Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1348

Kang Jin-ho was moving at high speed with Lee Hyun-soo tucked under his arm. Lee Hyun-soo, slung like a piece of luggage at Kang Jin-ho’s side, wore a slightly forlorn expression.

‘Still, this is better.’

Being treated like a sack of barley was preferable to being carried on his back or dragged by the neck as before.

However, he couldn’t shake the feeling of something welling up inside him.

‘If I make it back safely this time, no matter what, I’m going to properly relearn my martial arts.’

While his martial prowess might be beyond redemption now, he needed to match their speed somehow. If martial arts wouldn’t cut it, he’d resort to magic, but he had to at least move as fast as Kang Jin-ho. Otherwise, he’d be carried around like luggage for the rest of his life.

“Is it this way?”

“Yes. I believe so.”

Lee Hyun-soo pulled out his phone to check the map.

‘It would be nice if I could use GPS….’

Location services were all turned off. He might be called paranoid, but even this phone couldn’t be considered safe right now, so he had to rely on the pre-saved map.

“It seems to be up ahead.”

Upon hearing that, Kang Jin-ho lightly stopped and set Lee Hyun-soo down. Lee Hyun-soo clutched his back and sighed.

‘My body is falling apart.’

Enduring the high-speed movement while clinging to Kang Jin-ho’s waist was no easy feat. Lee Hyun-soo now understood why the term ‘ride comfort’ existed.

Click.

Kang Jin-ho lit a cigarette and slowly exhaled. Lee Hyun-soo also took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it.

“Now tell me, why did you come here?”

“I need to confirm something.”

“Confirm?”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo licked his lips.

The moisture that seeped into his parched mouth brought a stinging pain.

“They knew we were coming.”

“Didn’t you say you hacked the CCTV?”

“Yes. But that’s only meaningful when they’re watching what we’re doing. They can’t predict what we’ll do. But their response is too decisive. It’s as if they perfectly predicted that we’d go there to kill Lee Ki-gwang.”

Kang Jin-ho frowned.

There was definitely something to that.

“That’s not enough to be certain.”

“We’ve lost contact with Wiggins.”

“I’ve been turning on my phone every now and then, but I haven’t received any calls. It means he can’t make calls.”

“It was a satellite phone, right?”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes darkened.

“The conclusion?”

Kang Jin-ho already had a hunch. But hearing it directly was different.

“There are forces colluding with them. I suspect they’re probably from the Korean side.”

Tap tap tap.

The cigarette in Kang Jin-ho’s mouth began to burn rapidly.

“Of course, I can’t be certain. It could just be a coincidence, or there might be information I haven’t obtained. That’s why I need to confirm it.”

“Confirmation…”

Kang Jin-ho gave a wry smile.

In the current situation, would confirmation even mean anything?

“What’s the chance it’s a misunderstanding?”

“To be honest, I don’t think it’s very high.”

“I see.”

Having sorted out his thoughts, Kang Jin-ho threw his cigarette on the ground and stomped it out.

“Losing contact with Wiggins…”

“No. I don’t think it’s that bad.”

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head.

“If Wiggins were moving alone, maybe, but he’s with the Association’s guards. Pressuring them would mean starting a war. That would be a burden for them too.”

“Ugh…”

“There are simpler ways. They could just block the satellite phone signal and cut off contact with us. Then, they could leak information to the Chinese side, and the coastline would be blocked. There’s no way we could find a ship floating in the vast ocean.”

Lee Hyun-soo organized his thoughts as he spoke.

“Then the most important thing remains.”

Kang Jin-ho stared intently at Lee Hyun-soo.

“Who is it?”

Lee Hyun-soo swallowed hard.

“Lord, I…”

“I know.”

Kang Jin-ho cut off Lee Hyun-soo’s excuse.

“Nothing is certain. This is just an opinion. Right?”

“…Yes.”

“So, I want to hear that opinion. Who is it?”

“I…”

Lee Hyun-soo closed his eyes. Not out of despair, but because he wanted to re-examine the last possibility.

“Based on the situation, the enemy is one of two. The NIS, or…”

“Or?”

“The government.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded silently.

“But the NIS [National Intelligence Service] and the government are vague concepts. They don’t all act in unison like people generally think. A few individuals who are hostile to us could easily create this situation by using their power.”

“So…”

A cold glint flashed in Kang Jin-ho’s eyes.

“Kim Myung-chan, or Lee Jong-wook.”

“It’s one of the two.”

Lee Hyun-soo hesitated to answer.

He knew how significant these words were. Kim Myung-chan was the Prime Minister of South Korea, and Lee Jong-wook was a powerful figure in charge of the NIS’s overseas intelligence division.

Having a problem with either of them would inevitably mean going against the government.

Moreover….

‘There will be no compromise.’

A seasoned politician would try to defuse the situation by offering more benefits when things turned unfavorable. But Kang Jin-ho was not someone who would accept such negotiations.

