"Thwack!" It turned out Zhou Tengyun, furious after seeing the news report on television, slammed his palm down on the coffee table in front of him. Fortunately, he immediately restrained his strength, or the table would have shattered.

"These sons of bitches, committing such heinous acts and facing no retribution, walking around freely—is there truly no distinction between good and evil left in this world?" Zhou Tengyun spoke with rage. He loved his children fiercely, and therefore, the forced separation of families inflicted by those family planning enforcers, the crimes committed against the young, were what he found most intolerable.

Liu Hui said calmly, "The mainland's family planning policies have always been incredibly brutal. While it’s true that a massive population significantly impacts society, and implementing family planning had a certain necessity, the ruthlessness at the policy's inception could perhaps be understood. But now that everyone's living standards have improved, people have become much more rational; everyone understands the hardship of raising a child, so people are naturally having fewer children without government urging. Under these circumstances, I believe the family planning policy should be adjusted, at least not so bloodily, otherwise, widespread public resentment will truly be disastrous."

Mei Peng added, "That’s exactly right. Now, if you have an extra child in the mainland, you must pay a social maintenance fee. And the standard for this is ridiculously high, almost unaffordable. What’s even more preposterous is that merely paying the social maintenance fee isn't the end of it. Those family planning officials overseeing you find excuses every few days to extort money. If you refuse, they turn your home into a scene of carnage. Even then, you can't resist, because they possess the evidence of your unauthorized child, leaving you with absolutely no standing."

King Yue nodded, "In the eyes of those family planning enforcers, these people who have extra children are absolute fat geese. They keep you alive, shearing you whenever they please, slaughtering you for meat whenever they wish. Ordinary people have no right to refuse. What’s the most absurd part? The leaders! Which family among them isn't desperately having extra children? Yet, not only do they escape consequences, but their official positions rise higher and higher. They are officials, so we can do nothing about them. But those wealthy tycoons are also starting to have numerous children, pay a small social maintenance fee, and consider it settled. When you compare them, the common folk at the lowest rung are truly miserable."

Zhou Tengyun stated, "What I question now is, where does all that collected social maintenance fee actually go? Is it truly used for social welfare? I've never heard anyone claim it is. Yet, the ordinary people genuinely handed over that money."

Liu Hui's father said, "Checking for unauthorized births in the cities seems somewhat more civilized. In the villages, it’s far bloodier. A few years ago in our town, Pingdingshan, all the county government personnel descended upon our town to investigate unauthorized births. If they caught someone, they fined them; if they didn't pay the fine, they arrested them, then smashed houses and confiscated belongings. The scene was unimaginably gruesome. In the end, more than half the town fled to the nearby mountains and didn't dare return for a long time."

After watching this news segment, everyone exchanged thoughts, and the mood became heavy. Though they were gathered for a meal, no one felt like talking.

"A few days ago, I watched an old Hong Kong movie called Black Mask. The Black Mask in the film went around punishing evil and protecting the good, specifically eradicating dark forces. Why are there no such heroes in society today? It's like justice can never prevail, and the wicked remain arrogant and fearless," Liu Hui's father sighed.

"Black Mask?" Liu Hui murmured.

"Yes, even if not Black Mask, a White Mask or Red Mask would suffice. Throughout the long history of Huaxia, every era produced great heroes who upheld righteousness. Why is it that in modern times, there are none?" Liu Hui's father continued.

King Yue said, "I also feel the world still needs superheroes, otherwise, those who are wronged truly have no hope, and those who commit every evil will have no fear and can act with impunity."

Mei Peng remarked, "But this is just our dream, right? This is the real world, not an animated cartoon. How can superheroes possibly appear?"

"That's not entirely certain. Perhaps a superhero will appear any moment now? Like the Black Mask my father just mentioned," Liu Hui said lightly.

"Black Mask?" Zhou Tengyun mumbled, then looked over at Liu Hui. Coincidentally, Liu Hui was also looking at him. A sharp glint instantly flashed between their eyes, establishing a silent understanding. They both nodded subtly, perfectly comprehending each other.

Following this, Liu Hui exerted himself to manipulate the mood, finally managing to lift the atmosphere at the dinner table. Everyone chose to temporarily forget the unpleasant matters, and they toasted Zhou Tengyun in a jovial setting.

Midnight. Wang Yunxu, the family planning cadre from Shenshao City, could no longer stay in the hotel. He borrowed a vehicle from the driver of their tour group—oh, rather, their study and inspection group—and drove off, ignoring the fact that he was in Hong Kong and his license wouldn't be valid here.

