Descent Of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1739

“What the hell is going on?”

Hungchen tilted his head slightly, gazing at the sky. After idly passing the time, boredom began to outweigh the tension.

“Keep a close watch. What if you get caught?”

“Caught my ass.”

Hungchen frowned.

“Those bastards, they’ve been cowering for days now. Hongwang [a name, likely a faction leader] is a frozen corpse. The name ‘king’ is wasted on him.”

The one who pointed it out didn’t argue. It wasn’t entirely wrong, after all.

It had been almost a week since they launched their offensive, yet the others were focused solely on defense, without attempting a single counterattack.

“Isn’t it strange? They outnumber us by more than ten to one.”

“What’s strange about it? If they hadn’t been thoroughly crushed before, they would have counterattacked already. They learned their lesson after getting hit once.”

“Maybe so…”

Hungchen waved his hand dismissively. Then, with a bored expression, he put a cigarette in his mouth.

‘This is driving me crazy.’

He knew well that what he said wasn’t entirely true. If the Hongwang faction were so easy to deal with, they wouldn’t have been facing each other for over decades.

Although they had won once, the Hongwang faction was still a force to be reckoned with, a formidable enemy that could strangle them at any moment.

The reason they were cowering now was clearly because they had something up their sleeve.

Even so, the reason he was cursing them was because the stagnant situation was incredibly frustrating.

“Those morons. No matter what they do, they can’t stand against Changwang [a name, likely a faction leader]. They should just bow their heads and surrender. Then they could at least save their lives.”

“Sorry to say, but my neck is a bit stiff.”

“…What are you talking about?”

Hungchen turned his head. But the person next to him shook his head violently, looking flustered.

“I, I didn’t say that.”

“What?”

Hungchen’s head reflexively turned forward.

Then, he saw the face of someone he had never seen before.

The moment he saw the cold, hardened face, his hand reflexively swung out.

But…

Swish.

Before his arm could even extend, his head was cut off and floated into the air.

The neck of the person next to Hungchen was also cut off in an instant.

“Hmm.”

The person who lightly dusted off his hands frowned as he looked at Hungchen’s body, which had fallen to the ground.

“A dog of Changwang, talking so freely.”

The body, already lifeless, twitched briefly. He wouldn’t have heard the words, but it was as if he were answering.

“There’s no time to delay.”

“Understood.”

The person who nodded narrowed his eyes.

“We’ve waited long enough. Break through as quickly as possible and move!”

“Yes!”

With a low, short reply, black shadows behind him began to reveal themselves more and more.

“Go!”

Without a reply, everyone rushed forward with a fierce momentum.

“The defense line has been breached.”

“Good.”

Chaikercang [a name, likely a faction leader] nodded lightly.

There was nothing to be particularly happy about. This much was expected. The important thing was what came next.

He had thought and thought until his brain was fried, finding the optimal timing.

If Lee Hyunsoo [a name, likely a strategist] was moving according to plan, there wouldn’t be a single moment to rest from now on.

[First squad, breaking through.]

[Third squad, has broken through!]

[Fourteenth squad, has broken through!]

[Twenty-seventh squad is now beginning the cleanup.]

Reports poured in at a rate of two or three per second, but Chaikercang organized all the reports in his head, drawing an overall picture.

“Too slow! Push forward faster! Don’t give them time to respond!”

“I will order them to increase speed.”

“The northeast’s defense is thicker than expected! Deploy the reserves there to shake them up!”

“Yes!”

Chaikercang bit his lip.

“A message from the General Assembly!”

“Perfect timing. Connect me!”

“Yes!”

Chaikercang picked up the receiver from his seat.

[Not too late, I hope?]

“We’ve just started. You better not be late either. This is a game where the first to move loses. If you stab me in the back, I’ll bite your neck off and die.”

[This bastard has no trust. We’ve entered Phase 3. We’re detouring now, so we’ll be ready soon. Complete your move before then, you Chink bastard.]

“You son of a bitch!”

Thud!

As the call ended, Chaikercang ground his teeth and threw the receiver down roughly.

‘Anyway.’

There was no need to discuss his foul mouth, but the overall picture was proceeding as initially planned.

Anyway, Lee Hyunsoo…

He was a pain in the ass when he was an enemy, but he was as reliable as they come when he was an ally. The series of processes that were proceeding with mechanical perfection was mesmerizing.

‘We can’t lose either.’

This entire plan could only succeed if Chaikercang and Lee Hyunsoo’s movements were perfectly synchronized.

Chaikercang, who had been receiving reports from the radio, yelled.

“Where are the reserves?! The northeast is slow! You lazy turtle bastards!”

“Th, they’ve departed!”

“Tell them if they don’t break through on time, I’ll bury them all!”

“Yes!”

Chaikercang bit his lip.

‘It has to fit together like gears.’

Chaikercang couldn’t be sure if this would really work.

But isn’t that how all strategies are? First, you take the best strategy you can in the current situation.

“You should feel what it’s like to get hit too, Changwang.”

In a dark room.

