Then let them offer their loyalty!

Page 214

"Has he already swallowed Lariro?"

Secretary Bai also looked up at the phantom of the giant tree, then shook his head slightly, "Obviously not."

"If Tier 1 and Tier 2 Cataclysms can still be considered ordinary beings, then Tier 3 and Tier 4 Cataclysms are truly legendary creatures."

"Therefore, advancing from the second tier to the third tier, or from the third tier to the fourth tier, is not a simple process."

He pointed to the phantom of the giant tree and said, "This situation is expected to continue for another 10 days, or about half a month."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu asked curiously, "Won't this disturb the ordinary people of the New Territories?"

Secretary Bai chuckled and said, "Do you think this scene is something an ordinary person would see?"

Qiu Tu's eyes widened slightly, and he had a guess in his mind.

Sure enough, Secretary Bai explained, "This giant tree is actually a projection of the Director's Law illusory image in the boundless sea of ​​his mind. It's just that this power is too strong, so it manifests in the real world."

"But even so, only those Cataclysmic Beings who have awakened 'Spiritual Vision' can see it."

"Ordinary people can't see it..."

Qiu Tu nodded slightly upon hearing this, a realization dawning on him: No wonder his confidants outside the door hadn't reacted at all, as if they couldn't see the giant tree. It turned out they couldn't see it.

And at that moment, just as he was thinking this.

Suddenly, his communicator rang.

Qiu Tu touched his pocket, sensed it, and found that it was the security department's special communicator ringing.

Even without taking out his communicator, Qiu Tu could guess who was calling and what they were going to talk about.

It was obvious that Qin Shuman had also seen the phantom of the Yama's Law, so she was preparing to exchange information with him.

Thinking this, Qiu Tu said to Secretary Bai, "Old Bai, I'm going out to take a call."

Secretary Bai picked up his teacup, took a sip, nodded slightly, and gestured with his hand.

Qiu Tu strode out of the bedroom.

Outside the bedroom door, Li Xian and Ding Xiaoqi were still standing guard.

Upon seeing Qiu Tu emerge, the two men saluted him sharply.

Qiu Tu subtly gestured inside, and they nodded, went in, and continued to guard Secretary Bai.

Although Qiu Tu believed that Secretary Bai wasn't the type to run away, commit suicide, or harm herself, he was still prepared for the worst. Now that the person had been arrested, he needed to be fully prepared.

In particular... Secretary Bai clearly knows a great deal about Yan Chen and La Ri Luo's secrets.

Qiu Tu still needs him to clear up his doubts.

Thinking of Yan Chen, Qiu Tu couldn't help but feel a little annoyed: he knew Yan Chen was terrifying, but he didn't expect him to be this terrifying.

Qiu Tu had only intended to investigate and deal with the Qin family, but he never expected that Yan Chen would find a "small loophole" and immediately gain the biggest benefit of the whole incident: forcing the Qin family into his camp.

After Qiu Tu relaxed his vigilance slightly, Yan Chen used the case of Vice Chairman Tian's mistress to get Vice Chairman Tian to provide the Investigation Bureau with a complete set of new surveillance equipment. Then, he turned around and sold Vice Chairman Tian out.

After that, whether it was the "Evil God Case" or the "August 8.16th Pharmacy Robbery Case," Yan Chen always managed to gain huge profits from them through a few small maneuvers, whether he knew the information in advance or only found out the truth afterward.

Even... even the death of Jia Shu this time.

It seems that Qiu Tu profited the most, but in fact... Yan Chen also profited quite a bit.

He not only replaced a political minister who was becoming somewhat disobedient, but also successfully kept the selection of the new political minister within the circle of his confidants.

In other words, whoever the new political minister is, he will be one of his people.

But that wasn't all. Not content with regaining control of the Political Department, he also placed his personal secretary, Ji Chen, into the department, elevating him to deputy section chief in a meteoric rise.

They simply maximized the potential profits from the entire affair.

Therefore, after Qiu Tu transmigrated, he continued to undermine Yan Chen and try to dismantle Yan Chen's power.

But... every time Yan Chen makes a move, he always finds a new direction and turns the crisis into an opportunity.

Just like this time, when he devoured Larilu and advanced to a fourth-tier Cataclysm, Qiu Tu guessed that this was likely the result of Yan Chen's long-term planning.

