The Body Reacts First

The man in the black coat pulled a knife from his pocket, and Songtan lunged forward without hesitation.

It wasn't so much a thought as his body reacting first.

The moment the man was about to stab a woman nearby in the side, Songtan leaped in and slammed into him with his shoulder.

Ugh!

The man, thrown backward, tumbled to the ground.

Clang-

With a dull thud, the knife slipped from his hand and fell to the floor. The sharp metallic sound drew everyone's attention.

Aieee!

Screams erupted as people frantically distanced themselves from the man. They pushed and tangled with each other, and the Platform instantly became a scene of pandemonium.

Songtan unconsciously frowned. He had wanted to subdue the man in one swift move, but the assailant reacted more nimbly than expected.

The silver lining, perhaps, was that he had prevented any casualties?

If he hadn't intervened, the woman, whose face was now ashen, would surely have died. The assailant clearly understood where to strike to cause instant death.

But then, an unexpected variable arose, one that went beyond Songtan's predictions. A small child, giggling, ran towards the man in the black coat.

Dohyeon!!!

The terrified mother frantically chased after the child, but the man had already picked up the knife and grabbed the child.

"Fuck! Don't come any closer! I'll fucking kill him!"

"Waaahhh!!"

No, no! Please don't hurt him! I won't do anything! Please!!

Seeing the glinting blade held against her child's face, the woman turned deathly pale. Soon, the child's mother began to plead desperately, tears and snot streaming down her face.

"Please save my Dohyeon! *Sniffle*, please!" "Don't try any funny business!"

The man's voice, rough and cracking, echoed.

If anyone comes closer, I'll slit the brat's throat!

The sobbing child, unable to bear the man's murderous intent, turned ghostly pale. His breathing became erratic, as if he might pass out at any moment. The child's mother also trembled violently, on the verge of collapse.

P-please help! Someone, please save my Dohyeon... Anyone, please...

A man walked past the weeping woman. Songtan stopped at a suitable distance.

"Who the fuck are you!? Get lost!"

"Aieee."

A reflexive scream escaped the onlookers as the man pressed the knife against the child's throat. The child's mother, startled, collapsed to the ground, trembling violently as if having a seizure.

Songtan's cold gaze swept over the man.

During his time as an Informant for the Murim Alliance, he had encountered many Demonic Masters consumed by Demonic Arts and driven to madness. He had tried coaxing them, torturing them, and threatening them, but extracting information from them was never easy. They were, after all, not in their right minds. Therefore, those afflicted with madness required a completely different approach.

What are you going to do holding a child who knows nothing? Do you really think he can understand you? W-what the hell are you talking about?

The man looked flustered by Songtan's unusually calm voice, which was completely out of place given the situation.

What do you plan to do with a child who can do nothing but cry? Surely a true hunter like you wouldn't stoop to catching such a pathetic prey, would you?

The man's eyes flickered slightly at the nuance of understanding in Songtan's words.

Let's play a game that suits our caliber. Release the child and take me hostage instead. That would look much better, wouldn't it? Who are you?

Me? I'm this kind of person.

Songtan held out his Police Academy student ID. He cleverly covered the word "Trainee" with his hand. The man, half out of his mind, had no way of distinguishing whether it was a student ID or a Police Officer ID.

"P-Police Officer!? You're really going to be a hostage?" "Yes, for a 'true' man like you, prey like me is a much better fit, isn't it?"

Songtan knew well the ridiculous sense of entitlement such people possessed. For those who believed themselves special, it was more effective to gently flatter them rather than to scold them or appeal to their pity.

Indeed, the man in the black coat looked back and forth between the child he held and Songtan, showing signs of internal conflict.

Songtan threw off his coat and even turned his pants pockets inside out, to emphasize that he had nothing.

What? Are you actually hesitating? Did I misjudge you?

The man flinched at Songtan's slightly disappointed tone.

Put your hands on your head and approach slowly. If you try anything funny, the brat's life is forfeit.

Songtan complied with the man's demand, placing his hands on his head and approaching slowly. The man then shoved the child away as if discarding him, and immediately aimed the knife's tip at Songtan's throat.

"Waaahhh!"

"Dohyeon!!"

The startled child burst into tears again, and the distraught woman embraced him.

Even with the knife at his throat, Songtan asked calmly.

But what do you gain from this? What's making you so resentful that you're causing all this chaos? Shut up, you bastard! This is all because of you damn cops! You hear me!? You fucking bastards!

"What did we do?" "My life went to hell the moment you threw me in jail for just touching a woman while drunk. Nobody would hire me. Those pathetic, worthless bastards... Fuck... Fuck."

The highly agitated man, still clutching the knife, pressed close to Songtan's shoulder, his breath so near it brushed Songtan's ear.

"You hear it too, don't you?" "Hear what?"

There! What they're saying over there!

The man swallowed hard, then glared into the empty air and laughed.

It keeps ticking like a machine... It keeps telling me that the people of this world are rotten, that a chosen one like me has to clean up all that trash. Don't you really hear it?

The man, his face contorted, tapped Songtan's temple with his finger.

