Police vs. Firefighters (7)
The day before the Police-Fire War.
As usual, I went into the training room with Na Sang-min for some special training.
“Lee Ji-jun’s sitting this one out, huh?”
“That’s right.”
Lee Ji-jun was an Awakened who used blood as his ability. Hunters who handled mana through the body were required to get regular health checkups.
It’s been a while since it was just me and Na Sang-min training together.
Before the real session started, I loosened up. Na Sang-min stretched his legs in a split with his usual unnatural flexibility, and I worked my joints like I was oiling hinges.
“What’re you doing tomorrow, Choi Yongki?”
I froze at the sudden question.
Tomorrow is...
The day of the Police-Fire War. The day of the final battle.
“I took the day off.”
“Doing what?”
Na Sang-min pressed harder than usual, almost annoyingly so.
Wait. Did he figure something out?
Impossible.
Na Sang-min couldn’t see the future, and he had never once come face-to-face with me while I was wearing a purple mask.
Must just be my imagination.
For a moment, a subtle tension hung in the air. Forgetting about the fact that I was planning to take part in the Police-Fire War, I had to make sure he didn’t catch on that I was the Purple Devil.
I shrugged and played dumb.
“I’m going to a club.”
“What? You go to clubs, Choi Yongki?”
“Of course. I even went to Red Moon with Lee Ji-jun once.”
Na Sang-min looked genuinely surprised.
“Lee Ji-jun, sure, but you...? That’s... unexpected.”
“What, did you think I’d never even talk to women?”
“Yeah. Thought you’d live your whole life as a lonely old bachelor, then die sick and miserable.”
...What the hell.
Is this déjà vu? Or are these two in on some kind of elaborate scheme together?
I decided to take his words with a grain of salt and figure out what he was really after.
“Anyway, why do you ask? Something happening tomorrow?”
“Nothing major. You saw the notice, right? About that thing at Gwanghwamun.”
This morning, a notice had gone out to the entire Dio Guild. It said that the Fire Protest would be held tomorrow, and that unless a Gate opened, all affiliated hunters were forbidden from entering Gwanghwamun.
Na Sang-min rubbed his chin and muttered, “Hmm. The Dio Guild Chairman’s call, huh?”
It was, of course, my order.
If hunters went to a place where a conflict was likely to break out, the odds of getting dragged into it were high. I’d issued the directive to cut off that possibility before it started.
Unexpected.
Na Sang-min always looked like he couldn’t be bothered with anything, but in truth he was the kind of man who kept a sharp eye on the world around him.
“Even so, people might have business in Gwanghwamun. Who the hell are they to tell us not to go? I don’t like it.”
Only then did I understand the point of his questions.
He wants to talk about me and the Fire Protest.
That worked out nicely.
“Na Hunter, whose side are you on? The police? Or the firefighters?”
“Hah. You a kid? Why the hell would I pick a side? I’m on nobody’s side.”
That sounded exactly like Na Sang-min.
Still, he looked like he had something else he wanted to say, so I threw the question back at him.
“What about you, Na Hunter? What’re you doing tomorrow?”
“I took the day off too.”
“Oh? Really? Want to go clubbing with me?”
“No.”
Na Sang-min’s face darkened.
“Stay home tomorrow if you can. Something’s off. Something’s definitely going to happen.”
Unlike me, who carried the memories of a past life, Na Sang-min didn’t know the future. He couldn’t have predicted the exact catastrophe that the Police-Fire War would unleash, and yet he was still an S-class hunter. Based on everything he’d experienced, he had likely sensed that something foul was coming.
“Na Hunter, what do you think about hypocrisy?”
“What the hell are you talking about all of a sudden?”
In the Police-Fire War, there was no clear-cut way to label one side as righteous and the other as evil. The firefighters had organized their rally for peace, but once the struggle turned violent, they had the nerve to take up weapons. As human affairs always went, justice was usually whatever the victor decided to call it.
Of course, I had already chosen which side I would stand on.
“Jin Harang told me something like that. That even hypocrisy can be good.”
“Who the hell is Jin Harang?”
“The youngest on our team.”
For some reason, I was curious. I wanted to know where Na Sang-min’s convictions truly led.
“Hah. Hypocrisy is hypocrisy, what the hell else would it be?”
Na Sang-min grumbled, but his eyes were cold and sharp.
“Good or evil. What matters more is having the power to judge it.”
Interesting.
That’s so like him.
Na Sang-min kicked his spear into the air and caught it in his hand.
“Enough bullshit. Let’s start.”
I snorted, brushed my hands off, and stood up.
