Chapter 13: All Five Bullets Resolved

“Brother Long, tell me, what terms would make you spare me?” Chu Chen asked after a brief pause.

It seemed a prodigal remained a prodigal—who isn’t afraid of death?

“I heard you made quite a bit in the county town. Here’s the deal: give me the mule cart, your wife, and an extra hundred taels, and I’ll pretend this never happened,” Brother Long said, clearly confident he had the young man under his thumb.

“A hundred taels is no problem, the mule cart’s yours. As for the woman, isn’t Third Brother interested?” Chu Chen replied.

Upon hearing this, Ma San immediately perked up.

“Chu Chen, if you’d thought like this earlier, you wouldn’t have taken that beating at the casino,” Ma San said.

“Heh, Third Brother, Brother Long, I was just foolish before. How about this? You come over, and I’ll show you a treasure,” Chu Chen said, raising his pistol and aiming it at the men before him.

At ten meters, a gun is the fastest weapon; within ten meters, it’s both accurate and swift.

“What treasure? Are you trying to pull a trick now?” Brother Long asked suspiciously, eyeing Chu Chen’s strange attire.

But for safety, he waved his hand, and the men immediately closed in on Chu Chen.

In a flash, as they closed to about five meters from him, Chu Chen pulled the trigger. A deafening shot rang out, and Brother Long’s eyes widened as he fell stiffly to the ground.

Ma San stared at the blood gushing from a hole in Brother Long’s forehead. He grabbed a nearby man to shield himself and shouted, “There’s a hidden weapon!”

Chu Chen’s second shot was aimed at Ma San, but the man reacted swiftly. The bullet struck the head of the man shielding him.

Seizing the opening, the other two charged at Chu Chen, one swinging a long knife, the other lunging toward his stomach.

Chu Chen took out the man aiming straight at him with a single shot, but the other’s knife struck his riot helmet with a clang, sending a jolt through his head.

Dizzy, Chu Chen shook his head and raised his gun at the attacker.

Seeing Chu Chen seemingly impervious to both blade and bullet, the man shouted and tried to flee.

Ma San, sensing the tide turning, turned to run as well.

Chu Chen wasn’t about to let them escape. Two quick shots rang out, and both fell to the ground.

Chu Chen stepped forward and finished off the knifeman with a final shot to the head. Then, leisurely, he approached Ma San.

Ma San clutched his kidney, wailing miserably, “Chu Chen, don’t kill me! I was wrong, please spare me...”

“Spare you? You’re ugly enough already; don’t flatter yourself,” Chu Chen said with a smile, crouching before him.

“Chu Chen, I bear you no grudge. Why such brutality?”

No grudge? You schemed over my wife, lured me into the casino, and ruined my family fortune—and you say there’s no grudge?

“Tell me, why did you bring me to the casino?” Chu Chen asked coldly.

“It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me! That day Brother Long came to my house and took a liking to Qinglian. He was the one who made me bring you there,” Ma San stammered, eyes wide.

Facing the dark muzzle of the pistol at his forehead, Ma San was terrified.

Damn it, even at the end he wouldn’t tell the truth. How could Brother Long have seen Li Qinglian, who rarely appeared in public?

Most likely, Ma San himself was greedy and had conspired with Brother Long on this plan.

But it didn’t matter anymore. He had seen Chu Chen’s gun; there was no need for his existence in this world.

“Alright, since you’re so honest, I’ll send you to the underground eighteenth floor,” Chu Chen said.

Ma San thought his confession had worked and felt smug, unaware that Chu Chen was as thoughtless as ever.

The next moment, Chu Chen drew a gleaming dagger from his back waist and said, “Come on, Third Brother, take a deep breath, or the blood will spray all over.”

“Aaah... you...” Ma San barely uttered before his throat gurgled.

With one slash, Chu Chen severed his neck.

Wiping the blood from the dagger, Chu Chen strolled toward Mashan Village.

An hour later, Chu Chen reached the back ridge, carrying a crossbow. Lying prone, he coldly watched a wild sow drinking at a creek with three piglets.

With a sharp whistle, an arrow flew and embedded firmly in the sow’s head.

The boar struggled briefly, then fell silent, while the piglets were caught off guard and trapped by a large net blocking their escape.

This was exactly Chu Chen’s plan. The bodies of Ma San and the others in the small woods would eventually be discovered.

He needed an alibi.

That morning, he had taken a detour through the mountains toward town.

Without high-tech surveillance in this world, having a solid alibi would spare him much trouble.

Chu Chen pulled out a woven sack, packed the three piglets inside, and tied the sow’s carcass with a rope.

He also stabbed a few holes in the sow’s body with his dagger before stowing his gear and leisurely heading toward the village.

At the back mountain of Mashan Village, Chu Chen shouted at the top of his lungs, “Brother Huzi, come help!”

People working in the fields heard and turned to look.

He carried a tattered sack on his back and dragged a dark, boar-like shape behind him.

Hearing the call, Huzi grabbed his long knife and rushed over.

“Hey, Chu kid, did you catch that?” Huzi asked in surprise.

“Sure did. I saw it from afar when I went to pee behind the mountain yesterday. Early this morning I set the trap and caught it,” Chu Chen replied, weary.

A crowd gathered, curious villagers eager for a show.

“Chu kid, I didn’t expect you had this skill. That boar’s not small, and it’s no easy catch face-to-face,” a middle-aged man remarked.

“Not really. I learned a kind of trap outside. I used a rope to snare it,” Chu Chen explained.

“What kind of trap? Can you teach us?” The man’s eyes gleamed with interest.

The village had hunters, but most used traditional bows and arrows. Who wouldn’t want to learn a way to catch game without bows?

“No problem, Uncle Liu. I’ll teach everyone when we get back. To thank you all for looking after me since my father passed, I’ve decided this boar will feed the whole village.”

“What? Chu kid, don’t be fooled by its size. Even for the whole village, this will only be one meal. Are you sure you’re willing to part with it?” Liu asked.

“Uncle Liu, I remember all you’ve done for me. I was a troublemaker before, but I’ve changed now,” Chu Chen said.

Amid cheers, a few men hoisted the boar and headed into the village.

This was part of Chu Chen’s plan all along.

After all, when you accept help, you owe favors. By sharing this meat, even if the authorities come knocking, the villagers would vouch for him—the boar was real, and shared among them all.