The two-lane road—The taxi driver, being dragged by Shin Haesu, shouted furiously.

“Let go, let go! Can a South Korean police officer treat an innocent citizen like this?! You wrecked my car and beat me up! Everyone's recording this! You're going to be ruined when this video spreads!”

Bang!

Haesu slammed his palm onto the hood of the taxi. The loud sound startled the taxi driver, finally making him shut up.

“The dashcam is recording. What’s your number?”

“Why do you need my number…?”

“Number.”

“010…”

Haesu noted down the number on his phone and even called to confirm it.

“You’ll be contacted in a few days. I confirmed the dashcam is recording, so don’t tamper with it.”

He pulled out a business card and placed it in the taxi driver’s trembling hand, his face frozen in a mix of fear and confusion.

“Call me when you get your car fixed. I’ll cover all the costs. And don’t ever block an ambulance again. Next time, it won’t be your taxi—I might just run over you instead.”

Leaving behind his ominous threat, Haesu turned his back on the stunned taxi driver and walked toward his patrol car.

After dealing with the drunk disturbance case, Haesu returned to the station, where the team leader called him over.

“Sergeant Shin! You rammed a taxi?”

“Yes, I’ll cover the costs for both the patrol car and the taxi out of my own pocket. Has the taxi driver contacted you?”

“No, but the ambulance crew did. The patient was in critical condition, and thanks to you, they arrived on time. They wanted to thank you. Good work.”

“Ah… No, sir. You too.”

After handling a few more drunk disturbance cases, their shift was finally coming to an end. It was almost 1 AM, the time for their shift change.

As they pulled into the station's parking lot, Officer Lim, now relaxed, let out a long yawn and quickly covered her mouth.

“Ah, sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“Haha, come to think of it, I’ve never seen you yawn, Sergeant Shin. Are you a RoboCop?”

That word hit Haesu like a trauma. He gave a small, faint smile and shook his head. With all the work today, even he looked a bit exhausted.

“I do yawn. At home.”

“See? RoboCop.”

“I don’t like RoboCop.”

“Ah, my bad. Oh, we’re almost done. Today was insanely busy.”

Haesu’s face stiffened slightly at her words.

“You shouldn’t say that before the shift change…”

-Huff, huff! This is Unit 201! Mass brawl at Dying Night! There are a ton of them, and they’re slashing wildly with knives!

Unit 201 was from the Violent Crimes Division of the Gangjin Police Station. The urgency in their voice suggested they were calling from the scene.

-This is Unit 101. All available patrol units, respond to Dying Night immediately.

-Unit 111 responding.

-Unit 114 responding.

-Unit 115 responding.

Dying Night was under the jurisdiction of the Western Precinct, so patrol cars from that area were dispatched first.

Haesu exchanged glances with Officer Lim and then picked up the radio.

“Unit 104 responding. Officer Lim, go upstairs and grab your stab-proof vest. Talk to the team leader and get a firearm.”

“Y-yes, sir!”

Sensing the gravity of the situation, Officer Lim straightened up, shouted in response, and sprinted up to the second floor.

Haesu went to his patrol car and took out the stab-proof vest he had stored in the trunk, putting it on.

On the way to the scene—

The car was filled with a heavy silence, only interrupted by the occasional radio reports of arriving officers.

Officer Lim gripped her uniform tightly and swallowed nervously.

“Is this your first time at a knife fight scene?”

“Yes… They always left me out because I’m a female officer. It made me feel really worthless. I’m scared, but… Thank you for bringing me.”

Haesu gave a small nod and kept his eyes on the road as he spoke.

“It’s not just female officers. Except for detectives, most officers only deal with already subdued suspects. Once we get there, just cuff the ones the detectives have already restrained. If someone with bloodlust in their eyes charges at you, don’t hesitate—shoot them in the thigh.”

“…Yes, sir. Understood.”

Her hesitant response made Haesu glance at her. His gaze was sharp and piercing.

“If you hesitate, you’ll end up dead. Get your head straight.”

