Descent of The Demon Master [EN]: Chapter 4

In any era, murder is a crime that never disappears.

In the past, in the Central Plains [a historical region in China], that level of killing wouldn’t even be considered a topic of conversation. It was an era so desensitized to human death that only when the number of people killed exceeded a hundred would someone begin to be called a ‘murderous fiend’.

It was relatively recent that humans began to react sensitively to the death of other humans.

Only five hundred years ago, a mass murderer who slaughtered thousands in war was praised as a hero, and even a hundred years ago, killing people en masse for simple gain was not an unusual event.

Rather, to Kang Jin-ho, it was strange that the modern world was making such a fuss and reporting nationwide about the deaths of just a dozen or so people.

‘Even though they’re the same humans…’

‘Are modern humans and past humans different beings?’

Kang Jin-ho didn’t think so. However, compared to modern times, people of the past were more barbaric and did not respect human life.

Where does this difference come from?

‘Education?’

Or enhanced laws?

Kang Jin-ho didn’t know which was the correct answer. But if there was one thing that was certain…

The nature of humans, whether in the past or now,

was not much different.

‘Even in modern times.’

Kang Jin-ho was not one to see the world in a bright light. He had experienced too much and witnessed too much to trust people or the world.

‘Whatever.’

It would be enough if he could live an ordinary life in this world, no matter what it was like.

The channel changed, and an entertainment program began to play on TV.

Kang Jin-ho watched the comedians laughing and joking in the entertainment program.

While he watched the news the most, he enjoyed entertainment programs the most.

It wasn’t easy for him to understand their jokes.

To be honest, he couldn’t understand about 90% of them.

He couldn’t grasp what they were saying or where he was supposed to laugh.

Nevertheless, the reason Kang Jin-ho enjoyed entertainment programs was because he felt comfortable watching them. Seeing them laugh and joke without worry made him strongly realize that he had returned to the modern world.

Kang Jin-ho stared blankly at the entertainment program for a while. Looking at the people moving busily and the buildings passing by, he still felt a sense of unfamiliarity.

It was then.

‘Hmm?’

Kang Jin-ho’s eyes twitched slightly.

He had just heard a sharp scream.

‘A scream?’

He looked around, but it seemed that no one else had heard it except for him.

He was trying to relax, but perhaps because of the habits he had developed over decades, Kang Jin-ho’s body was automatically sensing danger.

‘What should I do?’

There was no need to run to where the scream came from and get caught up in trouble. Even in the Jianghu [a term referring to the martial arts world in Chinese culture], jumping into matters that had nothing to do with him was a sure way to throw away his life.

Yet, strangely, he felt drawn to it.

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho got up from his seat.

This place was different from the Central Plains. In the Central Plains, seeing something you shouldn’t could put your life in danger, but this was a society ruled by civilization.

So, there was no reason not to go.

Kang Jin-ho slowly walked towards the place where the scream had come from.

To the first floor.

There was a crowd of people gathered in one corner of the first floor.

Kang Jin-ho noticed something strange about the people. They seemed to want to see something but couldn’t get any closer.

And from where they were looking, loud shouts could be heard.

“Please calm down! Why are you doing this!”

“Please put that down!”

Kang Jin-ho slowly approached and peeked his head between the people.

“Hmm?”

In the past, he could have seen over their shoulders with just this movement, but Kang Jin-ho’s head was still below the shoulders of the people.

‘Am I short?’

In the past, he was a tall man over six feet. Thanks to the circumstances of the era, he was almost a giant, and he had never experienced not being able to see something because he was blocked by people.

But now, the height of others was clearly greater than his.

Kang Jin-ho pondered for a moment.

Should he just go, or…

“…”

Kang Jin-ho made up his mind and turned around. He didn’t know what the situation was, but there seemed to be no need to go through the trouble of looking inside.

It wouldn’t be easy to squeeze in there, so it was better to lose interest at this point.

Kang Jin-ho turned around and walked outside. He was thinking of going out to the garden.

“Aaaaaah!”

At that moment, a sharp scream was heard. Kang Jin-ho’s eyes narrowed slightly.

It wasn’t that he was surprised by the scream.

He had heard screams enough to be sick of them.

And even if someone were to die there, there was no reason for Kang Jin-ho to be interested in such a thing. After all, it had nothing to do with him.

The reason Kang Jin-ho frowned was for a different reason.

The scream sounded somewhat familiar.

He had a strong feeling that he had heard that voice before.

“Hmm…”

Kang Jin-ho turned around and headed back to where the people were gathered.

He shouldn’t just ignore something that felt unsettling. He had to check it out.

Kang Jin-ho pushed his way through the crowd.

In the past, people would have moved out of his way just by him looking at them, but not now.

“Hey, don’t push!”

“What’s the matter with you!”

Kang Jin-ho sighed involuntarily at the pressure coming from both sides and struggled to push his way inside.

He finally made it inside and looked at the scene before him.

