Let them offer their loyalty!

In those ten minutes, Yan Chen simply continued to smoke quietly; so, a few more cigarette butts accumulated in the ashtray, and the entire study was shrouded in a fog-like haze. Coupled with the mist seeping in from the outside, it truly resembled a Fallen Immortal Realm...

Amidst that white fog, Yan Chen slowly picked up the receiver of the landline, his voice hoarse as he said, "Hello?"

The voice of the man Yan Chen had contacted earlier came from the other end of the phone, "Bureau Chief, Old Chu checked the fingerprints on that black box, and found that only yours were on it."

"As for the safe, apart from yours and mine, there were only the fingerprints of Secretary Bai and Minister Jia; no trace of outsiders."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

"Regarding the surveillance outside the office, we've looked into that too. Due to confidentiality principles, the cameras on the ninth floor were not activated. So, there is no footage at the moment."

At this point, the man paused, then continued, "And about the Cataclysmic traces at the scene, we used a 'Retrospective Locator' to pinpoint, confirming that around 8:30, which is after you left the Investigation Bureau, someone used Cataclysmic ability or Cataclysmic treasures on this safe..."

The man concluded, "In summary, we suspect that a Cataclysmic might have stolen the important documentation from your safe."

Upon hearing this, Yan Chen's eyes darkened like deep pools. He hummed an acknowledgment and said, "Keep looking for more clues."

After speaking, he hung up the phone.

His hands rested quietly on the table; at that moment, Yan Chen was like a volcano yet to erupt—his expression was calm, but no one knew how much anger he harbored within.

Just then, the door to the study was knocked upon from the outside with a "thud, thud, thud."

Hearing the knocking, Qiu Tu looked towards Yan Chen, wondering if he should go answer it. But before he could ask, Ji Chen had already walked over to the carved door of the study and opened it.

Qiu Tu: ...

Even a lousy assistant's job has competitors! The job market is indeed tough!

While thinking this, Qiu Tu also glanced towards the doorway of the study.

Standing at the door was Secretary Bai.

He seemed to have just come back from outside, with his trouser legs and shoes still showing water marks.

The fact that his left shoulder, and even half of his left side, was wet, clearly indicated that he... had not come alone, but was accompanied by another person of esteemed status.

As Qiu Tu was contemplating this, Secretary Bai walked into the study. He nodded at Ji Chen first and then surveyed Qiu Tu with an expressionless face before walking up to Yan Chen.

Bending down, he whispered into Yan Chen's ear, "Bureau Chief, Yanyan has been brought back."

"Due to the rain, I drove slowly on the road and got delayed a bit."

"I had the maid take her to bathe and drink some ginger soup just now."

"She misses you a little and wants you to keep her company."

Upon hearing Secretary Bai's words, Yan Chen grunted deeply and said coldly, "I'm busy today; let her rest on her own."

After that, he said to Secretary Bai, "There's actually something I need to discuss with you; stay for a moment."

Then Yan Chen looked up at Qiu Tu.

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Compared to his warm demeanor towards Qiu Tu during the day, his current gaze held a noticeable trace of disdain, "Qiu Tu, you can step out first."

"We have some matters to discuss."

Hearing Yan Chen's command, Qiu Tu didn't care much: he was quite understanding. If you stabbed someone hard on the back, of course you had to allow them to be angry.

So he obediently said, "All right, Bureau Chief."

After speaking, he left the study.

As he gently closed the carved door of the study, Qiu Tu faintly heard Yan Chen's distinctive low, hoarse voice slowly begin, "There might be a mole among the senior staff of the Investigation Bureau..."

Clearly, Yan Chen was preparing to discuss tonight's events with Secretary Bai.

And thinking of his relationship with Secretary Bai, Qiu Tu rarely showed a trace of a smile on his lips—it seemed that even fate was on his side.

This tight spot, Jia Shu would have to shoulder whether he wanted to or not...

Thinking this way, Qiu Tu couldn't help but recall his plans for the evening.

