Then let them offer their loyalty!

The corridor was filled with Qiu Tu's loyal followers.

Tang Feifei, leading the group, pulled up a chair and stood guard at the door with an air of unyielding strength, giving off a feeling of being able to hold off ten thousand men.

Standing beside her were Chen Feng, Atai, Lao Ying, Cao Dabiao, and other close associates.

Further out are the members of the suicide squad.

Perhaps because Qiu Tu's promotion was so important, both the "9 directions" of the Exploration Department and the "12 earthly branches" of the military were present.

The guard team, composed of 21 Cataclysmics, still exudes a strong sense of oppression.

Further out are the middle-level members who have already pledged allegiance to Qiu Tu, or who want to pledge allegiance to him...

Guan Xiao and Tan Huimin were not present.

The reason is simple: they dare not...

They sent Qiu Tu a message early on. They wrote a lot, but it all boiled down to one thing.

With Tang Feifei as the "first wife," they felt immense pressure.

As for... competing with Tang Feifei for beauty?

Stop kidding... They're the kind of people who slay evil gods with their swords. They're not asking for trouble...

When Qiu Tu came out, Tang Feifei didn't move, and her confidants didn't dare to step forward either, they just stared at Qiu Tu expectantly.

Qiu Tu looked around at everyone, then smiled and said, "Successfully advanced to pseudo-fourth rank."

"Boom!" Although they had guessed that Qiu Tu had been promoted, the confidants were still excited when they received confirmation.

Even Chen Feng, who usually has a cold and expressionless face, couldn't help but be infected by the smile and a genuine smile appeared on his face.

In the crowd, Qiu Tu and Tang Feifei looked at each other.

Tang Feifei tilted her head slightly, as if asking something.

Qiu Tu smiled and nodded...

Because of the chaotic situation in Dongye State, the celebrations did not last long.

Qiu Tu simply chatted with each of his confidants, received their blessings, offered them a few words of encouragement, and then sent them back to their respective posts.

As for Tang Feifei, she came here only to make the "performance" look more real.

So, after a brief chat with Qiu Tu, she said goodbye and left, heading straight back to the prefecture.

Only after everyone had left did Guan Xiao sneak into Qiu Tu's office.

Perhaps guessing that Qiu Tu would emerge from seclusion in the next couple of days, she dressed up specially today.

She was already a striking beauty with strong features, and with makeup, she looked even more radiant.

Her eyebrows, like distant mountains shrouded in mist, were gently arched upwards, carrying a touch of unintentional charm; her eyes shone like stars, their sparkle captivating with every glance.

So even though he was already used to her being around him, Qiu Tu's eyes still lit up when he suddenly saw her.

"Why are you acting like a thief?"

Seeing Guan Xiao's furtive behavior, Qiu Tu smiled, pointed to the sofa, and said, "Sit down."

Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Guan Xiao rarely showed a helpless expression, "Can't we not act like thieves?"

"You have no idea what a cold look in Speaker Tang's eyes was when I came to your office..."

Qiu Tu laughed and said, "It can't be that bad. She's not that kind of person."

Guan Xiao said helplessly, "It's not her fault. These past two days, someone has been deliberately spreading gossip about us while Tang Feifei is protecting you."

"Saying I'm your mistress has caused a lot of trouble."

Qiu Tu was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, and then asked, "Is that so?"

Guan Xiao hummed in agreement, then said nonchalantly, "But it doesn't matter. At least they didn't say I'm your Xingnu. I'm already very grateful that they're willing to give me a title."

"so....."

“I repaid them by chopping them up and feeding them to the dogs.”

Although Guan Xiao spoke lightly, Qiu Tu quickly guessed that there was more to the story.

He couldn't help but ask, "Anti-government armed groups and extremist religious groups?"

Guan Xiao nodded slightly, and her expression became much more serious as they got down to business.

She said, "Yes. They probably want to anger or force Speaker Tang to leave, and then take the opportunity to do something."

"Like you and Secretary Tan... Oh, Director Tan's affair has also been publicized."

Qiu Tu nodded slightly, lit a cigarette, and said seriously, "This time, it seems the anti-government forces are making a big splash..."

The biggest help Qiu Tu received during his two days of seclusion was that it allowed him to successfully stay out of the fray and escape from this huge storm.

This also allows him to stand in the position of an observer and examine and observe this clash of titans.

Qiu Tu didn't know if it was just his imagination, but he always felt that the anti-government forces seemed to have changed from before.

It wasn't just a change in one or two organizations, but rather... the entire disaster zone seemed to be shifting in direction, unifying its thinking, and consolidating its forces!

There was a giant hand seemingly pulling all this from behind the scenes, bringing together more than a dozen anti-government armed groups, including the New Democratic Army, the Allied Front, and the Destruction Cult.

This is not a good thing. It's even worse for Dongye Prefecture, which is the first to be affected.

Now... four full days have passed since the anti-government forces first made their move, but the state government has still not taken any action.

Huang Shangzong was not a weak person. Although he was not very good at politics and power struggles, he was extremely good at military affairs and economics.

His prolonged inaction suggests he is likely planning a major operation.

Therefore, after observing the situation for four days, Qiu Tu felt that Dongye Prefecture was now like a probing contest between two major forces: the disaster zone and the shelter.

Two giants are grinding each other's flesh with millstones in their hands.

