Then, Let Them Offer Their Loyalty!

Chapter 80: Monsters from the Immaterial World

In the planning area, vehicles were rare, so crossing the street didn’t require much caution.

Qiu Tu stepped across the road, spreading his arms wide and grinning. "Miss Qin! Long time no see! Come here, let me give you a hug!"

Hearing this, Qin Shuman, dressed in a black coat, laughed and stepped back, lightly pushing Qiu Tu’s chest with her gloved hand. She teased, "Stop it! Can’t you be serious for once?"

But Qiu Tu ignored her playful refusal and pulled her into his embrace.

With Qin Shuman’s soft form in his arms and her faint fragrance lingering in the air, the anxiety that had been gnawing at Qiu Tu’s mind over the past few days seemed to ease slightly.

Qin Shuman quietly leaned into his chest. She hesitated for a moment, but after a couple of seconds, she gently rested her head against him. Both of them, worn out by the troubles of their respective departments, found a brief refuge in each other’s arms...

After a while, Qin Shuman looked up at Qiu Tu’s face.

His usually strong and handsome features were marred by worry, with his brows furrowed in concern.

She reached up and smoothed out the lines on his forehead, her voice soft. "Chief Qiu, you seem to be in a really bad mood today."

Qiu Tu snapped out of his thoughts and asked with a smile, "Do I?"

Qin Shuman nodded. "I’ve never seen you frown like this before."

"Is the case particularly difficult?"

Qiu Tu replied, "Not really. I was just noticing how white that girl’s legs are across the street. Why doesn’t she show a bit more?"

Qin Shuman: ??

Irritated, Qin Shuman playfully kicked Qiu Tu in the stomach, then pushed him away.

Qiu Tu yelped, clutching his stomach. "You sneaky woman! You attacked me!"

Seeing him playfully complaining, Qin Shuman couldn’t help but smile triumphantly. She teased, "Chief Qiu, if you’re going to act recklessly without the caution of a security officer, you’d better be prepared for some injuries!"

Qiu Tu feigned innocence. "Being in the security department is tough! I can’t even give a hug without worrying about getting hurt!"

Their lighthearted banter quickly dispelled the gloom that had accompanied their initial meeting.

As they continued to tease each other, Qin Shuman glanced around, trying to spot the girl Qiu Tu had mentioned. After searching for a while and finding no one, she finally looked at Qiu Tu.

He laughed, dropping his hand from his stomach, and reached out to take her hand. "Shall we take a walk?"

Qin Shuman felt a warmth spread through her heart, as if a soft spot had been gently touched. She nodded, and together they strolled along the street.

Since Qin Shuman had come out in her true form tonight, she wasn’t worried about being recognized.

As they walked hand in hand, Qiu Tu quietly recounted everything that had happened that day. He told her about Jia Shu assigning him the Yin Caimei case, about how Jia Shu claimed he would earn the Security Division’s trust, and about the various unusual signs he had noticed and his own speculations.

Given that it was already past 9 PM and the streets were deserted, they didn’t worry about being overheard.

Qin Shuman listened carefully to Qiu Tu’s account of the challenges he was facing, then fell silent in thought for a while before finally speaking.

"Let’s set the Yin Caimei case aside for now. I think I have some idea of what Jia Shu meant when he said you’d gain the Security Division’s trust."

She glanced at Qiu Tu, her voice low. "Because we protected Fourth Master Qin, the Security Division was exposed to the Political Division, giving them an excuse to attack us."

"Just yesterday, several of our informants placed near the Investigation Department’s upper echelons were all taken out, and we haven’t heard from them since."

"Jia Shu is ruthless. I fear they’re in serious danger."

"And considering that the news about the Yin Caimei case was used as bait, I suspect that many mid-to-lower-level informants in the Security Division were also identified in last night’s operation."

"So, he’s likely planning to root out all of our informants in the Security Division one by one. If that happens, we’ll have no choice but to cooperate with you to expand our information channels."

"And you’ll successfully infiltrate our ranks."

Qiu Tu pondered this for a moment before nodding slightly. "That does make sense."

He then asked, "But your informants are in a dangerous position now. What do you plan to do? Will you pull them back?"

Qin Shuman’s face showed a hint of struggle as she shook her head slightly. "We can’t pull them back."

"If we do, it might expose you."

Her gaze turned serious. "The best solution would be to find out who the Investigation Department’s informants are in the military."

"And then, through you, we could leak this information to Jia Shu."

"In that case, with both sides holding leverage over the other, we’d restore a balance."

Qiu Tu asked, "So... how do you plan to find out who the Investigation Department’s informants are in the military?"

Qin Shuman let out a bitter laugh. "For now, we don’t have a way."

"Our lines to the Investigation Department’s upper echelons have been cut off."

