Descent of the Demon Master-Chapter 1375. Returning (5)

—You stupid bastard!

Vator’s eardrum-rupturing roar exploded out of the tiny speaker on Wiggins’ phone. To think something so small could produce a noise this loud! Now that was a marvel of modern engineering, alright!

Wiggins hurriedly covered both his ears. Listening to this roar might really rupture his eardrums before long.

“Sir Vator, please calm down first.”

—Calm down?! How can I calm down?!

Vator wasn’t exactly known for his calm demeanor, of course.

Wiggins sighed deeply. He should thank his lucky stars that they were conversing over the phone. If this roar came directly from somewhere next to him...!

Never mind his eardrums rupturing, he would probably be dangling in the air, busy being shaken around by an irate giant!

—You should have told my master to head to Mongolia instead! I’m here on standby, aren’t I?! How could you be so damn stupid, Wiggins!?

“The situation didn’t warrant that course of action.”

—The situation did what now?

“You were on standby in case the Crimson King’s faction or the Azure King’s people tried to interfere. But that’s not what happened.”

—What does that matter?!

Wiggins sighed deeply again. He initially didn’t want to be so direct, but Vator seemed rather unwilling to listen right now.

“Do you think the Mongolian government can go against the Chinese government’s wishes?”

Unsurprisingly, no further replies came through the phone speaker. Wiggins grinned bitterly at that.

Of course it can’t fight against the Chinese government.

The Mongolian martial society would no doubt obey everything Vator said. After all, he was the Warrior of the Wild Plains, wasn’t he? A legendary figure among Mongolian martial artists, as a matter of fact. But that story didn’t apply to the Mongolian government.

What choice did it have but to cooperate with the super-massive global powerhouse next door? If Kang Jin-Ho had carelessly wandered into Mongolia, a situation of the Mongol martial artists clashing against their government could have unfolded in the blink of an eye.

Something like that must be avoided. Wiggins didn’t want to complicate this situation any further than it already had. And he doubly didn’t want to harm Vator in any shape or form, either.

—Did you think I wouldn’t be able to handle it?

“No, I know you’d be able to handle it just fine, Sir Vator. However, what about my lord? With his personality, do you think he’ll be the same as you?”

—Oh... Urgh!

“My lord isn’t a fool. He must’ve considered that possibility before making his decision. That’s why he probably wouldn’t have listened even if I told him to head to Mongolia. Besides, Chief Lee is accompanying him, isn’t he?”

—Bloody hell!

Noises of destruction raining down on innocent objects came out of the phone next.

Wiggins spat out yet another groan. Of course, he fully understood Vator’s sentiment, since he felt something similar right now. Even though they all knew Kang Jin-Ho was in grave danger, none of them could help him. This feeling of utter powerlessness was something he never wanted to experience again.

—Okay, so? Where did my master head off to?

“He’s currently en route to North Korea.”

—Where in North Korea?

“I’m sorry?”

—Some Mongolians are in North Korea. I can contact them. There must be something we can help my master with.

Wiggins let out a gasp of awe. Only a few seconds ago, Vator had half-lost his mind from sheer rage, yet here he was, having already regained his cool. Even Wiggins struggled to do that until reaching South Korea.

In moments like this... He certainly is an incredible man, isn’t he?

“North Korea shouldn’t pose too much danger to my lord, Sir Vator. If we haphazardly try something, it might alert the enemies to the fact that my lord is in North Korea instead.”

—Mm...

“Right now, we’re spreading as much smokescreen as possible. Which is making it look like my lord is still heading to Russia. If we buy a little bit of time like this, I’m sure my lord will do what’s necessary to get back home.”

—Got it. Then, I’ll return to South Korea as quickly as possible.

“I’m not sure if the Korean government will let you enter the country.”

—Doesn’t matter. Leaving Mongolia will be fine, but if they try to block me at the Korean airport, I’ll just escape.

“Understood.”

—I’m hanging up now.

The line went dead, and Wiggins spat out yet another deep sigh.

What a mess this was. Still, at least everyone was being reasonable. Rational, even, about this situation. However, if Kang Jin-Ho was harmed in some way?

Then, we might have an outbreak of war in this peninsula.

Wiggins lacked the requisite strength to stop Chang Min and Vator from rampaging around. It’d be a small mercy if their rage was directed at China instead, but... Considering their current behaviors, even a blind fool could tell that they would take their anger out on the Korean government.

If Wiggins did his best to pacify the two men, they might avoid the absolute worst outcome.

