Chapter 8: The Most Dangerous Place
The unexpected news from the breakfast stall brought Chen Xue Wen some relief. The Law Enforcement Team had temporarily concluded that the deceased was Old Du, meaning their search efforts were now focused on elderly individuals. This shift in focus meant that he was not under immediate suspicion, allowing him to remain composed.
After finishing breakfast, Chen Xue Wen left the stall with an air of nonchalance. Old Ge and his men were still eating and paid no attention to him. Their interest was solely on scanning the elderly who passed by, scrutinizing each one closely. A few individuals wearing hats were even stopped and forced to remove them for identification.
As for Chen Xue Wen, a young man, he was beneath their notice entirely.
He entered Peaceful City and found a well-appointed hotel directly across from the Law Enforcement Team headquarters. At that time, hotels didn’t require identification for check-ins, so he easily secured a room.
Based on what he had overheard from inmates back in Peaceful City Prison, when the Law Enforcement Team searched for fugitives, they mainly targeted small inns and internet cafes. These places were chaotic and ideal for criminals attempting to blend in. Most escapees, being like frightened birds, sought refuge in disorderly environments where they believed they could hide.
But Chen Xue Wen had learned from their mistakes. He chose a larger, more reputable hotel—one that the authorities were less likely to suspect.
Moreover, he deliberately picked the one right across from the Law Enforcement Team headquarters. Old Du had once said, “The most dangerous place is often the safest.”
And indeed, Chen Xue Wen’s strategy worked.
Most of the Law Enforcement Team had been dispatched to blockade roads leading out of Peaceful City and to raid the city’s smaller inns and internet cafes. With limited manpower, they only sent a few officers to the larger hotels, asking basic questions and glancing around for suspicious individuals.
As for the hotel directly across from their headquarters, they barely examined it at all. After all, who would be bold enough to hide in plain sight?
Thus, Chen Xue Wen managed to rest peacefully for an entire day.
By the time he awoke, the night had fallen, and his energy was fully restored. He moved to the window, observing the outside world. Everything appeared normal, which reassured him.
He boiled two packs of instant noodles and turned on the television. The local Peaceful City news channel played its usual stories, but a scrolling text at the bottom displayed the wanted notice for the escaped convict from Peaceful City Prison.
Upon closer inspection, the notice still listed Old Du as the fugitive.
This meant that the authorities had yet to uncover the true identity of the deceased.
Thanks to Chen Xue Wen’s careful preparations, Old Du’s corpse had been heavily corroded, leaving forensic experts to rely on more detailed analysis to identify him. Given Peaceful City’s lack of advanced forensic capabilities, the body would need to be sent to the Provincial City for examination—a process that would take time.
Still, it had already been two days since his escape. The deception wouldn’t last much longer.
Finishing his noodles hastily, Chen Xue Wen took a deep breath, donned his hat, and left the hotel under the cover of darkness.
The night was deep, the streets sparsely populated. Taking advantage of the shadows, Chen Xue Wen arrived outside a certain hotel—the very place where the School Beauty had met her tragic end.
It was also the place where he had been arrested.
This was Peaceful City’s most luxurious hotel, where a single night’s stay cost at least 150 yuan. To put things in perspective, his father’s monthly salary was under 800 yuan at that time. The School Beauty had died in the most expensive suite, which cost over 1,000 yuan per night.
A price far beyond Chen Xue Wen’s means.
Yet, despite this, two hotel employees had testified with absolute certainty that Chen Xue Wen had booked the room and forcibly taken the School Beauty upstairs. Their testimonies had been key in securing his conviction.
Braving the cold night air, Chen Xue Wen hid in a dark alley near the hotel’s entrance, quietly watching people come and go.
At around ten o’clock, a group of hotel employees clocked out and left for the night.
Among them, he spotted a familiar figure—Zhao Dong, one of the witnesses who had testified against him in court!
Without hesitation, Chen Xue Wen began to tail him.
After walking for a while, the employees split up, each heading home. Zhao Dong turned onto a side street, walking alone.
Chen Xue Wen made his move.
Keeping low, he darted forward like a hunting predator, swiftly pressing a dagger against Zhao Dong’s throat while clamping a hand over his mouth.
The icy blade bit into Zhao Dong’s skin, filling him with primal terror. His struggling ceased instantly as he raised his hands in surrender.
Keeping his grip firm, Chen Xue Wen gestured for Zhao Dong to move forward.
With no choice, Zhao Dong was led away, forced down an old dirt path for over half an hour until they reached an abandoned brick factory. The remote, desolate surroundings ensured no one would hear them.
Only then did Chen Xue Wen release him.
Zhao Dong, mistaking the moment for a lapse in vigilance, made a desperate attempt to flee. Like a startled rabbit, he bolted.
But before he could get far, Chen Xue Wen seized his collar and, without hesitation, drove the dagger into his thigh.
A sharp, agonized scream tore from Zhao Dong’s throat.
“Shut up!” Chen Xue Wen snarled, twisting the blade just enough to emphasize his point.
Tears streamed down Zhao Dong’s face, but he obeyed, choking back his cries.
His eyes filled with dread as he stammered, “Big brother… I… I don’t have any money…”
With his hat concealing most of his face and the darkness working in his favor, Zhao Dong hadn’t recognized him.
Chen Xue Wen’s voice was cold as ice. “I don’t want your money. I just have a few questions.”
Zhao Dong hesitated. “W-what questions?”
“Who ordered you to frame Chen Xue Wen?” he demanded.
Silence.
Instead of answering, Zhao Dong glared at him, frowning in anger. “Who the hell are you?”
“Another one of Chen Xue Wen’s lackeys, huh?”
“Listen to me, this is none of your business.”
“If you don’t want to end up like Li Er Yong, with your arms and legs broken, you’d better let me go.”
“Anyone who gets involved in this dies!”
His words made Chen Xue Wen’s expression darken.
He knew Li Er Yong—his childhood friend.
Back when Chen Xue Wen had been sentenced, Li Er Yong had vowed to seek justice for him.
But now, from Zhao Dong’s words, it seemed that Li Er Yong had paid the price for his loyalty—left crippled as a warning to others.
A cold fury ignited in Chen Xue Wen’s heart.
Tonight, he would uncover the truth.
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation