Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 330

The sight of the tunnel collapsing was, in a way, a spectacle.

Jo Myung-soo shuddered as he watched the tunnel crumble with a deafening roar. The sheer scale of the collapse was mesmerizing.

‘No wonder Hollywood movies are all about smashing and blowing things up.’

If you ignored the fact that it was a disaster, it was quite a show. With a tremendous bang, the tunnel buckled and then completely caved in.

“…I think it’s over?”

However, Lee Hyun-soo didn’t respond.

He just stared blankly at the screen, his expression unreadable.

‘Does staring so hard make anything appear?’

It might be different if they were witnessing it firsthand. But right now, they were watching it through a monitor. No matter how intently they stared at the video feed, they wouldn’t see anything that wasn’t already there.

“What should we do?”

“Wait.”

Lee Hyun-soo didn’t elaborate, his gaze fixed on the screen.

How much time had passed?

After about five minutes, when the dust had settled and there was still no sign of movement, Lee Hyun-soo finally spoke.

“Withdraw.”

“They’re probably dead, right?”

Lee Hyun-soo nodded.

“If they could survive that, they wouldn’t be human.”

Jo Myung-soo looked at the screen.

The completely collapsed tunnel was a scene of devastation. The sheer weight of the concrete and earth that had buried the tunnel was beyond what any human could endure, even a martial artist of the highest caliber.

‘And even if they were alive, they would face death unless God intervened. They would either suffocate soon or succumb to their injuries.’

“…Was he such a dangerous person that we had to go this far? Even risking exposing our existence to the media?”

Lee Hyun-soo didn’t answer.

‘There’s no point in explaining; they wouldn’t understand.’

Unless you’ve experienced it firsthand, you can’t possibly grasp how dangerous Kang Jin-ho was.

It’s not something that can be put into words. No matter how perfectly you try to describe it, you wouldn’t be able to convey even a fraction of the feeling you actually experienced.

‘So, a little…’

Lee Hyun-soo felt a pang of regret.

In the stagnant world of Korean martial arts, Kang Jin-ho was a breath of fresh air. Of course, that breath had a strong scent of blood, but it was undeniable that the martial arts world, which had been dominated by names like Lee Joong-gul and Kim Seok-il, had been shaken by Kang Jin-ho’s emergence.

‘Maybe things could have changed.’

Perhaps Kang Jin-ho was someone who could have drastically transformed the Korean martial arts scene, which had been cautiously navigating the power dynamics between the major factions.

It’s said that when a formidable enemy falls, people feel not triumph but a sense of loss.

Lee Hyun-soo shook off his thoughts.

No matter how strong someone is, no matter how much potential they possess, if they don’t survive, it’s all over. It’s not the strong who survive, but the survivors who are strong.

“Collect the CCTV footage and make sure to erase any traces left behind.”

“The police or someone will be here soon.”

“That’s why I’m saying it.”

“…Yes, I understand.”

Jo Myung-soo frowned as he watched Lee Hyun-soo turn and walk away.

‘What’s got him so worked up?’

Jo Myung-soo couldn’t understand Lee Hyun-soo.

They had eliminated someone who could have caused them significant trouble if they had faced him directly, yet Lee Hyun-soo didn’t seem satisfied at all. He even looked somewhat angry.

“Then I’ll get things cleaned up and return!”

He shouted loudly, but Lee Hyun-soo only raised his hand slightly, without even turning his head.

“Damn it.”

Keeping your boss in a good mood was always a tiring task.

“Is that so?”

Kim Seok-il, who had received Lee Hyun-soo’s report, took out a cigarette.

“Okay. I’ll handle the reporters and the police, so you just clean up the area thoroughly. If anything too incriminating is found, it’ll be difficult for me to manage. Over and out.”

Kim Seok-il hung up the phone and lit his cigarette.

“Hoo…”

As he slowly inhaled, his chest filled with the acrid smoke. Kim Seok-il exhaled the hazy smoke, leaned back in his chair, and tilted his head back.

‘Is it resolved?’

It couldn’t be said that everything was resolved with this. Now, he had to somehow unify the chaotic General Assembly [a governing body or council]. And most importantly, he had to confront Japan, which was beginning to assert its influence.

In a way, he would be even busier from now on, and the situation would become even more complicated.

Nevertheless, Kim Seok-il felt like he had overcome a major obstacle.

‘Kang Jin-ho…’

Kim Seok-il chuckled.

It hadn’t even been a few months since he had learned the name Kang Jin-ho, but he realized how much pressure he had been under during that time. He, who had maintained an equal footing with the giant Lee Joong-gul, had lost sleep over that kid.

But he had finally eliminated that troublesome guy.

“I did a good job.”

It was Lee Hyun-soo who had suggested this method. Lee Hyun-soo’s opinion was that it was almost impossible to eliminate Kang Jin-ho through conventional means, and that if they poured manpower into eliminating Kang Jin-ho, they wouldn’t be able to handle the General Assembly.

That’s how the plan from just now came about.

To kill a monster who couldn’t be killed by guns, they needed a more radical and unconventional approach. When he first heard it, he was so dumbfounded that he wondered if Lee Hyun-soo had lost his mind, but when he thought about it calmly, there was no other way.

