The Legendary Detective Catches All the Criminals - Chapter 61



Only Noblemtl

◈Episode 61◈

The enemy is on a single-log bridge

A riverbank covered with bushes.

Kim Han-gyeol scratched his head and asked Wang Yu-seok.

“Wang Jjang-gu, remember this well. Is this the right place?”

“I think I parked my car here······.”

“Wasn’t there anything unusual? You wouldn’t have just thrown it into the river, right?”

“I saw the reservoir over there on the left… No, was it on the right? No, no, it seemed to be on the left….”

Shin Dae-seong was also able to see Wang Yoo-seok’s confused appearance through a laptop video.

“What should we do, Detective Shin?”

-Just wait a minute.

Shin Tae-seong spoke on speakerphone.

-Song Tae-chang, do you know where this is? This reservoir you see here. It seems they used it as a point of reference for disposing of the bodies. Even if you look away, can you hear me? Did you bury Officer Lee Kang-il’s body on the left side of the reservoir? Or on the right side?

Kim Han-gyeol held his breath and waited for Shin Dae-seong’s answer.

We will observe Song Tae-chang’s expression to determine whether it is true or not.

-Detective Kim?

“Yes, Detective Shin.”

-You’re in the right place. Search to the left of the reservoir.

“thank you.”

Kim Han-gyeol approached Wang Yu-seok and said.

“This is right. It was on the left side of the reservoir.”

“Do you remember now?”

“Yeah, not perfectly… but it’s definitely on the left when looking at the reservoir.”

“But can’t you hear anything?”

“What do you hear······.”

Kim Han-gyeol answered without saying a word.

This is the sound heard inside the ambulance. The killer nurse has regained consciousness and woke up.

“I’ve been hearing strange noises since a while ago.”

“It’s my imagination.”

“Is that so?”

Kim Han-gyeol took Wang Yu-seok down to the river.

“I’m sure I’ve been here before… Is there anything else you can think of?”

“I followed you, carrying a corpse. Do you know how hard it is in the dark of dawn?”

“Sorry, I wasn’t feeling well at the time.”

“Then and now, you’re always being annoying······ You’re the one who causes the accident, and I’m the one cleaning up afterward······.”

“Aren’t you talking to yourself too loudly? I can hear everything.”

“I’m telling you to listen. But why are you filming with your camera?”

“If you take a picture like this, you can find it easily later.”

“Are you going to kill someone again?”

“No, just in case, I’m preparing······ Woof!”

Kim Han-gyeol, who was walking ahead, screamed and fell forward.

-Thud!

“What the hell······ What kind of hole is this······.”

It was the time when Kim Han-gyeol got up and grumbled.

Wang Yu-seok shouted as if he remembered something.

“That’s right, here it is! That’s when I fell.”

“really?”

“Yeah, I think there was a stone bridge nearby, but there isn’t one?”

Kim Han-gyeol said to Shin Dae-seong.

“Detective Shin, could you please investigate?”

-Okay. I just got a call from Detective Shin. He said that the stone bridge nearby collapsed and was dismantled 10 years ago. Now, only traces remain in the water.

“All right.”

Kim Han-gyeol walked along the river.

“Do you see that big rock in the water over there? That’s where the stone bridge used to be. Did they dump a body nearby?”

“This is just the beginning. If you cross the stone bridge and keep walking, you’ll come to a fork in the road.”

“Why are you disposing of corpses so diligently?”

“I complained about that back then too.”

“······.”

“You tapped me on the shoulder and said, ‘These guys aren’t easy.’”

“That’s right! The police in South Korea aren’t that easy. Let’s cheer up and walk.”

Kim Han-gyeol suddenly started to move with energy.

“I see a fork in the road over there. Which way do you go?”

“I don’t know either······.”

Kim Han-gyeol immediately asked for help.

“Detective Shin, what should we do?”

-Leave it to me.

Wang Yu-seok asked with a puzzled face.

“By the way, who have you been talking to all this time?”

“Don’t worry about it, I’m just talking to myself.”

* * *

The detention center warden’s office where Song Tae-chang is.

