Chapter 1353. Escaping (3)

“Sir? The Crimson King will really do that?”

Lee Hyeon-Su pondered a bit more, but eventually nodded after agreeing with Kang Jin-Ho’s assessment.

For sure, the Crimson King wouldn’t sit idly by while someone he promised to help was in some kind of danger.

After all, wasn’t the Crimson King an extreme show-off?

Kang Jin-Ho could sometimes be full of hot air, but he still paled in comparison to the Crimson King. That man truly embodied the idea of “being full of hot air!” It was just that he also had the power to turn all that “hot air” into reality.

“But, sir? How could he protect Miss Choi without knowing she’s in danger?”

“Don’t worry, he will know. His agents were camping out all around us, after all,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“I’m sorry?” Lee Hyeon-Su blinked his eyes in surprise.

“Didn’t you notice all those agents spreading out like a spider web around us?”

“...Of course I wouldn’t notice that.”

Expecting Lee Hyeon-Su to notice something like that was rather unfair, now wasn’t it?

“Yeah... That’s right,” Kang Jin-Ho tutted and stared at Lee Hyeon-Su in slight disappointment.

Of course, Lee Hyeon-Su was deeply aggrieved right now. A frog like him being criticized for not knowing how to fly by an eagle—which was Kang Jin-Ho, in this case—made no sense, not to mention how patently unfair it was, too!

“Okay, so... Since the Crimson King’s agents are all over the area, they’ll respond right away if Miss Choi is in danger? Is that right, sir?”

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. “Yeah. If they detect suspicious movements before that, a high-ranking member of the faction will make a move, too.”

Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled hollowly. Did Kang Jin-Ho calculate all this before coming to China?

In moments like this, Lee Hyeon-Su had to wonder if Kang Jin-Ho really needed him.

Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head. “But now, how are we supposed to get out of here?”

Nope, he definitely needed Lee Hyeon-Su.

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “

Mm

? Why are you looking at me like that, Chief Lee?”

“It’s... nothing, sir. Just the case of a slight over- and underestimation, that’s all. But it’s over now.”

“

Huh

?”

The safest evaluation should be... Kang Jin-Ho was totally harmless most of the time, but could become extraordinarily sharp once every blue moon!

Well, at least things will get easier for us, then,

Lee Hyeon-Su thought, knowing that this situation had improved a lot by not having to worry about Choi Yeon-Ha’s rescue. But that “a lot” was still no better than them taking a half-step away from the absolute-worst.

Lee Hyeon-Su’s expression stiffened as he scanned the outside of the safe house. Although his thoughts remained a mess, he still knew that staying here for too long was not a good idea. The enemy’s encirclement would only get tighter the longer they stayed here, after all.

Lee Hyeon-Su stared gravely at Kang Jin-Ho. “Sir, I’ve thought about this, and...”

“

Mm

?”

“There’s no other option than just forcibly breaking through.”

Kang Jin-Ho stared back at Lee Hyeon-Su. Judging from his expression, he was even less impressed now!

“But, sir...!” Lee Hyeon-Su pouted and tried to defend his dignity. “I’m not Zhuge Liang, you know? How can I think of a way to escape from a foreign country on the spot?”

Kang Jin-Ho tutted. “Since things have come to this, there’s something I gotta ask you about.”

“Yes, sir?”

“Why did you insist on following me here?”

“...”

Lee Hyeon-Su was rendered completely speechless just then. Even he had to admit that Kang Jin-Ho’s escape would’ve been at least 100% easier had Lee Hyeon-Su not tagged along!

Lee Hyeon-Su sourly retorted. “You can always leave me behind, you know?”

“Yeah, I know. I was thinking about it.”

“Seriously?!”

“...”

Kang Jin-Ho groaned deeply. This was why he told Lee Hyeon-Su to stay put in Korea. Why did he have to tag along and exacerbate the problem? Kang Jin-Ho inwardly swore to never bring Lee Hyeon-Su along on another adventure ever again.

“Well, I’m sure it’ll work out somehow,” said Kang Jin-Ho.

“That’s been our story all along, sir. I guess we made the right call by sending our guys back home earlier.”

Actually, what happened was that the group accompanying Kang Jin-Ho and Lee Hyeon-Su, which had been stashed in the background, got sent home earlier in the day after it became clear they had zero uses this time.

Since the Crimson King’s faction knew they were here, it seemed meaningless to have them in hiding. What was the point of keeping them around when their hotel fee was not cheap? After thinking that way, Lee Hyeon-Su decided to send them back home.

Of course, the group would’ve bitterly argued that they were staying in a

hostel

, not a hotel, if they learned of Lee Hyeon-Su’s thought process, but so what? Lee Hyeon-Su wasn’t the type to care, anyway!

Kang Jin-Ho cocked his head to the side. “That means we’re the last to leave, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, sir. Leaving shouldn’t be hard, though.”

Lee Hyeon-Su chuckled softly. Indeed, it

really

shouldn’t be hard, no?

Of course, he was being sarcastic. After all, they were facing China’s People’s Liberation Army, weren’t they? It was blindingly obvious what the situation outside the safe house must look like. These soldiers must be hell-bent on silencing Kang Jin-Ho and Lee Hyeon-Su to ensure that the details of their plan would never reach the Crimson King’s ears.

Compared to an army outside, there were only two people here, namely Kang Jin-Ho and Lee Hyeon-Su. Worse still, Lee Hyeon-Su was more like a burden, not a combatant.

“

Ah

. Hold on for a sec,” said Kang Jin-Ho before walking toward Rhee Ki-Gwang. He then grabbed the top of the North Korean’s head with one hand.

He stayed like that for a little while before finally releasing Rhee Ki-Gwang’s head.

“Sir? What did you do?”

“Just in case,” Kang Jin-Ho shrugged and pointed at Rhee Ki-Gwang with his chin. “Now he will never wake up from his stupor.”

“Good call, sir. He was a bad guy, after all.”

Rhee Ki-Gwang deserved to be called a bastard who leeched off on the lifeblood of his people, so that seemed like a fitting end to his story.

With that, things that required a mop-up in this place got more or less mopped up. The only thing remaining was escaping from here.

Lee Hyeon-Su’s complexion changed just then. No matter how hard he thought about this, there was only one realistic way out of here.

“Sir?”

“Yeah? What is it?”

“Please leave me behind.”

“...”

“I’m not kidding this time, sir,” said Lee Hyeon-Su, his tone firm. “Mister Wiggins should be on standby at the coordinates from the last time. Try to contact him while heading there. Even if you don’t speak to him, just head to this location on the map.”

Lee Hyeon-Su took out his phone and accessed the map. A single read dot could be seen blinking away on this unfamiliar-yet-familiar map of China.

“You should be able to escape China with Mister Wiggins, then.”

Kang Jin-Ho scanned the map, then subtly raised his head to stare at Lee Hyeon-Su and his determination-filled face.

“You know I will never divulge the Assembly’s information. But, uh, I don’t have the guts to withstand their torture methods, so... Please just kill me now before you leave, sir. As painlessly as possible, of course.”

“...Kill you?” Kang Jin-Ho replied in dismay. “Really now?”

“Yes, really. I won’t deny that a part of me wanted to sound cool just now, but I am dead serious about this, sir. Instead of getting captured and tortured within an inch of my life, I’d rather die right here.”

Kang Jin-Ho mouthed a cigarette and lit it up before smirking softly. “Is it really necessary to be so serious about this situation?”

“But, sir. Enemies must have this place surrounded on all sides.”

“Yeah, sure. Nothing new there.”

It seemed Kang Jin-Ho’s take on this situation differed somewhat from Lee Hyeon-Su’s take.

