First Stream

Scott's heart raced as he jogged through the softly glowing streets of Metro City.

His cloak trailed behind him and merged with the shadows, while the batons at his side buzzed softly with energy.

He took a quick look at his phone.

The counter on the screen was climbing higher.

[Current Viewers: 200… 400… 600…]

He swore under his breath.

This was happening.

People were actually watching him.

Strangers from across the world had somehow stumbled onto his stream, and now they were glued to their screens, waiting to see what would happen next.

Scott adjusted the mask over his face, a plain black fabric that covered most of his features, making him look a bit like the street-level vigilantes he admired as a kid.

But he couldn't decide whether to feel excited or scared.

The pressure was real, but what worried him more were the comments pouring in on the side of the live stream.

[Yo, who's this guy? Discount Batman? LMAO!]

[Bro's about to trip and faceplant in the first five minutes]

[Bruh, you actually think you can do this? LMFAO!]

[Who the hell is this guy?]

[Oh great, another wannabe hero ( 　ﾟ ,_ゝﾟ) 10 bucks says he eats it on his first try]

[Bro looks like he raided a Halloween store]

[This is pathetic. I'm not tipping shit.]

[Wait, why does this cloak low-key look fire though?]

[I hope he fails so bad]

Scott winced.

This wasn't what he had expected at all.

He imagined people cheering for him.

『They're roasting me alive… shit, I knew it… this was such a stupid idea, and on a school night? Come on!』

As he scrolled through the chat, his thoughts scrambled,

He was trying to keep up with the flood of comments that came in faster than he could read.

[Why does his mask look like a 5-dollar knockoff?]

[Is this for real? (゜-゜) This has to be a prank. I'm not sending a dime until he actually does something.]

[Watch him get bodied by some random thug in 3… 2…]

Despite the hate, a few positive comments trickled in, but they were quickly drowned out.

[Blud might actually be onto something… keep it up!]

[Alright, he's kinda cute under that mask, though. Anyone else think so? (;° ロ°) No? Just me? Kyaaaaah~]

[I dunno, guys, I'm here for it. Let's see where this goes]

Scott's throat tightened as he reached the corner of an alley and leaned against the brick wall to catch his breath.

His hands shook as he tried to work the interface on his phone, desperately looking for a way to mute the chat. But no matter what he did, the flood of comments kept coming.

One viewer had even taken the liberty to start a poll:

「How long before he messes up?」

✢ 5 minutes: 64%

✢ 10 minutes: 21%

✢ Won't even make it to the scene: 15%

---

"Great..."

Scott muttered, rubbing the back of his neck as his eyes scanned the map.

The red flashing dot signaled a robbery that was now only two blocks away, but his anxiety was starting to eat away at him.

『Alright, Scott… get it together. You wanted this.』

He adjusted his cloak, took a deep breath, and despite the pounding in his chest, he tapped the microphone button. He let his voice reach the hundreds… no, thousands of people watching now.

"Uh, hey… everyone. I see you're all, uh… yunno, enjoying yourselves, right?"

Scott's voice came out way shakier than he wanted.

The chat exploded with laughing emojis.

[(>▽<) BRO IS SCARED OUT HIS MIND!!]< p>

[Wow, real hero material right here XD]

[Go home, little man. Leave this to the damn pros!]

[Blud is NOT Rope Girl （ ;¬＿¬) at all…]

[Bruh, is this guy serious right now (o_O) ?]

[This is cringe. He's gonna die, LMAO!]

[I'm here for it （￢з￢）]

Scott grit his teeth.

Focus.

He raised his voice, doing his best to sound more confident.

"Alright, look. I know this might look… ridiculous. And yeah, I get it. I'm just a guy in a mask with some batons, but…"

A small moment of hesitation.

"…I'm about to stop a crime. Like, right now."

More comments poured in:

[Yeah? Where's the cape? I thought heroes were supposed to be flashy and sh#t]

[Get to the action already! We're not here for speeches]

[Yo, I bet he gets bodied and logs off crying. Someone clip that when it happens!]

