Why is his holy light red?

Chapter 91 That Glimmer of Light

Emily was clearly taken aback.

Visiting her father at this critical juncture? If she had a choice, the last thing she wanted to face right now was the mess at home, a place perpetually mired in alcohol.

Last time, to fulfill Mercury's promised visit, she had to coax and trick the drunken man into getting himself ready. But Mercury stood her up because of an unexpected incident on Elm Street. Her father was furious, and the two had a huge fight. To this day, Emily hasn't stepped foot in the house for three whole days.

Even with your eyes closed, you can guess that the cramped apartment is now piled high with empty wine bottles and takeout boxes, making it unsightly.

"I—I'll make a call and ask first." Emily bit her lip and stiffly took out her phone.

Based on her father's routine over the past six months, he should be lying on the sofa, hungover, at this hour. However, unexpectedly, the phone was answered quickly after only two rings.

"Emily?! Where are you?"

The voice coming through the receiver wasn't as muffled as it usually was after being numbed by alcohol; instead, it had a nervous tension about it.

Emily frowned, keenly picking up the sounds of car horns blaring and hurried footsteps coming through the receiver: "Dad? I'm near the church. Are you on the street?"

"I just left home. Listen, stay in church and absolutely do not go home! Do you hear me? Remember my words, don't come back, and don't call this number again!"

The man's rapid breathing mingled with the sound of wind, his tone filled with undisguised anxiety and panic. Before Emily could react and ask a single question, the receiver clicked off, turning into a monotonous busy tone.

"Feed? Dad? What are you doing—" Emily put her phone away and looked at the screen that had returned to the home screen, her face gradually turning pale.

A deep sense of unease washed over her. Helplessly, she looked up at Mercury across the bench: "He told me never to go home—his tone was so strange, like—he was hiding from something."

"Don't panic." Mercury was numb today; bad things always seemed to come one after another, and he was used to it. "Give me your house number and all the places he might frequent. I'm going to find him now."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the root zone.

A cold wind, carrying the stench of sewage, swirled around the street corner. Leo clutched his wildly beating chest and stumbled as he ran frantically toward the subway station.

His brain, which had been soaked in alcohol and cheap painkillers for half a year, was now throbbing violently with each rapid breath. Hours earlier, when the newspaper headline "Holy Angels Forcibly Block Immortal Technology" was slapped in his face, something seemed to break free from its cocoon in his brain.

Why did he suddenly resign?

Why did I fall from the lofty Upper City into the muddy Tree Roots area like a stray dog? Why has my head been hurting like it's being forcibly cleaved open by a hacksaw whenever I stop using alcohol and drugs for the past six months?

Now, he remembered.

The executives at Yong Sheng Technology are monsters in human skin; they are conducting human experiments on living children!

As a seasoned public relations professional who has long handled negative public opinion for the Upper City Consortium, Leo always thought he had no bottom line left.

He can clean up a serious scandal completely with his eyes closed by controlling public opinion, spreading rumors, and hiring online trolls to divert attention.

But that day, when he accidentally saw those reports on human experimentation, he still leaned against the wall and vomited up the acid in his stomach on the spot.

Those beasts didn't even spare children.

When did this memory begin to be erased?

Leo couldn't remember clearly; all he knew was that a severe headache was constantly tormenting him, making it impossible for him to think.

But now Leo's eyes were clearer than ever before. He had to get to the headquarters of Immortal Technology immediately to tell the Holy Light Angel everything he knew.

After hanging up the phone with his daughter Emily, Leo quickened his pace. Unfortunately, this was the Roots district, with no direct transportation to the Upper East Side. The only route was to squeeze onto the subway and transfer twice, which would take at least three hours.

Just as he ducked to cross a traffic light intersection, there was a dull thud. Leo felt as if he had crashed into a lamppost at full speed.

The enormous reaction force knocked him to the ground. Before he could even brace himself against the asphalt, a large, iron-like hand gripped his forearm and lifted him up.

"Leo, are you alright?" A deep voice, strangely familiar, sounded above him.

Leo, fighting off the dizziness, looked up and met the face of an ordinary yet weathered man. He forcefully shook his slightly blurry vision, his brow furrowed: "Who are you?"

"Who I am is unimportant." The man completely ignored his struggles, instead tightening his grip on Leo's fingers, almost breaking his bones. "What's important is, where are you rushing off to?"

Leo's hair stood on end instantly, and extreme danger signals screamed in his mind. He gritted his teeth and struggled backward with all his might, trying to break free from the other's grip.

