Then let them offer their loyalty!

Thinking this through, Qiu Tu also recalled the contents of the document:

According to the records, thirty years after the catastrophe, the entire world was unrecognizable. A strange and mysterious force quietly awakened, reshaping the world's structure and the forms of life.

Among these, the most chilling was the unusual mutations that began to occur in the creatures of nature:

For example, the ivy on the wall inexplicably began to swell and twist, its thickness comparable to the water pipes in an abandoned city.

The roadside weeds, which are usually normal during the day, are sharp as knives under the moonlight, exuding a cold and menacing aura.

Those ants, so tiny they're barely noticeable to the average person, have now grown as large as giant dogs in the night, wandering the ruins and emitting low, nightmarish growls...

At that time, humanity was preoccupied with the struggle for survival and had no time to pay attention to these abnormal life phenomena.

Until 15 years ago, when the first shelter stood tall, and human elites from all walks of life gradually gathered here and embarked on a journey to explore the outside world, they were shocked to find that the world had fallen into an even more bizarre situation.

These mutated plants and animals not only experienced significant enhancements in strength, speed, intelligence, and aggression, but some individuals even acquired incredible abilities...

Humans speculate that all of this stems from that unprecedented catastrophe, and thus this incredible phenomenon is called the "Catastrophe Awakening".

What's puzzling is that while all biological groups worldwide underwent a "catastrophic awakening," humanity remained completely unchanged.

As a result, two theories gradually emerged among humankind regarding this phenomenon.

One possibility is that humanity may be awakening, but its lifespan is too long and its reproductive capacity is too weak, so it needs to reproduce for several more generations before a new human with mysterious powers is naturally born.

Secondly, humanity's life level is already very high, and even a major cataclysm cannot fully awaken humanity. Therefore, humanity can only truly achieve its own awakening by actively stealing the alienated power from other creatures.

These two speculations were debated back and forth during the establishment of the shelter.

The debate was temporarily put to rest 13 years ago when a pharmacist accidentally concocted a "catastrophic potion" and successfully granted the test subject a strange power.

With the advent of the [Cataclysmic Potion], the value of [Cataclysmic Materials] from various mutated creatures began to skyrocket, and professions such as [Apothecaries] rapidly rose to prominence...

If the information only went this far, Qiu Tu's brows might not have furrowed so tightly.

What really gave him a headache was the second half of the document.

According to the records, using the Cataclysmic Potion does not guarantee that humans will gain mysterious powers. On the contrary, the probability of failure is over 80%.

If the drug fails, the person who takes it will undergo an irreversible catastrophic mutation, becoming a mindless yet incredibly destructive monster.

Even if one is fortunate enough to be among the lucky few, the direction of [Cataclysmic Awakening] is not fixed, but varies from person to person.

This means that, except for the moment of awakening, no one can predict which unknown path they will take further and further down...

'This is fucking ridiculous... I was hoping to use my superhuman powers to defy fate.'

'Not only is the probability of success low, but the supernatural powers in this world are also of a bizarre and unpredictable nature.'

'Who knows if this power will have any side effects?'

Thinking this, Qiu Tu took out a match from his pocket.

"Snap!" With the sound of a match being struck, the faint flame ignited the two thin sheets of paper.

Watching the documents slowly burn to ashes in the flickering flames, Qiu Tu silently pondered...

"Resolving the crisis through supernatural powers is not a viable option at the moment."

"Yan Chen may very well possess some kind of strange, extraordinary power; escaping without a plan is tantamount to suicide..."

'So, it seems I'll have to make a trip to the Qin family after all...'

Thinking of this, Qiu Tu's eyes grew somewhat somber.

'However... this is also a good opportunity to interrogate that young female pharmacist.'

'Perhaps... the information we get from her will be somewhat different?'

A moment later, the data burned out. Qiu Tu stomped out the last spark, glanced at the treasure chest in the upper left corner with only eight hours left on the countdown, then got up to find Qin Shuman...

Time is running out for him...

【8:27:39 (Treasure Chest)】

...

Following the maid, Qiu Tu went up two winding staircases and through two dark corridors before finally arriving at the door of Qin Shuman's boudoir.

