CH 360

Kang Jin-Ho quietly sucked in his breath.

'It's not enough.'

An urge was boiling from deep within him.

'It's... simply not enough!'

He had managed to hold himself back well until now. However, he knew it was no longer possible to do that.

After giving a boy a slingshot and telling him not to shoot it but only stare at it, what would happen?

At first, the boy would probably listen. However, how long would he be able to hold himself back after finding out that if he put a pebble in the slingshot and fired it, it could fly so far away?

Obviously, it wouldn't be for long. The boy would inevitably fire the slingshot. He'd try to use this gadget and see for himself.

In that case, what about a gun? If a loaded gun was handed over to a person but the person was told to never discharge it, would they stick to the instruction for the rest of their life? Maybe, they could hold themselves back for a day or two. However, what about after a week? A month? Would they not be tempted to fire the gun at least once in... say, a year? Utterly impossible.

Human beings in that situation would inevitably seek out a location where they could fire that gun, such as a deserted location with a homemade target or within the safe environment of a shooting range. Or, maybe they might do it in a dark alleyway somewhere.

Martial arts were similar to that. Merely knowing it meant one could never live an ordinary life again. A martial artist would always be tempted to use their knowledge on something. Or on someone.

Sometimes, though, that would act as a hindrance to their lives. Even when Kang Jin-Ho was still living in Zhongyuan, many martial artists would grow sick and tired of gangho's nonsense, so they would perform the retirement ceremony of washing their hands in a golden basin before secluding themselves in some nameless mountains and valleys. However, almost with inevitable certainty, many of those 'retirees' would lose to their temptations and return to gangho sooner or later.

Being strong...! And using that strength to resolve everything quickly and easily...! Enjoying a near-transcendental level of status and prestige...! No human would be strong enough to endure such temptations. A junkie trying to stop abusing drugs through nothing but sheer willpower would have an easier time than that.

And Kang Jin-Ho was painfully aware of this fact. That was why he did his best not to get hung up on improving cultivation. He thought cultivation and martial arts were not necessary in this world, and if he started cultivating again, it'd be only a matter of time before he sought out an avenue to release his steam.

His resolution was shattered when this world didn't want him to live an ordinary life. However, the first person to provoke him was not a martial artist but a powerless regular civilian.

His situation was different this time. Martial artists were gunning for him. Not just any martial artists, but those affiliated with arguably the strongest, largest organization in South Korea, no less! And to punish such people, Kang Jin-Ho required strength.

An even greater strength. And lots of it, too!

Just like...

- Just like me?

Kang Jin-Ho trembled a little. That whisper of the devil in his heart didn't belong to a stranger. It was made with his own voice.

Of course, Kang Jin-Ho was aware of 'it'. When he first returned to the modern era, and even as he was serving in the army, Kang Jin-Ho managed to separate himself from Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor almost to the point of perfection. If he thought it was necessary, Kang Jin-Ho would let the 'persona' of Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor emerge into the open.

Lately, however...

Both personalities were overlapping. When nicely put, the two personas were rapidly becoming one. And when not-so-nicely put, Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor's persona was beginning to influence Kang Jin-Ho's. It was like a dye slowly spreading in pure water.

'However, both of them are me.'

Kang Jin-Ho was Kang Jin-Ho. And Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor was also Kang Jin-Ho. He had no plans to deny that fact. It was just that he had to separate the two personas out of necessity, that was all.

- Don't you want to make it easier for yourself?

If Kang Jin-Ho accepted Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor, his life could get a little easier. For one, he wouldn't have to obsess over cumbersome details, which would make his life simpler by several times.

But Kang Jin-Ho would lose many things by doing that. So, he chose the third option.

External qi rushed inside Kang Jin-Ho's now-open dantian like floodwater. He had broken open the artificial wall meant to slow down his growth just now, causing the external qi to explosively flood him like air rushing into a vacuum.

'It's not enough!'

More.

More! Even more!

Kang Jin-Ho... needed more qi!

More qi to become stronger... as Kang Jin-Ho, not Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor!

He had to separate the persona of Heavenly Crimson Demon Emperor and lock it away because the current 'Kang Jin-Ho' simply wasn't strong enough to survive.

Going through three lifetimes had given birth to two personas. One had to be forcibly shoved into a dark corner, but it would tear its way out and creep back into Kang Jin-Ho's consciousness whenever he lost his temper.

This battle might be taking place inside Kang Jin-Ho's head, but it was still fiercer and more violent than any physical war in history.

More!

I need more!

...And Kang Jin-Ho would grow even stronger than before.

***

Creak...

Kang Jin-Ho opened the door and emerged from his room. He looked relaxed and at ease.

