Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1355

Looking at the distant land, Wiggins frowned.

‘I understand the reluctance, but this isn’t the time to be bound by common sense. We need to choose the most efficient route.’

[No, of course, I understand that, but…]

‘Then is there another way?’

[…No, there isn’t.]

‘Good then.’

Wiggins’ face was noticeably haggard. He raised a hand to rub his eyes, speaking with a voice that still carried fatigue.

‘If we go down to the area below Pyongyang, it’s possible. Once we enter North Korea, communication will be impossible, so let’s make a call beforehand. That way, we can decide on a location in advance.’

[If possible, I’ll try to purchase a satellite phone before entering North Korea.]

‘That’s a good choice. Then, we’ll start preparing on this side, so please contact us as often as possible.’

[Wait, just a moment.]

‘Huh?’

After a brief pause, a familiar voice was heard.

[Wiggins.]

‘Lord, I’m relieved you’re safe.’

[Are you in South Korea?]

‘Not yet, but we’ll be reaching the coast soon.’

[Once you enter South Korea, I want you to arrange protection for my family. I don’t know what might happen if things go wrong.]

‘I made that arrangement as soon as I could use the phone. Please don’t worry. Your family’s safety is secured.’

[Thank you.]

‘You’re welcome.’

The call ended.

Wiggins stared at the disconnected phone with a slightly strange expression.

‘Thank you, huh…’

‘Have I ever heard Kang Jin-ho say such a thing? At most, it was just ‘Good work’ until now.’

‘Is it because of family?’

Wiggins sighed softly.

Valuing family is certainly a good thing, but for someone like Kang Jin-ho, it’s just a weakness. And that weakness will only grow bigger in the future.

‘I need to pay a little more attention.’ Just as he was about to get lost in thought, an annoyed voice was heard.

‘What did he say?’

‘He said they’re moving from Beijing towards Harbin. It seems they were planning to smuggle themselves out from Vladivostok.’

‘Those damn bastards.’

Bang Jin-hoon’s face contorted.

It wasn’t that the Chinese were interfering with their smuggling, but that they had to smuggle themselves out because they didn’t know how South Korea would react.

Furious, Bang Jin-hoon kicked the deck.

‘How could those bastards do this? How much have we worked like dogs for them!’

‘Power is always like that.’

They tolerate a follower, but not an equal. That’s the nature of power.

‘But I didn’t expect them to go this far.’

Bang Jin-hoon turned around. He looked at the distant sea and gritted his teeth.

‘We should have killed all those bastards. Why did you stop me?’

‘Because we weren’t attacked first.’

‘Why aren’t those bastards surrounding us and attacking?’

‘If I had to guess…’

‘Yes.’

‘It seems there’s a difference between how they perceive the Lord’s position within the Assembly and how we perceive it.’

‘What does that mean? Please explain it in a way that’s easier to understand.’

‘In simple terms…’

Wiggins paused to organize his thoughts.

‘If they attacked us, it would be war. Unless they could kill everyone without being detected and it wouldn’t be revealed later.’

‘That’s right.’

‘But if they only kill the Lord without clashing with us, they’re calculating that it won’t escalate into war.’

‘Does that even make sense?’

‘It makes sense from their perspective. Because the head of the Assembly has changed twice in a short period.’

‘They must think the Assembly isn’t the Lord’s personal army, but a group of Korean martial artists. Meaning, nothing much will happen just because the leader changes.’

‘They’ve got it wrong.’

‘They’ve got it very wrong.’

They will pay the price for that misjudgment.

‘What should we do? Shouldn’t we just catch and kill them all when we get back?’

‘That would be war, I’m telling you.’

‘So what if it’s war! What’s there to be afraid of! Those bastards started it! Are you saying we should just take it?’

Wiggins sighed.

It wasn’t because he was frustrated with Bang Jin-hoon, but because he sympathized with him.

‘If I had my way, I’d track down and kill all the bastards involved right now, but…’

Even Wiggins, who always tried to remain calm, was truly furious this time. The feeling of being betrayed by someone you trusted is something that those who haven’t experienced it can’t imagine.

‘Hoo.’

Wiggins took a deep breath to calm himself and then spoke.

‘It’s not that I don’t understand what you’re saying. It’s not like they have anywhere to run. And this is the Lord’s responsibility.’

‘Hmm.’

Bang Jin-hoon nodded.

‘That was a shitty experience.’

Enemies are right in front of you, but you can’t fight them. You can’t charge at them, and you can’t run away. Like a caged animal, you can only endure and endure.

If they could have just fought it out, they wouldn’t feel like this.

Bang Jin-hoon licked his lips.

‘I don’t understand why they’re suddenly doing this.’

‘It’s very simple. They’re just scared.’

‘…Huh? What do you mean by that? The Lord? What did the Lord do?’

‘To be precise, it’s not the Lord, but the uncontrollable power that they’re afraid of. Because they don’t know where it will go.’

Bang Jin-hoon snorted.

‘That’s why we’ve shown so much willingness to cooperate.’

‘There are those who aren’t satisfied with that.’

Bang Jin-hoon shook his head as if he couldn’t understand at all. But Wiggins, on the contrary, felt that Bang Jin-hoon was amazing.

‘This guy is just that kind of person.’