But the man reacted with lightning speed, grabbing Leo by the collar and yanking him towards him. His voice was low and laced with undisguised warning: "Listen, go back to your lousy apartment, keep drinking your trash, and we'll pretend nothing happened! Leo, I don't want to kill you on this street!"

Although the memory puzzle in my brain hasn't fully pieced together the man's identity, this condescending and threatening manner definitely suggests that he's from the Immortal Technology company.

Leo suppressed his heart pounding so hard it was practically leaping out of his throat, feigning extreme fear and confusion, and stammered, "I—I have no idea what you're talking about! I just finished my drink and wanted to go to the convenience store on the corner to buy something." The man's eyes were as cold as ice, and his grip on his collar showed no sign of loosening.

In that instant of stalemate, Leo's pupils dilated sharply, his gaze sweeping over the man's shoulder to the air behind him. As if seeing a savior, he screamed in a hoarse, piercing roar: "Holy Angel?! Help!!"

Upon hearing the name, the man's body instinctively stiffened, and he subconsciously turned his head to look behind him.

In the fraction of a second that his gaze shifted, Leo's previously cowering body suddenly sprang to life.

This former PR executive, who had spent half a year drowning in alcohol, still had a broad frame. The muscle memory from years of gym workouts before his resignation had been fully awakened at this critical moment. Leo clenched his right fist and slammed it hard into the man's chin with a whooshing sound!

"Bang!"

A solid, heavy punch. The man's jawbone cracked with a sickening sound, and his brain momentarily went blank from the shock. The fingers gripping his collar involuntarily loosened.

The moment he regained his freedom, Leo didn't even look at the result of that punch. Like a wild beast driven to the brink of despair, he suddenly turned and rushed into the busy main road next to him.

The screeching of brakes and the driver's angry curses instantly filled the air.

Leo ignored the flashing red lights and sped through the traffic.

The man, regaining his senses, rubbed his chin, cursed under his breath, and then chased after Leo.

Perhaps it is true that people who have a change of heart are blessed by God. Leo weaved through the traffic and, despite being scolded mercilessly, crossed the road unharmed.

On the contrary, the man chasing behind was nearly hit by the car several times, and the distance between them increased even further.

But the man was heading towards the subway station, so Leo had no choice but to turn around and plunge into the maze of dark alleys.

He could only gamble, hoping that the maze-like, cramped terrain of the Tree Roots area would help him shake off the man.

But his brain, soaked in alcohol for six months, ultimately made the most fatal misjudgment. Once he left the flow of people on the main road, he was completely unprotected.

As soon as he turned a street corner and entered a dark alley, he found two tall men blocking his way.

Before Leo could see the other person's face clearly, a thick black bag was slung over him.

His vision was instantly plunged into darkness. He instinctively struggled desperately with his hands and feet, only to be met with a barrage of heavy punches and kicks.

The excruciating pain made him curl up, and he didn't know how long he had been beaten. Through the thick fabric, Leo heard that somewhat familiar voice.

"Not here. Put the gun away and drag it to the back. Make it look like an accidental drug overdose scene."

These words sent chills down Leo's spine. He twisted his body frantically, but several thick arms held his joints firmly like iron hoops. He was roughly lifted up like half a piece of pork and forcibly dragged in the darkness.

A few minutes later, a strong stench of urine mixed with the putrid smell of rotting garbage assaulted his nostrils. Then, he was slammed hard onto the hard, damp concrete with tremendous force.

Leo was thrown around and was completely disoriented. Before he could catch his breath, the black cloth covering his head was ripped off.

Two thugs, one on each side, had their knees firmly pressed down on his shoulders and legs.

The man in charge half-squatted beside him, holding a syringe in one hand. He skillfully flicked open the plastic protective cap with his thumb, and the needle tip was slowly approaching the vein in Leo's arm.

Leo struggled desperately in the dirty, cold puddle.

Looking past the three expressionless heads, all he could see were the towering, dilapidated walls on either side, which framed the sky as a thin, despairing white line.

Death was imminent, yet no one came to his rescue.

The instant the needle pierced his skin, the excruciating pain caused Leo to scream frantically at the sky: "Holy Angel of Light! Help!"

The leader scoffed, "Do you think I'd fool you a second time? There are billions of people in the world; how many mortals can the high and mighty gods possibly see live or die?"

But just as he was grinning maliciously and about to inject the medicine from the syringe into his vein, a violent tremor shook the earth.

It was like an underground gas pipe exploding, which knocked all three of them to the ground.

A dazzling light enveloped the secluded back alley, but instead of gold, it was a bright red.

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