After learning about all the arrangements La Riluo had made over the past two years, Qiu Tu was able to deduce that La Riluo's target was Yan Yan.

Given Yan Chen's shrewdness, he likely discovered some of La Riluo's arrangements earlier than Qiu Tu and successfully deduced that La Riluo's target was his daughter.

Then... he didn't make a fuss, didn't retaliate, and didn't stop Lariluo's conspiracy. Instead, he took the opportunity to have Secretary Bai side with Lariluo and help her complete the entire plan.

Afterwards, by further instigating the situation, he had Qiu Tu sever several of La Riluo's limbs, forcing her to trust only Secretary Bai, thus completely controlling La Riluo's actions...

Finally, he completely lured Lariro into his trap.

This series of operations was both ruthless and cunning...

He was like a silent spider, weaving a giant web for Lariel, then quietly watching her sink deeper and deeper, until he finally captured her completely!

The more Qiu Tu thought about it, the more astonished he became by Yan Chen's cunning and terrifyingly deep-seated scheming. So he walked to the end of the corridor, answered the phone, and prepared to discuss this topic with Qin Shuman.

As soon as the call connected, Qin Shuman's voice came through the receiver, "Qiu Tu, did you see that phantom of the law?"

Qiu Tu replied, "I saw it."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Not only did I see it, but I also know the inside story."

Qin Shuman's call was indeed to discuss intelligence with Qiu Tu. So when she heard that Qiu Tu knew the inside story, her voice immediately showed a hint of joy, "You really do have special intelligence channels."

"I knew I hadn't made a mistake in looking for you."

Qiu Tu smiled, ignoring Qin Shuman's praise, and didn't offer a price—given Qin Shuman's intelligence, she would have given a reasonable price even if he hadn't mentioned it.

Therefore, he recounted in detail how Yan Chen plotted against La Ri Luo and ultimately succeeded in devouring her.

After patiently listening to the whole story and its twists and turns, Qin Shuman on the other end of the phone was clearly stunned.

She remained silent for a good ten seconds before slowly saying, "I was wondering who the catastrophic entity that caused this phenomenon was."

"At first I thought it was Director Tang, but I never expected it to be Director Yan..."

At this point, Qin Shuman couldn't help but add, "It's really a bit surprising."

Qiu Tu smiled and said with emotion, "Who can say otherwise?"

Perhaps because Qin Shuman was one of the people in this world who was closest to Qiu Tu, Qiu Tu's mood actually relaxed after chatting for a while.

A relaxed state of mind leads to faster thinking.

So when Qin Shuman asked softly, "Then Qiu Tu... what are you going to do now?" Qiu Tu actually had some new ideas in his mind.

He didn't immediately explain his plan, but instead asked, "Shuman, if I stop Yan Chen from advancing now, will I be punished by the sanctuary...?"

Before Qiu Tu could finish speaking, Qin Shuman interrupted him, "Yes, and not just the Eighth Shelter. You will even become the public enemy of all the shelters."

"After all, regardless of Yan Chen's faction or stance, his primary identity is still that of a human."

"His advancement to a pseudo-fourth-tier Cataclysm represents the expansion of the human race's ranks and the enhancement of its strength."

"Therefore, if you dare to interrupt Yan Chen's advancement, all the major shelters will definitely classify you as committing 'crimes against humanity' and put you on the wanted list."

At this point, Qin Shuman paused for a moment, then added, "Moreover, I don't think you can interrupt Yan Chen's advancement."

"Let's not even talk about how the military will definitely send a large force to protect Yan Chen after they learn of this news."

“Take him as an example. Don’t be fooled by the fact that he is currently advancing in rank; his strength is actually even more terrifying than before he advanced.”

"He is currently advancing in rank and should have already established a small, automated defense zone. Any living being that enters that zone will be attacked."

"Therefore, without a few peak Tier 3 Cataclysms, I estimate that even getting close to him would be impossible."

Qiu Tu wasn't too surprised to hear this. He said, "I understand."

"Then it seems we still need to use Plan B."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Qin Shuman on the other end of the phone paused for a moment, then asked curiously, "Plan B? What Plan B?"

Qiu Tu looked up at the giant tree silhouette against the sky outside the corridor window, then said softly, "Actually... no matter what Yan Chen's strength is, with my current status, he can no longer easily eliminate me."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Qin Shuman walked to the window on the other end of the phone, and then she looked at the towering phantom of the tree and said, "Yes. After all, you are the deputy director recognized by the shelter."

