The Police Do a Better Job than Heroes - Chapter 71

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR

Chapter 71: Fame Is Often Exaggerated (8)

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The footage was blurry, but considering it had been filmed from so far away, it was fairly clear.

The camera was recording a gym at night. There was almost no light in the frame, with the moon as the only thing that could be called a light source.

The screen remained still for a while, until suddenly...

-Krrrroooom!!!

The gym collapsed in an instant, completely changing the scene.

Even after the old gym caved in, nothing changed on camera for a moment. A few minutes passed before...

“Uh, shit. What is that? What is it?”

“Move the camera. What’s going on?”

The camera holder’s voice could be heard as the shot hurriedly zoomed in.

The angle shook wildly, perhaps because their hands were trembling. As the footage gradually steadied, it revealed a man standing tall amid the gym’s rubble.

“…Isn’t that Kang Jin-ho?”

“Looks like it.”

The man in a police uniform stood still and looked up at the moon, then his body began to tremble. It was hard to see clearly, but he appeared to be laughing.

“Hmm...”

“Body Snatcher.”

The senior officials watching the video recognized Body Snatcher at once. It seemed the villain had succeeded in taking over Kang Jin-ho’s body.

“Then the current Kang Jin-ho isn’t the real Kang Jin-ho?”

“It appears Body Snatcher took his body and staged the whole thing.”

“We’ll need to revise our plans from here on.”

As they frowned and discussed what to do next...

“…Wait. Everyone, look at the screen.”

The person still watching the video urgently called the others over.

Kang Jin-ho on the screen had stopped. The man who had been laughing ominously just moments ago suddenly froze in place.

“What? What’s wrong with him?”

The voices of those filming could be heard faintly.

-Thud.

Kang Jin-ho dropped to his knees.

What followed was a horrific sight.

The man on the screen clutched his head. He twisted it and clawed at his own face with his nails. His mouth opened as though he were screaming something, but he was too far away for the audio to catch it.

Still, one thing was certain.

He was suffering. Terribly.

After writhing for quite some time, Kang Jin-ho finally collapsed forward.

“...”

A little later, Kang Jin-ho got back up. This time, he wasn’t smiling. He simply brushed the dust from his uniform and looked around as if nothing had happened.

-Bzzzzt.

The video ended there, but none of the senior officials seemed able to speak. The scene they had just witnessed was that shocking.

“It’s certain that Body Snatcher took over his body just now, correct?”

“They say Body Snatcher’s original body was apprehended at the scene, so we can safely say it is.”

“Then... Kang Jin-ho repelled the 1-rank villain who took over his body?”

“Based on the footage... that’s the most likely possibility.”

“…Does that make any sense?”

That short question, tinged with disbelief, captured what they all felt.

Did that make any sense?

Honestly, it didn’t. That was the problem.

No matter how much of a genius he was, could an ordinary police officer really reclaim control after losing his own body? Against a 1-rank villain? The difference in the amount of ether in their bodies alone should have been enormous...

“Something similar happened not long ago.”

An elderly man who had been quietly listening finally spoke.

“The Lethe case. Do you remember?”

“…Mm.”

Several faces hardened.

The 2-rank villain Lethe. A psychic-type villain infamous for stealing and sealing memories.

She had also gone after Kang Jin-ho, and in the end, she had become a shell of her former self, babbling away in villain prison.

“I hear Body Snatcher is in a similar condition right now. Proper communication is impossible, and it seems their consciousness has been damaged.”

“…Are you saying Kang Jin-ho did that deliberately?”

“That seems to be the case.”

“...”

Silence fell again.

They had seen Kang Jin-ho’s superpower test results. He had clearly been listed as being in a pre-awakening state...

Had he achieved a full awakening in the meantime? Or was he capable of this much even in a pre-awakening state?

More than anything, the nerve it took to predict his body would be taken over and place such a vicious ability on himself chilled them to the bone. Someone with a lot to lose and a fearful nature was not frightening. But someone with nothing to lose...

There was no telling what they might do.

“We will change how we investigate Kang Jin-ho from now on.”

The man seated at the head of the table slowly spoke.

“All actions taken to investigate him directly are forbidden. Treat him favorably whenever possible.”

“Will that really be all right?”

“If you want to inspect Kang Jin-ho’s body, feel free to try it yourself.”

“...”

“At least until we find out exactly who that man is.”

The man looked at Kang Jin-ho on the screen, prodding Body Snatcher.

“It would be best not to provoke him carelessly.”

* * *

While people in secret rooms around the world discussed Kang Jin-ho...

“Ah...”

Kang Jin-ho himself, the subject of all those discussions, was dying inside.

“Again?”

“Yes. The next appointment is at the North Metropolitan Police Agency.”

“Didn’t we just go to the Metropolitan Police Agency earlier...?”

“That was the South Metropolitan Police Agency. This time, it’s the North.”

“...”

Sitting in the backseat of the car and listening to Jeong Do-man’s briefing, Kang Jin-ho closed his eyes in exhaustion.

