Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1354

Vroom, vroom!

The jeep, which had been speeding aggressively, slowed down a bit. Jang Pil-jae, considering the jeep’s condition, reduced his speed and subtly glanced up to check Kang Jin-ho’s expression in the back seat.

He quickly lowered his gaze before their eyes could meet.

Gulp.

He swallowed hard.

‘Damn it, they should have told me beforehand if he was this kind of person!’

Who would have imagined that the guy who was so focused on his beef noodles was such a monster?

Jang Pil-jae, who had only heard the name Kang Jin-ho for the first time this time due to being in China, couldn’t control his trembling body.

A person who can’t be hurt by bullets.

He had never heard of such a thing in his life.

No, Kang Jin-ho was not someone who could be described in such simple terms. Jang Pil-jae would never forget the sight he had witnessed today. Perhaps he wouldn’t even forget it in death.

His trembling hands made it difficult to drive. But Jang Pil-jae desperately gripped the steering wheel.

“Should I take over?”

“Ah, no, it’s okay.”

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Jang Pil-jae and chuckled.

It wasn’t like Lee Hyun-soo didn’t know why Jang Pil-jae was reacting this way.

‘It must have been a shock.’

Seeing Kang Jin-ho fight with your own eyes would be a world-shattering shock for ordinary people. The fact that he was still maintaining his sanity to this extent was proof of Jang Pil-jae’s fortitude.

“Mr. Jang Pil-jae.”

“Yes? Ah… Yes!”

“Get a grip.”

“I, I’m sorry.”

Jang Pil-jae swallowed hard.

“It’s my first time experiencing something like this…”

‘Well, it’s usually everyone’s first time.’

However, after talking for a bit, Jang Pil-jae seemed to relax and spoke first.

“Are all martial artists like the Lord?”

“Of course not. If they were, would the world even be left standing?”

That was a statement he could strongly agree with. If there were just a few more people like that, the world would have been turned upside down several times already.

“The Lord is special. There are a few who are close to his level, but no one in Korea can be compared to him.”

‘There are probably only a few in the whole world.’

“I, I see. Then…”

It was the moment when Lee Jong-wook’s cautious behavior became understandable. But even after understanding all of that, there was one thing he couldn’t understand.

“So, the Lord…”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t he someone who possesses both power and authority?”

“That’s right.”

“But why…”

Lee Hyun-soo’s cheek twitched slightly.

A clear voice echoed in his ear.

“Ah, no, it’s just that the situation… Yes, of course, that’s right. Yes… No, it’s not that I didn’t want to call, it’s just that until now… Uh, yes. Yes, I’m sorry. Yes… No, no. I should. I should have done that. Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo subtly turned his head away.

“Cover your ears.”

“…Yes.”

What else could he do?

Even dictators who wielded immense power throughout history have never been free from nagging.

“Do you know how Sakyamuni [Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism] was born as a human and became Buddha?”

“I don’t know.”

“It’s because he got married.”

“I don’t plan on doing that.”

“Me neither.”

It was hard to believe that Kang Jin-ho, who had been slicing people like tofu a little while ago, was the same Kang Jin-ho who was now flustered while on the phone.

Come to think of it, Kang Jin-ho, who was slurping beef noodles in a place where they were discussing assassinations, was also strange.

Jang Pil-jae subtly glanced at Kang Jin-ho’s reflection in the rearview mirror.

‘Cold sweat?’

He could see the moisture forming on Kang Jin-ho’s forehead.

Jang Pil-jae quietly lowered his eyes and focused on driving.

And Kang Jin-ho didn’t have the capacity to pay attention to anything else right now.

[You just threw a person in the middle of China! Huh? Is that something you should do?]

“I, I’m sorry.”

[How’s your body?]

“Huh?”

[Are you hurt anywhere!]

“Ah, I’m fine.”

[If you have even a scratch, I’ll rip all your hair out!]

Kang Jin-ho, who still had no intention of going bald, subtly looked down at his body. He seemed to be fine.

“I’m really okay.”

[Then why didn’t you call!]

Wow… How did this get connected like this? There’s no way out.

The panting on the other end of the line gradually subsided. He could hear deep breaths, and then a slightly calmer voice spoke.

[You’re really okay, right?]

“Yes, I’m okay.”

[Jin-ho.]

“Yes?”

[I’m being protected by those Chinese guys, so don’t worry about me. The accommodation here is really nice, and the food… I haven’t tried the food yet, so I don’t know… but it’ll be fine, I guess.]

It seemed Hong Wang was protecting Choi Yeon-ha. He had expected that, but he felt relieved nonetheless.

[The guys seem a bit clueless, but they’re trying to be nice, so don’t worry about me. Do you understand?]

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly nodded.

[They said something’s going on in Korea.]

“It’s not easy to explain. But it’ll be resolved soon.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes lowered.

He had expected Cai Keqiang to send Choi Yeon-ha and the others to Korea. But he hadn’t considered that they could be taken hostage after going to Korea. This was something he had to thank Cai Keqiang for.

[I’m not telling you to resolve it quickly. Don’t do it if it’s dangerous. I can just live here. Chinese food is more edible than I thought, and there’s a lot to see.]

Kang Jin-ho closed his eyes slightly without saying anything.

[And I have a lot of schedules in China now, so it’s okay if I live here for a few years. I’m making a lot of money, so what’s there to worry about? So don’t overdo it. And don’t get hurt!]