Lee Hyeon-Su should be right about the safe house’s surroundings teeming with the enemy combatants. And they should also be razor-focused on killing Kang Jin-Ho, no matter what.

This situation looked totally hopeless, at least on the surface, but Kang Jin-Ho seemed to have other ideas about it.

Kang Jin-Ho scanned Lee Hyeon-Su from top to bottom, then said, “You now have a difficult decision to make.”

“Yes, I understand, sir. Just kill me here. Please make it quick, though.”

“...Do you think we’re filming a movie here?”

“I’m sorry?”

“I’m not a big fan of the noir genre, myself,” Kang Jin-Ho leisurely puffed out a cloud of cigarette smoke, then asked in a rather disinterested voice. “So, choose. You want me to carry you or grab you?”

Lee Hyeon-Su tilted his head. “I,

uh

, I don’t follow?”

“You’re not fast enough. So, I’ll have to either carry you on my back or drag you around by the scruff of your neck. And I’m letting you choose.”

“I thought you were leaving me behind?”

“Well, sure. If things get dicey enough, I’ll do exactly that, but this situation doesn’t seem that dire to me.”

Lee Hyeon-Su’s face crumpled ever so slightly. Kang Jin-Ho could even see hints of moisture filling up Lee Hyeon-Su’s eyes.

But that only made Kang Jin-Ho tut softly.

Then again, how would Lee Hyeon-Su know? After all, most people thought Kang Jin-Ho’s specialty was fighting and his boundless knowledge of martial arts. But the truth was... There was one more thing he was extremely good at: fleeing.

During his second life as a denizen of

Zhongyuan

, Kang Jin-Ho got branded as the public enemy number one after his scuffle with the orthodox faction people snowballed out of control. Thanks to this event, he ended up fleeing from the Shandong Peninsula to the demon cult’s territory while breaking through the orthodox faction’s dragnets.

The thing was, though, Kang Jin-Ho’s strength back then was only around Yi Myeong-Hwan’s current level of strength. Yet he still managed to slip past the encirclement manned by countless experts several times stronger than him.

In a way, this achievement should be seen as even more significant than becoming the demon cult’s leader. While every generation would produce a new cult leader, escaping such an encirclement with his measly strength might happen only once in centuries, after all!

Long story short, it meant this level of encirclement was nothing to Kang Jin-Ho.

“Thank you so much for caring about me, sir,” said Lee Hyeon-Su, his expression more determined than ever. “However, my story must end here. Please, hurry and escape, sir! I’ll serve you until the end of my...”

Grab!

Kang Jin-Ho wasted no more time and grabbed the back of Lee Hyeon-Su’s neck.

“I’ll be honest. I don’t want to carry you on my back, so this is how it’s gonna be.”

“I,

uh

... Sir?”

“You better clench your teeth, though. Or you might bite your tongue off.”

“

Eh

?

Ehhhh

??”

Kang Jin-Ho broke into a full-on sprint without warning, then powerfully kicked the nearest window of the safe house.

KA-BOOM!

The bulletproof glass exploding sounded noticeably different from the regular glass breaking to Lee Hyeon-Su’s hearing. After blowing apart the thick bulletproof glass, Kang Jin-Ho threw himself outside the house with the same unstoppable momentum.

“

Hiiieeeek

?!”

𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Lee Hyeon-Su freaked out. This was insane. If they leaped out of the house like this...!

“Fire!”

...Of course that would happen!

Almost at the same time the two of them left the house, a loud cacophony of noises akin to corn kennels popping rocked the surroundings. Lee Hyeon-Su knew what those noises signified, so he squeezed his eyes shut and prayed for the best.

Whooooooosh!

However, what he should have been worried about was not the hail of bullets, but something else!

Kang Jin-Ho’s burst of acceleration was so incredible that Lee Hyeon-Su momentarily felt his body stretching like noodles. Not only that, but all the blood in his body rushed toward his feet, too! His consciousness instantly faded after blood rushed out of his brain, but it thankfully returned soon afterward.

