Chapter 101: Hostage Takedown
Leopard took a deep breath, his voice urgent. “You want me to help you take down my big brother?”
“That’s impossible!”
Chen Xue Wen let out a cold chuckle. “Relax, I don’t need you to do anything for me.”
“I just need you to tell me what’s going on around Snake—who’s with him, and more importantly, the layout of his house.”
Leopard froze. “You… You’re planning to go to his house and kill him?”
Chen Xue Wen’s smirk deepened. “What I do has nothing to do with you.”
“All you need to do is tell me everything you know.”
Leopard’s brows furrowed. He seemed lost in thought, but Chen Xue Wen didn’t press him. Instead, he just waved his hand.
Lai Hou and Wang Zhen Dong immediately stepped forward, shoving Little Black to the ground.
Leopard’s face twisted in horror. “What are you doing?!”
“Let him go! Let him go!”
No one paid him any mind.
Lai Hou and Wang Zhen Dong tied Little Black up tightly with rope. Then, the two dragged him behind the abandoned temple to an old water pit.
This temple was located halfway up the mountain, without a natural water source. Back in the day, the monks relied on this pit for water. But now, the temple had been deserted for years, and the pit held only a pool of stagnant water.
They suspended Little Black above the pit, securing the rope to the gnarled roots of a crooked tree. Then, they sealed off the pit.
Leopard struggled fiercely, but he couldn’t do anything to stop them.
Tears welled up in his eyes as he cried out, “Chen Xue Wen, let my brother go! I’ll tell you! I’ll tell you everything!”
Chen Xue Wen casually tossed a pen and paper in front of Leopard. “Write it all down.”
“Make it detailed. Don’t play any tricks.”
“In a bit, you’ll be locked in that pit, too.”
“If I’m lucky enough to kill Snake and come back, you both get to walk free.”
“If not… well, this place doesn’t see a soul for years at a time. If we all die here, what do you think will happen to you and your brother?”
Leopard stiffened. He had indeed been thinking of feeding Chen Xue Wen false information, or at least sabotaging the details to mislead him. But hearing those words, he realized he couldn’t afford to play games.
If Chen Xue Wen failed, he and his brother would rot in this pit.
Leopard hadn’t expected Chen Xue Wen to be this meticulous. Gritting his teeth, he began to write down everything he knew about Snake’s place.
Snake’s house was inside his snake farm.
Starting from the outer perimeter, Leopard meticulously marked everything.
The entire area was crawling with snakes. Very few people ever entered. Only Snake’s closest subordinates, like Leopard, knew the actual layout of the house.
Leopard had been with Snake for a long time. He had visited many times and was familiar with every corner of the property.
After finishing the exterior layout, he sketched the interior of the house.
Chen Xue Wen studied the multiple fences surrounding the property and frowned. “What are these fences for?”
Leopard explained, “Three layers of fencing, each holding different kinds of snakes.”
“The closer you get to the house, the deadlier they become.”
Lai Hou shuddered at the thought. He had always been terrified of snakes.
Chen Xue Wen shot him a glance. “What the hell are you afraid of?”
“It’s winter. The snakes are hibernating.”
Lai Hou chuckled awkwardly. “I just got the chills, that’s all.”
Chen Xue Wen smirked and turned his attention back to the layout.
The snake farm was built beside a lake, with Snake’s house situated right on the waterfront.
High walls surrounded the compound, topped with barbed wire—not just to keep the snakes in, but to keep people out.
Chen Xue Wen ran through the details in his mind, formulating a plan.
He held up Leopard’s notes and looked him in the eye. “Right, doesn’t Snake have a pet python?”
“Where does he usually keep it?”
Leopard pointed to the house. “Inside his home.”
“The house has heating. Whenever Snake comes back, he lets the python roam around freely.”
Lai Hou and Wang Zhen Dong both inhaled sharply. A python, loose inside the house? How the hell were they supposed to kill Snake?
Chen Xue Wen, however, remained calm. He simply nodded and asked, “How many guards does Snake usually have in the snake farm?”
Leopard shook his head. “None.”
Chen Xue Wen was surprised. “No guards?”
Leopard sighed. “The whole place is full of snakes. In spring, summer, and autumn, no one dares to step foot inside. It’s basically suicide.”
“Even now, in winter, there’s still the python. That thing is more dangerous than Snake himself. Who would be dumb enough to go in?”
“Besides, Snake grew up training in Chinese Kickboxing. Three or five guys wouldn’t stand a chance against him. Why would he need bodyguards?”
He scratched his head awkwardly. “And, uh… even though we work for him…”
“We’re all scared of snakes. So, yeah… nobody volunteers to go into the farm.”
“Unless it’s absolutely necessary, even I wouldn’t go in, let alone anyone else.”
Lai Hou and Wang Zhen Dong exchanged uneasy glances.
Killing Snake wouldn’t be easy.
