Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1351. Escaping (1)

Click, clack!

Gun nozzles trained on Han Eun-Sol’s head and torso. He dared not move and froze still on the spot.

Usually in movies, people reflexively raised their hands when stuck in similar situations like this. But Han Eun-Sol was rapidly finding out that reacting was easier said than done. It felt like even a twitch of a finger would prompt these soldiers to pull the triggers.

It was already a minor miracle for him not to soil his pants.

“Are you Han Eun-Sol?”

One of the “soldiers” asked in broken Korean.

Despite all the shaking, Han Eun-Sol still somehow forced his head to nod slightly.

More soldiers rushed inside the hotel suite before surrounding Choi Yeon-Ha and pointing their guns at her next. She dazedly stared at them before chuckling hollowly.

“This... It can’t be a hidden camera prank or a film shoot, right?”

“...”

Should she be praised for having the guts to crack a joke in this situation? Or be questioned if she was of a sane mind? Han Eun-Sol couldn’t decide.

“Who are you people?!”

Judging from Choi Yeon-Ha’s tone, it seemed she should be questioned instead! She glared at the soldiers like a pissed-off cat.

“Are you Choi Yeon-Ha?”

“Who else can I be? Don’t you watch TV?”

“Target secured!”

One thing was certain at this point. This couldn’t be a hidden camera prank. Each and every one of these soldiers openly emitted hostility and hunger to kill someone. If they were all paid actors, Choi Yeon-Ha might as well quit acting altogether and start a convenience store or something!

A whole bunch of actors far better than her had shown up, so how could she motivate herself to keep going forward, in that case?

Choi Yeon-Ha growled again. “Who the hell are you people?”

“Don’t move!”

The nearest soldier to her issued a hushed yet audible threat.

Choi Yeon-Ha’s Chinese wasn’t all that great, but it was still good enough to understand what he said. She was rendered speechless and clamped her mouth shut.

“Unless you want a new breathing hole in your head, that is!”

Anger quickly filled Choi Yeon-Ha’s expression, but the remaining semblance of reasoning stopped her from throwing a hissy fit. It told her not to underestimate these soldiers.

A soldier stepped aside while still pointing his gun, then accessed the comm line. “We have secured both targets!”

—Standby.

“Roger.”

The gun nozzles still pointed resolutely and threateningly in the meantime.

Just what is going on this time...?!

Choi Yeon-Ha’s lips subtly but powerfully trembled.

People often accused her of being too fearless for her own good, but even someone as tough as her wouldn’t be able to maintain her composure in a situation like this. She tried her best not to show her agitation on the surface, but her knees kept buckling on their own. It was as if she’d crumple on the spot at any second now.

Her heart pounded away crazily, while all the thoughts in her head got into a messy tangle.

“What do you want from us... Ng?”

Just as Choi Yeon-Ha tried to say something, someone new walked in through the suite’s doorway. He was yet another soldier, but his countenance could only be described as icy. She could instantly tell that he was the commander of these soldiers.

The “commander” visually confirmed Han Eun-Sol and Choi Yeon-Ha before nodding. “Looks like this will be simpler than we thought. Good. Exfil the targets, now!”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldiers would obviously heed the orders issued, but Choi Yeon-Ha couldn’t do that.

“H-hold on! Why are you doing this?! What crime did we commit?”

The commander glanced briefly at Choi Yeon-Ha, but turned his head away in silence. It was as if he was not interested in humoring her. Instead, he picked up his walkie-talkie and barked out a new order.

“Secure our route. Ensure there are no witnesses in the surroundings.”

—Yes, sir! The route is... Hold on! Standby!

The commander’s cheeks twitched. “I need an accurate report! What happened?!”

—Sir! We have lost all contact with the second unit. Standby for confirmation!

The commander’s expression hardened to resemble an ice statue. The contact with the second unit was lost? Why?

—Unidentified combat units are entering the hotel! Their speed is inhuman! Do we engage? Orders, sir!

The commander groaned softly. “No, do not engage. Standby for further instructions.”

—Sir! On standby!

The commander glared at the doorway next. It was quite obvious who the unidentified units entering the hotel at inhuman speed were.

Clomp, clomp...!

Echoes of low but audible footsteps registered in everyone’s hearing. And then, another man leisurely stepped into the suite.

“...Huh?”

Choi Yeon-Ha let out a surprised gasp. She recognized that face. Didn’t she meet him during that awkward dinner...?