“You don’t have to worry.”

[I know I’m being nosy. But I’m worried, so that’s why I’m saying this.]

Kang Jin-ho chuckled.

Who was worrying about whom?

“Anyway, just wait a little bit. I’ll take care of it soon.”

[I said you don’t have to do it soon! Are you deaf!]

“…I’ll take care of it slowly.”

[Yes. Don’t get hurt, okay?]

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho glanced forward and opened his mouth.

“Then I’ll hang up. I’ll call again later.”

[Okay.]

Kang Jin-ho hung up the phone and quietly closed his eyes.

‘It’s been a while.’

It had been a while since he felt this boiling sensation inside him.

“Is Hong Wang protecting her?”

“That’s what it seems.”

“…It’s really understandable, yet also not understandable.”

“It would be.”

Hong Wang’s way of thinking was different from modern people. It was more similar to the people of the Central Plains in the past.

‘A chivalrous person in this era.’

That’s ridiculous.

But that ridiculous thing was making Kang Jin-ho’s situation a little easier right now.

“He must be having a hard time.”

“He probably is.”

“No, I mean Cai Keqiang.”

Uh?

Uh… He probably is?

Hmm…

It felt like a situation where he should deny it or get angry, but he couldn’t deny it.

Kang Jin-ho, feeling a bit awkward, looked at Jang Pil-jae and said,

“What’s the plan for where we’re going?”

“We’ll cross the border and go to Vladivostok.”

“Russia?”

“The West Sea is dangerous. Taking a ship is even more dangerous. We have no choice but to go to the East Sea. I have a personal connection in Vladivostok, so we’ll go there and…”

Jang Pil-jae hesitated slightly.

Lee Hyun-soo, understanding what he was about to say, chuckled and spoke first.

“You’re saying we’re going to smuggle ourselves in?”

“…That’s right.”

A proud Korean having to smuggle himself into Korea. It wasn’t easy to talk about that situation. It could unnecessarily provoke their anger.

“Smuggling…”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled bitterly.

Coming to China with a fake identity, and then going back to Korea with a fake identity…

“This is an experience that even most intelligence agents wouldn’t have.”

“It’s a good experience.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes lowered.

“In that case, we should give them a good experience too.”

“Of course.”

Jang Pil-jae, knowing who they were referring to as ‘them,’ could only shut his mouth.

It was then.

“Huh?”

With a hurried voice, Lee Hyun-soo picked up his phone. He answered the call without any delay and shouted.

“Master!”

[Is the Lord safe?]

“He is safe.”

[That’s a relief.]

“What happened?”

It was Wiggins, who they hadn’t been able to contact, calling. Lee Hyun-soo leaned back in his seat, seemingly relieved.

[I was detained. I’ve just returned to Korea. I’m almost at the coast.]

“Detained? Who would detain you, Master Wiggins?”

[Well, what should I call them? I don’t know. A warship without a national flag was surrounding us and wouldn’t move. Thanks to that, I couldn’t do anything and just had to waste time.]

“They didn’t attack you?”

[They didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so. It seemed their only goal was to keep us stuck at sea. I thought about fighting, but… it’s impossible on the sea.]

“You made the right decision.”

[I’m glad the Lord is safe. You probably have an idea of the situation?]

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s face hardened.

[Considering they didn’t actively attack us, it doesn’t seem like the worst-case scenario. Then we should assume it’s the intention of a few specific individuals.]

“Are you sure it’s the Korean Navy?”

[Well, I don’t think I should say anything carelessly. Anyone can enter international waters. But isn’t it strange that there’s not a single person visible on the deck, no matter how you think about it?]

“…That’s true.”

[What’s your current location?]

“We’ve left Beijing and are moving north. We plan to go to Vladivostok via Harbin and then smuggle ourselves in.”

[That doesn’t sound like a good idea.]

“Huh?”

[A warship moved in the West Sea. That means a warship could also move in the East Sea. And unlike us, the ship that the Lord and you are on won’t be able to avoid shelling. They’ll be willing to take that risk to achieve their goal.]

Lee Hyun-soo bit his lip.

That made sense.

Kang Jin-ho was strong. But no matter how strong he was, if he fell into the vast ocean, something irreversible could happen.

“Then… what do you think we should do?”

[The sea is a dangerous place. In the end, you have to move to a place where your feet can touch the ground. How many people are there on your side?]

Lee Hyun-soo glanced at Jang Pil-jae and opened his mouth.

“Three.”

[Having an assistant is a good thing. But sometimes they can be a hindrance. With three people, the maximum distance you can travel back and forth with an incomplete magic circle is about 100km.]

“You mean…”

[I mean you have to get within 100km. Do you know where that is?]

‘I know.’

Of course, he knew.

But that…

“You’re not serious, are you?”

[Of course, I’m serious. It’s the optimal choice. It’s a place where Korea’s influence is practically non-existent, and even China can’t easily bring troops in. And isn’t it the optimal escape route without any annoying things like CCTV?]

‘No, of course, it is. It is…’

Lee Hyun-soo spoke with a bewildered expression.

“So… are you telling us to go to North Korea?”

Kang Jin-ho and Jang Pil-jae’s eyes widened.

“North Korea?”

Lee Hyun-soo closed his eyes tightly at their simultaneous exclamations.

‘This guy is crazy too.’