Wang Yunxu was inherently a lecher. He had previously used his position in family planning work to molest numerous women under the guise of gynecological exams. Those women, intimidated by his oppressive authority and dependent on his favor, dared not resist or report him, simply enduring it as if haunted. However, these women were from smaller places, mostly rural folk—crude and unable to satisfy Wang Yunxu fully. Thus, he frequently went into Shenshao City to solicit prostitutes.

Wang Yunxu deeply admired the Hong Kong lifestyle. He had seen beautiful women in movies and felt that these beauties were truly more to his taste. But given his status and position, he couldn't personally experience the charm of these women in Hong Kong. So, now that he had the opportunity to come to Hong Kong, the first thing he did was seek out sex workers.

During the day, Wang Yunxu specifically consulted an insider to find out which ladies had the most allure. He followed the directions provided, preparing for his excursion that night. Unexpectedly, he was spotted by Hong Kong media reporters on the road, which greatly displeased him. Wang Yunxu felt indignant. Why couldn't these Hong Kong reporters just mind their own business in Hong Kong? What did the affairs of Shenshao City have to do with them? Not even the people of Shenshao City had complained, yet they pursued him relentlessly, trying to make him look foolish—truly shameless.

Wang Yunxu then thought about the large breasts of the female reporter who had interviewed him. If she were willing to spend a night with him, he supposed he wouldn't mind leaking a little exclusive news to her.

Wang Yunxu fantasized about the female reporter, but he knew it was just wishful thinking, something impossible. Finding a prostitute was far more realistic. Fortunately, he had scouted the location of the sex workers during the day, so as soon as midnight struck, he borrowed a car and headed straight for his destination.

Wang Yunxu didn't know why he was so unlucky. He had forcibly taken healthy children from their families and sold them abroad at high prices. Because these children were healthy, the transfer price was exceptionally high; this was their usual method of making a fortune. He had done this many times over the years without being discovered. Why was it exposed this time? Perhaps some nosy reporter had been hit in the head by a door and was meddling where they shouldn't.

Actually, Wang Yunxu wasn't afraid at all; he cursed the reporters viciously. He thought those reporters were naive. Did they really believe that exposing us would bring us misfortune? They were gravely mistaken. In truth, the root of the problem lay in the unreasonable state system. They were merely executing regulations and skimming a little money. To maintain their work enthusiasm, the state turned a blind eye to such matters—did they really think the government was unaware of these situations? That was precisely why the investigative team sent from above had delayed releasing their findings; they understood clearly that the major responsibility wasn't theirs. They should blame the system, though they wouldn't dare say that aloud.

Because Wang Yunxu was usually arrogant, the investigators feared he might speak carelessly and reveal too much to the media. Thus, they concocted the plan to send him to Hong Kong for a study tour, effectively preventing the media from gleaning more information from his mouth.

Wang Yunxu currently desperately wanted to find a virgin to ward off his bad luck, but where would he find one these days? It would be hard to find one even in primary school. Since he couldn't find a virgin now, finding a Hong Kong prostitute would at least serve as a token of good fortune, helping to dispel the evil spirits.

As Wang Yunxu's car pulled out of the hotel, an unmarked news vehicle immediately followed behind him. It turned out the female reporter who had interviewed him during the day hadn't given up. Channeling her inner paparazzi spirit, she had staked out the hotel entrance. As soon as she saw Wang Yunxu emerge, she immediately gave chase, turning on her camera to record everything.

Driving, Wang Yunxu was unaccustomed to Hong Kong's traffic rules, nearly colliding with other vehicles several times, earning him a string of curses. When he drove into a bustling commercial center, he noticed it was still open for business, and among the crowds of shoppers were many beautifully dressed, fashionable women who dazzled his eyes.

On the top floor of the mall stood a figure clad entirely in black, wearing a black round hat and a black eye mask. A long black cape billowed behind him in the night wind, snapping audibly.

This man in black coldly surveyed the traffic below. His eyes were incredibly sharp; he had long since spotted Wang Yunxu's car. Wang Yunxu was absorbed in the pleasure of gazing at the beautiful women, completely oblivious to the person observing him from above.

Wang Yunxu licked his lips, feeling a pang of regret. Hong Kong wasn't like his hometown, where he could demand a gynecological exam under the pretense of beauty and take liberties. Here, the women were for observation only, not for fondling. But he quickly brightened up, preparing to find a prostitute and vent the fire in his heart. He slammed the accelerator, and the car sped forward.

