Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1440

“Do you even think that makes any sense right now?” Willie let out a low sigh.

‘I knew this was coming.’

However, he didn’t feel like cursing at his superior. If it had been just a day ago, Willie would have reacted the same way.

“Command authority? Do you even know what that means?”

Willie raised his head and looked at his superior.

“I know it sounds absurd.”

“Absurd?”

Reynolds Spencer, the Deputy Undersecretary of the Army, frowned as he looked at Willie.

“Is that all you can say about this? Handing over command authority means handing over operational control, and handing over operational control means handing over sovereignty. This has never happened in history.”

“I don’t think it’s that much of an overstatement. If you look at it the other way around, we don’t have Korea’s wartime operational control either. If you think of it as an exchange, it’s not that difficult.”

“Colonel!”

Flames sparked in Reynolds’ eyes.

“Did you get brainwashed by those Orientals? Why are you repeating such nonsense? Why do we have to go that far?”

“You’re stating the obvious. It’s because there are benefits.”

“What benefits?”

“We can learn from them.”

Reynolds, who had been staring blankly at Willie, let out a hollow laugh.

“You’re not serious, are you?”

“You’ve already seen the footage, Undersecretary.”

Willie sighed.

“I understand your reaction. What happened there can never be understood through video.”

Reynolds pressed his temples.

‘It was certainly hard to understand.’

The abilities shown by Kang Jin-ho, the so-called Demon King of the East, were certainly outstanding. Even Reynolds was left speechless.

However, no matter how strong he was, it was hard to understand how nearly a thousand soldiers there were all terrified and trembling.

‘Indeed.’

As Willie said, there was clearly something that couldn’t be understood through video. If it were just one or two people, it would be understandable, but a thousand people showing the same reaction at the same time was not something to be taken lightly.

But….

“Even if….”

Reynolds, having gathered his thoughts, opened his mouth with a heavy voice.

“Let’s say they are much stronger than we expected, as you say. But their strength is not a reason for us to give up our rights.”

“Undersecretary.”

“The purpose of this negotiation is to effectively contain China by using Korea. What are we going to gain by giving up everything? In the end, it will only benefit Korea. I think my choice to send you was wrong.”

Willie looked at Reynolds without a word. After a long silence, Willie forced his lips open.

“You need to face reality.”

“Reality? What reality?”

“The U.S. military is the best in the world. But we are not the best. Approaching it the same way is impossible. It will only narrow our position.”

Reynolds’ face contorted hideously.

“We have invested astronomical amounts of money to create the best warriors in the world. You were at the forefront of that. And now you’re saying that? That we’re not the best?”

“Failure is terrible.”

Willie said firmly.

“But what’s worse is not admitting failure. The later we are, the more time and money we will waste. The damage will only increase.”

“Ha….”

Reynolds leaned back in his chair. Then, with a somewhat empty look, he looked at Willie.

The reason he sent Willie to face Kang Jin-ho was because he trusted him that much. For these words to come from Willie’s mouth….

You don’t entrust work to someone you can’t trust. Conversely, what comes from someone you entrust work to is trustworthy.

The common sense he had and the trust he had in his subordinates were clashing.

‘Damn it.’

Reynolds was not someone who didn’t know what to choose in this situation.

“So….”

Reynolds rubbed his face with both hands and let out a deep sigh.

“In your judgment, even considering all of that, it would be beneficial to form an alliance with them?”

“Yes, it would.”

“That’s crazy.”

Reynolds laughed.

It was crazy. It was such an absurd thing to say that he couldn’t even think of reporting it to his superiors. But sometimes, a deal requires you to close your eyes and do something crazy.

“Are you sure your choice is right?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s not just my opinion. It’s the opinion of all the SOBs who faced Kang Jin-ho at H27.”

“All of them….”

“Not only the commanders, but even those who were beaten by him, many of them want to go to Korea.”

“Did they develop a liking for the person who beat them up? This isn’t some third-rate teen novel.”

“At least they properly felt his strength.”

“Hmm.”

A sigh escaped Reynolds’ lips.

‘It’s a matter of method….’

This was a tricky problem.

To report this and get approval, he would have to admit that there was an error in the training system so far.

Admitting it wasn’t difficult. What was difficult was taking responsibility for it.

Who could take responsibility for this?

“….Do you think we’ll get approval?”

“Yes.”

Willie nodded lightly.

“Approval won’t be difficult. Because what we really need to fear is not failure, but continuing to fail.”

“Seizing the opportunity to correct things is paramount. We learn from failure. Isn’t that our way?”

“Our way is not to fail.”

Though he said that, Reynolds already knew the tide had turned.

‘I’ve done everything I could.’

He had gathered experts from every field to create the system. Conversely, if this method failed, it meant there was no one left in the United States with the ability to fix the errors.

‘Humiliating.’

