Then, Let Them Offer Their Loyalty!

Chapter 53: Dealing with Jia Shu!

Chapter 53: Dealing with Jia Shu!

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, the agent respectfully replied, "The director is waiting for you upstairs."

Qiu Tu looked up at the Investigation Department building. For a moment, he felt as though a pair of deep eyes were watching him. He smiled to himself. This wasn't bad news.

Since Jia Shu was still at the Investigation Department, it meant the Political Division hadn't formally intervened yet. This gave the Security Division ample time to cover their tracks. He and A Tai, as well as Eagle, would be safer.

Thinking this, Qiu Tu calculated the time and formed a hypothesis. Old Lane Street, the Qin family residence, and the City Garden formed a roughly triangular shape. The Investigation Department building was in the middle of this triangle. Therefore, when Qiu Tu arrived at the Investigation Department, Qin Heng should still be on his way back and hadn't yet reached the Qin family home. Without fully understanding the situation and its severity, Qin Heng wouldn't call for help from the Investigation Department. This explained why Qiu Tu arrived first and Jia Shu hadn't left yet.

This led Qiu Tu to further speculate: did Jia Shu lock him down with a phone call as soon as he knew about the incident at the Qin family?

Qiu Tu's eyes flashed. Ha, this was the mark of a true expert. A seemingly casual move disrupted his plans, almost throwing him off balance. Many plans fail because the effectiveness of direct execution versus remote control is vastly different.

Without his preemptive contact with the Security Division to clean up the mess, or without controlling Fourth Master Qin's wife and children, a single phone call could have thwarted his plans. Thus, the greatest danger tonight was indeed here.

It was time to confront this legendary officer.

Adjusting his clothes, Qiu Tu smiled and walked into the Investigation Department building. The building, dark and foreboding at night, resembled a beast waiting to devour him. Taking the elevator to the ninth floor, Qiu Tu followed the agent to Jia Shu's office in the Political Division.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Come in."

With Jia Shu's permission, the agent opened the door and led Qiu Tu inside.

"Minister, Chief Qiu is here."

Qiu Tu's gaze fell on Jia Shu. Wearing casual attire and gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes narrow and smiling behind the lenses, Jia Shu looked deceptively ordinary.

"Good evening, Minister!" Despite his inward critique, Qiu Tu saluted respectfully.

Jia Shu, smiling falsely, gestured with his hand, "We're among ourselves, no need for formalities."

When he smiled, his narrow eyes turned into slits, giving a hypocritical feel. Qiu Tu maintained his stern demeanor, "Regulations, sir. I must comply."

Jia Shu didn't argue further and waved the agent away. Once they were alone, he asked cheerfully, "Chief Qiu, you arrived quickly."

He glanced at his watch, "Eighteen minutes, but you only took fifteen."

Qiu Tu replied, "I had just left home, so I turned around and came straight here without delay."

Jia Shu nodded with feigned curiosity, "Planning to meet friends tonight?"

Qiu Tu, "Yes."

Jia Shu, "Which friend?"

Qiu Tu, "Wang Tai. He passed the Special Operations Division agent test two days ago. We're celebrating."

Jia Shu, "At Where?"

Qiu Tu, "A small restaurant at No. 29 Nanfang Street."

Jia Shu, "Who else is going?"

Qiu Tu, "Some friends I grew up with along with A Tai."

Jia Shu scrutinized Qiu Tu but found no flaws, then asked, "Received any calls on the way?"

Qiu Tu, "Yes."

Jia Shu, "From whom?"

Qiu Tu, "The first was from A Tai, asking where I was. I told him I had urgent work and couldn't make it. The next few were from Fourth Master Qin."

Jia Shu showed interest, "Fourth Master Qin? What did you talk about?"

Qiu Tu looked at Jia Shu and replied without a change in expression, "He cursed me. Said I took his information and betrayed him, promising not to let me off. I hung up several times, but he kept calling. Eventually, I answered and cursed back."