The man in black on the mall rooftop narrowed his eyes. He pulled a giant white sword from behind him, swung it once, and hurled it down toward Wang Yunxu's car. The massive white sword flashed in the air, striking the front hood of Wang Yunxu’s car with precision, slicing the hood and the front body into two pieces. The car's forward momentum immediately caused the rear section to lift into the air, tumbling a few times before crashing back onto the ground and skidding forward, grinding sparks against the pavement.

The bewildered onlookers couldn't clearly grasp what had happened. They only saw that the front end of the car had suddenly vanished, and the rear half had flown up into the air.

Nearby Hong Kong citizens immediately rushed over to inspect Wang Yunxu inside the vehicle. Wang Yunxu was drenched in his own blood, but miraculously, he hadn't suffered a fatal injury and appeared quite alert. Some citizens promptly called the police, while others pulled Wang Yunxu out of the wreckage.

"Look! What is that over there?" someone exclaimed in astonishment.

Everyone looked up and spotted the figure dressed in black standing on the top floor of the mall.

"Wow! Isn't that Black Mask?" someone instantly recognized the familiar attire.

"It really is Black Mask! Look at the giant white sword on the ground—is this Black Mask punishing evil and protecting the good?" Someone immediately began indulging in wild speculation.

"Ah! He's jumping down!" The crowd gasped.

The person dressed as Black Mask saw that Wang Yunxu had been pulled from the car by the crowd and his body was still twitching, clearly not dead. He launched himself from the top floor of the mall, his black cape acting like a glider, clearly specially made to function as a parachute in the night wind.

As Black Mask glided down toward Wang Yunxu, he sharply angled his body downward, landing steadily in front of Wang Yunxu. The citizens who had pulled Wang Yunxu out had already scattered in fear.

Black Mask stared coldly at Wang Yunxu, then gestured. The giant white sword that had cleaved the car hood flew back from a distance and landed squarely in Black Mask's hand. The surrounding onlookers let out a collective gasp of awe.

Black Mask flipped the white sword in his grasp, pressing the tip against Wang Yunxu's throat.

"Hero, spare me! Hero, spare me!" Wang Yunxu was utterly terrified. He didn't know why this man dressed as Black Mask was after him; all his mind could focus on was pleading for mercy.

There was no trace of pity in Black Mask's eyes. He applied force, and the tip of the great sword pierced Wang Yunxu's throat, emerging from the back of his neck. Then, he retracted the sword. A large hole instantly appeared in Wang Yunxu’s neck, blood gushing out, and Wang Yunxu immediately stopped breathing, meeting an untimely death.

The onlookers, initially thrilled by the appearance of Black Mask, believing their hero had finally arrived, immediately became terrified when they witnessed Black Mask brutally execute Wang Yunxu, scattering in panic.

Black Mask ignored the surrounding citizens. He wiped the blood from his white sword onto Wang Yunxu's body and then slung the sword over his shoulder. Black Mask pulled out a black token from his inner pocket and shoved it into Wang Yunxu’s gaping mouth, preparing to leave the scene.

"We are the Hong Kong Police! You are surrounded! Drop your weapon immediately and slowly place your hands on your head before lying on the ground!" Suddenly, two police officers rushed out from the mall. They spotted Wang Yunxu’s corpse on the ground and Black Mask standing nearby, immediately drawing their pistols, aiming at Black Mask, and calling for backup.

Black Mask turned back, glanced at the two officers, said nothing, and did not lower the great sword resting on his shoulder.

"Drop your weapon and surrender now, you can't escape!" The two officers pointed their guns tensely at Black Mask. Black Mask ignored them and turned to walk away.

"Stop right there, or we will open fire!" the police officers warned.

Black Mask's pace quickened. The two officers hardened their resolve and pulled their triggers; two bullets flew toward Black Mask's back. The onlookers held their breath. However, Black Mask remained unhurried; he simply turned the edge of the white great sword on his shoulder sideways and deflected both bullets fired by the officers. The material of that great sword was unknown; it didn't even retain a scratch after blocking the bullets.

After deflecting the two shots with one sword, Black Mask stopped lingering. He pushed off with his feet, leaping seven or eight meters into the air from a standing position. He used the mall structure to push off again, rising another seven or eight meters. With a few more leaps, he quickly ascended to the rooftop. Black Mask stood on the roof, cast a look down at the police and the crowd, and then leaped off the opposite side of the building.

The two officers stared blankly in the direction Black Mask had vanished. When they fired, Black Mask had blocked the bullets with a giant sword and then disappeared from sight with a few incredible bounds. They could hardly believe their eyes. Could a person in this world truly block bullets? And the height of his leaps as he left—was that truly a human capability?

