Chapter 6: Killing Old Man Du

Old Du gave a bitter chuckle. "I never expected your comprehension to be this sharp."

"I personally taught you the survival rules, yet you turned them against me!"

"But tell me, how did you know I would make a move on you?"

Chen Xuewen glanced at the bag beside Old Du and said, "You should know that everyone in the prison is afraid of me now."

"Nothing happening inside this prison can be hidden from me."

"Two weeks ago, you had someone smuggle in a dagger and some concentrated sulfuric acid."

Old Du’s expression shifted. "And what does that prove?"

Chen Xuewen replied, "I've been wondering why you needed the sulfuric acid."

"When you brought that bag and escaped with me, I roughly understood."

"You planned to use the sulfuric acid to burn my body, disguise me as you, and escape for good yourself."

"In other words, your help was just a cover to prepare your own escape, wasn't it?"

Old Du’s face darkened, his voice trembling, "These… these are just your guesses…"

Chen Xuewen said, "Yes, they are guesses."

"But you taught me to always be cautious in life and work. It’s never wrong to be careful."

"If there’s a possibility, I must be prepared."

"And it turns out I was right."

As he spoke, Chen Xuewen stripped off his prison uniform, revealing the clothes underneath.

Old Du was dumbfounded.

Beneath the prison garb, Chen Xuewen had strapped pieces of pork meat over several vital spots on his body.

Especially over his heart, where multiple layers thickened the protection.

No wonder when Old Du stabbed earlier, it felt like piercing flesh, so he never suspected a thing.

Who would have imagined that the blade actually plunged into the pork meat Chen Xuewen had pre-tied to himself?

Chen Xuewen said, "I prepared this meat armor in advance to guard against you."

"And that bag you saw? It was filled with flour from the kitchen."

"I didn’t know if I could defeat you, so I had to blind you with flour, at least giving myself a fighting chance."

Old Du paused, then smiled bitterly. "You’re really sharp, kid. Truly someone destined for great things."

"I admit defeat at your hands!"

"But who would have thought that after a lifetime of maneuvering, I’d fall to a greenhorn like you? Life is unpredictable indeed…"

As he spoke, blood dripped from the corner of Old Du’s mouth. He struggled a few times before slowly collapsing to the ground, lifeless.

---

Chen Xuewen stood silently by the corpse, motionless.

After a long moment, he picked up an iron bar from the ground and dragged Old Du’s bag toward himself.

Opening it, he found some sundries and two books.

From among them, Chen Xuewen pulled out a glass bottle containing a liquid.

He uncapped it and poured the liquid onto Old Du’s body.

Though dead moments ago, Old Du suddenly twitched, then sprang up fiercely, lunging at Chen Xuewen.

Old Du had been feigning death all along, hoping to lure Chen Xuewen close and strike him down.

But Chen Xuewen, being overly cautious, never came near. Instead, he used the concentrated sulfuric acid to burn Old Du’s body, forcing him to act prematurely.

As if anticipating this, Chen Xuewen smashed the glass bottle at Old Du.

It was a bottle of concentrated sulfuric acid; Old Du was startled and scrambled to block it.

The bottle shattered and flew into the nearby grass.

Seizing the moment, Chen Xuewen rushed forward and plunged the iron bar into Old Du’s chest.

Old Du howled in pain.

He grabbed Chen Xuewen’s neck with iron-like grip and roared, "Kid, even if I die, I’ll drag you down with me!"

"Die with me!"

His hands squeezed Chen Xuewen’s throat like iron clamps, cutting off his breath.

Though young and strong, Chen Xuewen couldn’t break free.

Helpless, he embraced Old Du and leapt into the nearby river.

The icy water quickly submerged them both.

Old Du clung fiercely to Chen Xuewen’s neck, struggling to break the surface for air.

Chen Xuewen clung tightly, pressing Old Du beneath the water.

Despite his injuries, Old Du’s strength was formidable; he still managed to control Chen Xuewen.

If either surfaced first, the other would surely die.

Chen Xuewen’s only chance was to outlast Old Du’s breath underwater.

They struggled fiercely, with Chen Xuewen desperately holding Old Du’s neck underwater, using every ounce of strength.

Eventually, Old Du, weakened by age and injuries, lost the battle of breath and grew limp.

Chen Xuewen seized the opportunity, breaking the surface for a deep breath.

Though he inhaled water along with air, he coughed violently while continuing to hold Old Du under.

After five or six agonizing minutes, Old Du ceased all movement.

Only then did Chen Xuewen slightly loosen his grip.

He pulled the dagger from Old Du’s abdomen and stabbed several vital points until he was certain Old Du was dead.

---

Dragging the corpse to the riverbank, Chen Xuewen gasped for breath.

After a while, a distant light flickered, bringing him back to full awareness.

He turned to see searchlights illuminating the prison in the distance.

His expression changed; he knew the prison had discovered their escape and would send men to search.

He looked around thoughtfully, an idea forming.

He flipped Old Du’s body and removed his prison uniform, putting it on himself.

Then he dressed Old Du in his own prison clothes.

Having done this, he retrieved the half-full bottle of concentrated sulfuric acid from the grass and poured it onto Old Du’s corpse.

The acid quickly corroded the body beyond recognition.

Satisfied, Chen Xuewen pushed the corpse into the river.

The rushing current swept it away immediately.

Chen Xuewen did not leave.

He glanced at the approaching lights, took a deep breath, picked up Old Du’s bag, and returned to the sewer, retracing his path back.

Within five minutes, several vehicles roared up to the sewer exit.

The head of the guards jumped down and, seeing the scene, his face darkened.

"They really escaped through the sewer," he growled.

"They won’t get far, surely still nearby!"

"Quickly, send more men. Conduct a carpet search along the river and surrounding area!"

The guards mobilized at once.

One guard peered into the sewer and asked, "Captain, should we search inside?"

"Do you want to send someone down?"

The captain glared at him. "Are you out of your mind? They’re already out. Who would come back in?"

"This sewer is full of stinking, freezing waste. If it were you, would you go back in?"

"If you want to search, go in yourself."

The guard waved his hands nervously; the foul stench nearly made him vomit. No way was he going in.