The camera clicked on. A small red LIVE indicator burned bright in the top right corner of the screen.
Ren leaned back in his chair, a black Tier 1 mask covering most of his face and leaving only his eyes and chin showing. He grinned at the lens.
"Twelve viewers already?" he said, then realized he was live. "Uh... welcome, I guess."
The chat started moving.
[User441: is this a bot?]
[IdleKing: who tf is this]
『Wait... these are real people. You got this, Ren. 』
A faint blue pulse appeared at the edge of his vision.
[Viewers: 14]
[Engagement: Low]
[Tip: Be more in their face to get them hooked]
Ren’s grin got sharper.
『Alright. Alright. 』
He stood up and pulled on a black tactical jacket with mesh panels. It was part of the Tier 1 beginner pack.
"Two minutes," he said, heading toward the back door. "We’re hitting Jake’s convenience store."
He stopped with his hand on the doorknob.
"And yeah, this one’s personal."
The chat picked up speed.
[SnackLord97: oh we got lore]
[User00772: bro is really robbing a store for content]
"The owner called the cops on my mom when I was twelve," Ren said, pushing the door open a little. "She stole a loaf of bread. She did six weeks in jail."
He let the words hang there for a second.
"He laughed at her."
The chat blew up.
[Freelancer008: bro said it’s personal and meant it]
[IdleKing: nah that’s actually cold]
[Y’all acting like you didn’t hear what he just said. Bro’s mom stole a whole loaf of bread XD]
[Freelancer008: Thought being a villain was tough before seeing this clown]
Ren caught the first big spike.
[Engagement Spike Detected]
[Viewers: 38 → 71]
He stepped closer to the camera.
"Clown?" he said, trying to sound sure of himself. "For real?"
He scratched the back of his neck.
"You’ll see when I take that punch."
The numbers jumped fast.
Viewers: 120... 180... 260
[Bonker205: okay he’s built different no cap]
[IdleKing: still getting folded tho fr]
[SnackLord97: Bro thinks he’s him. LMAO]
Ren picked up a folded note from the table and held it up close to the lens. The system had given him the line. His job was to make it sound like his own.
"Memorize this," he said.
He unfolded it slowly.
"Your fame is borrowed. I’m here to collect."
[Engagement: Rising Fast]
[Next Step: Make it bigger]
Ren’s eyes flicked to the prompt, then back to the camera. He was starting to enjoy this.
『Oh, we’re escalating. Don’t worry. 』
He stepped out into the alley. The camera adjusted to the darker light.
"Here’s the real plan," he said, lowering his voice to pull people in. "Jake’s store isn’t the real target."
The chat went wild.
[User991: WAIT WHAT]
[SnackLord97: it’s a trap??? 👀👀]
Ren smiled under the mask.
"It’s bait."
Viewers: 340... 420... 510
A soft vibration pulsed at the edge of his vision.
[Flamebird (Class D)]
[Status: Nearby]
『Yeah. I’ve got this. 』
Ren let out a slow breath.
『Just act like you know what you’re doing. You got this, Ren. 』
"The time is now."
He pushed through the back door into the store.
"And if a certain Flamebird decides to chase me..."
He glanced at the camera.
"...alone..."
The fluorescent lights buzzed overhead as he walked past shelves of chips and energy drinks.
"...into an abandoned substation two blocks from here—"
The viewer count shot up. 780 → 1.2K
[Bonker205: WAIT WAIT WAIT BRO IS CALLING HIM OUT]
[IdleKing: no way he’s actually doing this right now]
[Freelancer008: he is SO dead on camera]
Ren’s voice dropped lower.
"Then chat..."
He paused.
"...you decide what happens next."
[Engagement: High]
[Bonus Unlocked: Audience Influence Enabled]
He slipped his phone into the chest pocket of his jacket. The camera now caught everything live and wide open.
A young girl leaned against the counter. Nose ring, short electric-red hair, oversized shirt, shorts, and chunky boots.
Next to her stood a middle-aged man, probably around fifty, still built like he used to lift heavy stuff for work. Behind the counter, Jake was pulling on his store shirt, his belly pushing against the fabric. His patchy beard looked messy under the harsh lights.
『Okay. 』
"Store’s under attack! Everybody on the floor!" Ren barked. His voice echoed off the shelves.
[Bonker205: "store’s under attack" bro really said that]
[IdleKing: most embarrassing villain intro ever]
[Freelancer008: the look on that man’s face is sending me LMAOOO]
"Finish ringing me up first," the girl said. She didn’t even look up from her phone.
[SnackLord97: she said no thanks]
[User991: she is NOT scared lmao]
[Bonker205: the AUDACITY!!]
"Everybody on your knees. Right now," Ren said louder, pulling out the pistol. "All of you. Knees."
"Boy, don’t waste my time," the man said, his voice low and tired.
[Recommendation: Neutralize the biggest threat.]
『Don’t come any closer...』
The man took another step.
『I said don’t—』
Ren’s fist connected hard with the man’s forehead before he could think. The man dropped straight down. His knees hit first, then his shoulder slammed into the floor. A bag of Doritos burst open beside him, sending orange crumbs everywhere.
The girl dropped right after, hands up, smart enough not to push it. Jake sank down behind the counter with a heavy grunt.
"Get up," Ren said, breathing hard, eyes locked on Jake. "Get the fuck up, man."
Jake stood up slowly. His foot pressed the silent alarm under the counter without even looking. Twelve years of paying HBM protection money. Help better show up.
"What do you want?" Jake asked.
[Bonker205 gifted Glitch a Golden Broom worth 500 coins]
[User991: wait people are actually donating to this guy???]
[SnackLord97: he earned it ngl]
[Freelancer008: I mean... it’s not staged so]
[How can you tell it isn’t? People spend on dumb shit]
"Empty the till," Ren said. "And don’t do anything stupid."
Jake worked the register slowly. No reason to rush. Help was already on the way.
****
Downtown Mayvel, the street had been cordoned off for a nighttime photo op. Towering buildings glowed with neon and floodlights.
The photographer had Flamebird mid-pose under a circle of bright portable spotlights. His red and blue suit caught the artificial light beautifully, the bird-on-fire logo on his chest burning vivid and heroic, golden hair perfectly styled, no mask. He never wore one. The city loved seeing his face.
The photographer crouched low, adjusting his angle.
"Hold it right there," the photographer called. "Like you just dropped a Class A villain bot from twenty feet up. Something we can put on a trading card."
Flamebird held the pose, jaw set, one fist lightly clenched. In the background, a small crowd of nighttime onlookers pressed against the barriers, phones raised, murmuring excitedly.
His watch suddenly lit up with a soft chime. A blue holographic screen floated above his wrist.
[Crime in progress — Jake’s Convenience Store, Bella Street, South Mayvel.]
Flamebird read the alert, then tapped his earpiece. His voice stayed crisp and professional.
"Petty," he said.
A calm female voice answered immediately through the earpiece.
"Minor incident," Priscilla, his PA, confirmed. "But the optics are solid. You respond quick, we get clean footage, and late news will eat it up."
Flamebird exhaled through his nose. He rolled his shoulders once, feeling the faint heat build under his skin.
"I want a real fight," he muttered. "Not some guy robbing a corner store for grocery money."
"The city pays the HBM tax for a reason," Priscilla replied smoothly.
"Fine." Flamebird turned back to the photographer. "Hold that thought. I’ll be back in a minute."
He launched upward in a controlled burst of flame that left a faint shimmer of heat haze in the air behind him. The photographer’s camera clicked rapidly, capturing the takeoff.