115 Super Quetzalcoatlus, activate!

"This is a prototype. It doesn't have a built-in positioning system, but it does have a self-destruct program. It resets every 144 hours, and the reset key is at headquarters."

"What about the battery?"

"It requires specialized charging equipment. For field emergencies, a portable charger is needed to step up the voltage to 1,000 volts, and then..."

Han Zitong gave in. It wasn't that he hadn't put up a fight, but he only disclosed the characteristics of the "Infantry 500" prototype; he didn't actually betray the Yang family.

"Is the battery interface compatible with the 'Infantry 300'?"

"It's compatible, but it's useless. The 'Infantry 500' uses solid-state batteries with the highest consistency, which maximizes performance. If you swap in a standard 'Infantry 300' battery, there will be a significant power drop. Furthermore, 'Combat Mode' becomes completely ineffective; the power drop exceeds seventy percent. I'm afraid it wouldn't even be as useful as you, a monster, are on your own."

Having said this, Han Zitong leaned back in his chair, exhausted. "Can I have a cigarette?"

"I don't smoke. I'm a good student with healthy habits."

"..."

"According to what you've said, it would be impossible for an ordinary person to withstand the instantaneous acceleration caused by the 'Infantry 500,' assuming this 'Combat Mode' actually exists."

"It was originally designed for unmanned operations, but after calculating the costs, it turned out that using humans was more cost-effective."

"..."

Hearing this banal theory of cost control, Boss Li felt a shiver run down his spine. It was strikingly similar to the logic at his own "Shake-Shake Handicraft Factory."

Setting up an automated assembly line was just too expensive. A full retrofit would cost over seventeen million. It was much better to find some middle-aged ladies in the nearby village to work; as long as the wages weren't too outrageous and the overtime wasn't too excessive, the workers' efficiency wasn't much worse than automation.

The limits of humanity have no limits!!!

"That's not right. Aren't drones supposed to be cheaper than manned aircraft?"

"How can you compare the two? This is for special operations and urban counter-terrorism. Go ask how much a policeman's pension is at the Jianye City Police Department. How many violent terrorist incidents happen every year? On a national scale, these are low-probability events. At most, a police officer costs three million, maybe a bit more in places like Huating, Youdu, or Chang'an. The maintenance for such a complex system engineering product costs hundreds of millions per cycle. Since the 'Infantry 300' works well, why bother using the 'Infantry 500'?"

"So, here's the problem: even if the person using it isn't afraid of dying, how can they withstand the acceleration of 'Combat Mode'? Won't they just croak if they can't react in time?"

"There are specialized serums that can match the usage time and enhance human reaction speed. It's just that after combat, they need a period of recovery in a cryotherapy chamber."

"The news said those were only on space stations, didn't it?"

"So what? Do you think astronauts don't return to Earth or their bases?"

Han Zitong, having failed to get his smoke, grew irritable. Although Li Jie had tossed him two bags of food and he had indeed regained his strength, he could never be a match for Li Jie.

Han Zitong was now wondering if Li Jie was an experimental subject discarded by some laboratory. This guy was a damn animal.

"Sounds like all this stuff has something to do with the Yang family?"

"What do you think? They're one of the Ministry of National Defense's most important suppliers."

"Then why didn't they give it to that son-of-a-bitch Yang Ying?"

"First, there's no need; it was just a broken leg. Second, using it requires going to a base, and the security clearance is a huge hassle. It would be a total waste on the Second Young Master."

"Very good."

Li Jie nodded, quite satisfied, and left the room. A few seconds later, however, he tossed a box of matches and a pack of "95 Supreme" cigarettes through the door.

Han Zitong lunged forward, snatched up the matches and the cigarettes, and sat with his back against the door. He quickly opened the pack, shook a cigarette into his mouth, struck a match, and took two deep puffs. With the cigarette pinched between his fingers and one leg propped up, he inhaled perfectly into his lungs, only then revealing an expression of pure bliss: "Fuck..."

Cursing was one thing, but he was powerless now. He couldn't find a way to deal with Li Jie, unless he used heavy firepower.

This guy was a monster. He had served in the military for so many years and had never seen anything like this.

"Second Young Master, you're on your own, goddamn it."

Though he didn't know what Li Jie was planning, it was clear that this clearly mentally unstable, idiot youth was definitely going to stir up trouble for the Yang family's Second Young Master.

At the very least, he'd break two arms; whether he'd escalate it further... who knew.

As for Li Jie, he immediately unpacked the cosplay props he had bought. They were carbon fiber shells covered in reflective strips—looking incredibly cool.

It was the human form of the "Super Pterosaur" from the famous mecha anime *Super Iron King*, the kind that looked flashy as hell.

Boss Li tore the thing apart and installed it onto the "Infantry 500" prototype. In short, it was an "auto-parts market style" power exoskeleton.

While Boss Li was busy, Officer Xiao and his men had cracked a case of illegal arms hoarding and reported it to the municipal bureau, tentatively calling it the "302 Arms Smuggling Case."

