Why is his holy light red?

Mercury pushed open the glass door of the apartment, and a faint smell of disinfectant filled the air.

"This is the apartment I rented. You can stay here for now. My home is just across the street, only a few steps away," Mercury explained as he led Flora inside. "However, this is also where the team usually gathers. Although you're the only one living here now, other people might move in later."

"Team?" Flora was taken aback, not understanding the meaning of the word for a moment.

"I've assembled a team of superpowered individuals as backup for my heroes." Mercury glanced back at her. "You've seen superhero movies, right? Behind every superhero who can solve problems on the front lines, there's always a whole team protecting them. For example, there are people in charge of logistics, medical care, and intelligence support."

The two walked through the corridor to the apartment lobby. A man was lying on the spacious sofa, legs crossed, eating a bag of snacks with gusto.

Flora recognized the man immediately; his name seemed to be John. He was the one who had helped her with the complicated release procedures at "Black Olive" a few days ago. Even now, as he was sprawled casually on the sofa, the hair gel on his head kept his hairstyle perfectly styled.

“You’ve met John before,” Mercury gestured with his chin toward the sofa, introducing him. “He’s now our legal counsel and also serves as the team’s accountant.”

"An accountant?" Flora was a little confused. "Isn't he a lawyer?"

In her common sense, lawyers who need to handle rigorous legal matters and accountants who deal with numbers every day are two completely different career paths.

Mercury's voice carried a hint of sarcasm: "He has many part-time jobs. Besides being a practicing lawyer, he used to work as a security guard at a bar. I just found out that he's also a certified public accountant."

John popped the last piece of snack into his mouth, dusted off the crumbs on his hands, sat up, and looked at Flora with a smug expression: "Don't underestimate me, I've also worked part-time as a Michelin-starred chef."

Flora gasped, her mouth agape in surprise. Even without sleeping, one simply couldn't possibly have enough time to master so many completely different professional fields.

But Mercury was already used to it. After learning about John's outrageous resume, he had basically guessed that John's superpowers were related to time.

That's not "rejuvenation" in the literal sense, but rather sending your current physical state directly to a point in the past, forcibly inserting a completely new life that lasts for several years or even more than a decade.

In other words, at this very moment, John is lying on the sofa eating cheap snacks; but somewhere else, there might be another John dressed in a chef's uniform, gracefully grilling steaks and sprinkling salt on them for his guests.

Mercury envied this kind of life. It seemed that John was young and held multiple jobs, so he must have no free time at all.

In reality, this person only learns one skill in their lifetime, and after mastering it, they simply enjoy it for the rest of their life. Once they get tired of that field, they start the next chapter of their life, unlocking a completely new skill tree.

Moreover, judging from his appearance, this ability seems to have a bit of an immortality effect, otherwise John would have become a bald old man long ago.

If this time loop is repeated enough times, John can easily become a true polymath.

But seeing John's smug look, Mercury said, "Since you can cook, you can also be the cook from now on."

John angrily retorted, "Why should I? Give me more money!"

"At the next Holy Light Angel autograph session, I'll make sure you're first in line, the kind where you can shake hands and take a photo with me."

John gritted his teeth and said, "You unscrupulous businessman! You're really using your own father as a tool!"

Mercury was stunned. Did John know that the Angel of Light and Al Anderson were the same person?!

After a few seconds of stunned silence, Mercury realized that this meant he was using his father El's relationship with the Holy Light Angel to get something for nothing.

I almost had a heart attack from this thing.

Mercury gritted his teeth and said, "What would you eat without this shrewd businessman? Just tell me if you want it or not!"

"Deal!" John agreed without hesitation.

Although he does have many part-time jobs, none of them are currently related to the Holy Light Angels. However, Mercury's father, El, can give the Holy Light Angels an exclusive interview at any time. This is indeed a monopoly on resources, and others have no choice but to agree.

Who told him to be such a fervent fan of the Holy Light Angels?

After a few casual words, Heidan came up carrying a large case of beer.

He excitedly opened a jar and handed it to Mercury.