[Hell yeah! Finna slap it up on Instashare!]

A deep breath.

"Look, if you're here to see me fail… you're gonna be really disappointed yunno."

Scott tried to play it cool, even though every nerve in his body screamed at him to shut off the stream and forget this whole mess.

"This isn't some joke, alright? I'm here to do something."

For a split second, there was a pause in the chat… a lull, as if people were actually waiting to see what he'd say next.

Scott noticed it, and he seized the moment.

"I mean, come on, we've all seen the big guys, right? Flashy costumes, massive explosions. But what about the people who get stuff done in the shadows? What about the guy who takes out the thugs before the cameras show up?"

He paused for a second.

"That's who I am."

A few comments of encouragement surfaced:

[Wait… he kinda has a point.]

[Lowkey, I'm staying just to see where this goes.]

[Okay, okay, keep going, mask guy!]

But, of course, the trolls weren't far behind.

[Someone give this dude an Oscar for that monologue, lmao I almost died fr]

[Bro's out here giving a TED talk instead of fighting crime.]

[Sounds like someone's jealous of Miss Mercury]

[When's the fuckin' big fail happening? (¯―¯ ٥) I need a good laugh before bed…]

[I give him five minutes before the cops swarm him]

[Doesn't he know Miss Mercury's patrolling this area? RIP.]

[Wait, why does this low-key feel kinda real?]

Scott chuckled despite himself, shaking his head.

"Jealous of Miss Mercury? Nah, you guys got it all wrong. I'm about to be the guy she can't stop talking about."

His phone pinged again.

The counter shot up—1,000 viewers!

His chest tightened at the number.

『No backing out now…』

The robbery was happening just up ahead at a corporate building. Scott could see the faint flashes of red and blue from police lights reflecting off the glass.

They hadn't gone in yet, probably waiting for backup.

『Perfect…』

This was his chance.

With one last look at the chat, Scott took off running across the street, crouching low as his cloak blended into the shadows.

His heart raced in his chest, but the rush of adrenaline made him feel alert and focused.

[Yo… wait… did he just go invisible?? (⚆ᗝ⚆)]

Another notification appeared.

[Ding! 1,500 Viewers! You've unlocked Gadget Glove (Tier 1) and Invisibility Band (Tier 1)]

Scott grinned under his mask as the chat exploded.

[HOLY SHIT DID YOU SEE THAT?]

[Wait, this guy might actually pull this off…]

[I still bet he screws up, but this is fun to watch!]

Scott gripped the batons in his hands as he reached the entrance of the corporate building.

He could hear the muffled shouts of the robbers inside, and for a split second, all the loud noise from the stream faded into the background.

It was just him, the batons, and the thugs.

『This is it…』

Time to prove everyone wrong.

━ ━ ━ ━

Inside the corporate building…

The group of robbers moved with great confidence.

Their outfits were sleek and tight, looking nothing like what you'd expect from a regular heist crew.

They were decked out in high-tech gear: metallic visors that glinted in the light, gloves that buzzed with energy, and boots made for quick movement.

Together, they had an almost alien look about them.

One of the robbers held up a tech silver egg.

He grinned with some mischief and shouted.

"Alright, watch and learn, boys! This ain't your grandma's piggy bank!"

He tossed the egg into the middle of the room. It landed on the floor with a gentle thud and then exploded in a burst of bright light, changing into a glowing spatial container that floated above the ground.

… Zuuuuuuu~!

It pulsed with energy.

"Now that's what I call a bag drop!"

"That's some sick shit."

"Hehehe, the boss always delivers!"

They began tossing in bags filled with cash and high-tech gadgets as if they were giving out candy. Each bag vanished into the container with a satisfying whoosh, the glowing portal eagerly swallowing up their loot.

As they stuffed the last of the bags in, one of the robbers turned to the group and asked, "Did anyone remember to bring the getaway vehicle?"

Silence • • •

A few of them shook their heads though.

"Brilliant plan, genius. We're just going to float away on our invisible cloud of stolen cash?"