Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1316. Working Together (1)

“Assembly Master. Once you reach the location, our people will try to contact you.”

Kang Jin-Ho stared weirdly at Yi Jong-Wuk. Not because he was dissatisfied by something the NIS agent had said, of course.

First of all... Even he could tell Yi Jong-Wuk’s face had become a lot more gaunt than before.

Just how much did he go through to reach this pitiful state?

Each department in NIS should be tasked with handling different matters, but their main task should still be the same: waging war against their allocated budget.

Outsiders might view budgets of such departments as inflated and unnecessary, but in reality, every penny they received was a precious resource they desperately needed. And that was precisely why every department had to shout at the top of their lungs and clamor like lunatics to get the best deal when the time to allocate the budget came around every year.

That was the situation, yet Yi Jong-Wuk had to ask for extra funds from the accountants. Things he heard from them must’ve been rather harrowing.

Actually, no. Judging from his expression, it seemed calling them harrowing was greatly underplaying the severity of his experience. Yi Jong-Wuk must’ve gone through the proverbial hell just to get here!

But that makes sense, no?

Imagine a hypothetical scenario of Kang Jin-Ho being Yi Jong-Wuk’s superior officer. Even he would’ve had a hard time understanding the necessity of this expense. After all, those in the know already knew to some degree that Kang Jin-Ho was one of the wealthiest people in the country. Not to forget, NIS was a spy agency. Its agents should already have finished analyzing Kang Jin-Ho’s assets by now.

So, it was easy enough to imagine what must’ve happened when Yi Jong-Wuk requested the accountants to pay for the travel expenses of someone that wealthy!

“I’ve... already delivered the travel funds to Chief Lee. There should be no problems in that regard, sir,” said Yi Jong-Wuk.

“Oh, sure. Thanks...?”

Kang Jin-Ho looked at Yi Jong-Wuk with pity.

Well, I’m sorry about our guy causing so much trouble for you guys.

Lee Hyeon-Su was an irreplaceable ally to Kang Jin-Ho, a man who could practically do anything. But to other people, Lee Hyeon-Su was more like an avatar of the Evil God.

His greatest strengths were his quick wits and discerning eye, plus sky-high stat points, which allowed him to take care of most matters as speedily and perfectly as possible. But he had a seriously problematic side, and that was his genius-level ability to torment people.

Whether it was during a trade, negotiation, or some other interaction, Lee Hyeon-Su would spot the opponent’s weak points and latch onto it like some kind of supernatural leech. Yi Jong-Wuk was merely a latest addition to the list of victims left behind in Lee Hyeon-Su’s wake.

“Sir, we’ll do our best to stay in touch with you in real-time. That’s why, please, let us...”

“Excuse me...?” Kang Jin-Ho asked weirdly. “Is it okay to discuss something like that here?”

“...Ah!”

Yi Jong-Wuk gasped before scanning his surroundings.

Sure enough, this place was packed to the brim with people. Which made sense, considering they were in the airport lobby!

“It should be fine, sir,” said Yi Jong-Wuk.

“...”

“Most people are not interested in what others are conversing about, anyway. Also, the contents of our conversation alone aren’t enough for most people to guess what we’re talking about.”

That sounded reasonable. But, still!

“We don’t always discuss our affairs in some dark, claustrophobic rooms, sir. Please don’t fall for that troublesome cliché. In reality, chatting like this in public sometimes is more secure. In this day and age, you can even eavesdrop on people’s conversations by detecting the faint vibrations off the window panels.”

Kang Jin-Ho’s jaw slightly fell. “Eavesdropping through the glass?”

“Yes. Apparently, the United States military has developed the technology. In any case...”

What an amazing era they were living in right now.

Most folks living in the modern era would think of martial arts as mystical and magical, but not Kang Jin-Ho. From his perspective, the real magic was science, not martial arts and cultivation. After all, you didn’t need to cultivate or train for years to produce incredible phenomena.

“We’ll pray for your success out in the field, sir,” said Yi Jong-Wuk.

Kang Jin-Ho casually replied, “Thank you.”

Yi Jong-Wuk glanced at the departure terminal in the distance. “We’ve already spoken to the relevant people, sir. There shouldn’t be any problems when you are going through the security inspection. However, there isn’t much we can do about the Chinese side, so if you’re carrying any weapons...”

“I’ll be fine,” Kang Jin-Ho chuckled airily. “It’s not my first rodeo, you see?”

“I’m... relieved to hear that,” Yi Jong-Wuk replied weirdly.

“Oh, wait. I’ll be fine, but my companions...”

Before Kang Jin-Ho could finish, a voice came from behind him first. “You don’t have to worry about us, Assembly Master.”

Kang Jin-Ho turned his head to look. In the meantime, Yi Jong-Wuk’s expression crumpled rather tragically.

