Chapter 1346. Conferring (1)

Sizzle...

Lee Hyeon-Su’s cigarette burned rapidly. He sucked in a lungful of this unhealthy smoke, but for some reason, this sensation didn’t feel so great today.

I feel like crap in moments like this.

Lee Hyeon-Su was well aware of his limitations. Limitations as a not-really-martial-artist who couldn’t do much in a fight, that was.

In the past, he had zero issues with his limitations. His strength lay in something else, after all. Something that other martial artists did not possess.

As a matter of fact, he felt this vague satisfaction and a sense of superiority from ordering around people on the frontlines with simple gestures of his hands.

But that was in the past. Several recent events forced him to confront the reality of how lacking he actually was.

The reason? It was quite simple, really.

In the past, he was the brain of the Yeongnam Group. An indispensable one at that.

When adequately trained martial artists had to act together as a group, they needed strategies and a chain of command to guide them. A simple yet clear communication system and a commander who could consider the lay of the land and the rapidly changing situations would surely produce a desired outcome.

Lee Hyeon-Su was perfectly optimized for that purpose. But what about now? The current situation differed so much from back then.

Someone like the Assembly Master doesn’t need tactics and strategies.

Kang Jin-Ho was literally a one-man army. And the enemies he must fight also deserved the same label. Existences like the Crimson King and Kang Jin-Ho couldn’t be defined by conventional means. Making them conform with military strategies was impossible regardless of who the tactician was.

That meant Lee Hyeon-Su must suck on his thumb and do nothing in particular while waiting to hear from his boss.

He sucked in another deep puff of his cigarette.

Kang Jin-Ho told him to wait in the hotel, but Lee Hyeon-Su couldn’t let that happen. He argued until getting permission from his boss to come as far as the halfway point, but going any further would have been pushing his luck.

Besides, it’s all for self-satisfaction, anyway.

It didn’t matter whether he was standing here waiting or had elected to stay behind in the hotel. With his level of strength, there wasn’t a whole lot he could do to help, anyway.

But he was here just so that it felt like he, too, was shouldering some of the dangers.

Self loathing suddenly crept into his heart just then.

Lee Hyeon-Su sighed deeply before glancing at his wristwatch. By now, Kang Jin-Ho should have entered the safe house.

I’m sure nothing will happen, but...

Calling Lee Hyeon-Su’s faith in Kang Jin-Ho as absolute wouldn’t be an exaggeration at this point. But that didn’t mean he’d not get anxious in times like this.

This was China, a land where Lee Hyeon-Su didn’t have any powers to counter potential variables. That was why finishing up quickly and leaving would be the...

Just as his thoughts reached that far, Lee Hyeon-Su’s phone began vibrating in his pocket. While frowning deeply, he pulled his phone out.

Who could it be at this time of the day?

Kang Jin-Ho was not the type to call, even if something happened to him. Didn’t other directors dispatch Lee Hyeon-Su along as an emergency contact, just in case?

In that case, the caller must be someone else, but who would call him this late in the day?

“...

Eh

?”

Despite knowing that he must stay silent at all times, Lee Hyeon-Su let out a soft gasp in surprise. He then hurriedly answered the call.

“It’s me, master. What happened?”

The caller was Wiggins.

-Mister Lee! Where is my lord?

“He’s currently in the middle of the operation. Why? Is there a problem?”

-Yes! It seems this situation is not what it looks like on the surface. The Round Table contacted us, saying they have detected suspicious movements in Beijing.

“Sorry?”

-Hurry and escape from the area, now!

“W-wait a second! He’s...”

Clack!

Lee Hyeon-Su abruptly stopped talking mid-sentence. But that was because an unmistakable noise of a gun cocking came from right behind his ear.

-Mister Lee! Are you listening?

“...”

Lee Hyeon-Su wordlessly ended the call before dropping the phone on the ground. And then, he placed his hands behind his head and knelt down on the spot.

“At least you’re quick on the uptake, amateur.”

Lee Hyeon-Su grimaced.

Son of a b*tch!

***

Several people were waiting for Kang Jin-Ho inside this well-lit room.

That was not the unexpected part, of course. Kang Jin-Ho had already perceived that much before coming here, after all.

However, even though his perception was correct, the sight he could see right now was still not what he had been expecting to see.

First of all, a man was kneeling in the middle of the room. Another man was reclining relaxedly on a couch behind him with a glass of liquor in his hand. As for the rest, they were obviously guarding the man with the liquor.

