Liu and Netnet arrived in the Binondo district, also known as the world's first Chinatown, where Netnet lives. As a token of gratitude for saving his life, Netnet decided to take Liu to the night market. They indulged themselves with a variety of Filipino street foods. Netnet bought so much food that they barely fit on the outdoor table. Liu very much appreciated the experience because he never had friends, and he started to feel that Netnet is a good person to befriend. They had a chat about their crazy first day of school and shared some laughs and chuckles.
Then, Netnet brought up the topic that he mentioned at the bridge. He said, "So... have you ever thought of becoming an Alpha... or a Beta at least?"
Liu answered, "No, not really. I don't see myself doing what they do, but I do wanna help people. Besides, I'm too young."
Netnet replied, "What do you mean young? The Alpha of San Juan City is literally a 10-year old. You're like 7 years older."
"Okay, but he's a prodigy, and I'm not", said Liu.
"What the hell, dude! Don't you see how good you are?", Netnet asked. "And by the way, where did you get your abilities?", he added.
"Hmm... I don't know. My parents can't tell me."
"Interesting. But I swear you're like one of those OP anime characters. I really think you should do it. Or... at least help me out with my work."
"Your work?"
"Yeah, you know... vigilantism."
"I really don't know. I know I'm meant to do something good with these abilities, but I just don't see myself doing that superhero or vigilante thing."
"I understand. But if you change your mind, you know where to find me. You know... next to your desk". Netnet laughed at his own joke, but he saw Liu didn't. "Not funny? Okay. My bad", he added.
-
Moments later, they parted ways. But as Liu was walking his way to the jeepney terminal, what he and Netnet discussed made him think about something he has always wanted to do. So, he decided to walk his way home even though it's about 10 kms away because he wanted to see the situation in the streets, to see how the less fortunate people go about their lives, and how he can help people in a way that he'd be comfortable with. Something he's been curious about being in an upper-middle-class family. He has never walked around the city before because of how strict and overprotective his parents are.
As he was walking, he came across a dark sidewalk. He then saw 2 men leaning on a wall staring at him. Seeing as he was wearing formal attire, he had a feeling that they had something malicious in mind. So, he stopped to bait them. As they gathered themselves to approach him, with his back against them he said, "I wouldn't do that if I were you". They felt uneasy because he somehow knew what they were planning. But they responded, "And what are you gonna do about it, kid? Are you gonna scream for help? No one's around". He looked back at them with glowing eyes, which frightened them. They slowly walked away, but as they turned around to run away, he suddenly appeared in front of them, gave them his cold stare and said, "Who says you can go?". So, he grabbed their right hand and broke their fingers hoping it will stop them from committing crimes moving forward. The strangers screamed in agony. He said, "Oh, you're screaming for help. No one's around".
Then, one of them pulled out a knife and tried to stab Liu in the neck, but he stopped the knife with his hand and didn't show any pain. Then, he looked at the culprit and said, "Hmm... I guess you're left-handed", and proceeded to break that guy's left hand fingers, and that guy wailed in pain.
Then, the other guy cried for mercy. He let them off with an ultimatum, "If I ever find out that you hurt anyone, I'll come after both of you and break your necks. And trust me, I will know and I will find you". He smirked as they ran away because he was actually bluffing since he has no ability to find out unless the news starts showing realtime crimes taking place, and he doesn't like watching the news because he felt that the stations main motive is to earn money, they don't really do it for the sake of the people, and there are times when they show bias.
Instead of walking, he decided to blitz his way to a nearby rooftop to get a good view of the city. He could hear all sorts of noise in the bustling Manila. With enough concentration, he could hear even conversations happening about a kilometer away. He spent the night foiling potential crimes on his way home. He dealt with 7 crimes in total, but they were not that terrible.
-
As he got home, he was met by his furious parents, asking him why he arrived home late. His parents were surprised to learn that he walked all the way home. Needless to say he had the lecturing of a lifetime. He answered them, "I'm old enough to take care of myself, and you both know I have special abilities."
His mother, Harana, responded, "It's not that we don't trust you, Liu. We don't trust this cruel world. Omegas run around. They're people capable of doing bad things to you even with your abilities."
His father, Himig, added, "You know we only want what's best for you, son. One day you'll fully understand why we're like this". The couple then looked each other in the eye.
Liu replied, "I'm going to my room."
"But you haven't had dinner yet", said Harana.
"I'm not hungry", Liu replied.
-
As he was lying in bed staring at the ceiling, he thought to himself, "The streets are not as bad as I thought. I stopped some crimes, but they're not that serious."
"Hmm... Or maybe I was just lucky that I didn't encounter brutal crimes?"
"...what was I thinking? I don't wanna be a superhero. I should just get some rest and forget about it."
-
The next day, Liu arrived early in school and he just sat on his spot quietly observing his surroundings while avoiding people.
Moments later, Netnet arrived and he immediately came up to Liu and said, "Hey, Liu! Good morning! Are usually this early?"
"No", Liu answered.
By the look on Liu's face, Netnet understood what he meant. "Oh, right. This is your first time attending school your whole life. I find that really interesting", said Netnet. "Anyway, where are we gonna have lunch later?", he asked.
