Why is his holy light red?

The intense red light reflected in the iris of the marksman's crosshair, causing the top marksman to involuntarily lower his hat brim and squint. He had seen Mercury's footage and knew that this red energy was extremely tough, possessing both offensive and defensive properties.

To forcefully break through this defense, he had to get serious.

Within the Eye of the Magician's specific visual nerves, the light spots and colors of the real world instantly faded away. Space turned into a deep, pure black, while Mercury's body outline and energy barrier were deconstructed into countless intricate lines and points of light.

These lines and points are the stress points and weak points of everything. If a bullet accurately hits those tiny points, it can trigger a domino effect of structural collapse.

There is no absolutely perfect defense, especially for inexperienced young people.

They mostly rely on "active control" to use their superpowers. When mobilizing energy, their muscles often tense up, and they may even subconsciously hold their breath.

This sudden cessation and change in breathing rhythm will result in more unstable points and lines.

The two newcomers who just lay on the ground are a typical example. Even with a well-coordinated sneak attack, their intentions were exposed the moment their breathing changed. In the eyes of the Magic Eye, they were full of flaws.

He habitually anticipated Mercury's breathing rhythm and prepared to use the same peeling technique to dismantle the layer of red light.

But in the pure black world, the Eye of the Storm's gaze froze slightly.

The moment the red holy light surged, the dots and lines on Mercury's body remained unchanged.

There was no breath-holding, no muscle stiffness; this formidable defense didn't even require him to "actively" maintain it. Just as his heartbeat and breathing could exist independently, this red aura had become Mercury's passive instinct.

Passive instinct means that it operates on its own while we sleep, without the need for conscious guidance.

Therefore, there are far fewer dots and lines flashing on Mercury's body. If Vincent and Rex are like two dense balls of yarn that can be hit by any shot, then Mercury is like a red rutilated quartz crystal with only a few sparse lines inside.

The Eye of the Demon King lightly rubbed his finger on the trigger. This young man was much more difficult to deal with than he had anticipated.

"two!"

The countdown begins again.

Like the two men who had just fallen, Mercury chose to take the initiative. Against a sharpshooter, he couldn't afford to relinquish control of the firing line. His objective was crystal clear: close the distance, seize the gun, or simply settle things with his fists.

A blinding red holy light cast a streak of light in the training room.

Mercury pushed off the plastic floor, and the speed he generated in his sprint surpassed that of Rex, who had just strengthened his muscles with high voltage.

But in the eyes of the Magic Eye, stripped of color, the points and lines that form the center of gravity of his body began to shift wildly as Mercury's muscles contracted and exerted force.

Like a toppled domino, the trajectory of the first domino is already clear when it falls.

As a battle-hardened sharpshooter, he has faced countless superhumans who attempted close-quarters combat.

In the mere milliseconds between the moment Mercury's thigh muscles tightened and he began to move, Eye of the Storm's body had already slid to the side.

No matter how fast Mercury's absolute speed is, it cannot outpace this kind of precognitive ability. The red light, carrying heavy wind pressure, completely missed its target, brushing past Magic Eye's white suit.

"one."

The moment the last syllable fell, Magic Eye turned around smoothly and pulled the trigger with remarkable ease.

boom!

Only a deafening gunshot echoed across the empty field. Three specially made stun grenades were fired one after the other, one after the other, from the barrel at the same time.

This isn't due to the pistol's automatic firing mechanism, but rather the sheer speed at which the Eye of the Storm pulls the trigger. A specially designed trigger perfectly matches the Eye of the Storm's hand speed, allowing him to fire the pistol like a machine gun.

Mercury didn't even have time to twist his waist and turn around before the violent impact slammed into his back.

Mercury's momentum from the charge hadn't dissipated yet, and the impact of the first stun grenade directly shattered his core balance, forcing his upper body to lean forward uncontrollably. He slammed his right foot into the ground, attempting to use his leg strength to forcefully absorb the thrust and regain his physical stability.

However, a second and a third stun grenade followed in quick succession.

The red holy light did indeed provide extremely strong defense; bullets hitting the back only caused a slight dull pain, and didn't even leave a bruise.

However, this glowing energy did not increase Mercury's body weight. Under the combined impact of the three stun grenades, his right foot, which had just been firmly planted, slipped instantly, and he completely lost control of his body, falling forward onto the floor due to inertia.

Almost reflexively, Mercury forcibly gathered most of the red holy light into his palms, preparing to use the rebound force to prop himself up again the moment his palms touched the plastic ground.

But the Eye of the Storm won't leave him that kind of opening.

boom!

Another short, sharp explosion rang out. Two stun grenades were fired from the barrel, striking Mercury's arms, which were exerting force, with remarkable accuracy.

With his momentum disrupted, the original supporting structure was instantly destroyed. Mercury's hands tilted to the side, his posture completely deformed, and with a solid "thud," he landed face-first on the floor.

