Unlike its image as a developed country, Japan often handles administrative matters haphazardly. As a result, it's known as the land of identity laundering, attracting many criminals seeking new identities.

Mo Chang-gwi also chose Japan for wrist surgery and identity laundering.

Osaka, Japan.

The Japanese police's Violent Crimes Unit office resembled a Korean major crimes unit office from the 2000s.

Local police and the Violent Crimes Special Investigation Unit were gathered together in one place.

Due to the many blind spots in Japan's CCTV and black box systems, unlike Korea, it was difficult to track suspects. That’s why the Japanese police agreed to a joint investigation when the Violent Crimes Special Investigation Unit offered to provide information on the suspect.

“...So we went to look for a hospital that performs reattachment surgery.”

At Shin Haesu’s explanation, one of the Japanese officers let out a dry chuckle.

“Ha, seriously... When I heard Korean police rushed over here, I thought it must be something major, but to hear such absurd nonsense...”

He pointed to his wrist with his index finger and continued.

“If what you’re saying is true, how do you explain the fact that he killed the doctor immediately after surgery? And come on, he’s not a robot. You don’t just stick a hand on and have it work fine.”

Mo Chang-gwi killed the doctor after the surgery, destroyed the hospital's CCTV, killed a nurse, and then fled the hospital.

Even if the CCTV had been disabled before the surgery, it was hard to believe that someone who had just undergone an operation could move the way he did, so the Japanese police’s reaction was understandable.

But that was only true from an average person’s perspective—Mo Chang-gwi was no average person.

“He’s a vicious criminal who killed six strong gang members even with four broken ribs and a fractured leg. We must not underestimate his abilities.”

At Haesu’s serious tone, the Japanese team leader frowned, turned around, and addressed his team members.

“All right, even if it’s hard to believe that fat Korean officer, as police, we can’t ignore even the smallest suspicion. Whether he’s a psycho who left the hand of someone he killed elsewhere at the crime scene, or whether that Korean’s story is true, no one knows. We'll include it in our investigation scope and track both angles. Got it?”

“We’re short on manpower for that.”

“The Korean police are here—let’s leave it to them.”

The team leader nodded, seemingly satisfied with the result.

“Good. If you get even the smallest lead, share it. Understood?”

“Got it, pot-bellied team leader.”

“Pfft—”

“Hehe!”

The interpreter didn’t translate that last comment, but from the looks and smirks of the local officers, the team leader understood what was said.

“These punks are making me want to lose weight all the way over in Japan. Just you wait—I'm shedding this belly so I don’t become a laughingstock.”

“Boss, we’re still overwhelmingly average-sized compared to them. Hang in there.”

“Damn it, I must be dragging down the average hard.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

While the two bantered, Haesu stood with a serious expression, deep in thought about Mo Chang-gwi.

“Where could Mo Chang-gwi have gone? Is he hiding to recover? Or is he already roaming the streets for identity laundering?”

“Right, this isn’t the time to be joking around. We're dealing with Mo Chang-gwi.”

The youngest, Woo Kang-chul, had never met Mo Chang-gwi. So, you might think he didn’t know how terrifying Mo Chang-gwi was—but he’d heard too much recently.

Especially the way his senior, Shin Haesu—who he considered the strongest person alive—couldn’t stay calm and looked nervous left a strong impression on him.

Imagination often surpasses reality. In Kang-chul’s mind, Mo Chang-gwi had already become a monstrous being.

Following Haesu’s lead, he made a serious suggestion.

“I don’t think Mo Chang-gwi is going to stay put. Whether for identity laundering or money, I doubt he’ll go into hiding to recover.”

Only Haesu nodded emphatically in agreement with the youngest’s comment.

“Hmm... Makes sense, definitely...”

Just then, one of the local senior detectives approached and said,

“Are you planning to stay here? Don’t Korean cops go out into the field? All you’re doing is chatting in the office.”

They were being kicked out. Team Leader Kwak frowned, pushed past the senior officer, and approached the opposing team leader.

“Fine, we’ll go out and search, but give us guns. You can’t catch this bastard without firearms.”

But the Japanese team leader shrugged.

“That’s not within our authority. The higher-ups didn’t approve your firearms permit, so there’s nothing I can do.”

The biggest officer among them leaned against a desk, mocking them.

“If what you’re saying is true, he’s just a cripple with a busted hand. Can’t catch someone like that? Are those muscles for show? Just for impressing women?”

“Nah, they’re for ripping your damn mouth open.”

