Let them offer their loyalty!

A day had passed, and as Qiu Tu once again entered the villa, his state of mind was completely different.

When he came yesterday, Qiu Tu's heart was uneasy. He harbored concerns about his own safety and curiosity about whether Secretary Bai truly was an Evil God Cultist.

But today, Qiu Tu's mood was one of unmatched tranquility.

Leading his subordinates into Secretary Bai's villa, the grass on the perimeter was trampled down by the group's direct approach.

The lawn, which originally looked exceptionally fresh and comfortable, became messy and disorderly, just like this soon-to-collapse estate.

Upon entering the interior of the villa, internal guards immediately came down after hearing the noise.

Two of Secretary Bai's confidant detectives stood at the door, startled by the sight of the imposing crowd.

But since their job was to protect Secretary Bai, the two exchanged glances and quickly extended one hand forward, palm facing out, making a "prohibitory" gesture.

"This is the villa of Bai Yu, head of the Administrative Office. Which department are you from?"

During this exchange, one of the detectives recognized Qiu Tu and also noticed the black uniform representing the Political Department worn by the group.

His complexion changed, and he quickly tugged at the detective beside him, wanting to whisper a few words.

However, at this moment, Zhu Huoyan and Li Xian, who were beside Qiu Tu, took decisive steps forward, surpassing Qiu Tu's position, and in unison drew out silver handcuffs, promptly cuffing the outsretched hands of the two detectives!

The two detectives were clearly startled and quickly exclaimed, "What are you doing!"

Before they could finish speaking, Zhu Huoyan and Li Xian snickered, yanked the handcuffs, and with a swift maneuver, pulled the two men aside.

The actions of the four were very quick; from the detectives extending their hands to stop them, to Zhu Huoyan and Li Xian subduing the pair, it had taken scarcely two or three seconds.

So when Qiu Tu, followed by his confidants, approached, the entrance was already unobstructed.

Therefore, Qiu Tu didn't even glance at the two subdued detectives and stepped over the threshold, walking straight into the outer hall of the villa.

In the outer hall, Secretary Bai was sitting at the dining table, eating breakfast.

Although his position in the Investigation Bureau was as Yan Chen's secretary and house steward, their high statuses within the Bureau allowed them not to serve and accompany Yan Chen like those personal or confidential secretaries would generally have to.

Secretary Bai's breakfast was not lavish: a piece of bread, a fried egg, and a glass of milk.

While eating, a maid stood silently by his side, waiting on him, as he simultaneously dined and read the newspaper.

Hearing the clamorous footsteps intruding his villa, he didn't seem surprised, his gaze still fixed on the newspaper.

Only when Qiu Tu drew near did he lift his glass of milk, sipped it lightly, and then, with a hint of emotion, said, "Director Tang really thinks highly of you."

"To have completed the formalities for you in such a short amount of time."
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As he said this, he put down the newspaper and extended his hand toward Qiu Tu, "Let me see the Authorization Order."

Hearing Secretary Bai's request, Qiu Tu straightaway took out the copy of the Authorization Order that Tang Jiancha had faxed over last night and put it in Secretary Bai's hand.

Secretary Bai took the Authorization Order, looked it over carefully, and then smilingly handed it back to Qiu Tu.

After that, he picked up a piece of silk white handkerchief to wipe his mouth, put it down, and then extended both hands cordially towards Qiu Tu, ever the epitome of grace.

All his actions were just as graceful as they had been over a year ago when he processed Qiu Tu's entry paperwork, as calm and composed as ever.

Watching him, images of all the moments spent with Secretary Bai seemed to flash before Qiu Tu's eyes.

He looked intently at Secretary Bai for a moment before finally taking the silver handcuffs passed to him by Song Qing.

"Click!"

With that sound, Qiu Tu cuffed the silver handcuffs onto Secretary Bai's wrists, and the second of the nine high-ranking officials of the Investigation Bureau was apprehended...

Time seemed to freeze at that moment, yet Secretary Bai's expression remained serene, as if he had seen through all the vicissitudes of life...

...

Meanwhile.

At the same time as Secretary Bai's arrest,

In a conference room on the ninth floor of the Investigation Bureau, Wu Zhi, a confidant of Huang Shangzong, was intricately reviewing all the case materials and records handled by Qiu Tu over the past year.

He seemed to possess some strong rapid-reading or memorization ability.

Despite holding textual documents, a projector was set up on the table, with a tape recorder placed on his right-hand side.

He was doing just that, simultaneously perusing the textual materials, watching the video footage, and listening to the audio recordings, as all three lines of investigation progressed in parallel.

