During the stabbing incident downtown, the gangsters were left with a vivid impression of the Assault Squad’s performance.

They immediately recognized Shin Haesu and shouted,

“It’s the Assault Squad! Take that bastard down first!!”

“Waaaah!!”

Grit

Haesu clenched his teeth, twisted his waist, and pulled his shoulders back.

The fact that they had the guts to charge in even after that last encounter meant he hadn’t instilled enough fear back then.

Crash!!

Haesu’s fist, with the handcuff knuckles, slammed into a man’s face.

The man’s facial skin tore in the shape of the handcuffs, his facial bones crushed. He spun once in the air and crashed to the ground.

Thud—!

“I’ll kindly let you know who I am.”

“You're gonna die today, bastard!”

A man came charging from behind, swinging a hammer as he yelled. Haesu turned immediately, took the attack with his shoulder, and struck the man’s temple with his elbow.

Thump!

The man, who had shouted so confidently, collapsed sideways like a puppet with its strings cut, limbs trembling.

Meanwhile, another man aimed a sashimi knife at Haesu’s side. Haesu twisted his body, narrowly dodged it, and slammed a punch into the man’s jaw.

“Ugh!”

The man collapsed flat on the floor like a frog. The sashimi knife had grazed Haesu’s waist, tearing only his clothes. The stab-resistant suit underneath was unharmed.

Bang bang!

The gangsters struck by the handcuff knuckles never got up again. It was literally one shot, one kill. Though just a single blow, their faces were gruesomely torn.

“Aaaah, argh!”

A police officer had a hatchet lodged in his shoulder. The gangster, eyes gleaming with murderous intent, pulled it out and tried to strike the officer’s ankle again.

Wham—!

Just then, a steel-toed boot slammed into the gangster’s side. The man flew sideways and crashed into the wall.

As he tried to get up, Haesu closed in and drove his knee into the man’s chin just as he was about to rise.

Crunch!

After confirming the man had lost consciousness, Haesu turned and approached the police officer.

“Are you alright?”

“Ugh…”

Blood was pouring from the officer’s shoulder. But knife fights were still happening behind them. Haesu placed a phone in the officer’s uninjured hand and said,

“Call 112 and 119. Now.”

“Y-Yes.”

The officer started to call 112 but, seeing Haesu’s retreating back, decided to call 119 first.

As long as that man was there, the situation would be under control even before reinforcements arrived.

Stab stab!

“Kyaaah, ugh!”

“Die, you f***ing b***h!!”

A man who had been hit in the left hand by a female officer’s taser lost his mind and plunged a sashimi knife into her abdomen.

As he tried to pull the knife out again, the officer desperately clutched the blade with both hands. Blood streamed from her fingers.

“Let go, you f***ing b***h!!”

Click

At that moment, a shadow fell from the side. The gangster instinctively turned his head, sensing dread. A thick hand grabbed his fingers.

Crunch—

“Aaaaaargh!!”

Two of the gangster’s fingers were completely crushed, and the knife fell from his hand.

Haesu grabbed the man by the neck, ran, and slammed him into the wall.

Bang!

Then he hammered his handcuff-knuckled fist into the man’s face.

Crash! Bang!! Crack!!

The man’s face became unrecognizable as he slumped to the ground.

Swallowing his rising rage, Haesu turned and approached the female officer.

“Officer Lim! Officer Lim!!”

“Ah… De… Detective Shin…”

“Don’t talk. Stay conscious. Keep holding onto this knife. The ambulance will be here soon. Stay right here. Everything will be fine.”

Unlike usual, Haesu spoke in a rapid rush. Officer Lim managed a faint smile and nodded.

Seeing her pale face, Haesu felt like his chest was being ripped apart. He bit his lower lip and stood up again. He couldn’t treat her, so he would do what he could.

Haesu charged at another gangster.

Wee-oo wee-oo!

Patrol cars and ambulances wailed in overlapping sirens. Three ambulances arrived, followed by four patrol cars almost simultaneously.

Moments later, a van carrying detectives from Gangjin Police Station also arrived.

“Over here! This way!!”

Haesu, who had been subduing the gangsters and tying their wrists with cable ties, ran to the ambulance and called for a stretcher. He led them to Officer Lim.

She had sustained the most serious injuries among the wounded officers.

Tap tap tap!

None of the officers exiting the vehicles walked—they were all running, batons drawn, footsteps heavy with fury.

“You sons of b****es!!”

“You dare attack a precinct? You’ve lost your minds!”

“Sung-sik! Where’s Sung-sik?!”

Every officer reacted as if they had anger management issues. Especially the detectives known for their terrible tempers—they were the worst.

Some detectives even stomped on already-subdued gangsters without restraint.

“Do you even know where you are?! You crazy f***s!!”

It was justified. They had shown utter contempt for the police—for public authority. This would inevitably make the news, and the police’s authority would plummet to rock bottom.

Thanks to the patrol units abandoning their posts and rushing over, over twenty gangsters were quickly transported to the hospital.

The expressions of the police escorting the gangsters to the ER were twisted in disgust.

“Can’t believe we have to treat scum like this. Seriously.”

“Hey, doc, just patch these bastards up however.”

“Treat the officers first, not this asshole.”

“Huh? But this guy's injuries are serious—”

“Let him die waiting. Treat the cops first. These bastards dying wouldn't be a loss.”

“Y-Yes…”

Even the Violent Crimes Special Investigation Unit members who had gone off duty were contacted late and came to the ER. The place was unintentionally packed with gangsters and officers.

