Chapter 346 Let's capture Lu Chengwen alive
Fu Bo and Dang Kou (King of bandits) sat together in a car.
"Brother Dang Kou!" Fu Bo said. "This time, you and I must join forces to capture Lu Chengwen alive and force him to hand over our funds!"
Dang Kou laughed. "Naturally."
Fu Bo thought for a moment. "But the money in our own pockets…"
"Of course, let Lu Chengwen cover it!"
The two of them burst into laughter.
"Brother Dang Kou, there's something I'm very curious about."
"Go ahead."
"When you arrived, you went straight to Lu Chengwen. Then, after a call from the strategist, you immediately turned around and sided with me to capture Lu Chengwen. This…"
"What? Is there a problem?"
"No, it's just that, brother, I feel like your position shifts so smoothly, like flowing water. It's just too seamless!"
"Hahahaha!" Dang Kou said. "When I came out, I was following the strategist's orders! He personally told me—recognize the order, not the person. Lu Chengwen matched the order and was generous to me, so why should I care? The responsibility lies with the strategist, not me."
"Oh. And now…?"
"The strategist gave a new order: capture Lu Chengwen alive. So, I go! Anyway, once I return to headquarters, I have my explanation. No worries."
Fu Bo nodded, thinking to himself: Sneaky bastard.
Fu Bo said, "Brother Dang Kou, when we return to headquarters, I'll have to trouble you to…"
"Don't worry!" Dang Kou said. "I'll explain things clearly to the strategist."
"Ah, then I'll have to thank you, brother!"
"But whether the strategist listens to me or not, I can't guarantee. I can only explain my own situation."
Fu Bo felt frustrated, but there was nothing he could do.
Lu Chengwen was too damn cunning!
He had tricked them five times already! Because of him, they had ended up in this desperate situation. If they didn't torment him, break him, and make him suffer worse than death, how could they ever get rid of this hatred in their hearts?!
Fu Bo said, "Lu Chengwen has Hua Xuening by his side. She inherited the power of Swift Lightning—her fast sword is a real problem. Brother, how confident are you in dealing with her?"
Dang Kou smiled faintly. "I should be able to handle her myself. As for Lu Chengwen, I'll leave him to you."
"Rest assured, brother! Lu Chengwen!"
Fu Bo gritted his teeth. "I swear I'll break both his legs first, then tear his mouth apart! Let's see if he still refuses to hand over the money!"
Dang Kou sneered in his heart.
No matter what, I'll just keep Hua Xuening occupied—without actually putting in effort.
The rest of the dirty work? You guys handle it.
The whole situation between Lu Chengwen and Long Aotian is way too complicated—there's no way to tell who holds the decisive move until the very end.
How many people have come and gone in this mess? How many times has it flipped?
The strategist doesn't know half of what's going on. He always thinks that sending someone will solve everything and that he can just sit back and relax.
But reality has proven—Lu Chengwen is not someone Long Aotian can deal with alone!
And Fu Bo's crew? They're idiots.
They're already dead men walking. No matter what they do, they won't be able to escape death.
After making such a huge mistake, do they really think the organization will trust them again? Do they think they'll be given another chance?
Clearly, the strategist is just keeping them on a leash, letting them recover the money themselves, squeezing out the last drop of their usefulness.
Bringing the money back? That's just delivering both the cash and their own heads on a platter.
And Long Aotian? A complete fool!
One Lu Chengwen was enough to shatter all his ambitions.
He actually tried to use a loudspeaker at the market to exchange secret codes with me!
Does he not realize how embarrassing that is?! Who the hell openly announces their secret codes in public like that?!
I tried it—I really tried a few times—but I just couldn't bring myself to say it out loud!
And yet this guy? He even stole someone's loudspeaker from a spice stall, ready to shout it out. If I don't beat him up for this, who will?!
But… it seems Long Aotian is also working on something big. His fight with Lu Chengwen is no longer about brute force.
To be precise, brute force was never the answer to this battle from the start.
Lu Chengwen has put everything he owns on the line, turning this into a high-stakes gamble of life and death.
With the way he's playing, even those who don't want to be involved have no choice but to get dragged in.
Long Aotian has finally realized this, which is why he's looking for external forces to boost his odds and set up his endgame.
Between him and Lu Chengwen—only one can survive in the end!
Who will have the last laugh? Right now, it's impossible to tell.
As for me? Hmph. I'm just following protocol—I have nothing to worry about!
But looking at the current situation… this is the perfect chance to make some serious money!
If I jump between the organization, Lu Chengwen, and Long Aotian a few more times, I could probably retire comfortably for the rest of my life.
I need to get a foreign passport, vanish overseas, and live like a king.
I'm getting too old for this crap—I can't keep up with these youngsters anymore.
They still have ambitions, dreams. But me? I need to leave the organization as soon as possible.
Find two beautiful women, settle down in a quiet place, and before my body gives out, have a son, raise him, teach him how to be a man…
There's no doubt about it.
Dang Kou is getting old. His mindset is completely different from these people.
He's at the age where he's thinking about an escape plan.
At his age, there's no way he can keep running around with the organization, fighting and killing forever.
And if he sticks around too long, they'll just eliminate him to avoid paying him a high retirement pension.
So, the best move is to make a fortune, find a place to live in peace, and spend his remaining years in comfort.
More than anything, he's rootless.
His greatest dream is actually to have a home. A family. A child of his own.
In the Jianghu, he had enjoyed his moments of glory and earned plenty of money. It was time to start thinking about his way out.
...
Lu Chengwen was searching everywhere for the little monkey, anxiously pacing in circles.
