Early the next morning—before sunlight could even warm the silverware in the dining room—Butler Fu came to report.
"Young Master, the Hongsheng Group's Young Master Li Ming is here. He says it's extremely urgent and he must see you immediately."
"Li Ming?" Gu Yunchuan methodically spread Kazimierz-imported butter onto toast. At the name, his hand paused, and a small smile tugged at his lips. "Impatient, aren't we? Let him wait in the reception room. And make him a cup of our Leithanien black coffee—remember. No sugar. No milk. Nothing."
"Yes, Young Master." Butler Fu nodded with understanding and withdrew.
"Bitter suits his mood," Gu Yunchuan chuckled, taking a satisfied bite.
The data copied from that thug "Scarface" had been interesting. The Siracusan gang's small-time leader wasn't just Vice President Li Di's distant relative—he'd handled plenty of dirty work for him. And many of the black-market instructions pointed straight to Hongsheng's heir: Li Ming.
Looks like the hook had landed.
Fifteen minutes later, Gu Yunchuan strolled into the reception room in a casual suit.
Li Ming paced across the expensive carpet like an ant on a hot pan, grinding away at Gu Yunchuan's carefully chosen Persian pattern. He looked twenty-seven or twenty-eight, decently put together at first glance—except for the heavy, shadowy bitterness between his brows.
"You're finally here, Young Master Gu!" Li Ming rushed up, voice sharp with urgency.
"Relax." Gu Yunchuan flopped into a sofa lazily and gestured across from him. "Sit. Try Fu's coffee while you're at it. I had those beans acquired from a royal estate in Leithanien. I don't just give anyone a taste."
Li Ming didn't have the patience for coffee. He dropped into the seat and went straight for the throat.
"Young Master Gu, let's cut the nonsense. My uncle Li Di—after he left your gala—has vanished. As of this morning, no one can find him. And last night in the outer ring, something happened. A 'friend' Hongsheng supports got hauled in by the Guard Department for questioning."
"Oh?" Gu Yunchuan widened his brows like it was news to him. "Lungmen's public security is getting worse by the day. But Li—your relative goes missing, your people get dragged into custody, and you come yelling at my doorstep… aren't you at the wrong address?"
"I'm not here to yell!" Li Ming drew a breath, fighting his temper. "Young Master Gu, let's be honest. Yesterday at the gala you mentioned that west district land. Today my people start disappearing and getting arrested. You really expect me to believe that's a coincidence?"
"Coincidences happen." Gu Yunchuan lifted his coffee and blew lightly over the steam. "But you, Young Master Li—so concerned about a slum thug? Hongsheng's business lines must be incredibly broad. Reaching all the way into the sewers."
The comment hit like a red-hot needle.
Li Ming's face went purple.
"Gu Yunchuan—don't push it!" He slammed a palm onto the table. The coffee cup jumped, dark liquid sloshing across the surface.
"Push it?" Gu Yunchuan's smile cooled. He set the cup down and leaned forward slightly. An invisible pressure seemed to settle over the room. "This is the Gu estate. You should be very clear about who you're talking to."
"Y-you…" Li Ming choked. The profanities on his tongue died there. In that moment, he finally recognized it: this young man, loose and flippant on the outside, carried the unmistakable weight of someone born to command. Not the swagger of a spoiled heir—something deeper.
"What?" Gu Yunchuan leaned back again, returning to lazy ease. "I'll say it once more. Business is mutual consent. My appetite is big. I can swallow Rem Bitu's ore—and I can swallow that west district land. Whether Hongsheng can pay the price… that's on you."
He rose and brushed at imaginary dust. "I'm playing golf with Miss Swire today. I won't waste more time. Fu—see our guest out."
He walked away without looking back, leaving Li Ming standing there, face iron-dark, fists cracking with tension.
"Good work, Host," the system's voice chimed in Gu Yunchuan's mind when he returned to the study. "Applying business pressure by day successfully disrupted the target's judgment. This is another form of using 'fear.'"
"Don't get cute." Gu Yunchuan sat behind his desk and opened his personal terminal. "Tianshu. I want everything on Hongsheng Group and Li Ming. Everything. Especially the stuff that can't see daylight."
"No problem, Young Master." A steady electronic male voice responded. This was Tianshu, the Gu Group's intelligence AI—high-privilege, fully under Gu Yunchuan's control. "I'll compile a complete dossier."
"And keep an eye on rumors," Gu Yunchuan added. "Any strange urban legends in Lungmen lately. Something… bat-related."
"Understood. The dossier will be organized within three hours and sent to your encrypted mailbox."
After cutting the line, Gu Yunchuan opened the system interface again.
Justice Points: 100
Armory:
Night Bat Suit (Basic)
Grapnel Gun (Standard)
Multi-Function Utility Belt
Sonic Bat-Dart (New!): Emits infrasonic waves after impact. Can briefly disrupt electronic devices or attract beasts within a certain range. Quantity: 5.
