Madam Yu was slightly surprised. This was far from the scene where he had grappled with three guards inside Red Moon before.

‘Did he suppress three guards while hiding his strength?’

In any case, since he’s a detective dealing with gangsters, his skills were within an expected range.

The process might be different, but as long as Chief Ha was present, the result would be the same.

“Aren’t you acting too smug just for taking down one guy? Kill them.”

The men wielding weapons hesitated for a moment before charging toward the two once more.

As soon as their eyes met, Haesu and the youngest nodded simultaneously and dashed toward the opposite wall.

Since they were surrounded, there were also men in the direction they ran. The men clearly showed signs of panic at the sight of Haesu and the youngest, whose very physiques were like weapons, charging at them.

“Uh—”

Thud

Haesu and the youngest each grabbed one man's face. Without slowing down, they ran all the way to the end and slammed them into the wall at the same time.

Crash!!

The impact of their heads and backs hitting the wall caused blood to spurt from their noses and mouths.

Leaving the collapsing men behind, Haesu and the youngest ran to the left.

It was a narrow passage, with materials stacked on both sides.

As soon as they took their positions, the men who had closely followed lunged at them.

“Die, you bastard!”

“Where do you think you're running?!”

The first man to charge extended a sashimi knife. Haesu reached out to intercept him. He hadn't tested them yet, but the special cut-resistant gloves custom-made by Manager Gu gave him confidence.

Thud—

The blade barely grazed his fingertips before he caught the man’s wrist. Grabbing his forearm with his other hand, he swung the man toward the youngest.

Spun halfway around by centrifugal force, the man’s face met the youngest’s fist, which was thrust forward with perfect timing.

Smack!

The man was lifted into the air, flipped once, and crashed to the ground. He trembled like he had just been in a car accident before going limp.

Haesu glanced at the youngest. Since he had won an amateur mixed martial arts championship, Haesu had been curious about his combat instincts. Their coordination seemed promising.

“Not bad. Let’s clean this up and catch that woman.”

“Yes, sir!!”

Since this was his first proper battle alongside Haesu, the youngest was filled with adrenaline.

Sashimi knives, steel pipes, hammers—each had different lengths and striking areas, making it tricky to counter. Even a single hit could be fatal.

In such situations, as unfortunate as it was, striking was more efficient than joint locks.

Bang!

Blocking a steel pipe with his forearm, Haesu stepped in and threw a punch. The man took a solid hit to the chin, his eyes unfocused as he crumpled.

If he dodged, it would leave an opening and extend the movement. It was better to take a hit from a steel pipe or hammer head-on rather than allowing an opponent to land a clean strike.

A hammer swung in from the left. Twisting his body to deflect the attack, Haesu bumped his shoulder into the man’s torso, shoving him toward the youngest.

Thud!

The youngest forced the man to collide headfirst with another he was holding, taking both down at once.

Bang! Bang!

Haesu’s quick, precise punches sent more men dropping like sacks of rice.

The youngest, whose physical strength itself was a weapon, fought while gripping men in both hands, using them as both shields and bludgeons.

“Idiots…”

As more than half of his men collapsed, the smugness disappeared from Madam Yu’s face. He had seen enough to gauge the detectives’ combat abilities to some extent.

“Chief Ha, take care of that pig first.”

“Yes.”

Chief Ha pulled out a karambit with a crescent-shaped blade and dashed forward.

Tap tap tap—

Chief Ha stepped on the materials, leaped high, and stabbed his blade into the youngest’s shoulder before flipping backward.

“Ugh.”

The youngest momentarily faltered, torn between the pain in his shoulder, the men charging at him with increased aggression, and Chief Ha slipping behind him.

Hesitation in a fight like this could mean death.

Chief Ha lowered his stance and pressed in close, slashing behind the youngest’s knee.

Slice—

Then, he sprang up, cutting beneath his armpit.

Swish—

Finally, he aimed to pierce his carotid artery, but just before he could, a man’s body flew toward him and knocked him down.

Thud!

Annoyed at being interrupted, Chief Ha angrily shoved the body aside—just as a massive fist came flying toward his face. His pupils dilated.

Crunch!

He instinctively tilted his head to dodge. The fist grazed his ear and smashed into the wooden materials behind him.

Bam! Bam! Crack!