So, what was so bizarre about this situation? It was the kneeling man. His face was oddly familiar to Kang Jin-Ho.

As a matter of fact, that face was something Kang Jin-Ho had seen several times through photos. Although, this would be his first time seeing that face in person.

Isn’t that Rhee Gi-Kwang?

Kang Jin-Ho’s target, North Korea’s true wielder of power who dreamed of usurping the crown through a coup d’état... was kneeling on the floor, his eyes squeezed shut. He cut a rather pitiful figure at this moment in time.

“

Oh

, hello there. Welcome.”

When he heard that greeting, Kang Jin-Ho looked away from Rhee Gi-Kwang and at the man sitting on the couch.

Clang...

The man finished his drink, causing the ice cubes inside the empty class to clang noisily. He put the glass down on the nearby table before filling it back up with a bottle of expensive liquor.

He then pushed his glass aside.

The man asked Kang Jin-Ho, “On the rocks? Or straight?”

“...”

“In my estimation, you must prefer straight.”

The man filled a distinctive slender glass with the liquor. When he put that glass down, one of the guards picked it up and brought it to Kang Jin-Ho.

Kang Jin-Ho remained silent as he accepted the glass.

The man on the couch spoke again. “My apologies for surprising you like this. For now, I recommend sharing a simple drink with us. That will do wonders in lessening the tension in the room. Oh, and I’m not stupid enough to poison your...”

Kang Jin-Ho didn’t bother to listen to the rest and one-shotted the drink, then gave the empty glass back to the waiting guard.

“...Quite a bold person, I see,” the man muttered, a bright smile on his face. “I know this situation seems strange. All I can ask for is your understanding at this time, sir. We have our own unfortunate circumstances to consider, you see?”

Kang Jin-Ho furrowed his brow while still remaining silent.

“Then again, you also have circumstances of your own. Isn’t that right, Sir Kang Jin-Ho?”

Waiting around for someone meant they knew their guest would arrive soon. In other words, they knew Kang Jin-Ho would be here.

Kang Jin-Ho shifted his gaze back to Rhee Gi-Kwang.

“

Oh

, him?”

The man on the couch chuckled while lightly kicking Rhee Ki-Gwang.

“This is a present we’ve prepared for you, sir. We initially thought about chopping him up into pieces, but we also figured you’d prefer to do that yourself.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled slightly. It seemed that whoever this man was... He wanted to demonstrate that he had calculated everything already.

The man on the couch sat up. “Allow me to introduce myself first. I am...”

Kang Jin-Ho abruptly broke his silence. “Chair.”

“...! Bring him a chair. Hurry.”

A guard moved quickly as soon as the order was issued and brought a chair. Kang Jin-Ho watched this scene unfold, then perched himself on the chair before relaxedly crossing his legs.

“You’re indeed rather handsome in real life,” the man chuckled again, then shouted at the guards. “What are you all doing! Bring him his ashtray already! He just wasted a perfectly good cigarette for no reason!”

The guards, who must’ve been soldiers, hurriedly found an ashtray and placed it before Kang Jin-Ho.

“It feels like you’re laying out the red carpet for me,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“Of course, sir. We must be as hospitable as possible.”

Kang Jin-Ho silently studied the man on the couch. He looked fairly old, but too young to be called an old man. It was also a bit uncertain to say his age was somewhere around forty. The truth must be somewhere in-between.

Nothing about his facial features seemed to stand out, other than hints of stubbornness given off by his sharp eyes.

But he wasn’t a martial artist.

Kang Jin-Ho took out a new cigarette and mouthed it before lighting it up.

The soldiers guarding this person were definitely martial artists, but their “boss” wasn’t. Not in the same way as Cai Kechang or Lee Hyeon-Su as not having the requisite strength to call themselves bona fide martial artists; this man really was an ordinary person.

“Allow me to introduce myself, sir. My name is Chen Hui, and I’m affiliated with the People’s Republic of China’s Central Military Commission. As for my rank... Well, that’s not really necessary here, is it? I’m sure you wouldn’t know or care even if I told you.”

Kang Jin-Ho leisurely smoked away while listening and analyzing. This man’s rank within the Central Military Commission was unknown, yes, but one thing seemed certain at this point.

Chen Hui’s guts were something else, alright.

Even though Kang Jin-Ho hadn’t unleashed his killing intent, an ordinary person should still find it incredibly difficult to behave so glibly in front of him like this. Humans instinctively understood the difference in “class” of people they met, after all.

