Then let them offer their loyalty!

Page 773

Thinking this through, Qiu Tu couldn't help but make a decision.

He didn't directly refuse Li Feng, but calmly walked to the desk next to him and picked up the cigarette case on the table.

Qiu Tu gently shook the cigarette pack, took out a cigarette, and put it in his mouth. Then, he lightly rubbed his finger together, and a flame immediately appeared from his finger, igniting the cigarette in his mouth.

Gray smoke curled from Qiu Tu's fingertips as he smoked and squinted at Li Feng.

Although she was prepared to "offer her loyalty," Li Feng was, after all, the lord of the sanctuary and had a basic sense of shame.

So when faced with Qiu Tu's scrutinizing gaze, as if he were looking at merchandise, she could initially meet his eyes calmly, but gradually, her cheeks began to turn redder and her body became more and more uncomfortable.

Moreover, perhaps because she was inexperienced in such matters, her body instinctively clenched her hands, her legs involuntarily clamped together, and her body twisted slightly in a evasive manner.

Seeing this, Qiu Tu chuckled and began unbuttoning his shirt, as if he had genuinely agreed to Li Feng's request.

Seeing this, Li Feng bit her lip lightly, her eyes flickering, clearly showing that she was going through a fierce internal struggle.

Clearly, even though she had already made her decision, she still couldn't help feeling uneasy and anxious when the time came.

Seeing her adorable appearance, Qiu Tu found it even more amusing. He slowed his movements, as if wanting to savor Li Feng's flustered state.

And so, right in front of Li Feng, he slowly unbuttoned all the buttons on his shirt, then took off his shirt and walked step by step to Li Feng.

When that tall figure loomed over Li Feng, she finally stopped hesitating. As if she had finally made her final decision, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and prepared to face Qiu Tu's trials and tribulations.

Just then, she suddenly felt a warmth on her body, as if something had been added to her.

She opened her eyes in a daze, and then saw Qiu Tu reach behind her and drape the shirt he had just taken off over her shoulders.

She blinked, then looked up at Qiu Tu, her handsome face full of questions. It was as if she didn't understand why Qiu Tu had draped a coat over her. Did Qiu Tu actually enjoy this kind of playful interaction?

Just then, Qiu Tu put his arm around her shoulder and walked towards the sofa, saying, "Commander Li Feng, Yan Yan is right."

"I am indeed a very cautious person, with a scale and a line in my heart."

"Only those who pass my test or cross that line will be considered as one of my own, as family."

"But... this doesn't necessarily require 'offering loyalty'."

“Especially you, there are actually many ways to become one of my own, to become my family.”

As they were talking, Qiu Tu put his arm around Li Feng and sat her down on the sofa.

Upon hearing this, Li Feng's expression became even more puzzled. Her eyes flickered, as if trying to decipher the meaning behind Qiu Tu's words.

After a moment, as if she had thought of something, a look of realization finally appeared on her face. "You mean... as long as I have this feeling, you can actually treat me as family?"

"Whether or not you actually accept my 'loyalty' is not a necessary condition. As long as I continue to treat you wholeheartedly in the future, you will still trust me."

Qiu Tu: ....

That wasn't actually what Qiu Tu meant. But he also knew... some things couldn't be rushed.

So he nodded in agreement with Li Feng, "You could say that."

"You have to trust me, I have enough discernment to judge people."

After finishing his sentence, Qiu Tu smoothly transitioned to more serious matters. He said, "By the way, the Ministry of the Interior sent a message saying that your main reason for wanting to see me this time was to represent the 3rd and 4th shelters in seeking refuge with me?"

"How is this going?"

Upon hearing Qiu Tu bring up serious matters, Li Feng's expression turned serious, and she regained her composure.

She looked at Qiu Tu and then said seriously, "Yes."

“In the past few days, our two shelters have held several rounds of consultations and reached a consensus. That is, we are now in an era of great change.”

"Humanity may be facing a transformation unlike any other in a millennium. A slight misstep could lead to utter destruction."

"The 'Trial of the Gods' may very well not be an opportunity for humanity, but rather a major crisis."

As she spoke, Li Feng repeated all the analyses she had made to the higher-ups at the Third Shelter.

The gist is that this "Trial of the Gods" is a rehearsal for the merging of the two major regions. The eighth-tier Great Evil Gods are currently lying low, but once they end their dormancy, they will definitely turn their attention to humanity.

At that time, humanity will likely be divided up and wiped out by various powers, becoming utterly enslaved.

Rather than being forced to choose later, it's better for humans to make choices proactively now. This way, they can maintain a degree of control.