Kim Han-gyeol asked, pointing to the laptop screen.

“Which way did you go up?”

“······.”

Song Tae-chang did not answer and looked away.

“Does that hide the truth? Fair play is about being fair to both parties. If you act like this, I have no choice but to respond in kind.”

Kim Han-gyeol nodded to the prison guard.

Soon the door to the prison cell opened, and an inmate with an ominous look came in.

Song Tae-chang burst into laughter.

“Is it okay for police officers who uphold the law to do this?”

“I told you, fair play means being fair to both sides.”

Song Tae-chang looked up at the prisoner and said.

“Do you know who I am?”

Shin Dae-seong came forward and answered.

“First of all, let’s start with greetings. Song Tae-chang, this guy is a suspect in several crimes. He is also a director of the Babel Union.”

That’s when a triumphant smile spread across Song Tae-chang’s face.

“And this is the leader of the Baekho faction that ruled Gangbuk in the old days.”

“!”

“The organization was completely destroyed because of you. How much more resentment must you have felt to hold a press conference?”

Song Tae-chang’s previously proud reaction changed.

“What the heck am I doing? Do you know what will happen if I make a mistake here?”

Shin Dae-seong responded with an indifferent expression.

“Nothing seems to be going wrong. Right now, the warden is inviting model prisoners to enjoy refreshments. But he met his enemy on the single-log bridge.”

“······.”

“I’ll spare your life. That way you can testify. Since this is a fight between inmates, the warden won’t suffer any damage. However, the model prisoner’s tea time will be canceled. To the inmates who have been waiting for this, you will become a public enemy.”

-dump!

The leader of the Baekho faction sat next to Song Tae-chang.

“Nice to meet you, kid······.”

“······.”

Song Tae-chang looks like a mouse behaving docilely in front of a cat.

The leader of the Baekho faction said while looking at Shin Dae-seong.

“Detective Shin, please put this kid in the cell I’m in.”

“Of course not. To do that, he has to confess. Do you also want to find the body of Officer Lee Kang-il?”

“If I say more, it’s just nagging. No one has waited more earnestly for the real culprit to be caught than I have.”

“I know, that’s why I brought you here.”

Shin Dae-seong said while looking at Song Tae-chang.

“Shall we start investigating again? First, raise your head.”

This is when Song Tae-chang shows a hesitant attitude.

-Ouch!

The leader of the Baekho faction hit Song Tae-chang on the back of the head.

“Lift your head, kid.”

Song Tae-chang straightened his back like a new soldier.

“Look carefully at the laptop video here. Which way did it go up?”

“No, I don’t know.”

At the same time as Song Tae-chang’s negative answer,

-Phew!

The leader of the Baekho faction slammed Song Tae-chang’s face into the table.

“Think before you speak. You’re answering too insincerely.”

“I really don’t know. How could I know when I see such a thicket of reeds?”

“If it’s true, I might remember it.”

“What, what did you say?”

“Where the hell are you coming from? I don’t believe a word you say. I had a really strange experience… I was harassed by the police so much that I started to think I was the real culprit.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“No need to apologize. Just hit me until I remember.”

“I really don’t know?”

“Excuses like that only work with detectives.”

-Thud, thud, thud!

The leader of the Baekho faction started beating people.

He tried his best to avoid touching his face and hit him until he was in pain. But Song Tae-chang just kept saying he didn’t know.

The leader of the Baekho faction exploded with anger and began to trample without mercy.

-Phew! Phew! Phew!

“You still haven’t come to your senses! Do you know how much I’ve suffered because of you? Okay~ Let’s see who wins. I’ll step on you so you won’t ever lie again!”

“Ugh, please save me······ Ugh!”

“If you want to live, answer Detective Shin’s questions truthfully.”

“I really don’t know. How could I remember exactly what happened 20 years ago?”

“I told you that kind of lie wouldn’t work on me!”

-Phew! Phew! Phew~.

After a while.

Shin Dae-seong said while looking at Song Tae-chang’s messy face.

“You really don’t know······.”

“Ugh!”

Song Tae-chang reacts as if he is about to cry because he is so overcome with resentment.

