Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1063

[The atmosphere has completely changed.]

Lee Hyun-soo’s face contorted.

[It’s beyond our control. I have no idea why this is suddenly happening.]

“Councilman, then…”

Lee Hyun-soo cleared his throat and continued,

“Is there anything in common among those who are currently opposing us?”

[A commonality…]

After a moment, a reply came.

[I’m not sure if you can call it a commonality, but those who are opposing us are generally known as pro-China figures.]

‘As I thought.’

Lee Hyun-soo’s face hardened.

His prediction was correct.

[I don’t know how to explain this situation either. It seems like they’re trying to apply pressure, but they don’t seem to know the full situation.]

“Excuse me?”

[I understand why people who know about the Assembly are contacting us, but it’s strange that even those who don’t know anything are calling us. And what’s funny is… this isn’t even a bill. It’s not like anything will change just because those people call. How should I put it… it feels like a show of force? Do you understand?]

“I think I understand what you mean. Then, Councilman, what about our side?”

[I don’t know. In a way, this is a fight over how to handle the political burden. We could push it through if we wanted to. It’s hard to grasp the substance of this issue, and the opposing side can’t openly reveal the problem to the world. The real problem is… the minister from the ruling party is directly rejecting Code One’s decision. If we could change his mind, it might be solvable, but he’s a recent appointee, so the government is hesitant to dismiss him.]

[So, in this state, we can’t move. Let’s aim for the future.]

“Understood for now. Thank you, Councilman.”

[Yes, then.]

Lee Hyun-soo hung up the phone and looked up.

The directors who had been listening to the call reacted in their own ways.

“A deadlock…”

Wiggins leaned forward, as if he found the situation interesting.

“It must be them, right?”

“Yes, I think so too.”

Bang Jin-hoon expressed his dissatisfaction.

“Hey, don’t just talk among yourselves. Let the rest of us understand too. Or don’t call us in the first place.”

Lee Hyun-soo gave a wry smile.

“If the Chinese side is interfering, isn’t it obvious who’s behind it?”

“The Hongwang Group?”

“Yes, I think so.”

“No, how could the Hongwang Group interfere in Korean politics?”

Bang Jin-hoon looked completely bewildered, and Lee Hyun-soo sighed softly.

“The Hongwang Group may not be able to directly influence Korean politics, but they can influence Chinese politics. And there are quite a few politicians in Korea who are influenced by China.”

“Influence Chinese politics?”

Bang Jin-hoon asked back, as if he couldn’t understand at all.

It was something he couldn’t imagine. Bang Jin-hoon had been the de facto second-in-command of the Assembly since the days of Lee Joong-gul. [The Assembly is a powerful organization in the Murim world, a martial arts society.]

Of course, he had been at odds with Lee Joong-gul, the absolute leader of the Assembly, so his external influence was not befitting of a second-in-command, but he had still wielded some power.

Even Bang Jin-hoon had never imagined reaching into the political world. He had only ever offered money and bowed his head to ask them not to interfere with his work. He had never dreamed of moving them to do something.

But to influence Chinese politics and affect Korea?

‘This is too much like a story from another world, it doesn’t feel real at all.’

Lee Hyun-soo wouldn’t lie, so it must be true, but it was hard to believe.

“I’ve told you before.”

Wiggins shrugged and said,

“The Assembly’s political influence is too weak. Not only the Hongwang Group, but also Japan and the Round Table can easily move their own politicians.”

“No, even so…”

“It’s natural. It’s a matter of survival. No matter how influential the Murim world is, they will be threatened if they oppose the government. So, of course, they try to build ties with the government.”

“Hmm.”

Wiggins chuckled.

“And governments are not continuous. At first, the Murim world thought it was best to maintain friendships with the current power holders, but over time, they changed their minds. They realized that it was much easier to make someone they had a relationship with the power holder than to make a relationship with the power holders.”

Bang Jin-hoon blinked.

“You’re saying they push politicians to become president?”

“That’s how it would be in Korea.”

“No, that… is that even possible?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“Even if we ignore the moral issue, realistically, to create that kind of influence…”

“In the end, elections are controlled by money and the media. In countries where the Murim world has a strong influence, money and the media are not free from the Murim world’s influence. It’s hard to push up someone who has no ability, but it’s not difficult to give a boost to someone who has some ability.”

Bang Jin-hoon scratched his head.

“I don’t really understand what you’re saying. I’ve never thought about things that way.”

“It’s not a particularly important story.

The important thing is that the Hongwang Group is manipulating Chinese politics. And they’re using that political power to hold us back.”

Bang Jin-hoon’s face contorted.

