Then let them offer their loyalty!

"This will not be repeated."

Upon seeing this, the red-haired man quickly expressed his gratitude.

As he got up from the ground, the red-haired man glanced cautiously at Qiu Tu, his gaze somewhat complicated...

And so, after La Riro's several favoritisms, the red-haired man finally understood Qiu Tu's position in La Riro's heart.

Therefore, she answered almost every question Qiu Tu asked without hiding anything.

They were even willing to cooperate with Qiu Tu to trick him into revealing the exact location of "Scarface's" hiding place.

Of course, this does not mean that Shanks has submitted to Qiu Tu.

Qiu Tu felt that... she was now more like someone who saw that he, the "treacherous minister," was powerful and had bewitched the "emperor," so she was temporarily lying low.

He planned to gather evidence against himself, or regain the "emperor's" trust, before bringing him down.

Unfortunately... her plan was destined to fail.

After all, this "emperor" is not only an empress, but is also being repeatedly attacked by Qiu Tu's little penguin!

How could such a deep relationship be so easily sown by a mere foreign official?

.....

With all the collected information and the red-haired man's secret communication method, Qiu Tu returned to the real world.

La Riluo stayed in the "Eastern City Area" for the time being, according to her and Qiu Tu's plan, to transform this area.

So, Qiu Tu drove back to the New Territories alone.

In the dark wilderness, the mournful howls of wild beasts echoed intermittently. A pale blue moon hung high in the sky, casting dappled starlight. The jeep traveling along the open road appeared terrifyingly small against the backdrop of the vast expanse...

Nothing more was said that night!

The next day, explosive news reached the ears of all the high-ranking officials in the 16 cities of Dongye Prefecture!

Last night, Qiu Tu formally submitted his application to the state government and the shelter, requesting to be appointed as the deputy speaker!

This news nearly blew the minds of the top officials in 16 cities.

Their first reaction was: Has Qiu Tu gone mad?

How long has he been a legislator? How long has he been a director? What qualifications did he have to be promoted to deputy speaker?

Based on his strength as a fourth-tier Cataclysm?

While the shelter does value high-level combatants, strength is merely a bonus for promotion to higher-level positions.

Merit, ability, and seniority are the keys to promotion!

And... don't forget, Dongyezhou is currently at war with the disaster zone.

Stability is the most important thing during wartime.

At this point, wouldn't it be crazy to apply for a promotion?

Moreover... don't forget, Huang Shangzong, the speaker of Dongye Prefecture, has a past grudge against Qiu Tu.

Now that it's wartime, Huang Shangzong's power is expanding infinitely. How could he possibly allow Qiu Tu to be promoted?

Therefore, as soon as the news spread, most of the senior executives thought that Qiu Tu had lost his mind.

This also made them suspect... if this application reached Huang Shangzong, Huang Shangzong would definitely be furious!

Huang Shangzong will most likely reject the application outright. If he's even more hot-tempered, he might just storm into the New Territories and throw the application in Qiu Tu's face!

---------

Two chapters, 10,000 words each, please vote with monthly tickets!

Chapter 444 The truth comes out: I hunted down the whale shark! (10,000 words, please vote!)

With this in mind, all 48 high-ranking officials from the 16 cities turned their attention to the Eastern District and the New Territories, wanting to see how things would develop.

This is a rare and interesting event in the already chaotic Dongye Prefecture.

However, to their surprise, Qiu Tu's application seemed to disappear without a trace after it was submitted.

Whether in Tung Yip Chau, the shelter, or the New Territories, there has been no change or reaction.

They even tried asking around, but still received no information.

All six speakers remained strangely silent on the matter.

Whether it's Ye Mingfeng, who is always straightforward and decisive; or Dai Yukang, who is deep-thinking and always has a smile on his face;

Whether it's Tang Feifei, who comes from a powerful family and has a cold exterior but a warm heart; or Liu Xiongyuan, who comes from a humble background and has no taboos;

Whether it's Huang Shangzong, who harbors prejudice against Qiu Tu and acts domineeringly; or Li Tingdong, who is solely focused on political achievements and completely indifferent to everything else...

Not a single word was leaked to the outside world.

This bizarre situation was indeed something the leaders of the 16 cities hadn't imagined. Therefore, they were even more curious about the outcome of Qiu Tu's application for vice-speaker...

......

Meanwhile.

Just when the top officials of all 16 cities were paying close attention to this matter.

Dongcheng City, City Council, Speaker's Office.

Huang Shangzong sat upright in a large stainless steel chair, looking at Dai Yukang across from him at the stainless steel desk, without saying a word.

After looking around at the furnishings of Huang Shangzong's office, Dai Yukang said with a smile, "Speaker, it seems that Secretary Han is really tired of purchasing. He even replaced all your desks and chairs with stainless steel ones."

Upon hearing this, Huang Shangzong snorted and said, "He's just being lazy. He's slowing down my work efficiency so he can save himself some trouble."

"I'll smash all those broken tables and chairs of his another day and make him replace them with mahogany ones."

Upon hearing Huang Shangzong's words, Dai Yukang smiled and joked, "Then Secretary Han is going to have another headache."

It was clear that this wasn't the first time the two had spoken privately, so they acted very familiar with each other.

"Is the speaker angry because of Qiu Tu's application to become the vice speaker?"

Dai Yukang took a cushion, placed it on the stainless steel chair, and then sat down while asking with a smile.

Even if the two are on good terms now, Huang Shangzong wouldn't leave himself any leverage. So he snorted coldly, "Of course not."

"If Qiu Tu has the ability, competence, and merit to want to be promoted to vice speaker, then I will only welcome and wish him well."

