Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1346

“They weren’t stopped?”

“…Yes.”

“Does that mean they escaped?”

Luo Zhao, the commander of the People’s Liberation Army’s Special Operations Brigade, swallowed hard.

The rank of Major General in the People’s Liberation Army was comparable to that of a provincial governor in the past. Especially as the commander of the Special Operations Brigade, Luo Zhao was a special case compared to other Major Generals.

However, even Luo Zhao couldn’t breathe properly in front of this person.

That was because the person in front of him was a member of the Central Military Commission, which controlled all the People’s Liberation Army and, furthermore, influenced the entire People’s Republic of China.

Deputy Chief of the Joint Staff Department of the Central Military Commission of the Chinese Communist Party.

Wang Rong, the man described by this long title, quietly raised his head and looked at Luo Zhao.

Luo Zhao’s body tensed up.

With Wang Rong’s power and authority, it wouldn’t be surprising if he were to hold Luo Zhao accountable for the failed operation and put a bullet in his head right here and now.

It felt like he was seeing the shadow of the Grim Reaper in front of him.

“Ah, not yet.”

“Then?”

“It is true that they broke through the defensive line of the operation area, but they have not yet left China. They are still like rats trapped in a cage, and the brave warriors of China will find them and cut off their heads.”

“Major General.”

“Yes!”

“I don’t care about the chatter. The important thing is whether you can execute it. What is the reason for the failure of the operation?”

“We failed to properly grasp their abilities.”

“The reason?”

“We believe the misstep was not having experienced the power of a warrior classified as King-level.”

Wang Rong’s eyes narrowed.

“Explain in more detail.”

“We have been keeping the Three Kings in check, but we have never actually fought them.”

“That’s right.”

“Accordingly, it was difficult to measure the destructive power of a warrior called King-level. We estimated the enemy’s abilities close to their limits, but the enemy’s power was beyond that.”

Large beads of sweat dripped from Luo Zhao’s forehead.

‘Damn it, who would have imagined this?’

They mobilized a thousand soldiers armed with Chinese weapons. Even though they had permission from the higher-ups, it was a risky gamble that could have led to a coup and cost them their heads if they were noticed by other forces.

But those thousand men were defeated without even putting up a fight. Almost two hundred were killed, and Xu Qi, who was sent to the field as the field commander, returned with his head cut off.

To find and kill the commander even while escaping… what ruthlessness.

“Three Kings, Three Kings…”

Wang Rong slowly tapped the desk with his finger. Wang Rong, who had been deep in thought, turned his eyes to Luo Zhao. His cold and sharp gaze pierced through Luo Zhao.

“Major General.”

“Yes!”

“I have no intention of listening to poor excuses. Isn’t the reason you exist to deal with the Three Kings in the first place? But now you’re saying you couldn’t handle them because they were King-level? How am I supposed to accept this irony?”

“I have nothing to say.”

“If you failed, there must be something you gained from that failure. Tell me.”

Luo Zhao’s jaw trembled.

How he answered now would determine his fate. If he could give an answer that satisfied Wang Rong, he would return alive, but if not, his life would end here.

“First, Chinese weapons cannot handle King-level opponents.”

“The reason?”

“Aiming itself is impossible. It’s like trying to fight a fighter jet with a rifle. Even if we were lucky enough to cover them with a barrage of fire, it’s doubtful we could even injure them with the abilities they showed.”

“And?”

“Secondly, it is even more difficult to fight King-level opponents in the field. Especially at night, the disadvantage is even greater. Even if we use night vision goggles, we cannot perceive faster than them.”

“Keep going.”

“Finally, to catch a tiger, you must at least bring in a wolf. A rabbit cannot catch a tiger even if it bares its teeth.”

“Major General.”

“Yes!”

Wang Rong frowned as if he was displeased.

“Aren’t those things that everyone already knows?”

“That’s why the Special Operations Brigade was created. To catch those inhuman martial artists. But now you’re saying that you can’t catch the Three Kings with that method? Then I ask you…”

Luo Zhao’s face gradually lost its color.

“Then what the hell is your use? Are you saying that you useless bastards have been sucking the people’s blood and filling your bellies? Answer me, you mixed-breed bastard!”

“I-I will correct it!”

“Do you think you’ll have a chance left?”

Wang Rong got up from his seat and pulled out the pistol he had on his side. Then, he walked decisively to Luo Zhao and pointed the gun at his forehead.

“If a hole is drilled in that head, you can correct it as much as you want in the afterlife. Not by stuffing the people’s rice into your incompetent mouth in reality!”

Luo Zhao’s body trembled.

His whole body was instantly soaked with sweat.

Sweat dripped down his bloodshot eyes, but Luo Zhao couldn’t even dare to blink.

Luo Zhao desperately thought.

What words could save his life here?

“I will make up for it.”

“Make up for it?”

“I will bring Kang Jin-ho’s head and prove that my training was not in vain. If I miss Kang Jin-ho, I will end my life on the spot without having to dirty the Lieutenant General’s hands.”

“Do you think it can be resolved with that insignificant head?”

