Descent of the Demon Master

Chapter 732: Fleeing (2)

Hell probably had a variety of appearances. At least, that was what Zhu Gang told himself.

If Hell was meant to be a place for you to pay the price for the sins committed during your life, a one-size-fits-all punishment seemed unfair and illogical.

Every religion's version of Hell was different, but if such a place was real, and a God-like being existed to punish the souls of the wicked, then... Zhu Gang couldn't help but think that the actual Hell must be a lot more varied and colorful than what the world knew.

However, assuming all that was true...

'What sin did I commit to get dragged into this Hell?!'

Even though this particular space he was in existed in the world of the living and not the afterlife, calling it Hell was rather appropriate as far as Zhu Gang was concerned!

"Hey, stop pushing me! I'll break your f*cking shoulder, okay?!"

"What was that, you piece of sh*t?! You think I pushed you cuz I wanted to?! When we get out of here, Imma take your f*cking head off!"

"Did you swallow a goddamn bottle of brave pills or something?! Who the f*ck are you?"

"Hey, both of you pissants! Shut the hell up! Voices ringing like crazy inside here has been pissing me off already, so why the f*ck are you shouting in here?!"

"And who is this f*cker now?!"

While listening to this mess, Zhu Gang slowly shook his head.

'Yup, this is Hell. Hell, I tell you!'

All the conditions to qualify as Hell had been met. Firstly, this cramped space was filled with wicked people. And they were getting punished for their sins. Finally, they were trying to escape the torture and pain, but Hell's gatekeepers were doing their darnedest to prevent that from happening.

With all these factors in play, this cramped space certainly deserved to be called Hell, now didn't it? In that case, what should Zhu Gang name this Hell?

Hell of Suffocating Pressure? Or Hell of Darkness?

Zhu Gang didn't find those two to be suitable. That was because what tortured him the most wasn't the people pushing and shoving to create suffocating pressure or the pitch-black darkness of this place. No, it was... The freaking body odor!

In the end, Zhu Gang couldn't take it anymore and cried out, "Try to take a shower sometime, you stinking sons of b*tches!"

Just what the hell were these smelly bastards doing to smell this badly? All kinds of terrible smells combined to create an assault on the olfactory senses so bad that Zhu Gang nearly threw up several times already!

He had already blocked his nose with tissues he brought along in case something happened, but this situation was too stinky for such an improvised solution to save his sanity.

'If someone throws up in here now... That's gonna be a goddamn catastrophe!'

Of course, these were all martial artists boasting far superior control over their bodies than regular people. So, the possibility of vomiting should be low... No, wait. Because they were martial artists, it might be higher instead!

After all, martial artists not only possessed better physical abilities but also boasted sharper five senses. In other words, they could accurately detect odors regular people would never pick up! In a more crude sense... Martial artists had the nose of a dog!

"These stinking, dirty bastards..."

"Gee whiz, gimme a f*cking break...!"

It seemed Zhu Gang wasn't the only one tormented by the smell inside this place. Angry complaints broke free from the crowd.

"What the hell! Couldn't you open a hole or something before setting off! There's no ventilation in here!"

"We're humans too, you know!"

What an exceedingly fair complaint that was. Since they were humans, shouldn't they be treated like humans?!

'Even pigs wouldn't get delivered like this, you know!'

To think they'd get tightly packed inside a dark, badly ventilated shipping container where even lifting an arm was impossible! And they even locked the door, too?! How were they supposed to stay in here for hours as luggage?!

Even if they were martial artists and demonic cultivators, some things were beyond the realm of possibility!

"Open the door!"

"We are not going like this! Definitely not!"

"Who's outside?!"

Clunk!

Just as the clamoring noise reached its peak, the loud noise of the lock on the steel door being undone echoed inside the container. The demonic cultivators being shoved this way and that inside the container hurriedly turned toward the doorway and leaned forward so they could leap outside as soon as it opened.

Clunk!

And then... The door was yanked wide open. However, the demonic cultivators leaning forward remained frozen still in their positions. That was because a giant something was blocking the open doorway.

The giant gruffly asked. "Who ran his mouth?"

"..."

"I said, who was it?"

"..."

No one said anything. Although plenty of words burned inside their heads, no one had the requisite balls to say them in front of Vator.

Since human bodies were packing the container like sardines, the folks at the back could've raised their voices without realizing who had opened the door. However, Vator's massive, hulking physique meant even the people at the far back got the full view.

"What's all the commotion for? Are you unhappy about something?"

"...No, sir."

"Grown-ass men whining like little kids just because the space is a bit tight in here... Anyone feeling uncomfortable, come outside. I'll guide you to a more comfortable place."

Didn't someone wise and old once say this? That humans were creatures of curiosity?

Despite knowing they shouldn't do it, humans sometimes would lose to their curiosity. Even though they could guess that the end result would not be pretty, some people simply had to satisfy their curiosity no matter what. And it just happened so that a person among this group of demonic cultivators fit that bill.

"Uhm, excuse me...?"

Vator glanced at the brave soul. "What is it?"

"If you don't mind, can you tell us where that, uh, comfortable place is?"

"It's sitting next to me. And it's spacious and well-ventilated."

"...My apologies, sir. We're so sorry."

It seemed the 'comfortable place' they were thinking of didn't match what Vator thought of as one. With differences that couldn't be put into mere words!

Vator's cheeks twitched ominously. "Raise one more commotion, and I'll take that as your desire to have a lengthy chat with me. And I do love chats. However, other people oddly do not enjoy talking to me for some reason. I'll gladly welcome any volunteers who wish to talk to me and help me understand why."

Crunch...!

The steel door Vator had been holding distorted and bent in a bizarre fashion.

"Oops. I gripped it a little too tightly, it seems!" Vator nonchalantly straightened the bent steel door. Even though that thing was tough steel, it smoothed out as if it was made out of clay!

The demonic cultivators witnessing this scene all smiled reflexively.

'Yup, let's stay quiet inside this container.'

'Being smelly won't kill anyone, anyway. Being able to live shouldn't be taken for granted, am I right?'

Even if it was stinking, unfair Hell, being alive was better than the alternative, no? Environment-wise, the inside of this shipping container was not much better, but no one could deny that it was still a better place to be than in the afterlife!

A hellish place should be better than Hell itself, no?!

"Any other complaints?" Vator asked, and when no one replied, he smirked deeply. "Keep your noise levels down. Got that? Picking out the noisiest fool and ripping him apart will make things much easier for me, though."

Clunk!

The steel door was slammed shut, causing the darkness to return. A lengthy awkward silence ensued, only to be broken up by a faint little whisper.

"They, uh, will stop by at a rest stop at least once, right?"

It seemed someone still hadn't woken up from their daydreaming yet.

***

"Hmm..."

After inspecting the container's door, Vator scanned his surroundings. All sorts of vehicles filled up his vicinity. Buses, medium-sized trucks to eighteen wheelers, and even smaller parcel delivery vans... It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say almost every type of commercial vehicle capable of transporting cargo had been gathered here.

Vator nodded in satisfaction. The cargo loading... No, the passenger loading was almost finished. Although a few commotions did raise their heads here and there, Vator quickly stepped up to deal with them.

'Isn't it strange?'

These demonic cultivators were a lot 'different' from the images he was familiar with. The stereotype of a demonic cultivator was usually a bloodthirsty half-crazed monster, but the ones Vator had met so far turned out to be surprisingly... pure?

If Vator did something similar with the people of the Crimson King's faction, they wouldn't outright express their dissatisfaction, but the dissenting glares would still mercilessly stab into him.

Vator wasn't sure whether this was because he was riding on Kang Jin-Ho's coattails or his prejudices regarding the demonic cultivators had been incorrect all along.

'If not... Maybe they see me as their ally. That could explain it.'

Considering all the persecution and discrimination they had received, Vator couldn't discount the possibility of the demon cult believers treating one of their own differently from outsiders.

'In a way, isn't that sad?'

A wry smirk formed on Vator's face. A man from the orthodox faction like him wouldn't exactly be happy about the demonic cultivators accepting him as an ally.

Vator quickly shook his head to cast aside all these distracting thoughts. Now wasn't the right time to worry about his identity as a martial artist. He should be focusing on perfectly finishing the task Kang Jin-Ho had assigned him!