Numerous monitors and screens covered all sides. In the center of the room, a man sat on a chair, his hands clasped together, his chin resting on them.

His long hair flowed down, rippling like water over his wrists.

The man’s tightly closed mouth twitched briefly.

Bang!

A door opened abruptly, and a person rushed inside.

“Everyone is waiting for instructions! Changwang…”

“Quiet.”

As the man, Changwang, spoke in a low voice, the one who had been making a fuss shut his mouth.

“There’s no need to rush.”

“But now…”

“Nothing changes by moving hastily. The opposite is also true.”

Changwang’s eyes closed slightly.

The amount of information was excessive.

He thought he could handle any information without difficulty, but the information pouring in now was several times more than he had expected.

It was strangely so.

‘There’s no way information would be passed on this easily.’

The face of the guy with the strange smile flashed in Changwang’s mind.

Lee Hyunsoo.

The mastermind of the General Assembly who had dealt him a blow at the very end and left.

‘That’s why I should have eliminated him beforehand…’

It seemed that Lee Hyunsoo had poisoned the information. If he had enough time, he could have fully verified the authenticity of the pouring information, but in this urgent situation, even Changwang didn’t have the time.

“What’s their direction of movement?”

“They’ve passed Mongolia and Taiwan.”

“Of course, not all of them, are they scattering?”

“Yes! That’s correct.”

“They’re going to surround us, then.”

Changwang tapped his temple with his finger.

“The Hongwang faction has also started moving! Those surrounding the Hongwang faction are being breached helplessly.”

“What’s their route of movement?”

“We haven’t identified it yet.”

Changwang nodded indifferently.

It was a defense line that was meant to be breached anyway.

“Mark them in the order they are destroyed and bring it to me. That will show the route of advance. That’s how I arranged it in the first place.”

“Yes!”

Changwang looked at the screen again.

“Air superiority is meaningless. Transportation is impossible. Unless they just drop them all at once, but they’re not that stupid. So, let’s see, what are they aiming for? Lee Hyunsoo? Chaikercang?”

Changwang’s smile deepened.

Meeting people like them was so enjoyable.

He hadn’t had a battle of wits with anyone for a while. No, he had encountered such fools from time to time, but their level was so low that it was pathetic to even call them ‘opponents’.

But these people were definitely different from those he had encountered so far.

The deep malice hidden within these obvious movements was making Changwang’s fingertips tingle.

“The target is me.”

Chaikercang leaned back in his chair, placing his clasped hands on his knees.

“It’s not about shaking China. It’s not about shaking the Changwang faction either. Basically, it’s a trick to increase the amount of information. They’re expanding the front lines and repeating meaningless actions. There may or may not be an intention behind it.”

It was like a child’s prank.

It was so obvious and pathetic that it was embarrassing to even call it a scheme.

But…

‘Is that trick working?’

Wrinkles formed around Changwang’s eyes.

“Hmm.”

Changwang’s fingertips idly scratched the desk in front of him.

Scratch, scratch, scratch.

His fingernails scratched the desk, creating a long line.

Complex and chaotic lines were drawn haphazardly, but Changwang’s gaze remained indifferent.

“No matter how much they shake things up, it’s meaningless.”

Thud.

Changwang’s finger pierced the center of the desk.

“Unless they land a decisive blow.”

Changwang smiled.

“Everyone, stand by at your current positions.”

“St, stand by, you said?”

“There’s no need to be shaken by those who are determined to shake things up. The important thing is where they land.”

Chaikercang twisted his lips.

“As long as the Hongwang faction is moving, they will definitely try to land on Chinese soil. But entry will be impossible. In the end, they’ll just be going back and forth across the airspace, pushing in a few transport planes. We’re already prepared for that.”

“Then…”

“Standing by is enough. There’s no need to get excited.”

“Ah, I understand.”

“Go out.”

“Yes.”

The person who had finished reporting looked at Changwang with a renewed expression.

Even in a situation where the sea was turning upside down and the sky was collapsing, Changwang was no different from usual. As long as that chilling calmness didn’t disappear, there would be no chance of victory for Changwang’s enemies.

Clunk.

As the door closed, Changwang leaned back in his chair and scratched his eye.

“It’s interesting.”

No one had ever tried to wage a war like this with him.

Those who knew Changwang tried to crush him with force, like the previous Hongwang and Chaikercang.

‘This is Lee Hyunsoo’s doing.’

Even after experiencing him, he dared to start a fight again.

He was an enemy, but he was likeable. If a guy like him had been under him, the time it would take for the Changwang faction to swallow China would have been ten years faster.

“But he’s still immature.”

Changwang leisurely looked at the screen.

Even if they shake and shake again, if he doesn’t budge, all of this is just a waste.

So, don’t budge…

Bang!

At that moment, the door opened again, and the person who had left a moment ago rushed back in.

“Ch, Changwang!”

Changwang’s head snapped to the side.

“The fighter jets that were moving are entering the airspace! They’re pouring in from all directions!”

Crack.

Changwang’s fingernail, which had been scratching his eye, dug into his skin.

Red blood began to trickle from the torn wound.