"Want me to repeat our exchange?"

Jia Shu's smile broadened, "No need. We're just chatting. I disrupted your evening plans, so I'm checking on you."

With that, Jia Shu reached into his drawer and handed Qiu Tu a file. "Here's your task for tonight. We just caught a ‘female captain’ from the RUF infiltrating the New Realm Chamber of Commerce. Interrogate her and see if you can find any breakthroughs."

Qiu Tu took the file and skimmed through it, asking, "What methods can I use?"

Jia Shu leaned back, mockingly, "Chief Qiu knows how to interrogate?"

Qiu Tu glanced up, smiling, "No, but I know how to kill."

Jia Shu's eyes gleamed with amusement, his narrow eyes squinting further, "No limits. The Political Division has no shortage of death quotas."

Qiu Tu saluted, "Understood!"

With the task assigned, Jia Shu waved him off, "Alright, get to work."

Qiu Tu nodded, then turned and left the office.

After Qiu Tu left the office, silence gradually returned to Jia Shu's space. Jia Shu sat quietly in his chair for a while before reaching out for a document lying facedown on his desk. Opening it, he saw detailed records of Qiu Tu's phone calls over the past few minutes.

With New Realm City still in its early stages of establishment, the Investigation Department's information section wasn't fully developed and had limited equipment. They could only record and monitor calls selectively. Therefore, Jia Shu only had the records of Qiu Tu's outgoing and incoming calls following his own call to Qiu Tu.

The document clearly showed that the first call was from A Tai to Qiu Tu, lasting a few seconds. Then there was a call from Fourth Master Qin to Qiu Tu, also lasting a few seconds. After that, Fourth Master Qin called three more times but was not answered. Finally, on the fourth call, Qiu Tu answered, and they talked for about twenty seconds.

Everything matched what Qiu Tu had just said.

"Interesting... very interesting," Jia Shu's smile widened, and his pupils slightly reddened, filled with a predator's desire.

With the file in hand, Qiu Tu left Jia Shu's office without letting his guard down, continuing to execute the tasks assigned to him meticulously. He turned and headed to the Interrogation Office.

As he approached, he heard laughter and conversation from the lit room inside.

A curious girl's voice said, "Sister Liu, tell us what’s going on between you and Chief Liu next door?"

A mature woman's voice replied, "Haha, there's nothing going on. We're just friends."

A young man's voice chimed in, "No way! I see you two flirting every day. Something must be up."

The girl added, "Yeah, I even heard him feeding you in the meeting room, and you said it was too big to eat."

The mature woman retorted, "You little brat! Stop spreading rumors!"

"Giggle, giggle."

Listening from outside, Qiu Tu felt a part of him stiffen. Office gossip was indeed unavoidable.

Clearing his throat, he knocked on the door. The playful chatter inside immediately ceased. Seeing this, Qiu Tu pushed the door open and stepped in.

In the afternoon, Jia Shu had introduced Qiu Tu to everyone in the Interrogation Office. As soon as they saw him, the three men and two women stood up with varied expressions, greeting him in a flurry of voices, "Hello, Chief," "Hello, Qiu Chief," "Good evening, sir," "Sir!"

Meanwhile, back in Jia Shu's office...

"Ring, ring." The desk phone suddenly rang.

Deep in thought, Jia Shu snapped back to reality. Seeing the caller ID, he quickly answered.

"Director, any news?"

A low, hoarse voice responded, "Yes, Ji Chen just reported. Fourth Master Qin escaped, and his wife and children were moved early on. Qin Shuman is also missing."

"The agents and maids protecting her were knocked out and thrown into a warehouse. However, because the fire wasn't severe, no one was injured."

"The fire has been extinguished, and Ji Chen's initial investigation showed that the fire started in the more secluded areas of the Qin family estate."

"It seems Fourth Master Qin is trying to leave some leeway for the Qin family and us. He was likely forced into this."

Author's Note