“We’ve already sent the weapons we might use ahead of us to China, sir! We should take care of that much with our own strength. After all, we can’t expect the important folks running the country to worry about such minor matters. That would be unreasonable!”

As Lee Hyeon-Su confidently explained away, Yi Jong-Wuk’s lips twitched strangely. But that was because he had plenty of things he wanted to get off his chest.

Thankfully, Yi Jong-Wuk had already gone through the crucial first step in being a responsible adult a long time ago, which was differentiating between what was and what was not safe to say in public!

Yi Jong-Wuk’s glare sharpened. “Chief Lee, you must succeed.”

“Of course, we will...”

“You absolutely must!”

“...”

The light of, ‘I will not let you live if you fail, Chief Lee!’ burned brightly within Yi Jong-Wuk’s eyes. Whether he could make good on his promise or not was a separate matter, but still!

Lee Hyeon-Su glibly replied, “Of course~. The future of our country hangs in the balance, after all. We’ll take care of it as perfectly as humanly possible. Now won’t we, Assembly Master?”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “...?”

Why was Lee Hyeon-Su being so unusually hateful today?

Kang Jin-Ho spat out a groan, then glanced at Yi Jong-Wuk. “Will you be accompanying us?”

“Unfortunately, no. There’s a good chance that the other side knows about me. In that case, we’ll face some issues the moment I set foot in their airport.”

Lee Hyeon-Su and Kang Jin-Ho tilted their heads.

“...”

“Mm...”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly scratched the back of his head. He couldn’t help but wonder, between himself and Yi Jong-Wuk, who would the Chinese authorities pay more attention to?

Actually, there was no need to even think about that, since the answer was obviously Kang Jin-Ho. Although he’d be using a fake identity, the odds of the enemy discovering his presence the moment he arrived in China were rather high.

Yi Jong-Wuk noticed Kang Jin-Ho’s expression and smiled brightly. “Sir, I think I know what you’re worried about. I assure you, that won’t happen. Our world can surprisingly be meticulous, but just as sloppy at times, too. Did you know that the Chinese airport you’ll land at processes nearly three hundred thousand people every day?”

“Three... hundred thousand?”

“Yes, sir. As you can imagine, picking out a few select individuals out of three hundred thousand is, realistically speaking, near impossible.”

“Is that right?” Kang Jin-Ho muttered, his eyes narrowing suspiciously. What Yi Jong-Wuk said just now didn’t match what he said a few seconds ago.

“If I’m being honest, I have some matters to attend to in Korea, so...” Yi Jong-Wuk sheepishly muttered.

“Understood. It’s fine,” said Kang Jin-Ho with a gentle chuckle.

To be honest, the one who would feel most uncomfortable about Yi Jong-Wuk tagging along would be none other than Kang Jin-Ho. Even if the difference in status between the two men was as vast as an ocean, Kang Jin-Ho just knew he wouldn’t be able to talk down to a government official.

Yi Jong-Wuk cautiously called out. “Assembly Master.”

“Yes?”

“Sir, this matter is incredibly important. Maybe even more so than you can imagine. Our biggest problem is that the government simply does not have Plan B in case this approach doesn’t work.”

If the assassination attempt in China failed, and Rhee Ki-Gwang returned to North Korea, there would be no other realistic way to finish him off. The last option would obviously be to dispatch a squad of assassins to North Korea, but...

...For obvious reasons, that wouldn’t work.

Not only was it realistically impossible to carry out, but succeeding in the mission would be a problem in itself. There was a sizable difference between Rhee Ki-Gwang dying on Chinese soil versus him dying in North Korea, after all!

The so-called Plan B that was almost impossible to pull off, and still presented incredible danger if successfully carried out? Who would want to think about such a thing?

Yi Jong-Wuk continued to speak. “For the country and her citizens, you must...”

“Ah, ah.” Lee Hyeon-Su suddenly cut Yi Jong-Wuk off, then replied in a cynical manner. “Let’s not bring up citizens and country and whatnot. This is merely a trade, after all.”

“...”

“Being a patriot is all good and nice. But let’s not inject that into this matter. We’ll work according to the compensation promised, and you’ll pay according to the work done. Such a relationship is more sensible for us, wouldn’t you agree?”

Yi Jong-Wuk slowly nodded. “Indeed.”

“If that’s all you have to say, we’ll head on out now,” said Lee Hyeon-Su. “By the way, I’m going to assume that contacting you from China is out of the question.”

“No, we’ve already thought of a way. You don’t have to worry about that.”

“Mm... Well, that’s good to hear.”

“Then, take care of yourself.”

“Thank you. You too.”

Lee Hyeon-Su bowed slightly, which prompted Kang Jin-Ho to nod slightly, too. But Yi Jong-Wuk bent his body forward ninety degrees in a deep bow.

Kang Jin-Ho quickly turned around before Yi Jong-Wuk could stand up straight.

How burdensome this was.

Chang Min usually did something similar, didn’t he?

The people in Kang Jin-Ho’s circle of acquaintances were quite individualistic, sometimes to a fault. They all prioritized their lives and goals above all else. The only reason why they remained loyal to Kang Jin-Ho was because their goal just so happened to align with his goal.

That wasn’t the case with Chang Min, however.

He prioritized the demon cult’s welfare above all else, including his own life. As such, more often than not, he’d act differently to other Assembly executives.

Yi Jong-Wuk emitted a similar vibe to Chang Min. A man who prioritized his country above all else! His determination was definitely not a facade, which only amplified the burden Kang Jin-Ho felt.

Because, someone like that was not easy to find these days.

As Kang Jin-Ho was not someone who placed organizations or his country above himself or his acquaintances, he could never understand Yi Jong-Wuk. Of course, it must be the same story for Yi Jong-Wuk, as well.

“It sure is burdensome, isn’t it, sir?” Lee Hyeon-Su quietly asked after he and Kang Jin-Ho had created some distance away from Yi Jong-Wuk. It seemed he had noticed his boss’s mood.

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Yeah, it is.”

“I get why he’s like that, though. This is an important mission, after all.”

Lee Hyeon-Su sighed deeply.

With Kang Jin-Ho’s style and the vibe among the Assembly’s executives being what they were, they ended up discussing this matter as if there was nothing to worry about. But in reality? They were facing a massive crisis right now.

Their mission was to slip into China and assassinate a high-ranking North Korean official. Any problems arising during the mission could lead to diplomatic issues between China and Korea. And who could predict how the North-South relationship would mutate in case the assassination ended in failure?

Even if they succeed, they would still have to deal with various undesirable side effects, too.

However, what if they fail? Lee Hyeon-Su didn’t even want to imagine it. Even then, he still could maintain his composure, all thanks to his faith in Kang Jin-Ho.

With Kang Jin-Ho personally stepping up, how could they possibly fail? The thought didn’t even cross Lee Hyeon-Su’s mind.

Lee Hyeon-Su frowned slightly. “Now that we’re about to depart, I can feel my heartburn acting up again, sir. Even though I’ve been trying not to get too stressed about it, I guess my body is a lot more honest than I’d like.”

Kang Jin-Ho tutted softly. “Then stay and go on that vacation.”

“Eii~, I can’t do that. I’ll just take a couple of antacid tablets.”

“...Don’t be like that and stay.”

“I’ll be fine, sir.”

“I’m telling you, you can stay.”

“And I’m saying I’ll be fine, sir.”

The company boss was telling his subordinate to go on a vacation, yet said subordinate was refusing to do so. On the surface, at least, this relationship seemed like something all companies should strive to achieve. However, take a deeper look under the surface, and one would quickly realize what a rotten relationship this was.

Kang Jin-Ho groaned deeply, then headed to the departure terminal. He used the VIP section in the past, but for today, they chose the regular terminal just in case.

The immigration officer smiled at Kang Jin-Ho. “May I confirm your passport and ticket, sir?”

Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly took out his newly issued passport and handed it over. The officer confirmed that Kang Jin-Ho’s face matched the one on the passport photo, then checked the contents of the ticket before handing them back to Kang Jin-Ho.

“Thank you for your cooperation, sir. Please have a wonderful trip, Mister Kim Cheol-Su.”

Flinch!

Kang Jin-Ho flinched subtly while opening his passport. The name in it said... Kim Cheol-Su.

It wasn’t as if he found this name weird or anything like that. Even so, he still couldn’t help but be a little disappointed that the search for a nondescript name had resulted in something so... cliched.

“Fuph!”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly turned his head to look.

Lee Hyeon-Su was covering his mouth to stifle his laughter. But his eyes arching like a pair of new moons couldn’t be hidden, it seemed.

“Please don’t block the way, Mister Kim. Cheol. Su.”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho sighed under his breath before walking past the officer and into the terminal. Of course, his ultra-sharp hearing clearly heard the voices and sounds coming from behind him.

“Thank you for your cooperation, sir. Please have a wonderful trip, Mister Lee... Yeong-Hui?”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho looked behind him again. He could see Lee Hyeon-Su checking out his passport again, his eyes powerfully trembling.

When Lee Hyeon-Su finally raised his head again, he was met with Kang Jin-Ho’s snarky smirk.

“Let’s go, Mister Lee Yeong-Hui.”

“...”

...And with that, Cheol-Su and Yeong-Hui safely negotiated past the departure terminal.[1]

1. “Yeong-Hui/Hee” is a female name, hence the immigration officer’s confusion earlier. This gag is actually a riff on “Cheol-Su and Yeong-Hui” meme in South Korea. Both these names are jokingly referred to as the most common boys’ and girls’ names. Also, not to forget—surnames “Kim” and “Lee” are actually the most common surnames in Korea. ☜