Upon arriving at the door of Qin Shuman's boudoir, the maid stepped forward and gently knocked.

The next second, Qin Shuman's melodious voice, as sweet as a nightingale's, came from inside, "Please come in."

Pushing open the door, the two walked in and saw Qin Shuman wearing a pink slit cheongsam, sitting by the window, drinking tea while gazing melancholically out the window, looking just like a canary yearning for freedom.

"Miss Shuman, Detective Qiu is looking for you." The maid gave a slight bow to Qin Shuman's retreating figure and said softly.

Upon hearing the maid's words, Qin Shuman, who had been holding a cup of tea, quickly put it down, turned around with surprise and delight in her eyes, "Detective Qiu... Detective Qiu, you've come?"

Because there were outsiders present, Qiu Tu did not act overly intimately. He simply smiled and nodded, "Yes, Miss Shuman, I have something important to discuss with you."

After he finished speaking, he gave Qin Shuman a wink.

Qin Shuman understood immediately. She stood up gracefully and said to the maid at the door with a reserved air, "You can go down now. I need to have a word with Detective Qiu alone."

"Yes, Miss Schumann." Upon hearing this, the maid gave a slight bow, then turned and left the bedroom, but deliberately left the door slightly ajar.

Qiu Tu glanced back but didn't say anything. He gestured to Qin Shuman before walking to her side...

As soon as I reached Qin Shuman's side, I was greeted by her faint, elegant fragrance, like cherry blossoms in early spring...

Chapter 18 Entering the Qin Family

Smelling that familiar fragrance, Qiu Tu's heart fluttered.

He looked down and what came into view was Qin Shuman's slender, swan-like neck and full curves of her chest.

The cheongsam's perfect silhouette accentuated her already graceful figure, making her appear even more exquisite.

This also reminded Qiu Tu of the tenderness and charm she had shown him in his arms.

At this moment, Qin Shuman was unaware that Qiu Tu was distracted by her charm. She reached out and grabbed Qiu Tu's sleeve, her eyes filled with a hint of tension and worry.

She asked in a low voice, "How is the situation now?"

"I was so scared last night that I didn't sleep a wink. I kept waking up in a fright every time I tried to fall asleep."

“I’ve had several dreams where Yan Chen is trying to kill us.”

As she finished speaking, her eyes welled up with tears again, and she said, her voice trembling slightly, "I was so scared..."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu looked at her intently for a moment, carefully discerning her expression...

You can't see it at all, you really can't see the slightest flaw.

But Qiu Tu's intuition told him that Qin Shuman was suspicious.

It was the feeling of meeting someone like yourself...

The fact that his sense of crisis had not been triggered meant that Qin Shuman posed no threat to him for the time being, which is why he was willing to continue cooperating with her.

Thinking this to herself, Qiu Tu gently reassured her, "Don't worry, everything has been resolved."

As he spoke, Qiu Tu pulled Qin Shuman to the window, where sunlight gently shone on them. Qiu Tu then quietly recounted the events of the past two days.

Of course... he deliberately avoided the topics of cloned female bodies and aurora stones. He only said that he had found the loopholes in Yan Chen's words in a few words and finally successfully persuaded Yan Chen.

This also greatly diminishes the credibility of the story.

After listening, Qin Shuman looked at him with a suspicious expression, "It's...that simple?"

Qiu Tu nodded. "It's that simple."

He said, "Next, you just need to communicate with Yan Chen according to the plan, and you can leave here."

Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Qin Shuman hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded.

She released Qiu Tu's hand, gently bit her lip, and swayed her willow-like waist as she gracefully walked towards the bedside.

She was slender with long legs. Her pink slit cheongsam swayed slightly with her steps, revealing her fair skin like a fleeting glimpse of beauty. As she walked, the tassels of the cheongsam swayed gently, making her even more graceful and lively.

'This woman is seducing me....'

For some reason, a sentence popped into Qiu Tu's mind.

His gaze sharpened slightly as he continued to observe Qin Shuman.

Then he saw Qin Shuman walk to the bedside, bend over slightly, her full buttocks sticking out, and then pick up the landline phone and dial a few numbers.

A moment later, the call connected. Qin Shuman straightened up and said softly, "Hello, Secretary Bai, this is Qin Shuman. I'd like to speak with Director Yan."