Reynolds sighed and said,

“Is there no other way? Like asking the Round Table [a group of high-ranking officials or experts] for help?”

“Sir.”

Willie frowned.

“We shouldn’t cloud the situation with meaningless pride.”

“…What did you just say?”

“Just because we’re America doesn’t mean we’re the best in every field. If we had the chance to acquire the technology of the German Big Three [referring to major German automotive companies like Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi] in the automotive industry, would they hesitate?”

“The reason America could be the best was because we aimed for the best. Since when have we thrown away opportunities to improve because of pride? That’s a sin against the nation.”

Reynolds’ face clearly showed his discomfort.

However, he didn’t bring that displeasure into the public sphere.

“Damn it, you talk a good game.” He couldn’t fault him for speaking the truth.

In the end, Reynolds let out a deep sigh.

“There has to be something to gain, Colonel. Otherwise, both you and I will end up with more than just losing our jobs.”

“I’m prepared for that.”

Reynolds sighed deeply.

“I’ll report it. I hope your choice is right.”

“Yes, sir.”

Reynolds quietly looked at Willie and opened his mouth.

“More importantly… what kind of person did you see Kang Jin-ho as?”

“The question isn’t clear.”

“You don’t have to give a clear answer. Just tell me what you felt.”

Willie closed his mouth.

After taking some time to organize his thoughts, Willie shook his head.

“It’s not easy.”

“That’s not very clear.”

“It’s not that… I’m struggling to explain. The impression I got from him was so varied… First of all, it would be better to discard all the information we’ve gathered about his personality.”

“Hmm?”

Reynolds looked intrigued.

Willie was a believer in data. For him to say to give up the sources was very unusual.

“Is the information contaminated?”

“It’s not that. It’s just that you can’t explain Kang Jin-ho with just that kind of fragmented information. He’s extremely far removed from the stereotypical image of an Easterner that we generally think of. And he’s very different from the personality we predicted based on the information we’ve gathered. No…”

Willie sighed and continued.

“There might be some similarities. The problem is that his personality appears so diverse depending on the situation.”

“Are you saying he has multiple personalities?”

“It’s different from that. And it’s not in a negative sense either. Well, he’s someone who’s hard to define.”

Reynolds leaned back in his chair and looked at the ceiling.

‘Nothing is easy.’

That’s how things are in the world.

If Kang Jin-ho was such a complex person, then managing a relationship with him would certainly not be easy. But this was something that had to be successful for the future of the United States.

If they had decided not to do it, that would be one thing, but since they had decided to try, they had to succeed no matter what. For the future of the United States and for Reynolds’ future.

“I’ll take care of the higher-ups. You keep working on the relationship with Kang Jin-ho and the General Assembly [likely referring to a governing body or meeting].”

“I’m doing my best. But he’s such an unapproachable person… He doesn’t enjoy drinking, nor does he indulge in luxury. Being a martial artist, he doesn’t seem interested in drugs either.”

“…What does he live for?”

“That’s what I’m worried about.”

Reynolds slightly narrowed his brow.

“What about women?”

“…Excuse me?”

“There’s no man who isn’t interested in women. Maybe we could try setting him up with a suitable beauty…”

“Don’t even dream about it. The Pentagon will be blown away.”

“That’s absolutely out of the question. He has a very strong girlfriend, and from what I see, his girlfriend, Choi Yeon-ha, has a personality ten times stronger than Kang Jin-ho’s.”

“…Let’s pretend I didn’t hear that.” Besides, she’s a beauty. Unless Kang Jin-ho specifically prefers Western-style beauties, it would be hard to find someone more beautiful than Choi Yeon-ha. Even Willie, who had no interest in Easterners, couldn’t take his eyes off her.

‘The world is unfair.’

Willie shook his head and cautiously glanced at Reynolds.

“Anyway, I’ll leave it to you then.”

“You always dump heavy burdens on me.”

“Isn’t that what a higher rank is for?”

“Make sure you succeed and get promoted, definitely.”

“Thank you. And…”

Willie, glancing at Reynolds, took out a tightly sealed document envelope from his pocket and placed it lightly on Reynolds’ desk. At a distance that wasn’t immediately within reach.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a side matter. Not important elements, just some additional transaction details that we should lightly agree to.”

“Hmm, is that so? I’ll review it.”

“Yes. Then, I’ll be on my way.”

Willie turned around and quickly left the Deputy Director’s office. Reynolds, slightly puzzled by his hasty movements, tilted his head.

‘What is it?’

His gaze fell on the document envelope.

He reached out and pulled the envelope towards him, opened it, and checked the contents of the documents inside.

And a little while later.

“Willieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” A furious shout erupted from the Deputy Director’s office.

“Bring that bastard here right now! Right nowwwwwwwww!”

It was the end for those who didn’t know that the person to be careful of in negotiations wasn’t Kang Jin-ho.