Every drop of blood, every piece of flesh could represent a Tier 3 or 4 Cataclysm, dozens of mid-level Cataclysms, or tens of thousands of ordinary people...

More importantly, it would be fine if this were just a localized hot war.

If the conflict drags on for too long, and both sides' piecemeal tactics become too much to handle, then it could very well trigger a full-scale war.

After all, throughout human history, no one knows what the trigger will be before every full-scale war begins.

It might just be a soldier's accidental discharge of a gun, a careless remark, or perhaps just a dog, a grain of rice...

Therefore, Qiu Tu was very worried that he had been swept up in the grand historical process at only the fourth level...

'If only we had an inside contact among the anti-government forces to find out their recent movements, command center, and key figures.'

'If we can just cut through the mess quickly and decisively to achieve victory, we might be able to avoid a full-scale war...'

'This way, we can control the situation, and my position as vice speaker should be completely secure...'

'After all... even if a fight really breaks out, I should be the one to initiate and command it, not to get dragged into it so carelessly...'

Qiu Tu's thinking was indeed sound. However... this time, the anti-government coalition was clearly different from before, acting with extreme caution.

Neither Qiu Tu nor Guan Xiao have obtained much useful information in the past few days.

So, amidst the swirling smoke, Qiu Tu pondered how to infiltrate the enemy ranks...

...

Five days have passed in the blink of an eye.

Over the course of those five days, the situation in Dongye Prefecture changed dramatically every single day.

As Qiu Tu expected, things went exactly as he had anticipated.

After holding back for several days, Huang Shangzong indeed unleashed his ultimate move:

Tens of thousands of troops from three cities were mobilized and launched a surprise attack on the "Disaster Zone - Trade Market" deep into the disaster zone.

This move caught the anti-government coalition off guard, and the trade market in the disaster zone fell directly.

Not only were the thousands of tons of relief supplies recovered, but the trade fair, which served as a distribution center for supplies at the forefront of the disaster zone, was also looted.

The anti-government coalition's logistics were cut off, forcing them to retreat and defend their positions.

At this time, the legions of two more cities were mobilized, closing the gates and blocking the roads, thus trapping the anti-government coalition forces that had penetrated deep into Dongye Prefecture, preventing them from going anywhere.

But the "Lieutenant General" was clearly no ordinary man. Upon discovering the blockade, he immediately employed the anti-government forces' most effective tactic: breaking up into smaller units and dispersing them to various cities in Dongye Prefecture.

Because the moles and spies in most cities were not eliminated, and with their cover, many anti-government armed groups successfully escaped without being captured.

But that wasn't the end of it. With the market shut down, anti-government forces in the disaster zone began to gather.

Although the army has not yet been fully formed, it is still putting pressure on Dongye Prefecture.

Just as Qiu Tu predicted, neither side wanted to back down, nor were they at the point of defeat, so both were gathering their strength, and the smoke of a major battle began to rise...

.....

Meanwhile.

At a time when the whole situation was on the verge of exploding.

Boundless Heart Sea - East City Area.

Larilu sat facing upwards amidst the endless yellow sand.

The yellow sand swept across her delicate, fair face, but it did not cause her any harm.

She closed her eyes and focused intently on refining this last ley line node.

I don't know how much time passed; it could have been 10 minutes or an hour.

Just as the yellow sandstorm was getting more and more intense.

Suddenly... a crisp "pop!" sound!

It was as if Larilu had pierced a membrane between heaven and earth.

The next second, Larilu's aura began to spread rapidly throughout the entire East City area!

Wherever she went, everything was imbued with her aura.

It's possible that her "life" path of evil god is too different from the "destruction path".

In the vast desert, small springs appeared out of nowhere. Nourished by the flowing water, tiny oases emerged.

Although those oases were small and consisted of only weeds, cacti, and a few scattered poplar trees, they added a touch of life to this land.

At this moment, after working so hard for so many days, Lariro, who had finally completely taken control of the "East City Area", slowly opened her eyes.

Her scarlet eyes grew even deeper and colder, like a bottomless abyss, and her blood-red lips curled slightly upward, making her smile appear evil and bloodthirsty.

'Finally, I've become the ruler of the region again!'

Larilu stood up, looked up at the sky, and felt a pang of sorrow in her heart!

"Sister, don't blame me. Do you know what I've been through these past five months?"

'If I weren't forced to, I wouldn't want to take your territory.'

"If you insist on blaming someone, blame Qiu Tu. He's the one who instigated me!"

After happily shifting the blame to Qiu Tu in her mind, La Riluo's face was filled with excitement.

After all, her strength has increased significantly since becoming the lord of the region, and she has now directly reached the late stage of the fourth rank!

Thinking of this, Larilu stroked her chin and began to ponder.

'Huh... I'm a late-stage fourth-tier player.'

'Still the ruler of the region...'

'So...theoretically, in the Eastern City area, I should be very close to the peak of the fourth tier, much stronger than the Whale Shark!'

'So... if I lure Qiu Tu to the "Eastern District," can I arrest him?'

Thinking of this, Larilu became even more excited. 'Last time I squeezed Qiu Tu dry more than ten times, and he acted like nothing happened.'

'Now that we've arrested him, shouldn't we have some fun with him?!'

'Let's do it this way!'

Thinking this, La Riluo wanted to set off immediately to seduce Qiu Tu.

As a result, just as she was about to set off...