“Yes, sir!”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The next dawn, I headed to the Incheon Industrial Complex early.
“Waaow. Dajang. So cool.”
Once I was standing straight in the New Hero Suit, P5, Karki looked at me with admiration.
This model was made using Silver Dragon hide. It was the completed version that had been refined after the flaws in the suit I first wore against Go Pil-hun. It was light, durable, and resistant to shockwaves generated by mana.
The way it clings to my body feels great.
Karki clasped both hands together.
“Kya-hah! I made it, but it reaaally is amazing, yes?”
I gave him a thumbs-up as he praised himself.
“Dajang. Finally launching?”
I nodded.
The day of the Police-Fire War had arrived.
The TV I’d left on in the corner was chattering with the news.
“Karki. I’m leaving.”
“Dajang. Be careful. Oh, right, this.”
Karki held something out to me.
It was a key.
It even had a cute Purple Devil key ring attached.
“Whoa. You found this?”
“Yep! Old model, so it was super hard to get!”
“Thanks, Karki. You just helped me check one thing off my bucket list.”
“Too early to celebrate! Dajang. This way. Come on.”
Karki pointed toward the metal shutter.
I followed him out the door.
The motorcycle, gleaming in the sunlight, shone brilliantly.
Kawasaki Ninja H2.
The all-black body with purple accents looked gorgeous.
“Damn.”
I said exactly what I thought.
For reference, it was the same model Tom Cruise rode in Top Gun: Maverick. The scene of him racing down a vast runway on a Kawasaki Ninja H2 alongside a fighter jet was one of the most iconic in film history.
Karki patted the motorcycle lovingly.
“I test-drove it. If you hit the throttle wrong, you could’ve died, you know. Dajang, this thing is insanely fast.”
The Kawasaki Ninja H2 could reach a top speed of 400 kilometers per hour. At one point, it had even been named the fastest motorcycle in the world.
Though electric bikes are faster these days.
Electric motorcycles ran in silence.
For some reason, that just doesn’t feel romantic.
Karki picked up the full-face helmet resting on the seat.
“Dajang! Helmet!”
I took the bike jacket folded neatly beneath it, slipped on gloves, and put on the helmet.
My reflection in the factory window stared back at me.
I really do look like a ninja like this.
I swung onto the bike and started the engine.
Rumble!
A deep, sharp roar like a dragon’s howl shook the air.
“I’m off.”
“Yep! Dajang!”
Leaving Karki behind, I took off, and my body stretched forward as the bike surged ahead. It sliced through the resistance of the rough wind and shot down the road at full speed.
Shall I really open it up?
Unlike ordinary motorcycles, the Kawasaki Ninja H2 was equipped with a supercharger. It used compressed air to force more air into the engine, improving performance and boosting output.
And the result was...
This.
Vroooom! Vrooooom!!!
The bike accelerated with a sound like a cannon blast. I checked the dashboard.
The turbo kicked in at 6,000 rpm. It kicked in again at 7,000. Again at 8,000.
...
Finally, it reached 10,000 rpm.
By then, everything felt distant. It was as if I were being sucked into a single point. The sensation was similar to when I used Speeder’s Infinite Acceleration.
Karki had been right. The Kawasaki Ninja H2 was a savage, dangerous machine that could threaten the rider’s life.
One wrong move and I really could die.
No. Because of that, my heart pounded hard enough to burst.
This is exhilarating.
In my previous life, I had branded myself a loser and lived a life of resignation. That was why, in this one, I had decided to do everything I’d ever wanted to do.
Eat expensive meals.
Live in a good house.
Ride a high-performance motorcycle.
And, to my heart’s content...
Become a hero!
I tore through the dust and raced toward the battlefield.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
In front of Geunjeongjeon Hall inside Gyeongbokgung Palace.
Gyeongbokgung had been closed because of the Fire Protest.
There was a secret corps of 100 men who had sneaked over the wall and gathered in hiding.
“Everyone here?”
A man with slicked-back hair and a butterfly-shaped tattoo at the center of his forehead stepped forward.
His name was Ma Cheol-hui.
Within the Dark Alliance, each province except Seoul had its own senior officer. Ma Cheol-hui was the officer in charge of Gyeonggi Province.
His skill was on par with that of an S-class hunter.
Perched on Ma Cheol-hui’s shoulder was a crow-like monster with a long, curved beak: Bill Crow.
Ma Cheol-hui, who possessed Druid-type talent, radiated a sinister aura from head to toe, as if he were exuding the power of a curse.
“YES, SIR!!!”
