Let them offer their loyalty!

Yan Chen not only had his own people in all three major power institutions, but his industries also spanned clothing, jewelry, department stores, and transportation, among others. It can be said that he had both money and manpower at his disposal!

And the downfall of such a colossal Qin Family would yield astounding benefits.

If Qiu Tu could secure even a part of it, he could save a considerable amount of starting resources!

Thinking this way, he also casually "dismantled" the Qin Family in his mind.

No matter the family, essentially, they are composed of four dimensions: 1. Money! 2. Power! 3. Talent! 4. Technology!

Among these, the Qin Family's most valuable assets were, of course, technology and power.

The Qin Family's Cloning technology was unquestionably far ahead of the current post-Cataclysm chaotic world. If he could acquire it, he could not only sustain a small family's prosperity for a long time, but also possibly reverse-engineer the related technology to advance more peripheral sciences.

As for "power," that was about the various positions the Qin Family held within Xinjie City's three major power institutions.

Given the current situation of the Qin Family, unless one of the Three Giants of Xinjie City personally stepped in to protect them, Old Master Qin (Qin Heng)'s position as Commissioner and Qin Zhengguang's as Deputy Division Chief were definitely going to be relinquished.

Aside from them, because of this affair, a group from the Investigation Bureau and the Governing Hall including Division Chiefs and Chiefs are likely to be warned or even demoted.

This is nothing short of a major power reshuffle among Xinjie City's mid-level echelons!

Comparing money and talent to the most important assets of technology and power, the Qin Family's resources are equally tempting.

Once the Qin Family falls, the industry shares, corporate assets, and real estate they leave behind are all hot commodities—securing even one could mean prosperity for many years.

In terms of talent, whether it's their privately trained armed forces or the technical backbones cultivated by the Qin Family in various industries, attracting any of them could save years of development time!

However, Qiu Tu also knew that it wasn't just him eyeing this piece of fat meat from the Qin Family. Should the Qin Family fall, myriad forces in Xinjie City, big and small, would certainly swarm like hungry wolves to partake in this feast!

'So... I must determine what I want to secure in advance. And then lay out my plans early.'

With that in mind, Qiu Tu took out pen and paper and began to sketch in his notebook. Soon, he had determined his primary target: Power.

Whether for living better in this chaotic world or... to upgrade his Cataclysmic ability, Qiu Tu's greatest need was to raise his position!

His current position was Deputy Chief of the Political Department's Interrogation Section, two ranks below Qin Zhengguang's Deputy Division Chief, and since he had just been promoted, he was destined not to gain this Deputy Division Chief spot.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

But... with someone being promoted to Deputy Division Chief, it would certainly leave a Chief position vacant!

Furthermore, considering the merits Qiu Tu had made recently and the connections he had developed, he felt he might be able to aim for a promotion.

While being a Chief might seem just one level above a Deputy Chief, the Deputy Chief is only an assistant, while the Chief is the highest officer in a department, not only wielding more power but also finding it easier to place confidants and cultivate loyalists.

It can be said that with this promotion, Qiu Tu could truly open up the situation and begin to build his own power!

After identifying his primary target, Qiu Tu immediately determined his secondary target: Talent!

After swindling a large sum of startup capital from Master Qin Si, Qiu Tu wasn't really short of money.

What he lacked was a way and a channel to increase the value of his money.

If he could lure a group of talents from the Qin Family, regardless of the industry, with their experience and connections, he could quickly establish a foothold in a particular industry, then develop and grow it. Thereby, he would have a continuous source of money, no longer wasting away his wealth!

As for the remaining two benefits: Money (assets) and Technology (Cloned Female Body)...

The former was too obvious, with too many competing for it, any preemptive move by Qiu Tu would not only look suspicious but could also easily make him a target for everyone.

The latter, with its scarcity and high value, was something Qiu Tu could hardly acquire even with stealthy plotting.

Therefore, after weighing his options, Qiu Tu decided to forgo competing for these two benefits and focus all his efforts on seeking position and scavenging talent!

After organizing his strategy for obtaining benefits, Qiu Tu quietly listed on paper the resources he possessed that could be used for exchange:

He held the secret of Old Master Qin's "Immortality";

He had incriminating evidence against Commissioner Qin "Qin Heng";

He had a list of all the officials in Xinjie City involved in the case, obtained from Third Master Qin, Qian Dafu, Qi Yun, and Bai Ru;

He had the yet-to-be-altered property titles and deeds of Master Qin Si;

He had two pieces of Cataclysmic Material, several Cataclysmic Props;

He had leads and suspects from the recent "Pharmacy Robbery Case";

He knew the true identity of Liu Fuping, and so on...

After lining up the resources he had listed, potential allies, and the things he wanted to acquire, Qiu Tu quickly organized his plan.

Once he had finished crafting his plan, Qiu Tu, with a serious face, memorized the contents of the paper and then used a match to burn the paper completely clean.