Dammit! I’ll die from the lack of oxygen to my brain first at this rate!

Lee Hyeon-Su urgently gathered his meager internal energy before shoving them all to his head. He had to protect his brain if he wanted to stay conscious during this escape attempt.

Now that he could remain

more

conscious, the passing scenery finally registered in his brain.

Holy sh*t, that’s incredible!

Lee Hyeon-Su couldn’t even estimate how quickly they were moving. Of course, he must’ve traveled faster than this before. For instance, no matter how quick Kang Jin-Ho was, he couldn’t be faster than a moving plane, no?

But a bloody plane can’t fly between trees in a dense forest, right?! Bloody hell!

Lee Hyeon-Su couldn’t even make out the shapes of trees brushing past them. By the time he recognized the shape of something, it was already in the far-off distance before disappearing completely from his view.

The world quickly lost its three-dimensional qualities and began stretching out like the distant stars during warp speed.

Holy sh*t, I might throw up at this rate!

Every time Kang Jin-Ho changed his direction, it felt like Lee Hyeon-Su’s organs got slammed into one side before slamming back to the other side. And that happened repeatedly, too!

Spend one minute gripped in Kang Jin-Ho’s hand, just one, and even the most dedicated rollercoaster lovers would start begging for mercy. Heck, they might even turn to black magic and summon their deceased great-great-grandparents to help them beg, too!

After all, that’s what I feel like doing right now!

“Stop, or I’ll...”

Kang Jin-Ho didn’t slow down and kicked a gun-toting man in his path at full speed.

KA-BOOM!

He kicked a person, yet the noise it produced sounded like a train hitting a stationary car instead. The corpse of the gun-toting man, dead from that one strike, quite literally got flung in the air, spun around several times before crashing back down to earth.

Was that dude insane or what?

Lee Hyeon-Su tutted inwardly. Even kindergartners knew that one must never stand in front of an oncoming car. So, with what guts did that man try to stop Kang Jin-Ho with his own body? Who was arguably scarier than a speeding vehicle?

As it turned out, though, China was rather

well

-

stocked

with such insane people.

“Above you!” Lee Hyeon-Su cried out in alarm.

Dagger-wielding special forces members leaped down from the dense forest canopy and made a straight beeline toward Kang Jin-Ho.

Kang Jin-Ho used his right hand, which wasn’t holding Lee Hyeon-Su, to dig into his subspace and yank out the Crimson Destiny. And then, he slashed the air above him dozens of times in the blink of an eye without slowing down.

SPLAAAASH!

Bits and pieces of dead bodies scattered in the air, but none of the scattering blood touched Kang Jin-Ho. He maintained his extraordinary speed, his eyes dyeing in the distinct crimson hue.

Lee Hyeon-Su glanced to his side before gritting his teeth after noticing a cruel smirk etched on Kang Jin-Ho’s face. He then hurriedly yanked out his phone.

“Sir! To the left! Left! Wait! That’s the wrong way, sir! Leeeeft!”

“Yes, I heard you.”

“T-then, why are you going the wrong way, sir?! Are we going to Mongolia instead?!”

“

Hah

...”

Kang Jin-Ho groaned and abruptly stopped running.

“S-sir, wait...

Urgh

,

uweeeeeeggghhh

!”

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly and let go of the back of Lee Hyeon-Su’s neck. He even sneakily stepped away, too.

However, when Lee Hyeon-Su finished emptying out the contents of his stomach and looked away from his mess, Kang Jin-Ho grabbed the back of his subordinate’s neck again.

“Hold on tight, okay?”

Hold on tight? To what?

Even before Lee Hyeon-Su could ask, his body became airborne again when Kang Jin-Ho broke into a full-on sprint in the other direction.

You... you could’ve just left me behind, you know? Sir?

That way, Lee Hyeon-Su could’ve at least died with some dignity left!