A large sofa factory an hour away from Gangjin City

Thanks to the active cooperation of the Kangsoi Gang, the location of Hook Gang's boss, Mo Chang-gwi, was quickly confirmed.

Despite his late departure, Shin Haesu arrived at the scene at the same time as Oh Kang-seok’s Violent Crimes Unit 1, which had called him in.

“We don’t know how many people are inside. The structure has three floors: first floor, second floor, and a basement. It’s quite spacious. There are three entrances—east, west, and north. We wait at the entrances and charge in at the same time upon radio signal. The team that finds Mo Chang-gwi first will report in. Don’t hold back on bullets—these bastards are insane.”

The other teams nodded at the orders given by the leader of Violent Crimes Unit 1. Then, the leader of Unit 2 spoke up.

“We also called in the riot police. They should be here soon. I told them to sync their radios, so once we go in, they’ll start surrounding the place.”

“Okay.”

Oh Kang-seok grabbed Haesu by the shoulder and pushed him toward Team 3.

“Sergeant Shin, move with Team 3.”

“Understood.”

Haesu also agreed that rather than sticking with Oh Kang-seok in Team 1, it was better to balance out the forces by supporting another team in this kind of operation.

Unlike the Dyne Night case, where two gangs were fighting each other, this was a direct assault on the headquarters where their boss was holed up. This was like cornering a rat—it was much more dangerous because these guys believed they had to kill to survive.

- Unit 201 in position.

- Unit 202 in position.

“Unit 203 in position.”

All three teams reached their designated spots, and the radio of Team 1’s leader came through.

- Okay, moving in. Let’s all make it out alive. Safety first.

- Unit 202, entering.

“Unit 203, entering.”

Team 3, including Haesu, consisted of five people in total. They entered through the north entrance at the back.

Ziiing… Boom… Ziiing… Boom…

As soon as they stepped inside, they heard the loud humming of heavy machinery. It seemed like the factory was still running despite the late hour.

Team 3 was assigned to search the second floor thoroughly.

Walking alongside Haesu, the youngest member of Team 3 rubbed his forearm and shivered.

“Ugh… this place is creepy…”

The numbers indicated that Violent Crimes Unit 1 usually handled the most dangerous cases. As a rookie, this officer wasn’t used to such intense crime scenes, and he was clearly scared.

Trying to shake off his fear, he glanced at Haesu’s broad shoulders and struck up a conversation.

“Sergeant Shin, are you married?”

It was a random question. Haesu shook his head.

“No.”

“I see… I’m getting married next month. My girlfriend—”

“Shh.”

Haesu urgently covered the rookie’s mouth. The younger officer jumped in surprise, eyes widening.

“Never talk about marriage, lovers, or kids in a Code Zero situation.”

“Y-yes, sir…”

The rookie nodded, looking flustered. Just then, the path split into two directions.

“You and Sergeant Shin go this way. The rookie and you, come with me.”

“Yes, sir.”

Haesu was paired with a detective in his late 30s and headed down the left path.

The detective, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped at a corner and pressed himself against the wall. He glanced at Haesu and raised two fingers before pointing inside.

Two men were up ahead. He could hear faint voices. The effectiveness of an ambush depended on how long the enemy remained unaware.

Haesu nodded, lowered his stance, and moved past the detective. Two men, likely Hook Gang members, stood facing each other, deep in conversation.

“…I got so pissed off, I cut that bastard’s wrist first, then ripped out his Achilles tendon.”

“Damn, that’s brutal. I wanna try—”

As Haesu crept to within five meters of them, one of the men sensed his presence and turned his head.

At the same time, Haesu lunged like a beast, covering one man’s mouth while striking his nape with a precise chop. The other man hastily pulled out a knife, but Haesu’s fist smashed into his nose first.

Thud—

“Guh—”

The sheer pain of his collapsed nose made him squeeze his eyes shut and stumble backward. A split second later, Haesu’s hook punch slammed into his jaw.

Crack!

With a sickening sound, the man crumpled to the floor like a puppet with cut strings. His lower jaw was visibly displaced.

Haesu turned to the detective, who had cautiously followed behind, and motioned him forward. The detective glanced at the unconscious men and muttered.

“Damn… you’ve got some fists on you. No wonder Oh Kang-seok kept praising you.”

He clicked his tongue in amazement before following Haesu.

