Chapter 590. Raid (5)

Chapter 590. Raid (5)

Lee Hyeon-Su dazedly stared at Kang Jin-Ho entering his office.

“Mister Jin-Ho, you... You look rather refreshed for some reason?”

Kang Jin-Ho casually shrugged. “I was getting some warm-up exercise just now.”

“Uhm, is that blood on your clothes?”

“It's not mine. Don't worry about it.”

Lee Hyeon-Su decided he should just shut up now.

'Of course that can't be your blood, Mister Jin-Ho! Even so, since there's blood, it means someone was bleeding, right? In that case, you shouldn't casually brush it aside, you know!?'

There were so, so many things Lee Hyeon-Su wanted to say now. Actually, he always had lots of things he wanted to get off his chest.

However, if he said out loud what's in his heart but still couldn't change the situation at all... What good would that be, other than creating empty echoes in the air?

“...Did you beat them up badly?”

Kang Jin-Ho didn't seem perturbed as he dismissively waved his hand. “No. They are still in one piece. By evening, they should have recovered perfectly.”

“That's good to hear, sir. It will be a problem if people we need to deploy are gravely injured.”

The light in Kang Jin-Ho's eyes flickered just then. Deploy, was it?

Didn't that mean the time to mobilize the new combat force was around the corner?

“I see. What about the preparations?”

Lee Hyeon-Su slowly nodded. “Everything is ready. Those who are taking part... They are all in their places.”

Kang Jin-Ho studied Lee Hyeon-Su with unreadable eyes.

'I knew it. They are similar.'

Azure Demon back in ancient Zhongyuan also operated this way. He'd continue giving off hints of getting things ready, and then... When the time came, he'd suddenly get the ball rolling. Things would be put in motion even before Kang Jin-Ho had a chance to catch up!

Back then, he wasn't really dissatisfied by that. However, the same story didn't apply now. He had zero desire to be kept in the dark.

Kang Jin-Ho narrowed his eyes. “Explain properly.”

“Here it is,” Lee Hyeon-Su immediately pulled out a ledger from one of his desk drawers. It seemed he was also not interested in keeping Kang Jin-Ho in the dark and simply telling him what to do, either.

“What is this?”

“It's a list of names, Mister Jin-Ho.”

“A list, is it?”

“If I'm being technical... Well, it's a kill list.”

Kang Jin-Ho smirked a little at the chilling connotation behind that name. “I see. You did something amusing, then.”

“I'll take that as a compliment,” Lee Hyeon-Su smiled back to respond to Kang Jin-Ho's smirk.

“When did you compile this?” Kang Jin-Ho asked while picking up the ledger.

“Of course, from the very beginning,” said Lee Hyeon-Su as if he was stating the obvious. “I do not trust people, Mister Jin-Ho. Let me clarify that. I do trust people, but I will never believe that humans will be kind and behave themselves. Those who believe their toys have been taken from them? They will not accept that. They will be sharpening their knives for a chance to take everything back.”

“Oh? So, you've been monitoring them all this time? Until they made a move?”

“No,” Lee Hyeon-Su wagged his finger. “There's no point in constantly monitoring them. Doing so means I need to keep an eye out for all the malcontents, even those who might not cause a problem after all. I'm not a fan of an... obese organization, Mister Jin-Ho. I believe in cutting out excess fat whenever necessary to keep the remainder as fresh and invigorating as possible. The only solution for rotten flesh... is to gouge it out.”

“I see. So, you've prepared a bait."

“Yes, just a small thing. The only way to get those heavy-arsed old folks moving is to nudge them in the sides, after all.”

Kang Jin-Ho chuckled hollowly. “You still haven't fixed that bad habit of yours, then?”

Lee Hyeon-Su smirked. “Well, if you want, I can always transform into a righteous and kind young man. It is the duty of the underlings to suit their superior's tastes, after all. However... Do you honestly want that, Mister Jin-Ho?”

“Of course not,” Kang Jin-Ho firmly shook his head.

As long as he had confirmation about one's loyalty, he'd prefer villains as his allies.

Righteous allies would only make things more tiresome than necessary. However, allies who would stop at nothing to achieve their goals could smooth out the path ahead. As long as they were appropriately reined in, of course.

...Just like now.

