Chapter 41
Chapter 41
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 41
Chapter Title: Police
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In the police van racing to the scene, the lead detective asked,
"Any word on who's inside that building right now?"
The detective beside him replied,
"We're checking card transaction records, phone GPS tracking, and all the nearby CCTV footage."
The smartphones of the detectives in the van chimed with incoming messages all at once.
"Whoa? The list from phone tracking just came in! That's fast. How'd it get here so quick?"
"It's an emergency. They must've gone straight to the top at the telecom companies."
The rookie detective piped up.
"But sirs, I don't think the culprits are on this list. They're not dumb enough to use their own phones and walk into that building, right?"
The lead detective glanced at the list and said,
"Obviously. Even if they did bring burners, this at least tells us how many people we need to rescue."
"Ah!"
One detective swiped quickly through the list on his phone screen and let out a startled sound.
"Wait, Shin Eun-ha?"
"What?"
The team leader scrolled to find her name.
"Shin Eun-ha for real? No way it's the actress Shin Eun-ha. Tell me it's not."
From the back seat, another detective who had been on the phone with another department reported,
"Team leader, it's her."
The team leader rubbed his face with his palm.
"This is insane. Why the hell would an actress go in there?"
A follow-up message arrived on their phones with brief profiles of a few people. Shin Eun-ha and Lee Tae-ho were on that short list.
The team leader checked the new list and grimaced even more.
"What is this? Why are there so many high-profile names in that building?"
The rookie answered,
"There's an upscale restaurant called Penelope on the seventh floor. Way too pricey for working stiffs like us. Probably their guests?"
"This is insane. Hey, rookie, how'd you even know about that place?"
"My girlfriend took me there."
"Lucky bastard, dating a rich girl."
"Yeah, it's great... Uh, I mean, no sir."
The team leader sighed heavily.
"That's not the point right now. Shin Eun-ha's in there. This just got a whole lot bigger."
The rookie asked,
"Team leader, aren't all lives equal? Why single out Shin Eun-ha...?"
"When a celebrity like her gets taken hostage, the media blows it up."
"Huh?"
"It limits our operations. One slip-up, and they crucify us. Then we're the ones getting disciplined."
"But if we handle it well, we get the credit, right? Promotions even."
"If we handle it well. But listen."
The team leader scowled as he explained,
"Armed terrorists—suspected, anyway—have seized the building and taken civilians hostage. Suppression won't be easy."
"Yeah, of course..."
"What happens if people die during the raid?"
"Ah..."
"And if one of them is a beloved star like Shin Eun-ha? You think the press and public will let it slide?"
"They'll eat us alive?"
"Starting with the first response team on site. That's us."
"Got it completely now."
Another detective examining the list spoke up.
"Team leader, there's a foreigner here too."
"From where? Who?"
"American. CEO of OmegaTech? Where's that from?"
"An American company president now? This is insane. Look up what OmegaTech does first."
"Nutraceuticals or watches maybe?"
"Hope so. As long as it doesn't turn international."
The police van pulled up a short distance from the scene.
The lead detective stepped out.
The first floor of the seven-story building had its entire front window covered by a steel fire shutter.
"Damn. That makes it hard to assess the interior."
Another detective reported,
"We can see the people trapped in the second-floor cafe from over there."
"What about the seventh-floor restaurant? Hard to spot from ground level."
The rookie asked,
"Should I climb to the roof of that nearby building and check?"
"Less talking, more running."
"Yes sir!"
The rookie climbed to the roof of the adjacent building and checked the seventh floor.
The team leader's scowl didn't budge.
"Damn. Figure out how to get those people out of the second floor first."
Two detectives slowly approached the base of the second-floor cafe window. But before they reached it, trouble hit.
Another detective checking the entrance shouted,
"Explosive device spotted at the main first-floor door!"
The team leader grabbed his radio and yelled urgently,
"What? Everyone fall back! Stay away from the building!"
Something that looked like a bomb sat at the building's main first-floor entrance. The team leader peered through binoculars, tense.
"That's a bomb, right? If they rigged the front door like that, the second-floor cafe's probably trapped too."
"Team leader, what now?"
"Command's handing off soon. Counter-terrorism's the pros—K-Special Forces. Hold position, keep civilians safe till they arrive."
"Yes sir!"
"Tighten the perimeter—no one gets out!"
"Yes sir!"
The team leader glanced up and muttered,
"Damn. Second floor's risky enough, but the seventh—we can't even get eyes on it."
Na Gang-in stood at the stairwell between the fifth and sixth floors.
"Well, well, what's this?"
Jeon Ji-in, the Combat Support AI, displayed several warning markers through his AR Lens. They clustered on the stairs.
"Booby traps, huh?"
"The guys downstairs were total amateurs, but this one's got some sophistication."
Police counter-terrorism agents arrived on scene. The local precinct detectives, who had been watching the exits first, fell back to support.
With a bit of breathing room, the lead detective reviewed the building's occupant list again.
A detective sidled up and said,
"Team leader, there's a Na Gang-in on here."
"Who? VIP?"
"That blockbuster movie with Shin Eun-ha lately?"
"Sunny Day?"
"Yeah. He's her stunt double."
"Stuntman? So?"