"Trying to sift through so many soldiers is practically impossible."

Hearing this, a sudden thought flashed through Qiu Tu’s mind.

He remembered Liu Fuping and Tang Feifei.

Liu Fuping was a spy placed in the Investigation Department by an unknown faction, with Tang Feifei, the Deputy Director of the Investigation Department, as her backer. She likely had access to a lot of classified information.

Could Liu Fuping have a list of the Investigation Department’s informants?

Moreover, Tang Feifei, as Deputy Director and a rival to Yan Chen, would likely be very interested in weakening Yan Chen’s influence. And planting informants in other departments was already an underhanded move, so manipulating this situation wouldn’t be too difficult for her.

So... even if Liu Fuping didn’t have the list, if they could establish a connection with Tang Feifei and cooperate, it might yield unexpected results.

After all... Tang Feifei was the Deputy Director of Administration, and her responsibilities included training.

Most of the spies among the three major power structures were secretly trained in New Realm City.

If they could get a list from Tang Feifei of those who trained in the Investigation Department over the past year but failed the assessment, yet ended up employed in the military, they might be able to identify a significant number of spies...

The potential collaboration between Qiu Tu and Tang Feifei could greatly benefit him. Not only would it weaken the influence of Yan Chen and Jia Shu, but it would also give Qiu Tu a strong ally in the form of a Deputy Director. For someone like Qiu Tu, who was navigating the treacherous waters of the Investigation Department, having such a hidden backer was invaluable. It would open up a lot more room for maneuvering.

With this in mind, and after organizing his thoughts, Qiu Tu looked at Qin Shuman and said, "Let me think of a way to help with this. I might have some ideas."

Qin Shuman glanced at him in surprise. As the Chief of the Security Division’s Investigation Office, she knew all too well how difficult it was to obtain a list of spies. Opportunities like the one Jia Shu had seized were incredibly rare. And now, Qiu Tu was saying he had a way?

To be honest, Qin Shuman’s first instinct was disbelief. But since Qiu Tu was offering his help, she decided to go along with it. After a moment of thought, she smiled and said, "Then I’ll thank you in advance, Chief Qiu. My entire career rests in your hands."

Though she tried to downplay the seriousness of the situation with a light-hearted joke, Qiu Tu could sense the hidden tension in her words.

He didn’t respond verbally. Actions, after all, spoke louder than words. If he could get his hands on that list and hand it over to Qin Shuman, that would be the best answer.

After discussing the issue of double agents, Qin Shuman shifted the conversation to the "Yin Caimei case." Her demeanor became more serious as she explained, "The book Brave New World is actually quite famous."

"Famous? In the planning area?" Qiu Tu asked, surprised.

Qin Shuman shook her head and said, "No, not here. It was famous in the eight major shelters years ago."

"In the shelters?" Qiu Tu repeated in surprise.

Qin Shuman nodded. "Yes, this book became extremely popular in the shelters about a decade ago."

"After all, a chaotic world is fertile ground for the spread of such cult-like texts."

"But a few years ago, the eight shelters reached an agreement to ban the book and required all residents to turn in their copies for destruction."

"Why?" Qiu Tu asked, curious.

Qin Shuman frowned slightly and said, "I’m not entirely sure. The matter is classified as a B-level secret, so I don’t have the clearance to access the details."

"But I once heard the Director mention that this book caused significant trouble in the Immaterial World."

"It seems that after reading it, many people either committed suicide or died under strange circumstances. This led to the creation of a terrifying cataclysmic creature in the Immaterial World, which in turn caused bizarre changes in the real world."

Qin Shuman had previously given Qiu Tu some information on cataclysmic artifacts and abilities, including some details he had obtained from the world’s source. However, likely to avoid leaks or for some other special reason, the documents had used the term "Immaterial World" instead of the proper name "Boundless Mind Sea."

As Qiu Tu listened to Qin Shuman’s words, he mentally replaced the key terms, organizing the information in his mind.

After a moment of thought, he asked hesitantly, "So, do you suspect that Yin Caimei’s death might be related to that book?"

Qin Shuman shrugged. "I’m not sure. I’m just giving you a new direction to consider."

She paused for a moment before adding, "Also, while Brave New World was banned and destroyed in the shelters, it’s still very popular among anti-government groups like the RUF."

"So, it’s not entirely surprising that Yin Caimei had a copy of the book."

Qiu Tu’s sharp instincts picked up on something odd.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously, "If I’m not mistaken, the shelters have been cracking down on anti-government groups not just because they threaten the shelters’ control, right?"

"Is it also related to... the Immaterial World, or more specifically, the creatures from the Immaterial World?"

"Could it be that Brave New World isn’t the only thing capable of creating monsters in the Immaterial World?"

Author's Note