“Yes, sir!”

Just then, they arrived at Dying Night. The stench of blood hit them the moment they stepped out.

Haesu’s eyes darkened as he took the lead.

“Let’s go.”

Inside Dying Night, a black mass of people was tangled in a vicious knife fight.

Blood splattered everywhere, and fingers, severed from their owners, rolled across the floor.

At both the front and back entrances stood two distinct groups, as separate as oil and water—the detectives of the Violent Crimes Division.

Gangjin Violent Crimes Divisions 1 and 3, along with Detective Units 1 and 2, had all gathered, but even with their numbers, there were fewer than twenty of them. Meanwhile, the fighters in the club numbered over sixty—completely outmatched.

“Hey, you bastards, stop!!”

Bang!!

A warning shot was fired at the ceiling, making them flinch for a moment. But as soon as a knife was swung at them again, they had no choice but to keep fighting.

“Look at them! Their eyes are completely gone. Go break them up!”

“I just tried to grab one, and he stabbed me in the shoulder. Oh, fuck—!”

“I’m restraining them!”

The sharp-eyed detective, nicknamed Ogre, was pulling people out one by one and subduing them.

The gangsters were smart enough to recognize the detectives and avoided attacking them directly. If they did, the police would have justification to shoot. But that made it even more difficult to handle.

The most dangerous moment in a knife fight between two gangs is trying to break them up. If you step in, their instinctive reaction is to swing the knife.

For that reason, apart from Ogre, who was the strongest among the Violent Crimes detectives, the others were struggling.

“These bastards—are they all high on something? Killing people right in front of the cops?!”

Even the most seasoned detectives found it difficult to throw themselves into the chaos of flying knives and spurting blood.

-Unit 115 on site.

-Unit 111 on site.

“The moment you arrive, get in immediately! We’re short on people!”

As uniformed officers rushed in, they hesitated at the sight of the brutal fight.

“Ugh…!”

Some slipped and fell the moment they stepped in, landing in pools of blood.

-Unit 104 on site, entering.

The detectives sighed at the sight of uniformed officers slipping.

“Damn it, they’re no help at all.”

“Catching these guys is our job, not theirs. Should we just request reinforcements from the main Violent Crimes Division?”

“By the time they arrive! These guys will all be dead!”

Oh Gaeng shouted while restraining another gang member. He wanted to urge the other detectives to make more arrests, but since their lives were at stake, he couldn’t force them.

“Damn it, should we just shoot them all?”

Just as the leader of Violent Crimes Unit 1 was contemplating, there was a stir at the back entrance. The reason? A single officer had stepped deep into the crowd of dark-clad gangsters.

‘A uniformed officer?’

Step, step, stomp.

Following right behind Shin Haesu through the nightclub’s back door, Officer Lim felt a chill crawl up her spine the moment she set foot on the last step. Her entire body froze.

It wasn’t just because of the overwhelming stench of blood or the severed fingers rolling around on the floor.

‘A murderous aura…’

The chilling, suffocating energy that fills a room when someone is absolutely determined to kill—it was so thick here that it felt like it was freezing her heart.

It wasn’t just one person. Dozens of them were swinging their blades, each intent on taking another’s life. It was a truly terrifying sight.

“Officer Lim, Officer Lim!”

“Yes!”

She responded reflexively, snapping out of her trance. Her field of vision suddenly widened, and she could finally take in the entire scene.

“Get a grip. Don’t follow me. Stay here and wait with the other officers.”

“What? No, I can—”

She couldn’t even finish her sentence. It wasn’t just her—none of the other male officers could bring themselves to approach the blood-soaked gangsters.

But she couldn’t just leave her partner to face this alone. Clenching her teeth, she forced herself to take slow, deliberate steps forward, following Haesu.

‘He doesn’t even have a gun… What the hell is he planning to do?’

Haesu wasn’t holding a gun or even a baton. The only thing he had on were a pair of anti-stab gloves. And yet, he strode fearlessly toward the gangsters who were wildly swinging their knives.

