Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1170

‘They’re really running wild!’

Detective Choi Gu-hyeon gritted his teeth, staring at the sea.

‘Those bastards, seriously!’

It wasn’t the first time the Chinese had acted so brazenly. They lived as if laws and common sense didn’t apply to them.

What infuriated people even more was that the Chinese government didn’t try to control its fishermen, even when they caused trouble in other countries.

They even subtly encouraged fishing in other countries’ territorial waters.

They kept their mouths shut as if they knew nothing, and when problems arose, they pressured the Korean government to protect their citizens.

‘Shameless bastards.’

Seeing them spout nonsense about being a great power made him want to kill them.

Anti-China sentiment was rising throughout South Korea because of these incidents, but no one felt it as intensely as Choi Gu-hyeon, who had to deal with these troubles directly on the front lines.

“Even so, what is this situation? Unbelievable.”

Illegal fishing boats brazenly entered Korean territorial waters, dropped off people, and then leisurely returned.

Stunned by this unprecedented situation, the Coast Guard failed to stop the people or the returning fishing boats. As a result, the fishing boats that had forced their way in had already returned to China through international waters.

Only the patrol boats, having lost their purpose, were left guarding the empty sea.

“Detective Choi.”

“What?”

Jeong Yo-han spoke with a distorted face.

“Isn’t this going too far?”

“…What?”

“I mean, there’s supposed to be common sense, right?”

Choi Gu-hyeon sighed.

“When have those bastards ever followed common sense? It’s always like this.”

“No, that’s not what I mean.”

“Huh?”

“Is dropping people off here something that makes sense?”

Choi Gu-hyeon turned his head toward the land.

The land was not visible due to the night fog. Only faint lights could be seen in the distance.

“The sea isn’t such an easy place, is it?”

“…That’s right.”

Most of those who fall into the sea due to a capsized boat or being swept away by the current do not survive.

First, the sea doesn’t keep people in one place. No matter how hard they try to stay put, the waves pull them away. No matter how quickly they are dispatched to the scene of an accident, it is almost impossible to find someone who has been swept out to the open sea by the current.

Second, there’s the water temperature.

Even if you soak in cool water for just 30 minutes, you’ll feel cold. The water temperature in the open sea is lower than people think. Those who fall into the sea lose their body heat, and when they lose body heat, their motor skills deteriorate.

Eventually, even those who are good at swimming end up sinking into the sea.

“Those guys who jumped into the sea earlier, they’re all dead, right?”

Logically, that’s correct.

It’s hard to imagine that those who jumped into the dark sea in this darkness, where it’s hard to even get your bearings, would be alive.

Swim to the land?

Even for those who have professionally learned to swim, it’s impossible to swim to the land in this cold night sea, fighting against these waves. Even Choi Gu-hyeon, who had mastered hard swimming for marine rescue, wouldn’t dare to try.

But there was a reason why Choi Gu-hyeon couldn’t nod his head.

Woong!

A large light rotated, illuminating the surface of the water. But nothing was visible on the surface.

“…The bodies aren’t floating.”

“That’s why it’s so strange.”

If that many people had jumped into the sea and died, the surface should be full of bodies by now. A person who has taken in water sinks into the sea, but after a certain amount of time, they float back to the surface.

But even though a lot of time has passed, not even a single fish has jumped out of the water, let alone a body.

“What did we see?”

Choi Gu-hyeon didn’t answer.

How could he answer something he didn’t know?

One thing was certain: something illogical was happening in this sea.

“And over there…”

Jeong Yo-han stopped speaking mid-sentence. Jeong Yo-han, who had narrowed his eyes, stared at one side and pointed to the horizon with his hand.

“Detective, do you see that over there? That thing?”

“What?”

“It looks like something is visible at that end?”

“That end?”

Choi Gu-hyeon turned his head and looked at the place Jeong Yo-han was pointing to.

‘What does he see?’

What could be there in this dark night…

At that moment, the light rotated and swept past the place Jeong Yo-han had pointed to.

“Huh?”

In an instant, Choi Gu-hyeon, who had spotted something blurry, widened his eyes. There was definitely something there.

“A boat?”

“It looks like it, right?”

“Those crazy bastards!”

This sea is completely controlled right now. It’s a situation where fishermen or other ships can’t enter. Nevertheless, the fact that a ship was visible meant only one thing.

“Did those bastards come again?”

Choi Gu-hyeon’s face flushed.

Even if the Chinese bastards looked down on Korea, this was too much.

“Hey, damn it! Get the gear! Those bastards, this time I’ll get in no matter what!”

“No, calm down first and report it.”

“Ah, right.”

Choi Gu-hyeon picked up the radio.

But before Choi Gu-hyeon could send a message, the radio beeped, and an order was issued.

Choi Gu-hyeon’s face twisted strangely as he heard the order.

“It’s a patrol boat.”

Miura Kazuhiro, the head of the Yamashiro-gumi [a yakuza group], the largest faction in Kansai [a region in Japan], raised his head and looked at the patrol boats.

“There are a lot of scarecrows gathered.”

