Then let them offer their loyalty!

Page 454

A small villa complex hidden in the woods near Lung Shan Road in the New Territories.

Winter has arrived, and the trees around the small villa complex are sparse, with their branches covered with crystal-clear icicles, making it look extremely desolate.

In the northeast corner of that small villa complex, there is a villa built of bluestone.

In the study of that villa, a dark figure sat quietly, looking at the documents in front of him with an indifferent gaze.

There was no fire or heater in the room, and it was freezing cold, but he seemed to feel nothing at all.

And so, some time passed. Suddenly, "knock, knock, knock," came a series of knocks on the study door.

"Please come in." The shadowy figure's voice was hoarse and unpleasant, like the screeching of chalk on a blackboard, sending chills down one's spine...

A moment later, the door to the study was pushed open, and a well-dressed man strode in.

His strides were powerful, and his walking posture was very standard, as if he had undergone a lot of training.

Upon entering the study, the man stood up, snapped to attention, and saluted, saying in a low voice, "General!"

The shadowy figure grunted in response, then slowly asked, "What happened?"

The well-dressed man said, "Latest intelligence on the three giants of the New Territories!"

After saying that, he strode over to the shadowy figure and handed him a slip of paper with both hands.

The shadowy figure took the note, read it quickly, and then sneered, "He's quick-witted. He knows to break through at a time like this, to protect himself."

"However, this is for the best. His Highness 'Twilight' was most worried about him."

"Now that he's in seclusion, it won't affect our plans..."

At this point, the shadowy figure spoke slowly in his piercing, owl-like voice, "How's the 'Cult of Destruction' doing? Have they sold off the looted supplies?"

Upon hearing this, the muscular man said in a deep voice, "They've all made their move."

"A few hundred tons of relief supplies is nothing; given the size of the 'Disaster Zone-Trade Market,' it will all be absorbed in no time."

"It's impossible for Dongye Prefecture to find out anything now."

The shadowy figure nodded, then asked, "How about the alliance? How's the incitement going?"

The strong man said, "Relief food is the guarantee for the survival of the poor, and with their instigation, the entire New Territories is now like a giant powder keg."

"Even the slightest spark will cause it to explode."

Upon hearing this, the shadowy figure gave a deep "hmm." With a wave of his hand, the intelligence report in his hand spontaneously combusted!

The firelight illuminated his scarred face and the two blood-red gold stars on his uniform epaulets.

If Qiu Tu were here, he would recognize that these are the distinctive shoulder patches of the anti-government armed group "New Democratic Army".

The two blood-red gold stars represent the person in front of them, a lieutenant general-level senior officer in the "New Democratic Army".

It's important to understand that the "New Democratic Army" is not as insignificant as the "Alliance." They are one of the largest forces in the disaster zone bordering the Eighth Sanctuary.

By worshipping multiple evil gods and adhering to their political platform, they have seized control of dozens of cities across three states in the "Cataclysmic Zone," and have already established a significant presence...

Among the evil gods they worship are the fifth-tier evil god "Twilight," who previously made a deal with Evil Moon and Whale Shark, and... Lariluo...

At this moment, after burning the intelligence, the dark figure slowly spoke, "Then let's execute the plan."

"Now, Jiang Zhenpeng's only way out is to borrow grain from the five elders."

"Qiu Tu has been on my side, so the Five Elders will most likely lend it to him."

"So... set fire to Lung Shan Road, shattering the last glimmer of hope for the people of the New Territories. Let the New Territories descend into complete chaos."

"Isn't Dongye Prefecture planning to infiltrate the disaster zone and use force?"

"I want to see if they still have the energy to wage war externally once their internal situation descends into chaos..."

......

That night, a fire broke out on Longshan Road, and the five families frantically tried to put it out.

As it turned out... after the fire was extinguished, they discovered that not only Longshan Road was on fire, but also their properties.