Chief Ha barely managed to stick to the wall and twist his body, dodging the ridiculous force behind those punches.

Thud

He was cornered, trapped between two walls. Realizing this instantly, he kicked off the wall, crashing into Haesu to create distance before stabbing at his side.

Thud thud!

“?!”

There was no sensation of the blade penetrating. It wasn’t a bulletproof vest, but something felt off. Just as confusion set in, a knee rocketed toward his face. He quickly raised his arms to guard.

Whack! Whack!

Even with his guard up, the impact left him dizzy. Realizing he couldn’t keep up like this, he braced himself for the pain, grabbed Haesu’s knee with both hands, and prepared to slash the back of his knee.

Crack!

A shocking impact struck his back, like being struck by lightning.

Haesu had slammed his elbow down onto his spine.

“Urgh!”

The blow threw Chief Ha’s posture off. Haesu seized the moment, grabbing his hair and slamming a fist into his face.

Smack!

“How dare you—”

Thud!

“Touch the youngest?”

Crash!!

After three direct hits, Chief Ha’s face was so mangled it was unrecognizable.

Without even a groan, he slumped to the ground.

“Come at me, you bastards!”

The youngest, now limping and with one arm dangling uselessly, grabbed a man as a shield and bought time.

He could only act like this if he was certain Haesu would take down Chief Ha.

Haesu picked up a fallen hammer and hurled it at the remaining men before charging.

Thud thud bang!

With Chief Ha down, the others lost morale. The fight was practically over. They finished off the last two who tried to flee.

Clang—

Madam Yu, who had been inching backward, suddenly turned and fled through the back door. The youngest’s eyes burned as he limped after him.

“Where do you think you’re running?!!”

“Stop!”

Haesu dashed forward at full speed, shoving the youngest aside.

Bang!

At the same moment, a gunshot rang out, and blood spurted from Haesu’s shoulder.

“Senior!!”

Haesu pressed against the wall and gestured at the youngest.

“Just grazed me. Stay put.”

“B-but…”

Haesu peeked slightly past the open back door.

Bang!

A bullet immediately ricocheted off the metal door. Her aim was terrible.

“Youngest, pull out one of the boards behind you and throw it outside.”

“Huh? Y-yes!”

While the youngest pulled out a wooden board about 2 meters long and 1 meter wide, Haesu picked up a hammer that had fallen to the floor.

“Now.”

Whoosh— Bang!

As soon as the wooden board was thrown, a gunshot rang out. Haesu crouched low and swiftly dashed out, throwing the hammer straight at Madam Yu, who was in clear sight.

She was using a car’s hood as a shield, aiming her pistol in their direction.

“Aahh!”

Madam Yu screamed as she saw the hammer flying toward her and instinctively ducked.

Whoosh—

As the hammer sliced through the air, she quickly sprang back up—only for a dark shadow to loom over her.

“Gender Equality Kick!”

Thwack!

Haesu’s foot struck Madam Yu’s chin with pinpoint accuracy. White teeth scattered from her mouth as she toppled backward.

The police special forces arrived at the warehouse about ten minutes after Haesu had, aided by the control center’s guidance.

Screeech—

After subduing the men guarding the warehouse and opening the doors, they were met with an unexpected sight.

“What the…?”

Dozens of men lay groaning on the floor, while two detectives were pulling their arms behind their backs and tying them up using their own clothes.

Weapons, presumably the ones these men had wielded, were scattered across the floor.

The squad leader stood there, stunned, until he met eyes with Haesu.

“Special forces?”

“Ah…”

“Just finish tying up the rest.”

“Y-yes.”

Haesu’s gaze still carried the chilling intensity of someone who had just fought for his life.

The squad leader simply nodded repeatedly, waving his hand to signal his team.

The youngest, who was seriously injured, was immediately transported to the hospital. Though Haesu had sustained minor injuries, he only received first aid before returning to the police station.

Oh Kang-seok and the team leader thoroughly ransacked Red Moon, now devoid of Madam Yu and Chief Ha.

There was another high-ranking executive on their side, leading to three special forces officers getting injured, but no matter how skilled he was, he couldn’t outmatch a gun.

The executive suffered gunshot wounds to both legs and his side and was taken to the hospital for treatment.

