047. The Night Wanderer—Is She the Catwoman?

“These shares have been managed by a foundation for me all these years, so I never mentioned them to you. But now that you’re eighteen, an adult, and still over in America, I thought I might as well tell you.” On the computer screen, Old Su spoke with a calm composure, as if he weren’t talking about two billion dollars—a massive fortune that could instantly make him the nation’s most eligible bachelor—but merely two hundred bucks of pocket money.

With that look on his face, if he’d added, “Money doesn’t matter to me; I have no interest in it,” Sa would have burst out laughing.

“Besides, since you’re in America, I’ll transfer half the shares to you first. It’s time for you to learn how an international corporation operates. When you graduate and return home, you’ll be ready to take over the family business.”

Old Su paused deliberately, clearly wanting Su Ye to take it all in. After all, anyone suddenly handed such a fortune would be overwhelmed, unable to help themselves.

Remember Wang Duoyu? Just seeing a billion in cash nearly gave him a stroke, and now, Su Ye was being given a hundred billion dollars.

What Old Su didn’t realize was that, for Su Ye, the sheer size of the fortune didn’t stir much emotion. What truly shocked him was Old Su’s final words.

“Learn about the workings of an international company so you can come back and take over the family business?”

What on earth—did the Su family own a gold mine or something? Was that little workshop at home secretly named ‘Zhonghua Prosperity’?

Whatever Su Ye might have been thinking, the share transfer agreement had already come into effect. Su Ye was now a shareholder in the Osborn Group—and didn’t even have to reveal he was Spider-Man.

To help him manage the shares, Old Su had even sent along a butler. The man, a white gentleman in his fifties, had neatly combed graying hair and was impeccably dressed—a classic British butler, as some would say.

His English name was too long for Su Ye to remember. He only knew his Chinese name: Pan, with the given name Alfred.

“Young Master,” Butler Alfred greeted Su Ye with a bow in the office after Old Su’s introduction. “From now on, all matters concerning your life and work in New York will be handled by me. If there’s ever any neglect, I ask for your understanding.”

Thanks to Old Su, Alfred’s Chinese was flawless—his vocabulary precise, his professionalism impeccable.

Yet, the name—Butler Alfred—stirred a strange sense of déjà vu in Su Ye. Sooner or later, a young master would become the old master.

“Xiaoye, I never expected Uncle Su was hiding so much. If I hadn’t come back today to call a board meeting about you—uh, about Spider-Man—I’d never have known Uncle Su was one of our group’s major shareholders.”

For a large, publicly listed company with a complex share structure, a ten percent stake was indeed that of a major shareholder.

Su Ye nodded. “I never imagined I was born so far ahead of the starting line. All those times I struggled for three thousand bucks… Forget it, never mind.”

“By the way, Butler Alfred, do we have a place in New York?” Su Ye turned to Pan Alfred; he wasn’t dissatisfied with his current rental, nor did he necessarily want to move—he just wanted to confirm a suspicion.

Sure enough, Pan Alfred nodded. “Of course, Young Master. And it’s huge. You could invite beautiful women for parties and never run out of space.”

Hearing that, Su Ye couldn’t help but have a string of wild images flash through his mind: extravagant parties, roulette tables, deep-water bombs, wild games… Was he just being lecherous, seeing what he wanted to see? No, the rich only party harder… Wait, he was rich now. Could he party too?

Su Ye shook his head to clear away these absurd thoughts and followed Pan Alfred to see the grand house.

Upon arrival, he saw it was indeed enormous—less a house than a castle. The grounds were immeasurable, and just by sight, there must have been dozens of rooms.

“This castle—is it really ours?”

The hundred-billion-dollar fortune hadn’t fazed him much, but this mansion, probably worth tens of millions or even hundreds of millions, left him speechless.

“If you played an escape room here, you’d go mad!”

“Escape room? So that’s the Young Master’s taste. I can arrange for renovations if you like,” Alfred said respectfully.

“I was just kidding,” Su Ye waved it off. “Is this castle something Old Su bought? How long ago? Who lives here? Is anyone maintaining it? The property taxes and management fees must be a fortune. That Old Su, what a spendthrift!”

“Uh…” Pan Alfred hesitated. Criticizing the old master would be disrespectful, but not siding with the young master would be the same. There was no right answer. Still, he explained, “The property is professionally managed and usually rented out for Osborn Group’s banquets and events. So, not only does it not lose money, it turns a good profit and provides tax benefits. It’s quite a valuable asset.

“Of course, if you wish, we can reclaim it for your private use.”

Su Ye waved him off. “No need. Me, alone in such a vast house? I’d be afraid to go to the bathroom at night. Maybe when I have more girlfriends… ahem!”

“Let’s go, Butler Alfred. Is there a cellar or underground structure we can visit?”

Su Ye hadn’t come just to see the house—he wanted to see the Batcave.

That’s right, the Batcave. Batman’s Batcave.

A castle for a home, a butler named Alfred, a hundred-billion-dollar inheritance—this new identity he’d acquired… If he wasn’t Batman, Su Ye wouldn’t believe it himself.

So, did that mean his nocturnal girlfriend was Catwoman? The one played by Princess Anne? (Anyone got a picture?)

Catwoman, after all, is designed as an ambiguous thief—perfectly fitting the title Nightwalker.

Su Ye was now almost certain: his new role was Batman, the lone guardian of Gotham, a knight who never kills but ultimately takes on the name of murderer for the greater good.

Gotham was New York; so being Batman meant protecting this city.

Perhaps New York needed a Batman, but Su Ye had no intention of becoming the Batman of the movies.

Now that Spider-Man had started killing, if Batman followed suit, this city would drown in blood.