What It Means to Be Police in This World(7)

It was an ordinary day, a peaceful day, a gentle day.

At a time when the supervillains who had devoured the city and villains that even the military couldn’t handle had disappeared, and people who had been trembling with fear and cold were slowly waiting for spring while holding onto hope.

The daily routine, as always, suddenly collapsed.

“[ — Hello, everyone. ]”

All display screens connected to the internet in Seoul—street televisions, electronic billboards, mobile phones people were carrying—suddenly changed on their own, and one person’s face appeared.

There was no one who didn’t know the face appearing on the hijacked screens. After all, she was a person who was always mentioned when the news was turned on recently.

The worst criminal who created the superpower awakening agent, infiltrated the Special Investigation Team to mock the police, massacred the military, and controlled the supervillains. Sai.

She appeared on all monitors in Seoul.

From street TVs to electronic billboards to mobile phones, Sai revealed her face in all places connected to the internet.

People showed various reactions to her sudden appearance. Some trembled with fear, while others dismissed it as someone’s tasteless prank.

Amid the intersection of various reactions, Sai continued speaking as if she didn’t care about people’s reactions.

“[ There might be those who know me, those who don’t, and those who doubt if it’s really me. So I’ll provide a simple self-introduction. ]”

“[ My name is Sai. Multiple murders and abetment to murder, national rebellion and illegal drug distribution, and countless other crimes that can’t be enumerated. ]”

“[ I created the superpower drug that plunged the world into chaos and ruined the lives of numerous people. A woman who deserves to be called the world’s worst criminal. ]”

Sai continued in a cheerful tone. People half-forcibly listened to what she was saying and watched what she was doing.

In the video, Sai seemed to move away from the camera, and the screen showed New Hope tied to a peculiar structure like a cross in what appeared to be ruins.

With blood clotted and tangled in her hair, and covered in wounds, the hero was still conscious, glaring at Sai with glowing red eyes.

What bound her was something that looked like bright red wire, made of an unidentifiable material. Even as New Hope struggled to break free from the wire, all that happened was that her body accumulated more wounds.

People exclaimed in shock at the miserable appearance of New Hope, who was said to have fought Sai and made her flee.

Her appearance was that of a prisoner, far from a victor as described by the police.

“[ The child here is New Hope. It’s not wrong to view her as the only hope to stop me. Although she was defeated by me this time, if we were to fight again, I would surely be defeated. ]”

“[ Therefore. The reason I’ve come to you all today like this is to force you to make a choice. ]”

Sai was humming along with words of unclear meaning. She was twisting her long bangs with her fingers and smiling as if she was pleased.

That smile was terribly mismatched with the injured girl behind her and the ruins where nothing remained.

“[ I have secured a number of mutants sufficient to destroy this entire city and more. The number is approximately 134. ]”

“[ I’ve made them all by adjusting the ones I originally handled~ and all the supervillains who’ve disappeared recently. I’ve made them several times stronger than those that have been moving until now, so ordinary people won’t be able to win. ]”

“[ From the current time onwards, if anyone refuses to choose, tries to leave Seoul, or tries to enter, all mutants will begin indiscriminate slaughter. Everyone, without exception of gender or age! ]”

A unilateral murder notification. People felt their breath being taken away by Sai’s words as she lightly waved her finger.

People showed reactions of denial of reality, saying they didn’t believe it or asking if it was a hidden camera prank, in the face of a threat of murder that didn’t want any persuasion or dialogue.

As if mocking such thoughts of the people, Sai snapped her fingers. At the same time, the screen transitioned to show strangely shaped beings beginning to appear on major roads and streets within Seoul.

There were bizarrely shaped creatures emerging from the ground, breaking through the asphalt, and similar monsters falling from the sky.

In addition, a giant quadrupedal monster taller than most buildings suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and there were also strange beings that began to fly in the sky above the city.

It was a movement that proved Sai’s words to be true and seemed to demonstrate that they could attack people at any time.

No, it wasn’t just a threat. In fact, people who had fallen into panic upon seeing these beings and tried to escape from the city of Seoul in any way were all horribly murdered.

Regardless of whether they were children, women, men, or the elderly.

People screamed. Because they realized that Sai, who was said to have fled, had returned, turned this city into a prison.

She had completed preparations to kill everyone if they didn’t listen to her, and was forcing people to make the worst choice.

“[ The time limit is 1 hour. The vote will use the internet voting method. Whether you die, or this hero young lady, the only hope, dies. It’s your choice. Then, I’ll be waiting for your wise choice? ]”

“[ …I’ll be waiting there. At the place where you saved me. ]”

With an incomprehensible statement accompanied by a radiant smile, Sai cut off the video.

People screamed or showed various reactions. But everyone who saw that video already knows.

Even the military can’t defeat Sai. The police can’t stop her either. Even the hero, the only hope, is now captured by Sai after being defeated.

People questioned what the police had done for such a thing to happen, or cried out that it didn’t make sense.

But soon, they couldn’t help but acknowledge the choices before them as they saw the timer that started counting down after the screen went black.

The life of one girl, or their own lives.

Faced with choices that only felt malicious, people pondered what choice they should make.

At this moment when the life of the hero who had been fighting to save them and the lives of the people themselves were placed on a scale.

In the city stopped by a malice and violence that seemed inhuman, there was one person moving as if he knew what to do.

A man with a tired-looking face and no particular distinguishing features. A man dressed in easy-to-move-in jeans, a shabby t-shirt, and an overcoat.

His name was Lee Munsu and he was still legally a detective of the Republic of Korea.

---

I thought. The last words Sai said were surely meant for me.

Either kill Mina, or people die.

