Then let them offer their loyalty!

"I shouldn't have come out today, I shouldn't have come out at all."

Qiu Tu stared intently at the expression on her face. Seeing that she seemed genuinely afraid and regretful, he also showed his gentleness. He gently hugged the girl in front of him, patted her back, and comforted her.

But behind the girl's unseen gaze, his eyes deepened, filled with an inescapable darkness...

.......

Qiu Tu spent more than ten minutes comforting Qin Shuman before she gradually stopped crying.

After appeasing Qin Shuman, Qiu Tu pulled her to sit on the dilapidated sofa, went over their statements, and briefly explained what she needed to do next, telling her to remember it clearly. Then he took her and left his house.

At this moment, there are still 4 hours and 10 minutes left until that life-or-death test that evening...

......

Stepping out of his home, Qiu Tu smelled the rotten odor in the stairwell and looked up at the sky.

The sky over this world is gray, as if it is always shrouded in a thick layer of smog, heavy and gloomy.

According to the memories of the previous incarnation, the sky has remained like this since the Great Cataclysm, and sunlight has become rare and precious.

The cataclysmic event decades ago destroyed the entire world order, annihilated human civilization, and utterly altered the world...

"What...are you thinking about?" Seeing Qiu Tu lost in thought, Qin Shuman, who was standing next to him, looked at him cautiously.

Perhaps because she had just been held at gunpoint, Qin Shuman seemed a little afraid of Qiu Tu.

Qiu Tu snapped out of his daze, glanced at her, and shook his head, saying, "It's nothing."

After saying that, Qiu Tu added calmly, "Don't make that face. You'll only get us killed if you do."

Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Qin Shuman gave him a wronged look, took a few deep breaths, and composed herself.

Then she patted her face, nodded to Qiu Tu, and carefully took the lead in going down the stairs, holding onto the rusty handrail.

Qiu Tu followed discreetly, keeping a safe distance from Qin Shuman, just enough to protect her without appearing too intimate.

Qiu Tu's home is located in a tenement building in an old alleyway. Although this is a relatively good location in the New Territories, it is still dilapidated.

The steps were riddled with cracks and gaps, and the stairwell was littered with discarded books, broken glass, and dirty plastic bags, making it resemble a slum.

—The planned area was built on the ruins of the city.

The two went down the dilapidated stairs, and Qiu Tu keenly noticed several pairs of eyes subtly scanning their surroundings.

'It must be one of Yan Chen's people.'

After reporting the matter to Yan Chen, Qiu Tu guessed that, given Yan Chen's personality, he would definitely send someone to monitor and observe.

He even guessed that, given the sensitivity of the matter, Yan Chen would definitely transfer trusted confidants from his direct subordinates—which is why he dared to steal a moment from his busy schedule to manipulate Qin Shuman.

Sure enough, just as Qiu Tu was thinking this, a plainclothes detective emerged from the shadows.

He had a cold and stern expression, rarely smiled, and seemed a bit unapproachable.

After striding up to Qiu Tu, he first gave Qiu Tu a deep look, then took out a black badge and flashed it, saying, "Detective Qiu, I am Fang Ming, a first-level detective from the Special Operations Department."

"I have been ordered by the Director to escort you and Miss Schumann to the villa in the city for a temporary rest. The Director will speak with you tonight."

'Special Operations Department?' Qiu Tu took a deep look at the agent in front of him and sighed: Yan Chen really thinks highly of me.

As one of the three major authorities in the New Territories, the Detective Service has a complex and rigorous structure. In addition to its 11 directly subordinate departments, it also oversees 7 branch offices and 79 police stations.

Among these dozens of departments, the lowest level of power is the local police station, while the highest power is held by the Political Department and the Special Operations Department, two of the 11 directly subordinate departments.

As the two most powerful departments of the Exploration Agency:

The Political Department is responsible for intelligence, espionage, counter-espionage, internal surveillance, and other related matters, and holds a high position of power.

The Special Operations Department is responsible for combating anti-government forces, preventing riots, and conducting armed patrols in key areas and during special periods. It is the most powerful violent department of the Investigation Bureau.

This division of labor not only gives the Special Operations Department an independent organizational structure from the Investigation Bureau, but also provides it with a formidable armed force comparable to the U.S. military.

This is Yan Chen's exclusive armed force, and it is also his most crucial trump card that allows him to maintain his position as one of the three giants of the New Territories.