Ever since Kang Jin-ho had truly captured Body Snatcher, not just Light City but the entire world had gone wild.

-Breaking News) 1-rank villain ‘Body Snatcher’ captured alive! The sole arresting officer is an active-duty police officer...

-[In-Depth Analysis] Why did Kang Jin-ho emphasize ‘five days’...? Experts: ‘It was all intentional.’

-International Reactions) ‘Korean police catch villains?’ Shock...

The news was at least relatively restrained. Online reactions were, to put it crudely, completely losing their minds.

-Just make Kang Jin-ho the commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Agency already;;

-How many 1-rank villains has the current commissioner caught? How many times more has this guy caught?

-What do you get when you multiply zero by a number?

-Is that guy really powerless?

-He’s still in a pre-awakening state, so legally he’s considered powerless.

-If he’s powerless, what am I? My mom always tells me I’m useless.

Some children had even started choosing careers in policing, and sales of police-related books had skyrocketed at bookstores.

The bestselling book among them was called How a Thinking Police Officer Changed the City, and Kang Jin-ho’s face was plastered across its cover.

“…What is this?”

Could they really use his face without permission? This was ridiculous.

Of course, it wasn’t all just fuss.

What Kang Jin-ho had received after running around for the past few days was reward money, reward money, and more reward money.

First, there was the bounty from the Hero Association for Body Snatcher. Then there was a special government reward, along with a separate performance award from the Metropolitan Police Agency. A foundation supporting related victims and several companies had also sent him gratuities.

After roughly adding together all the money he had received...

“…This is insane.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes went wide.

One, ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand... one hundred billion?

Was it really one hundred billion?

“Me...?”

He had never imagined that one hundred billion won would ever land in his bank account, so Kang Jin-ho still felt dazed. Weren’t numbers this large only mentioned when talking about corporations or countries? They were giving that money to him?

Of course, no matter how much it was, Kang Jin-ho already knew what he would do with it.

“…Pardon? You’re donating again?”

“Yes. All of it.”

“A-All of it...?”

The hands of the employee handling the paperwork trembled. To Kang Jin-ho, who still had hundreds of millions of karma left to repay, it felt like a trivial decision. But others didn’t take it so lightly.

-Breaking News) Officer Kang Jin-ho donates all 100 billion won... ‘I hope it can be used somewhere better.’

-The largest individual donation in history... An unprecedented event for domestic charitable foundations...

-He’s donating 100 billion won? Is he even human?

-This would get criticized even if it happened in a novel. A police officer captures a 1-rank villain, earns 100 billion won, and then donates every last bit of it?

-Is he doing this because he wants to go into politics later?

-At this point, please go into politics already lol

Once news of the donation spread, the attention pouring onto Kang Jin-ho grew even greater. Until now, people had simply seen him as an impressive police officer. Now, somehow...

It looked like he was becoming something more.

Naturally, Kang Jin-ho’s schedule became even busier. Donation events, foundation visits, appreciation plaque ceremonies, interview requests...

“The next appointment is a visit to the children’s foundation, followed by a television interview.”

“…Do-man, let me live.”

“Isn’t this the process of spreading your ideals throughout the world, sunbae? Stay strong!”

“…Haa.”

With a sigh, Kang Jin-ho looked out the window.

He had made an enormous amount of money. He had gained an enormous amount of karma, and his reputation was soaring through the roof.

So why was he this exhausted...?

* * *

A few days later, Kang Jin-ho finally returned to the precinct and felt a little emotional.

“Wow...”

The old front desk. The creaking chairs. A ringtone coming from somewhere. Even the faint smell of instant coffee.

This shabby precinct felt far more comfortable to Kang Jin-ho than the backseat of the luxury sedans he had ridden in over the past few days.

Right. This was home.

This was where his heart belonged.

“Finally, I can rest a little...”

Kang Jin-ho sat at his desk and sank deeply into the chair.

At last, he was back to his usual routine. Helping an elderly person who had lost their wallet, calming down a drunk man, then clocking out on time...

Just as Kang Jin-ho was about to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere of the precinct for the first time in a while...

“…Hm?”

He suddenly noticed that something felt off.

The other officers were all staring toward the entrance.

Kang Jin-ho raised his head and looked in that direction as well. An unfamiliar man stood there.

His greasy hair was slicked back, and he wore an excessively flashy suit that didn’t suit him at all. He had the kind of face that made it obvious he probably didn’t do honest work.

“This is the place, right? Hmm.”

The man strode boldly into the precinct and planted a hand on the front desk.

“Yep. This is it.”

After confirming Kang Jin-ho was seated there, the man nodded once and spoke in a quiet voice.

“Um... the truth is, I’m a villain.”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m a villain. Have you heard of ‘Sack Thief’? I’m a 3-rank villain.”

“...”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head, looking as though he had no idea what the man was talking about. But the man continued without stopping.

“So, I’d like to turn myself in. I was hoping Officer Kang Jin-ho could arrest me personally.”

“...”

Without answering, Kang Jin-ho picked at one ear, then asked again.