Why is his holy light red?

John simply shook his head when he heard Mercury's doubts.

"It's impossible to manipulate a jury through mind control." John raised his wrist to check the time, his tone firm. "Ever since the first person with mind control abilities appeared, registration of such abilities has become the strictest law in the Federation. Whether it's telepathy or mind control, if it's discovered that someone concealed it, it's equivalent to a felony."

"Moreover, in modern courts, juries and judges are required to wear brainwave jammers, and there are instruments monitoring them in real time throughout the trial. It is simply unrealistic to try to use superpowers to change one's mental state in court."

Mercury retorted, "Don't be naive, John. If the players, spectators, and referees are all on their side, wouldn't it be easy to falsify the monitoring data?"

“It’s different.” John rejected his guess again. “The FBI and the justice system aren’t on the same page. A district court isn’t going to risk their entire career to cover for them. Doing a favor is fine, but blatantly manipulating the jury’s minds is too outrageous. Nobody dares to take that risk…”

John hadn't finished speaking.

"Knock, knock."

Two muffled knocks suddenly came from the door.

Mercury frowned and glanced at the countdown on the wall: "The time isn't up yet, is it?"

John also stopped talking, his relaxed expression vanishing. He walked to the door and opened it a crack.

Because of the angle, Mercury couldn't see who was standing outside the door, but he clearly saw John's expression suddenly change. Then, without even a greeting, the lawyer pushed open the door and walked out, closing it behind him.

Mercury was suddenly left alone in the waiting room. His heart raced and his nerves tensed instantly—could John have also fallen under mind control?

If even lawyers have been brainwashed, then he really will be spending the rest of his life in jail today.

However, less than a second had passed.

"Click".

The doorknob turned again, and the door was flung open. John entered once more. He seemed to have completed an extremely rapid turnback, inexplicably returning to his original position.

Mercury stared at him warily, his muscles twitching slightly. "Who's outside? What were you doing out there?"

John offered no verbal explanation. He strode back to the table, pulled out his expensive smartphone, expertly accessed the "Evil Little Sheep" account he had just mentioned, and opened the latest video.

Flora's clear voice instantly flowed through the phone's speaker, washing away the tense atmosphere like a refreshing spring.

A few seconds later, John pressed the pause button: "Don't worry, I wasn't mind-controlled."

"You... are willing to believe this song?" Mercury was stunned.

John pulled out a chair and sat down, his expression more serious than ever before: "Your guess was right, they really dare to use mind control in court. But don't worry, the singing really works."

No, did someone just pass him information? What a coincidence!

Could it be that the camera is transmitting information to John?

"But the problem now is, how do we play this song in court?" Mercury pointed to his phone. "If you dare to play audio aloud in court, the judge will immediately find you in contempt of court! They don't even allow anyone to wear headphones in!"

"Leave it to me. I know how to handle this." John shoved his phone back into his suit pocket.

This rambling, incoherent manner deepened Mercury's suspicion.

Sensing the client's distrust, John slammed his hand on the table: "Trust me, and trust my 100% success rate even more."

"Alright." Mercury stared into his eyes, issuing a final warning, "But let me make this clear: if I really go to jail, you'll never get an exclusive photo of the Holy Angel again."

Upon hearing the name, John paused in adjusting his tie.

He carefully considered the matter for two seconds, then nodded seriously: "Now that you mention it, it seems that the handling just now wasn't quite right. Please wait for me a moment."

After saying that, John turned around and walked to the door again, opened the door and went out.

Exactly the same as before. In less than a second, with a "click," the door opened again, and John stepped back into the room.

He looked at Mercury, extended his right hand and gave an "OK" sign, his tone returning to its usual aloof, elite manner: "Alright, this time it's 100% problem-free."

"...What were you doing just now?" Mercury was completely confused.

"That's my personal victory ritual." John straightened his cuffs and said confidently, "Alright, enough talk. Straighten your clothes and get ready to come up here and stomp those bastards' faces into the ground."

