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.
'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.
***
"How long until we reach our destination?" Kang Jin-Ho glanced at Vator.
"Between three and four hours, master."
"Hmm..." Kang Jin-Ho shifted his attention back to the road up ahead.
This highway's emptiness and openness were unthinkable back in South Korea. Although the uneven bumpiness here and there got on his nerves a bit, Kang Jin-Ho had zero problems forgiving those since there was no traffic jam to worry about.
'Actually, it's been too quiet.'
It was strange that no interference was attempted up until now. Obviously, Kang Jin-Ho would never underestimate the Crimson King's faction. Even if the current situation in China was vastly different from back in Zhongyuan, Kang Jin-Ho still knew that controlling one-third of this massive country was an incredible achievement.
People like that would never be incompetent. But not detecting Kang Jin-Ho's group would be the height of incompetency.
Could competent people do incompetent things? No. It meant they were aiming for something else.
"We should be sitting ducks for an ambush, though," Kang Jin-Ho muttered.
"I agree," Vator weightily nodded. "If something was about to happen, it should have by now. Things being this quiet is unnerving me instead."
"Vator...?" Kang Jin-Ho called out to the big man, and Vator turned his head to look back. "Tell me everything you know about the combat force of the Crimson King's faction."
"Mm…" Vator furrowed his brow. "I'm not completely certain what you wish to hear about in this subject. What kind of combat force do you wish to know?"
"Mm... I don't need to know about small fries. I can already guess that their side probably can't even count how many small fries they have. What I want to know is the number of higher-level experts."
"It's still difficult to give you a concrete number," said Vator while scratching his head. "Master, I think you already know this, but... Unlike how you rule over the demon cult, the Crimson King's faction doesn't have a system of submitting to one ruler at the top. This can be seen as the faction's massive limitation."
"What do you mean?"
"Shaolin's abbot can't rule over the entirety of Shaolin, now can he?"
Kang Jin-Ho wordlessly nodded away. He understood what Vator wanted to tell him.
The demon cult boasted a perfect centralized power structure. The cult leader's command was the law. He got to decide on everything concerning the cult. People could offer advice and opinions in the process of making decisions, but it was ultimately up to the cult leader to either accept or reject the counsel offered.
However, most orthodox factions didn't follow that system. Even Shaolin's abbot or Wudang's sect leader couldn't unilaterally make decisions. Despite possessing incredible authority and power, they still needed the approval from the council of elders on important decisions.
'It's all very democratic, isn't it?'
Such a thing might seem surprising considering the current political situation in China, but back in ancient Zhongyuan, the orthodox factions operated on shockingly democratic principles. Although, it wasn't because they were a bunch of enlightened people. No, it was all due to the level of one's strength.
Even if one of the disciples was especially excellent and was picked as the new sect leader, he or she wouldn't be strong enough to overwhelm and suppress other disciples in the same generation. They would have no choice but to be mindful of the opinions of their peers. However, that didn't apply to the demon cult.
There was no concept of generations or a band of disciples. Not only that but once someone became the cult leader, they were presented with the strongest demonic art available so they could suppress every other demonic cultivator.
Maybe the enforcement of this centralized power structure was the reason for the demon cult suppressing Zhongyuan despite its relatively smaller number of experts.
'Even if countless people had to die or get purged in the process...'
Vator continued to explain. "Of course, the ruling authority of the Three Kings is absolute and unquestionable. No one in the Crimson King's faction would dare go against his command, for instance. But it doesn't mean the Crimson King can order everyone around as if they are his direct underlings."
"Mm..."
"The Crimson King's faction has many elders. And even more hidden experts others don't know about. One of the reasons why the Three Kings have been stuck in a stalemate is because they can't accurately gauge the full depths of each other's combat force."
"I see. So? What's the conclusion?"
Vator looked a bit troubled as he replied. "I'm not trying to beat around the bush, master. It's just that explaining this situation is tricky. I was being treated well by the Crimson King's faction, but... If I'm being honest, that faction has plenty of experts stronger than me. I could challenge the Crimson King to a duel not because I was one of the top experts in his faction, but because I was an outsider. That's it. If the elders of the Crimson King's faction all step forward…"
Vator clamped his mouth shut there and didn't continue. Even so, Kang Jin-Ho could guess what the big man wanted to say. "Not even an ant would survive if that happens?"
"Well, I think you'll survive, but even someone like me will not make it out alive from their onslaught."
Kang Jin-Ho closed his eyes.
'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!
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