Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1753

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The cigarette end burned down.

“Hoo!”

Reynolds, exhaling roughly, looked around in confusion, his gaze unfocused, before angrily stubbing the cigarette into the ashtray.

The ashtray was piled high with cigarettes that were barely half-smoked.

“…I’m going crazy.”

His hand covered his face.

He knew he shouldn’t be anxious, but how could a person control their own heart at will?

Since the main force entered the mountain range, even the intermittent communication had been cut off. There was no way satellite communication would be cut off just because they entered the mountains, so it was clear that the situation was that urgent.

“I can’t take it anymore.”

There were those who had thrown themselves into the battlefield, so how could he dare to complain about his own struggles? But the heart of someone who couldn’t enter the battlefield and could only watch was in turmoil.

It was even more so when he thought that his fate was in the hands of others, not his own.

“Hoo!”

Reynolds, unable to endure any longer, was about to get up to go to the restroom when it happened.

“Commander!”

A sharp shout.

The voice, which naturally drew the listener’s attention, made his head turn violently.

The situation officer, who was wearing a headset, met his eyes with a desperate look. His slightly pale complexion seemed to foreshadow the words that would follow.

“Th, they’re moving!”

“Where!”

“Central Theater! It’s the Central Theater. The 219th Mechanized Brigade and the Artillery Brigade are moving…”

Then, another scream erupted.

“The 192nd Mechanized Infantry Division is also moving! The 3rd Armored Division is also acting strangely!”

“Northern Theater! Commander, the Northern Theater has also started moving!”

Reynolds’ face instantly lost its color.

“Damn it, why is it such a mess! Gather the information properly and report!”

“I, it’s impossible! They’re all moving!”

“All the units near Beijing that we’re monitoring by satellite have started moving!”

Reynolds’ mind went blank.

It felt like his brain was creaking and not working properly.

However, the shock he received didn’t seem to be that much greater than what the situation officers were feeling. The panicked situation officers started babbling something while looking at the screen.

His mouth went dry.

“Damn it, calm down, you morons!”

Reynolds roared and kicked the desk. He wasn’t in a normal state either, but he had to calm everyone down first.

“There’s no way they’re all moving! There’s absolutely no way. In the first place, infantry is of no help in this war. If even the infantry is moving, it’s a trick to confuse us!”

“Yes!”

“It’s meaningless just to move! Confirm if they are actually moving!”

“Understood!”

Reynolds, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, shouted to the communications officer.

“Report the situation! Immediately! The movement has started, and we haven’t been able to grasp it accurately yet! Tell them we’ll contact them again as soon as we figure it out!”

“Yes!”

It felt like his brain was burning.

His eyes hurt as if they were about to pop out, and his fingertips trembled.

‘Calm down.’

The fact that they were moving so rapidly meant that something had definitely happened.

The spies he had infiltrated into the People’s Liberation Army said that no operation orders had been issued.

‘Absolutely impossible.’

No matter how careful they were, they couldn’t move the units simultaneously without any prior preparation. No, they could move, but it would be absolutely impossible to deploy them directly into battle.

Even the US military couldn’t do that, so there was no way the People’s Liberation Army could do it.

“The main force is separate! That’s just a show of force or a distraction! Identify the ones that are actually moving!”

“Yes!”

“Air Force! What about the Air Force?”

“The Air Force hasn’t moved yet!”

“Keep checking until the end!”

“Yes! Still…”

The situation officer’s eyes shook as he looked at the situation board.

“There’s movement on the runway! The Air Force is moving!”

Reynolds gripped the desk.

“…They’re moving all at once.”

It meant that the conditions were met.

“Wh, what about the alliance?”

Reynolds’ mouth closed tightly.

The justification for intervention could be made depending on the situation. After all, where in the wars so far had there been a war that started with a proper justification? Justification was something to be fitted, not something to be prepared in advance.

However…

Before discussing justification, could they bear the risk?

There were many ways to help. Even if they just intervened appropriately under the pretext of their own people being bombed and blocked the entry of the air force, it would be a great help.

But where was the guarantee that the situation wouldn’t lead to an all-out war with China?

The sweat that had flowed down his forehead seeped into his eyes. Reynolds rubbed his eyes nervously and opened his mouth.

“Report the current situation and open diplomatic channels!”

“What about the other alliance?”

“…For now, we’ll respond diplomatically.”

“Commander, this is…”

“Shut up and just deliver the message!”

“Yes!”

Reynolds bit his lip.

He knew.

He knew how futile it was to respond diplomatically in the current situation.

Of course, there was enough justification. Basically, the military was prohibited from intervening in the affairs of the unmanned world.

Yes, in principle.

But what could they do if they didn’t abide by it? A principle without enforcement was just a principle, no different from saying there was no reason to abide by it.

That was why he was prepared to risk his neck to intervene if the situation became serious…

‘I…’

Reynolds slumped into his chair.

“…Damn it.”

Reynolds was too ordinary to bear the pressure that he might be the main culprit behind all of this. He had the analytical skills of an elite, but it was too much to ask him to have the decisiveness to gamble everything.

