Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1424

Restaurant, huh…

Kang Jin-ho quietly looked around.

It wasn’t even sunset yet, but there was no one else in the restaurant besides them. It seemed they had rented the entire place for their conversation.

He had expected to be led to a gloomy secret room or office, but coming to a fancy restaurant felt a bit strange.

“This is pretty high-end.”

“What are you talking about?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Lee Hyun-soo shrugged.

He was just as bewildered as Kang Jin-ho to be here.

It wasn’t a restaurant in the heart of the city, but rather a secluded one in the suburbs. Still, renting out a place like this was quite something.

It was something that would be nothing in China, but something special in the US.

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled at the soft music playing.

“It feels like we’re on a date.”

“…I’ll pass.”

That wasn’t the kind of date he wanted.

They hadn’t been sitting long when the food started to arrive. And as the food was being served, the man who introduced himself as John Factor came in.

“Ah, I apologize. I had a few things to take care of.”

Neither Kang Jin-ho nor Lee Hyun-soo pointed out his rudeness.

In fact, neither of them were particularly polite to others, so they were quite insensitive to other people’s rudeness.

John Factor pulled out a chair and sat across from Kang Jin-ho.

“It’s a decent place. I hope the food is to your liking.”

Kang Jin-ho replied nonchalantly.

“I’m not picky about food.”

“Oh, that’s quite unusual. Most people aren’t like that.”

“Most?”

John Factor smiled.

“Powerful people who need protocol often have peculiar tastes. Some insist on eating their own country’s food even when abroad, while others demand specific ingredients, and some even care about the brand of water they drink.”

“That’s interesting.”

“Haha, isn’t that what power is? People want to be treated differently, at least for as long as they have power. It’s as if they feel insecure if they don’t constantly confirm their power.”

John Factor stared at Kang Jin-ho.

“In that sense, you seem a bit different, Lord. You’re more modest than I expected.”

“Maybe I am.”

“Actually, I was a bit worried. Korea is such a small country. The smaller the country, the more excessive the protocol and etiquette the king or ruler demands. Haha!”

Kang Jin-ho quietly put down the fork he was holding.

Then, he stared intently at John Factor.

“Is there a problem?”

“I need to step out for a moment.”

“Huh? Why?”

“I think I need a smoke.”

“Ah, this restaurant allows smoking. Would you like one?”

“It’s okay.”

Kang Jin-ho took out a cigarette from his pocket.

“I’m not so poor that I need to bum one.”

At Kang Jin-ho’s words, John Factor narrowed his eyes slightly.

Kang Jin-ho ignored John Factor’s reaction and slowly smoked his cigarette. The smoke that was sucked into his lungs slowly came out.

“I wouldn’t recommend smoking before a meal, though?”

John Factor said with a smile, but Lee Hyun-soo spoke up instead of Kang Jin-ho.

“That’s for him to decide. Don’t you think?”

“…So, you must be Mr. Lee Hyun-soo. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Oh, I’m honored. That a great American intelligence agent knows about a mere martial artist from a small Eastern country. I should write this down and tell my family for generations to come.”

John Factor’s eyes narrowed.

“Do you have a complaint?” Lee Hyun-soo smiled back at John Factor, who was speaking with a grin.

“Why would I have a complaint? Let me ask you instead. Is there anything that makes you uncomfortable?”

“Not at all.”

John Factor raised both hands slightly in a gesture of surrender.

“If there’s anything unpleasant, please let me know. Cultural differences are very difficult to overcome. What might be a light joke in the US can be an insult in another culture.”

‘What a load of crap.’

Lee Hyun-soo twisted his lips.

Every single word he said was annoying. Lee Hyun-soo, who had suggested to Kang Jin-ho that they try to be patient, was about to lose it.

He didn’t like the fact that they were sitting across from someone who claimed to be from the CIA but hadn’t even revealed his exact identity. He had accepted it because he wanted to be proactive, but…

“It would be better if you said what you have to say quickly. We’re quite busy.”

“Oh dear, you’re not very relaxed. Well, that’s a characteristic of Easterners.”

Lee Hyun-soo’s face slightly contorted, but John Factor leaned back in his chair with a relaxed expression, as if it were nothing.

“You haven’t achieved good results by rushing, have you? In the end, the US and Europe are ahead, aren’t they? Easterners lack composure.”

“Does that sound like a racist remark to you?”

“Ah, I apologize if you were sensitive. Actually, I don’t understand why people call it racism when I’m just stating the obvious…”

John Factor scratched his head.

“These kinds of problems happen from time to time. Please understand.”

