WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

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◈ The Police Do a Better Job Than Heroes

Chapter 13

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Get Famous First. (7)

The precinct chief's office at East Precinct 7.

Kang Jin-ho and Park Eun-yeong returned from patrol and reported what they'd gotten out of Do Jin-hyuk. (They kept Clayboy's involvement suitably anonymous.)

"So the Black Faction's about to pull an armed robbery?"

"Yes."

"Hm. Honestly, I'm a little thrown by this."

Precinct Chief Raphael stroked the horn at his brow, frowning. A neighborhood precinct used to handling petty thieves and drunks had just had intel on an armed robbery drop into its lap.

"Well, that's that. Write up what you got into a report, I'll sign off on it and send it up to Eastern Regional HQ. Good work, rookie. You reeled in a big one."

"There's something I'd like to say about that, sir."

Kang Jin-ho hesitated a moment, then made up his mind and spoke firmly.

"This case. I want to investigate it myself."

"...huh?"

Chief Raphael blinked, thrown by what he'd just heard.

"Uh, rookie? You want to investigate? A gang case?"

"Yes."

"Just to check, you do know investigations belong to the Criminal Investigation Division or the Investigation Division, right?"

"Yes. But I really do want to investigate it myself."

Kang Jin-ho knew better than anyone how unreasonable this was. A brand-new officer wanting to investigate an armed robbery? Obviously insane.

'I have to push for this, unreasonable or not.'

But from where he stood, there was no other option. He needed to solve this case himself. His odds of success were far better than leaving it to some other officer with a reputation for incompetence, and there was no way he was giving up the fame and the karma that came bundled with the investigation.

"Look, Jin-ho. Honestly, it's not possible. I want to say yes, believe me. Everyone at this precinct already knows you're a genius. But I'm not the police commissioner. Wanting to give it to you doesn't make it happen."

"...Is there really no way?"

"Haah."

Chief Raphael sighed, thought it over for a moment, then spoke in a low voice.

"Fine, here's what I can do. I'll add a comment to the intel report later, saying the rookie officer who first obtained the information would like to lead the investigation on this case. That's the best I can offer. Understand?"

"Yes, sir, and thank you even for that much."

"Don't get your hopes up, though. This normally doesn't happen, and the police, as an organization, run on 'normally.'"

"Yes, I understand."

Click.

"Tch."

Once he'd left the chief's office, Kang Jin-ho clicked his tongue quietly, bitter.

If this were the game, a few clicks and the right hero would be dispatched, the case solved in an instant. But reality, especially reality as a freshly assigned rookie officer at the bottom of the ladder, came with far too many restrictions.

"Nothing to be done, I guess."

It was maddening to have to back off from a case that was obviously going to hand over a mountain of karma, but in an organization built on strict chain of command, he couldn't push any harder than this. What Chief Raphael had already offered was an enormous favor as it was.

'There has to be some way to get a piece of this.'

Of course, just because the official investigation route was blocked didn't mean he planned to let go of that giant chunk of karma. If nothing else worked, he'd throw on plain clothes on his day off and stake out near the scene, or find some way to conveniently get swept up in the case when another hero got dispatched.

Kang Jin-ho ran through the possible scenarios in his head, trying to soothe his disappointment.

But a week later.

"Uh, rookie?"

"Yes, Chief."

"...That robbery thing from before. Turns out you're cleared to investigate. Long as a B-rank or higher hero comes along, apparently it's fine."

"Uh, what? Are you serious?"

"Yeah. First time in my whole career I've seen anything like this, honestly, it threw me. Congratulations."

"...Thank you, sir?"

Kang Jin-ho was quietly thrilled, but he couldn't quite hide his confusion either.

He was still a rookie officer. Honestly, he'd only pushed for it expecting to get shot down. It was supposed to be setup for a future "See, I told you so" moment.

And they were just... approving it from the top?

**

Light City was part of the Republic of Korea. Or, to be precise, it sat within the Republic of Korea's territory.

A small city once known as "Gwangmyeong City" had, for reasons that remained murky, become land the entire world watched, and it had since grown into the largest megacity on Earth, "Light City." (Seoul had ceded a significant chunk of its own land to Light City in the process.)

So did that make Light City part of Korean territory? Even that was hard to say, because administrative authority over the city was split three ways between the Hero Association, the UN's directly-controlled management committee, and, last and least, the Korean government.

Which of the three had the weakest voice? The Korean government, obviously.

The Hero Association had the strongest heroes on Earth under its banner, which meant raw power. The UN management committee spoke for the interests of every other nation on the planet, which meant legitimacy.

And the Korean government? Aside from "this used to be our land," it didn't have much of anything.

"We can concede everything else, but the police, at least, need to stay under Korean control!"

"Agreed! That's how we remind citizens that Korea is still contributing to Light City's security!"

It sounded like a respectable justification on the surface, but underneath, it was really just the last shred of pride left in a government that had been squeezed into a corner by the Hero Association and the UN. People kept asking, "Why does Korea even still have administrative rights over Light City?" so the plan was to push the police to the front and try to spin public opinion in a better direction.