"Traffic cam nearby caught him riding with Shin Eun-ha."
The team leader snapped,
"We cops or paparazzi? They could be dating—none of our business."
"Nah, that's not it. He's that guy."
"That who?"
"The expert who jumped onto a moving car and beat down kidnappers. You saw the internet video, right?"
The team leader's expression shifted slightly.
"Oh yeah. How'd you connect him?"
"Didn't at first. Buddy at HQ tipped me."
"Huh. Dig more on this Na Gang-in."
The armed gang's leader went by Jackal in the underworld.
Jackal peeked through the blinds at the window and scowled.
"This wasn't in the script."
He'd planned to finish everything before police grasped the situation and slip out of the country.
He had contingencies if things went south. Plan B: If the takeover leaked early, bail before cops arrived.
But it hadn't gone as expected.
"Everything was smooth..."
Radio checks with his men on first and second floors reported no issues.
So he'd leisurely pressured Scarlett Kelly. Then suddenly, police swarmed and cordoned the building.
"No idea why, but we can't fight Korean cops."
The police special forces were elite. Even detectives had spec-ops backgrounds. Reinforcements would pile up.
Head-on firefight? His side gets wiped.
"Plans C and D are out."
But he had a last resort. On paper only, but existence mattered.
Jackal clicked his tongue.
"First time hitting Plan E."
Shin Eun-ha whispered,
"President Lee, doesn't their vibe feel off now?"
THO Entertainment President Lee Tae-ho whispered back,
"Boss is peeking through the window blinds. Something's up outside."
Shin Eun-ha's eyes sparkled.
"Police maybe?"
"Probably."
"So we're saved?"
"Hope so."
Plan E needed a VIP.
Jackal scanned the restaurant patrons and pointed at Shin Eun-ha.
"That woman with the big sunglasses. Most famous here, right?"
His subordinate had checked guest lists right after takeover.
"Yes. Lead actress in that hit movie."
"Pretty, well-known, young. Perfect. Her."
Lee Tae-ho fretted,
"Eun-ha, the boss is eyeing you."
"Why? Why me?"
"No clue, but stay low. Avoid his gaze first."
"Damn, this feels ominous."
Na Gang-in disarmed the booby trap between fifth and sixth floors.
"This right?"
"Hearing that makes me uneasy all of a sudden."
"A skill from Nature Robotics—can I trust it?"
"That's why I'm uneasy—I know you. You screw up a lot."
Na Gang-in followed the holographic guide from Jeon Ji-in to disarm the trap. The AI assisted to prevent hand slips.
A masked thug said to Lee Tae-ho,
"You. Come with me."
"Me?"
He glanced at Shin Eun-ha.
"Not me, her..."
The thug said,
"Do what you're told out there. Or your girlfriend dies first."
"Ah, misunderstanding. She's not my girlfriend. Just acquaintances who happened to share a table."
The masked thug sneered.
"This punk's lying? Reservation-only spot, and you 'shared'?"
Another chuckled.
"Scared shitless, ditching his girl."
Lee Tae-ho panicked.
"No, that's not—"
Jackal barked,
"What're you waiting for? Bring him."
"Boss, he's trash."
"Perfect. He'll listen."
Na Gang-in worked on the bomb.
"If this blows and breaks my fingers, I'm blaming you."
Na Gang-in paused.
"Disarm progress?"
"Good enough. Close the lid."
Na Gang-in replaced the cover and slipped into the fifth-floor hallway beside the stairs.
The fire door between hallway and stairs stood wide open.
Moments later, five men descended from above. Four wore face masks.
One midway down the stairs said,
"From here, follow my lead. Step wrong, and your foot's gone."
Lee Tae-ho asked in a trembling voice,
"Look, I'm just a civilian. Why pick me...?"
"Picked you 'cause you're that actress's boyfriend. Do what we say outside. Lie or run, she dies. Got it?"
"But Eun-ha's not my—"
"Doesn't matter. Anyone can speak for us. Just say what we tell you."
"Got it. But..."
Lee Tae-ho glanced at the bill and asked,
"I go first?"
"Obviously. If the trap's faulty, better your ankle than mine."
"No, I mean..."
"Don't want a bullet? Lead."
Lee Tae-ho stepped down, terrified.
Na Gang-in asked,
"Yeah. Why's President Lee here?"
"Why do they think Eun-ha's his girlfriend?"
Shin Eun-ha had gone up to secure a table at the seventh-floor restaurant, then lost contact.
Lee Tae-ho owed Na Gang-in big time.
"Eun-ha must've asked to join him. Only way to get a seat."
Na Gang-in didn't know if the restaurant allowed sharing. But for now, he assumed.
"Huff... huff."
Lee Tae-ho reached the bottom stair, panting. No explosion. Relief washed over him.
"Phew. Still alive."
The open door and hallway loomed right beside the stairs.
From the hallway, Na Gang-in called out,
"Hey? Isn't that President Lee?"
Lee Tae-ho whipped his head around, eyes widening.
"Huh?"
From the stairs, Na Gang-in in the hallway was invisible. The gunmen heard only his voice.
Na Gang-in said to Lee Tae-ho,
"President Lee, what's going on? Woke from a nap in the office—elevators down, no signal. Something happen?"
"W-Well..."