Location: Abandoned Factory District, Harrison City
Time: 2:45 AM
The wind swept through broken windows, rattling rusty metal beams. Scattered, broken machinery lay like fallen soldiers on a battlefield.
Vincent disengaged the safety on his gun and scanned the area. Gabriel stood beside him, arms crossed, eyes narrowed as he surveyed the perimeter.
"This place is too exposed," Gabriel muttered.
Vincent replied calmly, "That's why I chose it."
Gabriel let out a short sigh. "At least it makes it harder for Specter to take us out in one shot."
"Same goes for us," Vincent said with a faint smile. "We can't take him out with one hit either."
Gabriel smirked bitterly. "I figured. So tell me what you have in mind."
Vincent raised his gun and shook his head lightly. "Just fight together. It's not that complicated."
Gabriel looked at him with suspicion but didn't ask further.
Red Eyes – Specter Appears
Footsteps echoed from the distance.
Red eyes emerged slowly from the darkness.
The enhanced human, Specter, had arrived.
He walked as though burdened by boredom, each step heavy like that of a conqueror.
"Two again?" Specter said.
Vincent replied with a faint smile, "Two shouldn't be a problem for you, right?"
Specter tilted his head slightly, his eyes glowing faintly.
"I thought you would be scared. Guess not."
"We're not the ones who should be afraid," Vincent replied.
Specter chuckled — a mechanical, emotionless sound.
"Interesting. Let's see how you run this time."
Vincent & Gabriel – Beginning of Cooperation
Specter vanished in a flash.
Gabriel reacted first, instinctively slipping into a defensive stance.
Vincent raised his gun a beat later. "Gabriel, left!"
Just as Gabriel turned, Specter's foot came flying toward his jaw. He barely dodged and countered with a punch to Specter's body.
"Ha!"
But Specter barely flinched.
Vincent flanked and fired off suppressive shots.
'Brute force, as expected,' Vincent thought.
The two moved quickly. Gabriel delivered swift strikes up close, while Vincent supported from range.
But Specter was adapting, gradually paying more attention to Vincent's actions.
Because—
Vincent was provoking him.
Vincent's Strategy – Exploit Arrogance
"You fought Isaac, right?" Vincent said casually.
Specter's assault paused briefly, then resumed with a brutal punch.
Vincent narrowly dodged and continued, "They say you won. Does that make you the strongest?"
No answer.
"Or was it just luck?"
Specter's movements became noticeably rougher.
Gabriel didn't miss the opening and slammed a low strike into Specter's abdomen. Specter staggered slightly—but not enough.
"You think this little chatter will break my focus?" Specter finally spoke.
Vincent smirked. "Why? Already broken?"
A subtle shift appeared in Specter's expression.
The End of the Fight – Cracks Forming
Vincent deliberately pulled back.
Specter lunged at him.
Gabriel stepped forward with a series of rapid strikes.
Specter blocked, but this time he was pushed back.
'Perfect,' Vincent thought.
It looked like Gabriel had the upper hand. But really, the plan had been to redirect Specter's focus.
"You really think teaming up gives you a chance?" Specter growled.
Vincent raised a brow. "Then why are you struggling so much?"
Specter's face twisted slightly.
Gabriel didn't understand yet. But Vincent did.
Specter had never considered the possibility of defeat. But now—that possibility had started to creep in.
Then Specter abruptly stepped back.
"That's enough for today."
Gabriel, panting heavily, scowled. "Running away?"
Specter replied flatly, "No. I'll finish it next time."
He turned his back and faded into the darkness.
End of Battle – But Not the End
Gabriel looked at Vincent, confused.
"Why did he back off?"
Vincent chuckled. "Maybe you scared him."
Gabriel almost nodded but then hesitated. He wasn't convinced.
Vincent knew better.
'Specter has finally started to consider defeat as a real outcome.'
And from that moment, he was no longer perfect.
"Now," Vincent said as he holstered his gun, "this game just got a lot more interesting."
****
Episode : "The Vanished Hero"
Location: A quiet alley in New York City Time: 1:15 AM
Feynman let out a deep sigh as he tapped away at his laptop. One familiar name emerged from the data on his screen.
[Isaac]
He zoomed in slowly and analyzed the information.
Vincent, sipping a cup of coffee nearby, asked quietly, "Is something wrong?"
Feynman let out a soft whistle. "Not wrong… but something interesting just came up."
Vincent narrowed his eyes and looked at the monitor. A familiar face appeared on the screen.
Isaac.
He was once a government-sponsored official "hero." But now, he had vanished without a trace, living under a hidden identity.
Isaac – Justice Gone Missing
In the shadows, Isaac held his breath. He looked into the mirror, slowly tracing a deep scar across his left cheekbone with his fingers.
A long, jagged mark from his battle with Specter.
"...That day, I lost."
He closed his eyes, and that night returned vividly to his memory.
One year ago – The battle with Specter
In the heart of a war-torn zone, soaked in blood, two transcendent beings faced off:
Isaac and Specter.
Both had abilities far beyond normal humans. But strangely, the battle leaned heavily in one direction.
Isaac fought desperately, but a doubt crept into his mind:
"Is the justice I protect even real?"
"What are we really fighting for?"
That moment of hesitation was all it took. Specter didn't miss it.
A steel-like punch slammed into Isaac's face.
CRASH!!!
His body crashed through a wall. He tried to get up, but even his fingers wouldn't respond.
Specter loomed over him and said, "This is where your justice ends."
Then Isaac lost consciousness.
Present day – A ruined part of the city
Now, Isaac considered himself a failure. Once a hero walking the path of justice, now he was just a man hiding in the shadows.
But what he didn't know was that someone had begun tracking him down.
Feynman – Tracking the Trace of Isaac
"Vincent, the bastard is still alive."
Feynman pointed to the screen.
"The government listed him as officially deceased, but there's been some suspicious financial activity. Someone outside the system is helping him."
Vincent stared at the screen. "Can you find where he is?"
Feynman grinned. "Come on. Who do you think you're talking to?"
He typed rapidly until he suddenly stopped.
"Wait a second."
Vincent looked up. "What is it?"
Feynman pointed to a surveillance log.
[Recent CCTV Capture: 5 hours ago, downtown NYC]
A hooded man appeared in the footage. But as soon as Vincent saw the scarred face, he was certain.
"It's Isaac."
Isaac and Vincent – An Unexpected Reunion
Vincent and Gabriel moved quickly to find him. They spotted him in a quiet alley.
Isaac stared at them with a guarded expression. "Why the hell are you looking for me?"
Vincent replied calmly, "We need to talk."
Isaac raised an eyebrow. "And why would I talk to you?"
Gabriel folded his arms. "Maybe because we want to know what justice means to you."
Isaac's gaze turned sharp.
"Justice?"
The moment he said the word, his fingers trembled slightly. He let out a bitter laugh.
"I don't believe in justice anymore."
Vincent silently watched him. Isaac clenched and unclenched his fists.
He still hadn't moved on from that battle.
Vincent spoke softly, "If you really didn't believe in anything, why are you still hiding?"
Isaac fell silent.
Vincent added, "Justice or not—you still have unfinished business."
Isaac slowly closed his eyes.
Something inside him began to stir.
And finally—
"Interesting."
Isaac raised his head. "Alright then. Let's see if you're worth my time."
A faint smile appeared on his lips.