Black Cat Hero: Heat Before Broadcasting

He is him, it must be him! It must be him—

Young Master Yang II left Lushan and traveled to Xuzhou’s Kaihuang Nursing Center, but his mental state had deteriorated severely. The black-clad killer had left him with a profound psychological scar.

Yang Ying now believed with certainty that the attacker was Li Jie. Yet the police insisted it was impossible for Li Jie to have slipped through their encirclement without a vehicle and made it back to Jianye.

Slap!

“Useless!”

An elderly man who never lost his composure struck Yang Ying across the face. A nearby madam quickly stepped between them. “Why are you hitting him?”

“After all these years, you are the first to bring such disgrace upon the Yang family. Once your leg heals, you will leave for Korea!”

With those words, the old man turned and departed without looking back.

In the hospital room, only Yang Ying remained, sprawled on the bed, covering his face. His eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. After a long while, he suddenly seized the madam’s hand. “Mother, I want him dead! I want him dead! He living is my shadow, my heart ailment, Mother!”

“Alright, alright, don’t worry, I’ll find a way. Don’t be anxious, the old man doesn’t care about you. Mother will call your fifth uncle.”

“Mother, you must save me, you must save me…”

Clutching his mother’s hand, Yang Ying’s voice trembled as he buried his face in her lap. Soon his sobs broke forth.

This was the first time in his life he had felt such intense terror.

It was an absurd, unreal, even ridiculous fear—a sudden, inexplicable mutation he could not comprehend.

That damned Jiangnan soil dog!

Soil dog!

The second son of the Yang family now lived in a state of inner frenzy. He feared even more that the soil dog still lurked nearby, listening to his shouts.

Paranoia had set in—every rustle of wind, every shadow among the trees.

That night, Li Jie had inflicted deep wounds on Young Master Yang II—not merely physical torment, but a mental scourging that would never be forgotten.

In the departing convoy from Xuzhou’s Kaihuang Nursing Center, the old man gripped his dragon-head cane with both hands, his fingers adorned with three gem rings rhythmically tapping the back of the other hand.

“How is the investigation into Li Jie progressing?”

“He was an orphan. People occasionally came seeking family, but every DNA test proved a mismatch. He is a genuine orphan.”

“Hmm.”

The old man nodded slightly and asked, “Has Li Lingbo been located?”

“He appeared in Shudu. He likely went to ‘Creative Ability Entertainment.’”

“Investigate that.”

“Understood.”

“Celestial Death’s Lone Star is the hardest to solve and the hardest to let go…”

The old man sighed. Li Jie, as an orphan, was either best dealt with by killing outright or left to waste time.

Twelve mothers from the orphanage?

What did that even mean?

Forget whether they were biological mothers or not; even if they were, so what?

And a granddaughter of a Jianye district legislator—how precious could she truly be?

A faithful wife of ten years dead, then find another.

The world had never lacked for living people—countless living people.

“Go see Han Zitong.”

“Understood!”

The convoy sped from Xuzhou toward Xinzheng. Han Zitong currently resided at the Renhe Hospital in Xinzheng.

Han Zitong lay immobilized on the hospital bed, still shaken. He was certain it had been Li Jie that night—the same overwhelming strength he had felt kicking him at the Jianye Art Academy, terrifying beyond measure.

A monster.

He was fortunate Li Jie had not killed Young Master Yang II, or he would not be alive to speak of it.

When he learned Li Jie was once again active on the internet, he found it almost unbelievable. How had Li Jie returned to Jianye?

Was this even a man?!

He even envied his old friend Du Gu Shiji, who at least had not been murdered.

Li Jie’s body possessed unnatural dynamics; a single bullet from Du Gu Shiji would be impossible to land. The shooter could not predict or adapt to such irregular movement patterns.

Unfortunately, there was no time for training, nor any supply of such extraordinary specimens.

Li Jie had taken to Weibo as “Yin Yang Ren,” driving Lushan police into a frenzy. With a single “Ouch,” they had summoned reinforcements from Beijing.

Knowing Li Jie was implicated, they had no choice; without evidence, their words were meaningless.

Even when Li Jie invited employees out for barbecue one evening, he snapped a photo of the feast and tagged Lushan Police: Haha, barbecue is here! Anyone free, come to Jianye and eat together. The beef is tender, the chicken wings are flavorful~~

“Not Brother Crab, I’m starting to suspect your mental state, but I dare not say it outright.”

“Brother Crab, I’m scared…”

“So that’s how you play? Brother Crab, is this what you do? Have you run out of ‘Celestial Fairy Powder’? How will they dare show themselves now that you’re doing this?”

“Fuck it, I don’t care anymore. I’m coming first, Brother Crab. Yang Ying’s leg was broken again—was it your doing?”

“Impudence! Address me as President Li! [Dog head]”

“Got a death wish!”

Unlike “Celestial Fairy Fans,” the “Ten Years Black Powder” were bolder. They too tagged Lushan Police, praising their professionalism and efficiency and hoping the “Black Cat Knight” imitator would be caught soon.

The so-called “Black Cat Knight” imitator was the video leaked that morning. Lushan Police claimed it was an internal error, but the footage of Young Master Yang II’s assault had indeed been exposed.

