World of Vampire Detective [20]

"Damn it! Just kill him! We can't capture this bastard! Shoot!"

Im Bu-jeon's judgment was swift and accurate.

But no matter how much they trained, they were still ordinary humans. They couldn't hit me while I was using my acceleration. Besides, there were plenty of shields, gym equipment, and bodies around.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

There was no chance of getting hit. I already knew the positions of all the guys with guns. To hit me, they'd have to pull the trigger from outside my line of sight.

"..."

I swung my sword in a near-trance state.

Maybe it was due to the influence of Yeongcheon style Level 5. I could naturally use the real combat techniques of Yeongcheon style without even thinking about it.

I wasn't thinking with my head and swinging the sword. I just moved as I saw fit, following the lead of Yeongcheon style.

Rat-a-tat-tat!

An assault rifle spat bullets. I dodged the bullets by running along the wall and beheading the guy holding the gun. Blood spurted out.

The red sword didn't stop. Every time a crimson trajectory was drawn in the air, red liquid followed.

Kill! Kill! Kill!

"..."

When I came to my senses, no one was standing around me. The area was filled with blood and guts.

"You crazy monster bastard!"

In front of me, Im Bu-jeon, with both legs severed, cursed at me with a distorted face. He was trembling in fear.

He threw a hatchet at me. I deflected it with my sword.

"Oh!"

Battle Awakening.

Hunters of D-rank or higher have experienced this at least once.

This is a pleasure of a different kind from sex. There's a reason why some hunters push themselves too far in battle to experience it again and end up dying.

"…I don't have time for this."

With a sword trembling slightly in my hand, I stabbed Im Bujeon's heart. My head was cool, but my body was excited.

Today, I killed a total of 28 people. Recalling that number, I headed upstairs.

The upper floor was an armoury. The door was wide open, indicating they had hastily grabbed their weapons.

"Oh!"

Entering the armoury, I let out a small exclamation and destroyed the camera attached to the ceiling.

Just like in the dramas, there were various weapons, ranging from cold weapons to firearms. I grinned at the sight of the firearms.

"Guns are hard to come by for even real-world hunters."

Hunters in Korea can't own ordinary firearms. The only weapons they can own are cold weapons.

The guns hunters use are specially made for hunting monsters and can only be possessed with the association's permission.

South Korea is insanely strict about firearms.

"Only trash the cold weapons here."

The cold weapons real-world hunters use are made from monster materials, often boasting durability beyond steel and possessing special abilities. The cold weapons here didn't catch my eye.

I brought a box from reality and packed the firearms, then transported them back to reality.

"There are so many bullets! There must be tens of thousands!"

I packed the ammunition boxes into the box.

"Is this a sniper rifle? Is this really Korea?"

Of course, I took the sniper rifle too.

The main method for hunting vampires is long-distance sniping.

Though not during the day, at night, a vampire's physical abilities are so high that humans can't handle them, so they hunt safely from a distance.

Vampires are aware of this too. They avoid places where they can be easily sniped.

"I saw this in a game… What was it? M24?"

I wasn't good at games, but I particularly liked sniper rifles. They were hard to handle, but the thrill of a successful shot was irresistible.

Thinking back, I always liked assassin characters.

"Let's go!"

Having packed all the firearms, I shouted and ran downstairs, jumping out of a third-floor window. Considering my physical abilities, the third floor was nothing.

Boom!

I landed on a truck parked below.

"Ahhh!"

People screamed and scattered in panic when they saw me.

I was covered in blood. My white shirt had turned red, and my black suit was soaked with blood. I was holding a sword and a sheath in each hand.

"I must look like a crazy killer."

I shrugged and ran to the car I had come in. I put the sword in my inventory in case anyone tried to attack me.

"Time to speed."

I turned up the volume of a popular girl group idol song and slammed on the gas. Ignored all the traffic signals and swerved like it was nothing. Speed limit? I didn't even have a license, so I didn't care.

"It's not rush hour, so traffic is pretty light."

Whee-oo! Whee-oo!

Soon, a police car appeared behind me. The siren was loud, so I turned up the music even more.

Wanna meet you~

It reminded me of playing cops and robbers with neighbourhood kids when I was young. I didn't like that game. If I were the robber, I would get caught quickly, and if I were the cop, I just ended up exhausted. I preferred hide-and-seek.

"Oh!"

A police blockade was up ahead. They predicted my route and set up a barricade with police cars and a bus.

"My car won't stop at a barricade~ Police."

[Hacking successful.]

[You can control the police bus for 1 minute, 30 seconds.]

The police bus moved and pushed aside the nearby police cars, creating a gap. The police were startled and moved away from the bus.

I leisurely passed through the barricade via the opened space.

Glancing in the rearview mirror, I saw the police desperately chasing after me.

"The alley I aimed for is coming up… Let's lose them."

[Hacking successful.]

[You can control traffic lights for 5 minutes and 12 seconds.]

[Hacking successful.]

[You can control traffic lights for 4 minutes and 28 seconds.]

[Hacking successful.]

[You can control traffic lights for 3 minutes, 41 seconds.]

...

[Hacking successful.]

[You can control traffic lights for 12 seconds.]

As I sped through the streets, I hacked over ten traffic lights. Changing all the red lights to green threw the roads into chaos. Especially the intersections I passed through were a mess.

No matter how skilled the drivers were, it was impossible for them to chase me through such chaotic roads.

I abandoned the car at my destination and ran into an alley. It was a place with notably few CCTVs. I quickly cleaned myself with a wet towel and changed clothes in a random store. The inventory was handy in such situations.

