Then let them offer their loyalty!

This girl really hates working overtime, yet her loyalty rating has increased so much...

After getting off work, Qiu Tu drove to the Investigation Department's gas station and filled up the tank.

Since he wasn't yet a section chief, he wasn't entitled to official car service, so Qiu Tu paid for it himself. It cost a full silver dollar.

In Qiu Tu's previous life, that would have been about 800 yuan.

That much fuel would only last Qiu Tu for three days. Sure enough, in the undeveloped area, such controlled resources are incredibly expensive.

If it weren't for the fact that he would be receiving Qin Laosi's valuables tonight, Qiu Tu probably wouldn't have been willing to continue driving this car.

Thinking this, Qiu Tu drove to the small restaurant at No. 29 Nanfang Street—a place where he and his brothers often gathered.

The shop owner was once a big boss in Ah Tai's gang. Two years ago, when the military was sweeping through the New Territories, this boss escaped quickly and survived, but he was left with a limp.

So later he simply took his wife, retired from the business world, and opened a restaurant.

When we arrived at the small restaurant, the owner was wearing an oilcloth apron and sitting on a chair scraping fish scales.

Upon seeing Qiu Tu arrive, he smiled and raised his hand in greeting, "Ah Tu's here. They're inside."

Qiu Tu nodded and greeted him, "Brother Qiang."

Then they went straight into the courtyard.

The restaurant was small and had no private rooms, so Qiu Tu and his brothers usually occupied the yard behind the owner's house, set up a few tables, and ate outdoors.

Upon arriving at the courtyard, one finds a dozen or so young people already chatting in small groups.

Upon seeing Qiu Tu enter, they all greeted him, "Brother Tu is here." "Brother Tu." "Brother Tu, you're here."

Qiu Tu responded to each of them with a smile, then his gaze swept over them.

Qiu Tu's small group consists of 15 people besides Qiu Tu himself. The core members are Qiu Tu, Atai, and Lao Ying.

Most of the others were either picked up by Qiu Tu or brought back by Atai after he beat them up somewhere.

Artest has now gone to the Special Operations Department. Hawks and Akun have gone to the Political Department. There are still 12 people left to be assigned.

What Qiu Tu needs to do today is to select two suitable people from among them and send them to the military headquarters.

Monkey Loyalty: 85

[Ah Shui's loyalty level: 83]

[Big Head's Loyalty: 81]

Ah Xiong's loyalty: 89

【...】

Most of the brothers' loyalty to Qiu Tu is in the 80-85 range. This proves that they do have a very deep bond with Qiu Tu and are wholeheartedly committed to following him.

This is understandable. After all, they have relied on each other for many years and gone through so much together. Their friendship is one of life and death.

Among them, what surprised Qiu Tu the most was Ah Xiong.

Ah Xiong wasn't picked up by Qiu Tu, but rather dragged back by Ah Tai from outside one day.

At the time, Ah Tai was still involved in a gang, and Ah Xiong was a member of his rival gang. During a gang war, Ah Xiong's reckless, mad-dog fighting style caught Ah Tai's eye.

So after Ah Xiong was nearly hacked to death, Ah Tai dragged him back, wanting to see if he could still be saved.

He was covered in blood and on the verge of death. Qiu Tu, being kind-hearted, paid for a doctor to stitch him up and clean his wounds, leaving the rest to fate—this was the best medical care the underprivileged could receive.

Perhaps it was sheer luck, but Ah Xiong actually survived.

From then on, he followed Qiu Tu and Atai and their gang.

However, although he hangs out with Qiu Tu and his group of brothers, he is actually very withdrawn. He doesn't talk much and usually sits quietly to the side while eating at gatherings.

In addition, he seemed to have suffered a lot of trauma since childhood, and his eyes seemed to be filled with hostility towards everyone, so even in Qiu Tu's small group, he was the one who was not well-liked.

Qiu Tu originally thought he would be the least loyal among all the people, but unexpectedly he was the most loyal, except for Artest and Hawks.