However, will I be able to maintain my motivation once my lord is no longer in the picture?

He was quite skeptical about it.

Wiggins slowly got up, his expression bitter.

My lord, you need to get out of this alive and unhurt!

Kang Jin-Ho’s death wouldn’t just end as his demise. It might even transcend the destruction of the Martial Assembly and become the trigger that brought down the precarious boundary separating the martial world and the surface world!

Wiggins anxiously stared at the satellite phone.

***

Chang Piljae breathlessly asked, “Isn’t this place way too barren?”

“...”

Lee Hyeon-Su didn’t reply and kept running forward.

“I’m telling you, it’s too barren here!”

“...”

“Isn’t this too different from what you told us earlier?”

“Mister Chang! Please shut up, okay?! Do you think we’re on a field trip?”

The sight of Chang Piljae pouting deeply forced a long groan to escape from Lee Hyeon-Su’s mouth.

I also didn’t know it’d be like this!

When he heard that they would be traversing North Korea’s wilderness, the image in his head was his group stealthily running through mountainsides covered in dense foliage. However, a problem immediately presented itself the moment they stepped foot inside North Korea.

Lee Hyeon-Su complained loudly. “What kind of mountains have no trees?!”

“That’s what I’ve been saying!” Chang Piljae retorted.

All they could see was a barren wilderness. Sure, truly remote mountainsides had some trees left, but any locations reachable by human feet had been stripped bare of foliage until the dark-red soil underneath was left exposed.

That forced the trio to seek out even more remote wilderness to avoid being seen. Which kept delaying them further and further.

Chang Piljae groaned. “I used to hear that the folks here still relied on traditional fireplaces and stoves. I guess they still do that even now.”

“Tsk...”

Lee Hyeon-Su frowned deeply.

Variables rearing their heads in the middle of an operation happened all the time. The important thing in such situations was staying calm and finding the best solution to...

Kang Jin-Ho muttered, “According to plan, huh?”

“...”

After throwing that line out there, Kang Jin-Ho continued to jog forward.

Lee Hyeon-Su groaned. Who knew Kang Jin-Ho could be so persistent?

Besides all that, why did he have to remind Lee Hyeon-Su of that now?

That was when Lee Hyeon-Su suddenly began struggling to control his breathing. It seemed getting distracted was at fault this time.

“Assembly Master, can we stop for a quick breather?”

“Mm.”

Kang Jin-Ho didn’t say anything else and stopped jogging.

Lee Hyeon-Su put his backpack down and took out a bottle of water before pushing it toward Kang Jin-Ho and Chang Piljae.

Kang Jin-Ho shook his head. “Don’t need it.”

“But I do! Please give me.”

Chang Piljae urgently received the water and gulped it down.

“Keuh-heeeeeuh!”

He reacted as if he drank a mug of refreshingly cold beer.

After putting the cap back on the bottle, Chang Piljae looked at Lee Hyeon-Su. “Just how much further are we supposed to go?”

“I think we still need another two days.”

“Two more days of running...?”

Chang Piljae sighed deeply.

As an NIS agent assigned to another country, he went through training regimes intense enough to be called torture and survived them all. He also tried his best to stay fit while living in China, just in case. Even then, their speed of running through these mountains was torturous enough to kill someone!

“Still too slow, though,” said Kang Jin-Ho while glancing at Chang Piljae. It was obvious from his expression that he found this situation rather unsatisfactory. “Why don’t I just carry him on my back?”

“No can do, sir,” said Lee Hyeon-Su resolutely. “We’re maintaining this speed for a reason. And that’s because we don’t know what variables will hinder us later. We need to preserve your stamina as much as possible.”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “In that case, wouldn’t it be better for us to get out of here as quickly as possible?”

“Sir, I would have agreed with you if our destination had been a safe zone.”

A bitter expression filled Lee Hyeon-Su’s face.

If breaking through North Korea and reaching South Korea could resolve everything, Lee Hyeon-Su would have unhesitantly offered the back of his neck to Kang Jin-Ho once more. However, their situation wasn’t like that.

As a matter of fact, the real trouble might only begin after reaching South Korea. Lee Hyeon-Su didn’t want to admit it, but this was their reality. Since that was the case, they should move as slowly as possible to maintain Kang Jin-Ho’s peak condition.

...Even if the man in question seemed to be dying a little inside from all the frustration!

“Besides all that,” Chang Piljae muttered while looking around. “Don’t you think there are too few people in this place?”