Actually, after interrogating Bai Ru, Qiu Tu discovered that his situation was somewhat ill-omened.

The reason he explained earlier was that Qin Heng now became an important partner and vassal to Yan Chen.

If Yan Chen wanted to expand his power, he must protect him. Thus, by the time the case investigation reached this point, it was almost no longer possible to continue!

But the problem was ... Qiu Tu already knew so many secrets, and he had locked up three of the four Qin brothers, so he and the Qin Family really had reached a point of no return ...

Even if Qiu Tu were to give in to the Qin Family, Yan Chen might mediate ... But the problem was, there were also insurmountable issues between Qiu Tu and Yan Chen!

Once Yan Chen discovered the things Qiu Tu had done behind his back, Qiu Tu would still be on a path to death.

Add to that, the immense benefits that would arise from the downfall of the Qin Family ...

So, to just give up like that, Qiu Tu really couldn't reconcile with it!

He couldn't just watch Yan Chen grow stronger in Xinjie City, nor could he lose the chance to bring down the Qin Family, and he definitely couldn't let those cooked benefits fly away.

Therefore, after much deliberation, he decided to make a big gamble! Bringing every key player into Yan Chen's entire lineup! Going all-in!

Since he was now tied hand and foot and unable to see this case through, he would make a big deal with the Security Department and let them handle the case!

Flipping the table over! No more games for anyone!

So, he gave Qin Shuman a call and discussed a massive deal.

The deal was huge, but the terms were simple.

From Qiu Tu's side, he would provide Qin Shuman with:

A list of 33 officials from Xinjie City involved in the case, containing 1 member, 1 Director, 5 Deputy Directors, and 26 Principal and Deputy Staff;

Unrealized real estate and land titles from Master Qin Si;

And ... evidence of Qin Heng and the Qin Family's collusion with United Front for their rise to power.

What Qin Shuman and the Security Department needed to offer in return was:

Cash equivalent to the value of Master Qin Si's properties and land titles;

The backbone of the Qin Family's certain industry technology, and the rights to deal with 30 private armed personnel among the Four Major Transportation Merchants;

And ... a legitimate captain (Principal Staff level) secret identity for the Security Department. It could be without a position, not responsible for specific job duties, but it had to have a rank.

The terms exchanged by both parties were almost equivalent, and even with the addition of the "captain" identity, Qiu Tu was asking for a bit too much.

But Qin Shuman and Dai Yukang were clearly individuals who handled big affairs, so after brief negotiations, they agreed right away.

As a result, although Qiu Tu paid almost all of his "cards," he also gained even more substantial benefits than he had anticipated.

Even ... he got the most important safeguard: the Security Department's captain identity.

This would allow him to execute his next "Heaven-Earth Swap" plan more boldly!

After finalizing the benefit exchange with the Security Department, Qiu Tu and Qin Shuman confirmed several key points of the whole plan today.

1. Within the next hour, someone will use Qiu Tu's Special Communicator to call Qin Shuman. The caller won't speak and will hang up within a few seconds. This indicates that the plan has officially begun.

If no call is received, then all plans will be temporarily suspended, waiting for Qiu Tu to make contact again.

2. If the call is received, then at 17:30, Qin Shuman should send someone to the entrance of Old Alley Street and wait for a person named Ah-Kun. At that time, Ah-Kun will hand over something to her. It must be securely received.

3. At 18:00, the Security Department will start arresting the first batch of City Hall officials implicated in the case, totaling 21 people!

4. At 19:00, they will start arresting the second batch of City Hall officials, totaling 13 people!

5. Starting from 19:00, they will dispatch people to guard outside the Investigation Bureau building, keeping an eye on the whereabouts of Yan Chen and Qiu Tu, ensuring both leave the Investigation Bureau building together!

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Still delivering 3 updates with 10k words! I'll start with 2 chapters totaling 7k, and by 14:00 this afternoon, another chapter will be updated! Seek Monthly Tickets! Seek subscriptions!