Qiu Tu speculated that this level of loyalty might actually be related to personality as well...

Just then, as Qiu Tu was observing his brothers, Monkey picked up a canvas bag from the ground and carried it over.

When he reached Qiu Tu, Monkey handed him the canvas bag with both hands, grinning and saying, "Brother Tu, this is something I snatched from Qin Laosi's wife."

Qiu Tu reached out and caught it; the canvas bag felt slightly heavy in his hand.

Qiu Tu opened it and saw that it contained more than thirty small goldfish and a pile of paper receipts.

In a cataclysmic world, gold is much more valuable than silver. A small goldfish can be exchanged for about 200 silver dollars, which is roughly equivalent to 16 in purchasing power.

The 30-odd goldfish in the canvas bag represent a staggering 600 million yuan.

This was the cash that Master Qin's wife and children carried with them when they fled.

In addition to the paper certificates, property deeds, and land deeds in the bag that cannot be redeemed yet, as well as Master Qin's secret stash of money elsewhere...

Qiu Tu roughly estimated that Master Qin's net worth was at least hundreds of millions, and the contents of this bag, if sold, would be worth at least twenty or thirty million.

Thinking of this, Qiu Tu couldn't help but curse under his breath.

"They're fucking rich!"

"Luckily, they're all mine now!"

Thinking this, Qiu Tu didn't sit still. He reached into his bag and started taking out small goldfish. Every time he took one out, he tossed it to one of his brothers.

Watching the guy catch it, he immediately pulled out another one and tossed it to another guy.

In an instant, cheers erupted throughout the courtyard.

With the average person in this world having a minimum monthly income of around 200 copper coins, a small goldfish is enough for an average person to live on for decades.

Even if you waste a little money, you can still live a carefree life for three to five years without any problem.

How could they not cheer when Qiu Tu casually gave them such a huge sum of money?

So in just a moment, a bunch of loyalty level notifications of +1 and +2 popped up in front of Qiu Tu.

Qiu Tu guessed that the reason not many were added was because the people present were too loyal...

Qiu Tu handed over 12 small goldfish-shaped coins, put the canvas bag at his feet, and then instructed, "These goldfish are for you to keep as a treasure, for when you get married. Don't spend them recklessly."

"Later I'll have Eagle take two or three goldfish out to exchange for some silver and copper coins, which everyone can use for their daily expenses."

"Keep the rest of the money with me for now. If you need it, come find me."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's arrangement, Monkey, Ah Shui, and Big Head quickly agreed.

Because of the money being distributed, the whole courtyard was filled with joy, and even the voices of people chatting were much louder.

The distribution of benefits is always the most exciting thing.

Soon after, Eagles and Ah Kun arrived. Only Ah Tai was still nowhere to be seen.

Qiu Tu didn't wait for him: This guy has never had a sense of time since he was a child, who knows what will happen and he'll be delayed again.

So he simply asked the boss to prepare the dishes.

The food and drinks were served one after another, and the brothers ate and drank enthusiastically.

After several rounds of drinks, it was 9 p.m.

Qiu Tu's communicator started vibrating.

Qiu Tu took out his communicator and glanced at it; it was a call from an unknown number.

Qiu Tu's heart skipped a beat, and he guessed who was making the call.

He answered the communicator, and sure enough, Qin Shuman's voice came through the receiver, "I'm outside."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu said something to Lao Ying and the others, then got up and left the courtyard.

As soon as Qiu Tu stepped out of the small restaurant, he looked up and saw Qin Shuman standing across the street.

She looked a little different tonight. She wasn't wearing a cheongsam or a military uniform, but a black stand-up collar cashmere coat.

Although the coat concealed her shapely figure, it made her already tall and slender frame appear even more graceful, exuding an elegance that seemed to transcend the world...

Upon seeing her, Qiu Tu couldn't help but smile, and then he walked over...

As Qiu Tu approached, Qin Shuman couldn't help but smile.

She seemed to have deliberately worn light makeup tonight, and her smile possessed a breathtaking beauty.

