Why is his holy light red?

In the visiting room, the cold light from the incandescent bulbs shone on the cold, long table.

The angel of light, dressed in a platinum combat suit, sat behind the table, his gaze fixed on Mercury's charred and deformed hand.

"It's just a superficial wound; it'll heal by tomorrow," Mercury casually replied.

He knew perfectly well that this was utter nonsense. The high-temperature energy of the volcanic rock lingered on his palm like a persistent ailment, and it would take at least a whole week to completely remove it using only his red holy light.

The angel of holy light did not respond.

He silently reached out and directly enveloped Mercury's injured hand.

A pure golden light shone in my palm. The lingering heat that had been giving me a headache vanished the moment it touched the golden light, like dust.

The charred bits fell off, the granulation tissue regenerated, and in just a few seconds, the entire palm returned to its original smoothness, without even a trace of redness.

"...Thank you." Mercury uttered the two words dryly.

The atmosphere at the meeting was somewhat awkward.

If he were sitting opposite "Dad El", Mercury felt he could be more natural, but he couldn't say many things to "Holy Angel".

The fact that the angel of holy light appeared so precisely at the right time only proves one thing—this old father didn't go back to be with his mother and sister as promised.

Since yesterday, he has been hovering over Black Olive Prison like a radar, constantly watching his movements.

Fortunately, I didn't let Black Egg play any adult movies last night, otherwise it would have been awkward.

The angel of holy light withdrew his hand and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I've dragged you into this."

"You mean that old man who plays with fire?"

"It's not just him." The Angel of Light nodded slightly. "Most of the serious offenders in Black Olive were personally sent here by me. The federal government throwing you here is essentially putting pressure on me."

"Press you? Have those bureaucrats got their brains caught in a door?" Mercury frowned.

Obeying the rules doesn't mean having no temper. The Holy Light Heaven has used force to intimidate the world for so many years and has never bowed its head to power.

Unless... they've already figured out their father's true identity?

Mercury stared intently at the man opposite him, trying to find the answer in his eyes.

But the Angel of Light avoided the question, only whispering reassurance, "I'm already contacting friends inside to go through the procedures. The court hearing will be brought forward, and perhaps we can shorten it from a month to within a week."

Mercury neither confirmed nor denied it.

There's really not much difference between a month and a week. If you really run into a life-threatening situation, an hour is enough to kill you.

Silence fell until Mercury spoke again: "Angel of Light, yesterday my father told me a story about a tyrant who could manipulate time. I want to ask you... which do you think is better, the current federal government or the world ruled by that tyrant?"

He thought that after witnessing the shady dealings of the federal high command, the man in front of him would at least hesitate.

But the Angel of Light did not hesitate for a moment: "A world ruled by absolute power has no hope. Especially when this tyrant never ages, he will only become more and more insane and paranoid with the inertia of power. If you had really seen that era, you would understand that things are much better now."

"Then why don't you just become the ruler?" Mercury leaned forward, somewhat excitedly. "With your moral compass, you could never be a tyrant. That would be saving this messed-up world from the root."

Upon hearing this, the Holy Angel gave a bitter smile: "You must understand that those who attempt to rule the world often initially portray themselves as 'saviors of the world.' No matter how noble their reasons, those who set their sights on world domination will ultimately never be heroes."

Mercury leaned back in his chair, speechless for a moment.

He began to suspect that his own father had been afflicted with a psychic ability, and felt as if his mind had been welded shut.

"I understand." The angel of light's voice softened. "Young people are always prone to idolizing absolute power and unrestrained force. You yearn to be a general or president who commands, rather than a superhero suppressed by laws and regulations. Therefore, the path of a hero is not for everyone."

"But humanity shed so much blood to overthrow imperial power and get to where we are today, why should we revert to feudal autocracy? What about the sacrifices of our predecessors?"

He paused, his tone becoming more serious: "We elect a 'wise' monarch, wait for him to corrupt into a tyrant, and then use countless lives to replace the next one. The world stagnates in this cycle of bloodshed. Child, you may feel that the world is riddled with holes, but at least there is still hope. We may be taking detours, but at least the general direction is forward."

As a time traveler, Mercury had certainly heard the saying that "even the worst form of capitalism is better than feudalism," so he did not refute this logic.

But he still couldn't accept his father's timid and hesitant attitude, as if he were walking in a glass room.

The angels of light are used to floating tens of thousands of feet in the air, looking down on all of humanity, their vision filled with grand narratives; but Mercury cannot fly, his feet are in the mud, and all he can see is himself and the living people around him.

This is a true clash of values; they may never be able to understand each other in their entire lives.

Seeing the undisguised disappointment in the boy's eyes, the Holy Angel felt as if her heart had been struck hard.

He gritted his teeth: "I'm sorry, but all of this you're going through is ultimately my fault... If I hadn't asked your father to help investigate..."

"Stop, what does this have to do with you?" Mercury shook his head, immediately interrupting him. "Catching criminals is your duty, and pursuing the truth is my father's job. I was locked up in this hellhole and burned by that old man playing with fire because the criminals didn't repent, not your fault."

Before the other person could speak, Mercury continued, "'Don't take all the blame for other people's mistakes'—isn't that something you said in the interview yourself?"

The angel of holy light froze, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes: "When did I say that?"

"Four years ago, a series of explosions occurred in the New Westminster port industrial area, resulting in nearly 20,000 casualties. The superheroes who were unable to reach the scene in time because of the distance felt very guilty, and that's what you said when you comforted them." Mercury spoke with certainty, without even stumbling over the time and place.

"El" did not write any reports about that incident as a journalist, and the Holy Light Angel herself had long forgotten about it. Now that Mercury brought it up, it made the Holy Light Angel feel somewhat uneasy.

"How do you remember these news reports so clearly?" He tried to make his tone sound natural.

Mercury laughed: "Because I've been your fan since I was a child."

This seemingly casual remark struck the Holy Angel like a punch to the face. What a wonderful child, practically flawless, yet now, because of his own obsession, he was forced to sit here in prison garb.

"Alright, it's almost time. Thank you for making the trip to see me, Holy Angel." Mercury stood up, ready to end this exhausting visit.

Watching the boy turn and walk towards the iron gate, the Holy Angel felt as if she couldn't breathe properly.

He suddenly had a dangerous impulse—to smash through this damned prison and drag his son out of this drafty hell.

Even if he hovered above the prison without missing a second, the physical distance still created a delay. Just now, he had already arrived in the warden's office immediately, but by the time the announcement came over the loudspeaker, his son's hand was still burned.

He certainly has the ability to destroy all of this.

But once he throws that punch, the order he has upheld for half his life will completely collapse. He is not just smashing this prison, but telling the whole world that those who have power can do whatever they want.

But if I just stand by and watch him go back to that malicious prison... what kind of father am I?

"Wait a moment." The voice of the Holy Angel rang out in the empty room.

Mercury stopped and turned around: "Is there anything else?"

The platinum-gold figure strode across the shadows on the ground and stood before him. The angel of holy light raised his hand and placed his large palm heavily on the boy's shoulder.

The next second, a vast and warm golden holy light, like a flood bursting its banks, poured into Mercury's body through his palm.

His tone was more serious and concerned than ever before: "Feel it carefully. Master this power; it can protect you."