One.

  Most people underestimate the number’s power, yet they put it on a pedestal like it’s some sort of unattainable prize. One chance, one man, one hero. To most, it takes all they have to be the one who stands out.

  And to the blessed few, all it takes is one moment.

  “Watch it, watch it!”

  Bicycles screeched and people yelled as newspapers were flung comically in the air. The thief shoved the morning crowd aside, barely managing to squeeze through them. Behind him, a masked man swooped over the crowd like an avenging angel, seizing the opportunity to throw himself at him.

  The thief yelped as his pursuer crashed into his body.

  “Give… the purse… back!” The masked man wrestled with the struggling thief on the ground while pedestrians looked on with their phones out. Musutafu City had its fair share of hero-villain scuffles every day, but its residents never grew tired of watching them.

  His eyes went wide with surprise as the thief’s arms literally turned as thin as a sheet of paper and slid underneath him. A foot met his face before he could fully comprehend what happened, and he lost his grip on the criminal.

  The masked man shook his head groggily just in time to see the purse vanish behind the crack of a nearby wall. He chased after it immediately, only for his hands to smack against the cold brick wall as the now paper-thin thief slithered away between the tight crevice.

  He took a few steps back, looking up at the building. It was only five stories tall. There was no way he could fit through that tiny gap, nor could he circle the building on time. But he sure as hell wasn’t going to give up the chase just yet.

  The masked vigilante took a few breaths to steady himself. His plan wasn’t elegant, but it would still work if he hurried.

  He charged towards the wall and took a few steps up. A grappling hook shot out from his wrist, hooking itself onto a window railing. The wind ruffled his frizzy hair as the retracting rope pulled him up to the second floor. He released the hook mid-air before shooting another one out at the third floor, feeling the dull vibration in his support gear once more.

  It did not take long for him to reach the rooftop. The man rolled to his feet, sprinting across the top of the building at full speed. If he recalled this neighbourhood correctly, the thief was only going to be greeted with a dead end once he emerged.

  And that’s where he’d get him.

  A few seconds and a leap of faith later, the masked man swung off from the top of the building in a huge arc, aiming at the solitary man trapped in the alleyway. A victorious grin formed behind his mask; the criminal didn’t expect him this time.

  His boots met the thief’s back with a satisfying crunch, slamming the man against the cul-de-sac.

  “Son of a bitch, how the hell did you get here so quickly?” The thief leaned up against the wall, panting like an obese dog.

  “Give it up! There’s nowhere else to run,” the masked vigilante said, approaching him threateningly. “Just come with me to the station.”

  “Woah! Wait, wait, wait, wait.” The thief put up his hands frantically before his pursuer could get closer. “J— Just… Just chill, man. You’ve chased me down six freaking streets. Okay, you win… You win.”

  He pulled out the purse and waved it in front of him. “This is all you want, right? I’ll return this, and you’ll let me go. Deal?”

  The masked man kept his silence.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” the thief laughed nervously. “I’ll pass this to you in three, alright? Three, two, one. Catch!”

  He flung the purse high into the air like a baseball pitcher. The masked man swung around, watching the man’s body fold into the wallet mid-throw. He hissed in annoyance, resuming the chase immediately.

  “Hah! What a chump!” The thief’s voice rang in the alleyway as he emerged from the purse and continued running. “Give it up! I’ve been doing this for years; you’ll never catch me!”

  What a frustratingly convenient power…

  The vigilante gritted his teeth, giving chase again.

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  Pure determination steeled in his eyes as he chased the criminal out onto the busy main street. He remained close behind, feet pounding against the pavement as he weaved in and out of the streets in pursuit of his target. His lungs burned with each breath, but the gap between the two men was getting smaller with every step. It wouldn’t be long before he could reach him—

  Horns blared frantically as the criminal charged toward a speeding truck. The vigilante called out in shock, stretching a hand in warning.

  The thief turned paper thin again, using the updraft of the rushing vehicle to carry him three levels up into an open multi-story car park.

  The masked man froze in shock for a moment, before aiming his grappling hook at a nearby street lamp.