Industries related to daily necessities, in particular, suffered a devastating blow.

During the fire on Yongsan Road, several elite squads of soldiers broke into smaller units and then attacked their property.

Even though the Five Elders' private army was quite powerful, it ultimately fell because some of their elite soldiers were Cataclysmics...

Even more ruthless was the news that broke in the New Territories after daybreak: Jiang's side wanted to take advantage of the situation for political infighting, so after deliberately losing the relief supplies, they also went so far as to send a secret force to attack the Five Elders' granary.

The public is easily swayed, so even if the reasons are utterly absurd, because enough people are saying them, the public gradually comes to believe them.

In an instant, the public opinion and unrest that had just calmed down erupted again.

Qiu Tu learned of this news at noon the next day. The news was passed on by Tang Feifei, who had come to pretend to "protect" him.

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, Qiu Tu looked at the somewhat chaotic street outside, but he wasn't in a hurry.

If Jiang Zhenpeng only had these tricks up his sleeve, he wouldn't have been fighting with the two vice-speaker candidates for two years.

As expected... it was exactly what Qiu Tu had anticipated.

A few days ago, after the transportation channels outside the city were cut off, Jiang Zhenpeng keenly sensed that something was wrong.

Therefore, just to be on the safe side, he made two preparations.

On one hand, he borrowed grain from the Five Elders, and on the other hand, he had experts from his own faction transport the grain using spatial "cataclysmic artifacts".

Although spatial-type "Cataclysmic Artifacts" usually have a small space.

However, the city hall had plenty of money, so they simply carried all five together for transport.

Moreover, to prevent this backup plan from being discovered, Jiang Zhenpeng arranged for that team of experts to operate only at midnight every day.

They continued transporting supplies for three days, finally filling the gap in relief grain.

Therefore, when the granary in Longshan Road was burned down and the people were outraged, Committee Member Jiang decisively took out this batch of grain and supplies.

Facts always speak louder than words. Once the supplies were complete, all the "rumors" were disproven.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Committee Member Jiang decisively promoted himself once again, reshaping his image in the public eye.

With that, the crisis in the New Territories was essentially over. Jiang Zhenpeng and his team could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

As it turned out... Jiang Zhenpeng pulled off a sneak attack, but the shadowy figure was no slouch either, following suit with a similar tactic of attacking from the east while striking from the west.

While the situation in the New Territories was stable, the city where Jiang Zhenpeng had borrowed grain suddenly descended into chaos.

It's the same old routine: first, establish public opinion, then plunder supplies, then incite the public, and finally cut off their escape route.

Because the city hadn't been cleared of anti-government forces and extremist religious moles and spies, the entire plan proceeded incredibly smoothly with the cooperation of an inside man.

Furthermore, the first committee member of the city that borrowed grain was far less capable than Jiang Zhenpeng, which brought the entire city to the brink of collapse.

That would have been fine, but perhaps knowing Jiang Zhenpeng's successful experience in turning the tide, that first committee member also followed suit and wanted to borrow grain from outside.

However... some strategies only work the first time; once the enemy knows them, they become ineffective.

So... he not only failed to borrow any grain, but he also spread the war to a third city.

Dongye Prefecture had only been taken back two years ago, so it not only had a poor foundation among the people, but it was also saturated with infiltration.

Furthermore, drawing on the experiences of the first three cities—both successes and failures—the expert tailored a riot plan for each city to suit local conditions. Therefore, it wasn't long before several more cities descended into chaos...

In contrast, the New Territories City, which was the first to be threatened, surprisingly became the most stable and peaceful one...

And so... time flew by, and it was the fourth day.

Noon on the fourth day.

The giant black umbrella that had been hovering over the New Territories exploded with a loud "bang!" It turned into specks of light that scattered across the entire city.

All the victims of the catastrophe looked up at the New Territories City Investigation Department, sensing something amiss.

Meanwhile...

