Chapter 713. Squashing (3)

Chapter 713. Squashing (3)

'Gee whiz, all this waiting is bad for my heart!'

Zhu Gang stared at the doorway in front of his nose as cold sweat caked his body.

Obviously, he had already finished giving his witness testimony to his fellow demonic cultivators before coming here. Although, no one seemed to believe him despite him providing only the truth and nothing more.

However, when the returning demonic cultivators provided similar testimonies themselves, the ones waiting behind had no choice but to accept that version of the event as the Real Deal.

The result was their heightened anticipation!

It wasn't as if someone started raising a fuss or someone said something to incite the crowd, either. Even so, the underground space was filled with this stifling, burning heatwave. A passionate fire had been lit within the hearts of these people who couldn't boast about being a demonic cultivator until now. These people who were labeled with a title that shouldn't be an insult but somehow became one!

Zhu Gang's heart was also set on fire. The fuel was the anticipation of his life finally changing for the better. The anticipation of maybe... Maybe their reality would finally change!

Everything was all good up to that point, but then...

“Our demon emperor is looking for you, Zhu Gang. Go upstairs immediately.”

If only he hadn't heard that order...! Zhu Gang would've been reveling in this wonderful feeling of being on the proverbial cloud nine.

'Why is he looking for me, though?'

Forget floating on cloud nine, it felt more like he was being squashed by the weighty burden right now!

Sure, Zhu Gang could be seen as an 'acquaintance' of the demon emperor since he drove his VIP passenger all the way to this place. Even if that were true, shouldn't he still be a small fry from the demon emperor's perspective? A random nobody?

Even if the positions of the demon emperor and the demon cult believer were taken out of the equation, Zhu Gang couldn't have been any more insignificant than a buzzing fly to a super-expert like Kang Jin-Ho.

So, why did the demon emperor call for him specifically?

'Maybe he wants me to become his confidante?'

When that thought popped up in his head, Zhu Gang chuckled in dismay. Of course that couldn't be it.

Zhu Gang knew that his fantasy had gone a bit too far. Even if the demon emperor held some level of goodwill toward Zhu Gang, why would he entrust a weak little small fry with an important task? After all, Zhu Gang was basically useless, wasn't he?

One must be useful at something first before they could be included in the loop or tasked with a job. In Zhu Gang's own self-evaluation, he couldn't see anything particularly outstanding about himself. And he certainly wasn't more exceptional than his peers, either.

All in all... He was a perfectly average demon cult believer. Not lacking in anything but not excelling either—a middle-of-the-road demonic cultivator, that was who Zhu Gang was. Other than his personality, which could be a little sharper than other people, he was a perfect example of being average.

So... What would someone like that be useful for?

An average demonic cultivator was no better than trash among the ranks of martial artists. Sure, Zhu Gang was a bit tougher and stronger than regular civilians. However, what about in the demon emperor's opinion? Zhu Gang should be indistinguishable from regular, powerless civilians.

'In that case, why me?'

Zhu Gang couldn't think of an answer. Then again, how could he guess what was in the mind of someone as awe-inspiring as the demon emperor? Besides, would anything change even if he could guess the correct answer ahead of time?

Zhu Gang sucked in a deep breath. He tried so hard to calm down, but his mind refused to heed his orders.

'Dang it. Seeing him for the first time was way better...'

Obviously, the demon emperor hadn't changed one bit. What did change was Zhu Gang's perception of the demon emperor's mightiness and status. A day-old puppy wouldn't fear a tiger because it didn't know how scary an angry apex predator could get!

“Come inside.”

“Yes, sir!” Zhu Gang replied, then gulped nervously while pushing the door open. When he entered the slightly haphazardly furnished administrative office, he quickly spotted two people waiting for him. One was Elder Chang Min, and the other was the demon emperor.

The scene of the demon emperor sitting on a couch with a cigarette dangling from his lips while Chang Min stood respectfully next to him was straight out of a noir thriller. That was how 'right' this scene felt, at least to Zhu Gang. Of course, he didn't have the leeway to savor this moment.

“I humbly greet the demon emperor,” said Zhu Gang while quickly bowing his head. This gesture contained his utmost respect and reverence.

“Over here,” Kang Jin-Ho gestured at Zhu Gang to come closer.

Zhu Gang didn't even give himself the time to think about the demon emperor's intentions and quickly did as told.

Kang Jin-Ho picked up the packet of cigarettes and offered it to Zhu Gang. “You smoke?”

“N-no, my liege. I wouldn't dare...”

