Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1718

‘Isn’t that excessive?’

‘I’ve only stated the facts.’

Wiggins sighed.

‘Director Lee, as a citizen, you should learn to respect the government chosen by the people.’

‘I respect it enough.’

‘…Director Lee.’

‘I’m not just saying this to avoid responsibility. I truly respect it. If I didn’t, I would have just told the Lord [referring to a powerful figure or leader] to melt your mind and turn you into a puppet. Whether you became a cripple after the war or not.’

Wiggins looked at Lee Hyun-soo with a dumbfounded expression.

‘The fact that I haven’t done that is a sign of great respect. Reaching a conclusion through dialogue and exchanging opinions is a tremendous waste. Right now, I don’t have the luxury to wait for that.’

‘…And yet you endured it?’

‘Yes.’

Wiggins rubbed his forehead.

Well, respect is respect. What he said wasn’t entirely wrong.

It’s just that the concept of ‘respect’ that he has and the concept of ‘respect’ that Lee Hyun-soo has are subtly different.

‘Persuasion will be difficult.’

It would take quite a long time to change that way of thinking, but like Lee Hyun-soo, Wiggins didn’t have time for that right now.

Just rearming the people under his command and preparing supplies for the war was enough to make him lose his mind.

So, there wasn’t much he could say right now.

Just…

‘Wasn’t this war supposed to be about securing the future?’

‘…That’s right.’

‘If we create a new enemy through war, it’s meaningless. We’ll just repeat the same thing every time. Eventually, we’ll reach our limit and collapse.’

‘Humans don’t move by rationality alone. Humans are more emotional than anyone else. Even if your logic and your plan are perfectly rational, getting them to understand it is a separate issue.’

Lee Hyun-soo nodded.

It’s not that he doesn’t know that. It’s just that this time, he couldn’t afford to be as lenient as he had been.

‘I’ll adjust the relationships.’

‘You will?’

‘Honestly, your relationships are a disaster, aren’t they? A guy with no friends.’

‘Are you resorting to personal attacks?’

‘What’s the point of continuing a life where your only drinking buddy is your boss? Why are you so desperate to win?’

‘…Do you have to be so critical?’

Lee Hyun-soo, feeling like he wanted to jump out the window, glared at Wiggins with bloodshot eyes.

‘Anyway.’

‘What do you mean, anyway! You stabbed me with a knife!’

‘You need to learn how to handle people better.’

Wiggins shook his head and said.

‘Right now, you’re an invaluable asset. Everyone acknowledges that. Without you, this place wouldn’t even be able to function properly. But that also means…’

Wiggins stared at Lee Hyun-soo silently.

‘It’s only possible because it’s wartime.’

Lee Hyun-soo, feeling Wiggins’ gaze, let out a groan. He understood what Wiggins was trying to say.

‘In wartime, urgency and somewhat unreasonable demands are accepted. Everyone understands that it’s unavoidable to achieve results. But conversely, once the war is over, that kind of approach will no longer be accepted.’

‘Will there be a place for you in the General Assembly, where there’s no need to fight anyone anymore?’

Lee Hyun-soo chuckled.

‘Then I’ll just quit.’

‘You!’

‘I’m just saying. I don’t intend to keep working like this either. More than anything, I know very well that I’m just human trash if I’m not with the General Assembly.’

‘If you’re not with the General Assembly, you have no friends or lovers.’

‘…Did I do something terribly wrong?’

Wiggins chuckled and looked at Lee Hyun-soo.

‘I know you’re doing your best in your own way. But it might seem like an old man is just coming here to nitpick…’

‘Might seem?’

‘…No. Come to think of it, I guess it’s true.’

Lee Hyun-soo stared at Wiggins blankly.

But Wiggins just shrugged.

‘So, make sure your work is perfect so there’s no room for nitpicking.’

‘That’s a pretty difficult request.’

‘You can do it.’

Wiggins left those words behind and got up from his seat.

And right on cue, Cai Keqiang opened the office door and entered. Cai Keqiang, facing Wiggins, slightly bowed his head in greeting.

‘I’m glad you seem to have made a friend…’

‘Don’t talk nonsense.’

‘I’m worried he’s a bad influence.’

Lee Hyun-soo rubbed his forehead as if he had no strength to argue anymore. Then, Wiggins smiled at him once and left the office.

‘It’s awkward for an adult to be involved when friends are hanging out. I’ll talk to you again later.’

‘…Just go already.’

As soon as the door closed, Lee Hyun-soo collapsed onto the sofa.

Cai Keqiang looked at Lee Hyun-soo with a subtle expression.

‘That Englishman seems to speak Korean almost like a native speaker?’

‘Native speaker, my ass! He speaks better than Koreans!’

Lee Hyun-soo violently got up as if he was annoyed.

‘The preparations?’

‘Mostly done.’

Cai Keqiang stroked his chin as if he wasn’t entirely satisfied.

‘There’s a limit to what we can do here anyway. Proper preparations will have to be done in China.’

‘That’s right.’

Cai Keqiang is scheduled to depart for China tomorrow.

‘It’s funny when you think about it.’

Cai Keqiang looked at Lee Hyun-soo with a distorted face.

‘While we’re running wild in China, if you guys break your promise and don’t support us, we’ll be the only ones falling into hell.’

‘I guess so?’

‘And yet, I’m going to China trusting a guy like you without any safety net. Having to trust the most untrustworthy guy in the world, it’s a truly terrible irony.’