Then, Qin Shuman waited for a while before Yan Chen arrived.

So, she parted her lips again and repeated, as Qiu Tu had instructed, her desire to return to the Qin family.

This was already Yan Chen's approval, so Yan Chen simply gave a curt "hmm" in agreement.

After hanging up the call, Qin Shuman patted her heavy chest like a startled rabbit, and looked at Qiu Tu with a face full of surprise, "It really worked!"

"He agreed and said he would have someone arrange it."

Just as Qiu Tu was about to nod, his old, worn-out candybar communicator rang.

Qiu Tu picked it up and saw the words "Secretary Bai" written on it.

Secretary Bai is Yan Chen's full-time secretary. On weekdays, she is mainly responsible for arranging Yan Chen's official activities, receiving important visitors and guests, and coordinating various departments of the Investigation Bureau.

Although he was called a secretary, his position was not low. In addition, he also served as the director of the administrative department, so he was Qiu Tu's superior.

Qiu Tu was able to curry favor with Yan Chen partly because Yan Chen admired and recommended him.

It's just unknown whether Qiu Tu and Qin Shuman's affair will affect his reputation with Yan Chen.

Thinking this, Qiu Tu answered the call.

Once the call connected, Secretary Bai's attitude remained unchanged, still approachable with a touch of appreciation.

He first offered a brief congratulations to Qiu Tu on his promotion and transfer, and then conveyed Yan Chen's orders.

Similar to what the three of them discussed last night, Qiu Tu, as Qin Shuman's personal bodyguard, will be fully responsible for Qin Shuman's trip home to visit her family.

What Qiu Tu didn't expect was that Yan Chen also designated the other members of the guard team.

The security detail for Qin Shuman was the 7th Special Operations Squad, where Fang Ming worked.

The person responsible for taking care of Qin Shuman's daily life is her personal maid, who was also the informant before: Cuilan.

It can be said that Yan Chen packaged all the participants in this incident and sent them to the Qin family all at once.

It seems they want to resolve all related issues at the Qin family's once and for all...

Thinking this, Qiu Tu lost interest in comforting Qin Shuman. After hanging up the call, he gently patted Qin Shuman's hand, then turned and left her room to deliver orders and make some arrangements.

As a result, just as he stepped out of Qin Shuman's room, he suddenly noticed Cuilan hiding outside the door with a guilty look on her face.

Qiu Tu glanced at her, then at the marks on the door, and immediately guessed that the maid must have been eavesdropping at the door for a while.

Qiu Tu gave her a deep look, but didn't expose her. Instead, he strode away....

【7:46:21 (Treasure Chest)】

......

When you're busy, time always flies by; in the blink of an eye, several hours have passed.

That evening, the Qin family hosted a grand banquet to entertain Qiu Tu and his entourage.

Besides Qin Heng, the current head of the Qin family, the banquet was attended by members from the second, third, fourth, and fifth branches of the Qin family.

Old Master Qin was born before the catastrophe. He inherited his parents' estate and built the Qin family's foundation during the chaotic times, before suddenly passing away three years ago. Now, the Qin family is led by the current patriarch, Qin Heng.

However, his prestige was clearly not as high as that of the old man. At least during the banquet, Qiu Tu noticed that the various branches of the Qin family were actively trying to get close to him.

The reason might be that Qin Heng had been in poor health since childhood, suffering from a constant cough, and only had one daughter, so the other wives were all somewhat restless...

Qiu Tu silently memorized the current situation of the Qin family. Although he also had the information about the Qin family that Eagle had collected over the past two days, nothing beats firsthand experience...

After the banquet, Qiu Tu declined the Qin family's third branch's enthusiastic invitation and returned with his entourage to the accommodations the Qin family had prepared for the guards, intending to meet the young pharmacist...

Upon arriving at the guest room where the young pharmacist was being held, and pushing open the door, the Secret Service agents inside immediately stood up alertly.

Upon seeing that it was Qiu Tu, he breathed a sigh of relief and then saluted Qiu Tu, "Sir!"

Qiu Tu nodded to him and then said, "You can go out now. I need to interrogate her alone tonight."