Therefore, even though they were both Yan Chen's lackeys, Qiu Tu could only obediently follow orders from the Special Operations Department.

'It seems... Yan Chen is planning to shut down my and Qin Shuman's plans and then interrogate us directly.'

'Luckily, I had a backup plan.'

Thinking this, Qiu Tu didn't show it on his face, but he looked at Qin Shuman beside him and said, "Miss Shuman, you heard the director's order. From now on, your safety will be the responsibility of Detective Fang."

Qin Shuman blinked upon hearing Qiu Tu's words.

She feigned disappointment, glanced at Fang Ming with her beautiful peach blossom eyes, then looked at Qiu Tu and said aggrievedly, "But... I originally wanted you to come with me to stroll around Shizi Street."

After saying that, she looked at Fang Ming with a pitiful expression, "Detective Fang..."

As Yan Chen's confidant, Fang Ming naturally knew Qin Shuman and was aware of her relationship with Yan Chen.

At this time, Qiu Tu and Qin Shuman's affair had not been exposed, and Yan Chen would not tell a subordinate that he had been cuckolded, so this immediately led Fang Ming to make a misjudgment.

He hesitated for a moment, glanced at the time, and pondered for a second before saying to Qin Shuman, "Miss Shuman, the director will be back at the villa in the city before 6 p.m. I can only give you an hour and a half."

Qin Shuman nodded obediently and agreed.

Qiu Tu stood to the side with his hands in his pockets the whole time, watching indifferently like an outsider.

After the three reached a consensus, Qin Shuman's guard duties were quickly handed over.

Special agents replaced Qiu Tu and began to guard Qin Shuman, while Qiu Tu and Fang Ming stood guard on the perimeter. The group marched towards the street corner in a grand procession.

Perhaps because such a well-dressed group of people was too conspicuous on the street, the poor people hiding in the dilapidated buildings dared not move. Their eyes were filled with fear, numbness, or blankness as they watched them stroll past on the sewage-filled road, afraid of offending this group of people whose status was obviously extraordinary.

For most ordinary people in this city, both Qiu Tu and Fang Ming are powerful figures who can decide their life or death at will.

What they didn't know was that in the face of truly powerful figures, Qiu Tu and Fang Ming were just as insignificant as ants...

This is the cruel, chaotic world of cannibalism...

The agents present were already immune to these various gazes, so their expressions remained unchanged as they quietly escorted Qin Shuman through rows of low, dilapidated buildings to an old-fashioned car.

This is the car that Yan Chen specially prepared for Qin Shuman.

Upon seeing the old-fashioned sedan, Fang Ming strode over, opened the rear door, and gave Qin Shuman a standard hand gesture of respect, saying, "Miss Shuman, please."

Qin Shuman glanced back at Qiu Tu, but received no response. She bit her lip resentfully, lifted her skirt, and walked over.

Just as she reached the car door and bent down to get in, a man's flippant voice suddenly came from above her head, "Heh, how embarrassing~"

Upon hearing the sound, everyone looked over in confusion! Then, a blur flashed before their eyes, followed by a deafening "Bang!"

A body crashed heavily onto the top of the old-fashioned car!

In that instant, the roof of the old-fashioned sedan was smashed open, leaving a deep dent. Blood splattered and limbs flying everywhere from the mangled body on the roof!

A piercing scream and wild laughter echoed throughout the old alleyway entrance...

With such a big thing happening so suddenly, everyone's heads were spinning.

Only Qiu Tu remained calm at this moment. He took a step forward alertly, shielded the screaming Qin Shuman, and ran to the side.

At that moment, the special operations agents reacted, rushing out like arrows to protect the two men and firing their guns without hesitation at the rooftop...

Chapter 6 Extremist Organizations

"Bang bang!" "Bang bang!" "Bang bang!"

Bullets flew wildly, sending dust billowing from the dilapidated roof.

The streets were filled with the piercing screams of pedestrians and the sound of footsteps running around everywhere.

Qiu Tu protected the trembling Qin Shuman and ran to a broken low wall by the roadside. He pressed her head down to help her hide while cautiously peeking out to observe the situation.

There weren't many enemies, only seven or eight people.

They wore matching black knitted balaclavas and patchwork tattered tactical vests with a large red cross painted on their chests.

Qiu Tu recognized the person's identity at a glance from their conspicuous attire. 'This is... the Reform United Front?'