  If he had recalled correctly, the first Hero Billboard Chart in years was happening right in the building beside this carpark. And he’d be damned if he let this petty criminal ruin the most important hero event of the year.

  He landed on the tarmac floor after a triple front flip over the parapet.

  The quiet in the car park was a refreshing change of pace from the bustling streets below. Still, he could not let up; his job was not over. The vigilante’s eyes darted around, mentally mapping out the area in his mind.

  For better or for worse, most of the additional entrances and exits were cordoned off with tight security. It vastly cut down the possible paths the criminal could take, but the vigilante wasn’t exactly in a position to saunter around either. After all, he wasn’t a certified hero himself.

  He ducked behind a car as a pair of security guards passed by, murmuring about the commotion made by ‘a potential intruder’.

  The man peeked out from the car’s hood again, taking note of the security cameras this time as well. His jaw clenched silently; this place was practically swimming with guards. It wasn’t entirely bad news if they managed to catch the thief for him, but he needed to at least return the purse to that poor old woman. Knowing the guards, they’d just treat the man like a normal trespasser and let him go after a simple warning.

  The vigilante darted around the cars, making use of the camera blindspots and dark corners to cover up his presence. There weren’t as many cars as he would have imagined, which probably meant that the main event was over by now. It reduced the possibility of collateral damage, but that also made sneaking around a lot harder than he had hoped.

  A flash of movement caught his eye.

  He rushed out of his spot and looked over another parapet, all surreptitiousness be damned. The thief was still skulking around the lower floors, having trapped himself in this maze of a car park as well. The masked man’s eyes flitted to a nearby electrical trunking on the ceiling.

  Perfect.

  “Hey, who are you?” a voice called out as footsteps pattered behind him.

  No time to lose.

  The vigilante fired a grappling hook upwards and leapt off the parapet without looking back. A gentle breeze brushed his face once more as he swooped down on his target for what he hoped was the last time.

  His feet met the unsuspecting man’s face, slamming him against a pillar.

  The thief crashed hard onto the ground, struggling against his exhaustion to push his body up. The vigilante rolled with the momentum before getting on his feet again. He was panting heavily as well, but he kept his guard up. After all, a hero is just someone who knows how to hang on for one minute longer.

  “Bloody hell, anyone ever told you what a goddamned boy scout you are?” The criminal staggered to his feet, raising his fists weakly. “When will you learn to give a guy a break?”

  A nearby door swung open as a man in a suit walked through. The two men froze as both of them glanced at the oblivious passerby. Tension hung in the air. Only a fool couldn’t predict what was going to happen next.

  They moved at the same time, but the thief was closer to his victim.

  “Don’t get any closer! Or I’ll—”

  The vigilante continued charging towards him and grabbed him by the waist. He flung the man off the shocked businessman before anything else could happen.

  The thief rolled to his feet, his mouth contorting into a snarl. There was a sharp whirring as the gauntlet on the criminal’s wrist transformed into a ring of daggers.

  Steel flashed as the vigilante caught a knife right before it hit the businessman. His eyes narrowed with apprehension. That was close.

  He motioned for the civilian to get behind him, raising his new weapon. The criminal growled, aiming his gauntlet at them again—

  And stared at his hand in disbelief as the support item deactivated itself, slipping off his wrist.

  Both parties scarcely had time to wonder what had just happened when the sound of engine revving caught their attention. The thief could only scream in shock as a bulky black car behind him rammed straight into his body, throwing him against a wall and knocking him out instantly.

  The vigilante’s eyebrows furrowed behind his mask, still trying to figure out how the hell an empty car had just driven itself.

  “Hey hero, thanks for saving me… Takehiro Kazuma.”

  The vigilante spun around, his eyes ablaze with wild surprise. Who was this businessman? How did he know his name?

  “The phone in your pocket, lad. You used your full name in your email,” the man said nonchalantly, as though he had read his mind as well. The green glow in the businessman’s eyes faded away slowly as he extended a hand.

  “Name’s Miles Cooper, CEO of Cooper Incorporated. You might’ve seen my face on the side of buildings. Nice to meet you, hero.”