The other ninety-nine elite operatives answered.
Ma Cheol-hui swept his sharp gaze over the crowd.
“Hey, you. Why the hell are you staggering around like that?”
“Ah, boss. I drank too much last night.”
The one he’d called out to stood there with a lazy lean, one leg cocked.
“What a piece of shit.”
With a gesture from Ma Cheol-hui, the Bill Crow on his shoulder took flight.
“Kraa!”
The monster cried out and extended its razor-sharp claws.
Then it swooped straight down and pecked at the top of the man’s head.
“Agh! S-sorry!”
The man, his scalp torn open and blood streaming down his face, hurriedly straightened up.
Having completed its task, Bill Crow returned to its master’s shoulder.
Ma Cheol-hui raised his voice.
“Today, you are not the Dark Alliance.
The people gathered here wore black vests and combat boots. At a glance, they looked like riot police, but the truth was completely different.
They were all criminals with records of their own, not police officers participating in the Fire Protest.
“Our job is to crush those firefighter bastards into the ground. Got it?”
“YES, SIR!!!”
That was when it happened.
“Hey there. Who’re you lot?”
A security guard patrolling Gyeongbokgung spotted Ma Cheol-hui and the others.
He had originally been stationed near the entrance, but had come to check on the noise.
The guard approached.
“Who gave you permission to be here?”
“Tch. Talk about bad luck.”
Ma Cheol-hui frowned.
He remembered the order from Black Bear, the boss of the Dark Alliance.
Cheol-hui. Under no circumstances are you to be exposed.
If word got out that villains had intervened with police manpower, it would be disastrous. Unwittingly, the old guard had become a witness.
What do I do?
Ma Cheol-hui’s brow furrowed.
If things blew up later, this man might become a witness and testify that an unidentified group had gathered inside Gyeongbokgung before the Fire Protest.
“You people can’t just barge in here. Get out, right now.”
The guard pulled out his radio, as if he were about to contact someone.
“Ah, just a moment. There’s been a misunderstanding. We’re not suspicious people.”
“Then what are you?”
Ma Cheol-hui smiled like a friendly man, all the while thinking, What else? Same as always.
The corners of his mouth curled with a nasty grin.
“Not suspicious people... huh.”
He gestured once.
Bill Crow shot into the air and lunged at the guard.
This time, its beak stabbed straight into the guard’s eyes.
“Aaaagh!!!”
Bill Crow gouged out both of the guard’s eyeballs, wet and streaming.
Ma Cheol-hui shrugged.
“We’re pretty rotten people.”
The guard, now blind, could no longer see the villains.
Even so, the abuse was far from over.
“Hey. Take care of him.”
“Yes, sir!”
Five villains pulled out clubs and beat the guard.
The man was knocked unconscious, blood pouring from him.
“Boss. What should we do with him?”
“What do you think? Same as always.”
“Roger!”
The villains dragged the guard away.
Others took out shovels and started digging a hole. They meant to bury him alive.
Even as a human life withered away before their eyes, none of them so much as blinked. To them, this was as ordinary as breathing.
By the time they were done burying the guard in the ground...
“Well, that’s a grim sight.”
Someone else appeared in Geunjeongjeon.
It was a man with disheveled hair streaked with gray, a cross-eyed stare, and a modified hanbok.
His name was Han Gae-seok.
He was the Dark Alliance officer in charge of Gangwon Province.
His skill was on par with Ma Cheol-hui’s.
Ma Cheol-hui scowled.
“What, Gangwon? Why the hell are you here? Got nothing better to do?”
“Black Bear told me to come. Said to watch you and make sure you were doing your job.”
“...”
Ma Cheol-hui shut his mouth and glared at Han Gae-seok.
Han Gae-seok grinned and held his ground.
Black Bear was the boss of the Dark Alliance. Since this job couldn’t be botched, he had assigned another officer to keep watch.
Han Gae-seok said, “Don’t worry. As long as your side doesn’t screw up, I won’t have to step in.”
Originally, only the hundred villains of the Dark Alliance were supposed to participate in the rally. If a high-ranking villain got involved for no reason, the situation could spiral out of control.
Ma Cheol-hui was only there to command. He wouldn’t take the field himself.
“Screw up my ass. Go wash your feet and sleep if you want. I’ll handle everything.”
“Suit yourself.”
Leaving Han Gae-seok’s sneering face behind, Ma Cheol-hui stepped forward.
“All right, then.”
He pulled out a gas mask and slipped it on.
“Let’s go!”
The black-clad mob, masks on, lined up behind him and followed.