God of Crime

"Damn...!"

After completing a call with the police commissioner, the commando leader spat out words of frustration. No matter how he thought about it, the opponent was from a terrorist organization with a grudge against Phantom.

About 30 minutes ago, a commando strike team was dispatched after hearing the news story that an armed villain was holding hostages in the middle of the city. The leader of the commandos thought that the other person was just a gangster with a gun, and that they would be able to easily overpower him.

Therefore, the 1st squadron consisting of 12 people entered the building. The commandos were a group that went through high intensity training. They were above ordinary soldiers in terms of combat skills, and all of them had exceptional skills. When it came to suppressing terrorism, they were confident that they wouldn’t fall behind the special forces of other countries.

However, the commandos leader soon realized that his judgement was wrong.

"I’m sorry Chief-nim. The opponent installed booby traps in the building and completely blocked all access routes. He has a M60 machine gun.”

The commandos leader felt dizzy at the report from his deputy.

"What about the damage to us?”

"Two people slightly wounded... Four people severely wounded... Fortunately, there were no casualties.”

"How can you say that?”

"....I’m really sorry."

The number of enemies was at most three. However, 6 of the 12 people had come back with injuries?

"The nation’s largest counterterrorism force...”

The deputy started making excuses.

"It is a structure that is difficult to break into, due to the narrow passages inside. Furthermore, the opponent isn’t a mere terrorist. The machine gun was aimed precisely at areas where there was no protective clothing. Furthermore, there aren’t just machine guns, but rifles and shotguns...”

“Stop your excuses. Prepare a second team to strike. Why isn’t Detective Cho Kang-suk coming!”

There were only two people who could get in touch with Phantom. One of them was being held inside the building. Then somebody blocking the scene cried out loudly.

“Detective Cho Kang-suk has arrived!”

The commandos leader looked at the place where the voice was heard. The person he had been waiting for rushed in.

"I’m sorry. I am late.”

Detective Cho Kang-suk was accompanied by Investigator Joo Hyun-ho. He was a criminal profiler and came along for negotiations with the criminal.

Joo Hyun-ho asked the deputy.

"There isn’t much time left until the killer kills the first hostage?”

"Yes, that’s right. There is 10 minutes and 20 seconds left.”

“I understand. You should try to contact Phantom, and I will buy as much time as possible by trying to communicate with the criminal.”

The commandos leader nodded favourably at Joo Hyun-ho’s words.

"So can you contact Phantom?”

"I am trying. He seems to be in a place with no radio waves.”

"Hu... I don’t know why innocent civilians need to get involved in the power struggle between criminals. Anyway, Investigator Joo Hyun-ho should buy as much time as possible. There will soon be a second attempt to penetrate.”

Kang-suk’s face turned pale.

"I heard that there are 30 hostages. If you try to break through with force, won’t they be harmed?”

"It is a shame for me as well. However, we are bound by the rule to not negotiate with terrorists. There needs to be some sacrifices.”

Kang-suk’s face distorted.

They should think of the people’s lives as the top priority. However, the hostages were treated like obstacles in the way of catching a terrorist.

The commandos leader noticed Kang-suk’s atmosphere and tried to appease him.

"In the first place, I think that people who work in a place like the karaoke bars are wrong.”

It was counterproductive. In the end, Cho Kang-suk’s anger exploded.

"The police isn’t here to kill terrorists, but to protect the people!”

The face of the commandos leader turned red. Cho Kang-suk was obviously right. However, he would be broken if he was too upright. In order to live in this world, sometimes a moderate compromise was needed.

Cho Kang-suk realized that he had shouted at someone higher than him and bowed his head,

"....I’m sorry. I am a little agitated.”

"No. It is too cruel for a man like you to live in this world. Anyway, please try to reach Phantom as soon as possible."

“I understand.”

Kang-suk wanted to go inside and save the hostages if he could, but he couldn’t do that.

“No, ah! Why isn’t the call going throu...eh?”

“What? Did you contact Phantom?”

“It seems like it.”

