Ding-dong, ding-dong…
The doorbell rang like a ghost urging someone to the afterlife. A young Black man in a courier uniform tapped his foot impatiently as he waited.
Several minutes passed before the door finally opened. A thin young man in a wheelchair appeared, looking like he hadn't slept in days.
"Your delivery. Please sign here."
Seeing the man was disabled, the courier softened his tone and showed more patience.
After signing, the courier even kindly asked, "Want me to carry it inside for you?"
"No need. I'm not crippled."
Thud. Neo dropped the package onto his numb legs, wheeled himself backward into the room, and slammed the door shut.
The courier didn't take offense.
Just 16 hours left until he could prove this world was nothing more than a fake illusion. Then Kaitou Kid—someone who'd crossed over from the real world—would reveal his true self. And Neo… Neo could return to that real world and leave behind this broken body.
Neo was suffering from ALS—a terrifying disease that caused his muscles to slowly wither away until he'd be completely paralyzed, waiting to die.
He was only 20 years old. A prodigy. A legendary hacker. But death didn't care. The Reaper's scythe had already touched his slender neck, slowly slicing deeper with each passing day.
Neo couldn't fall asleep unless he pushed himself to exhaustion. And when he did sleep, it was filled with endless nightmares.
But he believed this world was just a program—a simulation, like a video game.
He had to reach the real world. Return to his real body.
Too bad Liu A'dou may have come from another world, but it wasn't The Matrix. He had no way to take Neo out of the "Matrix" and into reality.
It was all just Neo's desperate delusion.
Liu A'dou had become his last thread of hope, the final straw he could grab.
But Neo knew Liu A'dou would never admit to being from the real world.
The only way to make him admit it… was to force him to reveal all his power. Once everyone saw the truth, they'd be disappointed.
Kaitou Kid wasn't some charming magician thief. He was just another overpowered freak, no different from Superman.
And when the crowd turned on him, Kid would have no choice but to admit he wasn't like the rest of this fake world. He came from the real one.
Neo didn't want to hurt Liu A'dou. He understood how powerful he was.
He just wanted him to admit the truth.
Liu A'dou was dancing for the amusement of puppets in a fake world. It was meaningless.
"Admit it, Kid. You're different."
Neo returned to his computer. Nighttime was when he felt most alive.
And tonight, he would reveal Kaitou Kid's truth to the entire world.
As midnight passed and dawn approached, alarms started going off all across the rooftop.
The noise woke up their owners—and everyone nearby.
The sun was about to rise.
A faint glow had already appeared on the horizon, clearly visible from up high.
It wouldn't be long now before sunlight hit the rooftop—and brought Kaitou Kid with it.
The fans rubbed their faces, wiped away the eye gunk, and pulled themselves together.
They had waited all night. They were beyond ready.
Morning broke. The rising sun lit the sky.
And on the other side, the moon still lingered.
The sun and moon hung in the sky together.
Sunlight fell on the fans' faces atop the tower, while the area below remained cloaked in darkness.
This was the border between light and shadow. The moment of Kaitou Kid's arrival.
"Look!! It's Kid!!"
Everyone's necks turned in unison like alert meerkats in the African desert. All eyes focused on one direction—the path paved by the morning sun. Kaitou Kid glided in on his signature delta-wing glider, right on schedule.
"Kid! Kid!"
The exhaustion from staying up all night disappeared in a flash as fans erupted into cheers.
"Hans, start filming!"
Iselin was excited, but she didn't forget her job as a reporter.
'Kid's still the same. Always the last to appear. Always keeping us waiting.' The thought brought a mist to her eyes.
'Looks like Gotham City hasn't forgotten me yet.' Liu A'dou felt a little smug.
But right now, he didn't know anything about the rooftop layout. Still, as long as he scanned with Microcosmos, he could instantly detect where the card was hidden.
It was stuck on the lightning rod—blended in with its outer shell, disguised to match its color.
Hard to spot with the naked eye, but Microcosmos could sense atomic-level differences. Finding a card was nothing. He now knew exactly where to land.
People noticed that Kid circled the rooftop twice in the air, which wasn't like his usual clean, direct style.
They just thought he was being considerate, giving them a few more moments to admire him.
The morning light now fully illuminated the rooftop. Kid was completely bathed in golden sunshine.
He landed.
"He's here!"
Neo curled his lips into a grin. The heist was just bait. Now the real show was starting. He opened the box the courier had delivered earlier. Inside was a game controller.
He plugged it into the computer. The game was on.
Kid landed quietly, just a few steps from the lightning rod. One reach and he could grab the card.
Cheers exploded from below. Kid gave a small bow, then reached up to the lightning rod and peeled off the card stuck behind it.
The back was the same color as the rod, but the front had just one word: "NEO"—three simple letters that stood for one of the most legendary hackers alive.
Liu A'dou didn't really know much about hackers, so the name meant nothing to him—yet. But he'd definitely look it up later.
CRACK—
A loud snap shattered the moment.
Fans flinched and crouched, covering their ears. The sudden blast had come from far away.
A bolt of lightning shot across the sky—not from above, but from a distance straight toward the rooftop.
Even Batman turned his head.
That beam was a straight-up energy blast aimed at the rooftop. A trap. Batman realized it instantly.
"Show your true power in front of your most devoted fans, you lying thief~!"
Liu A'dou hadn't even remembered who Neo was, but the energy beam was already closing in.
Why choose the tallest building? Because it made for an easy shot. No obstacles. Clear line of fire.
"Ahhh—!"
The blinding beam, even brighter than the sunrise, engulfed the crowd.
The fans were nothing more than bait—just part of the plan to force Kid to act.
It was too late to block it. Batman could only trace the source. But it wasn't a weapon—it was a power substation.
The blast came from an electrical overload—possibly an accident, maybe not.
But it was too late to stop it. Only Kid could deal with what was coming now.
This was Neo's power. His terrifying precision. The entire country's electronic infrastructure was his weapon.
Until now, the world had no idea what Kaitou Kid's true strength was.
They thought he was just a thief who used clever tricks and illusions.
But now, they saw him leap over 10 meters and float in the air. That wasn't something magic could explain.
For the first time ever, in front of all his fans, Kaitou Kid unleashed his true power.
He was going to stop a tens-of-millions-of-kilowatts energy blast.