By the time they reached the stairs leading to the second floor, the factory's emergency alarms blared throughout the building. Their ambush had been exposed.

The first floor was a factory floor, while the second floor housed break rooms and locker rooms.

Thud-thud-thud-thud—

Footsteps echoed chaotically. Since this was the break area, there were more gang members on the second floor than the first.

“There they are! The cops!”

Five men spotted Haesu and the detective and charged at them. Three of them were shirtless, their bodies covered in tattoos to the point where their skin was barely visible. Each of them carried a weapon.

Thud-thud-thud-thud—

Footsteps also approached from behind. The hallway was too narrow for three men to pass at once, but getting surrounded was not an option.

Haesu drew his gun and asked the detective,

“You got plenty of bullets?”

“Huh? Oh, just two extra mags.”

Enough to reload twice. Haesu immediately aimed at the ceiling and pulled the trigger.

Bang!!

“If you put your hands on your heads and lie down, no one gets hurt.”

“Kill them!!”

“Aaaaah!!”

Even after firing a warning shot, they didn’t flinch. Haesu adjusted his aim and fired at their legs.

Bang! Bang!

“Agh!!”

One bullet per target. As the man who took a shot to the thigh crumpled, Haesu kneed him in the face. Then, he grabbed the hair of the man beside him and slammed his head into the wall.

The sheer decisiveness of Haesu’s actions made the remaining gang members hesitate. He took advantage of that brief opening and shot them in the thighs as well.

Crash! Crack!

“Sh-shit! Can a cop even do this?!”

Haesu stepped on the last man’s head and twisted his arm back forcefully.

“If you charge at a cop with a knife, we can shoot to kill.”

Meanwhile, the radio crackled to life.

- Basement! Mo Chang-gwi is in the basement!

The entire operation was focused on capturing Hook Gang’s leader. At this report, the entire atmosphere in the factory changed.

Haesu exchanged a glance with the detective before sprinting toward the basement.

“Cough, cough, cough—”

A long-haired man, drenched in blood, comes into view. Around him, three detectives lie motionless, bleeding on the ground.

In his hand, he holds the youngest detective—the one who had just told Haesu that he was getting married next month. A bloodstained knife is pressed against the young detective’s throat.

He is using him as a hostage, positioning himself in Haesu’s direction. Without hesitation, Haesu aims his gun at him.

“Mo Chang-gwi, drop the knife.”

“Heh, you think your gun is faster, or my knife?”

Before Haesu could even process the bizarre remark, Mo Chang-gwi’s blade slashes the hostage’s throat. Blood gushes out like a fountain as the young detective collapses, and Mo Chang-gwi charges at Haesu, using the dying man as cover.

The moment that hot blood splattered onto Haesu’s face, he made his decision.

‘Reset.’

He could only rewind time once per day. In a chaotic ambush like this, he had to choose carefully when to use it. But right now, Haesu was certain—there was no worse scenario than this.

Whoosh—

Just as Mo Chang-gwi’s blade was about to reach Haesu’s neck, the scene around him abruptly shifted.

Honk honk—

Haesu sped toward the sofa factory on his motorcycle.

He regrouped with the other detectives and entered alongside Team 3.

The youngest detective rubbed his forearm and muttered, “Ugh, this gives me chills. Chief Shin, are you married?”

Haesu raised a finger at him. “You don’t bring up personal matters at a Code Zero site.”

The youngest detective blinked his large eyes, shut his mouth tight, and nodded.

Upon reaching a fork in the path, the teams split up. Haesu turned to his team member.

“We’re moving in fast. Keep up.”

“Huh? Wha—?”

From that moment, the detective could only watch in disbelief as Haesu moved without hesitation.

“What the hell is he? A monster?”

Thud, thud, crack!

It was as if Haesu already knew where the enemies were and what attacks they would use. He subdued them effortlessly.

When he reached the second floor, he ignored all the empty rooms and went straight to one where five men were gathered. Within moments, they were all down.

“No wonder they all keep calling for Sargent Shin…”

Crunch!

After dealing with more enemies in the hallway, Haesu gestured toward the detective.

“Clean these guys up.”

“Y-yes, but where are you going…?”

The detective tilted his head in confusion as Haesu suddenly headed downstairs.

Soon after, the radio crackled.

—Basement! Mo Chang-gwi is in the basement!