A python alone was enough of a nightmare.
And Snake himself? His combat skills were off the charts. Even with all of them together, they probably weren’t his match.
How were they supposed to pull this off?
Yet, Chen Xue Wen remained composed. He mulled over the details and then asked, “Is that all?”
“Anything else I need to know?”
Leopard hesitated for a moment before lowering his voice. “One more thing—you all need to be careful of Lu Jin Huan, Snake’s wife.”
“That woman is ruthless. I saw her kill two people with my own eyes. Never underestimate her.”
Chen Xue Wen’s eyes flickered. “How’s Snake’s relationship with her?”
Leopard immediately replied, “Very good.”
“Don’t be fooled by how many women he plays around with outside. The only one he truly acknowledges is his wife.”
“If anyone dares to mess with her, even if it’s the Heavenly King himself, Snake will fight to the death!”
Chen Xue Wen chuckled. “Oh?”
“Now that’s interesting.”
Leopard was dumbfounded. Why did Chen Xue Wen seem even calmer than before? Could it be… he already thought of a way to deal with Snake?
Chen Xue Wen continued asking for more details. Finally, he said in a deep voice, “Leopard, think carefully. Is there anything else you need to add?”
“I’ll say this again—if we don’t make it back because of your mistake, you and your brother will die here too.”
Leopard’s face turned ghostly pale. He ran through everything in his mind several times before shaking his head frantically. “N-no… that’s all.”
Chen Xue Wen nodded in satisfaction. With a wave of his hand, Lai Hou and the others moved in, tying Leopard up before shoving him into the water cellar.
Their mouths were stuffed tightly, and the entrance was carefully covered with rocks and fallen leaves. Even if someone passed by, they wouldn’t notice that there were people hidden inside.
With everything in place, Chen Xue Wen and his crew spent the night resting in the abandoned temple.
Before dawn the next morning, Chen Xue Wen woke everyone up.
“It’s time to move!”
“Monkey, Er Yong, you two are with me.”
“Tie Zhu, Zhen Dong, head to the location I told you about yesterday and wait.”
After giving out instructions, Chen Xue Wen led Li Er Yong and Lai Hou away.
The sky was still dim as they arrived at a secluded alleyway.
Chen Xue Wen asked, “Where’s the stuff?”
Li Er Yong stepped forward and retrieved a handcart from a hidden spot in a small alley. A ragged old coat was draped over it.
Chen Xue Wen tossed the coat to Lai Hou. “Put it on.”
Lai Hou slipped it over his shoulders and hunched slightly, instantly transforming into the image of a frail old man.
Chen Xue Wen nodded approvingly, whispered a few final instructions to Lai Hou, then split up with Li Er Yong.
Lai Hou remained in the alley, gripping the handcart and waiting.
Ten minutes later, Li Er Yong returned on a motorcycle.
“They’re coming!”
His low warning was enough to set things into motion.
Chen Xue Wen, his face concealed by a face-covering hat, ducked behind a garbage bin a few meters away. Li Er Yong parked the motorcycle and walked to the alley entrance, waiting.
Soon, the hum of an approaching car echoed in the distance.
Li Er Yong lifted his hand, signaling Lai Hou.
Without hesitation, Lai Hou shoved the handcart forward, picking up speed as he moved towards the alley entrance.
At that exact moment, a sedan turned the corner—and crashed directly into Lai Hou’s cart.
Lai Hou tumbled to the ground, clutching his leg and howling in pain.
The driver immediately slammed on the brakes and jumped out to check on him.
That was the moment Chen Xue Wen and Li Er Yong struck.
Like a shadow, Chen Xue Wen darted forward, pressing a bone-cutting knife against the driver’s lower back. “Don’t move.”
At the same time, Li Er Yong yanked open the backseat door and slipped inside.
The driver reacted quickly—he was trained. He lunged forward, dodging Chen Xue Wen’s attack, and spun around with a powerful kick aimed at Chen Xue Wen’s arm.
Chen Xue Wen staggered back but didn’t retreat. Instead, he twisted his body and caught the driver’s leg, driving his bone-cutting knife deep into the man’s thigh.
A scream of agony ripped through the alley.
Before the driver could react, Lai Hou was already back on his feet, his own bone-cutting knife pressed against the man’s throat.
From inside the car, a woman and a child screamed in terror.
Li Er Yong had them under control.
The driver, breathing hard, raised his hands in surrender. “Brothers, you’re here for money, right?”
“Just name your price, but please—don’t hurt the woman and kid!”
Chen Xue Wen’s voice was cold. “Shut up.”
“Get in the car.”
The driver obeyed without resistance and slid into the driver’s seat.
Chen Xue Wen kept his knife against the man’s side, forcing him to drive off.
Behind them, Lai Hou jumped onto the motorcycle and quickly followed.
The entire operation had taken less than five minutes.
The alley was empty once more—silent, as if nothing had ever happened.
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation