Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1647

“There are four ways to break into China. However, realistically, only three are feasible.”

Kang Jin-ho glanced at Lee Hyun-soo and asked,

“I know it’s just wasting time, but what’s that one unrealistic method?”

“It’s breaking through North Korea by land and entering northern China.”

“……Sorry for wasting time. Continue.”

Kang Jin-ho firmly shut his mouth.

Having already experienced a terrible ordeal in North Korea, Kang Jin-ho didn’t even want to imagine going back there.

“There are three methods. One is by sea, another is by air, and the last one is…”

Lee Hyun-soo subtly raised his head and looked at Wiggins.

“It’s a method where only a very few people infiltrate China with Mr. Wiggins.”

“Teleport?”

“Yes.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at the Beijing area on the map and said,

“What about the gate?”

“I absolutely do not recommend it. The fact that we installed a gate there is a secret known only to the Chinese government and us, but I don’t believe there are any secrets in China.”

“You mean the Chang King already knows?”

“Yes. If we had infiltrated when we were focusing all our efforts on capturing the Hong King, they might not have been able to stop us even if they knew, but it’s different now. If the Chang King is smart, he would have deployed troops there.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“It’s a difficult method.”

“If the goal was to destroy the Chang King’s faction, we would have considered it. But our goal now is to safely rescue the Hong King. So, the priority is to hide our location from the enemy.”

Everyone nodded.

Kang Jin-ho narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Lee Hyun-soo.

“What do you think is the best method?”

“By air.”

Lee Hyun-soo said firmly.

“If we go by sea, even if we land at the nearest port, we would have to travel a long way by land to reach the Beijing area. It’s the safest method, but there’s a high chance the Hong King’s head will be cut off before that. If we have to do it!”

Lee Hyun-soo spoke decisively and drew a line on the map.

“We fly directly from Seoul to the central point between Beijing and Zhangjiakou. After landing there, we need to find the traces of Chai Ke-chang and the Hong King.”

Bator said firmly,

“What about the retreat? Infiltration isn’t the end. How are we going to handle the Chang King’s troops that are spread out everywhere? If the retreat is blocked, we all die.”

“We head north.”

“Huh?”

“The straight-line distance from Zhangjiakou to the coast is over 300km. But realistically, that coast is unusable. To move from the nearby coast to Korea, we have to cross the territorial waters of China and North Korea. The risk is too high.”

“That’s right.”

“Then we have to board a ship in the sea closer to Korea’s territorial waters, which means we have to cross 600km of China.”

Bang Jin-hoon chuckled.

“It’s better to dance and ask them to kill us.”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo nodded.

If only a small number of people from the Assembly infiltrate and escape, there might be a chance. But the moment the Hong King is included in this escape group, the enemy’s response will change.

‘If it were me, I would blow up the ship first.’

Diplomacy? International criticism?

This is not a situation to consider such things. Conversely, if the Hong King, who was injured in Korea, were to escape, Lee Hyun-soo would have mobilized the entire navy to destroy the ship the Hong King was on, no matter what.

If Lee Hyun-soo would do that, what would the Chang King do?

“But if we head north from Zhangjiakou, it’s only 70km to Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. And it’s only 400km in a straight line to Mongolia. And once we enter Mongolia, even the Chang King’s faction can no longer infiltrate.”

“That means…”

“Yes. Bator must participate in this operation.”

Bator gritted his teeth.

“Of course. I absolutely refuse to just watch like last time. If you tell me to go to Mongolia and prepare again, I’ll rip your mouth apart.”

“That won’t happen.”

Lee Hyun-soo said firmly.

“Even if it’s more efficient, it’s the same. We don’t know what situation will unfold in China, so we can’t exclude Bator. You absolutely have to help us.”

“Of course.”

Bator’s eyes gleamed.

It seemed he was deeply resentful of having just watched from Mongolia when Kang Jin-ho escaped from China before.

“So, you’re saying we’ll enter China by plane and escape to Mongolia by land?”

“That’s right.”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head.

“It’s not a bad method, but can our plane land at the airport? If I were them, I would block that first. Is the government going to provide us with convenience?”

“Of course, it’s impossible. Now that the balance of power between the Hong King and the Chang King has tilted, they won’t side with the Hong King if they want to survive.”

“Then?”

At Kang Jin-ho’s question, Lee Hyun-soo curled up the corners of his mouth.

“When we’re busy, we have to take the express.”

“……What did you just say?”

[I asked for fighter jets to be arranged.]

“Mr. Lee, are you crazy?”

[Of course, I’m completely sane.]

Reynolds looked dumbfounded and rubbed his head with his hand.

“Is a sane person making such a request?”

[Undersecretary.]

Lee Hyun-soo’s cold voice flowed through the phone.

[This is not the time to be picky. If we don’t handle this properly, not only the Assembly but also everything you’ve done so far will be gone.]

At Lee Hyun-soo’s emotionless voice, Reynolds’ face hardened.

“I understand what you mean. But fighter jets, not transport planes. Are you saying you’re going to land in China with fighter jets? Do you think that makes any sense?”

[I never said we were going to land.]

“Th, then?”