Cai Keqiang glared at Lee Hyun-soo.

Not long ago, even in this situation, Cai Keqiang would never have participated in this plan. His wariness of Lee Hyun-soo would have been much greater than facing Chang Wang.

But ironically, he had become Lee Hyun-soo’s most absolute ally in this plan.

‘If you don’t like it, you can quit now.’

‘You little bastard.’

Cai Keqiang sighed deeply.

According to the plan set by Hong Wang and Kang Jin-ho, he would never have to be hostile to Lee Hyun-soo again. If they lost to Chang Wang, they would both die, so there would be no reason to be hostile, and if they won against Chang Wang, they would become allies in a permanent alliance.

But….

‘Me, an ally with this guy.’

It would be more comfortable to sleep with a hungry wolf in his arms.

This is closer to the feeling of sleeping with a venomous snake wrapped around his body.

Cai Keqiang’s dilemma was that he had to somehow get along with that venomous snake.

‘The fact that he’s a snake with no charm is the bigger problem.’

Cai Keqiang sighed.

Then, he looked at Lee Hyun-soo with annoyed eyes.

‘Lee Hyun-soo.’

‘What?’

‘I hate you.’

‘Tell me something I don’t know.’

‘No, to be precise, I despise you. Even if the world were to split in two, I would never be friendly to you.’

Lee Hyun-soo looked at Cai Keqiang with strange eyes.

‘But… it’s a damn thing, but I trust you. If it’s not you, there’s no one who can make this plan succeed.’

‘…What are you trying to say?’

‘Make sure you live up to my expectations.’

Cai Keqiang looked at Lee Hyun-soo with chilling eyes.

‘If this goes wrong, I’ll make sure to kill you no matter what.’

‘…Is that what you say to someone you trust, you crazy bastard?’

‘Let’s just say it’s my way of trusting you.’

Lee Hyun-soo shook his head.

‘Stop talking nonsense and do your job. If you mess up, we all die.’

‘I won’t make a mistake.’

‘Yeah right. Is that why you got beaten up so badly?’

Cai Keqiang glared at Lee Hyun-soo with menacing eyes, but Lee Hyun-soo didn’t even blink.

Cai Keqiang could kill Lee Hyun-soo with just a reach of his hand. But while he could kill him, it was impossible to intimidate Lee Hyun-soo. How could Cai Keqiang threaten Lee Hyun-soo, who had been talking back even while enduring Kang Jin-ho’s murderous intent?

In the end, Cai Keqiang gave up first.

‘Don’t worry. I’ll do my part no matter what.’

‘I’d appreciate that.’

A subtle sense of humiliation appeared on Cai Keqiang’s face.

Cai Keqiang had never imagined that he would ever be following someone else’s plan in his life.

‘Let’s admit it.’

At this moment, Cai Keqiang accepted that Lee Hyun-soo’s madness had surpassed his own. If he didn’t accept that fact, there would definitely be problems.

‘I will follow your orders completely.’

‘Hmm?’

‘If it means I can stab that Chang Wang bastard in the neck, I’ll be your dog. So, use me thoroughly, Lee Hyun-soo.’

‘I was planning to do that even if you didn’t say it.’

Cai Keqiang approached Lee Hyun-soo. Then, Lee Hyun-soo straightened his posture.

Cai Keqiang extended his hand, and Lee Hyun-soo grasped it.

‘Strange.’

This wasn’t friendship.

If anything, it was closer to a sense of camaraderie. Or perhaps a respect for someone walking the same path.

‘When do we leave?’

‘I want to leave right away, even tonight… but it seems we have to wait until tomorrow.’

‘Is there a problem?’

‘It’s not a problem, but…’

Cai Keqiang, pulling his hand away from Lee Hyun-soo’s, sighed deeply.

‘It seems like the higher-ups have something they need to resolve, just like we have something we need to resolve.’

‘…Are they really going to?’

‘Yeah.’

The two sighed simultaneously.

‘No, we’re going to fight together now, is there really a need for that? Is your body fully recovered?’

‘They said I was fully recovered yesterday.’

‘So, as soon as your body is fully recovered, you’re going to have a fight to the death? You’re about to go back to China and fight Chang Wang’s faction?’

‘…Don’t keep talking like it’s only my fault. The person who accepted it has a problem too.’

‘I’m not blaming you…’

Lee Hyun-soo rubbed his head.

And Cai Keqiang, as if frustrated, took out a cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth.

‘I really don’t understand you martial artists.’

‘To defend the martial artists, this isn’t a problem of martial artists. People who have gone that far in any field have a different way of thinking than ordinary people.’

‘Ha…’

Lee Hyun-soo and Cai Keqiang looked at each other with pitiful eyes.

The underlings are trying to unite and suppress their old feelings because they have a common enemy, but the higher-ups, who weren’t even on bad terms, are fighting each other to the death for no particular reason.

It was no wonder that the underlings, who had to clean up the mess, were sighing.

While they were sympathizing with each other, Lee Hyun-soo spoke first.

‘The Lord must have his reasons, so he won’t injure you. So don’t worry.’

‘What are you talking about? That’s what I should be saying. Hong Wang is merciful, so he won’t kill you.’

‘…Is this bastard crazy? How can Hong Wang beat the Lord? He’ll be lucky if he doesn’t get beaten and cry.’

‘But what about this little turtle bastard?’

It was the moment when the friendship they had built up rapidly collapsed.