Chapter 74
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: Shadows of the Wolf
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"Yes, you're the newbie who just became a hero?"
"Yes."
"...Damn it, it's an important case..."
Seoul Gangnam Police Station.
The man who introduced himself as the head of the Violent Crimes Unit let out a sigh, his face twisted in a frown.
Rather than sighing at me, it felt like his frustration was directed at the Hero Association that had sent me here.
"Sorry for the sigh. It's just that this is dangerous work, and I can't wrap my head around them sending a hero who's barely started..."
"No, it's fine."
Dangerous work.
I'd expected as much.
Violent Crimes Unit.
I didn't know much about police structure, but I knew they handled serious crimes—murders, assaults, drugs, that sort of thing.
And in the hero world, villains were probably involved in most of those cases, making it even riskier.
No wonder they were worried about handing it to a rookie hero.
Plus, most of the unit were regular people without hero powers, so they desperately needed hero backup.
With me, a brand-new hero, showing up, their worries must be off the charts.
I figured that reaction was perfectly normal.
"A-anyway... please take good care of things. Fill this out, and I'll brief you on the case later. We'll regroup after lunch at 2 PM."
He handed me a form and hurried off somewhere.
Everyone else in the unit looked busy too.
12 PM.
Lunchtime, but not a single person budged from their seats.
Seeing them all working so diligently was admirable, but it also cast a heavy pall over the room.
The Violent Crimes Unit being this swamped was never good news.
The form just needed basic personal info.
Name, resident registration number, address, phone, hero rank.
Nothing complicated, so I filled it out without hesitation.
Finished quickly, and since it was lunchtime anyway, I took a slow look around.
It was a strange feeling.
When else would I get a chance to tour a police station like this?
Spacing out as I glanced around, I spotted a room labeled "Interrogation Room."
"...Like in those movies?"
The place where they go one-on-one with suspects to wring out confessions or secrets.
Curiosity piqued, I peeked inside and was surprised to see a man sitting there.
Handcuffs on his wrists, eyes gleaming sharply.
He was on the small side, but that only sharpened his dagger-like aura.
A guy who gave off the vibe of a stiletto knife.
And on his neck, a massive wolf tattoo stood out boldly.
"..."
Part of me wanted to play detective and interrogate him like in the films, but that wasn't happening, so I just memorized his face.
Lots of eateries around the station, all packed.
With so many cops working here and the station being near a bustling district, it was unavoidable.
"But the crowd..."
Every place was jammed with people.
All of them had sharp builds and even sharper eyes.
Places popular with women, like Western or Japanese spots, were manageable.
But the soup joints and rice houses? One glance and you couldn't tell if it was a diner or a villain hideout.
I ended up picking a nearby burger spot.
An artisan burger joint boasting "Authentic American Mainland Flavor" in big, provocative letters.
Drawn in by the sign, I nearly choked on the prices.
They'd nailed the mainland prices too, apparently.
Still, in this world, I had plenty of cash to spare.
"One set, cola to drink."
"...Yes."
Short reply, but slurred.
Definitely Korean features.
"Authentic mainland," my ass—had the guy really lived in America?
The small shop was mostly empty inside.
A burly-looking foreigner, and one foreign couple.
I was the only Korean.
Probably because torching 30,000 won on a burger set wasn't everyone's idea of lunch.
"..."
I settled at an empty window seat and waited for my order.
That's when a sharp woman's voice cut through.
"Hey, what's with that Asian punk?"
"Lower your voice—look at his build. Total cop."
"That's why I'm speaking Russian. You think I'm scared of cops?"
"...Fair point."
"Don't get the wrong idea. I just don't want this place blowing up."
The couple's conversation flowed into my ears, naturally translated, but I played dumb.
Figured they'd keep talking if I did.
They sat face-to-face all cozy, so I'd assumed lovers, but it felt more like a secretive partnership.
I eyed their faint reflections in the window.