After listening to Li Feng's analysis, Qiu Tu couldn't help but ask curiously, "Commander Li Feng, if I remember correctly, you came from the Second Shelter and are the daughter of Heavenly King Zhiyan."

"The Second Shelter clearly chose the 'Mist Shadow Society,' why didn't you make the same choice as them?"

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Li Feng's expression immediately turned somewhat unpleasant.

She paused for a few seconds, as if choosing her words carefully, before slowly saying, "Because I don't agree with what they're doing."

"Although the Flame Weaver is my mother, and the Second Sanctuary is my hometown, it doesn't mean that my thoughts are completely the same as theirs."

She said, "Based on my interactions with the 'Hidden Mist Society,' they have treacherous ambitions, and 'Apocalypse' is not as simple as he seems."

"Cooperating with them is like asking a tiger for its skin. One wrong move and we could lose everything."

“Even…” Li Feng paused, then said with a grave expression, “I suspect that the cooperation between my mother and the ‘Mist Hidden Society’ is not as simple as it seems.”

"They are likely playing a much bigger game."

At this point, Li Feng paused, then said, "But the problem is... if they only use themselves as stakes in the game, I support them."

"Their current actions are clearly playing with the fate of all humanity, which I find unacceptable."

"Compared to their dangerous practices, I would rather place my bet on a trustworthy member of the same ethnic group."

At this point, Li Feng couldn't help but turn her gaze to Qiu Tu.

Upon hearing Li Feng's words, Qiu Tu hesitated for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "Commander Li Feng, you said... that King Zhiyan and the others might be playing a long game. Do you mean that the Second Shelter actually has another purpose?"

Upon hearing this, Li Feng hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly.

Qiu Tu guessed, "Is it related to the 'Western God King'?"

Li Feng glanced at Qiu Tu with her beautiful eyes, as if surprised by Qiu Tu's keen observation.

She nodded again, then explained, "You should know that the Second Sanctuary became independent because it had the support of the 'Western God King,' right?"

Qiu Tu nodded slightly. During this time, Qiu Tu also learned from Qing Lan the secret of how humanity established the Second Shelter.

The reason humanity was able to break away from the "Hidden Mist Society" and establish the Second Sanctuary was entirely due to the support of the "Western God King." (Chapter 647)

Therefore, this proves that there must be high-ranking human beings who know the "Western God King" and may even have a close relationship with him.

Sure enough, Li Feng said, "That's because my mother endured humiliation and hardship while carrying out a mission in the 'Mist Hidden Society,' and accidentally met the avatar of the 'Western God King' who was traveling in the mortal realm."

"At the time, she keenly sensed the extraordinary nature of the 'Western God King's' avatar, so she went to great lengths to befriend him, even spending all the few 'Boundless Divine Crystals' she possessed on the 'Western God King.'"

"The Western God King greatly admired my mother, so before leaving, he asked her about her wishes."

"My mother made a wish to leave a free place for mankind."

"Only after that did the 'Western God King' support humanity and the subsequent split of the 'Hidden Mist Society' occur."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu's gaze turned thoughtful, as if he had thought of something...

At this moment, Li Feng paused for a moment, and then said, "Of course, this is what my mother and the other Heavenly Kings said."

"But in my opinion... it's just a friendship, how could it possibly make a 'God King' go to such lengths?"

"Besides, he's already a 'God-King,' how could he act impulsively?"

"Therefore, I'm more inclined to believe... that this was all a setup from the start."

"A setup?" Qiu Tu muttered thoughtfully.

Li Feng, naked with Qiu Tu's coat draped over her shoulders, leaned against Qiu Tu and said, "Yes."

"I think... the 'Western God King' was likely already dissatisfied with 'Apocalypse' and the 'Mist Shadow Society'. He didn't want the 'Mist Shadow Society' to continue growing stronger, so he created an avatar and deliberately befriended my mother."

"Then... while he was with my mother, he was most likely testing her attitude, trying to figure out the human perspective."

"After confirming that humans were indeed a viable option, he proactively offered his assistance. This earned him both human gratitude and loyalty, while simultaneously suppressing the 'Hidden Mist Society'—killing two birds with one stone."

At this point, Li Feng paused again, then continued, "And this time... the reason my mother and the others cooperated with the 'Mist Shadow Society' was most likely because they were acting under his orders."

"He definitely didn't want a second Celestial to appear in the 'Western Kingdom,' but he couldn't control 'Apocalypse' during the 'Celestial Trial,' so he arranged for my mother to infiltrate the 'Hidden Mist Society' to prevent 'Apocalypse' from obtaining the 'Celestial Rank.'"

Hearing Li Feng's analysis, Qiu Tu nodded slightly. Although Li Feng's analysis was a bit rough, it was indeed quite logical.

If Li Feng's deduction is correct, then the second shelter is indeed walking a tightrope, serving as a pawn for the "Western God King".

In this situation, if things aren't handled properly, it could very well lead to the complete collapse of the human camp.

Therefore, it is reasonable for Li Feng to refuse to follow her mother and choose to bet on herself in order to play it safe.

Moreover, regardless of whether Li Feng's speculation is true or false, as long as their allegiance to Qiu Tu is genuine, then Qiu Tu will only benefit from it.

During times of great disaster, fellow citizens are the most important resource and support. Take this "Trial of the Gods" for example; the ranking already included population as an evaluation criterion.

Therefore, if Qiu Tu can really take over the 3rd and 4th shelters, his overall ranking will inevitably rise rapidly.

With that in mind, the entire plan was left with only one problem: how to relocate the hundreds of millions of people in shelters 3 and 4.

And so... Qiu Tu heard about the special treasure "Moon Displacement" from Li Feng.

When Qiu Tu heard that the "Moon Displacement" could relocate large numbers of people at a certain cost, and even cross world barriers and isolated mountains, he was genuinely shocked.

Then he thought of the special treasure he possessed: the Mirror of Two Worlds.

After a brief comparison of the functions and effects of the two special treasures, Qiu Tu couldn't help but have a guess in his mind:

Could it be that... these special treasures are called "special treasures" and are valued so much by the "origin of the world" because of their strategic value in being able to have an effect across worlds?

Unfortunately, since he only obtained two Cataclysmic Treasures, it was still difficult to find the pattern, so Qiu Tu could only keep this guess to himself for the time being.

However, now that every step of the plan has been completed, Qiu Tu has nothing left to hesitate about.

He gently patted Li Feng's head and then said, "I'm willing to accept you into the 'Northwest Shelter'."

At this point, Qiu Tu added, "Besides, I happen to have a place where you can settle down."

Li Feng, draped in Qiu Tu's clothes, her body shrouded in mystery, was exceptionally alluring, but she paid no heed. After a moment's thought, she tentatively inquired, "Is it the 'Disaster Zone'?"

Qiu Tu nodded with a distant gaze. "Yes. During this time, Speaker Tang is sweeping through the entire 'Northwest Region' of disaster zones."

"It was a vast area no smaller than the Third Shelter. It was large enough to house the people of the Third and Fourth Shelters."

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Happy Lunar New Year's Eve everyone!

I'd like to recommend a friend's book, *Sherlock Holmes at Hogwarts*.

Chapter 665 You are the Lord of Humanity (Seeking monthly votes at the end of the month)

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Li Feng did not immediately respond; her eyes flickered as she analyzed the situation.

After a moment, she looked up at Qiu Tu, her eyes sparkling with excitement, "I just calculated it, and it's enough!"

"Moreover, those disaster-stricken areas need to be demolished and rebuilt anyway, so we can use the work-for-pay system to give the victims in the third and fourth shelters something to do in the early stages."

Her gaze was deep. "After all, only by keeping the people busy can we reduce their time for thinking and prevent unrest."

"This is especially true during times of change."

Upon hearing Li Feng's words, Qiu Tu couldn't help but give Li Feng a deep look.

Perhaps because it is a cataclysmic era, the ruling class in this world is more oppressive and bloodthirsty than in the previous life.

In the past, the ruling class at most treated people like cattle and horses, but in this world, the ruling class treats people like firewood.

In his interactions with these rulers, Qiu Tu discovered that many of them believed that as long as civilization could continue, the suffering of the common people was insignificant, since the evil gods would bear the infamy.

It must be said that living in chaotic times is truly unbearable.

No wonder the ancients wrote: "Better to be a dog in times of peace than a person in times of chaos."

Peace is always the most precious thing.

If given the chance, Qiu Tu would also like to bring peace to the world. The prerequisite, of course, is that it doesn't disrupt his life...

Thinking this, Qiu Tu also came to his senses. He looked at Li Feng in his arms and said, "Since Commander Li Feng also thinks this plan is feasible, then let's proceed with this plan for the time being."

"In a moment, I'll contact Guan Xiao of the 'Ministry of the Interior' to coordinate the relocation of the 3rd and 4th shelters."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Li Feng immediately nodded in agreement.

Li Feng was clearly a career-oriented woman, so after making the plan, she couldn't wait to get up, dress, and leave.