Although it wasn’t a phone call, Phantom had sent him a text message. Joo Hyun-ho and the commandos leader gathered around Kang-suk.

“...The culprit is a killer sent by the Triads, and there is only one person.”

“Haha... A single person did all this?”

Kang-suk ignored the commandos leader and continued to read Phantom’s message.

"He has already killed 10 hostages. There is a danger that they will all be wiped out if you try to forcefully enter.”

“......”

The gathered people groaned. If all the hostages were killed then it meant the hostage taker would die. So why did he kill the hostages so easily? They were appalled when they imagined what was going on inside the building.

"Breaching is forbidden. I am currently attempting contact. Oh, that is the end of the message.”

The face of the commandos leader turned red after hearing the message. It meant that if left to the commandos, the hostages would die so don’t interfere. Then he suddenly realized something.

"Wait. That meant the Phantom is inside there now.”

“...It seems like it.”

“Damn. Does this makes sense? The blockade is so tight that not even a single ant can get in. How did he get in there?!”

The gathered people gulped and looked at the building where the hostages were being held. Inside was the terrorist and the hostages...

And Phantom.

@

Tae-hyuk turned off his smartphone and muttered,

"I’m sorry but I am listening to this conversation.”

He had wiretapped the police and grasped their movements perfectly. Originally, he needed expensive frequency detection equipment, a solar panel that supported 24 hour power, and a remote control device in order to bug them.

However, Tae-hyuk had something better than a wiretapping device. Everybody carried their phones around with them everywhere. He installed a Chinese hacking tool that Moonlight Flower put in the smartphones of Cho Kang-suk, the commandos leader, and the police commissioner.

He could listen to their conversations in real time and see the contents of their phones. Of course, there were security programs, but they couldn’t stop the hacking tools that cost tens of thousands of dollars.

Tae-hyuk licked his lips.

"The only downside is the short shelf-life... Should I use this opportunity to learn cracking?”

Anyway, sooner or later, he would have to visit China in order to deal with the Triads. It would be nice if he could meet their hackers and learn their skills.

Tae-hyuk analyzed the opponent by combining the information that the police had with his own. The conclusion that emerged was that he had absolutely no chance of winning in a frontal confrontation. Even if he had the crime skills, he would die if he was shot.

"Of course, I’m not an idiot to straight up fight a killer like in an action movie.”

Tae-hyuk picked a suitable room and entered. He looked at the things that were present.

"Laptop, camera, microphone, lights. Perfect.”

If he had this equipment, then Internet broadcasting could be done anywhere. Karaoke machines were installed in all rooms. They were LAN connected for song data updates. The karaoke machines could be operated from the main counter. It meant he could broadcast a live video into the room of the killer.

Tae-hyuk connected the LAN connected laptop to the control unit at the counter and muttered,

“I won’t be able to receive any balloons. Isn’t this Phantom’s Internet debut?”

@

Big Brother checked the time and spoke to the hostages.

"It is the promised execution time. Who should I kill?”

Then one of the hostages spoke in a quivering voice. It was the unfortunate schoolgirl who was caught at the convenience store with her younger sister, Min Soo-young.

"Y-You’ve already killed 10 people. Is that still not enough?”

"Moths flying into the fire isn’t an execution. Yes. I’ll kill you first."

Min Soo-young’s face turned white.

“S-Spare me... I’ll do whatever you want.”

Then Big Brother laughed.

“Really? I think your little sister is here with you. I’ll let you live if you shoot her in the head. How about it?”

Soo-young’s sister , Soo-yeon, who was two years younger than her, called out in a quivering voice.

“U-Unni... I-I don’t want to die... Huh? U-Unni...”

The two people grabbed each other’s hands and stared into the other’s eyes. Even if it meant living, she couldn’t kill her sister. In the end, Soo-young spoke with determined eyes.

"I-I would rather die. Save my little sister.”

“Hoh... This warm love between sisters, I like it. Then I will save your sister.”

"T-Thank you."

