Then let them offer their loyalty!

Page 662

After all, expanding territory is the fastest way to rise in rank. If one can make great contributions in this war to unify the Northwest region, then one could become not only the speaker of the state assembly, but also the garrison commander of two states or the head of the sanctuary.

Therefore, Guan Xiao, who had already become the deputy speaker in charge of the security bureau system in Dongye Prefecture, used the excuse that "the security bureau system needs to help infiltrate the 7th shelter" to curry favor with Qiu Tu.

Hmm... as I was scrolling, I ended up scrolling under Qiu Tu's desk...

And so, Guan Xiao continued to slurp her popsicles diligently for half an hour before Qiu Tu finally fed all his snacks to her.

After finishing the water from the melted popsicle, Guan Xiao looked up, gave Qiu Tu a flirtatious wink, and said, "Sir, today's breakfast, Ningde shrimp noodles, was really delicious."

Qiu Tu: .....

It must be said that Guan Xiao is indeed a considerate and polite subordinate.

It's just a pity... his mouth is full of childishness.

So Qiu Tu touched her smooth face and said, "Rinse your mouth, then get down to business."

Guan Xiao's ability to become Qiu Tu's most trusted and closest subordinate in just one year shows that she has some skills.

Hearing Qiu Tu's words, she giggled and retorted, "Speaker, in my heart, you are my everything. Therefore, your affairs are the most important matters."

"As for everything else, I only did it to please you."

"How can this be considered a serious matter?"

Hearing Guan Xiao's words, even though Qiu Tu didn't like flattery, he couldn't help but smile.

In that instant, he suddenly understood why Zhao Ji had captivated him so much.

As expected... everyone likes people who have nice words...

Even with a loyalty rating as high as 90%, Guan Xiao is still a woman with a strong work ethic. So, after flattering Qiu Tu, she swayed off to relay orders.

As for Qiu Tu, watching her alluring figure from behind, his thoughts drifted a little far away...

Now, his enemies must be very anxious, and have begun to make their own choices...

Whether they can take over the Seventh Shelter within two days depends not only on their own efforts but also on their choices...

......

night.

As the last rays of the sun were completely swallowed by darkness, the sky resembled a giant black ribbon spread across the entire world.

The cold moonlight shone on the massive, complex, and twisted complex of buildings in "Shelter No. 7 - Zhao Family".

The Zhao family's mansion, covering thousands of acres, lay there like a colossal beast in slumber. The dappled light and shadows of the buildings intertwined on the ground, like a menacing monster, swaying gently in the moonlight, adding a touch of eeriness to the night.

Late at night, in the dark and quiet alley of that building complex, suddenly a series of footsteps and a soft, hushed call rang out, "Quick, quick, come this way."

Accompanied by the sound, a small team of about seven people crouched low and crept along the wall toward the outside of the mansion.

They were dressed in all black, making it impossible to discern their identities and appearances, but their demeanor and actions clearly indicated that they were not ordinary people.

Meanwhile, just as that small team, after navigating the mansion and avoiding the patrols, finally made it outside and began to sneak towards the outskirts of the city.

The second person in the squad suddenly lowered his voice and whispered to the leader, "Dad, why are we retreating in such a hurry?"

"Is Qiu Tu really that scary? If we can't beat him, we can just surrender."

"In order to maintain his control over the 7th Sanctuary, he should let our Zhao family off the hook."

As he spoke, the group of people walked to a street lamp. In the dim light, the face of the person in the lead became clear.

It was none other than Zhao Pan, the head of the Zhao family, one of the three giants of the 7th Shelter, who vowed to resist Qiu Tu to the very end.

At this moment, upon hearing his son's question, Zhao Pan gave him a gloomy look and said with a hint of disappointment, "A wise man does not stand under a crumbling wall."

"What's the difference between entrusting your life to a thug and having a knife to your throat?"

Hearing Zhao Pan's words, Zhao Pan's son was clearly still a little confused.

He muttered, "But... I've heard that Qiu Tu has a very good reputation and character."

“He would even accept and give important positions to some of his former enemies, as long as they sincerely pledged allegiance to him.”

"This person seems to have no flaws in character except for being a bit lecherous."

"At worst, we can send my younger sisters over there. Who knows, he might even call me 'Big Brother' and you 'Father-in-law' then."

Hearing his son's outrageous words, Zhao Pan's face turned ashen, and he slapped the back of his head, yelling, "You beast!"

"With your sisters' looks, do you think Qiu Tu could stomach them?!"

"Are you trying to make sure our family dies soon enough?!"

"Besides, I've heard, I've heard. Your information is all based on hearsay. Is it as accurate as our official channels?"

Seeing that Zhao Pan was angry, Zhao Pan's son quickly shrank back and dared not speak.

Seeing this, Zhao Pan's chest heaved with anger, and he was too lazy to scold his good-for-nothing son anymore: anyway, he hadn't expected anything from him anyway.

Thinking this, after seeing the group off to the SUV that had been prepared, Zhao Pan said to his son with a gloomy expression, "Do you still remember what I told you?"

Upon hearing Zhao Pan's words, Zhao Pan's son nodded quickly. He said, "Dad, I've written it all down."

"We disguised ourselves as a caravan traveling between the disaster zone and the planned area, then passed through the combined forces of Qiu Tu and Princess Xi and entered the disaster zone."

"Upon arriving in the disaster zone, leave everything behind, travel light, and head directly to the border area between the disaster zone and the 'Boundless Heart Sea.'"

"Then I'll use the 'Positioning Altar' to summon you here."

Seeing that his son had indeed remembered it clearly, Zhao Pan finally relaxed a little.

He reached out and patted his son's shoulder heavily, then glanced at the other members of the team without making a sound.

At this moment, the other members of the squad were all scattered around, vigilantly watching for any movement in their surroundings.

Clearly, they were all security personnel arranged by Zhao Pan for his son.

Looking away, Zhao Pan patted his son's head, then leaned closer and whispered, "Son, whatever you do, don't remove that tattoo on your arm."

"It contains all the wealth that our Zhao family has accumulated over the years, as well as experimental data from various research projects."

"I've already encrypted it. No one else can open it except me."

"This way, even if you encounter danger on the road, or if the guards betray you, you will still have some leverage."

Seeing how serious Zhao Pan was, Zhao Pan's son nodded slightly and then unconsciously touched a snake tattoo on his arm.

Clearly, it was a storage-type cataclysmic artifact that could be fused with the body.

Perhaps because Zhao Pan was behaving so strangely tonight, his son finally became serious as well.

He nodded vigorously, his eyes filled with determination. "Father, don't worry. I will definitely complete the mission."

And so, with Zhao Pan watching them go, the team of men in black drove away from the central hub of Shelter 7...

Watching the departing squad, Zhao Pan's eyes were filled with determination and ruthlessness.

'Only a fool wouldn't run!'

"Qiu Tu is 90% sure he knows who we are. He dared to attack the shelter so recklessly this time; who would believe he didn't have a backup plan!"

'So... borrowing the power of Shelters 3, 4, and 5 at the meeting was really just a smokescreen, a way to buy time.'

'Given Qiu Tu's top-tier combat power within the human ranks, and his relationship with the evil goddess sisters, who would want to provoke them unnecessarily?'

'The Fifth Sanctuary is preoccupied with its own problems. While the Third and Fourth Sanctuaries might be interested, they will most likely only send a small delegation as a trial, to smooth things over.'

'If you trust them, you'll be sold out badly.'

"So, let the Wei and Han families hold them off, we'll run first."

That way, even if it turns out to be a false alarm, we can just come back.

Thinking this, Zhao Pan tightened his hooded cloak and strode quickly into the dark night...

.......

at the same time.

The 7th Shelter, the Han Family.

Han Qidong, the head of the Han family, paced back and forth in his study. His brows were furrowed, clearly deep in thought about something extremely important.

After a moment, he raised his head, his gaze becoming extremely solemn.

