Why is his holy light red?

In the cramped interrogation room, the iron door opened and closed repeatedly, and all sorts of people came and went.

Mercury sat quietly in the metal chair, watching his usually mild-mannered father mediate for him.

Loud arguments and hushed exchanges of interests took place in this small room, where high-ranking federal agents and investigators from the Hero Association clashed.

It was only at this moment that Mercury clearly realized that even stripped of the halo of "Holy Angel," El, as an ordinary person, was not a truly ordinary person.

As the most famous journalist, his network of connections is more useful than that of many superpowered individuals.

For the past ten years or so, he had played the role of a "good son" so perfectly that he had never seen his father so sharp and assertive.

After several hours of back-and-forth, a compromise was reached. The two detectives who violated the rules were spared any substantial punishment, and in exchange, Mercury was removed from his handcuffs and allowed to hire his own lawyer.

However, I cannot leave yet.

As the crowd dispersed, the interrogation room fell silent again, leaving only the father and son who had just had a big argument.

El looked at his son, who had remained completely calm and composed throughout, unlike a typical teenager. He opened his mouth, but didn't know where to begin. Silence festered in the air, creating an awkward atmosphere throughout the room.

Seeing his father's embarrassed expression, a joke from his past life inexplicably flashed through Mercury's mind.

A mother and son had a conflict and were in a cold war for a long time. How can they finally reconcile?

"Let's go out for dinner!"

What should we eat tonight?

……

These two sentences are enough, and it doesn't matter which sentence comes first.

As if possessed, he blurted out, "What shall we eat tonight?"

El froze, then clung to the driftwood like a drowning man: "Look at my brain! You've been starving all day. I... I'll go buy you a hamburger..."

"No need, I'm not hungry." Mercury called out to the man who looked flustered and was about to turn away. After a moment, he said very sincerely, "Thank you for being here today. I'm the one who caused trouble today."

This unprecedentedly candid apology struck El like a hammer blow to the heart. He felt as if his breathing had suddenly become difficult, and his eyes stung with tears.

"No, it's not your fault." El took a deep breath, suppressing the sob in his throat, his voice a little muffled. "I've dragged you all into this. The 'Holy Angels' commissioned me to investigate a special drug related to immortality technology. I had only just begun gathering information when they started targeting you. This is a warning; they want to force me to stop the investigation."

Mercury frowned. Had the immortality technology gone mad?

The appearance of the Holy Light Angels in the bar has already become a trending topic, and they should be well aware that it's related to that potion.

As soon as Mercury got off the plane, Eternal Life Technology used its influence to get federal agents to stage a kidnapping.

Mercury couldn't help but ask, "Is the CEO of Immortal Life Technology an idiot? Aren't they afraid that...aren't they afraid that if our family is kidnapped, it will anger the Holy Light Angels?"

Al shook his head bitterly: "They're not afraid. Because there's no solid evidence. The Hero Act clearly states that no superhero can use violence in the absence of irrefutable evidence. They can't substitute for trial, nor can they convict someone based on their feelings."

"Even knowing they did it?" Mercury almost laughed in anger. "What kind of damn rule is this! That shapeshifter isn't dead yet, just pry him open and the evidence will be there, right? There are so many telepathic superheroes, just let them read his memories and they'll know the truth!"

Al said helplessly, "Because of the special status of federal agents and the many secrets involved, we are not allowed to use telepathy on them at any time. This is a provision of the Hero Act."

Mercury couldn't help but shout, "It's all about rules again! Why not just have 'Holy Angel' arrest the top executives of Immortal Technology and interrogate them one by one? Isn't he the strongest hero? Doing this would be a piece of cake for him!"

Seeing his son's burning anger, El remained surprisingly calm. He moved a chair over and sat down next to Mercury.

"In your view, the strongest person can ignore all rules. But if the most powerful being in the world were to lead the way in breaking the rules, then the laws of all human nations would become worthless overnight."

Mercury retorted, "So what? It's just a piece of waste paper anyway. When Eternal Life Technology resorted to vigilante justice, they didn't care about procedural justice at all! For those high-ranking figures, they simply don't care about these things."

Mercury grew up in the city of the Pomegranate Tree, a place where the roots vividly demonstrate what lawlessness is; if your fists aren't big enough, you're living in hell.

I thought my father would bring out his old lectures again, about the faith and perseverance of superheroes and such.

But this time, Al didn't spout any grand theories. He simply sighed and said, "The strongest superheroes have judged everything in the world based on their personal preferences before."

"When did this happen?" Mercury frowned.

"I can tell you, but this secret must never be known to anyone else."

"Not even the mother?"

"That's alright, your mother already knew."

Mercury: ...

It's true that I'm closer to my wife than my son.

Al ignored his son's silence and continued telling his story.

