Then, Let Them Offer Their Loyalty!

Chapter 57: Refreshing the Golden Finger

Chapter 57: Refreshing the Golden Finger

Hearing Jia Shu’s inquiry, the shadowy figure responded softly, “Everything is normal.”

On the other end, Jia Shu acknowledged with a hum but remained silent for a while, not displaying his characteristic laugh.

Sensing something unusual, the shadowy figure asked, “What’s wrong? Was last night’s investigation not smooth?”

Jia Shu snapped back to reality and chuckled, “It went well. It’s just that… the results were a bit unexpected.”

10 AM, in Yan Chen’s city garden villa.

The dim study.

The desk lamp cast a faint yellow glow, filling the room with swirling smoke, rising and spreading with time.

Half of Yan Chen’s body was hidden in the shadows, the other half illuminated as he smoked, narrowing his eyes in deep thought.

The room was eerily quiet.

Time passed—perhaps a minute, perhaps several.

When Yan Chen's cigarette was reduced to a stub, he extinguished it in the ashtray and asked hoarsely, “So, we’ve been misunderstanding Qiu Tu this whole time?”

Jia Shu, now expressionless, his gold-framed glasses adding a touch of sternness, shook his head, “I didn’t say that. But it’s certainly a possibility.”

He elaborated, “Last night, we started by investigating Fourth Master Qin and his family. We uncovered many things.”

“But the more we investigated, the more off things seemed.”

“When we retraced our steps, we found that many key clues and pieces of information had been erased.”

“After several hours, all we could confirm was that Fourth Master Qin disappeared at the Milan Hotel. We gained almost nothing else.”

Adjusting his glasses, Jia Shu seriously added, “But this irrational phenomenon also pointed us in the right direction.”

“We’re elite professionals trained in criminal investigation by the shelter. In New Realm City, who could evade our scrutiny, who could be more professional than us?”

“Military?” Yan Chen narrowed his eyes and quietly spat out two words, then corrected himself, “Not just the military. It must be the Security Division.”

Jia Shu nodded, “Yes.”

“The other factions in New Realm City are mostly amateurs. Even their experts are at best at an amateur level.”

“They couldn’t possibly clean all traces and sever all leads accurately within 30 minutes, leaving us with nothing.”

“Such a level of professional skill could only come from mid-level managers from the shelter, meaning members from the Investigation Department, the military, or the Municipal Council.”

“While the Municipal Council is the highest authority and has the most mid-level managers, most of them are civil servants without these professional skills.”

“Our Investigation Department’s personnel were all summoned last night and had no time to act.”

“So, it must be the military, specifically their ace department, the Security Division.”

Pausing, Jia Shu continued, “We’ve been adversaries with the Security Division for years and know each other’s methods well. Once we identified the target, we quickly found subtle traces.”

“This confirmed that the Security Division was indeed behind it.”

Hearing this, Yan Chen’s expression became uncertain. He lit another cigarette, speaking slowly, “Last night, Fourth Master Qin set fire to the Qin family estate and took Qin Shuman with him. The Security Division then stepped in to cover their tracks.”

“This proves that Fourth Master Qin and Qin Shuman are with the Security Division.”

“And Qiu Tu initially said he suspected Qin Shuman had another identity.”

“So, he wasn’t lying?”

Yan Chen frowned deeply.

Jia Shu remained silent for a moment, then added, “Last night, Fourth Master Qin intentionally didn’t burn the main house or kill the agents guarding Qin Shuman, indicating he was coerced.”

“So, he likely wasn’t the mastermind but merely an executor.”

Yan Chen squinted further, “So, the mastermind is probably Qin Shuman?”

“This further confirms Qin Shuman’s identity?”

Pausing, Yan Chen continued, “However, Qiu Tu still guessed wrong. Qin Shuman isn’t from the Municipal Council but from the military.”

Jia Shu nodded slightly, “And if Qin Shuman is indeed with the Security Division, her ability to produce awakening materials like the Aurora Stone to bribe Qiu Tu makes even more sense.”