A large amount of cash and drugs were found in Red Moon’s vault, but there were no ledgers.

The police tracked all vehicles used at the site and all connected phones, leading them to Madam Yu’s residence.

There, in her safe, they found the ledgers and hundreds of USB drives.

Immediately after her arrest, Haesu collected Chief Ha’s fingerprints and requested a comparison with the deteriorated fingerprints found at Shin Ira’s home. They matched, but it was far from enough to prove murder.

Chief Ha and Madam Yu were imprisoned separately, one above ground and the other underground, ensuring they couldn't exchange even a glance.

Interrogation Room – Above Ground

When Haesu entered, Madam Yu was the first to speak.

“How did you infiltrate Red Moon?”

“Why did you kill Shin Ira?”

Haesu’s question seemed to confirm her suspicions, and she leaned back in her chair.

“It was that bastard Kim Sang-tae, wasn’t it?”

“Shin Ira—why did you kill her?”

“Why are you asking me about someone who died on their own?”

“Got it.”

Haesu didn’t press further and simply stood up. Madam Yu’s unexpected compliance caught him off guard.

He had anticipated that there would be no evidence tying Chief Ha to the crime. Since the two were practically inseparable, they had barely communicated via phone.

Interrogation Room – Underground

Team 1’s leader sat across from Chief Ha. Though the swelling had gone down, his face was still a mess.

“Come on, we’re trying to help you. You’re going to take the fall alone? We both know Madam Yu was the one who ordered everything.”

“…”

“Wow, did you glue your mouth shut?”

Since his capture, Chief Ha had exercised his right to remain silent as if he had lost the ability to speak. The team leader was ready to lose his mind.

Knock knock

“Ah, it’s Shin-dol.”

“Let me handle this.”

“Go ahead. I might die of frustration otherwise.”

As Haesu took over, Chief Ha’s pupils wavered slightly.

Haesu sat across from him and silently observed his eyes. The way this man looked at him in the warehouse was the same as the man in the elevator thirteen years ago—the same as when he first faced Haru.

Recalling how Madam Yu and Chief Ha behaved, it was clear that his loyalty was disturbingly excessive.

“To you… what is Madam Yu?”

A crack appeared in Chief Ha’s previously stone-cold expression. The unexpected question left his mind racing.

“You’ve seen everything up close, so you know. Madam Yu is looking at at least twenty years in prison. If the charge for Shin Ira’s murder is added, it’s life without parole.”

Though he had expected this, he still closed his eyes for a moment, troubled. His eyelids trembled slightly.

Haesu leaned in, whispering as if sharing a secret.

“Was Shin Ira’s murder your sole doing, or did Madam Yu order it?”

Chief Ha opened his eyes and met Haesu’s gaze. Haesu sat back, speaking as if he had nothing to lose.

“When there’s no body, you need solid evidence. But when there is one, motive and circumstances are enough to convict for murder. You know this better than anyone. The reasons for Madam Yu wanting Shin Ira dead are obvious. Keep your mouth shut until everything comes to light if you want.”

Chief Ha, who had been glaring at Haesu with murderous eyes, eventually lowered his gaze and spoke for the first time.

“Tomorrow.”

Clack.

“Alright.”

Haesu immediately stood up. The man needed time to think.

But there was no need to wait until the next day—just a few hours later, Chief Ha asked for Haesu.

“I killed Shin Ira.”

“I know. The evidence?”

“The president is not involved.”

“Got it. The evidence?”

“If you pull up the bottom of the trunk of car 733, you’ll find the clothes I wore at the time.”

Outside the interrogation room, the team leader snapped his fingers and walked out.

Meanwhile, in the Office

Oh Kang-seok, with support from Team 2, was analyzing the USBs.

The USBs were neatly labeled with names and dates. Next to each name, there was either “合” (agreement) or “薬” (drug).

“So, ‘agreement’ means sex videos, and ‘drug’ means videos of drug use. These bastards even recorded themselves coercing people and waiting for their consent. No forced involvement, huh?”

“They’re devious criminals.”

“Exactly. And damn, we’ve got a lot of high-ranking scumbags in this country.”

“Uh…”

The youngest of Team 2 froze while watching a video.

Oh Kang-seok got up to check his monitor, his brows furrowing deeply.

“What? Oh… That’s our police commissioner.”