A woman with a razor-sharp bob cut, matching her voice.
"Gangnam side?"
"...Getting wrapped up."
"Getting?"
Not liking the man's answer, she scowled and crossed her legs.
Seductive legs.
The man across from them flinched at her shifting mood, looking spooked.
"You joking?"
"..."
"You begged and begged, so I even loaned you Brody. Right, Brody?"
At her icy words, the man bowed his head.
She beckoned, and the big foreigner by the door—Brody—nodded, casually blocking the entrance.
The man glanced back at the giant, his face draining to pale as he pleaded with her.
"Th-they suddenly teamed up, and those Violent Crimes cops sniffed it out..."
"Then take out the cops too."
She said it casually, munching fries.
Shocked, the man opened his mouth, then calmly tried reasoning.
"Do that, and we'll have every hero in the city on us, cops included..."
"Pfft, all low-rank A-Rank small fry anyway."
She had a point.
No S-Rank heroes in Korea yet.
...Saying that meant they were confident even A-Ranks couldn't touch them?
The more I heard, the more suspicion turned to certainty.
Obvious villains.
Foreign ones, too. A seriously heavy-hitting villain outfit.
I checked my inventory.
Three items inside.
Jungle sword, pricey necklace from somewhere, gold adornments from the last brothel.
I eyed the jungle sword, prepping to draw it.
"Your set and cola."
Right on cue, my food was ready.
I stood slowly, acting casual, and walked to the counter.
Step by step.
My footsteps echoed loudly in the suddenly silent shop.
A tense air hung thick.
Brody guarded the door, the foreign man cowered before the woman, and she stared daggers at me.
I passed her and reached the counter, where the slurring clerk handed over the burger set.
And on the wrapper:
'Please don't fight here. My family's in danger.'
Crooked handwriting, but clear enough.
"..."
In the end, I shelved the inventory idea, grabbed my food, and ate at the window seat.
Tasted great.
Finished up, and as I headed out, Brody subtly stepped aside.
In the process, I spotted a massive hand.
'Wolf.'
The wolf tattoo on it matched one I'd seen recently.
The guy in the interrogation room.
I glanced back at the woman.
Felt like we'd cross paths again.
True to what the boss had said, I made it back to the Violent Crimes Unit by 2 PM.
Everyone was dragging chairs up to a screen.
Didn't notice the screen there before.
"All filled out?"
I handed over the form.
The boss took it—the same one he'd given me—and nodded as he scanned it.
"Seonghan... lives nearby, hero rank... huh?!"
His finger froze on one spot as he checked each line.
He blurted it loud enough that every detective's eyes snapped to him.
"What's up?"
A guy prepping materials came over, peering at the paper then me, back and forth.
"...A-Rank...?"
"Yes."
"Didn't you say he just became a hero..."
"...They finally sent a proper one this time..."
The boss grumbled half-heartedly, then neatly set the paper on his desk.
His expression brightened a bit.
"...Alright, briefing."
At his word, everyone took seats.
I grabbed one at the back.
The guy who'd been next to the boss earlier, equally shocked at my rank, kicked things off.
"The international crime syndicate Wolf, rapidly expanding in the US and Russia lately, has now stretched its paws to Japan and Korea."
A wolf-emblem image popped up on the screen.
A wolf design I'd seen before.
"Execs all sport wolf tattoos. The Alan we nabbed has a big one on his neck."
The interrogation room guy.
"From grilling Alan, they've already muscled out or absorbed a ton of local crime groups. They're no small fry now."
"...Already? What about the old gangs like Guhap or Dobong? Weren't those A-Rank villains?"
"We're suspecting... maybe an S-Rank villain showed up."
A familiar face appeared on the presentation screen.
"These are Wolf's affiliated S-Rank villains."
Four photos.
My eyes locked on the first two.
Brody with the wolf tattoo on his hand, and the woman from the burger joint.
"Bella."
I murmured the name, etching it into my mind.