The commander let out a muffled grunt. “Cai Kechang.”

“Well, look at all the mess you’ve made,” said Cai Kechang, his withdrawn glare scanning the suite’s interior.

“Stand down, Cai Kechang.”

“Lower your guns first.”

“Stand down. I won’t repeat...”

“I said, lower. Your. Guns.”

The commander’s expression crumpled hideously. He raised his fist, prompting the soldiers to withdraw their rifles. However, they smartly rushed behind Cai Kechang to block the exit and re-point their guns at him instead.

The commander growled again. “And why are you here?”

“Are you dumb? Why ask the obvious?”

“This is our matter, Cai Kechang. You don’t have the qualifications to butt in.”

“Qualifications?”

Cai Kechang slowly pulled out a packet of cigarettes, then mouthed one. After lighting it up, he exhaled a thick waft of gray smoke, then growled at the soldier.

“It looks like you don’t know the sh*t you’ve just stepped in, so let me clue you in. These two are the Crimson King’s guests. Do you understand now? You’ve just stupidly pointed your weapons at my liege’s guests.”

The commander narrowed his eyes. “I’m in no mood for your jokes, Cai Kechang. This woman is Kang Jin-Ho’s...”

“So what?” Cai Kechang muttered, his glare still locked on the commander. “The one and only Crimson King has declared thus. You dare question his decision?”

“...!”

The commander shuddered in indignation. He was left with practically zero options left now that the Crimson King’s name had been brought up. That was the power of the Three Kings and their names in China, after all.

Cai Kechang continued to growl menacingly. “Did you honestly think we wouldn’t know why you were doing all this? Even if a dog causes problems at home, the house owner will brush it aside if he’s busy with something else. However, if the dog crosses the line, he will have no choice but to discipline it, regardless of how busy he is.”

The commander bit his lip. Even if it was just an analogy, being compared to a dog would never feel great. Ditto for the Crimson King’s faction being compared to the house owner.

“Now, get out of my sight. The Crimson King conveyed his wish to avoid shedding the blood of the fellow Chinese over a trifling matter like this. We’ve been turning a blind eye to your actions, but that story will have to change if you dare lay your hands on the Crimson King’s guests.”

“...”

“I won’t repeat myself.”

The commander gnashed his teeth. “What... What if we refuse?”

“Refuse, you say?”

A crooked grin floated up on Cai Kechang’s face. Even though he was supposed to be smiling, it still sent chills down everyone’s spine.

“Then you’ll have to fight us as enemies from that moment on.”

The commander shot back. “Even though you won’t have the leeway?”

“Then, try it,” Cai Kechang replied, his fangs bared. “So that I can teach you how stupid your actions are.”

The commander stopped talking and glared at Cai Kechang for a while. Eventually, though, he broke his silence with a slightly subdued tone. “Why is the Crimson King protecting that woman? Isn’t she some random wench from South Korea?”

“Don’t you dare think that you can guess the Crimson King’s intentions.”

“...”

“Oh, and one more thing. Even though people will stop at nothing to get what they want in the current era, the ones claiming to be running this country should not resort to such a cowardly tactic like this. The Crimson King is greatly disappointed and enraged by your cowardice.”

“You dare spew righteous bull like that to us?”

Cai Kechang nonchalantly shrugged, even as the commander glared murderously.

“As I’ve said, this is not my intention, but the Crimson King’s. I merely follow his will.”

“...”

“I’m not interested in shooting the breeze with you. Now, decide. Get out of here, or every one of you will die tonight.”

The commander furrowed his brow. But he knew he had no other choice. The involvement of the Crimson King alone was a good-enough reason to rethink this operation from the ground-up.

Even if he doggedly pushed ahead to achieve the operation’s goal, the odds of the situation not going in the desired direction had become incalculably high now.

The commander addressed the soldiers without taking his eyes off Cai Kechang. “We are withdrawing.”

Cai Kechang nodded. “A wise decision.”

“Men! We’re pulling out from all operation areas! Rendezvous at Point One, now!”

“Roger!”

The soldiers withdrew their guns and rushed outside the exit in an orderly fashion. However, just before the commander could leave too, Cai Kechang lightly shook his packet of cigarettes, took one out, and offered it to the soldier.

The commander silently glared at the cigarette before reaching out slowly and taking it.

Refusing to accept that cigarette here would have meant the commander wanted to continue this chat at another time. But the commander didn’t have enough balls to do that.