Vator roared loudly. "Get a move on! Wrap everything up ASAP!"

"Yes, sir!"

"Zhang Dajing!"

"Yes, Sir Vator! I'm coming!" Zhang Dajing, who had been running around here and there to micro-manage the situation, hurriedly rushed toward Vator's side.

"How are preparations going, Zhang Dajing?"

"We've already finished loading up the vehicles at the front, sir. They are being inspected for one last time."

"Good!" Vator weightily nodded.

He didn't have only the trucks and shipping containers prepared to 'ferry' as many people as possible. Since having a large number of a single type of vehicle, like buses, would look unnatural, he tried to mix up the variety as much as possible. The intention was to get every type of car that could be rented, which should speed up the process and avoid suspicion as much as possible.

Of course, doing so still wouldn't be enough to completely avoid the Public Security officers' scrutiny, but... It should still be better than openly announcing, 'Yes, we're in transit!'

Of course, the real threat to their operation wasn't the Public Security, but another group, though!

Vator grunted. "We depart in the next ten minutes. Send the word out to the elders."

"Yes, sir!" Zhang Dajing promptly replied, his expression as tense as it could get.

Even if this situation seemed a little humorous on the surface, its grave nature and importance hadn't escaped Zhang Dajing's awareness.

Regular civilians carrying out an operation like this would've made headlines around the world. But the ones attempting to leave China and settle in South Korea were martial artists. Not just any martial artists either, but demonic cultivators, to boot! This operation could be seen as the event that altered the course of history by the future generations.

'But... Why do I have to be in the thick of it, too?!'

Zhang Dajing could only complain in his head. When he chose to follow Vator, he never dreamed of participating in events like this. He wasn't super-smart or prescient enough to decide his actions today after looking farther ahead into the future. No, Zhang Dajing was just a commoner. That was all!

However, he couldn't afford to show his weak side here. Other people saw him as Vator's adjutant, after all! Him putting on a pathetic showing would only negatively impact Vator's image!

"I'll handle it right away, sir!" Zhang Dajing heroically cried out.

Vator smiled in satisfaction and turned around to leave. His next destination was, unsurprisingly, where Kang Jin-Ho was. After arriving near Kang Jin-Ho, who was silently puffing away at his cigarette, Vator started his report. "Master. Preparations are finished."

"Mm..." Kang Jin-Ho scanned the surroundings before replying. "What is your prediction?"

"Those bastards could target us during the transit. However, they might wait for us at our destination to minimize commotion."

"Mm? Are you saying they know where we're going?"

"They might. Or might not. However, never discount their information network."

"That makes sense," Kang Jin-Ho slowly nodded. It was safer to assume the worst when too many things were up in the air. "What are the odds of a trap waiting for us at our destination?"

"Over forty percent, I'd say."

"It should be seen as a certainty, then."

"At least, that's what I think. If it's too risky, we have the option of changing the destination and using a different road."

"That will only delay the inevitable," said Kang Jin-Ho while puffing away at his cigarette.

The more time they wasted, the worse things would get for them. The number of combatants the enemy could summon was definitely higher than the demon cult believers. Ten thousand might sound like a lot to a fallen and struggling cult, but to the likes of the Crimson King's faction? It'd be pocket change to them.

"We're forcing our way through," said Kang Jin-Ho.

"As expected!" Vator smirked as if he liked the sound of that.

The road to Hell was famously paved with good intentions. And a daring escape would always be accompanied by bloodshed. Nothing in this part of the world could be done without shedding some blood along the way. It was just that...

Vator suddenly grew cautious. "However, if we are to assume the worst..."

"Mm?" Kang Jin-Ho tilted his head.

"The Crimson King could be waiting for us."

The corners of Kang Jin-Ho's lips curled up when he heard that.

"Good," Kang Jin-Ho muttered after mulling the news for a while. "I always wanted to meet the guy at least once."

"Master, the Crimson King is a terrifying man."

"Really? What about me, then?"

Vator silently stared at Kang Jin-Ho before nodding slightly. "Indeed, master. You're also terrifying."

"It's all good, then." Kang Jin-Ho lightly flicked the cigarette away. "Let's go. We're leaving."