At this moment, Jiang Xiaohou was dressed in luxurious clothing, sitting on a chair with her long legs crossed, swirling a glass of red wine.
"Your Highness! We've gathered information. The one staying in Snow City to observe Lu Chengwen and Long Aotian is Xia Ying."
Jiang Xiaohou furrowed her brows slightly. "Her?"
Annoyed, she put down the wine glass. "Heh, as expected. Lu Chengwen is a weirdo, and now he's run into Xia Ying, who's even weirder. Hahaha, things are starting to get interesting!"
The subordinates exchanged glances, thinking to themselves, Do you really have the right to call others 'weird'?
One of them spoke up. "The family head has sent orders."
"What now? Another command, ordering me to go back immediately?"
"Uh… no. They said that since you like it here, you can stay in the Northern Kingdom for a while longer. They just hope that Your Highness doesn't… stir up trouble."
Jiang Xiaohou was surprised. "Hmm? That's not their usual style. Haven't they always been worried about me causing trouble and bringing disgrace to the Jiang family?"
The subordinate replied, "We didn't receive any further details. This is all I know."
Jiang Xiaohou nodded. "You guys can stay nearby. If I need anything, I'll contact you."
"Yes."
...
The moment Jiang Xiaohou appeared, Lu Chengwen exploded with rage.
He grabbed her and pulled her aside. "Where the hell did you run off to!? Huh!?"
Jiang Xiaohou was already scared stiff. Her big eyes stared at Lu Chengwen, not daring to make a sound.
Lu Chengwen was furious. "Didn't I tell you not to wander off? Didn't I? Why don't you listen!?"
Jiang Xiaohou pouted in grievance, big teardrops rolling down her cheeks.
"Don't you dare pull that act on me!" Lu Chengwen was still fuming. "I'm warning you, if you disobey me one more time, I won't bother with you anymore! You can go wherever you want, go back to begging for all I care!"
Jiang Shihan, who was standing nearby, tried to calm things down. "President Lu, let it go. She's still a child."
"What child!? She's eighteen or nineteen already! And still this disobedient!"
"Aiya, kids just love to play around!" Jiang Shihan hugged Jiang Xiaohou. "It's okay, don't cry. Your big brother is angry because he cares about you. You don't even know how worried he was looking for you just now…"
Jiang Xiaohou pouted. "Brother, I'm sorry. Little Monkey was wrong, I know I was wrong…"
Lu Chengwen nodded solemnly. "Knowing you're wrong is good, but you have to change! Will you dare do it again next time?"
"No, I won't."
"If you run off alone again, I'll skin you alive!"
Lu Chengwen snapped, "Get in the car!"
Feeling satisfied with himself, Lu Chengwen gave Jiang Shihan a knowing glance before getting in the car.
He had been both anxious and genuinely angry.
But truthfully, the moment he saw Jiang Xiaohou's tears, most of his anger had already dissipated.
The only reason he kept up the tough act was to scare her into staying put in the future.
Jiang Xiaohou, watching Lu Chengwen's self-satisfied 'I pulled it off' expression, found it amusing.
This guy… does he really think he's my big brother now?
Lu Chengwen sat in the back seat, crossing his legs and rubbing his chin.
[This place might get dangerous. I need Jiang Shihan to take the little monkey away from the villa for now. We'll deal with everything else later.]
[Xia Ying specializes in psychology… I wonder if she can help with healing the little monkey's psychological trauma.]
[Fu Bo Tianwang, I get it—he's dumb, slow-witted. But Dang Kou Tianwang doesn't seem like an idiot. Why is he still hunting me down? At this point, what's the point of chasing me?]
[No matter what, I have to regroup with Xue Ning first. With Xue Ning alone, she can hold off at least half of their forces.]
Lu Chengwen's mind was spinning, trying to remind himself to stay calm.
The more dangerous the moment, the more chaotic the situation, the more he had to steady himself and control his emotions.
Losing his composure before the fight even started would mean certain defeat.
Should I ask Senior Brother to cover for me?
Senior Brother won't help me.
He despises the big organization's idiocy, but he hates me even more.
Besides, their orders are for me to repay the money first. They won't kill me right away.
If I have to come up with ten billion now to pay them back, my entire financial chain will collapse.
Huo Wendong will definitely take the opportunity to seize all of my Chengwen District projects…
And Senior Brother will use the chance to take down Huo Wendong.
If I ask him for help now, he won't just refuse—he'll probably deliberately sabotage me to help them succeed.
As the car approached an intersection, Lu Chengwen said, "Zhao Gang, take them to the house in A District for now. I'll go back by myself."
"Yes, President Lu."
Lu Chengwen drove back alone. Just as he neared the villa, a car came speeding towards him, aiming straight for a head-on collision.
Lu Chengwen swerved quickly, but the other driver turned in the same direction.
He slammed on the brakes, then looked over—his heart sank.
The driver was A Yin.
Lu Chengwen quickly shifted into reverse, glanced behind, and his heart dropped even further.
Two cars had already blocked the road.
He had nowhere to go.
Lu Chengwen opened the car door, stepped out, and lit a cigarette.
Six people, three cars.
They all got out and surrounded him.
Lu Chengwen sneered. "My dear ministers, I didn't summon you. Why have you all come?"
Fu Bo Tianwang narrowed his eyes and signaled to A Hu.
A Hu nodded, stepped forward with a stern expression, and cupped his hands in salute. "Your Majesty!"
Fu Bo Tianwang smacked him on the back of the head. "Majesty, my ass! Are you brain-damaged?!"
T\N:Dang ku =king of bandits is the same name