Oh Gaeng cracked his knuckles and started toward him, but the youngest and Haesu quickly held him back.

And just like that, the Violent Crimes Special Investigation Unit was kicked out of headquarters with only minimal information.

After they left, the local team leader gathered his team and spoke in a low voice.

“From now on, don’t share any intel with those guys. I’ll toss them scraps now and then, but you keep doing what you’ve been doing. Understood?”

“Of course. That was the plan anyway. No need to listen to nonsense.”

“Good. Then scatter—”

Beep-beep-beep, beep-beep-beep—

At that moment, the office phone rang loudly. The youngest team member rushed over to answer it.

“…Yes, yes, a murder case? A witness called? But the suspect’s hand looked like a doll’s… like it was cut and reattached?!”

The youngest turned to look at the rest of the team. The team members simultaneously widened their eyes as they looked back at him.

The call ended, and a moment of silence passed. The team leader spoke quietly.

“For now, this case stays between us. We're catching that bastard first. Get ready to move out!”

“Yes, sir!”

At the same time, in the Violent Crimes Special Investigation Unit’s van.

“…Ha, this is frustrating.”

“Exactly. It would be nice if we could at least get some help from the Intelligence Division.”

Oh Gaeng frowned as he stroked his chin and spoke up.

“Hey, do you really think those bastards will share info with us? Haesu, you seemed like you were talking to one of their team members earlier. Did you get anything?”

Shin Haesu slowly shook his head.

“They seemed very cautious, as if they were afraid of giving anything away. They barely spoke. I think we’ll have to catch him on our own.”

“This is bad. If they realized how serious this was, they wouldn’t be acting like that.”

Haesu quietly placed a hand on the youngest member’s shoulder.

“You have a spare phone, right?”

“Huh? Y-yes, senior. Here.”

Without questioning it, the youngest handed the spare phone to Haesu.

Haesu checked how much battery was left and then spoke while looking at the team leader, who seemed full of questions.

“We’ll need to do some wiretapping. Hey, kid, again—between us.”

“Yes, sir!”

Haesu called the spare phone using his own and, taking the device, headed toward the Violent Crimes Division’s office.

However, no one was at their desks anymore.

Haesu, with an interpreter in tow, asked another team.

“Where did these people go?”

“We don’t know either. With so little time, you think we keep track of all that? In Korea?”

Haesu furrowed his brow and approached Team’s desk. He picked up an extension phone and pressed redial.

- Yes, Situation Room.

Haesu sensed from the tone and atmosphere that it was the Situation Room and handed the receiver to the interpreter.

“Please ask them what incident was reported just now.”

“Yes, yes… Ah, we’re the Korean Cooperative Violent Crimes Team. We need to respond immediately. What incident did you just report to Violent Crimes Team?”

The Situation Room was flustered but slowly explained the reported details again.

Haesu’s expression twisted into a deep frown as he bolted out of the room. The interpreter, having heard the report, also rushed after him.

In the distance, seeing Haesu and the interpreter sprinting out, the Violent Crimes Special Investigation Unit members realized something urgent had happened. They immediately opened the van door and started the engine.

Rrrrnnn—

As soon as Haesu got into the van, he spoke without catching his breath.

“Kid, head to this address.”

The youngest quickly took the phone, looked up the location in the GPS, and stepped on the gas. Haesu then looked at the team leader and explained the situation.

“A murder was just reported. The victim is a former yakuza, now selling fake IDs. A witness saw someone whose wrist looked like it was cut and reattached, like a doll.”

“That’s Mo Chang-gwi.”

“These fuckers… pulling this shit right from the start?”

VROOOM!

Realizing the gravity of the situation, the youngest member stepped harder on the accelerator.

At the same time, in a rundown area on the outskirts of the city.

Narrow alleyways were everywhere, and streetlights were sparse, making the whole neighborhood dark and gloomy.

The local Violent Crimes Team had already arrived at the crime scene.

In the basement of the darkest and most secluded spot, a man lay dead, slumped over a desk.

One detective examined his neck.

“Shallow cut. Just sliced the carotid artery.”

“Why’d he mess up the face like that?”

“Looks like he mutilated the face first before killing him. Judging from the dried skin.”

The team leader turned to a boy crouching in the corner.

“How did you happen to see it?”

“I didn’t see the killing, but I saw someone walking out with a bloody knife.”

“Ah… what did he look like?”

“He looked like… someone smart. Like a good student.”

“I see. Were his hands working normally?”

The boy shook his head.

“I didn’t notice that much.”

“Ah, right.”

The boy rotated both hands as he continued.