"In the era before you were born, the one standing at the pinnacle of the world was not the 'Angel of Light,' but a superhero known as the 'Time Dragon.' He controlled time, could transform into a mythical dragon, and was truly invincible."

Mercury asked, "Why haven't I heard of him before?"

"Don't interrupt, listen carefully." El didn't answer, and continued, "At first, he hated evil and was the brightest light in the world. He used his supreme power to quell wars and save countless people. He also had the same anger as you—since the powerful don't follow the rules, why should he be bound by red tape? So, he felt that he should become the absolute ruler."

"Later, he naturally came to rule the world. He changed all the rules of the world according to his own will."

Al paused, his tone becoming somewhat sorrowful: "But he failed to create a flawless kingdom, because he himself could not abide by the doctrines he set for himself."

In his youth, he upheld absolute fidelity in love, decreed that marriages were unchangeable, and that betrayers would be imprisoned with death as the only release. But as the years passed, he fell in love with a young girl.

"His wife lived from seventy to ninety, still alive; and the girl waited from twenty to forty. Finally, the god couldn't wait any longer. He broke his own law and forcibly married his second wife. To make amends for his guilt, he used his power to rejuvenate his first wife. Unfortunately, youth returned, but love was gone."

"He has committed a crime, but no one in the world can judge this ruler."

"And this is just the beginning." El's voice gradually turned cold. "He hated corruption and set strict spending limits, believing that as long as the powerful and wealthy were prevented from spending money, corruption would disappear. However, he later abolished this rule because of his own extravagant lifestyle. He once detested capitalist exploitation and demanded an equal distribution of wealth, but when he ascended to the throne, he could not bear the fact that he enjoyed the same treatment as mortals. He felt that harming others was a serious crime, but he would kill anyone he disliked without hesitation."

Mercury remained silent.

Without his father needing to elaborate, he could already picture that absurd and hopeless world in his mind—a world controlled by a god who was also quite fickle. Yesterday's paragon of the empire could become tomorrow's criminal at any moment, depending on the god's changing mood.

This completely unpredictable future brings a sense of despair and nihilism, as if nothing you do makes sense.

El's story continues.

"Humans may be weak, but there will always be those who rise up in resistance. Countless superheroes united to try to overthrow the Time Dragon's rule. But the Time Dragon is too powerful; he can reset the world an infinite number of times, and no one is his match."

"But with each reset, the final result seems to be the same. As long as he wants to rule the world, there will always be someone who rises up in rebellion. Battles between superpowered individuals will always destroy the world. He may be immortal, but the empire he rules is extremely fragile."

"No matter how many times it happens, the ending is always the same. In the end, even his once beloved wife took up arms countless times to rebel against his rule. Human resistance will never disappear."

"And then what happened?" Mercury asked curiously.

"Later, he died, but the cause of death was suicide." Al said with a bitter smile, "After the last time travel, he was probably tired, so he gave up his power and willingly buried himself in the grave. Because of this, not many people know about the Time Dragon, and only a very few superheroes with special abilities can remember these countless cycles of reincarnation."

Mercury paused for a moment, then asked, "Father, is this story really not something you made up?"

El: ...

"Okay, so what lesson does this story, which sounds like a clichéd myth, teach us?"

Looking at his stubborn son, El felt he was wasting his energy, but he still patiently explained, "The Holy Light Angel believes that if the Time Dragon is willing to abide by the rules he has set, he can actually become a truly great god."

"But no one can remain unchanged forever, and no one can guarantee absolute selflessness. Therefore, in order to prevent such a tragedy from happening again, and to ensure that humanity will not be destroyed, the Angel of Holy Light has decided to entrust the power to set the rules to the weak and ordinary people, and to exist only as a guardian. He will not violate the rules set by humanity, otherwise everything in this world would be meaningless and would fall into absolute nothingness."

Mercury looked at his father in silence, feeling unsure of what to say. The logic was sound, but what Mercury least wanted to hear were grand pronouncements.

Besides, what does it matter to a minor whether humanity will fall into nihilism?

The Holy Angel is the strongest in the world, so he can't act recklessly, but he's not the strongest.

Just as he was contemplating whether to rush out now, grab the shapeshifter, and torture it severely, the interrogation room door was opened once again.

The man was in his early twenties, with impeccably styled blond hair, dressed in a well-fitting black suit, wearing sunglasses, and carrying a briefcase with a blank expression. He looked like an insurance salesman.

Upon seeing the other person, Mercury exclaimed in surprise, "John?! What are you doing here?"

John replied matter-of-factly, "Of course I'm here for you; I'm your lawyer."

Mercury exclaimed in shock, "Aren't you the bar's doorman?"

"Everyone has a side job, being a lawyer is my main job." John sat confidently across from Mercury. "I've already looked into the case. Don't worry, I have a 100% chance of winning this kind of case."