Then let them offer their loyalty!

A person's likes and dislikes sometimes have a reason, and sometimes they have no reason.

Initially, Huang Shangzong disliked Qiu Tu because Qiu Tu had killed his prospective son-in-law, causing his daughter to be heartbroken every day.

Immediately afterwards, Qiu Tu plotted to kill his advisor.

After that, his confidants came to investigate Qiu Tu, only to be repeatedly humiliated by Qiu Tu.

At this point, although the conflict between Huang Shangzong and Qiu Tu had not yet reached the level of life-or-death enmity, Huang Shangzong's impression of Qiu Tu had almost completely plummeted.

Therefore, no matter what Qiu Tu did next, even if it had nothing to do with Huang Shangzong, or even... might be beneficial to Huang Shangzong, Huang Shangzong still couldn't stand Qiu Tu.

On these two occasions, Qiu Tu performed three great feats in a row: helping Tang Feifei become the regional lord; figuring out the reason for the "regional lord's" death; and verifying the existence of "Huang Mei".

These things actually benefited Huang Shangzong as well: after all, it was the work of his subordinates. He also gained prestige among the higher-ups at the shelter.

But... Huang Shangzong just felt extremely uncomfortable—probably because he really disliked Qiu Tu's way of doing things.

I felt that the ruthlessness inherent in this person from the bottom of society was too extreme.

"Sigh..." Huang Shangzong sighed softly, recalling how Tang Feifei's father had recently obtained information about Qiu Tu from here.

The two then discussed their opinions on Qiu Tu.

Tang Feifei's father said that his younger brother's assessment of Qiu Tu was: "A 'king of tricks' who fought his way up from the bottom of the unplanned development zone. Heart of stone, devoid of blood and tears."

Such people are ruthless and will stop at nothing to achieve their goals.

Huang Shangzong wholeheartedly agreed.

So when Tang Lao last discussed Qiu Tuli's meritorious service with him, he also told Tang Lao this evaluation.

However, Tang Lao's attitude was clearly different from that of Huang Shangzong, Tang Jiye, and Tang Jianzhi.

Mr. Tang's assessment can be summed up in just eight words: "When the Awakening of Insects begins, dragons and snakes will naturally appear."

At that time, Elder Tang said to Huang Shangzong earnestly, "Shangzong... In this era of great strife, it is normal for one or two ruthless individuals to emerge."

"Their methods may be cruel or brutal. But... when the entire race is truly facing a life-or-death crisis, it is often these same people who can lead everyone onto a righteous path."

Afterwards, Old Tang also commented on Huang Shangzong, "Although you come from a good family, you were a ruthless person who emerged from the unplanned development zone back then. The blood on your hands is not much less than that on Qiu Tu's."

"It's just that, because you climbed to the top, you gradually became complacent and that's why you came to hate the new ruthless king."

"To put it bluntly, you just hate your own kind and hate your former self."

Recalling what Elder Tang had said, Huang Shangzong frowned deeply...

Although Elder Tang's words were harsh, Huang Shangzong understood his subtext. To put it bluntly, it meant that Huang Shangzong would finish his meal, then smash the pot, preventing the next person from eating...

Thinking this, Huang Shangzong's expression slowly faded, becoming completely blank...

.......

Old Tang's convoy arrived very quickly.

We set off in the morning and arrived in Dongye Prefecture around 2 PM.

With the arrival of the second-in-command of the shelter, almost the entire Dongyezhou government was on high alert. Several speakers, including Tang Feifei, who had been based in the New Territories, went to Dongcheng District to welcome Elder Tang.

Such a major move naturally attracted the attention of the state legislators in Dong Ye.

The councilors were considered mid-level members of the shelter community. So, after a few phone calls, they learned that Mr. Tang was coming to Dongye State for an inspection.

So, not long after, a large convoy of vehicles waited on the road from the shelter to Dongye Prefecture, even extending nearly 10 kilometers outwards to greet them.

However, Mr. Tang clearly didn't like this kind of pomp and circumstance.

After hearing his secretary's report, he didn't even open his eyes while resting with them closed. He just snorted and coldly commented, "Huang Shangzong has set up Dongye Prefecture, but he hasn't done much. However, he has learned the proper pomp and circumstance perfectly."

Then he waved his hand and said, "No need to slow down, no need to stop, just go straight through."