Mercury shook his head and said, "I'm not old enough to drink."

Black Egg exclaimed in surprise, "No way, boss, you still care about this?"

Back at the Black Olive Centre, Black Egg witnessed Mercury crush a jaguar's head. He killed so casually; how could he possibly care about something as trivial as drinking age?

"You can't ignore this. Let me tell you, I'm a trainee hero now. All my actions have to be done according to the rules, or all my previous efforts will be wasted."

Although rights and obligations are not always equal, Mercury now wants to use the privileges of a superhero, so he should try to abide by the corresponding rules and not take any chances.

Small mistakes, when accumulated, can often turn into irreparable major errors.

"Alright, the team members are almost complete now." Mercury pulled up a chair and sat down. "We may add new members in the future, but those of you here are the team's veterans."

In fact, Mercury originally envisioned one more person—if the "camera" could also be brought into the team, then this final piece of the puzzle would be completely complete.

In his assessment, he was a pure combatant, with no problem charging into battle; John was a versatile player with no weaknesses, able to fill in any gaps in the team; Black Egg and Flora were specifically responsible for the team's marketing, and were also the core source of the team's income.

As for the "camera," Mercury was fairly certain that the guy's ability was related to foresight, helping him avoid deadly danger time and time again. If he could bring this guy on board, the team would be truly perfect.

Unfortunately, ever since Mercury paid off his debts, the guy seemed to have vanished into thin air, never to be heard from again. Only the "camera" would contact him, yet he had no idea who it was.

Mercury was now filled with regret: he should have known better than to return the money so readily.

At this moment, everyone in the living room stopped what they were doing. Several pairs of eyes were fixed intently on Mercury, waiting for him to give clear instructions for the next step.

Mercury didn't beat around the bush. He crossed his hands on his knees and got straight to the point: "After working at 'Black Olive,' I learned a very practical lesson—no matter what your ultimate goal is, make money first, gain power first. With those two things in hand, any wish is more likely to come true."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd: "So, I'm not going to bother with empty promises. I'm going to become a superhero because, according to the Superpowers Act, superheroes have many privileges. I'll forge this path myself, and I'll be your protector. All you need to do is help me make money."

Black Egg said excitedly, "That's easy. Just have Flora sing a few songs without showing her face, and earning hundreds of thousands or even millions is no problem at all. Our account is already very popular, and it's time to monetize it."

Mercury shook his head and said, "A million is nothing, it's too little."

If the Iron Titan casually gives Mercury a million dollars, then it's better to borrow some more from Robert than to work so hard to earn a million dollars.

Mercury said excitedly, "I know that 'Eternal Life Technology' will soon face a high-intensity, in-depth investigation. With a scandal of this magnitude, their stock price will definitely plummet. Let's seize this opportunity to make our first fortune, which can also be considered as seeking some justice for those innocent people who were harmed by Eternal Life Technology."

Then, he turned to the man on the sofa: "John, have you gotten the results of the accounts I asked you to calculate?"

John pulled a thick printed report from his briefcase and handed it to him.

Mercury didn't respond: "I don't understand your complicated financial models. Just give me the conclusion."

John shrugged and tossed the report back onto the coffee table. "In short, Eternal Life Technology's stock price is quite stable right now, fluctuating between $110 and $120. If your inside information is absolutely reliable, and this investigation is so destructive that it could cause their stock price to plummet by 30%... then we only need to raise 10 million federal dollars as capital to cash out and make about 100 million."

A 30% drop may not sound like much, but it's actually quite terrifying.

It's important to understand that Yong Sheng Technology isn't some empty shell company playing with concepts; it's an industrial giant with countless underlying patents, physical production lines, and vast real estate. For such a well-funded listed company, a 30% plunge would be a devastating blow, and under normal circumstances, such an avalanche-like collapse would be impossible.

After listening, Mercury calmly nodded and turned his gaze back to everyone: "Then our short-term goal is clear. In the next three months, we must find a way to earn ten million in principal. Only in this way can we seize the opportunity of the collapse of Eternal Life Technology's stock price and turn that ten million into one hundred million."