“The knife was wrapped around his wrist. With blue tape.”

“Blue tape….”

The team leader’s face twisted unpleasantly.

The Korean detectives were right. He couldn’t use his hands, so he taped the knife to his wrist and went around killing people.

“This bastard really isn’t normal… Which way did he go?”

“That way. He was limping, so he couldn’t have gone far.”

“Got it. We’ll reward you later. Let’s go!”

Violent Crimes Team all rushed in the direction the boy pointed. But they didn’t notice the boy’s trembling fingers and eyes.

Moments later, a dark figure slowly emerged from the shadows. He gently wrapped both hands around the boy’s neck and spoke in Japanese.

“Well done. As promised, I’ll give you one hour. Run as far as you can.”

The boy trembled violently, unable to say a word.

Mo Chang-gwi lightly pushed the boy’s back.

“Time’s ticking. If you want to live, run, kid.”

Tap tap tap tap, tatatatak—

The boy, barely able to put strength into his legs, climbed the stairs one step at a time, and only after passing through the basement door did he finally run away in a dash.

Mo Chang-gwi raised his arm and looked at his new hand. It was said that when attaching someone else's hand, eight out of ten would not function, one would necrotize, and one would move as if it were his own.

Now, it had only been a few days, but Mo Chang-gwi could already move two fingers. An extremely positive prognosis.

He moved forward, envisioning the extravagant life he would soon reclaim.

Screeeech—

Just then, before Mo Chang-gwi could open the door, the basement door opened first and a local detective appeared.

He was the biggest-built among the Team members. He widened his eyes at the sight of Mo Chang-gwi, then clenched his teeth when he looked down at his arms.

It wasn't just one wrist—on both wrists, sashimi knives were taped with blue duct tape. On top of that, he was wearing a short-sleeved shirt. It looked like he had no intention of hiding his crime.

“No wonder. I thought something was off. That kid kept glancing at the corner of the wall, like he was hiding a monster there.”

Mo Chang-gwi kept his eyes fixed on him as he backed down the stairs and asked,

“Did you come alone?”

“What the— You can speak Japanese too?”

“I was born here. It was one hell of a shitty life.”

“I see. Yeah, I’m alone. But not for long.”

The detective raised his gun at Mo Chang-gwi and pressed the walkie-talkie strapped to his shoulder.

“This is about that basement earlie—”

At that moment, Mo Chang-gwi lunged like a bullet. The sashimi knife fixed to his wrist slashed through the detective’s gun hand and elbow, and finally pierced through his neck.

Slice slice—squelch—

Then he locked the detective’s arm in his armpit and wrenched it hard.

Clatter.

The gun fell to the ground, and the detective, glaring at Mo Chang-gwi, slowly collapsed.

Chang-gwi kicked him down the basement stairs. He stared silently at the gun on the ground, then nudged it with his foot.

-Senior, where are you?

-Why aren’t you answering? Where are you? Was it the basement?

Crack!

Mo Chang-gwi grinned and stomped on the walkie-talkie, crushing it.

In a narrow alleyway, the members of Violent Crimes Team were heading back to the basement.

The team leader, low on stamina, was trailing at the very back.

“Huff, huff, damn, did we really come this far?”

As the team leader bent over, gasping for breath, a shadow fell over him.

Thinking it was a teammate checking on him, he didn’t even look up and waved his hand, gesturing for them to go on ahead. Catching the bastard was the priority.

Slash—

Suddenly, his hand burned as if seared. When he looked up, blood was pouring from a severed artery. Looking ahead, he saw the very man shown in the Korean police's photo grinning down at him.

“Hello?”

Slice—squelch—

A long bloodline formed across the team leader’s neck.

Mo Chang-gwi didn’t even look back at the collapsing leader and bolted in the direction the other team members had gone. The team leader reached out his hand toward Mo Chang-gwi’s back before slowly closing his eyes.

Tak tak tak tak—

Already familiar with the shortcut, Mo Chang-gwi quickly closed the distance and soon spotted one team member’s back, charging at him like a madman.

“Nice to see you, you bastard!!”

At the unfamiliar voice, the team member slightly slowed his pace and looked back. Right as Mo Chang-gwi’s knife was about to reach his neck—

Crash!!

The wooden door shattered, and someone tackled Mo Chang-gwi. He flew through the opposite door, crashed into a house interior, and was slammed against the wall.

Bang bang bang!!

Shin Haesu grabbed Mo Chang-gwi by the collar and spoke as he stared into his eyes.

“Nice to see you too, you fucker.”