The Legendary Detective Catches All the Criminals - Chapter 146



Only Noblemtl

◈Episode 146◈

Electric fried chicken

The interior of a shopping center with an eerie atmosphere.

-Thump thump.

Only the footsteps of Shin Dae-seong and Lee Wan-yong rang eerily.

Although it was before opening, there were many products on display.

As the game manager said, there were no security guards or anyone else in sight.

“Detective Shin, please keep your promise to protect me.”

“I told you I wouldn’t lie.”

“Are you sure you didn’t tell anyone that we came here?”

“Yeah, Detective Kim doesn’t know either, so don’t worry.”

“The game administrator is a really scary guy. If he had been followed, he would have noticed it already.”

Shin Dae-seong answered indifferently.

“There’s no such thing as tailing… so there’s no need to notice.”

“What are you going to do when you meet him?”

“Of course I should ask who killed my wife.”

“There’s no way you’d tell me that easily, right?”

Shin Dae-seong met Lee Wan-yong’s eyes and said.

“I think I’d be upset too… I’ll torture him until he opens his mouth. Until he begs for his life. I’ve come up with many torture methods in prison. A human would never be able to endure it.”

-Gulp.

Lee Wan-yong swallowed dry saliva without realizing it.

“Shouldn’t a police officer who upholds the law do that?”

“I seek personal revenge before upholding the law. I think that’s okay.”

“Who said that?”

“Detective Kim said that if it were up to him, he would make a semi-dead body out of it and then start questioning people.”

“Haha, never listen to Detective Kim.”

“But······ How did you get this place? The game manager seems to be quite talented.”

“You should never underestimate him.”

Shin Dae-seong smiled in a humorless manner.

“It’s okay to make fun of that guy.”

“······.”

“He has excessive self-esteem. He even thinks of himself as a god-like being. On top of that, he enjoys being the center of attention at all times, as if he has an incurable disease. He is bound to make mistakes.”

“I don’t think so. He’s a dangerously smart guy. Never let your guard down.”

Shin Dae-seong smiled and nodded.

“Are you telling me to come up to the second floor······.”

There was a sign on the escalator in the middle of the shopping center. A strangely shaped mannequin was gesturing towards the direction of going up.

Lee Wan-yong got on the escalator first.

“For now, it would be best to do as you are told.”

“You listen well at times like this?”

“What can I do to survive? I have to follow the game manager’s orders. He keeps telling me to go up.”

On each floor, there was a mannequin waving upward. Shin Dae-seong and Lee Wan-yong continued to go up the escalator.

“What would you do if you met the Creator?”

“The guy who killed my wife and put me in prison for 20 years?”

“Yes, if we catch the game manager, we can catch him too, right? That’s why Detective Shin took the risk and came here.”

“I should ask.”

“What are you asking?”

“Why did you kill my wife······.”

“And then?”

“I haven’t thought about what happens after that. My actions will change depending on the Creator’s answer.”

“It’s all up, it’s right there.”

A dome-shaped structure was visible on the top floor. Mannequins were lined up and leading to the entrance.

I walked without hesitation.

Shin Dae-seong.

“What on earth have the game managers prepared?”

Lee Wan-yong followed carefully and responded.

“Isn’t that an expression of over-expectation?”

“When you’re at my level, you can expect things to be better. No matter what you do, it’ll be within my expectations.”

“I wonder if that is true······.”

The entrance was dark.

Shin Dae-seong walked, carefully extending his hand.

“Lee Wan-yong, are you following along well?”

“······.”

There was no sound or answer.

“Lee Wan-yong? Lee Wan-yong?”

Shin Dae-seong called out a few times and then continued walking.

-Sparkle.

A light that said ‘Exit’ came on.

Shin Dae-seong walked over without hesitation and grabbed the doorknob.

And then, the moment I opened the door wide and stepped in,

-Pang~!

The deafening sound of celebratory fireworks!

I couldn’t open my eyes properly because of the bright lights.

The cheers of people coming from all directions… Shin Dae-seong felt like he was standing in the middle of the stage.

It was a stage that really looked like a broadcast set.

People wearing masks were sitting like audience members, and someone who looked like the host approached Shin Dae-seong.

“I introduce to you all, I am detective Shin Dae-seong from the Unsolved Cases Unit!”

“Wow~.”

A wild cheer rang out.

But Shin Dae-seong didn’t even show any sign of being flustered.

“Are you the game manager?”

The host in the monkey mask answered by imitating a variety show MC.

“Unfortunately, I am not a game moderator.”

At that moment, laughter erupted from the audience.

He seemed to be surprised to find out who the game manager was.

* * *

A building next to a shopping center that is about to open.

Kim Han-gyeol put on his headset and focused.

“I can only hear applause and cheering.”

Inspector Kang Tae-gyu was also wearing the same headset.

“This is the most advanced equipment used by spies. It can’t be helped if it’s loud. If you listen closely, you’ll hear Detective Shin’s voice.”

“How did you get this state-of-the-art equipment?”

“I’m close with people from the intelligence agency.”

“How can we be close?”

“That’s a secret… I’m more envious of Detective Kim’s ability to mobilize the entire SWAT team.”

Kim Han-gyeol answered with concentration.

“It’s not my ability, it’s my mother’s ability. I’m a drinking buddy with Director Park Soon-cheol.”

“No matter how close you are to the chief, it’s not easy to secretly operate a special police force.”

“I can’t help but admire Detective Hwang’s abilities. How did he predict all of Lee Wan-yong’s actions?”

“I agree with you. If it had been the enemy, it would have been really scary.”

Manager Park Dong-hee asked Kim Han-gyeol.

