Chapter 124: Life is Like a Game of Chess, One Wrong Move and You Lose Everything
Chen Xue Wen waved his hand with a smile, signaling his men to release him. He stepped forward, standing before Snake, his voice cold and sharp.
“Snake, do you have anything left to say?”
Snake slumped to the ground, a bitter smile stretching across his face. “I lost this time. I admit defeat.”
His eyes darkened as he looked up at Chen Xue Wen. “If you want to kill me, just do it. I won’t resist.”
“But I have one request.”
His gaze swept over his men before he let out a heavy sigh. “Just spare my brothers. Let them live.”
The simple plea stirred emotions among his followers. Some of his most loyal men stepped forward, shouting fiercely, “Brother Snake, no need to beg him!”
“We’ll live and die together!”
A few more voices joined the call for loyalty, but many others remained silent. The shifting gazes and hesitant expressions showed their wavering resolve.
Chen Xue Wen scanned the crowd before turning his sharp gaze back to Snake. “Snake, I respect that you’re a man of honor. So I’ll let you live.”
“But remember this—wherever I am, you and your men had better steer clear.”
With that, Chen Xue Wen turned on his heel and strode away, his men following behind in a smooth and confident retreat.
Snake remained on the ground, his expression twisted in humiliation. Tonight’s crushing defeat was a bitter pill to swallow. His men exchanged uneasy glances, unsure of their next move.
Once, Snake had been powerful. They had followed him for his strength. But now, he was crippled, his influence shattered. The question loomed—was it still worth following him?
A few of the newer recruits quietly stepped back, slipping away into the shadows. Their departure signaled a chain reaction—soon, more and more men abandoned ship, leaving only a handful of loyalists at Snake’s side.
These few men, his closest confidants, moved forward and helped Snake to his feet. With slow, limping steps, they left together, disappearing into the night.
…
Outside the Forest.
Chen Xue Wen and his men emerged from the woods and headed straight for a parked car by the roadside. It was Zhou Jing Hui’s car, but since Zhou Jing Hui was dead, the vehicle now belonged to Chen Xue Wen.
Sliding into the driver’s seat, Chen Xue Wen pulled out his phone and dialed a number. The call rang several times before Little Ma finally picked up. His voice was panicked and laced with anger.
“Chen Xue Wen! Where the hell are you?!”
“Did you set me up?!”
“Why the fuck is Zhou Jing Hui here?!”
“You—were you using him to kill me?!”
Chen Xue Wen’s voice remained calm. “You’re half right.”
“I wasn’t trying to kill you. I just needed you to lure out Zhou Jing Hui, and then I used Snake to finish him off.”
Little Ma cursed furiously. “Chen Xue Wen, you bastard! Why didn’t you tell me?!”
“Do you have any idea how close I was to getting killed by Zhou Jing Hui’s men?!”
Chen Xue Wen’s tone was indifferent. “If I had told you, would you have dared to come?”
“And if you didn’t come, how else would Zhou Jing Hui have taken the bait?”
Little Ma snarled in frustration. “Then… what if I end up dead at Zhou Jing Hui’s hands?”
Chen Xue Wen smirked. “Little Ma, are you misunderstanding something? Do you really think, with our relationship, I’d actually care whether you live or die?”
Little Ma choked on his words. Chen Xue Wen truly didn’t care about his fate.
He gritted his teeth. “Chen Xue Wen, I’ve done a lot for you, and this is how you treat me?”
Chen Xue Wen’s expression remained indifferent. “It’s precisely because you’ve done a lot for me that I’m giving you this warning.”
Little Ma hesitated, then asked, “What warning?”
Chen Xue Wen recounted everything that had just happened, including how he had crippled Snake.
Finally, he said, “Snake may be ruined, but he’s not done yet. Right now, he’s leading his remaining men to Zhou Jing Hui’s house to kill his wife and kids as revenge for Lu Jin Huan.”
“Zhou Jing Hui’s men have all scattered. Right now, at his house, it’s just your woman and your child. If you get there in time, you might still be able to save them.”
Little Ma remained silent for a long moment before gritting his teeth. “Chen Xue Wen, are you trying to trick me? Snake and his men are heavily injured. Shouldn’t they be finding a place to recover? Why would they go on a killing spree?”
Chen Xue Wen let out a cold laugh. “Snake killed Zhou Jing Hui tonight. So many people saw it. By tomorrow, the Law Enforcement Team will be hunting him down. This is his last chance for revenge.”
“You know what kind of man Snake is. Do you really think he’d let this chance slip?”
Little Ma fell into deep thought. Snake was a madman. For Lu Jin Huan’s revenge, he really was capable of anything. Chen Xue Wen’s words made him uneasy.
After all, that was his woman and his child at risk.
He took a deep breath, gritting his teeth. “Chen Xue Wen, stop pretending to be noble. You think I don’t know what you’re planning? You just want to use me to kill Snake, don’t you?”
Chen Xue Wen chuckled. “That’s right. I want you to kill Snake.”
“That way, tonight’s mess has nothing to do with me. Zhou Jing Hui was killed by Snake, and Snake was killed by you. No matter how deep the investigation goes, it won’t lead back to me.”
Little Ma exploded in anger. “Chen Xue Wen, you’re despicable!”
Chen Xue Wen remained calm. “I’ve said before, since I chose this path, I must be worse than the villains. I must be crueler than the wicked.”
“You don’t have to kill Snake. I won’t force you.”
“But if you don’t, you’d better be ready to collect the corpses of your woman and child.”
With that, he hung up, not giving Little Ma another chance to speak.
Inside the car, Li Er Yong and the others exchanged uneasy glances.
Lai Hou muttered, “Brother Wen, Snake is already crippled. Isn’t this a bit much?”
Chen Xue Wen gave him a glance. “Snake and I have too much bad blood. He has to die.”
Li Er Yong frowned. “Why, though?”
Chen Xue Wen’s gaze turned cold. “This is a lesson I learned in prison.”
“If you make a mortal enemy, the best way to handle it is to make sure they die.”
“Because only dead men can’t seek revenge.”
Lai Hou scratched his head. “But Snake’s a wreck now. What can he do to us?”
Chen Xue Wen laughed softly. “Once, someone thought the same of me. They saw me as nothing more than a worthless cripple, no threat to them at all.”
“In the end, I turned the tables in my darkest moment and killed them myself.”
“I lived through that. That’s why I understand this lesson more than anyone.”
Looking out the car window, Chen Xue Wen murmured, “Life is a game of chess. One wrong move, and you lose everything.”
“Since I chose this road, I carry my head in my hands every day, ready to fight.”
“So, I’d rather make a mistake in killing than give my enemy another chance.”
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation