Then let them offer their loyalty!

So, before long, the exaggerated conditions proposed by the disaster zone began to circulate throughout the state!

Just as Dai Yukang had predicted, no one wants their family, loved ones, or friends to be humiliated, and no one can tolerate their enemies urinating and defecating on them like this.

With the generous reward offered by the state, the soldiers' morale was immediately boosted, and the middle and lower ranks of 48 institutions in 16 cities were all united in their hatred of the anti-government forces!

And at that very moment...

Qiu Tu, who had just finished the meeting with the speaker, was on his way to Ellie's house.

Actually, after learning about the "special disaster materials" being exposed, he had no desire to keep his appointment with Yan Yan that night.

As it turned out, the smooth progress of the speaker's meeting gave him some leisure time.

So he planned to go to Ellie's place tonight to see Yan Yan's performance...

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Chapter 461 An Unsolvable Dilemma. (7k views, please vote!)

With that in mind, Qiu Tu didn't ask any other guards, security personnel, or Tao Yaoyao and Shen Lingshuang to accompany him. Instead, he only called Guan Xiao and quietly left the villa.

Just as Guan Xiao and Shen Lingshuang said, Qiu Tu knew that Guan Xiao did not love him. She only regarded him as a boss to whom she could rely for life and was worth risking her life for.

But Qiu Tu happens to like that about her.

This extremely career-driven woman possesses abilities that match her ambition, something that none of the women around Qiu Tu have.

Now that Qiu Tu has reached this level of status, what kind of beautiful women wouldn't he have?

When he was the Deputy Chief of the Special Branch in the New Territories, one phone call would send the Five Elders scouring the entire city for beauties to select a consort for him.

He is now the vice speaker of Dongye Prefecture, and he also effectively controls a department and two major cities. Countless people want to curry favor with him.

Countless men want to send women to his bed, and countless women want to climb into his bed willingly.

Therefore, physical beauty is no longer his standard for selecting women; a woman's ability, added value, and even status are his main considerations.

Just like the three best friends he's been eyeing lately. Ellie has a background in the Sixth Sanctuary, and her parents are the founders of the "Academic School"; Yan Yan is the daughter of Qiu Tu's enemy, Yan Chen; and Xue'er is the daughter of Huang Shangzong.

Each identity is unique. That's what makes conquering them interesting, and after conquering them, there will be even greater value...

With that thought in mind, the vehicle drove along the brightly lit road.

Guan Xiao was driving, and Qiu Tu was sitting in the passenger seat, touching her smooth thigh.

Perhaps guessing Qiu Tu's purpose in calling her, she even changed into casual clothes, wearing sheer stockings and a nursing top to make it easier for Qiu Tu to operate.

So this woman is truly a stunning woman who understands men perfectly...

Since the journey to Ellie's house was quite long, the two chatted along the way.

While driving with no distractions, Guan Xiao casually asked, "Speaker, why do I feel that your relationship with Speaker Huang has improved a lot recently?"

"And..." she paused before continuing, "The 'Disaster Zone Infiltration Plan' was clearly Speaker Huang's doing, and it's one of his major achievements, yet you seem to have put a lot of effort into it and have been protecting it all along."

"As your political enemy, shouldn't you let his plans fail? Wouldn't that be more beneficial for you?"

Guan Xiao seemed genuinely puzzled by Qiu Tu's recent actions.

She said, "And since you became the vice speaker, you've not only supported him in everything, but you also proactively reminded him about the 'blood sacrifice mark' to prevent him from making a grave mistake."

"This is not like you at all."

Hearing Guan Xiao's words, Qiu Tu stroked her legs and asked with a smile, "So what do you think is the reason?"

Guan Xiao said, "I guess you're lying low, waiting for an opportunity. You'll likely strike when the time is right and bring him down."

Upon hearing Guan Xiao's words, Qiu Tu smiled and shook his head.

As the car drove past one streetlight after another, the interplay of light and shadow inside made his handsome face appear as if it were always shrouded in a gap between light and darkness.

A moment later, the vehicle drove into a street that was completely lit up, and the interior of the car instantly became much brighter, and Qiu Tu's face was immediately bathed in light.

He slowly began to speak, "Ultimately, it all comes down to interests."

"Interests?" Guan Xiao was a little puzzled.

Qiu Tu pointed out, "In an investigation department, there are only so many positions and only so many people above you."

"If they don't come down, I can't go up."

"If I have a strong momentum, even if I don't have any extra thoughts, they will be suspicious of me every day."

"Therefore... this is destined to be an unsolvable dilemma."

"This... was alleviated once it reached the state level."

Qiu Tu's hands continued moving, but his eyes grew more and more serious. "First of all, don't be fooled by the fact that the speaker and the deputy speaker seem to be only one level apart. In fact, their status is vastly different."

“He is a high-ranking official in the shelter, a true regional governor. He is ruling Dongye Prefecture on behalf of the shelter, and thus represents the shelter itself, wielding absolute authority.”

"And our vice speaker, though seemingly prestigious, is actually just on the inspection list. In reality, he doesn't even know which way the door of the Supreme Council of the Sanctuary faces."

"Therefore, we, the deputy speakers, can unite to deter him and influence various matters in the state, but it is difficult to affect his position."

"Since our attack is ineffective, we'll just give up on attacking him."

At this point, Qiu Tu paused for a moment, then continued,

"Secondly, Dongye State is a border state with extremely high strategic value to the shelter. So even if we defeat him, the shelter will only send in a new speaker to take charge, and will not promote one of our vice speakers."

"In order to avoid the speaker's absolute power and the formation of a de facto division, even if the deputy speaker has an outstanding political record, he will definitely be appointed to a different location."

"Therefore, even if we vice speakers are to be promoted, it will be to other states."

Upon hearing this, Guan Xiao's face showed a look of realization.

Although she is exceptionally capable, due to her status and position, she doesn't really know much about the affairs of the higher-ups at the state level and above.

Now, after listening to Qiu Tu's analysis, she has a better understanding of the situation above the speaker.

Seeing this, Qiu Tu smiled slightly.

Actually, he didn't understand these things at first. It was Tang Feifei who had a long talk with him after he was promoted. He imparted some knowledge to Tang Feifei, while Tang Feifei imparted some wisdom to him.

Thinking this through, Qiu Tu continued, "Finally, there is one more crucial reason."

After Qiu Tu gave the first two reasons, Guan Xiao felt that was enough.

But to everyone's surprise, Qiu Tu said there was a third reason, and it was the most important one.

She glanced at Qiu Tu curiously, then asked, "Is there any other reason?"

Qiu Tu said, "Didn't you notice that there were actually quite a few disputes in the state at the beginning?"

"Until recently, everyone suddenly united and faced the outside world together."

Guan Xiao hesitated for a moment, then carefully recalled the scene while driving. She then nodded, "It seems that's indeed the case..."

She hesitated before saying, "It seems to have started more than half a month ago?"

Qiu Tu said, "Yes. What was that important time point?"

Guan Xiao recalled carefully...

After a moment's hesitation, she said, "It seems it all started precisely when Speaker Huang proposed the 'Disaster Zone Infiltration Plan.'"

Qiu Tu smiled and said, "Yes. It all started with the 'Disaster Zone Infiltration Plan.'"

Chiu Tu-dao said, "The reason the state is so united now, and even I'm helping Speaker Huang fill in any gaps to prevent any accidents from happening to him, is all because of the 'Disaster Zone Infiltration Plan.'"

Guan Xiao was an extremely intelligent woman. Previously, she simply lacked sufficient information, which prevented her from understanding the considerations of Vice Speakers Qiu Tu and others.

Now that she had received Qiu Tu's hint, her mind raced, and in an instant, she had a guess.

She looked at Qiu Tu in surprise, then said, "Speaker! You...you want to run for Speaker of the New State Legislative Assembly?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu smiled and nodded, then added, "It's not just me. In fact, apart from Fei Fei, the other vice speakers all share this sentiment."

Guan Xiao was probably stunned by Qiu Tu's idea.

After all, Qiu Tu had just become the vice speaker, and it was an exceptional promotion among exceptional promotions!

She originally thought that Qiu Tu would stay in Dongye Prefecture for at least a few years, consolidate his foundation, and gradually take control of the entire Dongye Prefecture.

Finally, when the time was right, he defeated Huang Shangzong and, with the help of Elder Tang, became the speaker of Dongye Prefecture.

However, Qiu Tu had no intention of targeting his enemy at all. Instead, he wanted to use the enemy's plan to create his own chairman!

But... is this feasible?

Qiu Tu seemed to see Guan Xiao's confusion and shock, and he said with a smile, "With the establishment of the new state, there are only two ways for the speaker to be elected."