"Hmm... Isn't it too early for you to think about lunch?", Liu responded.
"Ehe... I guess you're right. I'm just excited to hang out", he answered.
"I guess I'm stuck with Netnet now. But that's probably fine. He doesn't have friends, and neither do I."
Suddenly, their strange classmate arrived. Netnet noticed that Liu was staring at the guy. He said, "Are you okay, Liu?"
Liu snapped out and replied, "Oh... Yeah I'm okay. But have you noticed anything odd about that guy?"
"Kagi? No, not really. Why?", Netnet answered.
"Hmm... Nothing", said Liu.
"Hmm... He's not looking this way. Maybe he doesn't care, so maybe I should stop assuming things about him since I don't really know him? Maybe he's a good person with special abilities."
-
A few hours have passed and it was time for lunch. The 2 decided to eat at a fastfood at The Bayleaf, which is just a block away from the school. At the table, Netnet brought up the topic again, "So Liu, have you thought about being a superhero?"
"Looks like you're not letting this go", Liu exclaimed with a sigh. "I thought about it last night. The streets don't need me. I spent last night walking through the city, and I encountered some crimes that are not that terrible. The police can handle it, and the Alphas."
Netnet was confused by Liu's answer. He asked, "What do you mean 'not that terrible'?"
"It was just some robbery and fights", said Liu.
There was an apparent look of disappointment in Netnet's face as he replied, "I don't think you looked really hard if that's all you saw. The streets are not safe anymore. It's not just robbery and fights. People get traumatised, even killed every night because of those selfish low lifes, and some of them get away without a hint of remorse."
Liu stayed silent so Netnet felt a bit frustrated. "Do you really wanna see the true situation in the streets?"
Then, Netnet showed him a news clip from last night. It was about a man who was shot dead by 2 criminals in a motorcycle, also locally known as "riding-in-tandem". He was shocked to see such a horrific and brutal scene. Then, Netnet showed him another one from the other day, and another one from the day before that.
Despite all that, Liu remained silent. Then Netnet said, "The police and the Alphas don't do anything about this. They only take action after a crime has been committed. So how about those poor people who had no chance to protect themselves? You have the power to make a difference, Liu. With my help, we may be able to stop crimes in real time."
Netnet saw that Liu didn't react to what he said at all. He was just looking down on his food while Netnet was talking. "If I had your abilities, I'd make a difference", Netnet added.
-
Later that day when Netnet got home, he immediately gathered all his tech stuff to set up some sort of command center to initiate his desire to do more to help people. He said to himself, "If no one's willing to do it, I will!"
After working tirelessly for a few hours, he managed to set up a computer with 4 monitors that can access the cameras in the streets of Manila. The tech genius had set his plan in motion. With the help of the program that he's been working on for months, he would be alerted on his computer and on his phone whenever a crime is detected on a camera feed anywhere in the city. With just the first part of his plan, he already felt a sense of accomplishment because he knows the potential of his tech. It would be worth millions if he sold it to the government, but he knew that they would not use it for its intended purpose. He doesn't trust the government.
Later that night as he was eating his late dinner, he received an alert on his phone. He saw a mugging taking place in the district next to theirs. He grabbed his stuff and used his bike to rush to the scene. He placed his phone on his bike so that he could see what was happening in real time. The crime was already done, but he's getting close. He could still take care of the criminal.
He was pedalling so hard and was shouting at people to move out of his way. After a few turns, he caught up to the criminal, but he didn't make his presence known. He stalked the man and waited for the right opportunity to strike. As soon as the man went from running to walking, he made his move. He put his bike aside and walked towards the criminal. Then, he bumped into the guys arm. "Watch where you're going!", said the criminal. "Oh, sorry mister. I didn't mean to. It was my fault. I wasn't looking", Netnet replied. Then he turned to the alley. The criminal realised that the purse he stole was gone, so he ran after Netnet. To the criminal's surprise, Netnet was just standing in the dark alley.
The criminal snickered and said, "There's nowhere to run, boy."
"Hmm... Who said I was running?", Netnet replied. "People like you should be taught a valuable lesson..."
Then, Netnet pulled out a remote from his pocket and pressed the button. The criminal heard a ticking sound from his pocket. It was one of Netnet's signature phone bombs.
"...Karma is always watching", he added. Then, the bomb on the criminal's pocket exploded like a weaker grenade, dismembering his thigh. The criminal screamed in agony, and cried for help while Netnet disappeared.
A few blocks away, a woman was crying in an alley, traumatised by the mugging incident. She was down on the ground shaking when suddenly, footsteps approached. As she looked up, Netnet extended his arm to help the woman up, and he said, "Don't worry. You're gonna be fine."
He gave her a warm smile and handed her the purse. "The robber got what he deserved. Be careful next time", he added.
The woman couldn't identify Netnet to show proper gratitude because he had a cover on his mouth just like one of the ninjas in his favorite anime, nevertheless, his brand of justice was served. He knew he did well, and so he felt an unexplainable pleasure in his heart.