“There could be problems if we collide with the patrol boats.”

“Problems…”

Kazuhiro put on a slight, mocking smile.

“Even if problems arise, we won’t be the ones solving them. Isn’t that right?”

“That’s true.”

From the beginning, this expedition was Shin-Nichikai’s [another yakuza group] proposal. They are the ones who will clean up the mess, not the Yamashiro-gumi.

“I don’t want the problems to get bigger, but it’s no fun if things go exactly as Shin-Nichikai wants. If the patrol boats approach, deal with them appropriately.”

“Yes!”

Miura Kazuhiro walked to the bow of the ship and looked out at the vast sea.

‘It’s so uncomfortable.’

People are meant to live with their feet on the ground. Although the Japanese, being an island nation, have many opportunities to be in contact with the sea, the sea was a place that Miura could never get used to, no matter how hard he tried.

‘That’s why the continent is so good.’

A vast land.

A land that can be expanded endlessly.

Even though the importance of territory is not as great as it was in the past, Kazuhiro did not think so. In the end, power comes from land and people.

If you can occupy a larger area, you can get more. That was common sense.

But Japan lacks that land.

With a large population and limited land, Japan has no choice but to fight among themselves. That was the case during the Warring States period [a period of civil war in Japan], and it was the case for the post-war generation. And when the domestic situation was somewhat settled, they always turned their eyes outward.

Because they were greedy?

No.

Everyone knows it. If many people gather in the narrow land of Japan, another civil war will break out, cutting into their own flesh. To solve that situation, they have no choice but to reduce the number of people or increase the land.

What they want is not a narrow archipelago, but a vast continent.

An endless land where you can run and run without seeing the end.

And the bridge leading to that continent was now in front of Miura Kazuhiro’s eyes.

‘It feels like the order is a bit reversed, though.’

The war between Kanto [another region in Japan] and Kansai was not over yet. The war was in a lull as they were building up their forces, but it had not yet been decided who would be on top.

In that situation, temporarily forming an alliance and invading Korea was quite a dangerous thing.

‘But it’s worth taking the risk.’

The peninsula is quite a tempting place. In the past, the peninsula was like a wasteland, but now the peninsula is valuable enough. Even if it’s not as good as the mainland, it’s enough to give the Japanese gangs, who are clashing with their increased power, some breathing room.

In other words, if they could occupy the peninsula, the long war between Shin-Nichikai and Yamashiro-gumi could come to an end.

“I don’t like taking orders from them, but I can’t miss this opportunity.”

The price that Shin-Nichikai offered as compensation for the war was also quite tempting.

Half of the peninsula.

It was too big of a reward to receive for participating in the war. It was suspicious that those greedy bastards would offer such a large price, but…

‘That means they’re that desperate.’

The fact that the Kansai guys went on an expedition to Korea and were wiped out was a major incident that everyone in the Japanese martial arts world knew about.

Although they didn’t want to admit it, it was enough to drop the reputation of Shin-Nichikai, which was considered the largest faction in Japan, surpassing even the Yamashiro-gumi, to the bottom in an instant.

In order for Shin-Nichikai to maintain its power in the future, it must make up for this mistake. That was this war.

“The patrol boat is approaching.”

They could change course, but Kazuhiro did not change his instructions. It was just a show anyway. Those guys wouldn’t be able to actively defend themselves.

“The patrol boat is moving.”

Kazuhiro’s eyes narrowed slightly as he watched the patrol boat abruptly change direction.

‘Avoiding?’

They were opening the way.

“It seems the cowardly Joseon [an old name for Korea] bastards are scared.”

“Hmm.”

Kazuhiro hummed.

Thinking about it, it was a logical thing to do. Even if it was a fishing boat, if it collided head-on with a ship of this size, the patrol boat would not be safe. To avoid casualties, they had to avoid a collision.

The martial artists on this ship could swim to the shore even if the ship was destroyed, but those guys wouldn’t be able to.

But somehow…

The reason why that obvious common sense didn’t feel like common sense was…

“What should we do?”

Kazuhiro waved his hand as if there was nothing to think about.

‘When moving troops, you have to be as quick as the wind.’

Even a moment’s hesitation will only slow you down. They were already on the tiger’s back. So why hesitate?

“If they open the way, it’s a good thing. Advance at full speed. Hurry the landing.”

The fishing boat increased its speed and broke through the patrol boat. The patrol boats that had fallen behind increased their speed and followed on the left and right.

‘It’s subtle.’

It was like they were herding them.

‘That’s an overthinking.’

There was no way they could just let the fishing boats that had broken through go. But they couldn’t block the way either, so following behind was the best they could do.

As proof, the fishing boats were now heading towards their initial goal without any interference. A herding that cannot change direction is not a herding.

Looking at the lights of the harbor in the distance, Kazuhiro shouted resolutely.

“The moment you reach your destination without instructions, land immediately. Shin-Nichikai started this, but it will be our Yamashiro-gumi who will achieve victory in this war!”

With Kazuhiro’s shout, the fishing boats increased their speed even more towards the quiet harbor.