The Cop Is Too Strong [EN]: Chapter 228

< #228. Open Your Eyes >

An hour prior.

The Violent Crimes Division’s special team from Gangjin Police Station selected locations with minimal CCTV coverage among Seoul’s most crowded areas. This still amounted to 23 places.

Shin Hae-soo mobilized even the hideout team to thoroughly search the buildings.

Tat-tat-tat

Shin Hae-soo rapidly ascended the department store stairs. He could hear the voices of other detectives through his earpiece.

-First floor clear.

-Second floor also clear.

Hae-soo pressed the earpiece to switch to transmit mode.

“Chief Shin and Chick, head up to the fourth floor…”

Hae-soo faltered mid-sentence, suddenly staggering. He flailed, catching himself by grabbing the wall.

The rookie trailing behind him widened his eyes and rushed to support him.

The rookie, who couldn’t imagine Hae-soo being weak even in his dreams, reacted instinctively to support him, but his shocked heart wouldn’t calm down easily.

“Are you alright… Hup!”

The rookie made eye contact with Hae-soo and gasped, startled.

For a brief moment, Hae-soo’s eyes held a fierce murderous intent.

Hae-soo blinked a couple of times, quickly reverting to his usual indifferent gaze, and patted the rookie’s back.

“I’m fine, go on ahead.”

The rookie, still reeling from the shock of the moment, hesitated, and Hae-soo urged him quietly.

“Quickly.”

“Yes, sir!”

The rookie reflexively darted off, and once he was far enough away, Hae-soo pulled out a burner phone [a disposable cell phone used for illicit activities].

“Can you hack a remote control?”

-Excuse me? Are you talking about something like a drone? It’s difficult…

“Even if it’s difficult, do it. The location is 223beon-gil, Sangyeong-gu, the unfinished Dreams Building.”

-Ah, if the location is specified, it’s easier. What type of controller is it?

Hae-soo’s eyes gleamed sharply as he replied.

“A crane.”

* * *

Hae-soo reported that he had identified a suspicious location through a confidential informant and headed to the location with his team.

Whether Teacher Chun anticipated this or not, a public singing contest was being held nearby, drawing a large crowd.

Moreover, as the special team arrived, Assemblyman Oh Sung-joo was found hanging from a crane, exposed on several live broadcasts, further intensifying public attention.

Oh Mi-yeon was watching the live broadcast on her way in the car, half out of her mind.

“This won’t work! Let’s get out here and run!”

“Yes!”

Oh Gyeong, Hae-soo, Woo Gang-cheol, and the rookie quickly jumped out of the car, and Oh Mi-yeon followed suit. She then noticed that a fire truck was unable to proceed due to illegally parked vehicles blocking the way as people watched the spectacle.

It was imperative that the fire truck get through to set up a safety mat.

Oh Mi-yeon pleaded with the people and cars blocking the fire truck’s path.

“Please move your cars! Please!!”

“Who do you think you are! Are you the president? Do you own the road here?”

Instead of complying, people shouted back at Oh Mi-yeon. Those who had been watching cautiously returned to their spots.

At that moment, Hae-soo’s voice came through the radio.

-Tell the fire truck to run them all over, Shin Hae-soo will take full financial responsibility.

“…Excuse me??”

Oh Mi-yeon was momentarily stunned by the bizarre order. But now was the time to pull herself together. No matter what the consequences, they had to save the person first.

She rushed to the fire truck, presented her police ID, and conveyed Hae-soo’s message. The firefighter, biting his lip, turned on the siren and moved forward.

“Ughhh! My car, my car!!”

“What are you doing, you crazy fire truck! Do you know how much this car is worth!!”

Oh Mi-yeon ignored the chaos and ran towards the building where the crane was located. Hae-soo and the special team had already entered.

Screech-

Amidst the noise and chaos of the crowd, the sound of the crane moving pierced Oh Mi-yeon’s ears.

The end of the crane, which had been extended horizontally, dangling Assemblyman Oh Sung-joo over the edge, was now slowly being raised.

This was changing the angle of the hook-shaped crane’s end.

“Uhhh!”

“Isn’t that going to, going to fall?!”

Only then did the people gathered below Oh Sung-joo scatter like cockroaches.

Beneath them was a cold stone floor.

Dr-dr-dr-

The moment the angle was almost completely tilted, Assemblyman Oh Sung-joo, hanging from the middle of the hook, began to slide downwards.

“Ughhhhh!”

“Heop!”

“Kyaaaaaaack!!”

Just as Oh Mi-yeon’s sharp scream echoed.

Thud-

The crane’s movement suddenly stopped. Oh Sung-joo was hanging precariously from the very end of the crane.

* * *

At the same time, Jung Young-soo’s voice reached Shin Hae-soo’s left ear as he ran up the building’s stairs.

-Hacking successful, transmission cut.

Thud, bang, bang!!

Hae-soo forced open the locked rooftop door and said.

“Good work.”

Hae-soo headed straight for the crane, while his teammates, who arrived belatedly, searched the rooftop for the culprit.

There was no one inside the crane. Only some kind of mechanical device was connected to the crane. Hae-soo roughly pulled it out.

But it wasn’t over yet.

Swish- Swish-

Due to the inclement weather, Assemblyman Oh Sung-joo’s body was swaying in the wind, and the end of the rope was hanging precariously, looking as if it could snap any moment.

Now they had to move the crane directly, but the problem was that no one there knew how to operate it.

Hae-soo climbed into the crane and checked various things, but he couldn’t risk touching anything carelessly.

Even the slightest movement could cause Assemblyman Oh Sung-joo to fall.

Whoosh-

“Uhhh!”

The crane swayed in the wind even now.

