Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1310. Infiltrating (5)

Information was power. A weapon.

However, what the information brokers and intelligence officers handling information believed in a slightly different mantra. Something not so cliched. Yi Jong-Wuk only had one thing to say regarding information.

Information is poison.

Indeed, poison. No other term came close to describing the true nature of information in Yi Jong-Wuk’s mind.

Information could become strength in someone’s hands. It could become authority. Or even a weakness. However, to an intelligence officer? It could become a poison responsible for their destruction at any given moment.

Merely knowing valuable information was enough to turn an intelligence officer into a target of those who wanted to obtain said information, and those who wanted to monitor their every move.

As such, all intelligence officers must remember this: revealing all the information they had would guarantee their death.

A venomous snake that lost all of its fangs would be seen as useless. And just like that, a person without a final hidden ace up their sleeve would be deemed worthless.

That was why! The intelligence officer must never reveal that one last bit of crucial information that could preserve their life. Regardless of how excruciating the torture session was, no matter how mercilessly truth serums trampled on their consciousness...! One must never, ever give up on that single lifeline!

Unfortunately, Yi Jong-Wuk had an epiphany today, right in this place. He finally understood why his predecessors and seniors failed their missions and revealed the information they should have held on to. As it turned out, they didn’t fail because they were idiots.

He had finally realized that.

Just... Just what I am even saying to these people?

Sweat trickled down Yi Jong-Wuk’s brows and began stinging his eyes. But he dared not blink. It felt as if his mind was not functioning properly. This situation made no sense!

He knew he had yapped on and on about something, but why couldn’t he remember what he said? Even a three-year-old wouldn’t be like this!

But Yi Jong-Wuk was not a three-year-old. And he was experiencing this bizarre phenomenon right this very moment!

After realizing the severity of the situation he was in, Yi Jong-Wuk cautiously, very cautiously, raised his head to look at the person before his eyes.

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho leaning back against his couch and crossing his legs relaxedly was buried deep in his thoughts, a sizzling cigarette dangling between his lips.

Yi Jong-Wuk reflexively tried to swallow his saliva, but his mouth was too dry, and there was nothing left to swallow. His throat screamed in scratchy pain.

Kang Jin-Ho finally opened his eyes.

Shudder!

Yi Jong-Wuk shuddered reflexively when his eyes met Kang Jin-Ho’s. Humans facing off against predators from close by would become paralyzed with fear, unable to even think properly about fleeing from the danger. Or maybe his reaction was like that of a person who became frozen to their spot after noticing a large truck barreling toward them in the middle of a street.

Thankfully, this moment didn’t last for long.

Lee Hyeon-Su called out, “Assembly Master?”

“...Mm.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s expression changed in an instant. That simple change was enough to revert him back to a plain-looking young man from earlier.

“Heuh-euh...!”

A gasp similar to air escaping from a balloon leaked out of Yi Jong-Wuk’s mouth. Strength abandoned him in droves, and his entire body felt heavy like a wet sponge. Even as cold sweat flooded down his spine, he tried his hardest to remain focused.

Without a doubt, this place was still a tiger’s den!

“So...” Kang Jin-Ho muttered while stubbing the cigarette on a nearby ashtray. “The target’s protection detail sent by North Korea has increased, while the Chinese government is also providing a back-up? But your side has precisely zero clue as to why all this happened?”

Yi Jong-Wuk subtly bit his lip. “Y-yes, sir. My sincerest apologies.”

“Hmm...” Kang Jin-Ho grunted while reclining against his couch, a smirk floating up on his lips. “How should I say this? It’s very much... Not surprising at all?”

Other executives responded similarly.

“Yes, sir. It’s as typical as it can get.”

“I wondered if we could get this over and done with as painlessly as possible, but I guess not.”

Yi Jong-Wuk was rendered speechless by all the nonchalant attitudes and stared at Kang Jin-Ho and the rest of the executives.

Do they not understand the seriousness of this situation?

Didn’t Kang Jin-Ho mutter out what the current situation was like just now? So how could they react this way?

As if he wanted to resolve Yi Jong-Wuk’s confusion, Lee Hyeon-Su spoke up next. “It sounds like the enemy doesn’t know about us going to China directly. If they knew, things would’ve been even worse.”

“You might be right,” Wiggins casually shrugged. “However, we shouldn’t just assume. Rather than raising a ruckus, it’s always better to dig traps in the shadows, after all.”