This terrible choice she presented was a declaration that she would smash everything, be it society or whatever, as she had declared before, and it was also a duel challenge to settle things with me once and for all.

Well, that’s fine. It’s what I had been hoping for from the beginning.

I checked the neutralization drug contained in the syringe I always kept with me. A syringe in perfect condition without any cracks.

In addition, I checked if the gun that the captain had secretly helped me bring out and the handcuffs that I stupidly almost forgot to bring were properly in place.

All bullets are live rounds. But there are only 6 of them, and they won’t work on Sai.

I wonder if I should have brought this useless hunk of metal that only weighs me down, but.

I decided to think positively because having it in hand still gives me comfort.

If things go wrong here, I die; if I succeed, I live. In such a situation, isn’t it okay to have one charm that calms my mind and body?

There seem to be burdens too heavy to be placed on the shoulders of a mid-30s police officer, like the fate of this country, but I decided not to think about that.

Anyway, things like the duty to the country or patriotism, or being a citizen of the Republic of Korea, disappeared without even leaving ashes the moment I went to the military twice.

I’m just going to catch a criminal bastard like usual. I muttered to myself as if brainwashing myself that it was just that, nothing more.

No, I tried to, but the feeling of being screwed seems like it would pierce the sky, so I can’t even do that. I smoked cigarettes continuously and checked my phone.

As soon as the video played, I received calls from Dokkaebi and Yuna-ri. Fortunately, they said they had prepared everything I had asked for.

Now what remains is to engage in a fight with Sai with their help—but when are they coming?

The time set by Sai is one hour. Already 10 minutes have passed waiting for them.

Could they have said they were coming but actually ran away? If that’s the case, I’m really screwed. Just as I was about to take out my phone again to call them due to anxiety.

A car approached with a screeching sound.

Crossing the center line, driving in the wrong direction, and speeding too. The black Starex, which violated several road traffic laws the moment it came into view, stopped in front of me with a textbook emergency brake.

The door slid open. Inside the car, Dokkaebi sitting in the driver’s seat and Yuna-ri greeted me with smiling faces—.

“We’re not late! We came as fast as we could—bweeeeeeeck!!”

“You came by car. I thought you’d run here.”

“Then we would have been even later. A kind person lent us the car, so we came so quickly.”

“The window is broken though.”

“…They lent it to us with post-consent.”

“Hey…?! When someone is vomiting, can’t you pay some attention?! Dokkaebi, you really drive like shit!!”

Why should I care if she’s trying to vomit on my face? I got out of the car, patted Yuna-ri’s back as she vomited, then urged her that we didn’t have time and helped her back into the car.

The smell of vomit was quite distressing, but I decided not to show it and be considerate when I saw the paper bag she handed to me.

“Everything you asked for, we’ve prepared. The rest… depends on how you do it, Detective. What happens from now on depends on how you accomplish it.”

“That’s right.”

I nodded at Yuna-ri’s words.

It’s the plan I came up with, and while I need their help, ultimately it’s me who will settle things.

“But… Detective. Do you know where that woman is? If it takes time to find where that woman is, wouldn’t it be dangerous?”

Dokkaebi anxiously looked at the clock on the navigation screen and spoke.

It took 10 minutes for us to meet. There are 50 minutes left until the final time Sai mentioned.

Honestly, I don’t care what choice people will make or what the result will be in front of this choice that adds trials to Sai’s madman-specific pessimistic view of human nature.

But one hour is certainly not enough time for the police or government to react and move.

That means that currently, we are the only ones who are prepared to do something to Sai. And if we waste more time finding Sai, the results will come out before we even fight.

But.

“It’s okay. I know where she is.”

The background shown in the video was already a familiar place, and Sai’s last words were explicitly telling where she is now.

“Let’s go to the Cheonho-dong redevelopment area. Sai is there.”

The place where I was kidnapped by Kim Yunsik, Shin Yumi’s older brother, when Sai first infiltrated the Special Investigation Team.

Later, it was the place where Mina was kidnapped by the Human-Centered Bishop and held a sit-in protest.

And it’s the cursed ground where, after Sai confessed to me and was rejected, everything within a 100-meter radius was completely destroyed in her tantrum—a place where bad luck has truly struck.

Sai was waiting there again.

When I used to live near the redevelopment area in the past, I often went for walks in Cheonho Park. Has it been completely destroyed now?

Let alone the park, the land owner of the redevelopment area that has been destroyed multiple times must be shedding tears of blood. With such idle thoughts, I told Dokkaebi the location where Sai would be.

Dokkaebi nodded at my words, but why? Dokkaebi was hesitating, not entering the location I provided into the navigation in front of him, nor stepping on the accelerator to depart.

“…Do you have a driver’s license?”

“…No.”

“How did you get here then?”

“The researcher told me the way, and driving was like playing a game…”

“What the fuck?! I knew something was off! Of course you drive like that without a license!”

No wonder the driving was a mess on the way here. I got out of the car, swapped seats with Dokkaebi, and drove the vehicle toward our destination.

The time it would take from where I was to the destination was about 10 minutes. After that, I had to settle things with Sai within 40 minutes.

Time is limited, and we are lacking in strength and power compared to our opponent.

On top of that, it’s clear that this fight will determine the fate of this country.

But when a person is so overwhelmingly screwed, they don’t even feel fear or tension, and instead, laughter comes out.

Fighting Sai with a Dokkaebi who doesn’t even have a driver’s license and a researcher who’s getting carsick and vomiting, without Mina.

In the novel, it surely felt like the final battle of Mina and all those who believe in justice, but what are we? Comedians? A suicide squad? Bramen Music Troupe?

Whatever we are, the fact that we’re screwed remains the same, so I moved the steering wheel while cackling with laughter.

Fuck.