Then, Let Them Offer Their Loyalty!

Chapter 64: Astonishing Loyalty

Chapter 64: Astonishing Loyalty

Seeing Liu Fuping outside the car window, Qiu Tu raised his eyebrows, a bit surprised.

After all, it was already midnight.

In chaotic times, the night was particularly dangerous. Without a car, a beautiful woman traveling late at night was no simple matter.

So, unless it was something urgent, Liu Fuping wouldn’t risk coming out to see him.

Thinking of urgent matters, Qiu Tu's heart skipped a beat: Did she also know about the female spy's death?

With this thought, Qiu Tu smiled at Liu Fuping, opened the car door, and got out.

Liu Fuping was wearing a loose green knitted sweater tonight. The sweater was loose, with a wide and slightly tilted neckline, revealing the black strap of her bra on her fair left shoulder. A glance down also revealed a deep cleavage.

Noticing Qiu Tu's gaze, Liu Fuping looked down but didn’t adjust anything. Instead, she wrapped her arms under her chest, making herself more prominent.

Seeing this, Qiu Tu couldn’t help but smile. This was the advantage of a mature woman; she was always in perfect sync with him.

With this thought, Qiu Tu leaned against the car, lit a cigarette, and teased nonchalantly, "Sister Liu, are you having trouble sleeping alone and came to find me?"

"Ha ha ha ha," Liu Fuping laughed, her whole body shaking, creating wave after wave.

After laughing, she reached out to support Qiu Tu's arm, then said with a playful smile, "Officer, are you that eager for me?"

Qiu Tu replied with a smile, "Isn’t it you who’s always been eager for me, Sister Liu?"

They looked at each other, their smiles growing brighter, a mutual understanding of their flirtations.

Just as the atmosphere became more intimate, a sudden, horrific scream echoed through the densely packed buildings of Old Lane Street.

This was followed by a loud thud, like something heavy hitting a wall.

Liu Fuping was startled and craned her neck to look.

Qiu Tu nonchalantly flicked his cigarette ash, "It's nothing, probably just another poor soul who couldn't handle the pressure and jumped."

Liu Fuping sighed in relief.

In these chaotic times, life was cheap, and no one cared, except for the newly recruited city sanitation workers.

However, the interruption broke the previously intimate atmosphere. Liu Fuping finally got to the point.

She tidied her hair, moved closer to Qiu Tu, and whispered, "Officer, I heard some news. Yin Caimei is dead."

The name was unfamiliar, and Qiu Tu almost didn't react, "Who?"

Liu Fuping said, "The female spy we interrogated last night."

"Oh," Qiu Tu replied, matching her information with what he knew.

Liu Fuping carefully observed Qiu Tu’s expression, seeing that he wasn’t surprised, she looked somewhat complicated.

She continued probing, "Officer, her identity was very special, and this case has very broad implications."

"I’m worried that the Minister will be furious, and all of us involved in the interrogation won’t be able to escape blame. We might be implicated."

Qiu Tu smiled, flicked away the cigarette butt, and reassured her, "Don’t worry, the Minister won’t."

Liu Fuping was puzzled by Qiu Tu’s confidence.

The next second, she heard Qiu Tu say, "Because the one who’s furious is the Director. He has already intervened in this matter."

Liu Fuping's body visibly trembled, and she was shocked, "The Director has intervened?"

Qiu Tu reached out and pulled her into his arms. Her soft body felt comfortable to hold. He replied nonchalantly, "Yes."

"This matter is so sensitive; isn’t it normal for the Director to intervene?"

Then he looked at her, teasing, "Sister Liu, you’re not the murderer. Why are you so nervous?"

Liu Fuping swallowed, her voice trembling slightly, "Officer, you don’t know the methods used in the bureau."

"Once the Director intervenes, the whole matter becomes incredibly complicated."

"The Director's intervention shows his distrust in the Political Division. This will anger the Minister."

"And the Minister... he's a pervert!"

"He never interrogates prisoners to get information; he tortures them for fun."

"As long as someone is a suspect, whether they are really guilty or not, they won’t come out alive once in his hands."

"Our Interrogation Office was trained by him, so we know his methods too well."

"This matter is so serious, and with the Director's intervention, he might just grab a few internal personnel like us, torture us to vent his anger, and force confessions."

By the end, her face was pale, and her voice trembled, "I only learned a bit of his methods, and few prisoners could survive. We won't last either."