It was an unavoidable trap.

Even Kim Seok-il himself wouldn’t have been able to avoid it. He would have just died in bewilderment and disbelief.

If they could clean up the major accident of the tunnel collapse without being linked to it, it was the best course of action.

‘It’s going to cost a lot of money.’

The threat posed by Kang Jin-ho was so significant that they had to resort to such a method, even risking exposure. Kim Seok-il felt a sense of relief, like a toothache had been resolved, as he happily puffed on his cigarette.

“The General Assembly is in a mess too.”

Even if they found out that Kang Jin-ho had died in this tunnel collapse accident, they would have to actively cooperate with the Yeongnam Association [a regional martial arts organization] to cover up this incident. If their involvement was revealed, they would be in trouble as well.

They might be harboring other thoughts, but they would have no choice but to cooperate, even if it meant gritting their teeth. Kim Seok-il smiled, thinking that he had finally landed a good blow on the General Assembly after a long time.

“Now, shall we start cleaning up the mess that was caused by that kid?”

Kim Seok-il stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray and picked up the phone.

“You can’t reach him?”

Jo Gyu-min jumped up from his seat.

He turned his head to look at the clock, which showed four in the morning.

“No, I’m not with him. I haven’t contacted Kang Jin-ho separately today either.”

The voice on the other end of the line was filled with urgency.

“What about his phone? Is it off, or is it ringing but he’s not answering?”

[It’s off.]

“…Is that so?”

Jo Gyu-min got up from his seat and sat on the edge of the bed.

“It’s Kang Jin-ho, so I’m sure he’s fine. But I’ll check it out anyway.”

[I got a call from his house and told them he was probably fine, but I’m still worried. I felt really strange all the way home today.]

“Did Kang Jin-ho go straight home after work?”

[Yes. He left on his bike. He didn’t say he was going anywhere else. If he went straight home, he should have arrived by now, but he hasn’t gone home and his phone is off, so maybe…]

Park Yu-min couldn’t finish his sentence. There was no way to end it on a positive note.

“He’s someone who would be fine even if aliens invaded. Don’t you think there are times like that in life?”

He was trying to put it lightly, but Jo Gyu-min also felt that the situation was unusual.

It might be something that could happen to anyone else, but if the person was Kang Jin-ho, it was definitely a strange situation. Kang Jin-ho wasn’t someone who had a habit of wandering around at night, nor was he someone who liked to drink.

If someone who had left work close to midnight suddenly lost contact and didn’t return home, you couldn’t help but suspect an accident.

Although, a common accident like a traffic accident wouldn’t have happened.

‘The Yeongnam Association.’

The words ‘Yeongnam Association’ flashed through Jo Gyu-min’s mind. If something had happened to Kang Jin-ho, he was certain that they were involved.

“I’ll check it out and contact you again. If you get another call from Kang Jin-ho’s family, please tell them that we’re checking on it and that he’s probably fine.”

[Yes. Please do.]

“Yes, then.”

Jo Gyu-min jumped up from his seat and ran to the bathroom. As soon as he entered, he turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on his face to wake himself up. He looked at himself in the mirror with a serious expression.

‘I have a bad feeling.’

Anyone else would be fine, but Kang Jin-ho wasn’t someone who would cut off contact and go out to play. He had never done this before. Kang Jin-ho had never gone anywhere else after saying he was going home.

Jo Gyu-min felt instinctively that something had happened. He roughly grabbed a towel, wiped his face, and picked up his phone.

The dial tone rang, and a low voice was heard.

[What is it, at this hour?]

“Kang Jin-ho is missing.”

[…Damn it, that’s the most jarring wake-up call I’ve ever had.]

Bang Jin-hoon cursed without hesitation.

[Let’s be clear. When did you lose contact with him?]

“He was heading home around midnight. But we haven’t been able to reach him since then. His phone is off.”

[Damn it.]

Something thumping could be heard over the phone.

[You want me to check it out?]

“Yes.”

[I’ll look into everything I can from my end. I’ll start by checking if there are any traces of the Yeongnam Association bastards moving around, so please share any information you get.]

“Okay, I understand. Then.”

[Yes.]

Jo Gyu-min felt a sudden wave of dizziness after hanging up the phone.

‘Where do I even start?’

It was clear that he had to find Kang Jin-ho, but he had no idea where to begin. How was he supposed to find someone who had cut off contact and disappeared?

‘Should I start by checking the CCTV?’

Jo Gyu-min shook his head.

If it was a normal person, there would be nothing more reliable than CCTV, but Kang Jin-ho was a martial artist. And if the Yeongnam Association was targeting Kang Jin-ho, they wouldn’t have overlooked such a basic precaution.

Then how…

Jo Gyu-min suddenly raised his head.

“GPS!”

If his phone was being tracked until the call was cut off, he would be able to roughly know where Kang Jin-ho had moved. Jo Gyu-min jumped up from his seat and ran to get dressed.

‘Please, let nothing bad have happened.’

Even though he knew it was a futile wish, Jo Gyu-min prayed and prayed again.