Chapter 1: Red Light

Ren Takeda never stopped at red lights after midnight.
Not in this city.
He weaved between parked cars and empty streets, his delivery bag bouncing against his back. Engine whining like it was begging him to slow down. The streets were too quiet—too alert.
The order was late. Again.
Ren glanced at his phone, mounted on the handlebars. Camera still recording. He always recorded night rides. Proof. For insurance. For safety. For reasons he never really explained.
The light ahead flicked red.
Ren slowed anyway.
That was his mistake.
A gunshot cracked the air so hard he felt it in his teeth.
He swerved, tires screeching as a body collapsed out of the alley to his right. Blood slapped the pavement. Another shot followed. Then screaming. Then silence.
Ren froze.
His phone kept recording.
Three masked men stepped into the street. Calm. Precise. One turned and looked straight at him.
Ren twisted the throttle.
The bike launched forward as a bullet shattered the street behind him.
He didn’t look back.
The city had seen him.
And now it wanted him dead