite his感慨 (feelings of deep emotion), Mercury always kept his word. Having promised to relay the old man's message, he immediately took out his phone and dialed Vincent's number.

The phone rang for a long time before it was answered.

"Did you need something?" Vincent's deep, husky voice came through the receiver. His tone betrayed an barely suppressed anxiety and exhaustion.

Mercury keenly sensed something was wrong: "What's wrong? You sound down. What happened?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before someone awkwardly squeezed out, "It's nothing, just a small problem at home, I can handle it myself."

Mercury frowned. Vincent had clearly taken this extended leave to use the 500,000 yuan to transfer his mother to another hospital. What trouble could there possibly be in something like this where as long as the money was there, everything would go smoothly?

"We've robbed and killed people together," Mercury said, his tone becoming more serious. "Don't try to be tough. If you need any help, just ask."

There was another long, deathly silence on the other end of the phone. After a long while, Vincent's voice, trembling and weak, finally came through: "I'm sorry—I'm trying to transfer my mother to another hospital. But the nursing home here is stuck in the process. They say that because my mother is currently in a deep coma and I am still a minor, we need the signature of another guardian to complete the transfer."

"Another guardian?" Mercury paused for a moment.

"Yes—my father."

Upon hearing this name, Mercury instantly understood why Vincent was so irritable and desperate.

He had inquired a little about Vincent's family situation beforehand.

That man was not only a fanatical follower of Volcanic Rock with blood on his hands, but also a complete perverted scumbag! He had been abusing his wife and children for a long time. Vincent's mother was paralyzed and bedridden for many years because of the damage to multiple internal organs caused by years of beatings. She was kept alive by Vincent's meager salary.

Thanks to Vincent becoming a trainee hero, he had the association's high medical insurance coverage, otherwise his mother would have been ruthlessly kicked out of the hospital long ago.

Even so, the enormous expenses still overwhelmed Vincent, leaving him in a state of abject poverty for a long time, and causing his personality to become extremely paranoid and sensitive.

Now that we finally have the money to send my mother to a better hospital for treatment, we actually have to ask that scumbag who beat her into a vegetative state to sign a document?! Just thinking about it is suffocating.

"What kind of bullshit rule is this—" Mercury cursed under his breath, then quickly reassured her, "Don't be anxious, a little patience will calm things down."

"Calm down, just think of it as getting a signature. I happen to be on duty at Black Olive Prison. If your bastard father won't cooperate, I can talk to Volcanic Rock."

Wasn't Volcanic Rock just eyeing Vincent's talent and wanting to take him as a disciple? As long as he throws out this bait and Volcanic Rock speaks up in person, Vincent's scumbag father, as the old man's fanatical follower, will definitely not dare to utter a word and will obediently sign the papers.

However, faced with Mercury's seemingly perfect solution, Vincent exclaimed in despair, "The problem is, I can't find him. He's escaped!"

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