Chapter 80 Monsters of the Non-Material World (7k)

In the undeveloped area, vehicles are a rarity.

Therefore, you don't need to be too careful when crossing the street.

Qiu Tu strode across the road, then opened his arms wide and said with a smile, "Miss Shuman! A day apart feels like three autumns! Let me give you a hug!"

Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Qin Shuman, dressed in a black coat, smiled and took a step back. Then, she reached out with her gloved hand and pushed Qiu Tu's chest, laughing and scolding, "Come on! You're so unserious!"

But Qiu Tu ignored Qin Shuman's refusal and still reached out to hug her.

With the soft jade in his arms, Qiu Tu could smell Qin Shuman's faint fragrance.

For some reason, my anxious mood has calmed down a bit these past two days.

Qin Shuman leaned quietly against Qiu Tu's chest. She was reserved at first, but after a couple of seconds she gently pressed her head against Qiu Tu's chest.

These two people, who were exhausted from the mess in their respective departments these past two days, seemed to have suddenly found a safe haven where they could take a short break...

After hugging quietly for a while, Qin Shuman looked up at Qiu Tu's face.

Qiu Tu's resolute and handsome face was tinged with worry, and even his brows were furrowed.

Qin Shuman gently smoothed Qiu Tu's forehead and said softly, "Section Chief Qiu is indeed in a bad mood today."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu snapped out of his reverie and asked with a smile, "Really?"

Qin Shuman hummed in agreement and said, "I don't think I've ever seen you frown like this before."

Is the case extremely difficult to handle?

Qiu Tu said, "No, that's not it. I was just thinking that the girl across from me has really white legs. Why doesn't she show more?"

Qin Shuman: ?

Qin Shuman angrily kicked Qiu Tu in the stomach, then shoved him away.

Qiu Tu cried out "Ouch!" and clutched her stomach. "You woman, you have no sportsmanship! You actually attacked me from behind!"

Seeing this, Qin Shuman smiled smugly and teased, "Section Chief Qiu, you don't have the shrewdness of the security department. If you just hug and cuddle with people, you should be prepared to get hurt!"

Qiu Tu looked completely innocent. "Working in the security department is so difficult! Even a simple hug requires so much caution!"

The two of them chatted back and forth, easing the gloom they felt when they first met.

While exchanging barbs with Qiu Tu, Qin Shuman kept glancing at the girl with exposed thighs out of the corner of her eye.

After searching for a long time, I still couldn't find it.

After a while, she realized what was happening and glanced at Qiu Tu.

Qiu Tu smiled, lowered his hand from his stomach, took her hand, and invited, "Shall we take a walk together?"

Qin Shuman felt as if a soft spot in her heart had been gently touched. She hummed in agreement, and then strolled along the street with Qiu Tu.

Qin Shuman came out today using her true form, so she didn't have to worry about being recognized.

The two strolled hand in hand along the street, and Qiu Tu quietly told Qin Shuman everything that had happened that day.

This includes Jia Shu assigning him to handle the "Yin Caimei case"; Jia Shu saying he would gain the trust of the security department; and the various unusual signs he discovered and his speculations after taking over the "Yin Caimei case".

Since it was already past 9 p.m., there were no pedestrians on the street, so I wasn't worried about being overheard by others.

Qin Shuman listened silently to Qiu Tu's current problem, pondered for a while, and then spoke up.

"Leaving aside the Yin Caimei case, Jia Shu said that you would be under the attention of the Security Department, and I should have some guesses and understanding about that."

She glanced at Qiu Tu and whispered, "Because of protecting Master Qin, our security department was exposed to the political department, which gave them an excuse to make trouble."

"So, in just one day yesterday, all the spies we planted around the senior officials of the Investigation Bureau were removed, and there has been no news of them since."

"Jia Shu is ruthless and vicious. I feel that they are likely to be in grave danger."

"And considering what you said about the news about Yin Caimei's case last night being a sting operation, I suspect that some of the lower- to mid-level infiltrators in the security department were likely on his list during last night's activities."