Since Chen Hui remained unfazed even in Kang Jin-Ho’s presence, he must’ve survived various hellish events, giving him enough confidence to face pretty much anything coming his way. Which meant...

Kang Jin-Ho lazily exhaled the cigarette smoke and glanced at Chen Hui.

“Let’s cut to the chase.”

“As I’ve heard, you’re direct, sir. But I also prefer a discussion like that,” Chen Hui nodded, then stared at Rhee Ki-Gwang. “How would you like this one handled, sir? Should we wrap him up for you?”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “Wrap up?”

“Yes, sir. I thought you would need proof of his death. If you wish to secure something like that after our discussion ends favorably, wrapping one of his body parts up ahead of time might save us the...”

“What if our discussion does not end favorably?”

“Well, it can’t be helped, then. But this man cannot walk out of here alive. He has seen you and me, after all,” Chen Hui chuckled while patting Rhee Ki-Gwang on the shoulder. “Since he had done some useful things for us, I would have loved to let him go, but... One can’t always have his way while working for his country, no?”

Kang Jin-Ho’s lips slowly curled up. “I don’t care if you run your mouth as much as you want, but...”

“...Yes, sir?”

“I’m not the type to warn you whenever you cross lines that shouldn’t be crossed.”

“...”

Chen Hui’s face stiffened for a brief moment. Then, he raised both of his hands high up in the air as a gesture of unconditional surrender.

“

Ah

, my apologies, sir. It seems I went overboard with my jokes in my attempt to lighten the mood. Please forgive me.”

Kang Jin-Ho shifted his gaze away from Chen Hui and stared at Rhee Ki-Gwang again. The North Korean had his eyes closed, seemingly in resignation, but his pale face amply conveyed what his sentiments must’ve been like.

What a laughable situation this was.

The South Korean government and the Martial Assembly risked everything to kill Rhee Ki-Gwang. Kang Jin-Ho entering China personally proved their commitment to this operation, didn’t it?

But Chen Hui over there seemed to view Rhee Gi-Kwang as some pawn he could dispose of at any time he wanted.

However, that is the truth, isn’t it?

Kang Jin-Ho broke the silence first. “Didn’t you invest heavily into this guy? In that case, is it okay for you to kill him?”

“Oh, that... Investment or whatever, that doesn’t matter, sir. I’m sure you’re worried about that possible coup d’état, aren’t you?”

“...”

“That problem isn’t as complicated as you think, sir. Are you worried about the North Korean bastards complaining about this man’s death if we off him here?”

No, they wouldn’t whine at all. In fact, the North Korean leadership would bow their heads deeply in gratitude for solving their existential crisis.

When Kang Jin-Ho thought about it, wasn’t this like a move in

Go

called

hanami ko

from the perspective of the Chinese government? Letting Rhee Ki-Gwang live and allowing the coup d’état to go ahead meant China would get to devour North Korea whole. But killing him here now would translate into China exercising even more influence than now.[1]

Both options were pretty good. Neither was demonstrably worse than the other.

“This is why having power is great, don’t you agree, sir?”

Kang Jin-Ho smirked to respond to Chen Hui’s smirk.

Although this conversation wasn’t exactly riveting to behold, it still proved that Chen Hui’s way of viewing things was similar to Kang Jin-Ho’s.

“Then...” Kang Jin-Ho leaned against the chair while puffing away at his cigarette. “Making Rhee Ki-Gwang come here was a bait to draw me in?”

“No, sir. It isn’t a bait. Rather, it’s more correct to say he’s our present to you. Yes, a present.”

Technically speaking, a bait was also a present. Except that one would have to contend with the fishhook first in order to enjoy the present.

“Is that right?”

The corners of Kang Jin-Ho’s lips curled up.

This was getting interesting. Such an interesting situation hadn’t happened in a long while for Kang Jin-Ho.

“Then, I’m all ears. Tell me why you were waiting for me in this safe house.”

“Of course, sir. Thank you for this chance. I was...”

“However...!”

Kang Jin-Ho grabbed his cigarette and stubbed it in the ashtray.

“If you fail to amuse me with your story, you shall pay the corresponding price.”

The crushed cigarette gradually lost its light.

Chen Hui stared at that cigarette in silence before a bright smile spread across his face.

“I give you my word, sir. You will be entertained by what I have to say. Definitely.”

1.

Hanami ko

is a Japanese term describing a move in Go that is an unilaterally favorable

ko fight

. It literally means flower-viewing. Winning this fight will inflict major damage on the opponent, but losing will result in only a negligible loss for your side. ☜