What an Ironic Coincidence (4)
Beep! Beep! Beep! Accompanied by the blaring siren, three large transport buses dispatched from the Light City Eastern Police Headquarters completely blocked the entrance to the narrow alley.
"Come on, no pushing—get on slowly! Hey, move it!"
The Black Snake Faction and Axe Faction members, who had been fighting like they wanted to kill each other just moments ago, were now lined up like salted fish and loaded onto the buses. The officers from headquarters controlled them with smiles plastered across their faces. Most of them couldn't believe the police had pulled off such a feat—their shoulders were practically floating up to the heavens.
"Officer, what's all this about?"
"Oh, here's the deal. The police launched a crackdown on organized crime this time. These guys were real scum—planning to rob a jewelry store..."
"Huh? The police? Not heroes?"
"You bet. When we cops set our minds to it, we get things done."
The officers handling crowd control latched onto any passerby showing the slightest curiosity, like a neighborhood auntie, and regaled them with tales of their exploits.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
The gangsters boarded the buses one by one in an orderly fashion.
"These punks are awfully docile for gangsters, huh?" one officer remarked, tilting his head.
"Yeah. The Hero Association said they were just small-time crooks they ignored anyway... Guess that's why. No killer instinct in their eyes."
"Back when I was stationed in the States, these guys would just pull guns from their waistbands if you so much as talked to them."
The white officer prattled on with his own war stories, but the criminals—cowed by the aura Black Flame had exuded earlier—stumbled onto the buses in a daze. Their eyes were glassy; it was clear they hadn't fully regained their senses.
"Oh, Trace! Great work out there."
At that moment, an elite detective from headquarters, who had come to oversee the scene, spotted Trace and bowed with shameless familiarity.
"I got the report. You and our rookie genius took down two whole organizations in one fell swoop? Even if they're just ordinary criminals plotting a jewelry heist, the citizens can finally sleep easy!"
"W-Well, that's..."
"As expected of an A-rank hero—a cut above the rest. Thanks to you, headquarters finally has some results to show. We can shut down all those prying eyes from other departments for once! Haha."
The detective had only heard that she'd subdued a fight between two gangs, so he naturally assumed Trace had crushed them with raw power. Plus, given her fame for information gathering, he figured her insight had been pivotal in uncovering their plans.
"N-No, that's not..."
"And our rookie! Kang Jin-ho! First time seeing your face. You've got a bright aura about you. Shake on it!"
Spotting Kang Jin-ho next, the detective approached amiably, shaking his hand and clapping his shoulder.
"Heard you topped police academy. Word's already spreading among us cops. Big things expected from you."
"...Thank you."
"Keep it up like this. You'll be at headquarters in no time—see you then."
"Sir! Time to go!"
"Right, on my way!"
With the buses loaded with officers and criminals departing, only a few patrol officers remained to manage the control line in the alley.
Trace, finally leaning against the wall for support, opened her mouth with a hollow expression.
"Black Flame just... turned back. Lucky break. No idea why, though. Everyone okay?"
Even as an A-rank hero, facing a Grade 1 villain head-on was a first for Trace. The overwhelming presence that had squeezed in from all sides. The terror of death that silenced even sound itself. No matter what she did, escape would have been impossible. The sheer powerlessness left her fingertips trembling faintly.
"Body's... fine."
"I'm good too~"
Unlike Trace, Kang Jin-ho and Park Eun-young seemed relatively unscathed.
"Officer Kang, weren't you scared when Black Flame showed up?"
"Terrified. Obviously. Honestly, thought I was gonna piss myself."
He said that, but Kang Jin-ho had actually held up decently. It wasn't that he wasn't scared. He'd just recognized the glass orb the Axe Faction boss pulled out as the "Black Flame Summon Orb" from the game the moment he saw it.
There was a world of difference between getting blindsided and bracing for impact.
The "Black Snake Faction Jewelry Store Robbery" was an event that had smacked Kang Jin-ho upside the head in the game. He'd thought it was a self-staged ploy, raided the Axe Faction, only for a Grade 1 villain to pop out and kidnap all the dispatched heroes in a insane twist.
