Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 1926

“……What did you just say?”

Chai Keqiang’s face turned pale as he held the phone.

[Do you want me to repeat this again?]

[Key figures are being assassinated! The Minister of National Defense! The Commander of the People’s Liberation Army Ground Force! Members of the Central Military Commission, and even the Director of the General Office!]

The angry voice seemed like it would burst through the phone. It was a shout loud enough to hurt his ears, but Chai Keqiang was just blankly listening to the words.

[Damn it! Not only military personnel, but even key figures unrelated to the military are being assassinated! These bastards are killing people in broad daylight in their departments, finding those at home and beheading them, and even breaking into bunkers to kill people, you son of a bitch!]

Normally, Chai Keqiang would never have tolerated these words. He was one who served the Red King. No worldly power could assert any authority over him.

But at this moment, he had no choice but to endure the angry curses coming from the other end of the line.

[When are you going to find them! When!]

“We are doing our best…”

[Doing your best? Did you just say doing your best?]

[The only best is to cut off the heads of those who are doing this and bring them to me! Nothing else matters anymore! Do you understand?]

Chai Keqiang’s eyes gradually sank.

His silence was met with a deep silence from the other end. After a moment, a low voice was heard.

[I’m sorry. I was too agitated.]

“I understand.”

It wasn’t just a polite response. Chai Keqiang understood this anger all too well. If Chai Keqiang were in the same position, not a single object around him would have been left intact by now.

There are few things that anger people more than being unilaterally beaten without any recourse.

[Do you understand, sir? The situation is not good.]

[What do you think is the reason we have been able to stay out of the affairs of the Murim world [martial arts world]? It’s because we had the belief that we would never be exposed to that violence.]

“That’s right.”

[But if the situation becomes like this, things change. We are the people who hate the most when someone is targeting our necks. The history of the People’s Republic of China is a history of fighting against uncontrollable violence.]

Chai Keqiang closed his eyes.

There was no way Chai Keqiang wouldn’t know what those words meant.

If their blades were to turn towards the Black King faction, the Red King faction would not be safe either. From the Red King faction’s perspective, the Black King faction was an enemy, but from their perspective, they were just fellow Murim.

Would those who mobilized military force to fight the Black King faction allow the Red King faction to maintain the current system?

It was absurd.

The moment they recognized that the existence of Murim could exert uncontrollable power over them, they would try to erase the existence of the Murim world from the world.

Chaos?

There was no greater chaos for them than this.

Chai Keqiang was someone who recognized that humans were not that rational. Most of the events that shook the world did not occur based on clear evidence and logic, but rather from the panic of a few who monopolized power.

No one could guarantee that politicians, terrified of death, would not make absurd decisions.

“Please give us a little more time.”

[I wish I could too. People tend to seek stability. Who would want to go back to a hellish situation at this age? If a troublesome decision is made here, I would have to worry that you might come to take my head and tremble in fear.]

[Fear is driving people into a panic, but paradoxically, the fear they have shown is making them hold onto their last bit of reason. It’s hard enough to deal with what these crazy bastards are doing, and no one wants to create more enemies here. Do you understand what I mean?]

“I understand.”

Even if the Black King faction was not, the Red King faction would definitely be swept away by the military. That was something even Chai Keqiang clearly acknowledged.

But at the same time, those who made that decision would not be safe either. They might not be able to catch all the giant swarm of bees, but they had a stinger that could pierce the queen bee in one go.

In other words, their selfishness, not wanting a situation where their lives would be more at risk to create a better situation, was acting as the last safety net.

[But there is a limit to that. The moment they feel that they will die either way, no one will hesitate. People will never press the self-destruct button in their right mind, but if they are on the verge of death from excessive bleeding, things change. Do you understand?]

“Yes. Completely.”

[We need a solution. Not some pie-in-the-sky talk, but a definite one! A definite solution that can calm down those who are running wild.]

Chai Keqiang took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“Please give me a list of the key figures that must be protected. At the same time, their homes, workplaces, and travel routes. I will mobilize all available personnel to escort them.”

[We have enough escorts on our side. It’s not that we don’t know…]

“I know. I know that the government has also trained some decent people, and that their power is not all that we know.”

There was no reply.

“But even so, mass-produced goods are just mass-produced goods. They can never stop them with such mass-produced goods.”

[So you can stop them?]

“I can’t guarantee it’s perfect. But at least it will be better than now.”

[I understand. But as you know, this is just a temporary measure. Unless a fundamental solution is found, the same situation will repeat itself.]

“I know.”

Chai Keqiang bit his lip.

“Considering the damage you are suffering, it may be difficult for these words to have meaning, but we are the ones who hate them more and want to kill them by any means.”

[Hmm.]

“I will definitely! By any means, I will erase them from this world. Until the last one is left, I have no intention of any compromise or negotiation. So please do not doubt us.”

[I have never doubted you. If I had, you wouldn’t have made it this far. But sir, remember this. If problems arise because of misunderstandings and doubts, it is no longer politics. Politics is about creating doubts when necessary.]

“I know.”

[Keep in mind that we are already pushed to our limits. Then.]

The call ends.

