IBACT Chapter 8

Guilty (8)

“Stay vigilant, everyone.”

A woman who looked too young for the rank insignia on her chest was cautioning the others.

“You’re all too tense. Some of us just came back from the field.”

Being a police officer in Stella City wasn’t something you could do with a clear mind.

The phrase “came back from the field” carried much more weight than her light tone suggested.

The gangs in Stella City would brush off a shootout or two as if nothing had happened. The police were no different.

Most conflicts were between gangs, but in this city, the boundary between gang members and citizens was incredibly blurry.

Even businesses under gang protection had to be safeguarded if they had no visible criminal history.

Besides that, gangs frequently harassed innocent citizens. In the end, getting into gunfights was something of a destiny for the police.

“What can we do when a prince of the Hansan bloodline is coming? At least they’re bringing us new weapons, so keep your mouths shut.”

“If those fucking bastards would just disappear, this place might become a bit more peaceful.”

“…We can’t help it. I’m not saying you’re completely wrong, but just removing Hansan won’t change anything. It might even make things worse.”

It was the corporations that prevented the police from gaining the public’s trust, but that was the fault of ‘all corporations’ collectively.

If Hansan, which somehow maintained its position as the city’s dominant power, were to disappear, the order they maintained would collapse.

And the result would be another war and destruction.

“The VIP has arrived!”

“Damn it, without any notice… Let’s go!”

The police officers who rushed out to wait for him at the door stopped in their tracks when they saw his eyes.

“Oh, are you busy?”

A clean suit that didn’t match his frivolous tone, confident steps, and arrogant eyes.

The most important person in the city stood before the Police chief.

Having barged into the police station, he looked her up and down as if licking her with his eyes.

Like a man of Hansan, he was handsome, but seeing those eyes made the Police chief shudder.

But she couldn’t show it. Even if he suddenly picked a fight or did something worse, she had to endure it somehow.

“Oh……”

As if he knew the Police chief, his sticky gaze was fixed on her. She unconsciously looked away.

Bringing weapons into the police station was prohibited, but he casually swung his rifle as he walked in.

“No, it’s just that our preparations were insufficient…”

The Police chief managed a smile with difficulty. Confronting him would be foolish.

“Don’t worry about it; I just walked in without thinking. This is a prototype—Hansan will be officially providing these weapons from now on.”

This was one of Hansan’s occasional weapon support initiatives.

Though far inferior to the top-grade weapons and implants used by their private soldiers, the police had to be grateful even for this much.

Without corporate support, they might have had to use guns from decades, maybe even centuries ago.

Unless they were affiliated with gangs, gang-related businesses didn’t pay proper taxes.

Corporations were somewhat better, but they tried to avoid taxes by exploiting various clauses. Using that money to support gangs was just a bonus.

Since the police couldn’t match the manpower of gangs, they needed at least slightly better equipment. If nothing else, they had to avoid having inferior gear.

In the end, they had no choice but to rely on corporate charity. To get slightly better equipment, they had to bow their heads, even forcibly.

“It’s a fully automatic weapon. Well, I don’t know much about impact force or weight or whatever.”

Without warning, he handed the gun he was holding to the Police chief. She moved her hands urgently to receive the gun respectfully.

“We are most grateful.”

“Man, our weapons development team is too fond of three-round bursts… I had to fight to get these for you when they were going to scrap them all as useless.”

It was a difference in doctrine. A major corporation like Hansan wouldn’t want to spend much money on primitive rifles.

In close combat, it’s more efficient to use cold weapons like cybernetic swords. When suppressive fire is needed, beam weapons are commonly used.

5.56 caliber ammunition is the most common and frequently used weapon. In situations where one must prepare for war, physical modifications must be made accordingly.

No matter how much you enhance the destructive power of bullets by adding automatic fire capability, you can’t offer any resistance to tank-like enemies who have completed body modifications.

Naturally, Hansan Group, which formulates doctrines for corporate warfare, had to neglect such functions.

“It’s more than enough.”

But the Police chief was able to smile for the first time since hearing he was coming.

That was only inefficient when viewed through the lens of corporate warfare doctrine, which states, “If there are enemies using bullets, deploy soldiers who have completed body modifications.”

While almost no gang members were without body modifications, there weren’t many monsters who could sneer at and ignore bullets.

There were many situations where they had to engage in close combat or suppress somewhat formidable enemies with firepower.

No, just having rifles was something to be thankful for. The money that would have gone toward supplying guns could be diverted elsewhere.

“Anyway, it’ll be fine. One hundred units will be delivered tomorrow, and we’ll continue to provide them according to your personnel numbers.”

A smile spread across the Police chief’s face as she heard about the gift, but an equal level of uneasiness grew alongside it.

“But these days… I have something I want to say about our Stella City police. Is that okay?”

“…Of course it’s fine.”

This was the problem. The only philanthropist willing to give something to the police was the manager of a donut shop selling hard, dry donuts.