“But I have one condition. The Yakuza cut their own belly to show their determination. Is it called harakiri? If you want to save your sister then shoot yourself with this. Then I will spare her.”

Big Brother pulled a gun from his waist and threw it towards Soo-young.

“......”

Big Brother laughed happily like he was enjoying this.

Soo-young picked up the gun and stared at the demon in front of her. Could she use this to kill the opponent? That idea popped up but she shook her head. She had seen the demon fighting the hostages. There was no way she could kill him with this small handgun.

"If you make a fuss then I will blow a hole in your sister’s head, so be sure to shoot at your belly button.”

“......”

Soo-young’s body shook like it was cold. After cram school was over, she was thirsty and went to buy some milk with her sister...

How did she end up in this situation? Everything seemed unreal. If she closed her eyes then she might be able to return to reality.

“Sob... It isn’t a dream...”

In action movies, the protagonist could survive being shot with several bullets. Could she live like that? With such hope, Soo-young aimed the muzzle of the gun at her stomach with trembling hands.

However, reality wasn’t that easy. Once the 5.56mm bullet was fired, a hole the size of a finger would be made where the bullet entered. It would be okay with just that. However, the bullet fired from the pistol would rotate and damage the internal organs. It also wasn’t uncommon for there to be an exit hole.

This was a tool designed to kill people in the first place. Being shot in the belly would mean unconditional death.

“P-Please...”

Please survive...

With that hope, Soo-young pulled the trigger. No, she was about to pull it.

-It seems like something interesting is happening.

The moment a man’s voice was heard out of nowhere, Soo-young stopped her finger that was about to pull the trigger. Big Brother and the hostages looked in the direction of the voice. A man in a phantom mask had appeared on the karaoke machine in the corner of the room.

"The machine was hacked."

-All the systems in this place are in my hands.You should surrender, rather than try to resist.

Big Brother smiled and walked over to the monitor.

“Haha! It seems like you can hear my voice. You must have installed a bug somewhere. So what can you do? Huh? Are you going to pop out of the monitor like in a horror movie?”

-I’ll show you proof that I am controlling all the systems.

At that moment, the electricity in the room turned off. The hostages shrieked as it suddenly became dark.

Big Brother had several more pistols besides what he gave to Soo-young. He fired towards the door.

Tang!

"H-Hik!"

"Trying to take advantage of the uproar to flee. Yes. Try to do it again a second time. Huhuhu.”

The man who tried to secretly open the door and run away stumbled back into the darkness of the room. Less than 10 seconds later, the lights in the room turned on again. The monitor also turned back on.

-How is it?This is what I am capable of.

"Ridiculous. Don’t think you can deal with me by limiting my vision. The darkness won’t be able to stop me.”

Even in the darkness, Big Brother had accurately aimed at the hostage trying to escape.

-I have a prophecy.You will die here today.

"Bullshit!”

Big Brother was provoked and fired a few bullets towards the monitor.

Smoke emerged and several pieces flew away.

"Listen carefully. Stop talking bullshit and appear in front of me right now, or I will kill one hostage every minute. Well, if other people die, then your ratings will fall to the bottom. It means I don’t have to look at you anymore.”

Big Brother’s words were only half right. Tae-hyuk was obviously listening to his words, but it wasn’t through a bug.

’By the way, he ruined the monitor after a little provocation. If I knew this earlier, then I would’ve only recorded three minutes.’

Tae-hyuk smiled bitterly from where he was hiding among the hostages.

‘Anyway, the killer’s brain is equivalent to Park Sung-kwang.’

Big Brother thought he was having a real-time conversation with Phantom, but he was wrong. Tae-hyuk had just played a pre-recorded video on the karaoke machine. He entered the room when the electricity went out. Now there were two hostages in the room with the same face. However, Big Brother was agitated and failed to notice it. Tae-hyuk had disguised himself as Kwon Joon-hyuk and hid inside.

Big Brother thought there were only helpless hostages here. He was shouting at an illusion of Phantom without knowing that an assassin had come in to kill him.