Why is his holy light red?

Around 8 p.m., Mercury, Rex, and Nora walked out of the association building.

Even at night, the city of Yaliu Tree still carried the sweltering heat of late summer; stepping out of the building, one could feel a wave of heat hitting them.

But what struck me even more was another kind of shock: a silver-gray sports car was already parked at the entrance, its body very low, almost touching the ground. The doors on both sides flipped up like shark fins, revealing a cool interior.

"This car...is it yours?" Mercury paused for a moment.

He didn't know much about sports cars, but just looking at the low-slung body, the exaggerated front and rear aerodynamic kits, and the diameter of the quad exhaust pipes, he conservatively estimated it to be worth several million. He even doubted that all the money he had ever touched in his life wouldn't be enough to buy the screws for this car.

When Rex was reciting the specifications, he was practically glowing, pointing his fingers all over the car as if introducing his girlfriend to Mercury. Mercury listened for a bit, hearing things like horsepower, torque, and twin-scroll turbocharger, but in the end, he only understood one thing—this car was incredibly valuable.

Nora interrupted Rex's rambling, asking, "Wait, do you have a driver's license?"

Rex shrugged helplessly: "I can drive, but I'm not old enough to get a license yet."

"Does this car even have a driver?" Mercury asked.

Rex laughed heartily and said smugly, "With self-driving technology, don't worry, it's legal to drive on the road."

Nora stopped talking and opened the back door, getting in. Mercury was still hesitating about whether to sit in the back too when Rex grabbed his arm and pushed him into the passenger seat.

The car doors slowly closed, shutting everything out. Cool-toned ambient lighting illuminated the cabin, and a ring of light flashed across the dashboard. The engine let out a deep, muffled roar, and then, a powerful surge of inertia slammed Mercury against the backrest—the sports car had become a blur as it sped onto the main road.

The streetlights and buildings outside the window were instantly stretched into blurry ribbons of light.

The sports car, like a cannonball, weaved through the evening rush hour traffic. The roar of the engine drowned out everything—the honking of horns from the roadside, the wind noise, and even the sound of Mercury unconsciously swallowing.

An SUV that had been cut off honked its horn in protest, trying to catch up. The people inside were cursing, but in less than five seconds, the SUV had shrunk to a tiny dot in the rearview mirror.

Rex leaned back in his seat, one hand on the steering wheel, occasionally issuing commands to the car's voice system, maneuvering the sports car weaving in and out of the gaps between vehicles in front. He turned to Mercury and smiled, "Do you know what the biggest advantage of fully autonomous driving is?"

Mercury asked in confusion, "What?"

"If you get a speeding ticket issued by the system, your insurance will cover it! Hahahaha!"

Mercury watched Rex laughing unrestrainedly, silently took out his phone, and sent a message to Nora in the back row: "Is he always like this?"

Nora replied quickly: "Both Vincent and Rex have some childhood trauma. Vincent's father was a convict sentenced to life imprisonment. As for Rex, his father is the superhero Storm King."

Storm King?

Mercury recognized the name. If there were a superhero ranking, Storm King would probably be in the top ten. He was the guardian of Atlantic City, a powerful hero who controlled hurricanes and thunder. Once, a deep-sea monster unleashed a 100-meter tsunami that threatened to submerge Atlantic City. It was Storm King who single-handedly summoned the strongest storm in human history, tearing the tsunami and the monster apart, staining the nearshore waters red with blood.

Later, the Fia Group even made a movie about this incident, and the promotional posters still used the actual footage from that time. Thunderstorms raged, air currents twisted, and the sea was split open by wind pressure—the man stood in the center of the eye of the storm, like an unshakeable statue.

No wonder Rex is so rich. I heard that many businesses in Atlantic City use Storm King as their spokesperson, but some people say that this is no different from collecting protection money. Storm King is actually the tyrant of Atlantic City.

But if Rex is the Storm King's son, why did he come to Aru Tree City to be an apprentice hero? Is he going through a rebellious phase and insisting on leaving his father's control?

"Rex," Mercury asked casually, watching the rapidly receding light and shadows outside the window, "what are you doing here as an apprentice hero?"

"Huh? Didn't I tell you?" Rex's fingers tightened on the steering wheel. "My father is the Storm King, you should know him, right?"

Mercury nodded: "Very famous."

"The old man also mentioned your father," Rex chuckled, his tone tinged with complexity. "He said Al's interview was exceptionally well-written, and he'd been trying to poach him from Atlantic City, to build him a newspaper and make him editor-in-chief."

Mercury remained silent. Whether his father was an angel of light or the journalist Al, the world mostly spoke highly of him.

Mercury was tired of hearing it, but his father's love for his work always came before his family, so Mercury couldn't be happy at all.

"As for me..." Rex hesitated for a while, then gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"The Storm King's son is a good-for-nothing, too ashamed to stay in Atlantic City. We can't let him embarrass us there." His tone was light, as if he were talking about someone else. "The kind of successor he wants is like my brother. Not only will he perfectly inherit his abilities, but he'll also be smart, powerful, and obedient."

Mercury countered, "Intelligent and powerful people cannot be obedient. These famous superheroes all have their own stance and will. Obedient people can never be strong."

Rex turned his head and glanced at Mercury with surprise.

"This is the first time I've heard this claim, but it seems to make sense."

Mercury laughed and said, "Of course that makes sense. That's how I retorted when I was scolded as a child."

Rex paused for a second, then burst into laughter, laughing so hard he almost leaned back in his seat, tears welling in his eyes.

After the laughter subsided, a brief silence fell inside the car.

"If only I had met you sooner." Rex looked at the road ahead, his voice turning somber. "If I had heard words like this during the years my brother was gone, life might have been a little easier."

This time it was Mercury's turn to be shocked.

"Don't be surprised, there's nothing strange about it." Rex didn't look at him, his tone was flat, but it sounded like he was just pretending to be relaxed.

"Although my father is the Storm King and the ruler of Atlantic City, he has many enemies. No matter how powerful he is, can he watch over us 24 hours a day? When I was four years old, my mother and brother were killed by his enemies. I was lucky to be away from home at the time and escaped death."

Rex continued, "He changed after that. He started training me like a madman. I was locked in the bunker from the age of six, and all I did was eat, sleep, and train for several years. It's just a pity that I didn't have my brother's talent."

He raised his right hand, palm open, and crackled—tiny arcs of electricity danced between his fingers. Rex clenched his fist, and the electricity extinguished between his fingers.

"I am only capable of this much; I am not worthy to be the son of the Storm King."

He smiled, but unlike the previous times, this smile was faint. Then he reached out and swiped on the central control screen, and music poured out from the speakers—a fast-paced rock song.

"Let's not talk about that," Rex leaned back in his seat, raising his voice slightly. "Let's get you a makeover first. You're the star tonight!"

Mercury was also speechless. Even the Storm King, who owned the entire Atlantic City, couldn't protect his family?

The sports car stopped in front of a luxuriously decorated building.

The entire building's facade is covered with dark stone, and there are no conspicuous signs, except for a Möbius strip-like symbol inlaid in copper metal above the entrance.

Rex got out of the car and casually tossed the keys to a valet in a black uniform at the door, a move he made with practiced ease, as if he had done it countless times before.

Rex turned around and spread his hands toward Mercury.

"Welcome to the Eternal Club."

His expression held a mix of pride and excitement, like a child finally able to show off his secret base.

Upon hearing the name, Mercury couldn't help but wonder if the Eternity Club was related to immortality technology.