“For now, we’ll wait! We’ll decide on the alliance after we understand the situation better.”

“Yes!”

In response to his empty words, a loud answer came back, as if to dispel the anxiety.

Reynolds, leaning back in his chair, covered his face and muttered.

“God…”

♦ * * ♦

Click.

Kang Jin-ho, lighting a cigarette, smiled bitterly.

‘It’s unsettling.’

If the enemy had just started rushing in like crazy, he might not have had to think so hard.

But the situation they were in now was worse than that.

To put it in a metaphor, it was like falling into a deep pit with no way out, and the pit was slowly filling with water.

It felt like he was looking at the water that had risen to his ankles and calculating how much time was left before the water would rise above his face.

“Lord.”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head.

Lee Hyun-soo, who had regained his senses, was looking at him with a calm gaze.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

Kang Jin-ho waved his hand.

The end of the cigarette burned a little roughly.

“I didn’t think it would be easy anyway. If you want to catch a tiger, you have to risk your life. Even if you lose an arm, it’s still a good deal.”

“Isn’t that what you thought from the beginning?”

Lee Hyun-soo nodded.

“We’ll sort out who’s at fault later.”

The filter in his mouth broke.

“First, we survive.”

“Yes.”

Lee Hyun-soo nodded quickly.

“What’s the situation?”

“We’re surrounded. The encirclement is closing in even at this moment.”

“Escape routes?”

“There are none.”

Kang Jin-ho quietly looked at Lee Hyun-soo and waited for him to continue.

“It’s impossible to escape by teleporting like last time. There’s no way to move this many people at once. A few might be able to escape, but then the rest will be massacred.”

“There’s no need to think about that.”

It wouldn’t be difficult to extract Kang Jin-ho and the other executives, as well as the main forces. But if they did that, those who lost their heads would be slaughtered without even putting up a proper fight.

Just like the situation they had aimed for by eliminating Changwang in the first place.

“There’s only one other way to escape.”

Lee Hyun-soo turned his head and looked down the mountain.

“They’re gathering, but they haven’t fully formed their lines yet. If we can break through… if we can just break through. In one direction.”

“Textbook.”

That was the only way to escape the encirclement in the first place.

The problem was…

“The enemy will also think that we’ll move that way.”

“…Yes.”

Changwang had lured them here and created this situation. In other words, he would have made all sorts of preparations to make sure they didn’t escape from here.

“The tables have turned.”

“I’m sorry.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“It’s okay.”

This was better.

The simpler the goal, the better.

“Discuss it.”

“Yes?”

“Which direction to break through, and which direction would be most advantageous for us if we broke through.”

Lee Hyun-soo stared blankly at Kang Jin-ho.

“Not the easiest place to break through?”

“That’s meaningless.”

Kang Jin-ho looked at Lee Hyun-soo with sunken eyes.

“It’s not over just because we break through. If we retreat or run away like this, we’ll eventually lose. If we lose, there’s no going back.”

“Being surrounded isn’t the end. The war is just beginning.”

The color returned to Lee Hyun-soo’s pale face.

‘This is why.’

Lee Hyun-soo was the one who should have said those words. But now, Kang Jin-ho was saying those words to Lee Hyun-soo.

‘This is why I…’

Lee Hyun-soo nodded.

“Understood!”

“Decide for sure. And…” Kang Jin-ho nodded slightly.

“Leave the rest to me.”

“Yes!”

Lee Hyun-soo ran to Chaikechang. No matter how much information he had, Chaikechang was essential to discuss what was happening in China.

The executives approached Kang Jin-ho, who was watching him.

“Lord, I…”

Kang Jin-ho turned his head and looked at Wiggins.

He couldn’t even make eye contact with Kang Jin-ho.

“Did you do something wrong?”

“…I thought it was for the good of the main force.”

“Then it’s okay.”

“But I…”

Kang Jin-ho reached out and grabbed Wiggins by the collar.

Wiggins, flustered, was pulled along by Kang Jin-ho’s hand.

“Is it important to you, you smarty-pants, who’s at fault at this moment?”

“I’m sorry, but it’s not me. Rather than thinking about that, I’d rather think about the next thing. Isn’t that right?”

“…Lord is right.”

Wiggins nodded. Only then did Kang Jin-ho release his grip on Wiggins’ collar.

“Don’t act like it’s over.”

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes gleamed eerily.

“It hasn’t even started yet.”

At those words, Bator grinned.

“That’s right. It’s just beginning.”

Kang Jin-ho’s head slowly turned to one side.

Others wouldn’t be able to see it yet. But Kang Jin-ho could see it clearly.

“…Yes, it’s just beginning.”

The dark night sky.

Something began to appear at the end of that sky.

A massive lump of metal.

A product of science, an ego that had lifted a lump of metal that could never fly into the high sky where hands couldn’t reach.

It was rushing in, darkening the dark sky even more.

“Let’s see…”

A dark and heavy voice, like a black burning flame, came out.

“Who will be standing at the end.”

Kang Jin-ho bared his teeth.