I wanted to live quietly. I didn't want to bother anyone. But there's something planted here! In my head. So I have no choice but to follow its words. Heh heh, you understand me, don't you? You said I was special too.

The man's breathing grew ragged.

I'll show them how great a person I am. I'll... I'll kill them all, every single person here. Heheheh.

The man's lips curled into a sneer, and his eyes glinted dangerously.

You'll be the beginning. You'll be a Police Officer as the first sacrifice. Hehehe, isn't that something to be proud of? Huh!? So... die!

The man's breath hitched, and the knife flashed instantly. The glinting blade lunged towards Songtan's neck.

Aieee!

The Citizens watching, stamping their feet in distress, involuntarily screamed. The worst-case scenario they had feared had come to pass.

But Songtan had already anticipated the man's actions. When consumed by rage, strength might increase, but balance inevitably falters.

Songtan twisted his neck slightly, barely managing to lift his body. The blade grazed his skin, passing by precariously. Drops of blood scattered in the air, but Songtan's gaze, fixed on the blade, remained chillingly calm.

In a flash, Songtan spun around and pressed down on the opponent's wrist, which held the knife.

"Ugh!"

He absorbed the man's instinctive attempt to pull his hand away, then spun it in a circle.

"Ugh!"

The man's wrist twisted, and the knife flew into the air.

Clang-

Songtan kicked the fallen knife far away with his foot, then flowed into the man's body like water.

Thud-

He pushed the man's chest with his shoulder, disrupting his balance, then grabbed the back of his neck with one hand and his elbow with the other, placing the opponent's body onto his own axis of rotation.

"Ugh!"

The man was slammed to the ground after being spun around, and he coughed violently. Songtan pressed his knee into the man's back and twisted his arm.

"Fuck! Let go of me!?"

The man struggled desperately, but the pain intensified with every movement, and he eventually gave up. A moment later, armed Police Officers simultaneously rushed into the station.

Police Officers! Don't move!

One Police Officer secured the weapon lying on the ground, while four others handcuffed the man who had been subdued by Songtan.

Click-

Only after confirming the man was fully restrained did Songtan release him.

Oh! A wound...? Are you alright?

A Police Officer who appeared to be senior approached Songtan and asked. His gaze was fixed on the thin trail of blood remaining on Songtan's neck.

"Yes, I'm fine." "What exactly happened?"

That man suddenly pulled out a knife and tried to harm people. You'll understand the details if you check the CCTV.

His tone was as calm as if he were saying, "I just went for a walk and had a cup of coffee." Because of this, the police officers had no way of knowing.

They didn't know that the assailant, thwarted in his knife rampage, had taken a child hostage, that Songtan had offered himself as a substitute hostage, and that he had then subdued the perpetrator even with a knife at his throat.

Oh, thank you, thank you so much!

The child's mother, pushing through the crowd, bowed her head to Songtan, repeatedly expressing her gratitude, tears and snot streaming down her face.

Clap, clap, clap-

When the onlookers saw that scene, applause erupted from them.

If it weren't for you, Sir... *Sniffle*. Just thinking about it... *Sob*.

Songtan wore a troubled expression as the child's mother continued to bow.

I only did what needed to be done.

In truth, Songtan felt more regret. He had known from the start that the man wasn't normal, and his failure to subdue him instantly had allowed the child to be taken hostage. That small hesitation had almost led to a young sprout, just beginning to grow, being crushed before it could ever see the light.

That self-reproach weighed heavily on Songtan's chest.

Just then, the child, having slipped from his mother's embrace, stood before Songtan. Though tears still clung to the corners of his eyes, his gaze was bright as starlight. The child, clenching his tiny hands, bowed his head.

*Big Brother*... Thank you.

Songtan, momentarily speechless, looked at the child, then gently stroked his round head with a soft smile. The child giggled and squirmed.

Meanwhile, the police officers who had raised the weapon rampage perpetrator dragged him away roughly. The remaining police officers tidied up the chaotic field, and soon after, detectives also appeared. A middle-aged detective, receiving a situation report from the police substation officers, looked around.

So, where is that man, the one who subdued the perpetrator?

The Police Officers exchanged glances.

"Well? He was just here a moment ago..."

"Did he just leave? Damn it."

The Detective frowned, as if frustrated. Of course, they couldn't forcibly detain the man either.

According to Article 212 of the Criminal Procedure Act, a Citizen subduing an in flagrante delicto perpetrator and handing them over to the police officers was a legal matter. And the perpetrator hadn't even been injured during the subdual.

Damn it, we should have at least gotten his statement.

Honestly, it was unbelievable that someone would offer themselves as a hostage in place of a child, and then, while exposed to a weapon, actually subdue the Suspect. It wasn't something an ordinary person could ever do. Yet, there were too many witnesses for it to be disbelieved.

What kind of person was he, anyway? Was he from some special forces unit?

As they speculated about the man's identity, the Detective's sharp gaze settled on one spot.

Huh?

In a dark crevice where the Platform pillar met the floor, a round plastic case lay discarded.

On its lid, the “Police Academy” logo was clearly emblazoned.