Then, Let Them Offer Their Loyalty!

Chapter 26: Testing the Limits

Qiu Tu said matter-of-factly, "Of course, I killed her for you. Why else would I do it?"

Qin Shuman was bewildered. She asked, "But... what did she do to me?"

While picking up some food, Qiu Tu calmly explained, "She was Yan Chen's person, placed by your side to monitor you."

"Yan Chen clearly doesn't believe you’re a mole from the Military Department, so he assigned her to record your every move and report back to him regularly."

At this point, Qiu Tu asked, "Are you a mole from the Military Department?"

Qin Shuman quickly shook her head, looking dazed.

"Exactly," Qiu Tu continued. "She found something suspicious about you and documented all the details."

"Last night, when she was about to report to Yan Chen, I caught her. So, I made a decisive move and killed her."

Meanwhile, Qiu Tu smiled and contentedly took a bite of meat.

In life, the most important thing is to learn how to shift the blame.

If you can blame someone else and still gain their gratitude, why carry the burden yourself?

Setting aside personal integrity, one should enjoy a life of mischief.

Qiu Tu's words seemed to have reassured Qin Shuman, as her mood visibly improved.

Though she still muttered about worrying over Yan Chen's wrath, Qiu Tu's comforting words of "Leave it to me" gradually calmed her.

After breakfast, to ease Qin Shuman's anxiety, Qiu Tu offered to take her to feed the fish by the pond.

As one of the top influential families in New Realm City, the Qin family’s residence was vast and architecturally significant. The estate not only featured a series of courtyards but also beautifully designed gardens with a strong oriental flavor.

Sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves, casting dappled shadows on the cobblestone paths.

Qin Shuman sat on a small stool by the path, her long legs extended, delicately sprinkling fine fish food into the crystal-clear pond.

In no time, the previously tranquil water became lively as various colorful mutant fish swam over from all directions.

Watching the fish gather around, she smiled, her bright eyes exuding charm.

Not far away, Qiu Tu's gentle gaze fell upon her, feeling this was the most leisurely moment in the past few days.

But he couldn’t help but wonder how long such peaceful times would last.

His gaze drifted beyond the Qin family estate, beyond the streets and buildings, towards the shadow sitting in an office at the top of the Investigation Department building.

At the same time.

New Realm City's Investigation Department headquarters.

Yan Chen sat in the director's office, listening to Secretary Bai's report while processing documents.

After signing a document, he looked up and asked, "So, basically, Second Master Qin reported today that Qiu Tu killed Cuilan, right?"

Secretary Bai respectfully replied, "Yes."

Yan Chen snorted lightly, "Elder Master Qin is really cunning. He still refuses to take a stand."

"Alright, I get it."

With that, he continued with his paperwork.

Seeing no further instructions, Secretary Bai didn’t leave but cautiously asked, "Director, should we reprimand or warn Qiu Tu?"

Yan Chen's hand paused.

He looked up sharply at Secretary Bai, tapping his pen heavily on the desk, "Bai Yu, I know you think highly of Qiu Tu, but don’t play tricks in front of me!"

Secretary Bai broke into a cold sweat, immediately straightening up, "Yes, sir."

Yan Chen's face turned cold as he waved him off, "Leave."

Secretary Bai saluted and left the office.

Outside, he closed the office door, sighed softly, and shook his head as he walked to his own office.

The fact that Qiu Tu had killed Cuilan wasn’t a secret. Many were keenly observing the situation.

But after a whole day, Yan Chen hadn’t reacted at all.

No reprimand, no warning, and certainly no praise. The silence was eerie, as if he was completely unaware of the incident.

By evening, most people had figured it out.

The lack of praise meant it wasn’t Yan Chen’s order. He was displeased with the incident.

No reprimand or warning meant the issue wasn’t resolved.

By deliberately withholding judgment, Yan Chen could later use this incident to charge Qiu Tu, making the offense as serious or minor as needed.

On the contrary, if he had reprimanded or warned, it would mean the matter was settled. Though displeased, Yan Chen wouldn’t take further action against Qiu Tu.

‘Just as I suspected,’ Qiu Tu thought, after a day without any consequences.

‘Given my current value, Yan Chen won’t humiliate me over non-critical matters.’

‘He’s still wary of me but has essentially made concessions.’

With this in mind, Qiu Tu's gaze became playful.

Those familiar with fraud tactics would recognize this as the method scammers use after the target takes the bait: testing the limits.

Once greed hooks someone, the scammer gradually lowers their moral boundaries until they’re gone completely.

So the next step was simple.

‘I can slowly increase Yan Chen’s sunk costs.’

Without hesitation, Qiu Tu filed a report.

"Major clue discovered, requesting reinforcement from a team of Political Division agents for deployment, and additional operational funds: 399 silver coins."

[49:19:48 (Deadline to make Cataclysm Potion)]

That evening, while Qiu Tu and Yan Chen were engaged in their silent battle.

Shen Lingshuang, holding a short-legged tabby cat, sat on the steps of a small courtyard, staring blankly at the sky, chin in hand.

A maid and a Special Operations Division agent stood nearby, guarding her.

After a while, she turned to the agent, "Hey, don’t you need to check on your officer? He might have choked on water. Why hasn’t he come to interrogate me all day?"

"As an important prisoner, don’t I deserve some attention?"

This spiel had probably been repeated all day, so the agent turned away, pretending not to hear.

Seeing this, Shen Lingshuang angrily glared at him, then furiously stroked the tabby cat, almost pulling its fur out!

The maid, distressed, reached out to stop her but didn’t dare to speak.

At that moment, Qiu Tu’s voice came from outside the courtyard.

Author's Note