After doing all this, Qiu Tu got up and tried walking a few steps to ensure that the aftereffects of using his Cataclysmic ability had passed, then took out a special Communicator that Qin Shuman had given him and called her.

As the call connected, the coy voice of Qin Shuman came through the receiver, "Chief Qiu~~ how is your progress? Can we start taking action? I really can't wait..."

Hearing Qin Shuman's words, Qiu Tu chuckled, then replied, "Then don't be hasty. I'm calling you this time because I want to propose a deal to you."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Qin Shuman immediately became interested, "A trade? What kind of trade?"

Qiu Tu, "A kind of insurance..."

On the other end of the phone, Qin Shuman, dressed in yellow-green military uniform, looked out at the continuous drizzle, her charming face all smiles, "Oh? Insurance? Do tell..."

Ten minutes later, Qiu Tu and Qin Shuman had finished their phone call.

Then he sat quietly in the interrogation room for a while, ensuring that nothing was overlooked before he cleaned up the ashes at the scene and exited the interrogation room.

At this time, Chen Feng and Ah-Kun, who had finished organizing the video and audio materials, were already waiting outside the door.

Qiu Tu took all the materials, looked through them carefully, and then seriously inquired about the clue and evidence search conducted by Cao Dabiao and Eagle before finally bidding everyone farewell and heading to the 9th floor of the Investigation Bureau.

When he arrived at the 9th floor, Secretary Bai was already waiting there.

Upon seeing Qiu Tu, Secretary Bai smiled slightly at him then led the way with a cool detachment.

Explore hidden tales at empire

"The Bureau Chief is in a good mood. Hopefully... the news you bring will also be good," said Secretary Bai.

Hearing Secretary Bai's ostensibly sarcastic words that actually contained key information, Qiu Tu's lips curled into a slight smile.

"It will be. Thank you for your concern, Secretary Bai. It's chilly, make sure to take good care of yourself and not freeze to death."

"You better take care of yourself. Right now, who knows how many people out there are wishing for your death."

"Don't worry, I have my ways. They'll die before I do."

In just a few simple exchanges, both parties covertly swapped information and expressed their concern for each other.

At the door of Yan Chen's office, Secretary Bai knocked gently, prompting the deep, firm voice from inside, "Come in."

Secretary Bai opened the door and announced to the interior, "Bureau Chief, Deputy Chief Qiu has arrived."

Inside the office, Yan Chen merely grunted in acknowledgment without saying much.

Secretary Bai signaled to Qiu Tu, who took a deep breath and then stepped into Yan Chen's office.

Perhaps it was because of the rainy weather, but today, the curtains in Yan Chen's office, unusually, were drawn back.

The drizzling rain outside pattered against the window, creating a pleasing rhythm.

And there sat Yan Chen by the window, quietly listening to the rain, while lowering his head to read the newspaper.

With no newspaper office in Xinjie City, this newspaper was obviously from the Sanctuary.

While thinking this, Qiu Tu walked over and respectfully greeted, "Good day, Bureau Chief!"

Then... he sneakily glanced at the content of the newspaper.

The headline on the front page of the newspaper was: In order to better manage the cities in the Planning Area and expand outward, the Sanctuary is researching the establishment of higher-level administrative units in the Planning Area...

Qiu Tu paused. Establishment of higher-level administrative units?

Did this mean "state" or "province," those regional administrative institutions comprising dozens of cities?

Before Qiu Tu had time to make sense of this, Yan Chen put down the newspaper, picked up a teacup beside him, took a sip of tea, and asked indifferently, "I heard you have something to report to me. Is it about the Yin Caimei case?"

Yan Chen was indeed in a good mood today, even taking the initiative to ask another question, "How is the case going? Is the progress smooth?"

Upon hearing Yan Chen's words, Qiu Tu also snapped back to attention.

He looked at Yan Chen and declared confidently, "Report to the Bureau Chief! The case has been concluded! That's what I'm here to report!"

"Cough cough." Perhaps the efficiency of Qiu Tu's handling of the case was so exaggerated that even Yan Chen was taken aback and choked on his tea.

After coughing, he wiped the moisture from the corner of his mouth, placed the teacup down, and then lifted his head to look at Qiu Tu, seeking confirmation,

"The case is finished?"

He glanced at the clock on the wall, did a quick calculation, and with a bit of surprise, remarked, "From the time you arrested the suspect, it's only been three to four hours."

"You've finished the case already?"

Qiu Tu wanted precisely this kind of shock factor to aid his following plans.

So he acknowledged with an "Mm," and stated, "Yes, Bureau Chief!"

"I employed a small tactic. I easily broke through several suspects' psychological defenses and obtained key information and evidence."

"Oh? Is that so?" Upon hearing this, Yan Chen stood up, walked back to his desk, sat down, and then looked at Qiu Tu with an impassive gaze, asking, "Let's hear it. What's the story with this case? Who is the murderer?"

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There'll still be 3 releases and 10k words today, posting 2 chapters first, and the 3rd chapter will be around 13:00 (feels like I can endure this schedule). Please vote for the Monthly Ticket!