Qiu Tu said with a smile, "So... actually, no matter what his strength is, it won't have much of an impact on me."

"What really affects me is his future job."

"He advanced to become a fourth-tier Cataclysm at the time of the founding of Dongye State. It is highly likely that he will become the vice speaker of Dongye State."

Qin Shuman hummed in agreement, "Yes. Very likely."

Qiu Tu said, "Then this matter is very simple."

"What he can affect me with is my position as vice-speaker, not his actual power. So why should I worry about his increased power? All I need to do is... prevent him from becoming vice-speaker, isn't that enough?"

Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Qin Shuman was taken aback for a moment, and then couldn't help but ask, "But why didn't you let him become the vice speaker?"

Qiu Tu's gaze was resolute as he said decisively, "It's simple! Do everything possible to delay his advancement."

"If he can successfully advance after the establishment of Dongye Prefecture, then he won't be able to become the vice speaker, right?"

Qin Shuman was visibly stunned upon hearing Qiu Tu's words!

She was clearly taken aback by Qiu Tu's bold idea!

She hesitated and said, "Are you sure... this will work?"

Qiu Tu said with a smile, "Although I don't know how to delay Yan Chen's advancement, I think the idea is correct."

At this point, Qiu Tu paused for a moment, then continued, "Moreover, delaying Yan Chen's advancement has two advantages."

Qin Shuman gazed at the towering, unseen figure outside the window and asked curiously, "What are the benefits?"

Qiu Tu said, "First, the longer Yan Chen's advancement takes, the less influence he will have in the newly established Dongye Prefecture."

"The founding meeting of Dongye Prefecture won't wait for him, nor will those dozens of councilors."

"By then, all the councilors will have already secured their positions and formed their own different forces and factions. Even if he wants to join later, he will not be able to become the core of a faction."

"In addition, his attempt to compete for the vice-chairman position by advancing to the fourth-tier Cataclysm will likely result in some differential treatment of his status among the various factions."

"All of this will affect his future development."

Qiu Tu said, "As for the second point, it is his power in the New Territories."

"Power nominally comes from the top, but in reality it comes from the bottom."

"The reason he was able to wield such power and influence in the New Territories was ultimately because he had cronies all over the New Territories Investigation Department. Every department was staffed by his people."

"But now that he's unable to appear at the Investigation Bureau for the time being because of his promotion... isn't this an opportunity for Director Tang and me?"

"We can take this opportunity to place our own people in various departments, promote our cronies, cultivate our own power, and undermine his authority!"

"This will be an opportunity for our rapid development!"

"If we can seize this opportunity, our Investigation Department in the New Territories will no longer be fighting alone, but will have the potential to stand on equal footing with him!"

Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Qin Shuman pondered quietly for a few seconds before sincerely praising him, "Qiu Tu, I have to say... your success in getting to where you are today is really not due to luck."

"What was clearly a crisis has become a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you."

"And, I actually think you can turn the tide!"

Hearing Qin Shuman's words, Qiu Tu couldn't help but smile and say, "Then I'll take Major Qin's good wishes."

After a few more brief words, the two hung up the phone.

Hearing the beeping sound from the receiver, Qiu Tu put away the communicator and looked up quietly at the silhouette of the towering tree in the misty rain outside the window.

His entire plan was actually learned from Yan Chen.

While analyzing Yan Chen's various plans, Qiu Tu unexpectedly discovered that Yan Chen's "borrowing momentum to attack momentum" tactic seemed to be extremely powerful.

Everything has two sides. So when your opponent makes a move, don't rush to react; try to take advantage of their "tactics."

Yan Chen's advancement this time was indeed unexpected and could indeed propel him to great heights. However, there is also a significant drawback: time.

If Qiu Tu can manage to control the timing, he might just be able to turn this major crisis into a major opportunity!

However, to achieve this goal, Qiu Tu needs the help of two people...

Thinking this, Qiu Tu took out his communicator again and dialed a few numbers.

This time, after the number was dialed, no one spoke; instead, there was a "beep beep" sound, as if the call was being transferred.

After waiting for another ten seconds or so, just when Qiu Tu thought the call hadn't gone through, a familiar, soft, and charming female voice finally came through the receiver.

"Little man~~? What, you finally missed me?"