At this moment, the television reporter who had been tailing Wang Yunxu, named Yang Simin, finally snapped back to reality. Her face flushed crimson, and she excitedly turned off her camera, shouting, "Drive! Let's go now! Back to the station immediately! We've got the exclusive headline news! Let me think... Yes, the title will be: 'Instigator of the Shao Orphan Tragedy Killed in Hong Kong; Black Mask Appears to Punish Evil, Bringing Clarity to the World.'"

Since the Zhonglian Gang clashed with all the triads in Hong Kong, multiple confrontations had erupted between them. Although the Zhonglian Gang had deep roots, they could not withstand the combined forces of all Hong Kong triads. The Zhonglian Gang was continuously routed, their decline evident. However, due to Sang Biao’s terrifying presence, the high-ranking members of his gang dared not defect; they could only gather together, living in constant dread.

The Hong Kong triads, realizing that Sang Biao had become desperate and ruthless, were unwilling to invite mutual destruction with him, so they temporarily halted their advance, planning a foolproof countermeasure.

In Sang Biao’s secret stronghold, the top brass of the Zhonglian Gang were gathered for a meeting, but all the leaders remained silent. Their defeat was sealed; no one could defy fate, so they simply kept quiet.

"Say something, you lot!" Sang Biao roared in anger.

Everyone immediately lowered their heads, fearful of being called upon by Sang Biao. Even the second-in-command, who usually supported him, remained silent. Enraged, Sang Biao was about to hurl the teacup in his hand at the leaders when the main door of the secret base suddenly flew inward with a deafening crash. The few major figures inside were caught off guard by the blast of the door, instantly suffering broken bones and certain death.

Sang Biao was greatly alarmed. He and the remaining leaders jumped up only to see a figure dressed as Black Mask walking in, carrying a giant white sword slung over his shoulder.

Sang Biao’s pupils contracted. He roared, "Who are you? We have no past grievances or recent conflicts with you, sir. Why do you attack the men of the Zhonglian Gang?"

The man in black offered no response. His movements were swift; he instantly appeared next to the second-in-command and pierced his throat with the sword. Before the second-in-command could react, he had already stopped breathing.

"You!" Sang Biao erupted in fury, immediately pulling a handgun from his pocket, preparing to shoot Black Mask. But Black Mask's movements were incredibly fast; with a few rapid flashes, drawing an afterimage in the air, he finished off the remaining leaders around Sang Biao with his giant sword. Sang Biao, afraid of hitting his own men in the crossfire, hesitated for a moment before firing, resulting in his subordinates being instantly massacred.

"Ah! I'll kill you!" Seeing all his subordinates eliminated, Sang Biao hardened his resolve and fired continuously at Black Mask.

Black Mask swayed his body left and right, and all the bullets fired by Sang Biao missed, leaving Black Mask completely unharmed.

"Ah! Ah!" Sang Biao had emptied his handgun but continued pulling the trigger, only hearing "click, click" empty sounds.

Black Mask walked toward Sang Biao with an expressionless face. Sang Biao finally realized his gun was out of ammunition. He threw the handgun at Black Mask, who cleaved the weapon in two with one swing of his sword, then continued his advance toward Sang Biao.

Sang Biao, ferocious as ever, grabbed a steel pipe at hand and charged at Black Mask. Black Mask deflected with his great sword, the massive blade slamming into Sang Biao’s body, immediately knocking him onto the ground. Black Mask then pointed the sword tip at Sang Biao's throat.

Sang Biao finally broke down. This Black Mask was utterly beyond his ability to handle. He repeatedly clasped his hands together, weeping, "Great Hero Black Mask, spare my wretched life! I swear I will never dare again!"

Black Mask remained unmoved. He prepared to push the tip of his great sword forward, ready to end Sang Biao.

“No, Great Hero Hei, I have never offended you in the slightest! If you spare my life, I will give you all my wealth. I have many women too; you can have all of them if you wish. Please, please don’t kill me,” Sang Biao wailed, tears streaming down his face.

“The reason I must kill you is that someone told me your name is ill-fated, containing the character Sang (death/loss), thus sealing your doom,” Hei Xia finally spoke.

Sang Biao froze. Hearing that distinct voice, he pointed wildly at Hei Xia in terror and shouted, “I know! I know who you are! You are… ugh…”

Hei Xia did not allow Sang Biao to utter his name. Instead, he merely drove the tip of his greatsword forward, piercing Sang Biao’s throat with ease. Sang Biao died instantly, his voice silenced forever.

Hei Xia meticulously searched the secret hideout, finding no recording or surveillance equipment. He retrieved a black token from his inner robe once more, stuffed it into Sang Biao’s mouth, and then slipped away silently.