At his side, Commissioner Wang and Deputy Director Yu were quietly exchanging glances.

Both being among the top 15 heavyweights in Xinjie City, they were certainly acquainted with each other. Though not frequently socializing in private, they would occasionally exchange a few words.

Now that there was no one else in the room, they surreptitiously communicated with each other.

From their exchange of looks, it was clear they harbored doubts about Wu Zhi's ability to multitask so adeptly, simultaneously reading, watching, and listening.

Though Huang Shangzong was an important figure in the Sanctuary, with a retinue of capable followers, such an exaggerated method of investigation was somewhat beyond their belief.

As they were entertaining these thoughts, suddenly, Wu Zhi's hands also began to move.

His right hand holding a red pen, he swiftly circled several segments in the textual documents.

Then, his left hand hit the pause button on the projector, jotting down a few numbers onto a blank sheet of paper, as if recording the timestamps of problematic footage.

Seeing this, Commissioner Wang and Yu Zhengyi couldn't help but glance at each other before turning their attention back to Wu Zhi.

And Wu Zhi, as if oblivious to their stares, began to write and draw swiftly.

His movements were quick, and in just about ten minutes, he had filled several pages with writing, encircling numerous details in many interrogation records.

Upon seeing this, Yu Zhengyi sneaked a peek at Wu Zhi's notes and realized that while he couldn't understand the textual part, the circled sections pertained to minor details.

Some related to Qiu Tu's suspected irregularities; others to gaps in Qiu Tu's documentation, relying on confessions for verdicts; and yet more indicated Qiu Tu's careless clerical work, suggesting a tendency to determine guilt before finding evidence....

Such issues were actually present in all departments of the Investigation Bureau: after all, the Planning Area had only recently been brought under the control of the Sanctuary, with imperfect laws, and most cases were handled expediently by the Bureau.

Moreover, these issues weren't exclusive to Xinjie City; other Planning Area cities faced them as well.

But... these were unwritten rules that were not to be openly discussed. If the Sanctuary's laws were strictly enforced, Qiu Tu would indeed be guilty of serious violations.

Once Qiu Tu was deemed in violation, he would immediately be stripped of his duties and work.

And without his position, Qiu Tu's "golden body" would be shattered, and then all those who bore grudges against him or were dissatisfied with him would pile on.

Whether by offering clues or testimony, or even... framing and smearing. No one would want to see Qiu Tu rise again.

After a few glances to understand Wu Zhi's approach, Yu Zhengyi nodded slightly.

Although Wu Zhi's method was not particularly delicate, it had the advantage of being secure and systematically thorough.

Particularly when combined with his status as a confidant of Huang Shangzong, and Commissioner Wang, who theoretically had the authority to propose suggestions about the Bureau's affairs. Added to that was Yan Chen's tacit cooperation, shutting one eye. Qiu Tu's fate seemed almost impossible to reverse.

At that moment, as he was contemplating this,

suddenly, someone knocked "bang bang bang" on the office door.

As the Deputy Director, it was natural for Yu Zhengyi to respond, so he said in a deep voice, "Come in."

At the sound of Yu Zhengyi's voice, the door to the office was pushed open from the outside, and an investigator rushed in hastily.

Seeing his appearance, Yu Zhengyi's expression darkened slightly, and he said coldly, "What's the hurry? Has the sky fallen?"

"I didn't expect Commissioner Wang and Counselor Wu to be here. What a spectacle!"

Upon hearing Yu Zhengyi's words, the investigator, looking embarrassed, slowed his pace and then quickly approached Yu Zhengyi.

Once in front of Yu Zhengyi, he first glanced at Commissioner Wang and Wu Zhi, then leaned towards Yu Zhengyi and whispered, "Director, there's been a problem."

"Qiu Tu didn't come to work today, so when we took people to the Political Department, we couldn't control him."

"After that, we made inquiries from various sources and found out... it's not just that he didn't show up, he even took all his confidants with him."

Upon hearing this, Yu Zhengyi's brow furrowed deeply. The high echelons of the Investigation Bureau all knew that Qiu Tu had dozens of confidant investigators under his command. It was a considerable force.

So he couldn't help but ask, "What is he doing taking so many people with him?"

The investigator whispered, "He... he has taken Secretary Bai."

"What?!" On hearing the investigator's words, Yu Zhengyi, who had just been advising the investigator to remain calm, was so startled he almost stood up from his chair!

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Chapter three, 10,000 words, ha. Vote for Monthly Tickets! Continuing with daily 10k tomorrow!