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Superintendent General Baek Sang-hyun, Director General of the Public Security Information Bureau at the National Police Agency.

He had been in a foul mood all morning.

The staff gathered in the conference room did nothing but walk on eggshells, none of them daring to speak to him.

Whoever spoke first would inevitably become the lightning rod for his wrath.

"This is absolutely disgraceful..."

Baek Sang-hyun's eyes narrowed, sharp as blades.

Who is he going to tear apart this time?

"Dog thieves stealing people's pets!"

A flinch.

"Kidnappers stealing newborn babies!"

A wince.

"Car thieves hotwiring vehicles in broad daylight!"

Every time Director Baek opened his mouth, the division chiefs felt their hearts shrink under the suffocating pressure.

"The entire metropolitan area is turning into a den of thieves, yet the top brass at headquarters do nothing but down drinks the moment they clock off, and spend their weekends hitting balls on green pastures. Is it fun?"

He hadn't named anyone specific, but how many people in this room could confidently say, Not me?

"Officer Min, who was promoted less than a month ago, is cutting back on sleep to chase down criminals, while you lot are obsessed with playing golf! Is it really that fun?!"

At the mention of Officer Min, the division chiefs slowly raised their heads.

Everything they had heard so far was the nagging the Commissioner General of the National Police Agency had unleashed during the executive meeting.

A dressing-down targeted not at mere superintendents, but at those holding the rank of superintendent general or higher.

Director Baek's next words, however, were his own thoughts.

"The Commissioner General is drying me out lately. Comparing me, a superintendent general, to a mere officer... I've never been so humiliated."

"Director, about that fellow the Commissioner General keeps praising to high heaven... there are quite a few suspicious things about him."

"What do you mean?"

"I heard he caught fifteen wanted fugitives in just three weeks."

"I know that. That's why he's getting praised."

"The problem is that absolutely no one around him knows how he's tracking them down."

"Surely his partner knows."

"They say he went out alone, without a partner."

"He arrested fifteen people all by himself?"

"Yes, sir."

"..."

Catching fifteen wanted fugitives in three weeks was unprecedented since the founding of the National Police Agency.

It was a record that would be difficult to achieve unless an entire detective division at a local precinct threw themselves into it.

"Come on, someone must have helped him. How could he do all that alone?"

"I was curious too, so I looked into it through various channels."

"And really, no one knows?"

"Yes, sir."

It was something worthy of praise.

If someone had helped him, it would be normal to brag about it.

Yet, the fact that no one knew anything?

"Is that even possible?"

"It should be impossible."

"But he did it, didn't he?"

"According to rumors, Detective Min has special informants providing him with intelligence."

"Informants? Every violent crimes detective has one or two snitches on their payroll."

"They say it's not on that level."

"Then what?"

"There is intelligence suggesting that a whole group of people operates under Detective Min's direct command. I heard the scale is massive."

"A detective running a private organization? What about the money? Operating a group of that size would require a massive amount of funding."

"I haven't been able to confirm that far..."

Since it was just hearsay, the details were incredibly thin.

"Either way, it's highly unusual for a second-year detective to achieve such results. It's just a guess, but could this be a plot by some subversive force trying to plant their own people inside the police?"

"If that's the case, it's a serious matter."

"Should we dig a little deeper?"

"How? By conducting inquiries? And risk starting a rumor that a superintendent general is digging into a junior officer's background out of petty jealousy? Are you trying to ruin me?"

"Oh, come now, Director. Your name will never be brought up."

"...Oh?"

"I heard the Internal Affairs inspector has so little to do lately that he watches streaming services during work hours. We should send an anonymous tip to give a bored man some work."

"So we initiate an internal investigation?"

Killing with a borrowed knife.

It was a rather elegant strategy.

If a detective guaranteed for promotion had moral issues, it was only right to correct them.

It was a necessary measure for the health of the police organization.

"Proceed."

The awl ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠poking through the pocket had finally pricked the nerves of the headquarters' top brass.

Arriving in front of the main building of Seongam Police Station, Team Leader Na Sangdo opened the envelope the chief had handed him.

"Gasp!"

Inside the envelope was a single check worth a hundred million won.