Lee Hyeon-Su casually shrugged. “South Koreans get lost and go missing all the time after leaving the city limits. Meaning, there are plenty of places still left untouched by humanity even in a country with a population density as high as South Korea. In that case, things must be more serious here. Fewer than half of South Korea’s population lives in a similarly sized land, after all.”

“Mm, yes, that’s true.” 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

“Also, many South Koreans enjoy camping and mountain climbing as a hobby, but here... Well...”

How many North Koreans would go camping when it’d not help with putting food on their tables? Besides, Kang Jin-Ho’s side could discover others first in a wilderness like this and avoid running into them altogether, anyway.

Chang Piljae frowned. “It’s a bit of a letdown, isn’t it?”

“I told you, didn’t I? That things wouldn’t unfold like you thought. Most of North Korea’s attention is focused on the DMZ between it and South Korea. If this place had such good security, the whole concept of northbound Korean spies wouldn’t even exist in the first place.”

Chang Piljae nodded in agreement. However...

“Still, we’re moving too slowly,” said Kang Jin-Ho while glancing at Lee Hyeon-Su. “We’re increasing our speed. Instead of two days, let’s make it in one.”

“But, sir...!”

“Nothing good will come from dragging our feet. It’s the middle of the night right now, so increasing our speed is possible, but we’ll inevitably slow down during the day. We need to cover as much ground as possible while it’s still dark.”

Lee Hyeon-Su stared unwillingly at Kang Jin-Ho before resigning himself and nodding away. “Understood, sir.”

However, before he could give up the back of his neck...

“Hold on.”

“Sorry?”

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes. “I was curious about something.”

“Yes, sir?”

“What you said earlier...”

“What I said earlier?”

“Yeah. The one about people in this place not going on camping trips.”

Lee Hyeon-Su tilted his head. “Oh, that? Yes, that should be true, sir.”

“How sure are you about it?”

“...Of course I don’t know much about North Korea, sir. I’m just guessing here, you know? If you listen to interviews given by the defectors, it sounded like the North didn’t have the concept of camping out for fun. However, people do come here to harvest wild mushrooms or to procure firewood.”

“Is that so?” Kang Jin-Ho leisurely got up. “That means our welcoming party has finally arrived.”

“...I’m sorry?”

“A large group is approaching us. And their number is considerable.”

Lee Hyeon-Su tilted his head. “But that doesn’t make any sense, though?”

No one knew they had entered North Korea. Not only did they avoid places with potential wiretaps and cameras, but they also studiously hid from the Chinese military’s surveillance, too. Since that was the case, how could the North Korean military prepare for Kang Jin-Ho’s incursion into their country?

“Sir, I...”

“They are martial artists, too.”

“...!”

Kang Jin-Ho smirked. “It looks like we’ve severely underestimated them. Or, there was something here we didn’t know about.”

Lee Hyeon-Su’s expression crumpled. However, before he could say something...

Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Lee Hyeon-Su. “Right. I knew things wouldn’t go according to plan.”

Lee Hyeon-Su’s jaw fell slightly. To think Kang Jin-Ho would bring that up now!

“You two, stay close.”

“Sir, what are you going to do?”

“Isn’t it obvious? We’re breaking through.”

Kang Jin-Ho pulled out a packet of cigarettes from his pocket, then mouthed a cigarette.

“Sir? Wouldn’t the light from the...”

“No point in hiding it. They already know we’re somewhere around here, anyway.”

Lee Hyeon-Su sighed deeply, then nodded.

Click!

Kang Jin-Ho lit up the cigarette with his lighter, then shoved his hand into subspace. After extracting the Crimson Destiny, he bared his fangs in a ferocious smirk.

“Change of plans. We’re heading to our destination as quickly as possible.”

Lee Hyeon-Su’s expression crumpled even more indescribably, then a resigned sigh left his lips. He weakly walked over to Chang Piljae next.

Chang Piljae tilted his head. “What’s wrong?”

“Come this way.”

“Huh?”

Lee Hyeon-Su reached out and held Chang Piljae tightly.

“Sir, we’re ready.”

Now it was Kang Jin-Ho’s turn to reach out. But his hand went for the back of Lee Hyeon-Su’s neck instead.

Since Lee Hyeon-Su had experienced this ordeal once before, all he could do now was squeeze his eyes shut and pray to the heavens above.

Please. Please! Don’t let my neck snap in half, please! I beg of you!

What a pitiful prayer that was.