Why is his holy light red?

In the world of superpowered individuals, apart from the "Holy Angels" who are recognized as the strongest at the top level, all other sub-sectors are extremely fiercely contested.

Take Robert Downey Jr., the "Iron Titan," for example. His brain has undergone special enhancements, and his IQ far exceeds the limits of ordinary people. However, in the field of "brain development," he is still not recognized as the world's number one.

For example, the super genius codenamed "Mother of Life" developed a regenerative drug that can completely solve organ loss. Even after decades of amputation, a leg can be regrown simply by injecting the drug. Apart from being extremely expensive and requiring a long recovery period, it has no side effects and can be considered a medical miracle.

Therefore, every skill track is crowded with monsters, and no one can easily take away the title of "strongest". Especially in the field of ranged attack, the competition is even more fierce.

But Willie, the "Magic Eye," managed to carve out his own path through this track, becoming the world's undisputed number one marksman. The bullets he fired seemed to possess a causal effect; every shot he fired was guaranteed to hit its mark.

The problem is, this superhero isn't a Commonwealth citizen; he's one of Britain's most famous and iconic heroes, notoriously rigid and picky, and extremely difficult to get along with. How could such a legendary figure suddenly be parachuted into a branch in a place like Arugula City?

Rosalia couldn't offer any more inside information over the phone, only reminding him that the Magic Eye would arrive at the association building in three hours.

Mercury had no choice but to hang up the phone and rush back as fast as he could.

Three hours is neither a long nor a short time. Mercury estimates he can arrive on time, but not by running.

The fastest way to cross from the filthy, root-filled area to the upper city is by subway. Mercury, disregarding concealment, directly unleashed his inner power. Red holy light enveloped his muscles, and he transformed into a powerful red torrent, heading straight for the nearest subway station.

The subway station in Arugula City has never been a respectable place. As soon as Mercury stopped at the entrance, he saw several young black men in oversized hip-hop jackets skillfully vaulting over the ticket gates with one hand.

Fare evasion is a common sight on the city's subway system.

Initially, the issue arose because the carriages were old and dirty, prompting passengers to refuse to buy tickets in protest. Subsequently, the subway company conveniently suspended routine maintenance funding, citing losses as the reason.

Barely operating to this day, the Yaliu Tree City MRT has deteriorated into a garbage dump filled with the smells of rust and urine.

Almost every carriage had slovenly homeless people lying dead on it, while pickpockets of all sizes kept a close eye on passersby's wallets, ready to strike at any moment.

Mercury was wearing a loose coat with his hands in his pockets, the perfect outfit for taking the bus.

Because no one knows whether you're hiding a gun or a knife in your coat pocket, if Mercury maintains a slightly fierce expression, most thieves won't mess with him.

Young people generally don't have much money, and they can be reckless and dangerous when they get angry, so they're not suitable targets for robbery.

Avoiding several ill-intentioned glances from the other passengers, Mercury huddled on a cold bench in the corner and passed three stops peacefully.

There is no direct public transport from the lower-level Tree Roots area to the Upper City. He must get off in the central Tree Trunk area and then take a taxi to reach the area where the top billionaires and the Hero Association reside.

At the fourth platform, an elderly woman boarded the train. Looking at the seats occupied by several homeless people sprawled out, she glanced around and shakily walked to the only remaining empty seat next to Mercury and sat down.

Mercury wasn't a talkative person and didn't like interacting with strangers. He had initially intended to remain silent, but the old woman greeted him as if they were old friends. And after only a couple of glances, she exclaimed in surprise, "Young man, you're the kid who stood up to the federal government, aren't you?"

Why do you, an old man, have such good eyesight?

Mercury nodded somewhat awkwardly. The lawsuit had a huge impact and had been on the front page of the news for a long time, so it wasn't surprising that he was recognized in this city.

The old woman ignored his silence and began to speak with great interest: "I knew you were innocent. I bet my idiot husband that you would be acquitted."

"But he insisted on contradicting me, saying that it was obvious he was going through a rebellious phase. I said, how could a kid who rushes to protect his family from a punch be a bad person?"

"You looked so cool the moment you rushed out. If I were sixty years younger, I would definitely marry you. A filial son can't be too bad..."

The old woman went on and on, and Mercury could only nod stiffly in agreement.