The Reform United Front, also known as the "United Front," is an extreme anti-government armed force in this world that opposes the rule of the eight sanctuaries.

Its aim is to liberate the planned area from the rule of the eight shelters, and its methods mainly involve violent activities such as assassination, kidnapping, and attacks.

Qiu Tu had heard Yan Chen mention this organization before. At the time, Yan Chen was furious, his eyes blazing with rage, and he denounced the organization as vermin!

I never expected to see it with my own eyes today.

If Qiu Tu could recognize the members of this organization, then Fang Ming and the other special agents would certainly recognize them as well.

Therefore, shouts from the agents immediately rang out at the scene.

"It's those bastards from the Alliance!"

"Stay hidden!"

"On the rooftop, at an angle of 30-70 degrees, there are 16 people, all armed!"

At this moment, Fang Ming, the highest-ranking agent on site, took full command. He frantically gestured for his men to disperse while shouting towards Qiu Tu, "Protect Miss Schumann's safety while we annihilate the enemy!"

Upon hearing Fang Ming's arrangement, Qiu Tu glanced at Qin Shuman out of the corner of his eye.

Qin Shuman was still in a state of shock, cowering under him, not daring to move. She didn't make any movements and showed no abnormalities, but Qiu Tu felt something was off.

Old Lane Street is just one of the most unremarkable of the 79 streets in the New Territories. There are no military installations, no government agencies, no United Bank—nothing at all. Why would it be attacked by the Alliance for Justice without provocation?

Were they lured here by the Secret Service agents?

But... isn't this too much of a coincidence?

Qiu Tu was a little confused and decided to take another look.

He cautiously peered out to observe the scene.

When he looked at it, he was a little stunned.

The Special Operations Department is the most powerful violent agency within the Investigation Bureau, while the Allied Forces are a ruthless extremist organization. Qiu Tu originally expected the two sides to engage in a fierce and back-and-forth battle.

But... in reality, it was a chaotic scene with over thirty people from both sides wielding over thirty guns, firing away. Although the fighting was intense, at most some people were slightly injured, but no one dropped out of the battle.

Qiu Tu was shocked to see this scene of two novices pecking at each other.

What's going on here? Is this some kind of act?

Thinking this, Qiu Tu quickly searched through his memories, trying to figure out what was going on.

He quickly found the reason.

It turns out that resources are scarce in the post-apocalyptic world. Gunpowder and firearms are particularly rare. As a result, members of extremist organizations receive little training and are generally not very skilled.

While the Special Operations Department is a powerful unit of the Investigation Bureau, enjoying many privileges and ammunition allowances, the New Territories City has only been established for less than a year. Most of the lower-level agents are newly recruited rookies who haven't received much training, so their skill level is quite average.

This results in neither side being able to effectively kill the other when they engage in combat.

This unexpected discovery shocked Qiu Tu, but it also gave him a bold idea...

Perhaps this is a great opportunity to break the deadlock?

You know, although these two groups of people are not good, Qiu Tuxing is!

In his past life, in order to protect himself, he handled and practiced shooting every day, and even took the opportunity to receive semi-military training. In addition, he had good talent, so his skill level was much higher than these rookies.

He even participated in several small-scale skirmishes and gunfights between groups, and has some practical combat experience.

If he could showcase his marksmanship during this gunfight, and then... perhaps tonight's ordeal would be easily overcome, and he wouldn't even need to go to the crossroads...

Slowly sketching out a blueprint in his mind, a plan gradually took shape in Qiu Tu's mind.

After a moment, Qiu Tu's gaze hardened.

He glanced again at the two sides engaged in battle, then took out his old, worn-out candybar communicator from his pocket, pressed a few buttons, and sent a message.

After the message was successfully sent, Qiu Tu reached down to his lower back and took the pistol that had once been pointed at Qin Shuman.

This is standard equipment issued to ordinary agents by the Investigation Department to ensure their absolute control over civilians in the planned area...

He skillfully ejected the magazine and checked the number of bullets: 12.

Then he recalled his predecessor's memories of using this pistol.

The effective range is about 40 meters, but because the firearms in the hands of ordinary agents are old and discarded from the shelter, the accuracy may be somewhat poor.

However, for the current distance of about twenty meters between the two sides, it is sufficient.

With that in mind, Qiu Tu skillfully reloaded the magazine, pulled the slide, and while maintaining a high posture of alertness, he observed the battlefield and patiently waited for an opportunity.