Whoever attacked him would be thoroughly punished. That was Kang Jin-ho’s way, and the Association’s way.

“Nothing is certain yet.”

“I know.”

“So, for now…”

Lee Hyun-soo picked up his phone.

Then, he reconnected the signal he had cut off.

‘By now, the NIS must have grasped the situation.’

If there was still no contact, he could turn his suspicion into certainty.

Lee Hyun-soo stared at his phone with a tense look.

Bzzzz.

At that moment, Lee Hyun-soo’s phone started ringing.

‘A call?’

He had expected missed calls or texts, but he was getting a direct call. Were they watching for his phone to turn on?

‘No. It must be a coincidence.’

Or else….

Lee Hyun-soo stared at the number on the screen and answered the call.

“I’ve answered the call.”

[Lee Hyun-soo.]

It was Lee Jong-wook’s voice.

Lee Hyun-soo’s face hardened.

“Yes.”

[Where are you?]

“Why are you asking? Aren’t you tracking my phone right now?”

[This is not the time to stall. If you’re heading to the coast, change direction.]

‘Look at this?’

Lee Hyun-soo’s expression grew more serious.

[That place is a death trap. Move to the point I told you about.]

It seemed like he needed to observe the situation a bit more.

“I’m almost there anyway.”

[No. You shouldn’t go all the way. Just move in that direction and wait nearby. Tell me your location. I’ll send someone right away.]

“It would be better if you told me what’s going on.”

[You probably have an idea, right?]

[It’s impossible to return to Korea by plane or ship. Even if it were possible, I wouldn’t recommend it. Lee Hyun-soo, from now on, don’t trust anything except what I tell you.]

“Who is it?”

[I don’t know either. Or, even if I did, I can’t tell you. One thing is certain: information from our side is being leaked to China. Maybe….]

At that moment, Kang Jin-ho reached out his hand.

Lee Hyun-soo silently handed the phone to Kang Jin-ho.

“This is Kang Jin-ho.”

[Ah… Yes. Kang Jin-ho, the situation is a bit strange….]

“Who is it?”

[….]

Kang Jin-ho put a new cigarette in his mouth and lit it.

“The fact that you’re contacting us means either you don’t want to make the situation worse by helping us, or you intend to trap us. It’s one of the two.”

[It’s not a trap. I can say that with my life on the line. It’s just….]

“So, tell me. How far should I go?”

[….]

“Or is everyone the enemy?”

A deep sigh could be heard over the phone. After a moment of silence, a groaning voice came through the phone.

[If I knew, I would have stopped it somehow. But there are too many people who could be suspects. What’s certain is that the person leaking information to the Chinese side has more authority than me.]

“So?”

[I can’t say more with my own mouth.]

Kang Jin-ho’s brow furrowed.

“Then we can’t trust each other.”

[Kang Jin-ho, no, Lord. Please understand my position. I’m not in a position to speak carelessly. But I believe that what someone is doing is causing immense harm to the country.]

Kang Jin-ho didn’t answer.

[Please trust me. I will do everything I can to secure a route for you to return to Korea.]

Kang Jin-ho glanced at Lee Hyun-soo. Lee Hyun-soo nodded firmly.

“The method?”

[If you tell me your location, I’ll send someone there.]

Kang Jin-ho silently handed the phone to Lee Hyun-soo. Lee Hyun-soo took the phone and gave Lee Jong-wook a rough location.

[Understood. And….]

Lee Jong-wook said firmly.

[Once this call ends, I might not be able to contact you again. I’ve secured a route with the informant who’s coming to you, so follow their instructions.]

“Understood.”

[Then, I wish you good luck.]

As the call ended, Lee Hyun-soo and Kang Jin-ho looked at the phone with a strange gaze.

“Can we trust him?”

“I don’t know. But…”

Lee Hyun-soo shrugged.

“Let’s wait and see for now.”

After hanging up, Lee Jong-wook sighed deeply.

‘Okay, that’s done….’

He had confirmed the safety of Kang Jin-ho and Lee Hyun-soo. And he had secured a route for them to return to Korea. Now, the important thing was to find out how this had happened.

‘I need to find someone to help.’

He couldn’t trust anyone.

If he spoke carelessly, his life would be in danger. He needed to find the most trustworthy person first….

Thud.

Lee Jong-wook’s head snapped up as if it would break.

The locked doorknob was shaking violently.

Thud! Thud!

Lee Jong-wook quietly pulled out the pistol from his holster. But he shook his head and put the pistol back.

It was pointless.

Bang!

The doorknob broke, and the door swung open violently. Men in black suits walked in and stood on either side of Lee Jong-wook, pointing their guns at his head.

Lee Jong-wook obediently raised both hands.

Then….

A man walked in through the door and clicked his tongue.

“Lee, you’ve disappointed me.”

Kim Myung-chan.

Lee Jong-wook closed his eyes tightly as he saw the face of the Prime Minister of South Korea.