“Yes, there’s that, too.”

“We should focus only on one thing,” said Wiggins, his gaze shifting to Yi Jong-Wuk next. Even though he wasn’t trying to pressure anyone, the aura he emitted still clogged up Yi Jong-Wuk’s breathing. “And that is... How much can we trust their information?”

Yi Jong-Wuk’s face stiffened, prompting Wiggins to wave his hand around and speak humorously.

“No, hold on, young man. Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not suggesting you’re feeding us unreliable information on purpose. No, it’s more like your ability to unearth information doesn’t seem all that... Mm?”

Wiggins stopped talking there and began tilting his head in confusion. Then, he glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su.

“The Korean language can be so tricky at times. I think I had a slip of the tongue.”

Lee Hyeon-Su tutted. “Sir, please don’t pretend to be a foreigner when it’s convenient for you. Don’t you have a conscience?”

“But tricky things are tricky for a reason, Mister Lee,” Wiggins casually replied with a smirk before addressing Yi Jong-Wuk again. “I’m not trying to downplay your capabilities, Mister Yi. Other countries also find it difficult to gather intel in China, after all.” 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Kang Jin-Ho curiously asked, “Even the Round Table?”

“Yes, my lord. Even though China isn’t closed off, its vast population and territory means this task will always be a challenge. Ironically enough, it’s also not easy investigating a small country with a small population. Also, thanks to the Round Table’s quirk, it never tried to nurture local informants. As you can imagine, they faced torrid times while trying to deal with events on this side of the globe.”

“Hmm...”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. He remembered when the Round Table first tried to enter South Korea. Didn’t they go through a bit of trouble back then?

Of course, the connections made during those moments ultimately led to the Chevaliers and Wiggins joining the Martial Assembly. Looking back, though, Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t help but chuckle softly at how clueless the Round Table was regarding the situation in the East.

“With the situation like that, the Korean operatives can try their hardest, but they still won’t be able to monitor China effectively. That’s practically impossible,” said Wiggins.

Yi Jong-Wuk subtly bit his lip again. He couldn’t say anything to defend himself from Wiggins’ criticism, as the latter was right.

Even though the Korean intelligence agency did its best, monitoring China still proved nearly impossible. As a matter of fact, they still hadn’t even gotten access to China’s ruling class yet.

Even if all this was true...!

Lee Hyeon-Su noticed Yi Jong-Wuk’s changing mood and quietly spoke up. “I’m sure you feel a little offended by this, but we’re about to risk our lives here.”

“...!”

“Yes, I know your side is also risking your lives. Isn’t that why you know as well as us how dangerous unconditional trust is?”

A bitter taste registered in Yi Jong-Wuk’s tongue, but he had to nod in agreement here.

“Mister Yi. We have no idea how hard your people worked to gather all this information. However, let us be honest here. Isn’t it obvious that we cannot trust every morsel of info you provide us with? After all, you could have been fed incomplete information. Or worse, fake info to mislead your agents. Our job is to take into consideration all these factors and turn this mission into a success.”

With that, Yi Jong-Wuk became certain of one thing. These people at the Martial Assembly had never trusted the government. They never had any intentions of acting according to the intel provided, and that knowledge stung a little, despite Lee Hyeon-Su trying to put him down as gently as possible.

“If you wish to provide us with information...” Lee Hyeon-Su muttered, his glare suddenly getting icy. “Ensure it’s perfect. That you have confirmed it double, triple times. Ensure it’s the kind of info even the most paranoid person could trust unconditionally.”

Yi Jong-Wuk slowly nodded. “Then... Will you proceed with this operation?”

“Well...” Lee Hyeon-Su glanced at Kang Jin-Ho briefly before giving his answer. “Of course. Variables will always exist. We’ve already taken into account the possibilities of variables on this level rearing their heads.”

“...”

“Trust is based on the capabilities of the other party, isn’t it? In that sense, it seems your side is the one not trusting us, not the other way around.”

Yi Jong-Wuk sighed softly under his breath. He acknowledged that this was a complete loss.

He aimed to unsettle the Martial Assembly a little, only to dance on the palms of Lee Hyeon-Su and Kang Jin-Ho.

No, wait. That’s not really true, is it?

Even Yi Jong-Wuk could tell that the Assembly’s executives didn’t intend on unsettling him. However, something as simple as a whale swimming by would rock a shrimp as if it got caught up in a violent storm. And Yi Jong-Wuk was that shrimp. However...