With support like this, they would demand a commensurate return.

She could accept anything. As long as it wasn’t like what another corporation had proposed before—sending female officers dressed as escorts for indecent parties.

Hansan was relatively decent, so at most they would just order the suspension of a few investigations.

It was something that should never be done when considering police honor and trust, but it was better than having officers die right now.

The Police chief wasn’t unaware that such petty, power-based crimes created new livelihood-based criminals.

But for now, there was no choice.

“This time, I almost died on Stella City’s main road, you know?”

“…What do you mean by that?”

The Police chief’s face turned pale. If there had really been an assassination threat against him, it wasn’t something that could be laughed off.

He probably wouldn’t die, but if he did, an even bigger problem would arise.

An enraged Hansan Group would turn Stella City into a battlefield.

A child of Hansan was not only a member and agent of the group but also, above all, a precious and valuable resource.

There probably isn’t an organization in this world that wants to fight an angry Hansan. It was too enormous a force for a mere city to confront, not even a nation.

Moreover, that wasn’t all.

He was an incompetent human being. He didn’t try to do anything properly, just a good-for-nothing who left troublesome tasks to his subordinates while he went out to play.

Even a rotten fish has some shine—occasionally he showed aspects befitting a child of Hansan, but basically, what he wanted was to maintain the status quo.

Naturally, the people of Hansan Group couldn’t help but lose their edge. If they had been willing to risk conflict to dominate this city, it probably would have happened.

But they didn’t. Starting with the head, Han Sanwoo, who had plenty of greed but no ambition, the subordinates also weren’t eager to take responsibility.

The next person will be different. Han Sanwoo was exceptionally incompetent within his family.

They will suck the life out of Stella City’s people more aggressively and greedily.

“Uh, when, who did such a thing…”

“They weren’t targeting me. Remember when General Machina’s air vehicle went boom a while back?”

“That… I remember.”

It was a case where General Machina’s people had come running like dogs, demanding that the perpetrator be found. The investigation wasn’t over yet.

But there were limits. It was a case where someone was shot with an anti-tank missile that could have been purchased by anyone.

While there were CCTVs in every alley, the police didn’t have the authority to access them. They had to seek permission from each store and corporation.

No matter how much pressure came from corporations, the police didn’t have enough manpower to go that far to find just one person.

Besides, there was an even more important issue than all of that combined.

“At that time, that air vehicle flew right over my head. It made me feel… really bad. The exhaust fumes were strong enough to enter my nose.”

“…I apologize.”

The Police chief wanted to snap back, asking what she was supposed to do about it, but those words only mumbled inside her mouth without coming out.

He was inherently a nasty person. A slip of the tongue could cause harm.

Besides, his claim that it wasn’t such a simple matter wasn’t entirely wrong.

“I was lucky, but what if that criminal’s hand had slipped and that anti-tank shell had hit my car? What would have happened?”

“I have nothing to say. However…”

If there was a bigger reason why a proper investigation couldn’t begin, it was, above all, Hansan’s pressure.

It wasn’t an ordinary person who died, but corporate property that disappeared. They couldn’t easily let it go.

But as soon as they knew the opponent was General Machina’s, the police naturally thought Hansan must be involved.

Some Hansan executives who had close relationships with the police also seemed reluctant for the police to invest much time in that case.

“Should we really investigate this case?”

“Not just this case; investigate all the incidents that happened in that area—all of them.”

It was Macheonpa’s territory. The Police chief’s mind became complicated.

‘Does he know nothing about the relationship between Hansan and Macheonpa?’

Maybe they’re finally planning to betray the gang, or maybe they’re fighting with another faction within Hansan.

There were many variables, but it was an opportunity to enter Macheonpa’s territory, which had been somewhat of a sanctuary.

“In that case…”

If this was his intention, it would also explain why he didn’t come to the Stella City Police Department through an official event.

Since it could be a statement harmful to Hansan, he would want to bring this up in a relatively private setting.

No, it doesn’t matter even if he’s just pressuring the police because he was upset, knowing nothing.

No matter how much contempt he receives, in the end, he is Han Sanwoo of the Hansan family. Hansan Group employees wouldn’t be able to easily respond to direct orders from him.

Suddenly, his hand went up to her shoulder. Casually, he stroked the Police chief’s back.

“Yes, how nice it is when you obey so well. Keep doing this in the future.”

The expectation and hope that had been in her eyes disappeared in an instant. As expected, he was a rotten person.

“Well, I’ve said all I needed to say. I’m leaving.”

After poking the Police chief’s forehead with his finger, he immediately turned around and left the police station.

“What a bastard…”

“It’s fine. It’s not like this is the first time we’ve dealt with this kind of crap. Anyway, did you hear the talk? Let’s unseal all those cases we put aside.”

But that couldn’t break her will. Having endured the humiliation, the Police chief immediately returned to her seat and started working.