Thud thud!

“Guh… urgh—”

In the basement, Mo Chang-gwi had a detective pinned against the wall, driving a knife deep into his chest. Even with a stab-resistant vest, the sheer brute force drove the blade into his flesh, leaving him paralyzed in fear.

As Mo Chang-gwi pressed the knife’s hilt down with both hands, savoring the kill, a shadow loomed over him.

Wham!

Haesu slammed into him with a full-body tackle. The two of them tumbled through the hallway and scrambled to their feet.

Gurgle—

In that brief moment, the knife was yanked free, and blood gushed from the detective’s chest.

Haesu spared him a glance before stepping back, raising his guard.

Slash!

The blade nicked his forearm as it passed. A little slower, and it would’ve cut his throat.

“Not bad,” Mo Chang-gwi smirked.

He closed in to prevent Haesu from drawing his gun, swinging his knife relentlessly.

Haesu had no time to pull out his gun or baton, dodging frantically.

Whoosh—

The knife narrowly missed his neck. Because of the distance, Mo Chang-gwi had to extend his arm fully, making the motion large.

Haesu trapped his arm under his armpit and drove an elbow into his face.

Crunch.

He felt Mo Chang-gwi’s nose break beneath his elbow.

Yet, despite his collapsed nose, Mo Chang-gwi didn’t even flinch. He swung his own elbow at Haesu.

Haesu blocked it with his palm, released his grip, and shoved him with his shoulder.

Now that there was some distance, he swiftly pulled out his gun and fired at his torso.

Bang! Bang!

Unbelievably, in the dim light, Mo Chang-gwi saw the gun’s trajectory and twisted his body before the trigger was even pulled. The second bullet grazed his shoulder.

Shhk.

Realizing he could no longer dodge, he threw his knife. As Haesu deflected it, Mo Chang-gwi slipped into hiding.

His voice rasped like a scythe scraping metal.

“A cop trying to kill someone, huh?”

“You’re not ‘someone.’”

Haesu narrowed his eyes and pursued him down the corridor. The next turn was far away—there was no way he could’ve disappeared so fast.

A thought struck him. Why was Mo Chang-gwi alone, both before the reset and now? With his power, he should’ve brought dozens of subordinates.

Whoosh—

Haesu instinctively stepped back. A gleaming blade stabbed down just inches in front of him. Mo Chang-gwi had climbed a container and attacked from above.

It clicked. He wasn’t trying to escape. He was hunting cops for sport.

Bang! Bang!

Before Haesu could aim properly, he vanished again. Haesu jumped up, grabbed the edge of the container, and fired another shot from above.

Bang!

The faint light in the distance should have revealed a silhouette—but there was nothing.

He dropped back down and listened. He knew what Mo Chang-gwi was waiting for.

Haesu silently loaded a single bullet into his gun.

Rustle.

‘Left side.’

He spun around, aiming—just as Mo Chang-gwi lunged in.

Bang!

Again, Mo Chang-gwi dodged with inhuman reflexes.

Click.

Haesu pulled the trigger again, but the gun was empty.

Mo Chang-gwi grinned viciously and charged like a wolf.

Haesu, unshaken, aimed again.

For the first time, Mo Chang-gwi’s smirk vanished.

Bang!

The bullet buried itself in his shoulder, blood spraying.

Simultaneously, his knife slashed Haesu’s neck.

Sssshk—

A thin, burning line of pain spread across his throat.

Haesu staggered, dizziness creeping in.

‘If I falter now, I’ll die.’

Mo Chang-gwi thrust his knife again.

At that moment, Haesu saw it clearly—like a camera zooming in.

He could grab it.

And if he thought he could, then he could.

Snap.

His left hand caught Mo Chang-gwi’s wrist just as the blade brushed past. He drove his elbow into his temple, then punched his face as he reeled back.

Thud! Crack—

Then, he smashed his elbow into Mo Chang-gwi’s arm.

Crunch!

“Aghhh!”

Mo Chang-gwi screamed, finally sounding human.

But he lunged, biting into Haesu’s wounded neck.

Bang! Bang!

A gunshot rang. Haesu’s back burned.

He turned.

The downed detective had fired.

Mo Chang-gwi, mouth covered in Haesu’s blood, cackled like a demon.

“Isn’t this what they call a ‘team kill’?”