Why is his holy light red?

Chapter 88 Young people are always passionate

John Walker was the most eccentric polymath Mercury knew.

This old guy has worked in various professions, including but not limited to security guard, chef, licensed lawyer, actuary, personal trainer, painter, and even gardener. And this is just the tip of the iceberg of what he casually boasts about.

Even though John never revealed what his superpower was, Mercury could basically confirm that this guy definitely had some kind of superpower similar to "time reversal," otherwise a normal person's lifespan wouldn't be enough to level up his skill tree so ridiculously.

But Mercury could never have imagined that John's face would be nailed to a sketch in a serial killer's diary from thirty years ago.

Was he murdered once thirty years ago?

Did the John of the past die in that murder, or did the John of the future travel back in time and suffer a terrible fate? Or was it simply a coincidence that they looked alike?

Or perhaps—this is simply a new generation of "nightmare" deliberately drawing John's face in the notebook to provoke Mercury's emotions in order to mess with Mercury's mindset?

Mercury quickly dismissed the last guess, because it simply didn't make sense.

If the new generation of nightmares was trying to break down his mental defenses through psychological warfare, they could have simply drawn his sister's face on it. If that were the case, Mercury would have already smashed through the association's windows and stormed the Root District. Since it wasn't intentionally provoked, only one terrifying truth remains—John's face was drawn in this diary thirty years ago.

Mercury ignored the nauseating, sticky bloodstains on the edges of the diary and told Al to keep turning the pages.

Behind the portrait are densely packed records of the killer's "hunting log" of John: from which street he initially followed, to how he used a human skin mask to create fear, to slowly force out the psychological trauma of the other party like simmering soup, and then to the bloody torture chamber he built after invading the dream, the steps are so detailed that they are appalling.

Until the very last page, there is a scene sketch of John's "closed case". In the picture, John is cut open from his chest to his abdomen, and his face is cruelly carved with knife and fork-shaped bloody marks, exuding an extremely twisted and perverse sense of ritual.

However, according to the old files from the Elm Street Police Station, John's name was not on the list of the dead. Moreover, the number of victims recorded in the diary was far greater than the police had initially reported.

This, however, is consistent with the style of those corrupt cops. Since they're just in a rush to arrest a gay Black man to take the blame and close the case, who would bother to verify how many people the killer actually murdered?

"Dad, keep an eye on Flora. I'll message John right now and have him meet you at the church. I'll be there shortly." Mercury stared at the screen, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Your mandatory quarantine period isn't over yet, how did you get out?" El frowned.

"I'll handle it." Mercury didn't waste any words and decisively cut off the communication.

Hearing the busy tone from his phone, El looked at the completely black screen and rubbed his temples with a headache.

He had hoped that the kid would learn to behave a little better within the association's system, but now it seems that the kid has grown a bit, but not much.

He glanced around the basement: Flora, pale with fright; Sister Maria, her brows furrowed in a tight knot, looking as if facing a formidable enemy; and Emily, completely bewildered and utterly clueless about what had happened.

El let out a long sigh of resignation.

Judging from this situation, it seems like we can't go back to Yong Sheng Technology for the time being.

He unlocked the screen again, found a rarely used number in his contacts, and pressed the dial button.

After three rings, the call connected, and the voice of Richard, the "Thousand Star Hero" and president of the Pomegranate Tree City branch, with a touch of business sophistication, came through the receiver: "El? A rare guest indeed. Calling me at this hour, is it about your son?"

"That's right." El cut to the chase without beating around the bush. "Regarding the case of the cannibalistic succubus, I've discovered some new leads, and Mercury wants to personally investigate. I know the department's mandatory quarantine procedures aren't complete yet, but his internal defenses are protected by the golden holy light left behind by the 'Angel of Holy Light,' so his safety shouldn't be a problem. Therefore, I'd like to ask you to release him."

The only sound on the other end of the phone was the faint tapping of a pen on the table. Several seconds later, Richard's voice came through: "El, you should be well aware of the current situation. The amount of capital involved this time is too large. I locked him in the isolation room, partly for epidemic prevention, but more importantly to prevent him from directly bearing the pressure from Eternal Life Technology. I hope that Aru Tree City can have more steadily growing rising stars, rather than sacrifices that are destroyed prematurely as soon as they emerge."