“What the fuck?!”

A man in the middle of stabbing his enemy instinctively swung his knife at Haesu as he approached. His eyes, filled with frenzied madness, showed no signs of stopping.

There was only one way to put an end to this insane blade fight.

Snap.

Haesu trapped the man’s knife-wielding arm under his armpit and twisted his wrist.

“Aagh!”

Even with his wrist broken, the man refused to let go of his knife. His survival instincts told him that dropping his weapon meant certain death.

“Die!”

Another gangster swung a hatchet at Haesu’s head.

Haesu yanked the man he was holding backward to avoid the hatchet, then kicked the attacker in the chest to create distance. At the same time, he wrenched the arm of the first man.

Crack!

“Aaaaagh!”

A much louder scream echoed through the air. The man’s arm was bent at an unnatural angle. The inside of his elbow jutted outward like an elbow joint, his flesh torn open, revealing white bone.

Only then did the man finally drop his knife.

Haesu shoved the now unarmed gangster toward the officers behind him and moved on to his next target.

The officers immediately rushed in to slap handcuffs on the man Haesu had tossed their way.

Officer Lim was just as shocked watching Haesu as she had been upon first stepping into this massacre.

Haesu’s actions were simple. If an opponent attacked—

“Hyaaah!”

Snap.

He would grab their weapon or arm—

Crack.

“Aaaagh!”

And twist.

He never hesitated. He twisted until bones popped out, tendons snapped, and arteries were severed, rendering his opponent temporarily useless before shoving them toward the officers.

Like tossing prey to a pack of wolves.

“Who… Who is that guy?”

“He’s crazy. He’s got no fear.”

“That’s brutal…”

The officers watching muttered their thoughts.

Then, Haesu changed his tactics.

‘There are too many of them. I need to be faster…’

Breaking limbs took too long and left him open to attacks. His shoulders were already a mess.

It was better to knock them down quickly, even if they weren’t completely incapacitated.

Haesu clenched his right fist tightly.

Snap.

“Hey.”

A gangster turned around at the sudden grip on his shoulder and swung his hatchet without hesitation.

Haesu raised his guard, blocking the strike before driving his fist forward.

Thud.

The gangster staggered as Haesu’s punch landed squarely on his nose.

Before he could recover, Haesu swung again.

Smack!

The punch struck his jaw, and the gangster’s eyes rolled back as he collapsed.

At that moment, another gangster dashed forward, aiming to stab the fallen man’s neck.

Haesu intercepted him with an uppercut.

Bam!

The force of the punch lifted the man three centimeters off the ground before he crashed down face-first.

Thud, thud! Boom!

As soon as Haesu started throwing punches instead of using submission techniques, the number of unconscious gangsters increased dramatically.

Officer Lim stared, slack-jawed, at the trail of bodies Haesu left in his wake.

‘I’ve been working with a monster all this time…’

The members of Violent Crimes Unit 1 couldn’t hide their astonishment as they watched the uniformed officer bulldoze his way through the battlefield.

Other officers trailed behind him, diligently handcuffing the incapacitated gangsters.

“Who is that?”

“Who the hell is he? He’s keeping up with Oh Gaeng! Maybe even better?”

“That detective—no, that sergeant! He’s ranked number one in arrests this month! Shin Haesu!”

Oh Kang-seok, a detective with sharp eyes, twisted a gangster’s arm before glancing at the uniformed officer.

‘That looks familiar… Shin Haesu, Shin Haesu… Former detective at Naeju Police Station…’

“Ah! I remember now.”

“Remember what?!”

“The Physical therapist! Sergeant Shin is the physical therapist!”

“Physical therapist” was a nickname given to him by gangsters. If he got his hands on you, you were guaranteed to leave with permanent damage.

Because of this, rumors spread that whenever he was on-site, some criminals would surrender without resistance to avoid his “treatment.”

Oh Kang-seok had seen this before during a joint investigation with Naeju Police Station and had finally recalled it.

‘Yeah, I didn’t know his name back then, but it’s definitely him.’