The reason was that the three unlucky guys with broken limbs had no way to destroy the materials, documents, and various correspondence at the stronghold.

Xiao Yuanyin found a mountain of evidence with minimal effort and discovered various types of rifles in the warehouse, including two sniper rifles...

In short, overnight, Xiao Yuanyin became the most legendary crime-solving stud in the history of Sanjiang Province.

To share in the credit, those in the municipal bureau who were on good terms with him scrambled out of bed in the middle of the night and headed straight for Director Xiao's office.

The excuse? Having a late-night snack with old Xiao was perfectly normal, and joining in to crack a major, headline-grabbing case was even more unremarkable.

They were all people who were indifferent to fame and fortune...

But!

Fighting crime was a duty that could not be shirked!

They were all "crime fighters," so there was no need to be petty.

That night, there were more reporters carrying cameras than dogs. The scene was quite spectacular, and one reporter in particular was running quite fast.

"I'm Dai Zong, a reporter for 'Trendy Entertainment.' Director Xiao, in a densely populated and economically developed city like Jianye, with so many illegal arms appearing, what are your thoughts?"

"..."

Why the hell are entertainment reporters joining in on the fun?!

Xiao Yuanyin really wanted to punch Dai Zong and break his leg for running so fast!

"The occurrence of such a shocking event is something we are unwilling to see. Regarding the safety of the people's lives and property, we..."

Before the cameras, Director Xiao still fulfilled his duties.

He was just a bit panicked now. What the hell was the Yang family doing? Did they really think they could cover the sky with one hand and no one dared to stop them?

Were they planning a rebellion?

Actually, because of this report, Yang Shiren, who was leading a team to Jianye, had his operation suspended. The news report was explosive and went straight to the top of the trending topics.

Although the search was quickly removed, "Jianye Arms" and "302 Arms" were still spreading wildly among the gossip-mongers. Local Jianye "crab fans" even secretly went to film the scene, where armed police with live ammunition were stationed every three steps, and an endless stream of police vehicles surrounded the area, which was still quite shocking.

On the morning of the third day of the third lunar month, the matchmaking banquet at the Kaihuang Sanatorium in Xuzhou was held as scheduled. It was just that the head of the family, Yang Renshou, couldn't make it; he was summoned for a talk at nine o'clock, and at ten o'clock, he went to the "Luoyang Palace State Guesthouse" to have a meal with someone to explain what was going on.

At eleven o'clock, Yang Renshou gave an interview, distancing himself from the stronghold exposed in Jianye, claiming that some technical personnel from "Daxing Industrial" had colluded with a security company, causing incalculable losses to the "Daxing Conglomerate."

At one o'clock in the afternoon, Han Zitong was placed on a national wanted list. The three men with broken legs were deemed accomplices who had been hoodwinked by him and could be treated leniently, provided they cooperated with the police to find the other criminal faction that had engaged in "black eating black."

At three o'clock in the afternoon, sources close to the case revealed that the testimonies of the three accomplices all pointed to a "Black Cat Hero" impersonator.

At 3:01 PM, the personal Weibo account of the real "Black Cat Hero" exploded again, and of course, five minutes later, the "Houlang" Weibo site crashed again.

The community forums were flooded with traffic, with everyone saying that the "Black Cat Hero" was just too cool!

At 4:00 PM on the third day of the third lunar month, three of the "Seven Major Satellite Channels" applied for emergency broadcast copyright deals with "Creative Capability." After receiving the copies, they joined the children's channel to start airing *Black Cat Hero Police* at 6:00 PM sharp.

At 4:20 PM, a total of 105 million was transferred into the "Creative Capability" account in batches...

Boss Li tearfully paid 25 million in taxes, but the tears in his eyes didn't last long, because Councilman Su Yongzhi's "Canglong Cultural Project" was part of the excellent cultural industry support policy, and a three-year tax exemption was a high probability.

Since he saved over twenty million, Boss Li naturally had to help Councilman Su Yongzhi continue to shine. Not only "Canglong Culture," but also "Jianye Culture," and eventually developing into "Sanjiang Culture," was a very reasonable and logical thing to do.

As for Boss Li himself, he had already been driving for over six hours, and he wasn't far from Xuzhou anymore.

While resting at a truck stop on the road, he even tested the new illegal streaming software he'd bought. It didn't require identity verification to use, which was really quite nice.

As long as there was internet, one could stream—focusing on mountains, forests, waters, inside and outside cars, houses, and hotels... it could all be used.

It was much easier to use than "Douyin."

It was just that it was full of foreign girls twisting and turning, and Boss Li didn't like that; foreign girls were too hairy.

However, the foreign girls were far ahead on the streaming popularity rankings. Boss Li felt this was bad and needed to be rectified—how could people watch foreign girls shooting guns all day?

He had to add some new tricks.

At 7:00 PM on the third day of the third lunar month, a large truck was parked on a rural road ten kilometers away from the Kaihuang Sanatorium in Xuzhou.

At 7:30, the truck's cargo door opened, and a "Super Pterosaur" climbed out!