A man in shabby clothes was holding a knife and taking a hostage, while people who appeared to be police officers were trembling and trying to talk him down.

“That person…”

Kang Jin-ho looked at the man with an interesting expression.

The man threatening the police with a knife was clearly the serial killer Kang Jin-ho had seen on the news earlier.

A hurried voice came from the side.

“What happened?”

“Chief!”

“Explain it to me. No, what is going on!”

A nurse opened her mouth with a disgusted look.

“He came to the emergency room as a stab wound patient. After treating him, we took an X-ray to check the wound, and we found a foreign object that looked like a bullet inside, so we reported it.

But we still had to treat him, so we were treating him, but when the police arrived, they didn’t know the situation and started yelling, so…”

It seemed that the criminal had taken a hostage after realizing the police had arrived.

Kang Jin-ho found it hard to understand.

There was a serial killer, and there were people who were trying to treat him?

It was a ridiculous thing.

No matter how important life is, there is nothing more important than one’s own life.

To risk one’s life to save another?

He didn’t know if it was something to be praised, but Kang Jin-ho’s honest feeling was that it was a foolish act.

He might try to understand if it was an acquaintance, but to risk his life to save a complete stranger, and a serial killer at that.

He didn’t know if it was because they had a strong sense of pride in their medical skills or if the world was so peaceful that they had no sense of danger.

“Get out of the way! You bastards, get out of the way!”

The police were blocking the entrance. The killer was threatening them with a knife.

If the police opened the way, the serial killer would go out into the hospital lobby, which was full of people. If something bad happened after that, it would be the police’s responsibility.

“Hey, aren’t you going to put down the knife?”

A detective in a leather jacket shouted sharply.

“Get out of the way, you bastard!”

“Hey! Do you think you can run away anywhere? You’re caught, you bastard. Don’t make more trouble and let the hostage go. Then I’ll put in a good word for you to get a lighter sentence.”

“Bullshit.”

The criminal wasn’t stupid, and there was no way he would fall for such words.

How much would his sentence be reduced if the serial killer surrendered?

“Do you want to see this kid die?”

The criminal put the knife to the hostage’s neck.

The child’s face turned pale, and he trembled.

“Okay! Okay! I’m backing off! Just take that knife away!”

The detective shouted in panic.

“Has the negotiator not arrived yet?”

“…We’ve contacted them.”

“You bastard! You don’t even know when they’re coming? Is that what you’re going to say, you son of a bitch?”

Startled by the detective in the leather jacket’s shout, someone hurriedly ran somewhere.

“Ah, I’m really going to die.”

The detective was sweating profusely.

He might have been able to deal with other hostage situations calmly. But the guy in front of him was a monster who had dismembered more than ten people.

He was a guy who didn’t think anything of killing people.

Such a guy might actually kill the hostage in front of everyone. He was the kind of guy who would do it if he didn’t like the situation.

He had to prevent that situation at all costs.

Moreover, this criminal was someone who had already been shot once during an engagement with the police and had escaped.

If the hostage was hurt, all the blame would be directed at the police. Especially himself, who had let the criminal escape, could face a situation where he would have to take responsibility and lose his job.

‘What are you thinking?’

That wasn’t the important thing. Whether he lost his job or went to jail, he had to prevent the hostage from getting hurt right now.

“Clear the way.”

The criminal threatened in a low voice, holding the knife to the hostage’s neck.

The detective was in a dilemma.

He couldn’t clear the way. What would he do if he let the criminal escape?

But he couldn’t just keep the criminal like this.

If the half-crazed criminal stabbed the hostage, it would be irreversible.

“I’m going crazy.”

At that moment, the criminal slightly pushed the knife into the hostage’s neck.

“Ah…”

A red line of blood appeared on the hostage’s neck.

“Hey, you crazy bastard! I’ll clear the way, I’m telling you! You son of a bitch! Don’t do it! If you touch him, you’re going to get the death penalty, you bastard! If you don’t get the death penalty, I’ll kill you!”

“Open it.”

“…”

The detective gestured.

“Detective Lee Jong-in!”

“What!”

“Are you just going to let that bastard go?”

“Then what?”

“But if we let him go and something happens…”

“Then are you going to take responsibility if that bastard kills the kid here?”

“That’s not it, but…”

“Then what do you want me to do, you bastard! This way doesn’t work, that way doesn’t work! Then we have to stop what’s happening right now!”

“But if we lose him…”

“How far can a guy who’s been shot go? Let’s get through this situation first.”

“Yes.”

The detectives moved to the sides, slightly opening the way.

But the criminal was not satisfied at all.

“Are you kidding me? Gather over here. You’re not telling me to go through that gap, are you?”

“Damn it!”

This detective, who was secretly thinking of ambushing him, gritted his teeth and gathered the detectives to one side.

At that moment, a man slowly walked forward.

“What?”

He was a patient.

He looked like he was barely a high school student.

The man walked forward slowly with a blank expression and stood in front of the criminal.

“What, what is that crazy guy doing!”