Supreme Heir Son-in-law

Chapter 876: Hostage

"Now you have only two paths before you: the first, you join us and we let you go, the second, all of you stay here today. After all, it’s a sparsely populated area with great scenery, an excellent place to bury bones." The leader glanced around, as if he were finding a perfect burial spot for Xu Ke and the young man.

"So which do you want to choose?" The man granted the young man the right to choose.

The young man hung his head, pondering over something. The silence around was deafening, until a gust of wind rustled the leaves, breaking the stillness with a semblance of commotion.

"You better choose quickly. I am not a patient man, and don’t think about using this as a stalling tactic. No one is coming to save you. Even if someone wanted to, they wouldn’t get here in time. Stop resisting, don’t try any tricks, it’s meaningless." The man sighed theatrically, as if watching the young man’s failed attempt to delay.

"Who says?" Xu Ke’s voice appeared suddenly behind Jin Ge, as if someone were speaking right into his ear. Jin Ge instinctively spun around in search of the source, only to find Xu Ke’s face looming close, a sting on his neck jolting him back to reality.

"Don’t move. The knife in my hand doesn’t have eyes. Be careful, or it might slip and hurt you," Xu Ke said, nudging the knife away slightly as he spoke.

"Don’t be rash. Let’s talk. Just put the knife down first." The leader’s calm facade was slipping, his voice steady but the corners of his eyes twitching uncontrollably.

He reached to push the knife away from his neck but ended up getting his finger cut by Xu Ke.

"I told you not to move. This time it was your hand, next time it might be your neck," Xu Ke warned, tightening his arm around the leader’s neck until his face turned crimson, then loosening his hold to let him breathe.

"What do you want? Isn’t this business just about money? Name your price and I’ll pay it, as long as you don’t hurt me. We can talk this out," having learned his lesson, the leader spoke more politely, his hands away from Xu Ke’s blade.

"Have your people release Brother Zhao," Xu Ke demanded.

The leader quickly signaled to his men, who mirrored Xu Ke’s earlier move, tightening a hold around the young man’s neck, "No way. If I release him now, I lose my leverage over you. Then what stops you from doing whatever you want with my boss? Do you take me for a fool? We release them together. There’s no chance I’ll free your man first!"

"Together? This is your turf. What if you’re bluffing? If I release him first, and you ambush us, what then?"

"There’s no ambush here. You can trust me to make the trade," the subordinate chimed in.

"Just because you say there’s no ambush, I should believe you? Don’t joke. Who’s to say you’re not lying, considering how we got into this situation in the first place?" Xu Ke countered, unwilling to trust them.

The atmosphere turned tense, neither willing to back down from their stances.

It was Xu Ke who finally broke the silence, "You can tighten your hold and kill him, and we won’t need to make this trade at all." He watched the young man, now paling, as he spoke, laced with sarcasm.

Remembering Xu Ke’s warning, the subordinate loosened his hold, allowing the young man to breathe.

Catching his breath, Xu Ke continued, "We can’t just remain at this stalemate. We can’t stay here like this endlessly."

"Then what do you suggest? If you don’t agree to my terms, do you have another plan?" The subordinate asked, confused by Xu Ke’s intentions.

"I might agree to your proposal, but you need to prove there’s no ambush or trap here. Otherwise, we remain at this deadlock. Or perhaps one hostage will volunteer their life." Xu Ke replied.

"I said there’s no ambush, and that’s that. How do I prove it?" The subordinate, frustrated by what he saw as Xu Ke’s unreasonable demands, responded.

Seeing the subordinate’s irritated expression, Xu Ke felt he understood the situation.

"Alright, I believe you. We can exchange hostages, but I have a condition."

"What condition? Tell me."

"I want you to drop your weapon, and I’ll do the same, to prevent any foul play during the exchange," Xu Ke stipulated.

This demand was sensible to both parties; nobody wanted to risk a stab in the back while reaching their allies, so both hostages agreed.

The subordinate had no objections, and thus the agreement was made. To show sincerity, Xu Ke was the first to toss aside his knife.

"Your turn." Xu Ke gestured to the subordinate across from him.

Just as the subordinate was about to toss his weapon, a sudden change occurred.

With Xu Ke now disarmed, the leader’s ill intent kicked in.

The knife that had been at his neck removed, Xu Ke was no longer a threat, the leader thought.

Indeed, the leader had never thought much of Xu Ke, regarding him as no more than a pretty face. The only reason Xu Ke had gotten the drop on him earlier was his own lack of caution, his attention fully on the young man, giving Xu Ke the chance to strike.

Confident Xu Ke was no match for him, as Xu Ke tossed his knife, the leader’s breath grew rapid, his hand moved to grip Xu Ke’s arm, planning to throw Xu Ke over.

Even before he launched his counter, the leader wore a victorious smirk, never imagining he’d lose to someone like Xu Ke.

But the truth was, he was no match for Xu Ke, even without a knife to restrain him; Xu Ke still outmatched him.

He was like a fish on the cutting board, his struggle futile, unable to escape the fate of being cast into the pan.