In the hallway, a black-clad figure swiftly felled two of Young Master Yang’s bodyguards, then smashed open the special-care room door. Moments later, as Han Zitong raised his gun, the lens clearly captured him being dragged inside…

The image carried a chilling uniqueness.

The black-clad figure’s subsequent act of picking up the dropped weapon left imaginations running wild.

Lushan Police were now utterly overwhelmed, their case materials leaked during the investigation.

By afternoon, no one cared who had leaked it. All eyes were fixed on the black-clad figure’s appearance.

It was unmistakably the look of “Tiger’s Head” and “Cat’s Head,” strikingly similar to the promotional posters and shorts released for “Black Cat Knight Police.”

Thus, terms like “Lushan Renhe Hospital Black Cat Knight,” “Black Cat Knight,” “Black Cat Knight Police,” “Yang Ying—Black Cat Knight,” and others became trending topics. It was further revealed that Lushan Police had worked with Jianye Police to question Li Jie. Many suspected a connection to the “creative” Li boss.

Added to the “Blaze” bar incident, which also implicated Li Jie, two strong possibilities made one even more likely!

This was also why “Wang Tian Xian” fans had fallen silent. First, they feared drawing Lushan Police’s attention—cyberbullying crackdowns were strict; second, they feared their “sister” being targeted by a lunatic. If their “sister” were beaten into disfigurement, how terrifying would that be?

Our best “sister” is protected!

Yet trolls were never alone. The “check-in army” that descended upon the scene simply wanted to see for themselves and left comments like “Awesome, my little baby!” before leaving.

The police’s official statement was that the crime was imitation—not of known methods, but of a virtual character…

In short, Lushan Police’s message was clear: the “Black Cat Knight” online is virtual. Young people, do not follow. You cannot pull it off.

Then…

“Fuck, this ‘Black Cat Knight’ is so cool! Brother Crab, you have no conscience, charging only sixty-nine for a broken headgear?”

“Want one? Don’t you see there are no more Black Cat Knight merch? This is the factory’s last batch, just cut and shipped.”

“Is this ‘Black Cat Knight’ made of gold?”

“Buy if you want, don’t buy and get lost. Poor people have no business here?”

“F**k, send one!”

“Despicable.”

Li Jie traded with “Ten Years Black Powder” in the group while running his virtual shop. The new storefront was thriving. Unfortunately, overtime was required to meet the rush. He would have to wait until next year, at the very earliest after the eighth day of the new year.

During New Year’s, who the hell was working overtime?

“Yao A Yao Crafts Factory” had closed from the twenty-fifth of the twelfth lunar month until the sixteenth day of the first month.

Thus, half the workers were temporary hires from nearby villages—local aunties skilled at handwork: trimming thread ends, hemming edges, labeling, packaging, and boxing.

The courier stopped on the twenty-eighth, so sales occurred over just three days.

“Last three days! Last three days! Black Cat Knight Police hoodies on sale for the final three days! After the third day, you’ll have to wait until the eighth of the first month!”

“Power Red merch also on sale for three days—this year’s final three!”

“Opening on the eighth! Those waiting, wait until the eighth!”

“Stock only from the eighth to Lantern Festival. When stock runs out, new batches await opening day!”

Li Boss, accompanied by his two wives, pushed hard across all platforms. The newly opened shopping website flagship store comprised three brands: “Creative Ability Merch Flagship Store,” “Hulu Hero Merch Flagship Store,” and—after Lushan Police’s boost—the previously delayed “Black Cat Knight Police Merch Flagship Store” had gone live.

A small hand, warehouse shipments valued at 1.8 million yuan daily.

In three days, over five million yuan had changed hands. The vice district head in charge of employment in Canglong District wept with emotion and personally visited the temporary workers on the twenty-sixth.

With this momentum, next year Li Boss would surely expand the factory three or five times.

On the twenty-eighth of the twelfth lunar month, however, as Li Boss sold briskly, he was once again summoned by police.

The same formula, the same Lushan Police.

But this time the visitor was different.

Not only were his eyes sharp, his bearing was that of someone far from ordinary.

“Mr. Li, please sit.”

The Jianye police uncle was already familiar with Li Boss and greeted him politely. “This time we would like to ask about the situation.”

“Certainly, of course. Assisting police work is the duty of every law-abiding citizen. What would you like to know?”

“Mr. Li, hello. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Di, and I work in criminal investigation.”

The police officer flashed his badge. Li Boss saw it was not Lushan Police.

“Hello, hello. Ask whatever you like—I am fully cooperative.”

“Good.”

The officer folded his badge and slowly returned it to his pocket. Smiling, he asked, “On the night Young Master Yang was attacked, where were you?”

“At Lushan.”

“What were you doing in Lushan?”

“Exercise.”

“Exercising in Lushan at minus five degrees?”

“It’s a small hobby. Please forgive me.”

Li Boss also smiled. Every word he spoke was the truth; he had not lied.

Update at 3 AM~~ Update progress 20.4k/200k! Still 200 monthly tickets short~~ Ollie~
(End of this chapter)