Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1337

The cigarette burned with a crackling sound.

Lee Hyun-soo took a deep drag. The feeling of the smoke entering his lungs felt unusually unpleasant today.

‘It always makes me feel bad.’

Lee Hyun-soo knew his limitations well.

He was a half-baked martial artist, unable to be active in the field.

In the past, this fact didn’t particularly bother him. Lee Hyun-soo had strengths that other martial artists didn’t possess.

He even felt a subtle pleasure in controlling those who fought in the field with just a flick of his finger.

But that was in the past.

Recently, he had become acutely aware of his shortcomings.

Why?

The reason was simple.

In the past, he was the head of the Yeongnam Assembly [a regional martial arts organization]. A crucial brain, at that.

When moderately trained martial artists moved as a group, strategy and tactics were necessary. He could create advantages with concise and clear communication systems and customized instructions that took into account the region and situation.

Lee Hyun-soo was a person optimized for this kind of work.

But what about now?

The situation was different.

‘A martial artist like the Clan Lord doesn’t need strategy.’

Kang Jin-ho was, in a word, a one-man army. And the people Kang Jin-ho had to face were also one-man armies. People like Hong Wang or Kang Jin-ho were beyond standardization. It was impossible for anyone to confine them within a strategy.

So, all he could do was sit here twiddling his thumbs.

“Sigh.”

Lee Hyun-soo took a deep drag of his cigarette.

Kang Jin-ho had told him to wait quietly in the hotel room, but even Lee Hyun-soo couldn’t tolerate that. He had insisted on moving to an intermediate area, but going any further would be reckless.

‘In the end, it’s just self-satisfaction.’

Whether he waited here or in the hotel, it made no difference. His martial prowess was such that he couldn’t intervene in any situation anyway.

He just wanted to feel like he was taking a little more risk.

A wave of self-loathing washed over him.

Lee Hyun-soo sighed quietly and looked at his watch. It was about time Kang Jin-ho had entered the area.

‘I hope everything’s alright.’

Lee Hyun-soo’s trust in Kang Jin-ho was beyond absolute.

But trust didn’t mean he wasn’t anxious.

This was China.

It wasn’t a land where Lee Hyun-soo could control the variables.

So, the best thing to do was to strike quickly and get out……

That was the moment.

Bzzzz.

Lee Hyun-soo’s phone started ringing. Lee Hyun-soo frowned and reached into his pocket.

‘At this hour?’

Kang Jin-ho wasn’t the type to call just because something happened. He was so bad at keeping in touch that the executives had sent Lee Hyun-soo along as a contact person.

Then it must be someone else, but who would call him at this hour……

“Huh?”

Knowing he shouldn’t make a sound, Lee Hyun-soo let out a low exclamation. Then, he quickly answered the phone.

“Yes, Master.”

The caller was Wiggins.

[Where is the Lord?]

“He has entered the operation zone. Is there a problem?”

[It seems things have gone wrong. The Round Table contacted me. Suspicious movements have been detected.]

“What?”

[Get out of there immediately. Immediately!]

“Ah, no, right now……”

Click.

Lee Hyun-soo stopped speaking. The sound was so vivid that it was right next to his ear.

[Lee Hyun-soo, are you listening?]

Lee Hyun-soo quietly hung up the phone and dropped it on the floor. Then, he put both hands on his head and knelt on the spot.

“You’re perceptive, kid.”

Damn it.

There were several people in the lit room.

This wasn’t particularly strange. He had already sensed that there were many people in this room.

But while the fact that there were several people was the same, the scene he saw was a little different from what he had expected.

First, one person was kneeling in the center.

And behind him, one person was sitting on the sofa, sipping a drink, while the rest stood guard around him.

What was strange?

The person kneeling was someone he had seen before.

He hadn’t seen him in person, but he had seen his picture many times.

‘Ri Gi-gwang.’

Kang Jin-ho’s target.

The North Korean power broker who was planning a coup.

He was now kneeling pitifully with his eyes closed.

“Well, nice to meet you.”

Kang Jin-ho raised his head and looked at the person sitting on the sofa.

Clink.

The sound of ice shifting in the glass as the drink was emptied. The man who had placed the glass on the table picked up the bottle and poured another drink.

Then, he moved his glass to the side.

“On the rocks, or straight?”

“I think you’d prefer it straight.”

The liquor was poured into a thin glass. As the man put down the bottle, one of the guards approached and handed the glass to Kang Jin-ho.

Kang Jin-ho accepted the glass without a word.

“I think you must be surprised. Let’s have a drink first. That’ll ease the tension. Ah, I didn’t put any poison in it or anything……”

Kang Jin-ho didn’t even listen to the end of the sentence and downed the drink. Then, he handed the glass to the person who was waiting.

“……You’re bold.”

The man smiled.

“It might be a bit embarrassing, but please understand. We have our own reasons.”

Kang Jin-ho’s brow furrowed.