Hearing this, Qiu Tu thought for a second, then asked, "So, you think we should find the real murderer first?"

Seeing that Qiu Tu finally addressed her main concern, Liu Fuping quickly nodded.

She said softly, "We must find the murderer in advance and clear ourselves of suspicion. Only then can we avoid being implicated."

Hearing the beautiful woman's words, Qiu Tu raised an eyebrow, silently watching her with an inscrutable gaze.

The beautiful woman felt a bit uneasy under his gaze. She touched her face and asked, puzzled, "Officer, what’s wrong?"

Qiu Tu smiled, looking again at Liu Fuping’s astonishing loyalty level.

[Liu Fuping, Loyalty: 13]

Then he smiled and said, "Nothing. It’s just that Sister Liu looks especially beautiful tonight, and I was momentarily stunned."

Although he complimented her, Qiu Tu's mind was quickly analyzing Liu Fuping's loyalty.

Just like he had learned from his experience in the Interrogation Office: without any conflicting interests, most subordinates should have a loyalty level of over 30 towards him. This wasn’t due to Qiu Tu’s personal influence but rather the inherent hierarchy in a strict organization. After all, as long as Qiu Tu didn’t make any mistakes, opposing him would mean opposing the entire organization.

However, Liu Fuping’s loyalty towards Qiu Tu was not even at the baseline of 30. This suggested three possibilities:

1. Qiu Tu’s teasing over the past two days made her very resentful, lowering her loyalty.

2. She belonged to a faction within the agency that was hostile or antagonistic towards Qiu Tu.

3. She was a spy.

Any of these could explain why her loyalty was below the minimum threshold of 30, causing her to superficially follow Qiu Tu's orders while secretly defying them.

Especially the third possibility. If she were indeed a spy, the likelihood of her being the murderer increased significantly. However, Qiu Tu was puzzled: if she were the killer, why would she come to see him? Was she planning to frame him? Or diverting suspicion?

'Things are getting interesting,' he thought, probing, "Sister Liu, who do you think the killer is?"

Liu Fuping hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "I think it might be Wang Xi."

"Oh?" Qiu Tu said, intrigued, "Why?"

Liu Fuping replied, "He’s a pharmacist, responsible for preparing interrogation drugs. So, he could easily add some fatal substances to the normal interrogation drugs without anyone noticing."

"Oh," Qiu Tu said, as if in thought. After a moment, he suddenly looked at Liu Fuping and, with feigned surprise, said, "If that's the case, Sister Liu, you also have a lot of suspicion. After all, you were the one interrogating the female spy. During the interrogation, you could have easily poisoned her too. For example, hiding poison under your fingernails and applying it to her wounds during torture."

Liu Fuping wasn't intimidated by Qiu Tu's accusation. She admitted with a resigned expression, "I know I’m one of the prime suspects, which is why I’m so anxious. If I were like you, never having contacted the prisoner, I’d be sleeping soundly."

Qiu Tu scrutinized Liu Fuping's expression, finding no flaws. He continued probing, "So, Sister Liu, why did you come to me tonight? I'm also one of the main suspects."

His relentless questioning made Liu Fuping uneasy. She replied, "I-I was just feeling a bit anxious. I wanted to discuss with you if we could find any other clues."

'That’s a lie.' Qiu Tu keenly noticed the inconsistency. When Liu Fuping spoke, her eyes shifted noticeably to the lower right. However, what happened next was even more intriguing. After her eyes shifted right, they quickly returned to their original position.

A hint of amusement flashed in Qiu Tu's eyes. 'Interesting.'

An eye movement to the lower right typically indicated lying, but the quick return suggested she might have undergone professional training, knowing the micro-expressions of lying and trying to control them. However, due to either lack of skill or emotional fluctuation, she slipped.

'So, this beautiful woman in front of me is a spy?' 'Is there really a spy in the Political Division? And it's her?'

Thinking this, Qiu Tu tightened his grip around Liu Fuping, pulling her completely into his arms. Initially thinking Qiu Tu had other intentions, Liu Fuping politely struggled a bit but soon gave in. The next moment, she felt a gun pressed against her waist.

Qiu Tu held Liu Fuping firmly with one hand and aimed the gun at her with the other. Then he leaned his head on her shoulder and whispered in her ear, "Sister Liu, have you ever thought that maybe you’re the one I suspect the most?"

Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Liu Fuping froze completely.

Author's Note