Then let them offer their loyalty!

Page 131

Why did this elicit such a strong reaction from you?

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Something came up at work, and I've been very busy all day. That caused the delay in the draft. Sorry! I'll try to write another 10,000 words tonight!

Chapter 157 Jia Shu Attempts to Kill Qiu Tu (10,000 words, please subscribe!)

Upon hearing Lin Zuo's words, Qiu Tu's eyes flickered, and he fell silent for a moment.

He recalled the entire conversation he had with Lariro in his dream.

It has to be said... no wonder she's the evil god who toyed with and manipulated Old Master Qin for decades. Lariluo certainly has some tricks up her sleeve.

From the moment she pulled him into the dream, she almost completely controlled the rhythm of the entire conversation.

From initially seizing the initiative and forcing himself to become her devout follower; to revealing his identity; then to exposing the secret that Jia Shu was her believer; and finally revealing Jia Shu's plan to kill him!

Step by step, layer by layer, she continuously exerted pressure on Qiu Tu, forcing him to submit to her.

Regardless of whether what she said is true or false, her methods of manipulating people's hearts are no less sophisticated than Qiu Tu's.

Furthermore, she knew Qiu Tu much better than Qiu Tu knew her.

That's why Qiu Tu was so easily defeated in their first encounter.

'This loss was not unjust...'

Thinking this, Qiu Tu's gaze darkened as he silently reflected...

Since transmigrating, Qiu Tu has faced numerous dangers, but thanks to his various clever maneuvers, he has managed to get through everything smoothly.

Especially through his informational advantage and understanding of human nature, Qiu Tu manipulated numerous powerful figures and forces at will. This gradually led him to become complacent.

They believe that if he continues like this, he will eventually reach the top!

This defeat made him wary once again.

The world is so big, and there are so many experts. He is far from being able to be proud or relax!

Thinking this way, Qiu Tu, whose mood gradually calmed down, did not immediately recall or think about the information revealed in La Riluo's words.

He smiled at the crowd surrounding him, then briefly explained to Lin Zuo, "I was indeed pulled into a dream by that evil god. Then I had a brief conversation with her."

"But it's okay, she didn't hurt me, and she probably didn't use any tricks on me."

As they were talking, the security personnel finally finished their full-body checkup of Qiu Tu.

They got up from the bed and shook their heads at Lin Zuo.

Seeing this, Lin Zuo looked at Qiu Tu expressionlessly and asked, "Then... have you obtained any information?"

Qiu Tu did not deny it, "Yes. But it still needs to be sorted out."

"Let me think about it first. I'll share the results with you when I have them."

Lin Zuo wasn't one to pry into things, so when Qiu Tu said that, he nodded and said to Qiu Tu, "It takes a lot of power for an evil god to enter a dream."

"She probably won't come looking for you again after she came to see you tonight."

"So, you should get some rest first."

Qiu Tu nodded upon hearing this.

After Lin Zuo and his group left, Qiu Tu got up and went to the balcony outside his bedroom.

It is now late autumn, and the night wind is blowing, carrying a hint of coolness.

Qiu Tu leaned on the balcony railing, gazing at the scenery outside. He reached into his pocket, intending to take out a cigarette, only to realize he was wearing pajamas, which had no pockets.

Just then, Liu Fuping silently walked behind him, draped a bathrobe over him, and handed him a pack of cigarettes.

Qiu Tu looked down at the woman beside him.

The woman's eyes were full of worry.

Qiu Tu smiled and smoothed her hair, then lowered his head to light a cigarette. He held her slender waist, as delicate as a willow branch, and quietly smoked, his eyes half-closed...

The crimson cigarette butt, flickering rhythmically in the night with his breathing, mirrored his current tranquil state of mind...

In the bedroom, Cao Dabiao and Chen Feng exchanged a glance upon seeing the harmonious scene between the two on the balcony, then quietly left the villa...

After they left, Liu Fuping nestled close to Qiu Tu and asked with concern, "Is the matter complicated?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu gave a wry smile. It wasn't just complicated; it was practically a mystery...

First of all, Qiu Tu is certain of one thing: there must be a mole within the Investigation Department.

The simplest reason is that Lariluo is too familiar with Qiu Tu, almost as if she has studied him for a long time.

But Qiu Tu... is almost certain that this wasn't what Wang Xi told her.

There are two reasons.

Firstly, before yesterday, Qiu Tu had almost no connection with La Riluo while he was with Wang Xi.

Wang Xi only became wary after learning last night that Qiu Tu had been promoted and was in charge of the [August 8.16th Pharmacy Robbery Case].

According to Qiu Tu's understanding of Wang Xi and the man in the suit, Wang Xi seemed to only meet with the man in the suit on weekends.

Furthermore, Wang Xi doesn't seem to have the ability to contact La Riluo independently, so even if Wang Xi wanted to report Qiu Tu's situation to La Riluo, it would probably be too late for him to do so for the time being.

Second, and most importantly, Qiu Tu still remembered a fragment of Wang Xi's memory that he had once examined.

In that memory fragment, the man in the suit received a hint from Lariluo not long after he started arresting people indiscriminately at the security department, prompting him to begin his plan.

On that day, Qiu Tu did not ask Wang Xi to come to the station to help, and Wang Xi stayed by the man in the suit's side the whole time.

Therefore, this means that there must have been a fourth person who tipped off Lariel about the major earthquake that occurred in the upper reaches of the New Territories that night!

Moreover, that person must be a mid-to-high-level member of the Investigation Bureau.