Kang Jin-Ho's tongue snaked out to lick his lips. Lee Hyeon-Su reflexively shuddered at this sight. Those who hadn't witnessed it with their own eyes would never understand. They wouldn't know how creepy and scary Kang Jin-Ho's expression could get in moments like this!

'It's so weird, isn't it?'

Out of every person Lee Hyeon-Su encountered in his life, he could definitely point to Kang Jin-Ho as the craziest of the lot. Not even the Fallen was as insane as Kang Jin-Ho... At least, that was the impression Lee Hyeon-Su got.

Well, at the very least, the Fallen was clearly insane, which made him less of a monster compared to Kang Jin-Ho, who casually moved between living an ordinary life and walking an inhuman path.

Without a doubt, Kang Jin-Ho thirsted for blood. Even then, he was making preparations to help orphans on the surface world. Neither side was an act. And he wasn't doing either of it with malicious intentions.

And that sent creepy chills down Lee Hyeon-Su's spine.

“Mister Jin-Ho?”

Kang Jin-Ho glanced back at Lee Hyeon-Su.

“This event will probably act as a fuse.”

“A fuse?”

“Yes. Once we deal with this situation, everything requiring our attention in South Korea will be over. And there will be nothing else left to do. Historically, whenever internal stability has been achieved, organizations usually start looking outward to expand. I'm sure our neighboring nations are aware of this.”

“Hmm...”

“Once we complete our reorganization, outside forces wishing to destroy us will make their moves. And in a far more vicious and forceful way, too. Nothing can stop this flow of events, Mister Jin-Ho.”

Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly nodded.

Lee Hyeon-Su continued to speak. “I'm glad that you understand the...”

“You know, smart people tend to utter something idiotic every once in a while.”

“...I beg your pardon?”

Kang Jin-Ho leisurely mouthed a cigarette and puffed away before clarifying himself. “If you still have the mental leeway to worry about the future, don't bother. Instead, you'd do well to focus on dealing with the current set of issues first. Looking too far ahead at the bigger picture will make you miss the small details.”

“I see. I'll definitely remember that,” said Lee Hyeon-Su.

Kang Jin-Ho leisurely got up. “Then... I'm popping outside for some fresh air. Since we have some time left and all.”

“Of course.”

“Oh, and...”

“Yes?” Lee Hyeon-Su tilted his head.

Kang Jin-Ho sheepishly scratched his cheek. “You need to keep your eyes peeled.”

“...I don't follow?”

“I had no idea things would move this fast while inciting them, you see? I figured they would become even more useful in a few days after they got to vent their steam a bit. My bad. I didn't expect the event to go down tonight.”

Lee Hyeon-Su's expression froze. Of course he knew who Kang Jin-Ho was referring to when he said 'they'. Without a doubt, they had to be the demonic cultivators he utterly crushed not too long ago!

'I need to keep my eyes open?'

Kang Jin-Ho wasn't the type to hand out warnings like that. He didn't even say such a thing before fighting Vator, either! So, for him to say that now...

“I had no idea we'd get to unleash a pack of crazed hounds, you see? They will be... very unruly, so try to stay on top of them, okay? If I'm around, things should be okay, but in places where I'm not... You might get a lesson on why allies can sometimes be more scary than enemies.”

“...Please make sure they don't stray, Mister Jin-Ho.”

“I can try,” Kang Jin-Ho smiled brightly, then exited the office.

Clack...

As the sound of the door closing quietly echoed in the office, Lee Hyeon-Su hurriedly wiped the cold sweat off his forehead.

“Why doesn't anyone realize the truth?”

Lee Hyeon-Su sighed deeply. Wasn't this obvious if he thought about it? That those idiots were dancing in the palm of Kang Jin-Ho's hands?

Even Lee Hyeon-Su hadn't escaped from Kang Jin-Ho's palm, so where did those folks find enough balls to try fighting him like this?

Maybe they had an ace up their sleeve. Something they could count on. Something not even Lee Hyeon-Su could imagine. Unfortunately, they had no idea. The Kang Jin-Ho they thought they knew had never revealed all of his hands.

There could be only one fate in store for those who failed to adequately gauge the depths of their enemies... And that was certain death!

Lee Hyeon-Su stared outside the office window. Soon, the peaceful daytime would pass, replaced by the darkness of the night. And then...

“...I guess I'll get to smell lots of blood, then.”

Lee Hyeon-Su saw the sun creeping toward the Western horizon, and then closed his eyes.