Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1371

“You lost him?”

“…Yes.”

Flames sparked in Wang Lung’s eyes.

His face, which always maintained composure and calmness, instantly flushed crimson.

“Didn’t you say you could capture him for sure, you mongrel bastard!”

“I’m sorry!”

“You idiot!”

Wang Lung jumped up from his seat and threw the ashtray on the desk.

Thwack!

The ashtray struck the aide’s head and bounced off. Cigarette butts scattered everywhere, and ash soiled the floor.

The aide’s head cracked open, and blood soaked his face. However, the aide didn’t even groan, maintaining a rigid posture.

“You pathetic bastards! Is there anything you do right! When the opportunity came, did you kill him, or did you stop him from escaping! You let him slip through your fingers and sent him to North Korea, and then you failed to kill him there too?”

The aide didn’t even flinch at Wang Lung’s roar, like an enraged beast. If he showed even a hint of weakness, Wang Lung would not hesitate to pull out his pistol and blow his head off.

“How are you going to resolve this situation! Speak up! If a proper solution doesn’t come out of that mouth of yours, I’ll rip out your intestines and feed them to the dogs!”

The aide answered in a rigid posture.

“It is true that Kang Jin-ho escaped. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s harmful to the Republic.”

“What did you say, you bastard?”

“Deputy Chief of Staff, we failed to achieve our objective this time. But we also gained something from the failure.”

“Keep talking. You need to decide whether a bullet will go through your head or if I’ll shove the gun barrel into my mouth.”

The aide swallowed hard.

“The situation isn’t bad, in the end. We failed to capture Kang Jin-ho, but we grasped his power and tendencies.”

“Yeah, you grasped it very well. After wasting countless troops, time, and money like water, you learned something very good.”

“He is someone who cannot be tamed.”

“Who doesn’t know that…”

“Therefore, he will never cooperate with the Three Kings of China.”

Wang Lung closed his open mouth and glared at the aide.

“So?”

Cold sweat began to flow from the aide’s forehead. Sweat and blood mixed and flowed down like water.

“The premise was wrong from the start. He cannot be tamed. It was a mistake to try to make such a person a dog. If we had acknowledged him as a king and negotiated on equal terms, the situation would have been completely different.”

“…Keep talking.”

“It’s not too late. Even now, we can…”

“Do you know how many bullets we pumped into him? Do you think he’d come to the negotiating table?”

“I wouldn’t. But he might. As you know, the way those called kings think is completely different from ordinary people.”

Wang Lung’s face contorted.

“So… since we failed to deal with Kang Jin-ho anyway, are you saying we should pay the price for this and try to negotiate again?”

“Yes.”

“Is that what you call a solution, you incompetent mongrel!”

“His value has changed!”

The aide shouted reflexively. No, it was more of a scream than a shout.

“What?”

“No matter how much we try to hide it, the Three Kings will eventually know that we confronted Kang Jin-ho. They’ll know how many troops we poured in and that we still failed to capture him!”

Wang Lung gritted his teeth.

What the aide said was clearly true. They had been careful to prevent the news from leaking, but that alone wouldn’t be enough to escape the Three Kings’ intelligence network.

If they could be fooled so easily, the Three Kings wouldn’t be called the Three Kings.

“So? Are you saying we should celebrate being publicly humiliated and pressured by the Three Kings?”

“That’s not it. It means that the Three Kings can no longer ignore Kang Jin-ho’s power.”

“Really?”

The aide nodded.

“In fact, Kang Jin-ho’s existence was close to unknown to both us and the Three Kings. All we know about him is that he fought Hong Wang and survived, returning to Korea. To exaggerate, he was on par with Hong Wang.”

“That’s right. So what about it?”

The aide looked directly at Wang Lung.

“Did you believe that, Deputy Chief of Staff?”

Wang Lung’s head tilted slightly.

Did I believe it?

No. I didn’t believe it.

There are many rumors in the world. Of course, it might be true that Kang Jin-ho encountered Hong Wang and survived, but I didn’t think Kang Jin-ho was someone who could stand against Hong Wang.

At best, it was a boastful tale, or an exaggeration to belittle Hong Wang.

I thought it was one of the two.

“It’s the same for them.”

“That’s right.”

Hong Wang would know since he experienced it firsthand, but Chang Wang or Heuk Wang wouldn’t have acknowledged Kang Jin-ho based on that alone.

“But now they have no choice but to acknowledge it? Thanks to us?”

“If the fact that North Korea mobilized all its forces and still lost him becomes known, his value will increase even more.”

“…As his value increases, those who join hands with Kang Jin-ho cannot be touched easily?”

“Yes! That’s exactly right.”

Wang Lung laughed.

“So, we’re the ones who failed to properly assess Kang Jin-ho’s value, we’re the ones who raised Kang Jin-ho’s evaluation, and we’re the ones who have to pay more for that increased evaluation to join hands with him?”

“…Yes.”

“I’m going crazy.”

I don’t even have the energy to get angry anymore.

