Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1467

A bus slowly traversed the city center.

Inside the bus, Kang Jin-ho turned his head to look outside. The unfamiliar cityscape of a foreign land came into his view.

‘It feels like I’m getting a little used to it now.’

Just as he was getting used to it, it was time to say goodbye. Not that he felt any regret. Kang Jin-ho was quite adaptable in China, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t adapt to Europe and America. Frankly, the fact that he was returning to Korea was incredibly pleasing.

Moreover, the fact that he didn’t have to take a plane made Kang Jin-ho even happier.

“Wasn’t it supposed to be near the desert?”

“They refused that location. They said it’s too difficult to manage.”

“Well, I guess it would be.”

They would have to place guards around the gate. And if that gate was located in the middle of the desert, they would have to supply those personnel with resources and support their operations.

“Considering its importance, that wouldn’t be a waste.”

“Of course. But that’s not the only thing they considered. They probably think that the closer it is to the city, the harder it will be for us to push in recklessly.”

“Hmm.”

It was a strange but plausible explanation.

For a typical military, approaching a city would be the worst idea, but they were unmanned. And the Korean Assembly was trying its best to avoid being seen by civilians and to avoid causing harm to them.

So, if they could choose the location of the gate, a deserted place would be better. That way, they could move immediately without worrying about being seen by others as soon as they came out of the gate.

But if it was near the city, they would inevitably be more conscious of prying eyes.

“Did they figure out our situation?”

“They might call it consideration, but it’s probably just a way to strengthen their surveillance. Still, I’d like to give them credit for thinking of us as somewhat reasonable.”

“Hmm.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

It didn’t matter anyway.

The gate was just for convenience; they had no intention of using it for military purposes. And realistically, it was impossible.

Teleportation wasn’t omnipotent. Until recently, even moving a few people, including Kang Jin-ho, required someone of Wiggins’s caliber to personally intervene. Even though the other kids were growing, they could only transfer a hundred or so at most in their current state.

‘Considering the distance, it would be even less.’

They knew that too, which was why they placed the gate near the city.

“Isn’t it a good thing?”

“Huh?”

“It’ll be easier for Choi Yeon-ha to travel back and forth.”

Kang Jin-ho smiled wryly.

‘So that’s how it is.’

If they could just find a good location for the gate in China, traveling between China and the US would be a piece of cake. If there was a problem, they could just add another gate in China.

“Thank you.”

“You don’t have to think like that. This isn’t something we’re doing because of you, sir.”

Kang Jin-ho narrowed his eyes at Wiggins’s firm words.

“Really?”

“Yes. This is a procedure for diversifying the Assembly’s business. Actually, it was something we needed to consider sooner or later. We can’t expect the same income with the same old methods.”

“That’s true.”

Lee Hyun-soo agreed.

In the past, the Assembly’s income came from its vast real estate holdings and the money it earned from the underworld. The real estate was now legalized, and they were paying proper taxes, but the latter was the problem.

‘The kickbacks are the issue.’

Kickbacks, illegal businesses, and finally, the issue of taking on requests.

They could still receive kickbacks if they wanted to. But the problem was the source of those funds. The Assembly had already made most of its funds transparent through MK [a company name].

It was necessary for the future, but the problem was that they had to reveal to the government how they had earned this money.

They couldn’t exactly tell the tax office, ‘We extorted it,’ could they?

They could create a union and receive union dues, but that wasn’t legal either. A corporation’s income had to be earned by the corporation itself.

And they had sold off or closed down all their illegal businesses, and they were refusing all requests that used to be openly accepted, warning people not to ask for them again.

In other words, they had completely cleaned up all the illegal activities and crimes that the Assembly had openly engaged in.

The government would be shedding tears of joy, but from the Assembly’s perspective, it wasn’t necessarily a good thing.

Their income had been cut in half for living honestly.

“With the government’s cooperation, we’ve brought all the underground funds into the light, and there’s a huge amount of money piled up in the corporation’s bank account. But it’s just sitting there. From now on, we’ll just be eating away at it.”

“…That’s right.”

“We need to find ways to make money. Legitimate ways to make money.”

“Ugh…”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

That was why Lee Hyun-soo hadn’t opposed MK Entertainment. Kang Jin-ho had thought it would be convenient for them to work together since Choi Yeon-ha was creating an agency, but Lee Hyun-soo had no intention of stopping at that level.

‘It has to be a legitimate business.’

He wasn’t satisfied with a haphazard business run by one person.

That was why the Assembly was supporting Choi Yeon-ha’s entry into the US market. They were already running franchise businesses and various other ventures. But they didn’t have a reliable source of income yet.