Especially when she brought up the time she took a punch for her own father, he was so embarrassed that he dug his toes into the ground; it was the stupidest thing he had ever done in his life.

However, the old man's affirmation pleased Mercury somewhat. At least in the old man's eyes, he was a good person, not the violent killer portrayed by online trolls.

After passing two more platforms, the old woman stood up shakily, holding onto the handrail.

The train pulled into the station and came to a stop. The old woman walked to the door, turned back, and waved warmly to Mercury: "Goodbye, my dear child. Keep going, you'll definitely be an amazing superhero someday!"

Mercury also raised his hand and waved at her.

As he watched the old man leave the carriage, Mercury felt a strange unease.

The relationship between people is sometimes quite strange. Just a moment ago, he thought this old lady was quite annoying, but now, watching her walk onto the platform, Mercury felt a little regretful that he hadn't even asked her name.

But just as the train doors were closing, a dark figure suddenly darted out from the platform and roughly grabbed the old woman's handbag strap.

During the violent tug, the elderly woman, who was in her seventies or eighties, lost her balance and fell heavily onto the dirty floor.

Mercury looked through the scratched glass and saw the old woman lying motionless on the ground, dark red blood seeping out from her gray hair and spreading into a small puddle in the cracks between the floor tiles.

For some reason, time seemed to slow down.

The subway was moving forward at a snail's pace, and the robber was still tugging at the old man's handbag.

Every movement was slowed down dozens of times, and every detail was magnified dozens of times. Mercury suddenly recalled a long-forgotten memory.

That was when Mercury was still in elementary school. He scored the crucial goal and was surrounded by people like a hero.

But when Mercury looked towards the stands, his father, who had just been there, had vanished without a trace. He did not return until the match ended and Mercury received the trophy.

Later, Mercury saw in a report that the Angel of Light saved a plane from crashing, and after that, Mercury stopped playing football.

Some things, even if you know they are right, are hard to accept. Just like Mercury understood that the lives of a plane full of passengers were definitely more important than him scoring the crucial goal.

Even knowing what is right, Mercury still finds it hard to forgive; this is the complex feeling Mercury has towards his father.

But now, looking at the old man lying in a pool of blood, Mercury seemed to understand his father's feelings a little better.

In this slowed-down world, Mercury suddenly stood up and yanked the emergency brake valve off the train.

The ear-piercing metallic scraping sound echoed through the tunnel, and the train, which had just started moving, lurched violently to a halt. Before the homeless man inside could even utter a curse, Mercury had already rushed to the door.

He plunged his hands into the tightly closed door crack, his arms enveloped in a raging red holy light. With a piercing metallic screech, the two alloy car doors were ripped open, the glass shattering into pieces.

The robber who was tearing open the bag on the platform was startled by the loud noise. As soon as he looked up, he was kicked solidly in the chest.

With a series of cracking sounds as bones broke and a scream, the robber was sent flying several meters through the air like a tattered sack, unable to get up for a long time.

Mercury was already crouching beside the old woman, warm red holy light emanating from his palms and enveloping her head.

The assessment of trainee heroes?

A new manager?

First impression?

Mercury didn't care about any of that; when faced with life and death, it's hard for people to think about anything else.

Mercury knelt on one knee on the filthy floor tiles, carefully using his holy light to heal the wound on the back of the old woman's head. Only when the old woman's face, which had turned bluish-purple from the intense pain, gradually regained its color and her droopy eyelids trembled and reopened did he withdraw the holy light from his palm.

"I... what was that just now..." The old woman's eyes were still unfocused from the dizziness as she stared blankly at the upside-down platform light.

Mercury supported her back with one hand, gently helping her sit up straight, and comforted her, "It's alright now. Go home and take a hot shower. Don't ride this lousy subway alone next time; have your idiot wife come with you."

The old woman's wrinkled eyes drooped, and she said with a bitter smile, "He passed away last year."

Mercury's hand, which was about to pick up her handbag, suddenly froze in mid-air. He asked in surprise, "Didn't you just say in the car that you made a bet with him?"

The old woman looked down at the rough back of her hands, her voice soft, as if talking to herself: "I'm just...pretending he's still here...I haven't gotten used to him not being around."

Mercury paused for a moment, looking at the unconscious robber and the wrecked carriage. It seemed he was definitely not going to make it today.

Mercury sighed and said to the old woman, "I'll take you home."