Yan Chen agreed, “Indeed, the Security Division handles extraordinary affairs.”

Just as Qiu Tu had analyzed and predicted, Yan Chen and Jia Shu never believed him, nor did they believe Qin Shuman was a spy. But once the Security Division intervened and Qin Shuman’s role as a spy was confirmed, all their previous logic was overturned.

This realization made them reconsider the entire situation from Qiu Tu’s perspective, leading them to conclude that Qiu Tu was indeed wronged and that Qin Shuman was the real culprit.

This shift in perspective made them overlook many of the inconsistencies and details in Qiu Tu’s lies—or rather, they found ways to rationalize them.

The room fell silent again. While the situation was now “clear,” they realized it had become a deadlock.

Having not believed Qiu Tu initially, they failed to control Qin Shuman when they had the chance. Now that she had escaped, they had no grounds to challenge the military. Without catching her red-handed, the military would never admit to her identity. They had plenty of ways to spin the situation.

For instance, they could claim Qin Shuman was just an ordinary person, abducted by Fourth Master Qin out of spite against Yan Chen, and later killed her after putting a cuckold on him. Such a scenario would not only fail to benefit the Investigation Department but would also cause an even bigger scandal.

“We made a wrong move,” Yan Chen lamented quietly before turning to Jia Shu. “What are your thoughts?”

Jia Shu, having gradually regained his composure, his eyes behind his glasses glinting coldly, said, “I still think there are many suspicious points. Some of Qiu Tu’s stories seem too coincidental, and his anomalies are hard to ignore—”

Yan Chen raised a hand to stop him, speaking wearily, “Let’s not focus on Qiu Tu for now. Despite the doubts around him, his judgment on this matter was correct. Someone was indeed meddling in our affairs. He did a good job. It was our lack of trust.”

Yan Chen continued, “What I want to know is, how do we handle the Security Division’s involvement in this matter?”

Pressing the cigarette butt into the ashtray, Yan Chen, embodying the gravitas of one of New Realm City’s three giants, said deeply, “I won’t swallow this loss.”

Jia Shu’s face lit up with a faint, knowing smile. “I have two suggestions.”

“One, we have our own informants within the military and the Security Division. We should have them find out who is secretly investigating you. Is it General Ye? Director Dai? Or some unruly section chief?”

“Once we identify the culprit, we can target them specifically.”

Yan Chen nodded slightly, asking, “And the second?”

Jia Shu’s smile widened, “The second suggestion involves Qiu Tu. Didn’t he say Qin Shuman tried to recruit him? Let’s turn him into a double agent. Have him continue to liaise with the Security Division.”

“We can have him feed them non-critical information to gain their trust.”

“As for his main task, it’s simple: find out who else the Security Division has planted around you and within our Investigation Department. This will not only clarify his loyalties but also help you eliminate internal threats.”

Yan Chen’s eyes flickered slightly before he slowly nodded in agreement.

After flirting with Liu Fuping and enjoying some harmless fun, Qiu Tu returned to the Interrogation Office. As a deputy chief, he had a leadership role but no private office yet. So, he found a conference room to catch up on some much-needed sleep.

The previous night had drained him mentally, physically, and spiritually. Using both his "Clairvoyance" and "Cataclysmic Ability" had left him extremely fatigued, making rest a necessity.

He fell into a deep sleep and, in his dreams, vaguely sensed someone entering the room, draping a coat over him before leaving. The presence felt familiar, but he was too exhausted to identify it.

He slept soundly until 2 PM, waking up feeling refreshed and revitalized. Stretching lazily, Qiu Tu felt ready to take on the world again.

At that moment, a series of prompts appeared before him:

[Acquired Cataclysmic Ability, becoming a Cataclysmic Being. Golden Finger Slot +1, Refresh Count +1.]

[Currently, you have 2 Golden Finger Slots: 1 Fixed Slot and 1 Random Slot. Refresh Count is once per month.]

Author's Note