Chai Keqiang, unable to put down the disconnected phone, slightly lowered his head.

He wasn’t angry.

The situation had now gone too far to be resolved with personal anger.

Defeat? Lose?

It wasn’t about that.

‘This is a path to mutual destruction.’

He thought that the worst outcome would be if the Black King defeated the Red King faction, and the Red King, him, and the leaders of the General Assembly, including Kang Jin-ho, were all killed, and the Black King ruled the Murim world.

But the ending that the Black King was now painting was so terrible that it could be called a blessing.

It was collapsing.

If things continued like this, the Murim world itself would disappear from the world. Even if he looked at it optimistically, at least the Chinese Murim world would no longer be able to exist.

Then?

If such a thing happened, the world would no longer be able to hide the fact that the Murim world was nested within this world. Then, would the people of other countries allow coexistence with them?

‘Everything will collapse, everything.’

Maybe not right away.

Maybe they would be afraid of the damage for now.

But as time passed, the situation would change. Those who were exposed and could no longer maintain their power would become weaker and weaker, and eventually, the time would come when dealing with them would no longer be a burden to anyone.

Hadn’t they already witnessed the same thing?

The Demonic Cult.

At the time when the Demonic Cult was at its peak, even the Demonic Cult that had lost Kang Jin-ho was too strong. That was why no one tried to engage in an all-out war with such a Demonic Cult.

But the Demonic Cult lost its power on its own, and as continuous oppression and attacks continued, it eventually lost its shining land and seeped into the darkness on its own.

In the end, they lost all their glorious status and became a group that wandered the back alleys, avoiding even the eyes of their fellow Murim.

If the oppression of the Demonic Cult had continued a little longer, if Kang Jin-ho had not suddenly appeared in the world, the final attack on the Demonic Cult might have been carried out within a few years.

‘The Murim world will walk the same path.’

This was no longer a war between the Red King faction and the Black King faction.

From the beginning, that guy had no intention of moving in such a small arena.

“We have to do something, somehow.”

Just as Chai Keqiang, who had been biting his nails, was about to head outside, the door opened and the Red King walked in. Kang Jin-ho and Lee Hyun-soo followed behind him.

The Red King raised his hand to stop Chai Keqiang, who was about to bow.

“I’ve heard the news.”

Chai Keqiang nodded.

He had no intention of blaming the person who had relayed his call. What he knew, the Red King should know as well. And now, Kang Jin-ho and Lee Hyun-soo were the same.

“Assassination of key figures…”

The Red King opened his mouth with a stern face.

“They’re doing something terrible.” At least he was someone who knew what order was. This kind of chaos was not what he wanted.

“Think, Chai Keqiang. What should we do?”

Chai Keqiang stared at the Red King with blank eyes.

What should they do?

Well….

“Key figures…”

Chai Keqiang spoke as if possessed.

“Assassination of key figures, chaos. No… no, ultimately, collapse. Collapse of the command system. What they are aiming for is to delay the response.”

Chai Keqiang’s eyes shook.

“…The Chairman.”

“No!”

Lee Hyun-soo shouted.

“If they were really aiming for the Chairman, they wouldn’t have touched the key figures. There’s no reason to stir up a hornet’s nest and make the defenses stronger! We’ve already been hit once. These bastards are aiming somewhere else! Definitely!”

Chai Keqiang nodded as if agreeing.

Then where? Where are they aiming?

“No. They will aim for it.”

“Huh?”

Lee Hyun-soo turned his head sharply to look at Kang Jin-ho.

“What do you mean? It’s obvious.”

“That’s why.”

Kang Jin-ho said, looking straight at Lee Hyun-soo.

“They’ll think we won’t stop it because it’s not logical. Even if we do stop it, they’ll believe we’ll at least reduce our forces.”

“No. Maybe even my thoughts are already being read.”

“Then what…”

“It’s simple.”

Kang Jin-ho snapped his fingers.

“When facing an enemy, you fall behind if you think about what to do. You have to think about what is important. Where do we lose the most if we lose now?”

Lee Hyun-soo’s head turned towards Chai Keqiang.

“The Chairman, no…”

Chai Keqiang’s gaze turned to Kang Jin-ho.

He didn’t want to admit it, but….

“It’s the Guild Leader.”

“That’s not the answer I wanted.” Kang Jin-ho chuckled and said.

“Exclude me and the Red King. That’s a difficult answer to aim for.”

“Then it’s only the Chairman. Because it would cause perfect chaos with a single blow.”

“Then he will definitely aim for it.”

Kang Jin-ho nodded.

“I don’t know if he will appear there, but it doesn’t matter who comes. Let’s go.”

“Yes!”

Lee Hyun-soo followed Kang Jin-ho out. Then, the Red King turned to look at Chai Keqiang.

“So that’s what he thinks.”

“…We have to support them.”

His gaze was directed not at the Red King, but beyond him.

“Because we have to prevent the worst, as he said.”

Chai Keqiang slightly bit his lip.

But there was still one question in his mind that he couldn’t resolve.

‘But… is this really the worst?’ Perhaps the worst that they thought of and the worst that the Black King thought of were different concepts, and that thought kept tickling his fingertips.