Why let the boss smash the orb if he knew? Knowing its nature was weird enough, but he'd been greedy for the post-event karma reward.
Even if this incident blew up big, it'd only cost around 10,000 karma. To chip away at his 400 million+ karma, he needed to test what kind of reward repelling a Grade 1 villain would yield.
Plus, fumbling the orb snatch could let the boss escape, introducing new variables. Kang Jin-ho believed in the butterfly effect and didn't want his game knowledge to change.
So, what was his plan if the Grade 1 villain actually appeared? 'Eun-young's got it.'
He trusted Eun-young. With her intense interest in him, she'd repel Black Flame.
Both were Grade 1 villains, but there was a clear gap in caliber. And even if she didn't, Kang Jin-ho had a way to drive off Black Flame. Lucky he hadn't needed it.
Event resolved. Karma decreased by 8,000.
Repelled Grade 1 Villain. Karma... Error occurred.
Settling.
Kang Jin-ho sneaked peeks at his status window. Not only had he cleared this month's karma quota, but repelling the Grade 1 villain triggered extra rewards—a deep satisfaction washed over him.
"Whew."
Then Trace steadied herself against the wall, staggering upright. She gave a wry smile toward where the detective had stood.
"This case... I did nothing. I'll send a separate report to headquarters—exclude me from the credit."
"Pardon? No need to go that far..."
"No."
Trace looked Kang Jin-ho straight in the eye.
"Officer Kang Jin-ho orchestrated it from start to finish. You saw through their plans, baited them into self-destruction. I can't take credit for nothing."
"I'm really fine with it. If you feel indebted, just spread the word to your hero contacts. Tell them there's a capable patrol officer—if they've got tricky cases, feel free to consult."
"...Haha, nearly died to a Grade 1 villain minutes ago, and you're already eyeing the next case? Fearless... or impressive? Must be that police sense of duty."
Trace laughed heartily, grabbing Kang Jin-ho's arm and pulling him to a corner of the alley.
"Officer Kang. Or should I say, Jin-ho?"
"Yes?"
"I'll withdraw the scout offer. My caliber's still too low to have you as an assistant."
She shook her head, recalling his composure facing the Grade 1 villain and the cunning he'd shown toying with the gangsters.
"Once I grow enough to hit S-rank, I'll come scout you again. Don't refuse then."
"Sure, sounds good."
Kang Jin-ho nodded casually. By the time Trace reached S-rank, he might have dealt with Park Eun-young.
"Well, I'm off."
Trace vanished briskly into the alley's depths. Once her figure was out of sight...
"?!"
Kang Jin-ho immediately shielded his phone with his body. The alley was shrouded in too much darkness. This was Eun-young's domain.
Regardless, Trace's messages kept coming.
Kang Jin-ho fired off a curt reply, then powered off his phone. Stretching casually as if savoring the case's afterglow, he rolled his neck.
"Jin-ho?"
"Yes! You called?"
Park Eun-young's voice from behind, right on cue. Kang Jin-ho turned as naturally as possible.
"Mind if I ask you something?"
"Of course! Ask away!"
"You know."
Park Eun-young approached step by step, cornering him with a cat-like playful smile.
"You didn't expect Black Flame to show up, did you?"
"...Pardon?"
"Didn't see Black Flame coming here."
"..."
A pivotal moment. After racking his brain, Kang Jin-ho answered cautiously.
"I considered it a low possibility, but no certainty. Sorry I didn't warn you."
"Really?"
"Yep."
"Okay then. Let's head back and rest. Good work today~"
Eun-young turned leisurely and headed out of the alley.
"Whew."
Kang Jin-ho sighed in relief that she didn't press further. He'd been short on excuses if she'd dug in; lucky she let it slide.
Click.
Reaching the patrol car first, Eun-young checked her reflection in the side mirror. The face staring back beamed brightly.
"Heehee."
She thought: That guy's... just too much fun.