Chapter 733: Fleeing (3)

Chapter 733: Fleeing (3)

"Gimme a freaking break..."

There were moments in life when several unlucky coincidences piled up on top of one another. For instance, a perfectly-fine tire suddenly going flat, and the location of the flat tire being in the middle of a highway out of nowhere, and finally, calls to the roadside assistance not getting through for some reason.

Gong Weijian glared at the huge nail sticking out prominently from his car's front tire and scowled deeply. "Goddamn it! And I'm in a rush, too!"

If this flat tire thing happened on another day, Gong Weijian could have brushed it aside with a wry chuckle. A flat tire was one of those unlucky things anyone with a car would inevitably experience during their life, after all. Irritating, sure. But enough to brush aside with a chuckle, alright.

However, Gong Weijian couldn't afford that today.Findd new stories at novelhall.com

'This is bad! If I can't get that contract signed today, everything will go to sh*t!'

Gong Weijian simply had to travel to Tianjin today. He couldn't afford to waste time in this place!

If no roadside assistance was coming, he needed to resort to whatever means possible to get going again. Even if that meant he would have to abandon his car in the middle of a highway like this!

Gong Weijian hurriedly scanned the road. Unfortunately for his plight, there weren't many cars using this road at this time of the day. Attempting to hitchhike was only possible if cars drove past his position, so what could he do here when the road was empty as far as his eyes could see?

"...Eh?"

That was when Gong Weijian's straining eyes caught a faint figure of a moving vehicle in the distance.

'Is that a... van?'

It must've been a van, as that vehicle's roofline seemed a bit higher than a regular passenger car. Unlike a family sedan, a van shouldn't have a problem carrying one extra passenger, no?

Gong Weijian took a step into the road and urgently raised his hand. "Over here! Over here!"

Since the world had become a lot harsher and colder, getting a ride in a stranger's vehicle would never be easy, but Gong Weijian was ready to clutch at straws at this point. Thankfully, his car was parked on the shoulder of the highway, so the driver of the van should guess that Gong Weijian was in some kind of distress. As long as they had some room, giving a ride wouldn't be...

"...Heol?!" Gong Weijian's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

Behind that black van was a row upon rows of other vehicles. Under normal circumstances, such a sight wouldn't look out of place since a highway existed for cars to travel on, anyway. As long as the car wasn't some kind of a specially-restricted vehicle, anyone was allowed to drive on a highway.

However, there had been precisely zero cars driving on this stretch of the road for some time. So, to see a lengthy queue of cars like that? Gong Weijian found this sight a bit weird to behold.

‘Besides, what's up with that disorganized mess?’

The variety of vehicles was quite something else, too. With that black van at the lead, sedans were flanking it on either side. Meanwhile, they were followed by buses, trucks, eighteen-wheelers with shipping containers, and even delivery vans...

‘...What the hell? Is that an ambulance?’

Although it sounded unlikely, all those cars seemed to belong in one group. And this motorcade, probably the world's most bizarre one by the look of it, was charging relentlessly toward Gong Weijian!

"Hiieeek?!"

Gong Weijian finally realized that none of those vehicles would stop for him and hurriedly jumped out of the way.

Vroooooom!

Loud noises created by a variety of vehicles threatened to tear through Gong Weijian's hearing. Those things must've been traveling at a breakneck pace since the storm winds generated in their wake was nothing to laugh about!

Gong Weijian's jaw fell as he bore witness to this spectacle.

'What is up with this... this unnatural spectacle?'

Despite the weird selection of cars, this situation seemed eerily similar to biker gangs out to have fun scything up the public roads!

The seemingly-endless bizarre motorcade finally drove past the dazed Gong Weijian before growing further and further away in his view, finally bringing peace back to this lonely stretch of the road.

"Was I... daydreaming or something?"

All that remained on this peaceful road was a dust cloud lazily settling down.

***

'The Crimson King's faction, is it...?'

The more he heard about it, the more overwhelming the combat force of that faction seemed to be. Kang Jin-Ho couldn't help but chuckle bitterly.

'If it was the past me, that kind of fighting force would've been a joke, though.'

Even if the Crimson King, Azure King, and the Dark King had joined forces, their combined might still couldn't compare to the demon cult's power. Even if there were ten Crimson King's factions blocking the way, the demon cult of the ancient past, led by Kang Jin-Ho, could have unified Zhongyuan by force in less than three days!

That was how absolute and overwhelming the demon cult's forces were. Strong enough to usher in the era of Dao of Demonic, which happened only once in the entire history of Zhongyuan!

The demon cult was so strong back then that even when the entire Murim alliance worked together and fought back, they still crumbled helplessly. However, what about now?

'What a pathetic sight this is.'

Here he was, busy fleeing from bastards that wouldn't even be good for a laugh back in the ancient past. Both the demon cult and Kang Jin-Ho were busy fleeing with their tails tucked between their legs!

Certain emotions began creeping up from deep inside Kang Jin-Ho's gut. It was displeasure. And irritation. If he was to name the other emotion, then... It'd be rage, too.

To protect everyone, an organization's strength was required. However...!

If Kang Jin-Ho had recovered his former martial prowess, would he or the cult believers need to flee to South Korea?

He might have made the same choice. But the method of fleeing would've been different. For one, Kang Jin-Ho could've stayed behind all by himself while everyone headed to South Korea and utterly crushed the Crimson King's faction.

This humiliating situation only came about due to Kang Jin-Ho being still too weak.

Other people might not think that way, but not Kang Jin-Ho. He knew something others didn't. If Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor was here, not the current Kang Jin-Ho... The demon cult believers wouldn't be the ones trembling in fear, but the Crimson King's faction!

Kang Jin-Ho had evolved as a person. As a human being, comparing Kang Jin-Ho to Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor would be an insult to him. During his second life, Kang Jin-Ho was obsessed with his survival and couldn't even bother to care about his surroundings. As a human being, Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor was an abject failure.

However, what about as a martial artist?

Kang Jin-Ho couldn't find a ready answer to that dilemma. He closed his eyes and leaned against the seat.

He was certain about this. Everyone in his circle of acquaintance would rather be with Kang Jin-Ho, not Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor. However, what if Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor had descended to this world... Wouldn't everyone be a little safer?

'No, no one can know that for sure.'

Even if Kang Jin-Ho was sent back in time, he'd unhesitantly make the same choices. Life was a series of choices, and if choices gifted you something, those same choices could also take away from you. In Kang Jin-Ho's case, he got to regain his humanity, which was far more precious than anything. What he relinquished in return was absolute strength.

Sure, Kang Jin-Ho's strength was improving at a scary rate, but... If he still thought and behaved like Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor, he could be several times stronger than his current self right about now.

Relationships and connections he formed with many other people were propping up Kang Jin-Ho despite his weakness. Just as they leaned on him and relied on him, so did he.

In a way, this seemed like the most ideal relationship anyone could ask for. Even so...

How was he supposed to describe this feeling? As if things were only half-baked? It felt so uncomfortable, as if there was a red-hot rock sitting inside his gut.

"My liege!"

Kang Jin-Ho's eyes flew open when someone called out to him. "What is it?"

"Sire! Unidentified cars are pursuing us from the rear!"

"Hmm..." Kang Jin-Ho slowly turned his head toward Vator.

Vator seemed to be thinking the same thing as a meaningful smirk floated up on his lips. "The devil is supposed to show up when you mention his name."

Indeed, the Crimson King's faction had bared its fangs.

Kang Jin-Ho nodded. "Looks like we need to say hello, then."

And be as flashy as possible in the process, too!