[It’s difficult to explain the details. So, just trust me and prepare. We need at least five or more.]

“Crazy…”

Reynolds muttered with a blank face.

[I believe you’ll do it somehow. Please hurry as much as possible. Every second we save increases the probability of success. I trust you, Undersecretary, so I won’t rush you. Just know that we’re already prepared here.]

“Th…”

Reynolds, who was about to say something, hit his thigh hard with his fist.

“Okay. I’ll do it somehow.”

[Thank you. Then.]

Reggie Mercer asked Reynolds with a puzzled look after he hung up the phone.

“What did he say?”

“He said if we prepare five fighter jets, he’ll use them to infiltrate China.”

“……Is this a movie scenario?”

“I wish it were.”

Reynolds took out a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth. He couldn’t bear it any longer without smoking one now.

‘Damn it, how am I going to report this?’

If things went wrong, it wouldn’t just end with a diplomatic dispute. Of course, if they didn’t land, they could somehow make excuses, but for fighter jets to pass through another country’s airspace was almost like a blatant provocation.

“Damn it!”

Reynolds threw the cigarette roughly on the floor and jumped up from his seat. Reggie Mercer subtly stretched out his foot and stubbed out the cigarette butt on the floor.

“What are you going to do?”

“I have to make the request. I’m already on a runaway train! If I pull out now, I’m the only one who’ll die!”

Reynolds glared.

“You come with me too.”

“Huh? What do I know about that side?”

“Anyway, having one more head will make it easier to communicate. We don’t have time, so hurry!”

“……Yes.”

Reynolds gritted his teeth as he left the room. But even so, a strange excitement filled his face.

‘These crazy bastards.’

I don’t know what’s in their heads to come up with such an idea. For Koreans to call in American fighter jets to infiltrate China.

“It’ll be a memory I’ll never forget.”

“A memory of getting fired is also something you’ll never forget.”

“Shut up.”

“……Yes.”

* * *

“We’ve finished coordinating with the US side. They’ll arrange it as quickly as possible.”

“……Is that really possible?”

“Whether it’s possible or not is not something we need to consider. This is the best we can do, so we have to push forward. Since the Korean Air Force won’t help us anyway, we have no choice but to push them.”

Lee Hyun-soo bit his lip slightly as he said that the Korean Air Force couldn’t help.

It wasn’t because he was dissatisfied with Korea. It was a matter of reality, not will. No regime would want to bear such a burden.

Even if Lee Hyun-soo were the president, he would never accept such a request.

“Indeed.”

Wiggins nodded.

“It seems that having an alliance with the US is a great help. We should give credit to Lee Hyun-soo for planning the trip to the US.”

“Hey, I was the one who suggested going?”

“……Is that so?”

Wiggins looked awkward at Kang Jin-ho’s words.

No, that guy has done so much, and he’s trying to take all the credit.

“Anyway.”

Wiggins said firmly.

“We’ll infiltrate as soon as the fighter jets are ready.”

“But…”

Kang Jin-ho tilted his head.

“You said we’re not landing.”

“Yes.”

“But… how are we going to get there?

Cock… what was it?”

“Cockpit.”

“Right. If we don’t open that, we can’t get out, right? If we break it and get out, the pilot will be in danger.”

Lee Hyun-soo said nonchalantly.

“Don’t worry. We won’t be in the cockpit.”

“•…Then?”

“We’ll hang on.”

The board members all turned to Lee Hyun-soo with blank faces. Even Kang Jin-ho’s eyes were twitching.

“What?”

“We’ll just hang on. They’ll just pass over Zhangjiakou, and the Chairman and the board members will hang on to the fighter jets and jump out to parachute down.”

“……Are you crazy?”

“Don’t worry. You just need to wear a parachute. Hanging on to a fighter jet is only about the speed of sound. Ordinary people hang on to planes for hours, so what’s the big deal for the board members? If you just endure about an hour at -50 degrees Celsius, you’ll arrive soon. That’s just like a freezer for you guys.”

Lee Hyun-soo smiled brightly.

“So, please prepare. The people who will infiltrate are the Chairman, Bator, Wiggins, Elder Jang Min, and Director Bang.”

“That’s exactly five people.”

“Yes. That’s why we arranged five jets. Only the Assembly’s top forces are going.”

Wiggins smiled and turned to Kang Jin-ho.

“What do you think, Lord? In my opinion, it wouldn’t be bad to have one more person hanging on the plane you’ll be on?”

“I think so too.”

“Huh?”

Lee Hyun-soo’s eyes widened slightly at the two’s conversation.

“Ah, no, I can’t. Only the Assembly’s top forces should be included here…”

“Director Lee.”

“••••••Yes?”

Kang Jin-ho smiled brightly.

“It would be disappointing if you said that. Since you came to the Assembly, I’ve never thought of you as anything less than top force.”

“So, stop talking nonsense and prepare.”

Wiggins smiled and nodded.

“You’re so warm-hearted.”

If I get warmed up twice, I’ll die.

“Ah, no, really…”

“Lee Hyun-soo.”

“Yes?”

“Prepare.”

“……Yes.”

Thus, the number of people going to China was decided to be six.