"You lying tax-thieving bastards!"

"What do you even do?! My grandma could direct traffic!"

"I'd rather my tax money go to the heroes than to you clowns!"

Unfortunately, the reputation of the police hadn't just hit rock bottom, it had drilled straight through the floor and kept going. The whole premise of ordinary human police officers trying to accomplish anything in a city crawling with superpowered people was laughable from the start.

Why not just use heroes as police, then? Did whoever suggested that have any idea what heroes charged in the private sector? The Korean government couldn't even cover ten percent of a fair market rate.

So the Korean government did technically keep a police force running, but nobody actually expected much from it. That was the reality, right up until now.

"What did you say?"

"The police caught a superpowered criminal?"

"Not once, not twice, every single case they touch turns into a hit?"

"The X-Tube video's got over two million views?"

"The Hero Association is quietly digging into this rookie's background?"

"...Seriously? For real?"

News of an absurdly capable rookie officer had suddenly reached the government.

"Well, would you look at that, what a remarkable young man!"

"He was already famous as a genius? Then why on earth is he working as a police officer?"

"Kang... Kang Jin-ho? Even the name's got real fighting spirit to it!"

Compared to the results of a top S-rank or A-rank hero, it was a laughably small achievement. But for a serving police officer to put up numbers like this, it was the first time it had happened since superpowered people first appeared.

It was the kind of event that stood shoulder to shoulder with a Korean footballer winning the EPL Golden Boot for the first time, a Korean director winning the Palme d'Or for the first time, a Korean singer hitting number one on the Billboard chart for the first time!

"We need to give him an immediate special promotion!"

"His salary needs a major raise, and he needs the latest private-sector equipment support!"

"Why not put together a dedicated backup team of aces from the metropolitan investigation unit just for Officer Kang? Give him a commendation, make him the face of a national PR campaign!"

As the excited officials threw out one idea after another, the president, who had been listening quietly, spoke, heavy and deliberate.

"Everyone, quiet."

"But, sir..."

"We are not going to do anything. Stepping in carelessly is far more likely to backfire than help."

As the president saw it, a young man showing this much talent working as a police officer made no sense at all. Someone with the instincts to see through a case just from a cursory look? That person could make a fortune working as a hero's assistant or as a private consultant.

"The fact that he's working as a police officer anyway tells me he has some kind of goal in mind. The Korean government will not interfere with him. If he realizes we're paying attention, it'll only make him uncomfortable."

"...Mm, well said!"

"Exactly right! If we reach out to him carelessly, he might just up and quit the police out of nowhere."

The officials found the president's logic persuasive enough that they were all nodding along.

Bang!

The door swung open, and a minister rushed in with an urgent report.

"Mr. President?"

"What is it?"

"That rookie officer you mentioned just submitted a criminal intelligence report! He's obtained information on a gang's robbery plan, and he's requesting to lead the investigation himself if possible!"

"The rookie officer? Not even a detective, and he wants to run the investigation?"

"Hmm..."

An air of "even so, isn't that a bit much" started to creep into the room, right up until the president reached a decision.

"Let him. On the condition he brings along a B-rank or higher hero. We have to look out for his safety, at least."

"Are... are you certain?"

"We won't go out of our way to reach out to Officer Kang Jin-ho first, but if Officer Kang Jin-ho asks for something, we accommodate it, within reason. We shouldn't be the ones holding him back."

Light City's police had already been more or less written off. But with a rookie putting up results this remarkable, there was no reason not to give him a push.

"It's not as if headquarters running the investigation guarantees results anyway. Let's use this opportunity to clear the field so that young man can run wild. If he succeeds, it's a win for the police. And if it falls apart, well, nobody expected anything from the police to begin with, so there's nothing to lose."

Having wrapped up the matter, the president gave one final instruction, one that would have made Kang Jin-ho himself scream if he'd heard it.

"Make sure nothing about Officer Kang Jin-ho leaks to the outside. Whatever his reasons, he's clearly trying to work quietly as a police officer for some purpose of his own. The least we can do is keep his secret."

"Yes, sir!"

**

With investigative authority officially in hand, Kang Jin-ho moved forward with Park Eun-yeong's help.

"Got all the paperwork sorted..."

Only one condition remained. He needed to bring along a hero of B-rank or higher.

"Alright, then..."

He logged onto the Hero Association's official website and posted a request for cooperation, filling out the form as required.

-Recruiting a hero to join a Metropolitan Police Agency operation to take down an armed robbery gang.

-Requirement: B-rank or above.

-Compensation: per Metropolitan Police Agency regulations.

An investigation backed by headquarters. On top of that, a fairly large-scale robbery case.

By all rights, applications should have come flooding in the moment he posted it. Heroes were always hungry for results, and a case this size meant a nice, easy chunk of achievement without much real risk.

But a day passed. Then two. Then three.

"...Why?"

Kang Jin-ho, staring at a monitor in the corner of the precinct, let out a hollow, disbelieving laugh.

Current applicants: 1.

-A-rank hero: Trace

...what exactly was going on here?

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