After all... although the operation that night was quite large-scale, it wasn't something ordinary people could know about.

Is it really Jia Shu?

Thinking this, Qiu Tu quietly took a drag of his cigarette...

To be honest, although La Riluo's reasons are plausible, upon closer examination, Jia Shu's actions in covering up Yin Caimei's case recently do indeed raise many suspicions.

But... Qiu Tu really didn't quite believe that Jia Shu would be a follower of La Ri Luo.

After all... if Jia Shu really was a follower of La Riluo and was even planning to kill him, why would La Riluo have told him beforehand?

Isn't this just making yourself more vigilant?

Moreover, and most importantly... Jia Shu was going to assassinate him, but he hadn't received any warning from his [Crisis Sense]!

Thinking of this, Qiu Tu hesitated for a moment.

'Is Larilu also... playing the same game as me, using one wolf to devour another?'

"She didn't know she had a cheat code, so she deliberately sowed discord between herself and Jia Shu, making them clash, and then she profited from it all...?"

Thinking this, Qiu Tu frowned, took the last drag of his cigarette, and then prepared to throw it on the ground and stomp it out.

Before he could even make a move, Liu Fuping lifted up an ashtray and it appeared in front of Qiu Tu.

Qiu Tu was stunned for a moment, then looked down at her and received only a gentle smile in return.

This is the beauty of a young married woman...

While sighing inwardly, Qiu Tu stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.

And then, at that very moment...

Suddenly, something flashed before his eyes.

The next second, lines of notifications appeared in his field of vision.

"Trigger crisis awareness! Generate a crisis report!"

"Your superior, Jia Shu, the head of the Special Investigation Department of the New Territories City Investigation Department, has finally made up his mind to get rid of you."

"As a second-tier Cataclysm, he is an existence that you cannot stop right now. Even the 'Trigger Paper Doll' may not be able to save your life."

"He will make his move no later than two days from now."

"You only have two days to prepare."

"If you can't dissuade him from this idea within two days, or if you don't have the strength to survive in his hands, then you will truly die a violent death."

"Now, the 48-hour countdown begins."

Qiu Tu:? ?

Good grief. Seeing the countdown that popped up in front of him, Qiu Tu really felt like his face had been slapped hard.

Did Jia Shu really want to kill me?

Moreover, the timing is exactly before the evening of the day after tomorrow?

What a coincidence!

Could it be... that Jia Shu is truly a follower of La Riluo?

Thinking of this, Qiu Tu stopped what he was doing!

Although I have a feeling that something is not right, as if I have missed some key details, I really don't have any other explanation right now.

Thinking of this, Qiu Tu's resolve hardened instantly!

Regardless of whether it's a case of using one wolf to devour another, and regardless of whether Lariluo has other motives, the fact remains that Jia Shu is indeed preparing to take action against him!

He had been planning to deal with Jia Shu recently, so there was nothing for him to hesitate about!

Now that Jia Shu wants to make a move against me, that's perfect. I can use this opportunity to set a trap in advance and kill him instead!

So... I shouldn't be thinking about those unnecessary things anymore; I should be simplifying things!

For example, try to protect yourself, or... call for backup!

Just then, as Qiu Tu was thinking this, Liu Fuping also noticed his unusual behavior.

Liu Fuping asked with concern, "What's wrong? Did something happen?"

Qiu Tu snapped out of his thoughts and said sharply to Liu Fuping, "Help me get the communicator."

"The one you need to contact is the security department."

Seeing this, Liu Fuping knew that Qiu Tu must be thinking about something important, so she didn't press him further. Instead, she simply hummed in agreement and turned back to her bedroom to get the communicator.

A moment later, she gracefully approached Qiu Tu and handed him the specially made communicator from the security department.

Qiu Tu took the special communicator and made a call to Qin Shuman.

It was one in the morning. Qin Shuman was still awake. Having just been promoted, she was working overtime under the dim light of her desk lamp, organizing the work of both departments.

"Ring ring ring".

When she heard her communicator ring, she glanced at it from her busy schedule. Upon recognizing it as Qiu Tu's call, she answered it reflexively the moment she saw it.

"Qiu Tu? Why are you calling me so late? Is something wrong?"

Before Qiu Tu could speak, Liu Fuping yawned and headed towards the bedroom, hearing the woman's concerned voice coming from the receiver.

Qiu Tu watched her leave, then turned to Qin Shuman and said, "I'd like to ask, if any high-ranking member of the Investigation Bureau is suspected of being a follower of an evil god, then... can you directly investigate him?"

Qin Shuman was stunned when she heard Qiu Tu's words.

In the dim light, she didn't answer Qiu Tu's question directly. Instead, she put down her pen and carefully said, "Qiu Tu, whether someone is a follower of an evil god can be detected using professional equipment."

"Most of the middle and upper-class residents in the cities within the planning area are victims of the catastrophe. So after the shelter selected them, it tested them."

"If it hadn't been detected at the time... given the Cataclysmic Ones' understanding of their own power, it would have been very difficult for them to become followers of an evil god in just one year."

"After all... the evil god is just a high-level cataclysmic creature. The power it can bring to ordinary cataclysmic beings is limited."

"Most of the mid-to-high-level managers are unlikely to relinquish their positions and status to cross such a red line..."

"Therefore... we cannot bring a high-ranking official in for examination without any clues."

After saying that, Qin Shuman asked in return, "Which high-ranking official in the Investigation Department are you suspecting?"

Qiu Tu didn't need to hide anything from Qin Shuman.

So he spoke without hesitation, saying directly, "Jia Shu."