Chapter 76 – The Hunter Pet Murder Case (1)
A few days after Sandking’s arrest.
I came face to face with a charred corpse.
The victim who died with severe burns was the master of a small to medium-sized guild.
The acrid smell that still emanated from it was such that other people stuck out their tongues.
I sent Tia, Alice, and Seo Ji-yu outside and decided to finish the investigation as soon as possible.
“I got hit in the back.”
“That’s right.”
“Confirmation of magic response detection. Direct hit is evident.”
We arrived in a hurry, but we still have a magical response.
This is impossible unless you’ve been hit directly.
Hunter crime without a doubt.
That too is a murder case.
The high-temperature carbonized skin was shattered with the slightest touch.
In addition, the heat penetrated deeply, and at this level, I wondered if my heart would ripen at all.
“What exactly is the sign?”
“This is a case of cardiogenic shock. A high-temperature bullet pierced the heart precisely. By the time we arrived at our hospital…”
“Thank you for your cooperation.”
After confirming that Hunter’s crime was certain, I went out of the room and looked at the suspect.
A man standing like a criminal and his hunter pet his were waiting in the hallway.
Looking down at the dog-like hunter pet, I felt confused.
I went to a hunter pet cafe a while ago, and there was a hunter pet related incident right away.
“Keeing…”
“Is he like that?”
“Yes, that’s right, Detective.”
The man who is the owner of the hunter pet nodded weakly.
His name His is Minho Jang.
A guild member who belonged to the same guild as the victim.
Standing next to him was a dog-like hunter pet.
It was a monster commonly called Cerberus, but he didn’t have three heads.
Instead, this guy emits flames that can even burn and kill monsters.
It has been a popular breed thanks to its loyalty to its owner, strong fighting abilities, and high intelligence, but it is unclear what will happen in the future.
While the victim’s wife and a woman who was a guild member sobbed behind her back.
We moved to the association and began our investigation.
“How exactly did things go?”
“I… I was arguing with Jin-wook at the guild house.”
The name of the victim, the guild master, is Park Jin-wook.
Because the healer from the guild was away, she was an unfortunate man who died before being transported to the hospital.
However, the wound was so serious that even if there was a healer, I don’t think it would have changed much.
I swallowed those thoughts and inquired in detail.
“What was the argument about?”
“That, that’s…”
Minho Jang, the owner of the Hunter Pet, stuttered for a while, then immediately replied after seeing my expression.
Whether he killed himself or was killed by Hunter Pet. This is outright murder.
You can’t just slip away.
“Actually, we were discussing my employment issue.”
“Employment problems?”
“Yes. As you know, investigator, the industry is not the same these days. Dungeon creation is decreasing, but the competition is increasing…”
That’s what I knew very well from before.
When a recession hits an industry, companies are usually the first to cut their workforce.
Since the money coming in is decreasing, the money going out is also decreasing.
It’s not necessarily a bad choice as the job itself is reduced anyway.
“Mr. Jang Min-ho was a founding member of the guild, right?”
“That’s right.”
However, since it is a small and medium-sized guild, it is not very grandiose even if you are a founding member.
So, it’s like a reduction in manpower.
Jang Min-ho continued his story with a sinful face.
“So, we were getting angry at each other, but this guy felt threatened and made a mistake…”
“That’s how it happened.”
I looked down at Cerberus wearing a green dust leash and sighed.
Originally, the leash was not like that, but it was filled by the special unit.
Of course, even if it’s a hunter pet, since it’s originally a monster, it’s supposed to wear various safety devices…
Of course, the incident happened at the Guild House.
This is the same level as your home, so you don’t have to wear a separate leash.
I am in a position to raise a hunter pet, so I know it very well.
Since the topic was a hot topic, Tia was shivering in the corner of her office.
I already had a hunch that things would get messy.
This case will be a big issue throughout the industry.
‘For now, this guy will be killed.’
This guy is a breed that is classified for hunting in the first place.
However, since he killed the guild master, who was not someone he didn’t know at all, and who was like a colleague… Euthanasia can be seen as a necessity.
Of course, the owner cannot escape punishment either.
In a way, it is the root cause of this situation.
I calmly explained to him.
“Then, I will arrest Jang Min-ho as it is.”
“Four? That, that…”
Jang Min-ho is started as if he hadn’t thought that he would face arrest.
Seeing him like that made him feel like yelling at him.
“You’re proud to have killed one person. Mr. Jang Min-ho himself could be charged with violating safety management obligations as well as using illegal weapons.”
“Boo, illegal weapon use!”
At my words, Jang Min-ho’s body His trembled greatly.
Certainly, hunter pets and illegal weapons don’t fit very well… But I thought it was possible.
Hunter Pets of the Cerberus breed are clearly a ‘weapon’ used for hunting monsters.
“Seo-woo, please guide Jang Min-ho. Take the Hunter Pet with you.”
“Yes, chief.”
In fact, the real problem starts now.
I moved my seat to the window and lowered my gaze… I saw people who had already heard the news and flocked.
Most of them were journalists, but there were also a few animal rights groups in the mix.
They waved improvised pickets and shouted.
“It’s already started.”
“You’re telling me not to kill you?”
“I guess so?”
Among animal protection organizations, there are not a few radical types who ask for the general public to be able to raise hunter pets.
Tia sat quietly in her place her, her body her shaking in the heavy air of her office her.
When I looked back at him, he trembled.
“Lord, Master! You don’t have to drink Coke from now on. I’ll have a little snack.”
“You can’t completely give up snacks?”
I smiled bitterly and let out a little of my insides.