"I understand. In the past, I also thought it was right to force him to stay in the safe zone." El's voice was calm, but with a hint of determination. "But now, I want him to give it a try. Richard, just do me a favor."

Richard sighed, his tone tinged with the weariness of a manager: "Wouldn't it be better to stay safely under the protection of your elders? These days, young people are all so difficult to manage. But, since you, my old friend, have put it this way, can I really stop you from letting them go?"

Richard paused abruptly at this point.

Suddenly, there was a series of urgent knocks on the door from the other end of the phone.

Richard took a deep breath, his tone instantly becoming extremely subtle: "Uh—sorry, El, I think I have to hang up now. Your son is probably here already."

Mercury has always been a man of great initiative. Once he realized that John had been dragged into this mess, he didn't hesitate for even a second.

He ripped the beeping monitoring ring off his wrist, tossed it onto the carpet, and strode toward the electronically locked door.

Seeing this, Rex and Nora immediately stood up, ready to follow. Mercury turned around and raised his hand to stop them: "Alright. I'll take the blame for this blatant act of forcing my way into the solitary confinement room. You can join in the fun after I've cleared the way."

After saying that, he walked into the corridor without looking back, headed straight for the high-rise elevator, and stormed all the way to Richard's chairman's office.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

After a series of rude knocks, Mercury pushed the door open and entered.

Logically, such a rude act of forcibly entering a high-level office should have been enough to make the guards draw their guns, but unexpectedly, Richard, sitting behind the large desk, not only did not get angry, but even had a kind smile on his face.

Before Mercury could utter his prepared explanation, Richard spoke first: "I know what you're in a hurry to do, son. Your father just called me."

Richard leaned back in his leather chair, interlacing his fingers. "I can grant you special permission to lift your quarantine, but only for you. I don't want anyone else to be implicated, especially Rex. His identity is too complicated; you know what I mean."

Mercury looked surprised. His father had actually managed to call the chairman's office directly and get the chairman to make concessions? This journalist father's connections were far wider than he had imagined.

Although he had some doubts, Mercury didn't delve into it. He weighed the options for a couple of seconds, then decisively nodded and accepted the offer.

"Alright, I promise you, I'll handle it alone." Mercury stepped forward and said quite seriously, "But before I walk out this door, I need to ask one more question."

"explain."

"Regarding the cannibalistic succubus, how much information does the Association actually have?" Mercury's tone was somewhat accusatory. "Since I can connect a rare surname to Sister Maria, the Association can't possibly be unaware of it, right?"

Richard smiled noncommittally: "Mercury, you have to understand, the association's authority is indeed terrifyingly high, but the prerequisite is—someone has to be willing to invest the resources to use it."

He tapped the electronic screen on the table: "That's a 30-year-old grievance. The Hero Association hadn't even been established yet when it happened, so the association didn't focus on it at first. Our investigation team did trace it back to Sister Maria, but all things considered, it only started a few days earlier than yours."

Richard paused for a moment, then said something that surprised Mercury: "Moreover, even if we had already thoroughly investigated that case, the Association currently has absolutely no intention of conducting a thorough investigation into this old case."

"Using the cannibalistic nightmare as an excuse to involve immortality technology is already the limit. It's also the only help the Aru Tree City branch can give to the Holy Light Angels. We will not continue to investigate any more information."

"Why?" Mercury frowned, bluntly pointing out the obvious. "Even a blind man can see that there's something wrong with the immortality technology."

Richard chuckled and said, "Let me tell you something you young people hate the most. Ever since the Holy Angels led the team to forcibly audit the accounts, the association's logistical supply chain has been in a state of near paralysis."

"Since you joined the association, more than thirty superpowered crimes have occurred in Aru Tree City. Heroes get injured when they go out on missions, and civilians are also affected, which means that a lot of various medicines are being consumed every day. But now? Even the commonly used medicines in the city's central hospital are starting to run out."