Ellie and her colleagues, who were having a small meeting in Ellie's office and discussing the recent developments, all looked up in the direction of Qiu Tu's office, sensing something amiss.

After a moment, Shi Youxin licked his lips and then said softly, "Director Qiu has successfully advanced. He's become a fourth-tier Cataclysm..."

Although they had mentally prepared themselves over the past few days, at that moment, it still felt like a dream to them.

Normally, becoming a Tier 4 Cataclysm would qualify one to compete for the position of Vice Speaker...

While it's uncertain whether it will succeed, at least it means Qiu Tu has already taken one step forward...

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Two chapters, 10,000 words each. Please vote with monthly tickets!

Chapter 439 Lariluo Reclaims Her Position as Regional Ruler! (10,000 words, please vote!)

Thinking back to a while ago, I was scheming against Qiu Tu, but now Qiu Tu has already taken one foot into the position of vice speaker.

Ellie, Lü Cheng, and Ji Qinglin were all speechless for a moment.

This psychological gap allowed them to truly experience what it means to be defeated by a lower-dimensional attack.

After a moment, Lü Cheng coughed twice, then said in a simple and honest manner, "Let's not all look so gloomy."

"It's a good thing that the Director was promoted to a pseudo-Tier 4 Cataclysm."

"Should we prepare some gifts to congratulate them?"

Hearing Lü Cheng's words, Ellie and Ji Qinglin felt even more distressed.

Non-stick stone, on the other hand, is reliable because it can change angles quickly.

His eyes flickered slightly, then he said, "By the way, what exactly is the Director's disaster recovery mechanism?"

"Should we give him something that aligns with his catastrophe path as a congratulatory gift?"

"Or... could I give him something he likes as a congratulatory gift?"

Shi Youxin's words clearly hit Ellie's sore spot. She tugged at her pigtails in annoyance and said, "How could anyone see through his cataclysmic pathways?"

"A towering black umbrella. And many shadows hang down from it."

"It's either immortal or mysterious."

"It's definitely not a good approach."

At this point, Ellie added, "As for what he likes, that's simple. He likes women."

"Look around and see if anyone has a daughter or wife. Just pack them up and send them to him. He'll definitely be happy."

After saying that, Ellie ignored the three of them and stopped discussing the current situation in Dongye Prefecture. She pushed aside the documents and walked out of the conference room.

Seeing Ellie's exasperated expression, Shi Youxin, Ji Qinglin, and the other two exchanged glances, all somewhat puzzled.

Ji Qinglin shrugged with a strange expression and then said, "Why is Director Ellie so agitated?"

"It's not like we're sending her away."

Shi Youxin shook his head, equally puzzled.

Only Lü Cheng watched Ellie's retreating figure thoughtfully, as if he had guessed something...

Meanwhile.

"Master, to celebrate your successful advancement to the fourth rank, I drugged Xue'er and brought her to your bed~~~"

Looking at the text message Yan Yan sent, Qiu Tu: ......

If we're talking about the New Territories, the person who cares most about Qiu Tu's every move is probably Yan Yan.

I don't know what got into this girl, but ever since she met Qiu Tu, she's been giving him freebies.

Moreover, not only did she give it away for free, but she also dragged her two best friends along to give it away for free as well.

And now... just a few days ago she tricked Ellie into Qiu Tu's hands, and today she's setting her sights on another of her best friends.

Although Qiu Tu was somewhat attracted to her three best friends, she knew that now was not the time to indulge in debauchery.

In chaotic times, as long as you have money and power, women are everywhere.

If you only have women, then... money and power will soon leave you.

So Qiu Tu didn't even reply to Yan Yan's text message, and simply put the communicator back in his pocket.

After watching the "captain" who had successfully advanced to the fourth rank return to the Boundless Heart Sea, Qiu Tu deliberately amplified his aura, making himself appear somewhat unstable. Then... he pushed open the office door and walked out.