Team Leader Na could only gape, staring at me with his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"What is it?"

"H-Hundred..."

"Go ahead, speak."

"A hundred million. It's a hundred million won."

"..."

That was far too much money to spend on a team dinner.

Even though I had twenty billion won in my account, a hundred million was still a massive sum.

"What do we do?"

"What else? You have to report it to the chief first."

"I should, right?"

"Of course. It looks like the chief handed it over without checking it himself."

"Right. I'll call him right now."

Pulling out his phone, Team Leader Na looked as nervous as a thief who had just pocketed a haul.

"Ah, Chief, this is Team Leader Na. I'm calling because..."

Team Leader Na carefully explained that there was a hundred million won in the envelope.

The call didn't last very long.

As Team Leader Na blankly slipped his phone back ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠into his pocket, I asked him for the verdict.

"What did he say?"

"He told me to handle it myself."

"The whole hundred million?"

"Yeah. He said Representative Jin gave it as a token of gratitude for saving his only daughter, so whether I keep it all or split it evenly, he doesn't care. He just told me to make sure rumors don't spread."

"The chief is surprisingly generous."

"What should I do?"

"What do you mean?"

"Should we really split it evenly?"

Team Leader Na genuinely wanted my opinion.

"Team Leader."

"Yeah?"

"Are you not interested in a promotion anymore?"

"A promotion? Of course I am."

"And a man aiming for a promotion wants to pocket a hundred million won from a law firm representative just like that?"

"But the chief gave his permission."

"Has it occurred to you that this might be a test?"

"...!"

"If I were the chief, I'd see this as the perfect opportunity to test the integrity of someone up for promotion."

"So you're saying I should return it?"

"Well, that's for you to decide, Team Leader."

"Why are you suddenly playing the bystander? You're supposed to help me."

"I'll support whatever decision you make. I don't care if you keep it all to yourself."

"You want me to take all of this alone?"

"Yes."

Judging by his expression, this dilemma wasn't going to be resolved anytime soon.

"I need to make a quick call, so go on ahead."

It was time to call Cha Donbaek.

I wanted to check if the reward message I received at the hotel was related to the Avatar Registration service.

Team Leader Na muttered something behind my back, but I pretended not to hear, heading behind the main building to dial Cha Donbaek's number.

"Hello?"

—Hello, Director. I was actually just about to call you.

"You caught them, right?"

—Caught who?

"The wanted fugitives."

—Whoa! How did you know?

"I knew it."

My hunch was correct.

If Cha Donbaek, whom I had registered as a sub-avatar, captured a criminal, I would receive the reward!

And I still had four slots left for registration.

An auto-hunting system where rewards poured in as long as my avatars worked hard, even while I slept.

"This is great."

—Pardon?

"Ah, it's nothing. Where are you right now?"

—I'm at the foot of Mount Yudal in Gwangju.

"Mount Yudal?"

—The guy on Imja Island was caught quickly, so I figured I'd try to grab the one here at Mount Yudal too.

He was planning to catch two guys in a single day?

"You don't have to push yourself."

—Ayy, all I have to do is strip off my shirt a bit and they practically hand themselves over. What's there to push?

"You kept your promise not to use violence, right?"

—I'm a man of my word, Director. I caught him without touching a single hair on his head.

"Good. Where should we meet tonight?"

—Um, Director.

"Yes?"

—You must have had a grueling day at work. Why trouble yourself late into the night?

"Well, I have to take custody of them."

—They can be delivered.

"...Excuse me?"

—I'll have them delivered right to the front of the police station, so just keep your phone close, Director.

"Is that... really okay?"

—Of course it is. What isn't deliverable these days? Oh? I just spotted the second wanted guy. I'll call you back. Hey! Grab that bastard!

The call cut off with the sound of hurried footsteps.

And a moment later.

Ding.

The auto-hunting system was running without a break.

"I'm back. Did you have a good lunch?"

Inspector Choi Doyeong and Detective Park Inhyeok were still in the office, so I greeted them.

Inspector Choi put down the newspaper he was reading and looked up.

"Yeah. Did you eat too?"

"Yes."

"Did something good happen? You're grinning from ear to ear."

