Chapter 934 - Pulling a Snake From Its Hole (1/2)

“Give me a minute. I’m going to give Bayonet a call,” Nie Yan said to Xie Yao.

Xie Yao stood off to the side with a nervous expression as Nie Yan rang up Bayonet.

「So, where is Cao Xu hiding?」

「We still have no intel on his location, but word down the grapevine is that he’s recruiting world-class contract killers, likely to deal with you,」Bayonet said. Calling Cao Xu covert was an understatement. Just finding this little bit of information had been incredibly difficult.

「Is there any way we can find him?」Nie Yan asked. This was a dangerous sign. The only reason Cao Xu would be recruiting contract killers at a time like this was to deal with him and his family.

「No, not for now at least. However, I have an old friend making contact with Cao Xu’s recruitment agents. If everything goes smoothly, we might be able to pinpoint his location. However, we should be careful. The man has gone mad. He’s offering up ¥10 billion in total. ¥5 billion for your head; ¥1 billion for your parents and Xie Yao; and ¥20 million each for the other members of the Xie Family and Liu Family. This sum is unprecedented, even in the underworld. If a few certain people are tempted, even I can’t guarantee your safety,」Bayonet said. The world of contract killers and mercenaries was filled with hidden experts. Cao Xu offered what basically amounted to the highest paying assassination contract in the history of the profession.

「Is there really nothing we can do? We can’t just sit here and wait for death,」Nie Yan said. Cao Xu was ruthless. He’d forced them on a road to death.

「Sorry. I’m drawing up a blank too.」Bayonet bitterly smiled.

「Help me release this information. I’ll reward ¥5 billion and a 5% share in the Century Financial Group to anyone who kills Cao Xu!」Nie Yan gritted his teeth, then cursed under his breath, “Let’s see who’s more ruthless, you son of a bitch! I dare you to put up that remaining ¥20 billion as well!”

「Not a bad idea. That’ll help alleviate a lot of pressure on us,」Bayonet said. Like this, the hitmen wouldn’t just be after Nie Yan but Cao Xu as well. Those who took the contract to kill Nie Yan also couldn’t move easily. If they were discovered, it would pretty much be the end of the road for them; the other assassins wouldn’t let their contractor get killed before they received their money.

「I’m planning to go back to school,」Nie Yan said in a heavy tone.

「You’re going back to school? With Xie Yao? That’s too dangerous. You’ll be targeted before you even get on the academy grounds,」Bayonet dissuaded.

「No, not with Xie Yao. Just me alone. This is called pulling a snake out of its hole,」Nie Yan said. If he holed himself up somewhere, those killers would shift their target to others, including his parents, friends, and other members of the Xie Family and Liu Family. With so many people, there was no way to protect them all. Sooner or later, someone was bound to get killed. However, as long as he showed himself in public, all attention would be focused on him. This was the only way. He didn’t want to endanger those he cared about.

Bayonet went silent. He understood Nie Yan’s plan. He was cold-blooded on the job, but that didn’t mean he was completely unfeeling. After being with Nie Yan for so long, apart from their employer-employee relationship, the two also formed a deep bond. He didn’t want to see Nie Yan place himself at risk. However, since Nie Yan had already decided, he could only try his best to protect him.

「Don’t worry. I have full faith in you guys. Let them come. The bigger Cao Xu’s movements get, the more likely he’ll expose himself,」Nie Yan said.

“I don’t agree to this!” Xie Yao suddenly interjected.

“Please, Xie Yao. Stay here and let me go. I have my reasons.” Nie Yan carressed Xie Yao’s face. It wasn’t that he wanted to put himself in danger, but rather he was compelled to. In his past life, he’d failed all those who were close to him. In order to ensure their safety, Xie Yao’s safety, this was something he had to do. Only when Cao Xu was dead would he feel at ease.

“No! You can’t go! I won’t let you! If you’re going, I’m coming with you!” Xie Yao was on the verge of breaking out in tears. She knew Nie Yan better than anyone. Once he made up his mind, it was impossible to change it. Even so, she still tried to stop him.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be fine. I still have Bayonet and Shadow Killer protecting me, right? But if you come, they will have to protect both of us and I will be fraught with worry. It’d only be more dangerous,” Nie Yan replied.

Bayonet finally broke his silence.「Miss Xie, please, don’t worry. Even if something happens to me, I won’t let anything happen to Nie Yan.」

Bayonet’s words didn’t reassure Xie Yao at all. However, she knew she couldn’t stop Nie Yan. She hated the path he was taking, the fact that he chose to carry all the burdens by himself. And she hated it even more that there was nothing she could do about it.

“Give me five days. I promise I’ll take care of Cao Xu and come back to you!” Nie Yan said.

Nie Yan had Xie Yao retreat to an absolutely secure place and had people from the Xie Family protect her. Only then did he feel comfortable enough to go to school.

「Are you sure you want to go through with this? It’s not too late to go back,」Bayonet said.