Chapter 92

Chapter 92 – Big Brother's Raid #3

Shin Se-ho felt great.

"Hahaha! Drink, drink! I will pay for it today!"

“Can Sunbae really do it?"

"Of course."

ABS Station's AD, Kwon Joon-hyuk, pulled the girl sitting next to him closer to him.

“Aish, what is Oppa doing?"

"Shin Se-ho PD… No, this news department head will treat you! Let's drink!"

Alcohol was consumed and the girl's breaths smelled of alcohol. The waiter came over with bottles of alcohol and fruit snacks. There was already beer on the table. Then the appetizing snacks were placed down.

"Beer service!"

A female extended some bomb shots to Shin Se-ho and Kwon Joon-hyuk. Shin Se-ho gulped it down with a red face and a breath that was stinking of alcohol.

“Kwon Joon-hyuk! What did I say? Didn't I say to trust in and follow Hyung?"

Shin Se-ho had been on the rise after revealing the secret hobbies of domestic conglomerates. Soon after, he revealed the truth about the hippo case that the police had been trying to conceal. That alone was tremendous.

Usually, PDs only reported exclusive scoops once or twice a year. However, Shin Se-ho had several jackpots successively.

“There was an exclusive interview with Phantom. How did you get that?"

“I'll just say it here. I'm close to Phantom., so if I call him, then he will come running right away."

"Wah…"

Shin Se-ho worked as a PD at ABS Station. As a PD, he had to follow most general events. It had been two years since he started stalking detectives in order to get a scoop. He finally got recognized due to meeting Phantom.

“I was originally going to try other stations, but the chief held my leg and asked for me to remain at ABS Station."

“Kya! As expected from Shin Se-ho hyung-nim! Now the world recognizes Hyung-nim."

Shin Se-ho laughed at the compliments and ate the fruit snacks. His title at the station was PD, but now he was promoted up two levels. Starting today, he was a Chief Producer, a CP, not a PD. The CP managed the PDs, and was in charge of the total production of the broadcasts. It could be said that his position would be equivalent to a general executive at other companies.

“I can also use the corporate card that wasn't available in my PD days."

Shin Se-ho waved a luxurious gold-plated credit card that was held between his fingers.

Kwon Joon-hyuk hadn't heard the contents of the deal between Shin Se-ho and Phantom. Why had Phantom given Shin Se-ho the right to interview him? He asked Shin Se-ho, who replied,

"Are you crazy? Do you think I will cut the belly of the duck laying the golden eggs?"

“I-Is that so?"

At that moment, a female grabbed Shin Se-ho's arm.

"Oppa. Let's sing. I want to hear 18 Times."

"Yes."

The two people went on stage and started singing a slow blues song.

Kwon Joon-hyuk licked his lips. Such a person was now the chief producer. He started to worry about the future of ABS Station.

“Ah, I don’t know. Today is a day to play! Now, let's go and sing.

"Yes!"

Kwon Joon-hyuk put an arm around a woman's shoulders and walked towards the stage. Then the door opened and a man in a sharp suit entered. He had such a strong physique that he could be in an action movie right now.

Shin Se-ho, who was playing with the female, turned and looked at the man.

"What? I didn't call for the waiter."

The man, who was mistaken as a waiter, looked around the room.

"Are you Shin Se-ho?"

The unpleasant pronunciation showed that he wasn't familiar with Korean.

“Uh, that is me. Did rumors about me already circulate? I am a bit famous. Huhu…"

Shin Se-ho felt proud and took out a 50,000 won bill from his pocket.

“Can you buy me a pack of cigarettes? Marlboro red. You can keep the remaining change as a tip."

The man… no, Big Brother laughed. He pulled out the Tokarev TT-33 and aimed it at Shin Se-ho's head.

"It seems like I've come to the right place. The tip is for your life."

Big Brother quietly closed the door and entered. The people inside screamed until their throats were sore. However, it was a place with good soundproofing so the screams didn't escape outside.

@

There were a few reasons why Big Brother chose the karaoke bar as the place to keep the hostages. (In Korea: a karaoke bar has girls working working there, sort of like an escort bar)

It sold alcohol, snacks and other illegal things. Thus, CCTV were installed everywhere to avoid a police crackdown. There were devices installed inside the room and the structure outside was unknown. Instead was like a maze with multiple random passages.

It was a fortress that didn't allow enemy penetration.

There were 30 hostages in the room, including Shin Se-ho and Kwon Joon-hyuk. Most of them were employees and girls working at the karaoke bar. Unfortunately, some students who used the convenience store on the first floor were also trembling among the adults.

One young man whispered to another.

"Did you hear? If Phantom doesn't show up, then he will kill the hostages one by one… Before that, we have to neutralize him somehow.

"That's right. Even if he has guns, aren't we more numerous? I think we can neutralize him if we strike at the same time but…"

“I think there will be good enough odds if 10 people join together."

“I agree.”

“Me too."

Big Brother hadn't tied up the hostages. He was just blocking the entrance so that no one could leave the room. The hostages were talking so low that Big Brother couldn't hear them. They would jump from four directions at the same time, suppressing the opponent and taking his guns. It was better to risk one's life fighting than to die one by one.

On the right, the man who decided to strike Big Brother was anxious. Among the hostages here, there were many men working as waiters, their numbers reaching more than 10 people. How confident was that person in his ability that he didn't even tie them up?

Still, they would just die at Big Brother's hand if time kept passing. If so, he would rather risk his life to fight. The determined man bit his lip. He nodded towards the other hostages.