"It's not just medicine, but food too. In the last two days, prices in the Tree Root District have skyrocketed like crazy, and the food rations for the homeless have been cut by more than half. What do you think keeps the shelters and orphanages in Ariel Tree City afloat? It's all thanks to the charitable donations from these big corporations." Even if a large portion of that money goes missing, the scraps that slip through are the lifeline for the poor.

Richard sighed and continued, "The reasons given by Eternal Life Technology for cutting off supplies are flawless. Holy Light Angels forcibly shut down one of their large factories on the grounds of 'potential leakage of dangerous substances.' And to cooperate with the Association's investigation, they also forced the shutdown of more than half of their laboratories, naturally resulting in insufficient production capacity. If the Association continues its full-scale investigation, it won't just be a shortage, but a complete lack of supplies."

"There's absolutely no flaw in the legal arguments. Do you expect the association to openly rob the warehouse of Eternal Life Technology?"

What's wrong with outright robbery?

Mercury chuckled inwardly. How many times had the federal government sent aircraft carriers to blatantly rob other countries?

If it weren't for the angels of light watching over us in recent years, who managed to stop several unscrupulous acts of overseas plunder, who knows which unfortunate country would have been forcibly indoctrinated with "freedom" by now.

Unfortunately, this is the dog-shit double standard. They can act like unbridled robbers to outsiders, but at home they have to maintain a facade of civilization. They really can't be too forceful with conglomerate tycoons who hold federal citizenship.

"The entire Federation isn't just comprised of Eternal Life Technology selling medicine."

Richard shook his head, as if looking at a whimsical student: "What about logistics and procurement costs? Who will cover the price difference for interstate drug transfers? None of our chapter's registered heroes can turn lead into gold. Besides, while other medical giants usually fight to the death with Eternal Life Technology, sometimes they're more united than brothers."

"Everyone understands the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.' Today, if Yong Sheng Technology is dissected, tomorrow it could be their turn. When faced with such an external threat, internal competition will immediately disappear. They will band together to defend this monopolistic pie and will never allow any outsiders to get a piece of the pie. Mercury, for your father's sake, I'm telling you this so you understand how deep this water runs. As for everything that has happened recently, just honestly let go and let the adults handle it."

"The Holy Angel has already infiltrated Eternal Life Technology. With him here, the investigation will surely yield results. However, we cannot crudely uproot the cancer in Auriga City all at once, as that would kill even more people. You just need to wait quietly until the Eternal Life Technology incident is over. I will personally arrange a mentor for you, and in a few years you will become our new city hero."

Mercury asked in surprise, "Why do you think so highly of me, President?"

"Because you're strong enough, silly boy, what other reason could there be?" Richard said with a smile, "You've already proven your potential. I'm not blind, and I have a relationship with your father. What reason would I have not to nurture you?"

Mercury remained silent for a long time before speaking again: "Thank you for your honesty, but I have one last question."

"That's probably not an easy question to answer." Richard looked into Mercury's eyes and sighed. "Ask away."

Mercury said as calmly as possible, "If I choose to ignore it, can the association guarantee my friend's safety?"

Richard's expression softened slightly, and he replied in an impeccably standard, official tone: "As the president of the Hero Association, I can assure you that we will devote all our resources to combating superpower crimes and do everything in our power to protect the lives and property of every citizen."

Mercury nodded; he understood Richard's meaning.

"I'm sorry, Chairman, but I still need to ensure my friend's safety. Therefore, I hope you can give me all the relevant information."

Mercury straightened up. He was very grateful for Richard's words, which were already quite considerate of him, a junior.

However, he couldn't bear to see Flora and John in danger.

Even if he entrusted this matter to the Holy Angel, he wouldn't feel comfortable. Who knows, when it really comes down to turning against Immortal Technology, will the Holy Angel choose to save his friend or the city?

Richard made no attempt to hide his disappointment. He genuinely hoped that Mercury could be more rational, but unfortunately, young people are always hot-blooded and impulsive.

Richard remained silent for a long time before saying to Mercury, "I can grant your request, but I also need to remind you that this time, any action you take—even the slightest violation—will result in you being stripped of your trainee hero status and forever barred from applying again."

Mercury smiled and said, "Then I will do my best to conduct the investigation legally and compliantly. Thank you, Chairman."

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