Oddly enough, he didn’t feel displeased about it. As a matter of fact, his emotions had changed from what he had been feeling while coming here.

This place is more terrifying than I have bargained for!

Yi Jong-Wuk couldn’t understand why Prime Minister Kim Myeong-Chan was sweating so much whenever he dealt with the Martial Assembly. After all, the Prime Minister held enormous authority, didn’t he? Especially within the borders of this country?

It seemed incomprehensible that someone with such authority still had to humor these people. Now that Yi Jong-Wuk was here, though? He finally understood why Kim Myeong-Chan had been so cautious.

It feels like a bomb is stuck inside my gut, doesn’t it?

People like this lived inside South Korea, along with clueless ordinary people who didn’t understand the existence of martial artists. What a miracle it was that a terrible crisis hadn’t unfolded yet!

Despite thinking that way... If he was willing to put aside all the unsettling points for now, it became easier to understand where this reassuring feeling had come from.

No matter what North Korea did, and even if China tried its darnedest, this operation should end in success with Kang Jin-Ho’s direct involvement. That was what Yi Jong-Wuk thought.

“Mister Yi Jong-Wuk?”

“A-ah! Y-yes?”

Yi Jong-Wuk sobered up instantly and raised his head.

Bloody hell...! To think he’d get lost in his own thoughts in a meeting dictated by the other party! He never made mistakes ever since joining NIS, yet here he was, making multiple mistakes today!

Lee Hyeon-Su grinned. “Was that all you wanted to discuss with us?”

Yi Jong-Wuk nodded. “Yes, more or less.”

“I see, I see! Then, why don’t we discuss the really important thing?”

“I... beg your pardon?”

The really important thing? Was there something like that left? But didn’t Yi Jong-Wuk say he had more or less said everything he wanted to say?

Lee Hyeon-Su’s grin deepened. “Acquiring information or cooperating with your agents onsite are actually secondary issues to deal with later. Indeed, they are not a priority to us.”

“Then?”

“Mister Yi, do you know what matters the most in the modern era?”

Yi Jong-Wuk frowned slightly. “Not sure. What is that?”

“We’ve agreed on this and that, yes. But the most important matter has not been settled yet. Now that you’re here, how about we promptly get to it?” The grin on Lee Hyeon-Su’s face almost made him look like a good-natured uncle from the neighborhood. However, Yi Jong-Wuk felt dread creeping into his heart after witnessing that grin.

“Mister Lee, what are you trying to say?”

Lee Hyeon-Su reached out with his empty hand. “Give us the card, please.”

“I’m sorry?”

“Not just any card, but that has been laundered and can’t be traced.”

“...!”

Lee Hyeon-Su casually shrugged. “I should have alerted your side earlier. The thing is, travel fees and fees for other expenses have not been deposited into our account yet, you see? I’m sure you can guess that the expenses for this many people traveling to China aren’t going to be cheap.”

Yi Jong-Wuk’s eyes powerfully quaked just then.

N-no, hold on! Aren’t you people filthy rich? But you want us to pay for your trip, too? Don’t you know that money is gonna come from tax? You bastard!

Of course, Yi Jong-Wuk couldn’t unleash all those words welling up in his throat like boiling magma!

“Now, now. This isn’t something we should discuss here, so why don’t we go elsewhere for a private discussion?” Lee Hyeon-Su said, then turned toward Kang Jin-Ho next. “Sir, may I borrow Mister Yi for a bit?”

“...Sure thing.”

“Thank you. Now then! Mister Yi, this way.”

Lee Hyeon-Su grabbed Yi Jong-Wuk’s arm. Yi Jong-Wuk was helpless as he got dragged out of the office.

Thud!

Once the duo left and the door closed behind them, Bang Jin-Hun dazedly muttered to no one in particular.

“That bastard... I’m sure he’ll survive even if he’s dropped onto a deserted island in the middle of nowhere.”

Vator tutted. “Right. He’ll probably scam the local wildlife to make money.”

Even Bang Jin-Hun, who expressed visceral dislike toward Yi Jong-Wuk earlier, felt sorry as he stared at the firmly shut doorway.

Yi Jong-Wuk must’ve been considered a predator in most other settings, but in here? He was nothing more than a little rabbit only good for a light snack. A rabbit that got dragged away by a hyena had only one fate waiting for him.

“I hope we’ll have something of him left to bury later.”

Sighs of pity and lament echoed in the office.