Wang Lung bit his lip.

It’s ridiculous. But if you think about it calmly, it’s not wrong.

‘It’s a situation where we have to grab at straws.’

The real reason Wang Lung was angry wasn’t because they lost Kang Jin-ho. They exposed their military strength to the Three Kings by attacking Kang Jin-ho. And perhaps even their intention to antagonize the Three Kings was revealed.

Therefore, they now have to overcome the pressure from the Three Kings.

“It’s common in politics, Deputy Chief of Staff.”

“Shut your mouth before I tear it off.”

The aide closed his mouth, and Wang Lung took out a cigarette. Wang Lung lit the cigarette and returned to his seat.

The aide let out a low sigh without Wang Lung noticing.

Just the fact that Wang Lung returned to his seat meant that the risk of getting a bullet through his head was over.

“Do you think reconciliation is possible?”

“Of course.”

“We fought a war.”

“It’s so common for countries that have fought wars to form alliances that it’s embarrassing to even mention it.”

“…You’re very confident.”

The aide said firmly.

“There is no impossible deal in the world. The problem is how much loss you’re willing to endure. If we give him enough compensation to make up for everything we did to him, we can shake hands with a smile.”

Wang Lung smiled bitterly.

It’s terribly realistic and terribly unpleasant to hear.

It’s possible. Wang Lung knows best that nothing is impossible in the world. But the price to pay for the things they’ve already done has become too high.

“Make contact.”

“Yes!”

“First, coordinate. I’ll visit the Chairman separately to get permission on how far we can go. Find out what they want.”

“Yes!”

“If you fail to handle this properly, you won’t survive.”

“I know.”

“No. You don’t know.”

Wang Lung said, looking at the aide.

“If this goes wrong, it’s not you who dies, it’s me. And I don’t plan on dying alone.”

“That will never happen.”

It was the moment Wang Lung was about to nod.

Wang Lung and the aide’s heads turned towards the door at the same time.

“What’s all the commotion…”

Bang!

The door burst open violently, and a person slowly walked inside.

“You, where do you think you are…”

The aide tried to raise his voice but closed his mouth.

The person who opened the door glared at the aide with murderous eyes. Overwhelmed by the force, the aide shut his mouth and averted his gaze.

“This… I apologize for the intrusion?”

Wang Lung sighed softly. Then, he quickly regained his composure and opened his mouth.

“What brings you here, Cai Kechang?” Cai Kechang turned his head and looked at Wang Lung.

“I don’t think you’re someone who doesn’t know why I’m here?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You’ve done something very interesting. Why didn’t you include us?”

Wang Lung’s face contorted.

“A fox is riding on a tiger’s back, and you’re talking nonsense without knowing your place. Keep your arrogance in check. Hong Wang’s power won’t protect you forever.”

“Oh my, I’m so grateful that such a distinguished person is worried about my well-being.”

Wang Lung clenched the cigarette case in his hand at Cai Kechang’s smooth voice.

But the more he did, the colder his face became.

“Do I look so easy that you can come without an appointment?”

“Would I dare to do that?”

Cai Kechang continued in a cold voice.

“I wouldn’t dare, but Hong Wang’s envoy has the audacity to do so.”

“Hong Wang…”

Wang Lung bit his lip.

Cai Kechang opened his mouth without waiting for Wang Lung’s answer.

“Hong Wang has expressed deep disappointment and anger at the actions of the People’s Army.”

“There seems to be a misunderstanding, we…”

“Watch your mouth. I will not tolerate any remarks that disregard Hong Wang’s insight.”

Wang Lung glared at Cai Kechang with murderous eyes.

“Hong Wang said that he will be watching the movements of the People’s Liberation Army from now on. The reason he is not taking your lives right now is out of respect for you, who are serving the country, and out of courtesy to the Chairman. But!”

Cai Kechang stared at Wang Lung without a word.

The two men’s gazes collided in the air.

The air grew cold, and a deathly silence filled the room.

After a long silence, Cai Kechang spoke first.

“This is the only time.”

“Then.”

Cai Kechang turned and headed for the door.

Cai Kechang stopped at the door and turned his head slightly to look at Wang Lung.

“Oh, by the way, the other two kings won’t be as gentlemanly as we are. There’s no way they wouldn’t know what we found out. I hope you’re still alive when we meet next time.”

Cai Kechang smiled and walked out.

‘Crack.’

The sound of Wang Lung’s teeth breaking came from his mouth.

“That mongrel bastard…”

Wang Lung, trembling, covered his face with both hands. After remaining still for a while, Wang Lung lowered his hands and let out a deep sigh.

“Deputy Chief of Staff…”

“It’s okay.”

To survive in this harsh jungle, you have to know when to get excited and when not to. Now was the time to be calm.

“Send someone to Korea to contact the Demon King [Kang Jin-ho’s nickname].”

“Yes!”

“Any condition is fine. Put everything on the line and get his cooperation. Otherwise, we will perish.”

“I will keep that in mind.”