Baek Hyeon-Jeong glanced at her son. “Jin-Ho? What have you been doing in your room all day? With your door locked, too?”

“Mom! Don't ask him that!” Kang Eun-Yeong hurriedly yelled. “You can't ask that to a grown man, mom! Besides, isn't it obvious what a girlfriend-less dude would do in his room... all by himself?”

Baek Hyeong-Jeong shot her daughter down. “What do you mean, girlfriend-less? Your oppa went on a trip with Miss Choi Yeon-Ha earlier, didn't he?”

“...Eh? That's... right? Oppa, what were you doing in your room, then?”

Kang Jin-Ho slowly shook his head. “I just had some things to think about. Anyways. Eun-Yeong, you seem to be at home more often lately. What's going on?”

“Oh, that? I don't have any work commitments at the moment.”

“Mm? Even if that's the case, shouldn't you be preparing for your next project?”

“It's cuz I don't know what to do. If I shoot another TV show, my next record will have to be delayed, but if I choose the record, the TV show will have to be delayed. And I can't decide what I must prioritize…”

“Mm…”

“It's okay, oppa. I gotta deal with it on my own, anyway. Don't worry about it. Once it's been decided, I'll probably get unbelievably busy. So, I need time to recharge and stuff.”

“Mm, you're right.” Kang Jin-Ho nodded in agreement. Even though he knew 'recharging' for Kang Eun-Yeong involved rolling around on the couch like a bum consuming too many snacks, Kang Jin-Ho chose not to point that out. However, he pointed out something else. “I think you've eaten a little too much during your downtime, Eun-Yeong.”

“...Eh?”

“I think you've gained around five kilos?”

“N-no, wait! Not true! I-it's just these loose-fitting clothes making me look that way!”

“Mm? But your face is like a full moon, though?”

“Really? Seriously?!” Kang Eun-Yeong cried out in alarm before rushing toward the nearest mirror. She silently peered into her reflection as color gradually drained from her complexion. She then hurriedly ran into her room, where a scale was conveniently located at. Before long, a tragic scream could be heard coming from the closed doorway.

“Tsk…” Kang Jin-Ho shook his head while listening to the wails of a person who was paying the costly price of letting herself go, then headed to the front door.

“Mm? Where are you going, son?” Baek Hyeon-Jeong looked up at Kang Jin-Ho.

“I'm going to a PC Room with some people I know, mother. I'll be back by morning, so don't wait up for me.”

“...You won't be out of reach again, now are you?”

“No, I'll answer the phone if you call me.”

“Very well. I'll trust you.”

“Thank you.”

While bidding goodbye to his worried mother, Kang Jin-Ho stepped outside the house.

Baek Hyeong-Jeong used to plead with Kang Jin-Ho to go outside the house and live his life regardless of whether it was during the day or night. However, losing her trust proved costly for Kang Jin-Ho. It seemed that he'd need a long time before regaining her trust.

When he thought this was all the Yeongnam Group's fault, Kang Jin-Ho's irritation level shot up slightly higher.

Kang Jin-Ho finished tying up his shoelaces and stepped outside the front gate to find Jo Gyu-Min waiting for him.

“Good evening, Mister Jin-Ho.”

“Evening.”

“Shall we get going?”

“Yes, let's.” Kang Jin-Ho nodded and walked up to Jo Gyu-Min.

“What is that?” Jo Gyu-Min pointed at the bag in Kang Jin-Ho's hand.

Kang Jin-Ho shrugged his shoulders. “A change of clothes.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Well, lately, I've been ruining too many of my clothes whenever I go out and have to come home wearing business suits. Now, I have too many suits at home, and even my mother asked me if I've started working in a nightclub.”

“...Oh.” Jo Gyu-Min hurriedly covered his mouth.

Despite the serious nature of what they were about to do, Jo Gyu-Min found this situation too humorous. A nightclub, was it?

Of course, it wasn't as if Jo Gyu-Min couldn't understand where Baek Hyeon-Jeong was coming from. From a mother's perspective, this situation must've been rather strange. Her son went out in regular street clothes only to come home wearing a jet-black business suit all the time. Quite strange, indeed.

Jo Gyu-Min coughed to clear his throat and muttered, “Is this why all superheroes wear tights?”

“...Ah!”

“Do you want me to make one for you?”

“I will never wear one even if I die.”

“Why not? With your physique, I think it'll look great. Since you don't have a single ounce of useless flesh on you, tights might…”

“Stop right there.” Kang Jin-Ho ably cut off the repeated assault on his dignity, then shook his head.

While walking toward the main road, Kang Jin-Ho asked Jo Gyu-Min.

“What about transportation? Has that been resolved?”

“Yes. That much isn't a problem.”