“Is Senior Shin okay?”

“Yes, it seems okay for now.”

“Is Lee Wan-yong really living up to his reputation? Hiding the fact that he’s a game manager and making Senior Shin a spectacle.”

“But Detective Shin wouldn’t be fooled by that. Lee Wan-yong would be jumping for joy at the success of his operation. The same goes for the members of Untouchable who attended because they believed his words.”

“We absolutely must root out those guys today.”

“Of course. We will catch them all without exception. We gathered in large numbers without knowing that today is a memorial day.”

Detective Seo Min-ju asked Chief Park Dong-hee.

“The scale of the operation has grown enormously?”

“The higher-ups also knew the truth about Untouchable. They wanted to deal with it for sure before the media reported on it.”

“I think some media outlets have caught on.”

“You can never know for sure. You should never fall for leading questions.”

“But I can’t see Detective Bang?”

“You don’t have to look for it on purpose. I sent it to the place where it’s needed.”

Shin Soo-ah couldn’t hide her nervousness.

“How about going in right away for Detective Shin’s safety?”

“Absolutely not,” Detective Shin repeatedly warned.

“Lee Wan-yong has an eccentric and unpredictable personality. You never know what he might do.”

“Detective Shin said that it was most important to get information from the Creator. He told us not to enter under any circumstances until Detective Shin gave the signal first.”

“What kind of signal is it?”

* * *

A set decorated like a broadcast stage.

Shin Dae-seong asked while looking at the monkey mask MC.

“Where is the game manager?”

“I’ll tell you about that later. Detective Shin, do you know where this place is?”

“It looks like the Untouchable members came to see me.”

“That’s right. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. You have to go through a few hurdles to meet the game manager.”

“What if I don’t like it?”

The monkey mask spoke threateningly.

“Then you will not be able to meet the game manager and you will die.”

“The game manager lied to me? He said he would guarantee my safety and that of Lee Wan-yong.”

“It makes no sense to believe something like that.”

“Which gate do I have to pass through?”

“You’re quick to change your stance. Fortunately, you’re not as closed-minded as rumored. You must be really eager to find the culprit who killed your wife. You must be thirsty from coming all this way. Would you like a drink?”

As the monkey mask winked, a woman carrying a tray appeared. She also wore a mask, and there were five cups on the tray.

“Can I drink anything?”

“That’s true. But some of these cups are poisonous.”

At that moment, exclamations of interest erupted from the audience.

“Oh~”

Shin Dae-seong looked at the five cups and asked.

“How many are poisonous?”

“There are four cups of poison, and one cup of clean water. If you are not sure, I can give you a hint······.”

Before the MC finished speaking,

-sudden!

Shin Dae-seong picked up a cup from the tray and drank it right away.

The audience became quiet.

Everyone watched to see if Shin Dae-seong was in good condition.

“It’s lukewarm?”

“Are you okay?”

“If I had drunk poison, I would have already died.”

“How did you choose the cup that wasn’t poison?”

Shin Dae-seong answered with a blank face.

“You’re lucky. Can I meet the game manager now?”

“Unfortunately, there are still two gates left.”

“I don’t want to waste time, I want to do it right away.”

“As expected, you have great confidence. I wonder if you’ll be able to pass easily this time too.”

As the MC nodded, a person tied tightly to a chair was heard.

“Save me, save me, save me!”

The one shouting with a terrified expression was Lee Wan-yong.

The MC said while stroking Lee Wan-yong’s face.

“This guy is the one who betrayed us… He’s a vicious guy who sold out the game manager to the police.”

“Wow~ Woo~”

Boos poured out from the gallery. The thumbs-up and kill gestures continued to increase.

Shin Dae-seong asked the MC.

“What is the purpose of bringing this guy?”

The MC just smiled with the corners of his mouth going up, and an electric torture machine appeared on stage.

“What is this?”

“As you can see, it’s a device for electric torture. They say the pain is so severe that it causes mental illness.”

“Why did you bring this?”

“I’ve heard you’re a man of your word. You promised to protect this traitor no matter what.”

“I guess so.”

“First, let me show you the performance of this machine.”

The MC held up two batons connected to the torture machine. The moment he put it on the floor for testing,

-Phase support support!

It was a sight of powerful sparks flying.

Shin Dae-seong asked with a still calm expression.

“What the hell do you want me to do with this?”

“We’re curious about your character. You’re so right on the subject of psychopaths.”

“And you guys? You’re not psychopaths, so why are you so wrong?”

“Words won’t do it for you. The second gate is very simple. You torture the traitor.”

“You want me to torture Lee Wan-yong with electricity?”

“Yeah, if you don’t like it, you can torture yourself······.”

Lee Wan-yong, tied to a chair, cried and appealed.

“Please spare me! I became a traitor for Detective Shin. You’re not going to kill me, are you?”

Shin Dae-seong asked the MC to confirm.

“Is this really the only way?”

“Yes, there is no other way. Either you electrocute yourself, or electrocute the traitor.”

Shin Dae-seong received the two sticks with a helpless expression.

The atmosphere in the gallery was such that Shin Dae-seong was going to torture himself.

Shin Dae-seong’s choice with an electric baton is,

-Pizza!

Shin Dae-sung blew up MC with electric torture.

“Kwaaah!”

The MC screamed and fell out, and the two electric batons were aimed at Lee Wan-yong, who was tied to a chair.

“I’ll make this guy into an ‘electric chicken’ just like you want!”

-Pizza!

Lee Wan-yong screamed and writhed.

“Kyaaak~ This is not it~!”

“No, it’s not!”

-Phase support support!