The reason Bang Jin-hoon opposed Lee Joong-gul wasn’t to seize power, but to stop Lee Joong-gul’s dictatorship. And he even rose to the position of the Lord, but he handed it over to Kang Jin-ho without any regrets.

Even if someone doesn’t have a desire for power, it’s not easy to give up power once you’ve obtained it. But Bang Jin-hoon is someone who overcame that desire for power.

For someone like Bang Jin-hoon, this series of events wouldn’t make sense.

‘Anyway, when we get back, you need to reorganize the Assembly. We don’t know what might happen.’

‘Yes.’

‘And call back the Elder who’s in Japan.’

‘…The Elder?’

‘That’s right.’

Bang Jin-hoon groaned softly.

If Jang Min returns and learns about this situation, there will definitely be chaos. Just thinking about Jang Min going berserk made his whole body tremble.

‘This is a bit scary.’

‘It is scary for me too.’

The two sighed simultaneously.

From their perspective, Jang Min was a very troublesome person. He was excessively old, excessively strong, and excessively loyal. If that person, who goes crazy whenever Kang Jin-ho is mentioned, finds out about the current situation, how would he react?

‘…Still, we have to call him back.’

‘We have to.’

Wiggins narrowed his eyes as he checked the harbor.

‘There are no troops.’

If they really wanted war with the Assembly, the harbor would be full of armed troops by now. But at least from what he could see with his eyes, the harbor was empty.

‘It must be one of two things.’

Either they’re wary of escalating the conflict despite being able to, or the power of the person leading this is limited within the military.

‘Or… the real person leading this is someone else entirely.’

‘Huh?’

‘Never mind.’

Wiggins shook his head.

‘Let’s go. It seems we have a lot to do now.’

‘Where to?’

Jang Pil-jae’s eyes trembled like aspen leaves.

‘North Korea?’

Jang Pil-jae chuckled dryly.

‘You’re joking, right?’

Lee Hyun-soo wore a bitter smile.

He wanted to make a joke if possible, but honestly, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

‘If I think about it calmly, this is the right decision, but…’

Lee Hyun-soo also knew that the sea route was dangerous. The reason he hadn’t considered other options was simple.

‘The sea is safer than North Korea.’

Logically speaking, North Korea, where their feet are on the ground, is better than the middle of the sea where resistance is difficult. It would be the opposite for ordinary people, but the people here are not ordinary.

‘Wait, just a moment. Are we really going to North Korea?’

The only ‘ordinary’ person in the group was having a fit.

‘How can an agent be afraid of North Korea?’

‘I’m not an agent, I’m an informant! North Korean infiltration agents receive different training than us!’

‘It’s similar in the big picture, right?’

‘What’s similar, what!’

Jang Pil-jae’s eyes rolled back.

Until just a moment ago, Jang Pil-jae was too scared of Kang Jin-ho and Lee Hyun-soo to even speak properly, but the mention of North Korea was enough to blow away his fear.

‘No, this isn’t right! This is a really bad idea!’

Jang Pil-jae frantically poured out his words.

‘Do you know why we’re not being attacked right now? Because we’re on the road! Because there are cars passing by! If they’re sane, they wouldn’t attack on a road where their own people are traveling! But if this is North Korea, we’d already be riddled with bullets. Those bastards don’t care about that!’

‘…That’s true.’

‘So, I’m saying you’re thinking wrong! If the Chinese ask North Korea, do you think the North Koreans will leave us alone? They’ll definitely try to track us down and kill us!’

Lee Hyun-soo sighed.

‘Is the sea route any different? If they get the same request, the North Koreans will be searching with bloodshot eyes. And there’s nowhere to hide on the sea.’

‘That’s true, but…’

‘And don’t forget that the people we’re dealing with are soldiers. The North Korean territorial waters and the high seas in front of it will be filled with Chinese ships. Then it’ll be like playing dodgeball on the sea. A dodgeball where one hit means death.’

Lee Hyun-soo shrugged.

‘Wouldn’t it be better to be somewhere where we have a chance to make a sound rather than dying without even being able to lift a finger?’

Jang Pil-jae began to mutter, looking dazed.

‘This is crazy. This is really crazy…’

The mere fact that they were going to North Korea made Jang Pil-jae lose his mind, regardless of reality.

It was Kang Jin-ho’s low voice that helped Jang Pil-jae regain his senses.

‘One thing is wrong.’

‘Yes?’

‘Did you say they wouldn’t attack on the road?’

Kang Jin-ho got up from his seat. Then he turned around and looked behind him.

‘What…’

Kang Jin-ho curled up the corners of his mouth.

‘It seems these guys aren’t sane either. It seems they don’t care about the road or anything else.’

‘Yes?’

Lee Hyun-soo’s face contorted.

‘Mr. Jang Pil-jae.’

‘Yes?’

‘Don’t look back, just look ahead! Focus on driving!’

Lee Hyun-soo reached out and turned the rearview mirror away.

‘No, does that mean I can’t see it?’

It just makes me more curious, you idiot!

Jang Pil-jae’s eyes naturally went to the side mirror. No matter how much he looked, there was nothing different…

‘Huh?’

At that moment, Jang Pil-jae’s face stiffened.

Darkness.

Something darker was rushing into the darkness that hadn’t yet faded. Like a black wave crashing onto the shore!