“I will definitely make up for it, Lieutenant General! We can obtain valuable data from this battle by fighting a King-level opponent. Please, let’s not make the sacrifices we’ve made so far in vain!”

“…Your mouth is still alive.”

Wang Rong lowered his gun and pushed it into the holster on his side. Then, he slowly walked back and sat down.

Click.

Wang Rong, who had taken out a cigarette, looked at Luo Zhao with sunken eyes.

“Major General.”

“Yes!”

“A crisis can be an opportunity. We gained a lot from the sacrifices of the brigade. What you know and what you experience are bound to be different.”

“Yes!”

“If the Major General succeeds in ending Kang Jin-ho’s life, the corresponding reward will be surely given. Do you understand?”

“Yes!”

“I believe in the Major General. Be sure to return with results.”

“I will never disappoint you.”

“Return to the field immediately.”

“Yes!”

Luo Zhao gave a sharp salute and ran out of the room. Wang Rong, who was watching him, shook the ashes into the ashtray.

Not long after Luo Zhao left, the door opened and a man entered.

The man glanced at Wang Rong’s cigarette and opened his mouth.

“Quitting smoking is still a long way off.”

“That’s obvious.”

“Are you sure about this? Hasn’t it been proven that they alone are not enough? It will only increase the sacrifices.”

“What’s the problem if the bugs that only waste rice by staying alive die on their own?”

Wang Rong shook the ashes into the ashtray and shrugged his shoulders.

“There are things in the world that you have to experience to know. The old men in the back who tell us to fight the Three Kings with weapons instead of relying on martial artists will piss their pants when they see the results.”

“Then the Deputy Chief of Staff will have more power.”

“I’m not particularly hoping for that. I just want to get rid of the remnants of the old era. If the Chairman sees those guys get wiped out, he won’t listen to those old men again. Everything is for the sake of the country.”

“I don’t doubt it.”

The man smiled.

“But at this rate, you’ll miss Kang Jin-ho. Isn’t that a bad result for the Deputy Chief of Staff?”

“Of course. That’s why I need you to step up. Lead the troops and kill Kang Jin-ho.”

“I’m not confident.”

“What do you need to fill that confidence?”

“Two should be enough.”

“I’ll give them to you. Take them.”

“Yes.”

The man lightly turned and went outside, and Wang Rong took a deep drag of his cigarette.

‘Trash like them.’

Martial artists are like viruses. Viruses cannot even maintain their existence without people, yet they keep targeting people’s lives.

They cannot survive without the state, yet they keep challenging the authority of the state. That’s exactly what they are.

The glory of China will not come until they are all annihilated.

“Kang Jin-ho, Kang Jin-ho…”

Wang Rong quietly closed his eyes.

‘He could have been a good card.’

It’s a shame, but there’s nothing he can do about it now that he’s gone. He has no choice but to clean it up before the sacrifices get bigger.

Of course, the next will be the Three Kings.

“Ugh…”

Lee Hyun-soo convulsed.

‘I’m going to die. I’m really going to die.’

He had only just reached the ground, but instead of stabilizing, his stomach was churning even more violently.

He had been shaken so much that his body couldn’t accept the fixed ground. The dizziness got worse when he got on the ground.

“Ugh!”

He tried to throw up, but nothing came out.

Lee Hyun-soo, who had gagged several times, raised his hand and massaged his shoulder and neck.

“Does that kill a person?”

“Huh?”

Lee Hyun-soo, who had voiced his complaint once, sighed and pulled up his pants. His shoes were filled with blood, and his legs were covered in blood.

“Was I hit?”

“It seems like a graze, but there’s more bleeding than I thought.”

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled as Kang Jin-ho frowned.

“If this is the extent of my injuries after getting out of there, it’s a cheap price to pay. It’s not even an injury.”

Lee Hyun-soo rubbed the area where the flesh had been torn off and pulled his pants down again.

It wasn’t a penetration, and no bullet was lodged in him. It was just a graze that tore the flesh and ripped off some pieces. He had to endure this much. Kang Jin-ho wasn’t a god.

“Are we safe now?”

“For a while.”

They had broken through the encirclement and killed the commander, so they had bought themselves some time.

New troops would arrive soon, though.

“First…”

Lee Hyun-soo took out his cell phone, checked the signal, and was delighted.

“Huh? The phone works here.”

Without waiting for Kang Jin-ho’s answer, Lee Hyun-soo made a call. But even after waiting for a long time, the call didn’t connect.

“What is it?”

Because of his previous experience of not being able to make a call on the high seas, Wiggins would have a satellite phone with him now. But the call wouldn’t go through.

‘Is the signal not reaching?’

No.

It was different from the signal not reaching.

The call wouldn’t go through in the first place. It was as if the signal wasn’t being sent to the other side.

‘Blocked?’

Lee Hyun-soo’s face hardened.

Satellite phones are not basically a system where phones are connected by satellites. A base station is a medium between the satellite and the phone.

If the base station blocks the line, the call cannot go through.

But why?

Lee Hyun-soo’s face hardened.

“Lord.”

“Speak.”