If they kept relying on their real estate, they would eventually run out of cash and be left twiddling their thumbs.

“People don’t move without money. Anyone who says they’ll work without pay is crazy.”

It was a very harsh statement, but he didn’t feel like arguing. It was mostly true.

“To ensure the Assembly’s continued growth, and at least maintain the current system, we need to start businesses and make money. There’s a limit to going around extorting countries like we’ve been doing. Of course…”

Lee Hyun-soo wore a smug expression like a well-fed cat.

“Just from what we squeezed out of the US this time, we could live for five years without working. Wow, the land of a trillion! We just tried our luck, and they actually paid up.”

How much did they squeeze out?

Lee Hyun-soo’s expression turned serious again.

“Japan’s reorganization is almost complete, so we won’t have to worry about money for a while. But as you know, sir, that situation won’t last long. Eventually, it will collapse, and Japan will become self-sufficient.”

That was true.

People didn’t want to be ruled.

Especially if that rule only benefited the ruling class and gave nothing to the ruled, they would eventually overthrow that rule.

The Assembly was strong now, so they wouldn’t dare to oppose it, but they couldn’t consider that a permanent advantage.

“It’s not easy.”

“That’s how life is. You’ve had it too easy, sir.”

Too easy?

He disagreed with that, but it wasn’t entirely wrong. Since joining the Demonic Cult in the past, he had never worried about money. He had no trouble supporting himself.

Considering how many people in this era struggled every day just to make ends meet, his life was easy, if you could call it that. He just suffered in a completely different way.

“Anyway, I’ll leave that to you. Do a good job.”

“Yes. Don’t worry.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded. Meanwhile, the bus continued to drive towards a large building on the outskirts. It was an unremarkable building from the outside.

The only unusual thing was that its doors were firmly shut.

As the bus approached, the guards opened the large steel doors to the sides. Inside, Reynold and Willie were standing in a large open space.

“Let’s get off.”

“Yes.”

As Kang Jin-ho and the others got off the bus, Reynold approached them with a subtle expression.

“Are you already leaving?”

“Yes.”

“There are still many things to coordinate, aren’t there?”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Reynold with a grumpy face.

“What else is there?”

“The number of troops to be dispatched to Korea, who among them will be selected, and how the training in Korea will be conducted. I’d like to discuss a few other things as well.”

“Call me.”

“……Excuse me?”

“Is there really a need to meet face-to-face now? If you like face-to-face meetings so much, we can have a video call.”

“…I understand what you mean.”

“Oh, one more thing.”

“Yes?”

Reynold looked at Kang Jin-ho with a questioning gaze.

“Who’s going to be the commander of the unit coming to Korea?”

“…There’s a separate commander for the SOB [Special Operations Brigade].”

“I liked the people I saw before.”

“Are you referring to the 3rd Corps and the 15th Division?”

“Yeah.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded lightly.

The power of the US mechanized division was impressive, but what impressed Kang Jin-ho the most during that training was the attitude of Frank and Reggie. He could recognize them as warriors, even if they weren’t unmanned.

It would be better if those people came to Korea to control the unmanned units.

“There are several problems. First, they’re not used to handling unmanned units. And since they’re not unmanned themselves, it’s questionable how well their orders will be followed.”

“You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Excuse me?”

“I can take care of it.” Reynold closed his mouth. If Kang Jin-ho said that, it would definitely be resolved. But he couldn’t help but express concern about the ‘method’ of that resolution.

‘If they get beaten, they won’t be able to resist.’

Kang Jin-ho could probably make his subordinates obey even if he put a dog in the commander’s position.

“I’ll consider it. First of all, their opinions are the most important. If we try to transfer them haphazardly, they’ll think it’s a punishment for failing the training.”

“It seems like there’s no plan for punishment?”

“That’s like an act of God. You can’t blame the commander if a soldier dies from a lightning strike.”

“That’s reasonable.”

Kang Jin-ho sighed.

If the same thing had happened in the Korean military, they would have all been punished and demoted. It wasn’t that Korea didn’t consider the process, but it was also true that they valued results above all else.

“Anyway, let’s discuss the rest later. I’m about to get homesick.”

“Understood, sir. I hope your visit to the US was a pleasant memory for both the Assembly and you.”

“It was pleasant enough.”

Though it might not have been so pleasant for them.

Kang Jin-ho nodded and headed inside.

“But where are we going?”

Kang Jin-ho smiled wryly at Choi Yeon-ha’s bewildered voice.

‘I was like that at first too.’

It was still amazing no matter how many times he rode it.