It’s getting a little heated.

"Shatter the darkness with thunder—"
"Shatter the darkness with thunder!!"
Inside Niutou Mountain Elementary School, the little kids began to show off just how awesome the "Masked Gourd Hero" was.
After all, they had seen it with their own eyes.
"Does he have an eight-pack?"
"Yeah, the Gourd Hero has abs."
"He can do backflips!"
"And flying side kicks, he's amazing!"
"The Gourd Hero said there are seven of them, but the others were busy, only he could come."
The whole school, grades one through four, buzzed with excitement—the boys especially, rarely so animated.
Meanwhile, the "main character" Li Jie, back at school scrolling through his phone, discovered his Weibo had become a cesspool. Swearing under his breath, he hurriedly registered a new account: "Masked Gourd Hero — The Hero."
After some thought, he registered every handle from "Masked Gourd Hero — The Hero" up to "Masked Gourd Hero — Seven Heroes," and even grabbed "Diamond Gourd Hero" for good measure.
In a few days, he'd merge them under his studio's main account—since they needed to produce Gourd Hero merchandise, his long-idle personal studio was suddenly back in business.
Brother Chen, returning to Pingjiang, also had to set up a new company called "Creative Proficiency." Once approved, it would officially become Creative Proficiency Ltd.
Chen Pi felt Li Jie outpaced him in cleverness.
"Li Jie, I have good news for you!"
As his manager, Chen Pi had plenty of connections, and with his experience at the TV station—even if his technical skills weren't top-tier—his exposure to different deals was.
"What is it, Pi?"
"Li Jie, there's an animation company in Huating that wants to buy the rights to Gourd Hero."
"How much?"
"Fifty thousand."
"How much?"
"Fifty thousand."
Li Jie fell silent, hurling a drooling, snarling dog emoji at Chen Pi on his phone.
The truth is, IP can be worth a fortune or next to nothing. Clearly, this Huating animation company was dreaming.
With that much time, Li Jie figured he might as well play boss himself: develop the characters, write an outline, and hire artists from Jiankang’s art school.
So, fifty thousand was a joke—Chen Pi knew that, but needed something to say. After all, Masked Gourd Hero's potential was proven, and it wasn't just a matter of one or two copyrights.
Thinking of this, Chen Pi rather hoped Li Jie would make another splash in the news.
Alas, you can't expect lightning to strike twice.
Or can you?
While waiting for military training to start, Li Jie noticed his main Weibo account's comment section had become a warzone, but he hadn't sparred with his "ten-year haters" in ages. The real battle now was between new fans and old-timers like "Brother Guo" and "Brother Bi."
Li Jie couldn't get a word in.
But then, the Hengqiang Charity Foundation released a video edit that sent shockwaves through the internet.
Soaring, stirring music. A slow-motion, explosive shot. A line rich with power—
"Darkness shrouds all things..."
The screen showed neighborhoods and streetlights plunged into blackness.
"I am the dawn within the darkness!"
From a frightened child's point of view—a world swallowed by shadow, a flicker of light, maybe the glow of a burning fire. In the shifting gloom, a figure suddenly appeared in the room. In that instant, the boy's face was filled with terror...
"With thunder, I shatter the darkness!!"
A body crashed through glass and leaped from a burning building.
A real man never looks back at explosions!
The video was pure fire.
"Holy crap?"
"Guo, looks like Crab's about to light it up again."
"Not bad, this video's actually impressive."
"I think the charity foundation made it, not Crab's PR team."
"Crab with PR? He’s probably more familiar with massage oil than media manipulation."
"Damn, after watching that, I almost became a die-hard Crab fan."
"Crab, when are you selling Gourd Hero keychains? I want one."
"I just bought a set of coasters—five yuan, free shipping."
"Crab finally sold out and is making money off us fans."
"Cut the crap, Guo, I heard there are hats in the merch drop?"
"I just want the mask!"
"Apparently, there are seven different ones."
"How much are they again?"
"Twenty-nine each."
"Crab's gone bad—he's about to rake in a hundred grand at least!"
"..."
"..."
Then the "ten-year old fans" started calculating Li Jie's earnings. After some digging, they figured he’d easily make three to five hundred thousand, not counting TV appearances and appearance fees—enough to upgrade his lifestyle.
"By the way, Niutou Mountain is in Jiankang, right?"
"So?"
"That means Crab must be in college there?"
"Holy crap?"
"Brother Bi, you nailed it."
The user "Did Your Mother Make You Sing," a "ten-year hater," chimed in, "Let’s search all the universities in Jiankang—Crab's flamboyance will give him away for sure."
"Exactly, eighteen with muscles like that—must be gym-built muscle, but could never take on an English strongman..."
As always, the comment section debated whether Li Jie's "dead muscle" could compare to their own, while new fans, upon seeing his physique, were left drooling.
No need to mention the older ladies; some cosplay girls went straight to Photoshop, turning Li Jie's revealing photos into renditions of various anime and game characters.
Some posted them, others kept them for private enjoyment.
In a residential complex in Jiankang’s Canglong District, Su Mengyao, with only a few days of summer left, was in her room, dressed in a "battle dress," giggling as she used her tablet to touch up a photoshopped image of Li Jie.
She loved a Three Kingdoms mobile game, especially playing the character "Diao Chan." The "battle dress" she wore was one she’d sewn herself, inspired by the game’s illustrations.
Though passionate about cosplay, she’d never posted pictures online, never attended an event in costume—always just a photographer in the crowd.
But this time was different. The image of Li Jie leaping from the flames was simply too striking.
"My beloved, my lord..."
Hugging her tablet, she rolled across her bed. Once she finally settled down, she stared at the handsome image until her cheeks flushed red, then dove under her covers. Soon, the "battle dress" slipped out from under the blanket, followed by her underwear...
"Yada~~"
"Don't~~"
The humidity in Su Mengyao’s room seemed to rise all at once...