The hose on the bottom of the intake tube about 6 inches away from the filter box that attaches to the outlet on the bottom of the tube, Does that attach anywhere else in the engine compartment, or is it just a vent?
If its the one that crosses under the S/C then its crankcase breather. You want to keep that there because it helps vent the crankcase by providing limited vaccum, similar to the one that is connected to the PCV valve.