"Sonic Bat-Dart…" Gu Yunchuan studied the new gadget thoughtfully. In a dense city like Lungmen, it could be a tactical gem.
"System. What can 100 points even buy me?"
The interface switched to the exchange store. A dazzling list of items filled his vision.
Vehicles:
Night Prowler Motorcycle (Basic) — 500 points
Night Bat Glider (Portable) — 800 points
Night Batmobile (Concept) — 10,000 points
Skills:
Combat Mastery (Basic) — 200 points
Stealth Mastery (Basic) — 200 points
Interrogation (Intro) — 150 points
Upgrades:
Suit Defense Upgrade — 300 points
Grapnel Range Upgrade — 100 points
"Right. So I'm 'Lungmen's richest' and still broke." Gu Yunchuan eyed the long row of zeros and felt like he'd gone from tycoon to welfare applicant in under a second.
He didn't hesitate. Grapnel Range Upgrade.
Justice Points -100. Remaining: 0.
Grapnel Range increased to 100 meters.
Mobility was life for a vigilante. Doubling grapnel range meant better repositioning, more options, and more ways to control the battlefield.
"Then I'd better start 'earning' points fast." He closed the system. His gaze deepened again.
Li Ming was only the beginning. A massive black net hung over Lungmen—and he would be the blade that tore it open.
That night, Lungmen was drenched in a torrential downpour.
Cold rain hammered every corner of the city, making the steel forest feel even sharper and more merciless.
In Gu Yunchuan's study, Tianshu's encrypted email arrived—an investigative report over a hundred pages long. It detailed Li Ming's crimes: exploitation of his father's authority, collusion with the Siracusan mob, smuggling, loan-sharking, hired assaults—evidence stacked neatly into a damning chain.
"Predictable. And stupid." Gu Yunchuan sneered.
At the end of the report was an urgent update: a Hongsheng finance manager, apparently shorted in the spoils, had contacted Tianshu's informant. He was willing to provide core proof of a major illegal transaction Li Ming was planning.
The meeting was tonight. Location: an abandoned factory in District Seven.
Emergency Mission Issued!
Mission Name: Informant in Danger
Details: Li Ming has discovered the finance manager's betrayal and dispatched professional killers to eliminate him. Protect the informant and secure the evidence.
Reward: Justice Points +300. Unlock vehicle: Night Prowler Motorcycle (Basic).
"Perfect timing."
Gu Yunchuan closed the laptop and headed for the hidden room.
A rainstorm was a bat's best hunting ground.
Thunder rolled overhead as a matte-black, futuristic motorcycle cut through the wet streets like a ghost. It had no headlights. Its engine was nearly silent—only the soft hiss of tires splitting rainwater.
The Night Prowler.
Gu Yunchuan crouched low over the frame. The tactical visor turned rain-night chaos into crisp clarity. Ahead, he quickly locked onto two black SUVs chasing an old sedan.
"Found you."
He twisted the throttle. The Night Prowler gave a deep, muted growl as its speed surged—black arrowhead lunging at the SUVs.
The killers noticed him. Terra's gun control was strict; their weapons were modified heavy crossbows. The rear window dropped. Several dark crossbow muzzles extended.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!
Poisoned bolts shrieked through the rain.
Gu Yunchuan stayed calm. He leaned hard, and the bike carved an impossible curve. It threaded through the bolt storm, every projectile slicing past his body by a hair.
"Try this."
He snapped his left hand up and threw a bat-shaped metal dart. It slapped onto the lead SUV's windshield.
Hummm—
An invisible pulse rippled outward. The SUV's electronics glitched. Its dashboard turned to snow.
"Damn it! What the hell is that?!" the driver yelled.
In that split second of panic, Gu Yunchuan surged to the SUV's side.
He didn't slow. He stood up on the motorcycle mid-rush—then sprang.
His body arced through the rain, landing hard on the SUV's roof.
Boom!
The impact made the entire vehicle dip. The killers inside almost screamed.
Gu Yunchuan gave them no time. His grapnel fired, snaring the second SUV's front end. Then he hit the retract.
A brutal yank.
Both SUVs lost control like tin cans caught on a steel line, slamming into each other at high speed.
CRASH!
Metal screamed. The vehicles flipped, rolling into a blaze of wreckage.
A fraction of a second before impact, Gu Yunchuan had already swung away on the grapnel, landing on a nearby streetlight. He looked down coldly on the burning heap.
He pulled the trembling old sedan out of the kill zone. Inside, the finance manager was shaking so hard he looked ready to faint.
"The evidence." The voice from beneath the mask was low and hoarse.
The man fumbled a data chip out from his jacket with trembling hands.
Gu Yunchuan took it. Far off, sirens were already approaching. Without hesitation, his figure vanished deeper into the rain.
-------
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