They couldn’t just wait for the safety mat to be installed below.

He told Jung Young-soo the model of the crane and requested instructions on how to use it.

“Did you find it?”

-…I found it. Ah, this is a bit complicated. It’s a usage I’ve never seen before…

“Accurately, accurately…”

Hae-soo couldn’t rush him to tell him quickly. But he couldn’t tell him to take his time either.

-…First, the long one on the right…

At that moment.

“Hey! Come out!”

Hae-soo turned his head sharply at the familiar voice. There stood Chief Kwak, clutching his waist with both hands and panting.

Chief Kwak, who should have been at headquarters, was somehow here.

“Chief?!”

Hae-soo got out of the driver’s seat as if possessed.

“The operating instructions…”

Hae-soo stopped speaking. Chief Kwak’s actions as he climbed into the crane were as smooth as a crane operator with 20 years of experience, and his eyes were full of confidence.

Clunk, dr-dr-dr, screech-

Chief Kwak skillfully manipulated the crane, lowering the angle he had raised earlier and turning it sideways.

The rope slid back and was secured inside the hook.

“Th, thank goodness!!”

“He saved him!”

The dizzying thoughts of the people watching the situation from below could be heard.

Soon, when the end of the crane came inside the rooftop, Hae-soo immediately cut the rope and pulled Assemblyman Oh Sung-joo down.

That scene was also broadcast live, and the moment Oh entered the rooftop, the cheers of the people were heard.

“He, he saved him. He saved him!”

“Waaaaaa!!”

“Woo-aaaaaa!!”

“Aaaaaaack!!”

It was a cheer as if they had scored a goal in the World Cup [FIFA World Cup, an international association football competition contested by the senior men’s national teams of the members of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), the sport’s global governing body]. The area below was already a frenzy of excitement.

Hae-soo untied the climbing rope wrapped around Oh’s body, and his body collapsed. Hae-soo and Oh Gyeong supported the assemblyman, and Hae-soo removed the gag from his mouth and said.

“Are you alright?”

“Ha, hoo… N, not alright… You’ve saved me twice now…”

Oh, who was not young, was unable to properly support his body due to the great physical and mental shock he had experienced. His pronunciation was slurred, but he still did not lose his unique dignity.

“Dad!!”

Oh Mi-yeon, who arrived late, ran over with a tear-streaked face and hugged Assemblyman Oh Sung-joo.

“Oh, my daughter…”

“Dad…”

As the touching father-daughter reunion took place, a radio message came from the Metropolitan Investigation Unit’s network.

-Suspicious perpetrator confirmed in the Goldripe Building across the street! Fleeing! Team 2 is in pursuit!

-How many people? What floor?!”

-One person! 17th floor!

Young-soo speculated that the person who remotely controlled the crane would be within 100 meters.

There is a high possibility that the person the Metropolitan Investigation Unit found is the controller. And if there is only one person, he is a company worker.

Hae-soo widened his eyes and raised the radio.

“This is Gangjin Special Investigation Unit One! If you get close, it’s dangerous. Keep your distance, if you have live ammunition, use your guns, if not, shoot their legs with your guns. Do not engage!”

-What nonsense are you talking about, there’s only one person! Are you going to take responsibility if the criminal dies? Ignore that bastard and catch him no matter what!

Hae-soo frowned, put down the radio, and ran down the stairs.

He could hear Chief Kwak yelling into the radio at the head of the Metropolitan Investigation Unit.

After descending about five floors, an amazing sight unfolded in the open front without glass windows.

Crash!

“Kyaaack!”

A man burst through the broken window next to the building across the street.

At least 10 stories high, the man flailed his hands as if swimming in the air, and then arrived one floor below the opposite building, hit the window once, and instead of bouncing back, he grabbed the window frame as he fell.

“Oh, what’s that!”

“Someone’s hanging!”

“Again?!”

The man quickly climbed up, opened the window, and entered the building.

Detectives were staring at the broken window where the man had jumped out, like dogs chasing chickens [acting foolishly or aimlessly].

Inside, a detective could be seen leaning against the wall, bleeding from his neck.

-He, here is Team 2! Hyung Sang-hyun, Hyung Sang-hyun was attacked! The criminal flew to the building across the street!

-Sang-hyun was? The criminal flew? What are you talking about!

-Ambulance, call an ambulance!

Just as a detective’s desperate voice was requesting rescue, Hae-soo arrived on the first floor.

Coincidentally, detectives were rushing into the building next door.

The boldness to jump without hesitation even though the distance between the buildings seemed to be nearly 10 meters, and the agility to immediately grab the window frame and climb up.

That bastard is the type who will do the same thing again if it’s for escape. Hae-soo entered the building after the one the criminal entered.

Crash!

Another window shattered as the man jumped out and flew to the next building.

Sliding-!

The man widened his eyes when he saw the window he was supposed to reach opening. Shin Hae-soo, who was on the special list, was standing right there.

“Come.”

The man couldn’t twist his body in mid-air, so he immediately pulled out a dagger from his pocket and charged at Hae-soo.

Swoosh-

The tip of the knife grazed Hae-soo’s cheek slightly. Meanwhile, Hae-soo’s forearm was striking the man’s upper body.

Whoo-oong-!

It was like being hit by a rock with the kinetic energy of running at full speed from a distance.

The man spun once in the air, using Hae-soo’s forearm as an axis, and then fell to the floor.

Almost simultaneously, Hae-soo’s fist slammed into his face.

Kwaang!!

The man, whose nose and front teeth were all pushed inward and whose jaw was broken, collapsed on the spot.

Hae-soo looked down at him, still raising his fist, and opened his mouth.

“Open your eyes, if you don’t open them, I’ll keep hitting you until you do.”