"One method is to parachute in, with senior officials from the shelters being directly parachuted down to guard New South Wales."

"Secondly, a senior executive will be directly promoted from the team that expanded the territory."

"Comparing the two paths, the first one offers more opportunities, but that doesn't mean the second one offers no chance."

"So, you see, all of you vice speakers are quite ambitious?"

"Ye Mingfeng goes without saying. He has the greatest hope, so he has always been very supportive of this plan. Moreover, he has long since united the military forces of the 16 cities into one force, so that they can fight wherever they are directed."

"Dai Yukang joined Huang Shangzong's side early on. He's also primarily in charge of the 'Disaster Zone Infiltration Plan.' He's still working tirelessly to build up the security bureau."

"Li Tingdong, work tirelessly every day to develop the economy and do a good job in the logistics of the entire war."

"Even Liu Xiongyuan, who seems to be the most laid-back... has been making moves behind the scenes. He has worked hard for so many years and achieved success late in life. Becoming the vice speaker was already a fulfillment of his wish."

"However, once he becomes the Speaker of the New South Wales Parliament, his career path will be completely opened, allowing him to rise to the top levels of the shelter, and even further, it's not impossible for him to become the head of the 'Reformists'."

"This is a great opportunity, an opportunity that could change the course of several of our lives."

At this point, Qiu Tu laughed. He said, "Although I don't know if Huang Shangzong really had this idea, his 'making a cake instead of dividing it' strategy did directly change the entire situation in Dongye Prefecture."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Guan Xiao's heart stirred, and she suddenly realized something.

If she remembered correctly, before the "Disaster Zone Infiltration Plan" was proposed, Huang Shangzong had just been besieged by several deputy speakers, losing face and his prestige in Dongye Prefecture plummeted.

After he proposed the "Disaster Zone Infiltration Plan" and received permission, the situation in the entire Dongye State indeed became more orderly, and his influence reached its peak. No one dared to challenge his authority anymore.

Thinking of this, Guan Xiao suddenly understood why all the speakers at today's meeting overwhelmingly supported Huang Shangzong—because they weren't supporting Huang Shangzong, but rather supporting themselves!

'As expected... someone who can become the speaker of a state council must have some skills.'

Even if their vision and political skills are lacking, they're still top-notch when it comes to open and covert strategies...

Guan Xiao felt she had learned something new...

And so, as they chatted, the car slowly drove up to the entrance of Ellie's villa.

Given Ellie's status within the "academy," her security level was quite high, so she underwent several rounds of checks before her vehicle even arrived.

Of course, upon seeing that it was Qiu Tu, the people checking him quickly saluted and let him pass.

However, after being allowed to pass, they naturally reported to Ellie immediately.

So when Qiu Tu's car arrived at the entrance of Ellie's villa, Ellie and Yan Yan were already waiting there.

Guan Xiao stopped the car and quickly got out to open the door for Qiu Tu.

Qiu Tu stepped out of the car and looked at Ellie and Yan Yan.

Perhaps sensing that Qiu Tu's visit tonight was not without ulterior motives, Ellie's expression was somewhat complicated. But Qiu Tu was, after all, her direct superior, so she still gave a standard salute and greeted him, "Chairman Qiu."

Compared to Ellie, who seemed a little reluctant, Yan Yan's expression was much more lively, with even a smile in her eyes.

However, in front of others, Yan Yan always had an angelic and innocent face, so when she saw Qiu Tu, she simply gave him a sweet smile and said, "Uncle Qiu, good evening..."

Hearing that suggestive address, Qiu Tu's heart fluttered, and he couldn't help but recall the scene of Yan Yan wagging her tail and begging for mercy at his feet.

He asked, "Uncle Qiu? Am I that old?"

Yan Yan gave a simple smile, like a pure white lily, "No, Uncle Qiu."

"But... I happened to be there when you went to inspect the courtroom this afternoon. I saw that you addressed my father as an equal, so I should be your junior, and it's not wrong to call you uncle."

As she said this, Yan Yan looked at Qiu Tu with her eyes misty with tears, which made Qiu Tu's heart flutter.

So he laughed twice and then said, "Alright, uncle it is, it's just a title anyway."

At this point, Qiu Tu looked at Guan Xiao and said, "Director Guan, I have some things to discuss with Director Ellie tonight. You can go back now."

"I'll need your help to pick me up early tomorrow morning."