In fact, I’m not too comfortable with euthanizing Hunter Pets.
“To put it bluntly, what’s wrong with Hunter Pets? Humans tamed monsters that were originally monsters and turned them into Hunter Pets. Rather, we should euthanize owners who couldn’t manage them properly.”
“Eh…”
Well, even if you say it like this, I think it’s right to kill it once the accident has exploded.
A monster that has attacked a human once… And a hunter can attack again at any time.
Until now, it was judged to be beneficial to mankind and was left behind, but now it must be discarded without hesitation.
The other members of the team didn’t even suspect it.
In the meantime, Lee Seo-woo, who had been to the detention room with the suspect, sat down with a particularly complex face.
I tried to talk lightly with him to encourage him.
“What’s wrong, is Seo Woo a dog lover too?”
“Yes?”
“Dog boy, cat boy. Which one?”
“Oh, I prefer dogs.”
Lee Seo-woo swallows his saliva while smiling with difficulty.
He hesitated and spoke with a more serious expression.
“Um… Chief. Is this incident really an accident?”
“… What are you talking about again? Talk about it in detail.”
If Lee Seo-woo felt that way, there must be a reason of his own.
I thought so and asked him without reprimanding him.
Lee Seo-woo explained his thoughts step by step, as if belatedly organizing his thoughts.
“There are two main things to pay attention to in a hunter’s crime…The motive for the crime and the method of the crime. The important point in this case is the method of the crime.”
“By the way?”
“At first glance, the hunter pet seems like the method of the crime, but in fact it is not.
It was only then that I realized what Lee Seo-woo wanted to talk about.
“In fact, flame-type abilities are not that rare in the Hunter industry… Are you saying that?”
“That’s right.”
In fact, among those caught by our special unit, there are several people with flame-type abilities.
Flame system is a relatively common type of ability, like electromagnetic system and body enhancement.
However, the suspect, Jang Min-ho, was not a fireman.
The guild did not have flame hunters.
Lee Seo-woo, gaining courage from my argument, continued to insist.
“Even if the crime using the hunter pet is correct, what if it was a murder disguised as an accident? What happens in this case? There was no CCTV at the crime scene.”
“Because it was the living space of the Guild House.”
Lee Seo-woo’s words were certainly right.
At least 10 years will come out if Hunter uses his ability to commit murder.
However, what if Hunter Pet is accused of violating safety management obligations?
This is less than 5 years even if the association law is applied.
In actual combat, a sentence of less than 3 years may come out and you may be able to fall into alternative service.
As I explained several times before, it costs a lot to confine one hunter.
“Killing a person and serving 3 years as an alternative… I can’t say it’s not a business that’s left over. He even had a fight over employment, so there’s enough motive for the murder.”
“You mean Jang Min-ho ordered the Hunter Pet to kill the victim?”
“That’s a possibility.”
I nodded at Alice’s words, and Lee Seo-woo suddenly hesitated slightly.
I encouraged him without hesitation.
“Don’t hesitate to tell me. If you have any doubts, feelings or whatever, feel free to share.”
“Ah, yes. And this is a sense of discomfort I heard earlier… When the team leader claimed ‘Illegal use of a weapon’, Jang Min-ho was very shaken.”
“Hmm? Ah… I did.”
At the time, I thought it was because I felt it was such an outrageous crime, but now that I see it, it was a strangely sensitive reaction.
Accepting Lee Seo-woo’s opinion, I jumped up from my seat.
“I’m going to the restraint room. Follow me.”
“Captain, what do you plan to do?”
“I just came up with a suitable deciphering method. I should be able to easily find out if this incident was an accident or not.”
“Uh, how…”
I went down to the confinement room with the crew and took the Cerberus out of the cage.
It is not a threat at all because it is not only on a leash but also with a muzzle.
I took the shy-eyed guy and headed to the room where Jang Min-ho was locked up.
“Oh, Detective!”
Jang Min-ho was delighted, thinking that I had come to take him out, but…
I put Cerberus in front of him with the iron bars closed.
While the two of them were still standing still with puzzled faces.
A cold metal sound rang out.
Clap!
“Whoa, whoa!”
“Grrr…”
I took out a pistol from my waistband and aimed it at Jang Min-ho.
Then, Cerberus, who recognized my actions his, ran wild and blocked the way between me and Jang Min-ho.
He couldn’t even cry properly because of the muzzle, but he looked very brave.
“Muh… What are you doing!”
“Wow, kurrrrrrr!”
“It’s clear.”
When I put the gun back in, Cerberus calms down a bit.
I ordered Tia to put him back in, and then spoke in front of Minho Jang.
“The owner wants to abandon the dog, but the dog doesn’t know that and hugs the owner…”
“Detective? What the hell was that just…”
“Let’s go.”
I went back to his office without casting a glance at him.
I’m not the kind of guy who can open his mouth nicely anyway.
Alice, still not understanding the situation, asked for an explanation belatedly.
“What did that mean?”
“Alice, remember. The victim was attacked from behind.”
“Yes?”
Only then did Alice notice a sense of incongruity.
I explained with a painful feeling as I pressed the button on the elevator.
“If Jang Min-ho and the victim were arguing and creating a threatening atmosphere, Cerberus would have stepped in between the two and tried to protect his master his, just like before. It’s not just attacking from behind.”
“Ah, ah…”
For Cerberus, the protection of his master his always came first.
A dog like that only knows its owner.
“Bring the victim’s wife right now. Even if she has n’t calmed down yet, I’ll have to hear her story about her.”
“Yes, chief.”
Kim Jung-tae and his team members hurriedly ran toward the lobby.
