Clay, unable to understand Korean, was at least spared the headache. Jack, on the other hand, had a dark expression—he had clearly overestimated these guys.
"We're heading to the subway station up ahead. Looks like you could use some help," Jack said, getting straight to the point.
"N-no need! This is just a minor situation—we can handle it!" The horse-faced squad leader, though a full head shorter than Jack and Clay, puffed out his chest and desperately tried to look unfazed.
Then he turned and started barking orders at his men.
"Where the hell is Sido?! Did you guys call him?!"
"We called at least ten times, but he's not picking up…" one detective answered, looking miserable.
"Aish…!" The horse-faced sergeant cursed under his breath, pacing anxiously. He glanced between the knife-wielding lunatic and the two foreign agents who were calmly watching him.
Finally, he gritted his teeth and reluctantly took a hesitant step forward.
"Hey! Boss, be careful!"
His loyal subordinates immediately tried to block him. But the deranged man, seeing a crowd of people advancing toward him, screamed and hurled a convenience store display rack straight at them.
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!!"
"PUT DOWN THE KNIFE, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!"
The entire group of Korean officers immediately jumped back, looking shaken.
Clay had seen enough.
He rolled up his sleeves, fully prepared to take matters into his own hands, but Jack grabbed his arm and gestured subtly to the side.
A massive man was forcing his way through the crowd, heading straight for them.
The man was wearing an expensive blue suit, and his short hair was just barely styled into something resembling a proper cut.
But his broad, meaty face was covered in thick muscle, and his hulking physique made it painfully obvious that he was built for one thing—violence.
Clay frowned. "You know him?"
Jack smirked. "Nope."
At least… not in this life.
But in his past life? Yeah, he definitely recognized that face.
This was Ma Dong-seok—the last real man in Korea, a living, breathing Greek god of street brawls, a man whose basic attacks came with built-in critical hits and stuns.
This was The Beast.
—
"Hyung, you're here!"
One of the younger detectives turned around and immediately bowed at a full ninety degrees.
The massive man—who was apparently Sido—finally stopped in front of the crime scene.
Even though he was just under 180 cm (5'11"), his absurdly broad shoulders and barrel-chested build made him look like an oversized oil drum that had somehow gained sentience.
"Where the hell were you?!" the horse-faced sergeant immediately snapped at him. "Another blind date?"
The massive man scratched his head, and the thick muscle on his cheeks twitched slightly. His previously intimidating face took on a somewhat… sheepish look.
"Uhh… well, a prosecutor from the Foreign Affairs Division called me in to escort some foreign guests."
"So I had to look presentable."
"But I ended up waiting at the subway station for nothing!"
"WHAT?! Hyung, are you moving up in the world?! You're escorting VIPs now?!"
"Big bro, is it some blonde babe with huge—?"
"Hyung! Let your juniors come along next time!"
Ma Sido—that was his name in this world—had already messed up his own hairstyle by rubbing his head too hard.
Visibly irritated, he shoved his overly excited subordinates away and finally noticed Jack and Clay standing nearby.
His eyes flickered with uncertainty.
Jack smiled and extended a hand.
"Ma Sido? FBI. Jack Tavoler, and this is my colleague, Clay Spencer. Sorry for the delay—road was blocked."
"Ahh—no need to apologize!" Ma Sido grinned, shaking Jack's hand firmly. "Didn't expect your Korean to be this good! But never mind that—I'll take care of this."
Before anyone could stop him, he immediately turned and slapped one of his subordinates on the back of the head.
"*Alright. Tell me what the hell is going on.**"
The younger officer straightened up immediately. "The suspect calls himself 'Yeongdeungpo's Shin-chan'—he's a lunatic who escaped from a mental hospital. Store owner's wife and daughter are still inside."
Another younger officer clenched his fists. "Hyung, let's just rush him together!"
Jack and Clay stepped forward. "We can help."
"Whoa, whoa—no way! We can't let foreign guests get involved!" The horse-faced sergeant immediately panicked. "This is dangerous! We should call in the SWAT team!"
Jack and Clay completely ignored him.
Ma Sido also ignored him.
The horse-faced sergeant sighed in defeat. "Just… try not to be too rough, okay? There are a lot of people watching!"
Ma Sido switched to fluent English. "Draw his attention. I'll go in through the back."
Then, despite his bulk, he vanished into the alley behind the store.
Jack and Clay, towering over everyone else in the area, immediately attracted the knife-wielding lunatic's attention.
"Who the hell are you? Foreigners?!"
The man wildly swung his knife, yelling incoherently as he backed into the store.
"Where the hell are your sunglasses?! Are you the Men in Black?! Hah! I'm a gangster, I'm not scared of you!"
"Do you know how HARD my life is?!"
"My mom is from Suncheon, she doesn't even know how to cook!!"
Jack's expression went blank.
…The hell was this guy talking about?
Jack's Korean skills were technically flawless—his pronunciation was perfect—but his understanding of local slang and nonsense was not included in the system's language package.
Clay, meanwhile, just stood there completely lost.
Jack sighed. "He's definitely crazy, but at least he's somewhat aware of his surroundings."
No brooms. No makeshift weapons. Just two guys in nice suits about to tank a madman with a knife.
Jack didn't mind a close-quarters fight, but he really didn't want to ruin his only high-end suit.
They had exactly one set of formalwear on this trip.
Before they could get any closer, a loud crash from inside the store made everyone pause.
"AHH, SH*T—"
Ma Sido had completely blown his cover.
The lunatic spun around, momentarily distracted—
A younger officer saw his chance and lunged forward.
Jack immediately grabbed the guy's collar and yanked him back—
A blade flashed past the officer's nose.
"STAY BACK, YOU BASTARDS!! I'LL KILL YOU ALL!!"
Jack calmly patted the pale-faced officer's shoulder. "Let your boss handle it."
Inside the store, Ma Sido sighed.
"Shin-chan, huh? Let's talk."
"BACK OFF!"
The lunatic raised his knife—
Ma Sido moved first.
"I SAID—"
Before the lunatic could finish, Ma Sido dodged, caught the guy's wrist, and—
SLAM.
A perfect suplex sent the knife-wielding man crashing headfirst into the store's metal shelves.
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