Shin Dae-seong patted his shoulder and said.

“Then I should remind you······ Detective Shin?”

-Yes, go ahead.

Team 3 Gangwon was connected to a group call.

“What happened to the footage around the fork in the road?”

-We have now launched the drone and obtained the footage. Please check your laptop.

“okay······.”

The laptop image has been upgraded.

A vivid video of the area around the fork in the road was uploaded.

Shin Dae-seong asked Song Tae-chang.

“Which way did you go up? There are five directions starting from the left when facing each other. Crossing both rivers is option 1, crossing just one is option 2, following the main stream is option 3······.”

Song Tae-chang’s head is held captive by the leader of the Baekho faction.

I couldn’t take my eyes off my laptop.

Shin Dae-seong spoke to Song Tae-chang, who was intentionally frowning.

“You think you can fool me like that. I’m inside your head right now. The memories from back then are slowly coming back to me. Which of the five directions did you move in?”

“······.”

“Number 1? Number 2? Number 3? Number 4······ Or number 5?”

This is when Song Tae-chang keeps his mouth shut and endures.

A faint smile began to spread across Shin Dae-seong’s face.

“I told you I was inside your head······ Detective Kim, go up to direction 3.”

-Thank you, Detective Shin! I will definitely find the body of Officer Lee Kang-il.

* * *

The search began early in the morning.

It was now getting dark and a heavy rain was falling.

-Thud thud thud.

Wang Yu-seok complained as he walked along the muddy road.

“I can’t walk anymore because it’s so hard… I can’t even see in front of me properly. Let’s just go back today. Okay?”

But Kim Han-gyeol didn’t give up.

“How do we get back from here? What are we going to do with the nurse’s body?”

“Let’s just bury it somewhere. There’s no one here. They’ll never find out.”

“Do you think the salty guys in South Korea are that easy? Even if it’s hard, just hang in there. Aren’t you almost there?”

“Oh, my gosh… It’s so cold I’m going crazy! I can’t go any further!”

Wang Yu-seok sat down as if giving up. Kim Han-gyeol’s voice also trembled because of the cold.

“Let’s try a little harder. It’s not just us who are suffering, right?”

“We are the only ones suffering.”

“······.”

“I thought it was hot last time so I thought I would die, but how can I go into the water in this weather?”

“Didn’t you just throw the body into the deep river?”

“It wasn’t that deep… I dug the riverbed and buried it. It was such a struggle. It’s even worse now.”

“Recall your memories in detail. Do you remember anything about digging the riverbed?”

-Thud thud thud.

The raindrops grew heavier, and Wang Yu-seok responded while trembling.

“The current wasn’t fast. They dug up the riverbed, put in black body bags, and piled up a bunch of rocks······.”

“A rock?”

“We can’t let the body float away.”

Kim Han-gyeol asked as he approached the river.

“Did you see a big tree when you buried the body bag?”

“It didn’t seem that big······.”

“It’s been 20 years, so of course it’s gotten bigger.”

-Splash splash.

Kim Han-gyeol went into the water.

“Taechang, aren’t you cold?”

“I’m so cold I feel like I’m going to die!”

“But why are you going into the water?”

“Look at the riverbed. The rocks are piled up and sticking out. My intuition is triggered.”

“What triggered it?”

Kim Han-gyeol started to remove the stones in the water.

Even though my whole body was trembling, I didn’t stop my hands.

“It’s definitely here. It must have been buried here······!”

Kim Han-gyeol’s eyes widened.

The feel of the hand was different. It felt like an artificial material like vinyl, not a rough riverbed.

What appeared immediately was a black body bag that was exactly as Wang Yu-seok had described.

-with a splash.

Kim Han-gyeol looked up at the rainy sky and knelt down. Then he raised both his hands and shouted in excitement.

“Found it~!”

* * *

– It looks like another unsolved case is about to be solved. Gangnam 2nd Police Station’s Violent Crimes Unit 3 has found the body of Police Officer Lee Kang-il, who went missing 20 years ago. The suspect was a member of a violent organization at the time······.