“I see. How?”

“Take a look for yourself over there.”

“...Mm?”

Once they arrived at the large street, Kang Jin-Ho could see countless buses parked there, waiting.

'...Those are our transportation?'

Didn't they already tell Jo Gyu-Min that riding in buses would attract too much attention from the cops? And that would result in repeated inspections? So, how would having lots of buses solve that problem?

“Mister Gyu-Min? Are you saying we won't get stopped by the police with these buses?”

“Eiii, don't be like that. Use your sharp eyes and take another look, please.”

“Huh?” Kang Jin-Ho turned his head away from Jo Gyu-Min and scanned the exterior of the buses. “Oh…”

As it turned out, those vehicles all sported Jaegyeong's mark on the sides.

“I've procured every employee commute bus I could find, Mister Jin-Ho. We have fifty buses, each capable of carrying forty passengers.”

Kang Jin-Ho cocked an eyebrow. “...Jaegyeong had that many buses?”

“Yes. Although, I had to call our factories and other branches, not just the HQ.”

“I see. Why these, though?”

Jo Gyu-Min shrugged his shoulders. “If cops stop us, we can simply say we're Jaegyeong employees on a company outing. However, cops usually don't inspect a company bus, anyway. As long as we don't chug alcohol and make a scene inside, there shouldn't be a problem with the law.”

“Heol…” Kang Jin-Ho could only feel impressed by Jo Gyu-Min's unexpected solution to the problem.

'Mister Gyu-Min can be so crafty in this sort of thing...'

Kang Jin-Ho rubbed his chin as another thought popped up in his head. “Hold on. What if the cops do stop us for some reason? Won't we see news headlines of Jaegyeong hiring a group of gangsters?”

“...Eiii, that probably won't happen,” Jo Gyu-Min dismissively waved his hand, then pointed at the bus at the front of the pack. “You can get on the bus no.1, Mister Jin-Ho. All important personnel will ride that one.”

“...Understood.” Kang Jin-Ho nodded, then headed to the bus.

'What is this? It's not like we're going on a school trip...'

They were about to wage war, but it all kind of felt... 'weird' riding on rented buses. Back in Zhongyuan, Kang Jin-Ho usually relied on his two sturdy legs or rode on horses when traveling to another sect to destroy it.

'Well, if I think of these buses as horses, this situation doesn't feel as weird, but...'

Even though his head was saying one thing, his heart seemed to be saying something else. Something a bit more... vague. While picking up the slightly-acrid smell unique to buses, Kang Jin-Ho climbed aboard and scanned the interior.

“Good to see you, Mister Jin-Ho,” said Bang Jin-Hun. He was alongside several directors, Lee Jung-Geol, and Lee Hyeon-Ju.

Lee Hyeon-Ju bowed her head. “...It's been a while, Mister Jin-Ho.”

“It sure is.” Kang Jin-Ho bowed his head slightly to greet her back.

Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.

After Kang Jin-Ho settled down on an empty spot, Bang Jin-Hun turned toward him and spoke in a solemn voice. “It's finally happening, Mister Jin-Ho.”

“Yes, it is.”

The road to this day certainly had been long. Kang Jin-Ho sighed, his expression slightly bitter.

When he thought about it, the reason for all this delay was not that complicated. Kang Jin-Ho and his indecision were to blame.

Attacking the Yeongnam Group meant he could no longer stay distant from the martial world. That fact weighed heavily on Kang Jin-Ho's mind, making him think twice about pulling the trigger until now. However, since he had steeled his resolve, there could be only one end result.

“We've come up with a strategy. Here, please take a look and see if you are happy with it.” Bang Jin-Hun pushed a handful of documents in Kang Jin-Ho's direction.

Jo Gyu-Min spoke up next. “I also participated in the planning. This is probably the best plan we can think of under the circumstances. We’ve considered the possible flow of human traffic and tried to limit the number of escapees as much as possible.”

Kang Jin-Ho flipped through the documents, then loudly closed them. “We don't need these.”

“I'm sorry?” Jo Gyu-Min stared in flabbergast at Kang Jin-Ho.

The 'Kang Jin-Ho' he knew wasn't the type to shut out other people's opinions so decisively like this.

'Does he have something else in mind?'

“Mister Jin-Ho, have you thought of a different plan...?”

“Yes, I have.” Kang Jin-Ho nodded and then explained his plan as if he was describing what he had for dinner.

When the explanation ended, Jo Gyu-Min began chuckling, Hahah, then suddenly yelled at Kang Jin-Ho in barely-contained anger. “Have you lost your mind?!”

For the first time ever, Jo Gyu-Min allowed an insult directed at Kang Jin-Ho to escape from his mouth.