“Ha…”

Lee Hyun-soo leaned back in his chair with a look of disbelief.

‘Is this the American way?’

They start by putting the other party down.

If they had even a little respect for the other party, they wouldn’t talk like that.

For a moment, Lee Hyun-soo doubted whether this man was really from the CIA…

‘Three people at the entrance, and six people surrounding the building. There must be others I can’t sense around here.’

If someone could mobilize this many people, there was no need to doubt. And the man in front of him definitely had that kind of vibe.

‘This is hopeless.’

The fact that the other party was definitely from that side made Lee Hyun-soo annoyed. It meant that the Assembly would have to negotiate with people like this.

If Wiggins were here, the situation would be a little different, but he never expected them to come so aggressively.

As Lee Hyun-soo was contemplating whether to call Wiggins now, he heard Kang Jin-ho’s quiet voice.

“So, what’s the matter?”

“…I can see that we don’t communicate well.”

John Factor sighed and looked at Kang Jin-ho with a strange look.

“What’s the matter? I just came to get along with you in the future.”

“Is that all?”

“Mr. Kang Jin-ho.”

John Factor picked up a knife and cut the steak in front of him.

“China is not a good partner for trade. Isn’t trust the most important thing in a deal? But that country is a country without trust.”

“So?”

“It’s best to switch ships before they go too far out to sea. We can support you, Mr. Kang Jin-ho, and that… Assembly? Oh… Assembly? The pronunciation is terribly difficult. Anyway, we can support that too.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at John Factor and chuckled.

“How so?”

“Well, we can talk about it step by step, can’t we? Mr. Kang Jin-ho, the person you’re talking to right now is the United States. We can show you more than you can imagine.”

“You’re grasping at straws.”

As if there was nothing more to hear, Kang Jin-ho took a deep drag of his cigarette. Then, he looked straight at John Factor and said,

“Is this your proposal?”

“Yes, it is. How about joining hands with us and moving into a new era?”

“I refuse.”

“…What did you just say?”

Kang Jin-ho got up from his seat.

“I’ve just wasted my time. I’m going back.”

“Yes.”

This time, Lee Hyun-soo didn’t stop Kang Jin-ho.

Being proactive was only an option when the other party was acting reasonably. There was no need to make an enemy, but the Assembly didn’t need to bow down either.

In the first place, a deal is not just about the conditions, but also about the attitude.

If you give in to the other party, they will look down on you, and eventually, they will demand more and more concessions.

It’s better not to start such a deal in the first place.

As Kang Jin-ho got up from his seat and was about to leave, John Factor got up from his seat with a distorted face.

“Do you know what you’re doing?”

Kang Jin-ho’s head turned towards John Factor.

“If we wanted to, we could wipe out a small Eastern country at any time. And yet, you’re acting like this? You’re overestimating yourselves. Look, I’m giving you a chance. A very generous chance at that. You better understand the situation.”

Kang Jin-ho laughed.

Then, he turned to Lee Hyun-soo and asked,

“Didn’t they say the US is the best in intelligence?”

“I think I need to reconsider that assessment. It seems like they don’t know anything.”

“You…”

John Factor glared.

“I’m warning you again, you better know your place. If you leave this place like this, I promise you’ll regret it. It seems like you think you’re something because you have some power in East Asia. You need to know that your power is nothing.”

“I will.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded and walked out. Lee Hyun-soo followed him without a word.

But John Factor couldn’t stop there.

“You Eastern bastards! I’m not done talking! Who gave you permission to leave as you please!”

Kang Jin-ho stopped walking.

Then, he looked at John Factor with a puzzled expression.

“I have one question…”

“First, come back here and sit down. We’ll talk after that.”

Kang Jin-ho chuckled and walked towards John Factor.

“What makes you so confident that you can talk so recklessly?”

“This is America. And I am American…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Kang Jin-ho reached out and grabbed John Factor’s mouth.

Then, he slowly lifted him into the air.

“Ugh! Ugh!”

John Factor struggled with a panicked look. Kang Jin-ho’s eyes slowly began to sink as he watched him.

“America… You’re saying that the country of America will protect you?”

His eyes weren’t smiling at all, but his mouth was. The moment John Factor saw that expression, his heart sank.

“Then let’s see. I want to see how the country of America will protect you in my hands. If not, you’ll know how insignificant what you believed in was.”

Kang Jin-ho tightened his grip.

At that moment, the front door of the restaurant burst open as if it would break, and a group of armed soldiers pushed their way inside.

The lasers from the laser pointers on the guns instantly turned Kang Jin-ho’s body bright red.

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