“Isn’t that the same for both of us, Mr. Kang Jin-ho?”

Waiting only makes sense when you know your opponent.

In other words, they knew in advance that Kang Jin-ho would come here.

Kang Jin-ho’s gaze turned to Ri Gi-gwang.

“Ah, this?”

The man chuckled and kicked Ri Gi-gwang lightly.

“This is a gift we prepared for you. I thought about cutting him up, but I figured you’d prefer to do it yourself.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

They were playing him from the top of their heads.

“Let me introduce myself first……”

“Chair.”

“……Bring him a chair.”

As soon as the words were spoken, a chair came flying. Kang Jin-ho watched the scene calmly, and when the setup was complete, he sat down and crossed his legs.

“You’re handsome.”

The man grinned and shouted.

“What are you doing, you guys! Bring him an ashtray. His cigarette’s burning out.”

Soldiers, who appeared to be military personnel, brought an ashtray on a table and placed it in front of Kang Jin-ho.

“I feel quite welcomed.”

“Of course. We should welcome you.”

Kang Jin-ho’s gaze followed the man.

A man who looked quite old.

Too young to be called an old man, but too old to be called middle-aged. He was somewhere in between.

His face was nothing special, but his strong eyes showed stubbornness.

‘But he’s not a martial artist.’

Kang Jin-ho took out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and lit it.

The soldiers guarding the perimeter were clearly martial artists. But this man was not a martial artist. It wasn’t that he was unskilled like Chai Ke-chang or Lee Hyun-soo, he was just an ordinary person.

“Let me introduce myself. I am Chen Hui. I belong to the Central Military Commission of the People’s Republic of China. My position is…… well, do you really need to know that? You probably wouldn’t understand even if I told you.”

Kang Jin-ho slowly took a drag of his cigarette.

He didn’t know what position this man held, as he had just said, but one thing was certain.

‘He’s got more guts than most.’

Even though he wasn’t exuding any killing intent, it wasn’t easy for an ordinary person to act so nonchalantly in front of him. People instinctively sensed the level of the person they were facing.

The fact that he wasn’t shaken by Kang Jin-ho meant that this man had been through his own kind of hell.

Which meant……

Kang Jin-ho exhaled smoke.

“Get to the point.”

“You’re as straightforward as I’ve heard. I like that kind of approach.”

Chen Hui glanced at Ri Gi-gwang.

“What should we do with this? Should we wrap him up for you?”

“••••••Wrap him up?”

“I figured you’d want to take his head. If you want to take him later when things go well, we should wrap him up in advance……”

“What if things don’t go well?”

“Then, well, there’s nothing we can do. He can’t be kept alive anyway. He saw me, and he saw Mr. Kang Jin-ho.”

Chen Hui smiled and patted Ri Gi-gwang’s shoulder.

“I’d like to spare him for his efforts, but…… well, things don’t always go as planned in national affairs, do they?”

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

“It’s fine to say whatever you want……”

“••••••Yes?”

“I’m not the type to give a warning when someone crosses the line.”

Chen Hui’s face stiffened slightly.

But it was only for a moment. Soon, Chen Hui raised both hands and pretended to surrender.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I guess I was trying to ease the tension, and my jokes went too far.”

Kang Jin-ho looked away from Chen Hui and looked at Ri Gi-gwang.

He had his eyes closed with a resigned expression, but his pale face revealed his inner turmoil.

‘The situation is ridiculous.’

Korea and the General Assembly had done everything they could to kill Ri Gi-gwang. The fact that Kang Jin-ho had come to China himself proved that.

But this Chen Hui seemed to think of Ri Gi-gwang as someone he could kill at any time if he wanted to.

‘That’s probably the truth.’

Kang Jin-ho opened his mouth.

“Isn’t he someone you’ve put a lot of effort into? Is it okay to kill him like that?”

“Ah, well…… it’s not like we’ve put a lot of effort into him. It’s the coup or whatever that’s the problem, right?”

“It’s not as complicated as Mr. Kang thinks. Are you worried that the Joseon [historical name for Korea] guys will protest if we kill this guy?”

No, they wouldn’t.

They would bow their heads in gratitude.

Because they had resolved the crisis.

When you think about it, this was a win-win situation for China. If Ri Gi-gwang was kept alive and a coup occurred, it would be good because they could swallow North Korea. If Ri Gi-gwang was killed, it would be good because their influence over North Korea would increase.

There were better choices, but no bad choices.

“That’s why power is so good. Don’t you think?”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

It wasn’t particularly funny, but it seemed that he and this man had similar ways of thinking.

“Then.”

Kang Jin-ho leaned back in his chair and put a cigarette in his mouth.

“Was Ri Gi-gwang coming here also a bait to lure me in?”

“It’s not really a bait. Let’s call it a gift, a gift.”

A bait was also a gift.

Except for the fact that you get pierced by a fishhook in return.

“Is that so?”

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