The fall to the ground felt completely painless; the red holy light perfectly shielded him from all harm. Mercury, however, felt only a sense of humiliation. His opponent hadn't even broken through his defenses; it was purely a matter of precise calculation of his center of gravity and clever manipulation of impact force that had brought him down.

The world's number one marksman truly lives up to his reputation.

He thought his Holy Light ability was already very strong, but it turns out that Black Olive could burn through his defenses with a volcanic rock, and Magic Eye Man's superb skills could disrupt his balance. These famous superpowered individuals are indeed no pushovers.

Standing a few steps away, Magic Eye looked at the lying-down Mercury and let out a long breath almost imperceptibly.

This kid's superpowers are ridiculously strong. Using only a weak stun grenade to knock him down like this is already the limit. Mercury's current disadvantage is simply that he hasn't undergone systematic training. Once he trains his agility and dynamic balance diligently for a period of time, it will be impossible for him to be knocked down by impact alone.

"Unqualified." The Magic Eye looked at the young man on the ground, his tone calm. "Regarding your unauthorized absence from duty..."

Before he could finish speaking, Mercury braced himself with his hands and nimbly got back up from the ground.

"Wait a minute." Mercury looked at Magic Eye Man. "The rule was that if I could still stand up before your magazine was empty, I wouldn't be held responsible, right?"

Magic Eye Man frowned slightly: "Didn't you just fall down?"

"Yes, but I got back up." Mercury spread his hands confidently. "You didn't say that failing even once meant failure. Do you still have bullets in your gun? Am I still standing? My esteemed Magic Eye, this test isn't over yet, is it?"

Magic Eyes looked at the young man in front of him, who was earnestly trying to exploit loopholes, with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

"You cunning little fox!" he couldn't help but curse, then twirled the specially made pistol in his hand and neatly tucked it back into the holster on his waist. "You pass."

The magazine was indeed still full of bullets, and Magic Eye was absolutely confident he could slam Mercury to the ground again. But it was pointless. The stun grenade's maximum power was limited; it couldn't possibly penetrate that red light to knock Mercury unconscious. As long as he wasn't knocked out, the kid could dust himself off and get back up at any time.

You can't just switch to a deadly live ammunition magazine to win a test; that wouldn't be a test, it would be murder.

A smile appeared on Mercury's face; he had finally gotten through this ordeal.

He thought to himself that Willie the Magic Eye was actually quite easy to talk to. He had blatantly exploited loopholes in the rules, and Willie had actually accepted it without question. He was a tough guy who kept his word.

Magic Eye Man snorted coldly, his deep voice interrupting Mercury's relief: "Don't be too happy yet. Starting tomorrow, you won't be able to sneak away from me again."

"Absolutely not." Mercury immediately seized the opportunity to assure them, then, unable to resist his curiosity, he tentatively asked, "If I may ask, why did you come to the branch in Aru Tree City?"

It's no wonder he was puzzled. Willie the Magic Eye is Britain's top-tier superhero and the world's undisputed best marksman. How could the British government possibly allow someone of his stature, practically a strategic nuclear weapon, to cross the border and enter the Commonwealth?

Without offering any explanation, the Magic Eye Man simply raised his right hand. He used his left hand to pinch the edge of the pure white glove and slowly "removed" it.

That wasn't a glove at all, but a one-piece bionic prosthetic shell.

After the outer shell was peeled off, what was exposed to the air was a clean, wrist-severed cross-section. The granulation tissue at the wound suture site still faintly oozed pale red blood and tissue fluid.

"I lost my right hand during a mission not long ago. I came to Aru Tree City to receive treatment." The Magic Eye Hero's tone was as calm as if it were just a scratch. "The regeneration serum needs to be formulated according to my personal genetic sequence, and it will require multiple adjustments. Limb regeneration is a long process. So I can only stay in this city for the time being. The Hero Association felt that I shouldn't be idle, so they suggested that I train you trainees while I'm recovering."

Mercury's gaze involuntarily fell on the gruesome severed wrist, a chill running down his spine. Being a superhero truly was a life of constant danger.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind.

The Eye of the Storm is a known right-handed man, meaning he hadn't actually used his full power. Suppressing his surprise, Mercury quickly picked up on another key piece of information in the Eye of the Storm's words.

"Wait, you said you came to Aru Tree City to prepare the regeneration potion?" Mercury couldn't help but ask. "Isn't the regeneration potion the exclusive patent of the 'Mother of Life'? Did she come to Aru Tree City?"

Magic Eye Man pressed the white prosthetic arm back onto his wrist, covering the bleeding wound, and nodded, saying, "The Mother of Life accepted the invitation from 'Eternal Life Technology' and joined their biological research institute. She has been staying in Pomegranate City for some time now."

Upon hearing this, Mercury paused for half a second.

Yong Sheng Technology.

This company is really persistent.