"Let Huang Shangzong catch up on his own. Everyone else, disperse and do what you need to do."

Upon hearing Mr. Tang's words, the young man hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Then Miss Feifei...?"

Old Tang kept his eyes closed and simply snorted, "What? Is she the speaker now? Does she call the shots in Dongye Prefecture?"

"What makes her different from everyone else?"

Upon hearing Elder Tang's words, the young man quickly bowed his head and replied, "Yes."

So, when Tang's convoy passed by these welcoming convoys, it didn't even stop and just drove right through them.

Upon receiving the news, Huang Shangzong glared at the councilors who had come on their own initiative, his face turning extremely ugly.

Then, not daring to use the same escort convoy as Old Tang, he simply had his driver take a car and chase after them...

The councilors were all shrewd people. Seeing that Tang's motorcade passed through the welcoming procession without stopping, they knew they had done a bad job despite their good intentions.

So, they were too embarrassed to wait any longer and could only slink away...

However, although they left, their attention remained focused on Old Tang.

After all, these are true giants, and their every word and action could affect their future, so they cannot afford to be careless.

Moreover, they were also curious about... what exactly Old Tang was doing in Dongye Prefecture this time.

It seems like nothing major has happened in Dongye Prefecture lately.

Could it be... to support his granddaughter?

Old Tang is indeed a bit biased towards his own people, but... Tang Feifei was also abandoned...

To put it bluntly, Tang Feifei was also the one who got slapped in the face.

This left everyone bewildered: Could it be... that there was someone more important than Tang Feifei, Tang Feifei's granddaughter, in Dongye Prefecture?

......

Meanwhile, in the welcoming party, Committee Member Jiang and Colonel Lin Chuan threw their cigarette butts on the ground and stomped on them.

Then Committee Member Jiang wrapped his cashmere coat tighter around himself and said, "Hey, let's go."

"It seems we will not have the honor of meeting Mr. Tang."

Upon hearing what Committee Member Jiang said, Lin Chuan put his hands in his pockets and exhaled a breath.

Because it was already the dead of winter, his breath condensed into white mist in the air.

He shrugged and said, "I wonder which cities Old Tang will visit this time."

"I bet everyone is going back to crack down and investigate, but I'm afraid that if Old Tang goes to his own city, it might turn into a bad thing."

Upon hearing Lin Chuan's words, Committee Member Jiang seemed to remember something and suddenly paused for a moment.

Then, a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes, and he quickly said, "Colonel Lin, I suddenly remembered that I have something to do at the City Hall, so I'll be going now."

After saying that, he hurriedly walked towards his convoy.

Seeing Committee Member Jiang's flustered appearance, Lin Chuan frowned deeply.

'What on earth is Old Jiang up to...?'

'Did he guess where Old Tang was going?'

'We can't possibly be coming to the New Territories, can we?'

Upon realizing this, Lin Chuan was first taken aback, and then his expression changed.

Since yesterday, the Investigation Department has been making frequent moves. Qiu Tu's secretary inspected various police stations and arrested several station chiefs for dereliction of duty.

Meanwhile, the Special Operations Department was also conducting various training exercises and patrols.

Lin Chuan and his group noticed this phenomenon, but didn't pay much attention to it—because Qiu Tu took office yesterday, which was exactly the time for him to make his mark.

This serves two purposes: first, to declare its own existence; and second, to consolidate power.

This was also the case when he first became the head of the military.

In addition, during the period when Qiu Tu served as the acting director, he carried out a round of minor adjustments throughout the entire investigation bureau. For some reason, the military's spies were almost all marginalized, while Qiu Tu's confidants were promoted.

This led Lin Chuan to suspect that Qiu Tu might know the list of military moles.

However, regardless of the circumstances, the Detection Bureau is now virtually absent from the military's intelligence system.

For these two reasons, Lin Chuan did not pay too much attention to Qiu Tu's unusual behavior.

But now... considering Committee Member Jiang's unusual behavior, he suddenly had a guess: Could it be that Old Tang went to the New Territories to see Qiu Tu?!

But... why would Old Tang go to see his granddaughter's gigolo when he hasn't even seen his own granddaughter?

Although he felt puzzled, he now had enough clues, so Lin Chuan, with the mindset of "better safe than sorry," quickly returned to the car and had the driver take him to the New Territories.