“No, wait a minute. Then…”

Bang Jin-hoon licked his lips, organizing his thoughts, and then shouted.

“So, those bastards are taking orders from China to hold us back? Those traitorous bastards!”

“Politicians are like that.”

Wiggins calmed the agitated Bang Jin-hoon.

“And from their perspective, what’s the difference between the Assembly and China? China might even be better. At least they won’t commit illegal acts.”

“We don’t commit illegal acts either.”

“That’s what you say now, but there’s what you’ve done in the past.”

“Ugh.”

Bang Jin-hoon groaned, unable to deny that.

But even if he understood it in his head, he couldn’t understand it emotionally.

“Even so…”

His dissatisfaction didn’t fade.

“It’s not like we’re doing anything bad. We changed everything that was being run illegally when we incorporated. How much money did we lose doing that?”

Bang Jin-hoon couldn’t hide his annoyance.

The Assembly was inherently connected to the underworld. Until recently, they had been collecting cash from businesses that operated in the shadows. When Lee Hyun-joo pushed for incorporation, she cleaned up all the businesses that couldn’t be recorded in the books.

He had agreed because he was told that they could make more money in the future if they incorporated. But if things turned out like this, wouldn’t they just be losing the money they were making?

“You shouldn’t think of it that way. Anyway, it’s true that we need to clean up the messy parts if the Assembly is to grow bigger.”

“Don’t talk like a morality teacher. If we don’t do it, will it disappear? Other guys will do it.”

Wiggins smiled wryly.

In fact, Bang Jin-hoon’s words weren’t entirely wrong.

“Don’t worry. Nothing’s been decided yet.”

“But still…”

Wiggins glanced at Lee Hyun-soo. He probably knew that what Bang Jin-hoon had said represented the feelings of the others.

“Don’t we need a countermeasure?”

Wiggins nodded at Lee Hyun-soo’s words.

‘Cai Keqiang.’

It was as if he could hear Cai Keqiang’s laughter in his ears.

“He’s landed a solid blow.”

“I never imagined this.”

‘Do they know what we’re trying to do? Or are they just saying to oppose whatever we’re trying to do?’

Wiggins frowned.

Whatever their intentions, the Assembly was definitely being held back.

“So…”

Just as his thoughts were getting deeper, Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth lightly.

“What’s the countermeasure?”

“Hmm…”

Wiggins swallowed a groan.

He had experienced many things, but it was rare to have a problem with such a difficult solution. Most of the problems so far had solutions, but the side effects of those solutions were so severe that they caused concern. This time, the solution itself was not clear.

“I think we need to watch a little longer.”

“Watch?”

“Yes. This is such a sensitive issue…”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Wiggins without a word.

Wiggins sighed and opened his mouth.

“There isn’t really a solution. To solve it, we need to get the minister’s cooperation. As you know, the things we need to solve can’t be done with the will of just one or two people. We need the cooperation of related departments, but if the minister is rebelling like this, there’s no answer.”

“I have a question…”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“What is the government’s will?”

“The higher-ups are welcoming the Assembly’s incorporation. They can secure tax revenue and it will be easier to control, so there’s no reason to oppose it. In foreign countries, most Murim groups disguise their income as business income. Even if they don’t legalize all of their income, they still contribute to the country in their own way. The government has no reason to oppose the Assembly joining that trend.”

“So, the problem is that we need the government’s help to launder the illegal income and its source.”

“Yes. If it weren’t for that, we wouldn’t need their help. So, I was planning to give them some money and settle it… I expected them to come running with their mouths watering for more. But I didn’t expect them to overturn the whole board like this…”

Lee Hyun-soo backed up Wiggins.

“I failed to realize that Minister Seok was more ambitious than I thought. It’s my mistake.”

Lee Hyun-soo bowed his head deeply.

‘Damn it.’

He had boasted that he could handle it well, but things had turned out for the worst. He was too ashamed to show his face.

“Is it possible for a single minister to go against the government’s will and change direction when the government has a will?”

“…Normally, it shouldn’t be possible. But China is probably doing everything they can to protect Minister Seok right now. To dismiss or reprimand Minister Seok, they would have to risk straining relations with China. The government will have a hard time choosing that path. They might be in an even more difficult position than the Assembly.”

“I see…”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“Then it’s simple.”

“Excuse me?”

Simple?

Is this situation one where you can say it’s simple?

It seems like a situation that’s too complicated to even organize properly.

Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth with a blank face.

“I don’t know how much they’ve done, but it means they’re focusing on that Minister Seok, right?”

“…That’s right.”

“Then we just need to change his mind.”

Wiggins looked at Kang Jin-ho with a dumbfounded expression.