Someone counted down in a low voice.

"3… 2… 1… Pounce!"

A dozen people instantly jumped towards Big Brother. They lowered their bodies as much as possible and focused on making it difficult for the opponent to hit them with his gun. Big Brother held the gun in one hand and slowly opened his eyes. He didn't seem confused at all by the hostages' actions.

Then he muttered,

“There are a lot of people so killing a few hostages should be okay."

Big Brother rotated his body and kicked one of the hostages.

"Keok!"

He then turned and pulled the trigger at the men who were trying to do a back tackle.

Tang!Tatang!

"Kuheok!"

A man was shot in the leg and rolled across the floor. On his right, the man who tried to jump Big Brother was shot in the head.

Big Brother laughed,

“Did you wonder why I didn't tie you up? The reason is simple. Even 100 of you lowlives wouldn't be able to beat me."

"Aaaaack!”

One waiter took a knife and attacked Big Brother from a blind spot. The knife struck Big Brother's chest and the waiter shouted loudly,

“Hahaha! I did it. My attack…"

Big Brother casually looked back and fired his gun. It pierced the waiter's waist precisely.

The hostages started to feel despair.

“I’m sorry but your attacks won't work on me while I'm wearing this."

Big Brother took off his suit and showed the trembling hostages. It was a reinforced suit. It was like he was wearing black armor.

“B-Body armour…!"

He wore a reinforced suit made of Kevlar. Special products made of those fibers were used in various bulletproof shirts. He wore it around his whole body. Even if it was hard to move, the ability to protect the body was enormous.

Furthermore, the rubbery black fibres on the outside were Nomex. It was a special fiber used for firefighting clothing, as it had great heat resistance and electrical insulation. In the end, he couldn't be hurt, even if he was attacked with a stun gun. The only downside was that it felt like an extra 20kg of weight was on the body. It was the same as wearing huge sandbags on the body.

“Being able to move like that while wearing this…"

He had handled 10 hostages in an instant.

"Ahh… Ahhhhh!"

The remaining people could only scream. Big Brother knocked on his suit and muttered,

“If you want to knock me down while wearing this, you should bring an anti-tank rocket."

Kwon Joon-hyuk, who was hiding among the hostages, groaned. Then he spoke to the injured Shin Se-ho. Shin Se-ho had several bullets in his shoulders and thighs. Despite that, he didn't give Phantom's contact details.

Therefore, Big Brother took hostages and made an announcement to the police.

–If Phantom doesn't come here within 30 minutes then I will kill the hostages one by one.

This was the condition that Big Brother gave to the police.

"D-Department Head… Do you really not know Phantom's contact details?"

"Eu…. euhhh…. I said I don't know…"

“You said you were friends!"

"……"

Shin Se-ho had no words to say and could only bite his lips. Big Brother didn't seem to believe him but what he said was real. The relationship with Phantom was only one way. Shin Se-ho couldn't do anything unless he was contacted.

"Phantom…"

Shin Se-ho called out Phantom's name in his pain-filled state. Would Phantom come here to save him and the hostages?

If he did, Phantom wasn't just a criminal…

@

Tae-hyuk arrived at the scene to find the neighborhood completely sealed off by police and soldiers.

"No… I told him to release the hostages. Block it off completely to stop anyone from entering."

The soldiers were the 35th Battalion of the Capital Defense Command. He had encountered them during the Bomber case. They were a special unit specialization in street warfare and counterterrorism, but now they were just blocking off the road.

“First of all, I have to somehow enter."

He could go up to the police.

-I am Phantom.From now on, I will plunge into enemy territory!

That wouldn't happen. It was impossible for an average person to get past that surveillance and enter, but it was possible for Tae-hyuk who had the crime skills.

'Then let's use my newly acquired skill.'

First of all, he used Counterfeit to change his leather jacket into a soldier uniform. Then he use Disguise to get the face of Sergeant Kim Ha-sae who he met several times. The Demon Revealing Mirror showed that he had become a completely different person.

'There is a bit of height difference. Was he originally taller due to his combat boots?'

Tae-hyuk approached a soldier who formed part of the blockade.

“The road is fully sealed off, and not even a single ant will be able to enter."

Park Jong-sa, who was maintaining the barrier, looked at Tae-hyuk and said,

“Sergeant Kim. Didn't I tell you to make a barrier on the roof? Why did you come down here?"

Tae-hyuk didn't panic and said,

“The captain asked me to check the blockade."

"Really?"

In this situation, it was good to borrow the name of the boss. It was even better if they were a very high ranking person that couldn't be questioned.

Sergeant Park pointed inside with his thumb. It was a quick signal telling him to go inside.

"Then keep up the good work. Charge!”

Park Jong-sa clicked his tongue as he saw Tae-hyuk saluting.

"Aigoo, look at that salute. This is a real situation. He should go back to basic training."

"……"

Tae-hyuk had a moment of silence for Kim Ha-sae before moving to the back of the karaoke bar.

'The killer is sent by the Triads.'

It was obviously that the opponent would possess a great deal of firepower that he couldn't deal with. Tae-hyuk wouldn't be able to fight him with the Violence skill and iron pipe.

‘But for weak people, there is a weak way of fighting.'

Five minutes later, Counterfeit was released and his leather jacket was restored. Tae-hyuk took the phantom mask from his pocket and placed it on his face.

Phantom and Big Brother.

The two criminals' fight was about to start.