On the way, he remotely directed his trusted confidants to quickly sort out all the work within the military, while simultaneously having the intelligence system investigate the true reasons behind Qiu Tu's frequent actions over the past two days...

And so, under the watchful eyes of various city tycoons, Mr. Tang's convoy traversed Dongyezhou, finally arriving in the New Territories...

The New Territories City Exploration Department was somewhat stunned when they received the news.

The mid-level and lower-level agents were bewildered because... they also thought Qiu Tu's frequent moves these past two days were a way of consolidating power. They never expected a truly important figure like Old Tang to come.

The higher-ups were bewildered because... although Qiu Tu had said that someone from the shelter would come to reward those who had contributed, he hadn't mentioned someone like Old Tang, who was the second most important person in the organization!

What exactly is Qiu Tu's identity, and what great achievements has he made that have reached the ears of the emperor, prompting such an important figure to come in person?

Of all the people, only Qiu Tu, who had everything prepared, remained completely calm.

After all, he had done a great service, not committed a major mistake.

His enemies should be the ones panicking, not him...

.....

At 6 p.m., Mr. Tang's convoy finally arrived at the New Territories Investigation Department.

Having learned from the experience of the Dongye state councilors, Qiu Tu did not go out of the city to greet them, but instead waited on the main road with a few high-ranking officials.

There was no grand gesture or elaborate ceremony, just sufficient formalities, so Old Tang nodded slightly, then stopped the car and had his secretary get out to invite Qiu Tu.

Following Tang Lao's secretary to Tang Lao's car, the secretary opened the passenger door for Qiu Tu.

After Qiu Tu politely greeted them, he sat down.

After getting in, Qiu Tu first glanced at the back through the rearview mirror.

There were two people sitting in the back row.

An old man with gray hair but sharp eyes, and a man with muscles all over his body, as big as a mountain.

It was none other than... Huang Shangzong.

Qiu Tu was stunned for a moment, then quickly greeted Old Tang, "Old Tang."

Upon hearing this, Old Tang looked over with his sharp eyes, scrutinizing Qiu Tu from head to toe before nodding slightly.

Seeing this, Qiu Tu greeted Huang Shangzong again, "Speaker."

Huang Shangzong possessed an extraordinary aura, exuding authority without needing to be angry. He gave a curt "hmm," which was taken as his agreement.

Because both the front and back seats were full, the secretary went to another car.

The convoy slowly began to move again. No one spoke inside the vehicles, and the atmosphere was somewhat quiet. However... outside the vehicles... the scene of Qiu Tu getting into Old Tang's car, along with reports from spies from various factions, began to spread rapidly throughout the entire Dongye Prefecture.

New Territories City... Qiu Tu...?

This name, for the first time, reached the ears of the councilors and city tycoons of Dongye State, and its influence resounded throughout the state...

Although the New Territories City has been the core of the entire Tung Yip Chau region for some time now. Half of the council speakers come from the New Territories City, and they even killed an evil god and produced a regional lord.

However... the bigwigs in other cities were all paying attention to Tang Feifei, Dai Yukang, and Ye Mingfeng... but not to Qiu Tu, who was only the Minister of the Political Department or Deputy Director at the time.

Now that Qiu Tu has appeared in their sights for the first time, they have begun to collect information about him through various channels.

When faced with a series of remarkable achievements—"promoted from a third-level detective to a commissioner in two years," "jumping from a second-level detective to a commissioner in seven months," "leading a suicide squad to complete a reconnaissance mission in the New Territories surrounded by evil gods," "participating in the killing of a fourth-tier evil god," and "being protected by three council chairmen at a council meeting"—and so on...

They were then surprised to realize that someone extraordinary seemed to have emerged in the New Territories.

Then, they began to wonder what Qiu Tu had done this time to attract a true giant like Old Tang! And... he even let Qiu Tu into his car!

At this moment, the entire Dongye Prefecture was focused on Qiu Tu and Elder Tang.

The convoy slowly came to a stop at the Exploration Agency's office building.

At this point, the office building was so heavily guarded that not even a fly could get in.

The agents who were still in their offices in the building were also ordered to stay in their offices and not to move around.

Therefore, Qiu Tu led Tang Lao, Huang Shangzong, and several experts and advisors brought by Tang Lao to the 12th floor without any hindrance.