“But…” Huang Shangzong’s tone shifted, and he said in a deep voice, “The timing of his application was far too deliberate.”

"Deliberately applying when there is fierce conflict between the state and the disaster area, isn't that just causing trouble for the state?"

Huang Shangzong was already tall and imposing. Because he had held a high position for many years and possessed great strength, his aura was as deep and unapproachable as a prison.

However, Dai Yukang seemed oblivious. He looked at Huang Shangzong with a half-smile and said, "The Speaker is right."

"At this critical juncture, Qiu Tu's application to become the vice speaker is indeed a bit naive."

"Moreover... although he has become a pseudo-fourth-tier Cataclysm and is quite strong,... his achievements and seniority are far from sufficient."

“I think he is far from meeting the standards of a deputy speaker.”

Upon hearing Dai Yukang's words, Huang Shangzong paused for a moment.

He seemed to be meeting Dai Yukang for the first time, his thick eyebrows slightly raised, and his fierce eyes fixed on Dai Yukang.

"You're not here as a lobbyist? That's a bit unexpected."

“After all, just over a month ago, you openly sided with Qiu Tu at the Speaker’s meeting.”

Huang Shangzong was clearly referring to the incident not long ago when he proposed transferring Qiu Tu, during which Dai Yukang betrayed him.

Upon hearing Huang Shangzong's words, Dai Yukang immediately smiled.

He said, "In politics, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies."

"It's all just a matter of self-interest."

He explained, "The reason I helped Qiu Tu last time was because I owed him a favor and wanted to repay it."

"Once the favor has been repaid, this matter is considered closed."

"Regarding the matter of the deputy speaker, I am simply stating the facts."

At this point, he said with a deep look in his eyes, "Before, I really thought highly of Qiu Tu. I thought he was a promising talent."

“I even gave him a second identity, allowing him to work in the security system.”

"But... he was promoted too quickly. It was frighteningly fast, so fast that it made him seem somewhat impatient for quick success."

At this point, Dai Yukang looked at Huang Shangzong and said with a half-smile, "In less than a year, he went from a second-level detective to the deputy speaker of the state assembly."

"Such a speed of promotion is unprecedented and likely to remain so."

Seeing Huang Shangzong nod in deep agreement, Dai Yukang continued, "So, I think for his own good, we should keep him in check..."

"If he can hone his skills in the position of director for a longer period of time, he will be able to soar to greater heights in the future."

At this point, Dai Yukang paused for a moment, then continued, "This... is also the idea of ​​Councilor Tang Jiye."

"He contacted me directly after receiving Qiu Tu's application."

Tang Jiye is Tang Feifei's father, a member of the Supreme Council of the Eighth Shelter, and one of the top five figures in the "Fengtian Clique".

However, Huang Shangzong is also a member of the Supreme Council and one of the senior officials of the shelter.

Therefore, although he was slightly taken aback when he heard Tang Jiye's name, his expression did not change much.

After pondering for a moment, Huang Shangzong nodded with a deep look in his eyes and said, "My opinion is the same as yours."

"Qiu Tusheng was promoted too quickly, and... his merits, abilities, and seniority are far from sufficient to warrant promotion to vice speaker."

"So... let's put this application on hold for now."

Seeing that he had received the answer he wanted, Dai Yukang smiled.

Afterwards, the two discussed other official matters before Dai Yukang took his leave and departed from Huang Shangzong's office.

After Dai Yukang left, Huang Shangzong stared at the closed office door for a couple of seconds and then suddenly chuckled.

'These people who play political games have truly dirty hearts...'

Huang Shangzong has gradually won Dai Yukang over to his side over the past month or so.

The reason is simple: Dai Yukang became the vice speaker in his capacity as the head of the security bureau system.

Therefore, his power and legitimacy both stem from the security bureau system.

However... the security department system in major cities is still part of the military system. It is subject to the constraints of the military at every turn.

Therefore, since becoming the vice speaker, Dai Yukang has spent most of his time trying to find ways to separate the security department from the military.

But for the military, the Security Service is not just a department that handles extraordinary affairs; it is also an important intelligence and espionage system.

If the security department is separated, the military will immediately become blind...

In addition, the security department's forces at the grassroots level are relatively weak, so it also needs to rely on the military to carry out some tasks.

Therefore, even though the shelters are constantly raising the status of the security department, the separation at the grassroots level is still progressing slowly.

At this moment, with the reminder from the refined gentleman Lao Guo, Huang Shangzong decisively seized the opportunity and gave Dai Yukang some support.

Because splitting up and upgrading cannot be completed in a day.

Therefore, during this period, in order to gain Huang Shangzong's continued support, Dai Yukang decisively sided with Huang Shangzong and began to get closer and closer to him.

Huang Shangzong speculated that this honeymoon period between the two would last at least until the split and upgrade were completed.

However, that's enough.

Dai Yukang's position was relatively low among the vice speakers, so it was convenient for him to take the lead in many matters—for example, the decision to deny Qiu Tu's promotion was made by Dai Yukang after he had figured out Huang Shangzong's intentions.

In this way, Huang Shangzong can maintain his status as the speaker in many matters, allowing the vice speakers to discuss them first before making the final decision.

This approach allowed him to regain control of the council meeting.

Besides Dai Yukang, the security department was also very important to Huang Shangzong.

The Security Department is itself the most important intelligence and special operations department, and during wartime, the importance of such a department will reach a new level.

By winning over Dai Yukang and gaining the support of Ye Mingfeng in the military, Huang Shangzong could achieve almost any of his military objectives!