Taking off the clown mask, I put on jeans and a hoodie, blending in as a regular college student. I strolled out of the alley with my hands in my pockets.

I mingled with the crowd, watching the police run around in a panic.

Soon, three police officers blocked my way.

"Hold on. There's a checkpoint."

"A checkpoint?"

"Yes. Please show us your belongings and ID."

"…Belongings? Why all of a sudden?"

"A clown killer escaped in this direction. Please cooperate."

"If it's for that reason, I guess I have no choice."

I showed my wallet to the police. It was the only thing I had on me.

"Thank you for your cooperation. It's safer to go home quickly since there's a killer on the loose."

"A killer… That's scary. I'd better hurry home. Take care."

I headed to Hera's apartment instead of Kang Eugene's place.

The excitement of slaughtering over 20 people wasn't going away. Only sex could calm this.

I eagerly hoped Hera would come home soon.

***

The atmosphere in the conference room of the Black Cross Society headquarters was tense, like walking on thin ice.

No one spoke a word. Their eyes were cold and focused.

Director Lee Moon-hyun and the senior officials were watching a large screen mounted on one side of the wall. The screen showed footage of the carnage at one of the vampire hunters' training grounds, the "Noel Fitness Club," just an hour ago.

A red-haired clown in a suit was wielding a blood-red sword, slaughtering the vampire hunters.

Massacre.

He was literally killing 23 vampire hunters by himself. The crimson trails created by the dancing sword were so graceful they seemed almost alive.

The silver bullets, which are supposed to be a vampire's weakness, didn't even graze his clothes.

The blood-soaked clown finished his slaughter by stabbing a woman in the chest with his sword.

Before moving upstairs, the clown smirked at the camera and looted the armoury.

He left the melee weapons but took all the firearms. How he managed to do it led to various speculations, but the most plausible one was that he had a hidden accomplice. Destroying the armoury camera also seemed like an attempt to conceal this accomplice.

The problem was that none of the people around the 'Noel Fitness Club' had seen this accomplice. This led the Black Cross Society to suspect that the clown and his accomplice might be vampire progenitors with supernatural abilities.

"What exactly is the clown's ability?"

After more than ten minutes of silence, Lee Moon-hyun finally spoke. Baek Ji-wook, the head of the investigation department, responded immediately.

"We are deducing it's some kind of machinery manipulation. We confirmed he moved a parked police bus and manipulated traffic lights to malfunction."

The traffic signal controllers were fine, but some parts of the traffic lights needed replacing.

"The recent bus terror incident was also his doing, wasn't it? That damn bastard… What are the limitations of his ability?"

"He can't use it indiscriminately, the control duration is short, and there's a range limit. Based on the footage of him controlling the police bus, we estimate the range to be about 30 meters."

"Yeah, there are limits. But it's still a broken ability. What's our countermeasure?"

"It's simple. When facing him, don't carry any machinery. And if we do, maintain a distance of 50 meters to avoid being controlled. However…"

"However, it's not certain. He could be deliberately misleading us about the limitations of his ability."

"Yes, that's correct."

Thud! Thud!

Lee Moon-hyun's fingers tapped rhythmically on the desk. Thinking about the clown made his anger surge, but now was the time to assess the situation calmly.

"Can we catch him?"

"We can."

Kang Han-joon, the head of the combat department, answered firmly. His eyes were burning with determination.

He was the superior of the vampire hunters who died today. His main job was training and managing them, and he still vividly remembered their faces and voices.

"As long as we're well-prepared…! If we know where he is, we can definitely catch him!"

"..."

Lee Moon-hyun fell into thought.

It's not that he underestimated Korea's vampire hunters. But being a peaceful nation, it was undeniable that Korean hunters lacked practical experience.

Lee Moon-hyun was considering asking for help from the British and American branches of the Black Cross Society. It would hurt their pride, but preventing the clown from causing further havoc was more important.

"Can you do it?"

"We will definitely succeed."

"If you fail, we'll immediately request support from the British and American branches. Do not fail."

"…Yes, sir!"

Bzzz!

Lee Moon-hyun's smartphone vibrated. In the quiet conference room, everyone heard a small vibration.

He checked the screen and sighed.

"It's the Blue House."

He cautioned them with a glance and answered the call.

"Yes, Chief Secretary... What do you mean? That's against our regulations... Understood. I'll be there soon."

After ending the call, Lee Moon-hyun closed his eyes and sighed again.

"..."

In the uncomfortable silence, he stood up.

"Director of Support. We might be collaborating with the police. Be prepared."

"…What? That's against our regulations."

The Black Cross Society traditionally did not collaborate with the military or police unless absolutely necessary. It was an old rule.

"Ah, is it some sort of information exchange cooperation?"

That would be understandable. There were several organizations, including the National Intelligence Service, with whom they had such relationships.

"No, it's full-scale cooperation."

"What…?"

"The police were completely outplayed by the clown this time, and they're furious. Moreover, the clown is now known to the public. From the police's perspective, they can't just sit back and do nothing."

From the perspective of the Black Cross Society, he was a vampire progenitor. To the general public, he was just a mad killer. This inevitably involved the police.

"The clown broke the unspoken rule."

The unspoken rule between vampires and vampire hunters: not revealing their existence to the public.

Vampires didn't want to make humanity their enemy, and vampire hunters didn't want to cause unnecessary fear among the people. Hence, this rule applied.

"We must find and kill him before he does something else."