“Take one if you smoke. I'm planning to smoke myself.”

“Oh, uh...” Zhu Gang could only hesitate here.

Obviously, he must politely decline, but not accepting a cigarette offered by the demon emperor was going against the etiquette, too. Zhu Gang sneakily turned his head and glanced at Chang Min. He was silently asking for guidance here.

Kang Jin-Ho grimaced. This was why he needed someone like Azure Demon. If that ever-reliable second-in-command was here, he would've said this:

-You racking your brain won't help us in this matter, my liege. I will take care of everything, so please do not worry and focus on cultivating.

Returning to the modern era and dealing with administrative work finally taught Kang Jin-Ho how incredible Azure Demon was as an individual. After all, the scope of Azure Demon's work encompassed what Chang Min did for the demon cult and what Lee Hyeon-Su did for the Martial Assembly.

No, it was actually more than that, wasn't it? Azure Demon's job entailed looking after the daily necessities of the cult believers, overseeing the handing over of inheritances, improving morale and loyalty levels, and purging any potential rebels and traitors. Basically, he was the general manager of the demon cult.

Pulling off this near-impossible role as well as he did was only because Azure Demon happened to be a top-tier expert. An average martial artist wouldn't even last a month before dying of overwork if they took on Azure Demon's job.

'If it had been Azure Demon coming to the modern era, not me... The demon cult would've prospered already.'

Kang Jin-Ho got another stark reminder of how lacking he was.

“So, a place to call home, basically...”

What Zhu Gang said sounded logical. There was a limit to how much one could cultivate while hiding underground. In the ancient past, experts often secluded themselves as a part of a hellish training regime to improve their cultivation realms, but such a thing wouldn't be viable in the modern era. Especially when the cultivators these days were too used to the conveniences offered by modern civilization.

Even Kang Jin-Ho would become frustrated if he went three days without his phone, so how much worse would it be for the modern-era martial artists? Besides, even if cultivating in seclusion was possible, it'd still pose another problem.

Where could a space large enough to accommodate all these people even be found? Not only did it have to be large enough, but it also needed to be somewhere uninhabited to avoid potential prying eyes. Obviously, such a thing was impossible when the Three Kings' stranglehold on this country was absolute.

'...Hold on.'

Kang Jin-Ho frowned slightly while mouthing a fresh cigarette.

'If it's impossible in a country with Three Kings...'

In that case, wouldn't this problem be solved if they simply went to a different country?

Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. “...Right. Let's go to Korea, then.”

Chang Min's eyes opened wider. “M-my liege? W-what do you mean?”

“That seems to be the best option. The Three Kings' influence doesn't extend to South Korea, after all.”

“B-but, uh... My liege, we've lived all our lives in China.”

Kang Jin-Ho tutted. “So what? We have always been outsiders. Since when did the demon cult become a religion exclusive to Chinese people?”

“W-well, that's true...” Chang Min faltered, but his expression indicated that he was somewhat unconvinced. Even so, he didn't voice his opposition. He couldn't think of a better solution, after all.

Kang Jin-Ho unhesitantly yanked his phone out as if there was no more need to chat here. Then, he quickly dialed a familiar someone's number.

-This is Lee Hyeon-Su speaking.

“It's me. I have a new job for you.”

-I'm always available for any tasks, sir. Please give me the word, and I will brilliantly and perfectly handle whatever it is.

“Good to hear. I'm planning to take a few people from here to Korea. Think of a way to do that.”

-It shouldn't be difficult, though? However, how many are we talking about, Assembly Master?

“Mm... Between five to ten thousand?”

-...I'm sorry?

“Between five to ten thousand.”

-...

A lengthy silence ensued. However, Kang Jin-Ho broke it first as if he didn't need to hear Lee Hyeon-Su's response. “Since we're talking about a lot of people, I'm sure it'll take some time to complete. Still, try to find the solution as soon as possible and let me know, okay?”

-H-hold on, Assembly Master! Assembly Master?! T-ten thousand?! Did you say ten thousand? Assembly Master! Wait!

Kang Jin-Ho sneakily distanced himself from the phone.

-Assembly Master! Siiiiiir! Ten thousand?! What on Earth are you even talking about here?! What did you even do on that side to...

Drop.

Kang Jin-Ho decisively ended the call right there, then stared straight at Chang Min. “It's done.”

“...!”

Chang Min felt a flood of cold sweat breaking out on his back. It felt like he could hear the torrent of expletives flying out of a certain poor subordinate's lips millions of figurative miles away.