'Zhao Pan... I always feel like he's plotting something.'

'Should we ask for help? Surrender? Or... run away?'

'But it doesn't matter, whatever he's plotting, it's all in vain.'

'If Qiu Tu didn't know our identity as the "Hidden Mist Society," no matter what we did, Qiu Tu would have spared our three major families for the sake of peace and stability.'

'After a few years of transition, we'll gradually weaken our influence and power.'

'But if he knew our identity as the "Hidden Mist Society," given the "strategic planning" he's demonstrated over the years, would he really not have guessed Zhao Pan's actions?'

"So... Lin Hai's assessment of Zhao Pan back then was quite accurate: 'He's cautious about his own safety when undertaking great tasks, but reckless enough to risk his life for petty gains.'"

'They like to think they're clever, but after all that effort, they realize they should have just gone all out.'

Thinking this, Han Qidong's gaze became incredibly sharp.

Although he also felt that with the Han family's strength, confronting Qiu Tu was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot.

But when faced with a life-or-death situation, he had no other choice but to fight with all his might!

......

Meanwhile, at the Seventh Shelter, the central headquarters, was the Wei family's residence.

Wei Zhengze, the head of the Wei family, was holding the receiver and smiling obsequiously at the person inside, "Yes, yes, Director Guan, you're right."

“Our Wei family has always welcomed and supported Speaker Qiu’s visit to the 7th shelter to guide our work.”

"No, no, it's not 'come to the 7th shelter,' it's 'go back to our 7th shelter' to lead our development."

"Look at my mouth..."

At this time, Wei Zhengze, who was over fifty years old, with white hair and beard, and was already a grandfather, fawned like a grandson.

On the other end of the phone was clearly Guan Xiao, who was in charge of intelligence and espionage work for this "Unity War of the 7th Shelter".

Compared to her succubus persona in front of Qiu Tu, Guan Xiao is a completely different person when she's working.

She said with a forced smile on her face, "Elder Wei, it's good that you have the awareness to say that."

"But...you have to understand, no matter how nice the words are, they are not as good as actions."

Whether the speaker is willing to accept you or not depends on what you plan to do next.

Upon hearing Guan Xiao's hint, Wei Zheng immediately patted his chest and assured her, "Chairman Guan, don't worry."

"I, Lao Wei, may not have any other skills, but I am a man of my word."

"Tomorrow, you will have your army march along the route I have given you. I guarantee that all the cities along the way will be surrendered."

"You've managed to traverse three states and carve out a path directly towards the heart of the 7th Sanctuary without lifting a finger!"

Seeing that Wei Zhengze had finally shown his sincerity, Guan Xiao finally put on a smile.

She replied, "Okay."

Soon, Wei Zhengze told Guan Xiao about his suggested marching route and explained the reason for it—it was all territory controlled by his Wei family.

He had already secretly spoken to the commanders of those states, instructing them not to offer any resistance the next day.

As the person in charge of intelligence for this war, Guan Xiao was already very familiar with the personalities of the heads of the Han, Zhao, and Wei families.

Zhao Pan, the head of the Zhao family, is treacherous and cunning; Han Qidong, the head of the Han family, is quick-witted but reckless; compared to these two families, Wei Zhengze, the head of the Wei family, is more cautious and steady.

Therefore, his secret surrender is most likely a genuine surrender.

After all... if he doesn't surrender, Qiu Tu wins, and for the peace and stability of the 7th Shelter, it won't affect their family's wealth and prosperity.

However... if his surrender is fake, then even if Qiu Tu is only concerned with saving face and prestige, he will still destroy their family.

Given that the risks and rewards are completely disproportionate, the authenticity of the Wei family's betrayal is as high as 99%.

And so, after the two finished discussing the attack route and plan for tomorrow in detail, they hung up the phone.

Because it is wartime, Qiu Tu's war machine is still running at full speed even in the middle of the night.

Therefore, it wasn't long before the news of Wei Zhengze's betrayal was secretly relayed to Tang Feifei, the commander of this war.