……

In court, the defense attorney and the prosecutor were engaged in a heated debate.

"According to the investigation report, the killer's superpower is characterized by red energy." The prosecutor stood in front of the microphone, holding up a document. "We have ample reason to suspect that the defendant, Mercury Anderson, is directly connected to several recent robberies and murders in Arugi City. Therefore, Agent Ian Wolfe's actions that day were legitimate routine investigations, and the defendant, out of guilt, used violence to resist arrest, ultimately resulting in Agent Wolfe being seriously injured."

"be opposed to."

John sat at the defense table, not even standing up, casually pressing the microphone button in front of him: "Convicting someone solely based on 'red light'? According to the Federation Hero Association's public records, there are at least eighteen registered individuals in Aru Tree City alone who can release red energy. If we don't limit the region, that number is over two hundred. Is that what you call evidence?"

He paused, his tone becoming even sharper: "What's even more absurd is that Agent Wolf wasn't carrying any federal identification on the day of the incident. The car he drove to the scene was rented using a false identity. He even disguised his face when he went to rent the car. Your Honor, is this what you call a legitimate routine investigation? This is clearly premeditated kidnapping, and because it's something that can't be done in the open, they dare not leave any official trace!"

The prosecutor slammed his hand on the podium: "Objection! Federal agents falsifying identities during a covert investigation is a procedural Secret Service operation. The defense attorney is maliciously misleading the jury!"

John sneered and finally stood up: "So, the prosecution doesn't deny that you can't produce any substantial evidence? You fabricated a cover for a secret investigation based solely on a 'red light.' You can't even produce a written attendance record, let alone an arrest warrant. Without any legal procedures or solid evidence, who gave you the authority to arrest a minor, and even to shoot him?"

The prosecutor took a deep breath, quickly switched tactics, and pulled up another set of projected documents: "According to our investigation, Mercury Anderson has a long history of severe violent tendencies. These are sworn statements from several of the defendant's classmates. They unanimously testify that the defendant was a complete bully at school, subjecting them to long-term physical violence, even causing serious fractures."

"Objection." John opened the folder beside him and immediately threw out a new document. "The prosecution's testimonies all come from the same small group at school—they themselves are the real school bullies who have been abusing drugs, drinking, and covered in illegal tattoos for a long time. The defendant was just bravely resisting their bullying, and this group took the opportunity to gang up and frame him in court."

John handed a hard drive to the court clerk: “I have a complete audio recording of the interview here, and the witness is willing to testify. Ms. Emily Green, a recent transfer student to the defendant's school, is neither a member of any clique nor has any personal relationship with the defendant. She comes from a good family and has a clean record. Compared to the prosecution's disgraced witnesses, Ms. Green's testimony is overwhelmingly credible. She can prove that the defendant is not only not a bully, but also a victim of gang-related activities by ordinary students, and was forced to retaliate.”

Seeing that the situation was completely under control, the prosecutor gritted his teeth and played his last emotional card: "Agent Ian Wolfe is a kind and gentle person! He has a happy family. His colleagues describe him as mild-mannered, friendly, and extremely responsible in his work..."

"Really?" John interrupted him abruptly.

He picked up the last sheet of paper and, with the precision of a scalpel, dissected the other man's lies: "This 'mild and friendly' federal agent has thirty-one complaints of excessive use of force and seven investigations into alleged bribery within the Department of the Interior. Even more remarkable—his wife is a full twenty years younger than him. They registered their marriage in a neighboring state that legalizes child marriage."

John stared directly at the prosecutor's ashen face and said, enunciating each word clearly, "You in the courtroom may not know this, but child marriage only requires parental consent. Coincidentally, Agent Wolf was in charge of investigating his 'in-laws' for possessing contraband at the time. When Agent Wolf used this 'dutiful' authority to register his marriage, the girl—was only eleven years old!"