Detectives were sitting next to each gangster, busily taking statements. Haesu passed through them and approached Team Leader Kwak.

“Oh, Assault boy, ha… Thank God you went. Seriously, divine intervention. Are you hurt? You're not, right?”

Haesu rolled his slightly stiff shoulder and nodded.

“Yes, more than that, my partner at the precinct got injured…”

“Oh, Officer Lim? Right, right, go quickly. Damn, those bastards… Let us know later how she's doing too.”

“Understood.”

Haesu went upstairs to the operating room. In front of the sign that read "Emergency Surgery," there stood a man in a suit with a loosened tie and a small boy.

He remembered Officer Lim once told him the child was three years old. That would make him four now.

The boy looked up at his father with an innocent expression and asked,

“Daddy, why did mommy go in there?”

The father couldn’t easily open his mouth.

“Uh, uh, well…”

“I want to go in too.”

“No, don’t say that…”

The child stared at his father’s face and asked again,

“Is mommy hurt?”

The father's eyes widened slightly, and then his eyes turned red.

“Yes, she’s hurt. Let’s pray that it won’t hurt anymore.”

“Okay.”

Haesu quietly observed the scene, then carefully approached. Officer Lim’s husband looked up at him.

“I’m Sergeant Shin Haesu, Officer Lim’s partner.”

“Ah, yes, I’ve heard a lot about you… I heard you saved her again this time…”

Haesu kept silent for a moment, then opened his mouth again.

“Don’t worry. Though she was stabbed deeply, the lungs were avoided, and while we suspect some slight tearing of internal organs, it’s all treatable. With proper surgery and rest, she’ll make a full recovery.”

“Ah, yes…”

Officer Lim’s husband tilted his head slightly at Haesu. He didn’t know how he knew such things, but strangely, he trusted him.

It was far more comforting than vague reassurances like “she’ll be fine” or “she’ll be okay.”

The surgery didn’t take long. The surgeon came out and told the husband,

“The wound was deep, but the lungs were untouched, and though some organs were slightly damaged, they weren’t severely torn. We stitched everything up well. The operation was a success, and with enough rest, she’ll recover quickly.”

“Yes? Ah, yes, thank you! Thank you, doctor!”

The husband was surprised to hear almost the exact words Haesu had used. He gave Haesu a small bow of gratitude.

Now that he knew the surgery had gone well, there was no reason to stay. Haesu headed back downstairs, pulling out his phone.

- Yes, President Shin! You’re calling first for once. What’s going on?

“I’ll pay whatever you ask. Please produce as many special stab-proof vests as possible, even if they only cover the upper body like a vest.”

- Ah… I was told there’s no more of that new material. That last one was supposed to be the end.

“The Eastern District Police Station was just attacked. Eleven officers were injured. Officer Lim, my partner, was stabbed twice in the stomach.”

At Haesu’s words, President Shin fell silent. Though quiet, a rising fury could be felt.

- Th-those wicked people!! Ha… Alright, I’ll look into all possible options. If that material’s unavailable, I’ll ask them to make it with a different one. Leave it to me!

“Yes, please do.”

The attackers were bold young gangsters from the same group that fought in the middle of the city.

They had simply confirmed that their members had been taken to the Eastern District Station and stormed in to rescue them and punish the police.

“You should’ve gone to the police station. Not that it’ll happen again anyway.”

Haesu grabbed the ringleader by the hair and said,

“You’re all going in for attempted murder. Maximum sentences. Since you carried weapons, you’ll all be booked as current offenders of Special Obstruction of Official Duties. Rot in prison forever and feel in your bones what a grave crime it is to assault a police station.”

The attack on the police station by weapon-wielding gangsters became a nationwide scandal in many ways.

Reporters claimed there was no juicier story and rushed to publish sensational articles. Corporations that had been under intense scrutiny from the police or prosecutors jumped in to amplify the outrage.

However, the incompetence of the police wasn’t highlighted as much as they expected.

[Dozens of weapon-wielding gangsters assault a police station!]
┗Summary) Tried to get revenge on the police who arrested their members but got absolutely wrecked instead.
┗Summary) 30 seconds in, Detective Shin showed up and gave them a proper lesson.
┗It’s him again? At this point, it feels scripted. Is he some hero character the police are using to clean up their image? Starting to sound suspiciously convenient.
┗What a bunch of nonsense. "Reasonable suspicion" my ass lol
┗I’m seriously gonna puke. You using 11 officers as human shields just for PR? You monster?
┗Detective Shin, I trusted you.
┗This world is terrifying. I was thinking of moving to Gangjin but now I’m not so sure.
┗Come anyway! If you can survive, you’ll grow stronger!
┗LMAO what the hell
┗Still, it’s a relief no one died in the attack. Go, Korean police!!

At that moment, in a dimly lit office that looked bright during the day but pitch-black at night—

Bang!!

“Those fucking bastards… What? Assaulted a precinct? They must think cops are complete pushovers!”

“It seems so.”

The Commissioner, eyes blazing, shouted at the chief of staff.

“Forget signs of remorse or whatever—go for the maximum sentence!! No, I’m going myself. I need to see with my own eyes what that damn judge does.”

“I’ll go with you.”

The Commissioner stood up abruptly and pointed his index finger.

“Oh, and look into those stab-proof vests. Not the heavy-duty kind—something comfortable we can wear daily. Maybe convert stab-proof gloves into a vest or something.”

“I’ll look into it.”