Click.

Cai Kechang used his lighter to light up the cigarette dangling between the commander’s lips.

The commander squeezed another question out. “Is the Crimson King protecting the Demon King?”

“Of course not,” Cai Kechang firmly shook his head. “The Demon King is still our enemy. That fact will not change. However, my liege believes one needs to be righteous and dignified when defeating his enemies.”

“I... don’t get it.”

“As I’ve said before, don’t you dare think you can fathom my liege’s intentions. A king like him is a dragon. A mere human like you will never fathom the depth of a dragon’s heart. The best you can do is guess and obey the dragon’s will.”

The commander’s brain kicked into a higher gear. What he gleaned from Cai Kechang’s statement was that, although the Crimson King did not protect the Demon King, the two of them had some kind of arrangement that tied them together.

That was not good news. If the negotiation fell through, and the catastrophe of Kang Jin-Ho slipping out of their fingers happened... The Crimson King might get wind of all of their plans.

That event must be prevented, no matter what!

The commander grimaced. “We’ll retreat. This time. However, don’t delude yourself into thinking that we are your obedient dogs.”

“Of course, I wouldn’t dare,” Cai Kechang casually replied. “How could I order around the lofty officers of the People’s Liberation Army? I’m not stupid enough to do that.”

It sounded like Cai Kechang was making fun of the commander.

He dropped the cigarette on the floor and stubbed it out before wordlessly exiting the hotel suite.

Once the commander was gone for good, Choi Yeon-Ha finally lost all strength in her legs and plopped down on the spot. She didn’t have enough energy to walk back to the sofa.

Cai Kechang turned around and addressed her and Han Eun-Sol. “My apologies for showing you something quite unsightly. Please forgive me for this oversight.”

Choi Yeon-Ha sucked in a deep breath. “Just... What was that? Who were those people?”

“There’s no need to worry, Miss Choi. You won’t run into them ever again, you see? In the name of the one I serve as well as myself, I give you my word.”

Cai Kechang subtly frowned. It seemed this situation had become somewhat complicated now.

The Crimson King promised that Choi Yeon-Ha would get all the contracts she wanted. Ordinary people might think he had fulfilled his promise after said contracts got signed and sealed, but not the Crimson King. That was not how he did things.

He’d be keeping his promise only when Choi Yeon-Ha had safely signed the contracts. That was the Crimson King’s opinion.

Unsurprisingly, the Crimson King was the type to stick to his word, even if that meant the end of the world. As such, Choi Yeon-Ha getting kidnapped or harmed by some forces in China was completely unacceptable.

It seemed Cai Kechang was about to cosplay as a bodyguard for a foreseeable future, something he never thought he’d do in his lifetime!

Choi Yeon-Ha looked straight at Cai Kechang. “Excuse me!”

“Miss, I suggest we leave this place right away. We should go someplace safe, then board a plane back to South Korea.”

“Sure. But I want to know if Mister Jin-Ho’s safe.”

“...!”

Cai Kechang barely managed to hide his surprise.

He was surprised by Choi Yeon-Ha’s wits that connected this situation to Kang Jin-Ho. And he was also surprised by the fact that she thought about Kang Jin-Ho’s safety first, not hers, despite having all those guns pointing at her head only a minute ago.

He replied honestly. “I do not know, miss.”

“But...?”

“However, in my honest opinion, I can’t imagine the Demon King finding himself in danger. Escaping this place as quickly as possible should be the best way to help him.”

Choi Yeon-Ha bit down on her lip, hard. Her thoughts were still a tangled mess, but her decision-making remained unaffected and fast.

“Got it. Show us the way, please. We’re leaving for Korea.”

“This way, please.”

While leading Choi Yeon-Ha and Han Eun-Sol out of the hotel, several thoughts flitted in and out of Cai Kechang’s mind.

For sure, this woman deserved to be the Demon King’s beloved. Not only was she gutsy, Choi Yeon-Ha was also decisive. Had she been a cultivator, she could’ve been a heroine.

But that didn’t matter right now. Something else was more urgent, at least in Cai Kechang’s opinion.

I need to figure out what’s going on here.

Even Cai Kechang was unsure about how this situation was unfolding. What if things were far worse than Cai Kechang had expected?

Then... Maybe even the Demon King will have a hard time surviving this ordeal.

Cai Kechang’s eyes became withdrawn.