"Ah, the hotel food was just really good."

"Then why does that guy look like that? Didn't you two go to the hotel together?"

Sitting at his desk, Team Leader Na Sangdo was tearing at his thinning hair.

He seemed deeply troubled by the hundred million won meant for the team dinner.

"Maybe he's going through a midlife crisis."

"Are you sure the stock he bought the day before yesterday didn't drop again?"

"Team Leader, do you trade stocks?"

"He loses money the moment he buys. A living human indicator who miraculously targets only the absolute peaks. Just pretend you didn't hear."

"Ah, right."

I should just tell him to keep the hundred million for himself.

"By the way, did you see this article?"

"What is it?"

"A military police officer from the Special Warfare Command made a whistleblowing statement. The name Nam Junghmo, the guy we transferred to the Dangjin station a few days ago, is in it. Take a look."

I didn't even need to read it to know.

It was probably a press conference revealing that the weapon lost by the Special Warfare Command had nothing to do with Nam Junghmo.

Scanning the article quickly, it was exactly as I expected.

"In the end, the superiors kept their mouths shut, and only Sergeant First Class Hyeon Jubaek was forced to discharge."

Responsibility was always borne by those with a conscience.

Sergeant First Class Hyeon Jubaek might have eased his mind, but he had become unemployed overnight.

Leaving the military under such circumstances would make it difficult to find another job...

"By the way, where did the rookie go?"

"Detective Jeong? He went to escort a Filipino singer a while ago."

"A Filipino singer?"

"Was her name Jenny? She's a foreign singer who performs at night in Yuldo City. She came ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to us because she was too scared to go back to her lodging alone due to a persistent stalker."

"Why did she come here instead of going to the Yuldo precinct?"

"Apparently, the stalker is the son of a Yuldo City councilman. She reported it to the local patrol division and the precinct a few times, but they just let him off with a warning."

"As if city councilmen have any real clout these days. But she's a foreigner, so how did you communicate?"

"We didn't. You know my English is terrible."

"Then how did you talk to her?"

"I dumped it on the rookie."

"Detective Jeong speaks English?"

"He was fluent. I would've believed it if someone told me he was a native speaker."

"I guess the kid has some hidden talents."

"Anyway, he said he'd just make sure she packs her bags at her lodging and heads to the airport. He should be back soon."

If it hadn't been for the sudden lunch plans, I would have taken Detective Jeong Uijeong to the hospital.

If he had anger management issues, he needed to be admitted and treated immediately.

Before he caused an even bigger incident.

"But why is he so late?"

The rookie, who was supposed to return shortly, hadn't shown up even after 3 PM.

There was no call from him either.

"Maybe they hit it off? She was a real beauty."

Detective Park Inhyeok made another useless comment.

"Detective Jeong has better judgment than that."

"Oh, look at you. Defending your junior partner, are we?"

"It's not defending, it's just..."

Just then, the phone on Team Leader Na's desk rang loudly.

"This is Team Leader Na Sangdo of Seongam Violent Crimes Team 1. Hello?"

Regardless of whether the team leader was on the phone or not, Detective Park and I continued our playful bickering.

"Must be nice having a junior. The rest of us are just left out in the cold."

"If you're so jealous, why don't you become a senior partner yourself?"

"Will you give him to me if I ask nicely?"

"Anyone listening would think I stole him from you by force."

"Hey, shut up!"

The usually mild-mannered Team Leader Na suddenly roared, his face unfamiliar and grim.

Detective Park and I, who had been joking around, looked at each other and immediately shut our mouths.

Soon, only Team Leader Na's voice echoed clearly in the office.

"Go ahead. Yes, yes. He is a member of our team. Yes? Who killed whom? No, that can't be. Please check again. Is the name really Jeong Uijeong?"

Team Leader Na looked utterly shell-shocked by the caller's response.

Only long after the call had ended did he finally put down the receiver.

I hadn't heard the entire conversation, but if my ears weren't playing tricks on me, the call was about the rookie killing someone.

"Team Leader. That's not true, right? You're just playing a prank on us because we were being too loud, right?"

"..."

Team Leader Na's face slowly contorted.

There wasn't a trace of playfulness on it.