With that in mind, Qiu Tu nodded at Shen Ling Shuang and said gently, "Alright, I understand."
"Tell Secretary Han that I'll wait for the Speaker at the Investigation Department. He can rest assured."
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Shen Ling Shuang seemed to let out a sigh of relief. She hurriedly nodded several times, then pulled her cute little head back inside.
After Shen Ling Shuang withdrew, Liu Xiongyuan took a drag from his cigarette. A smile appeared on his old tree-like face, and he bared his yellow teeth as he said, "That little girl is quite interesting."
"I heard that a couple days ago, she nearly angered the Speaker to death."
Qiu Tu smiled. "That's only because the Speaker is magnanimous and didn't lower himself to argue with a little girl."
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Liu Xiongyuan tossed his cigarette butt onto the ground like an old village farmer, then lowered his head and crushed it beneath his shoe. "You've only met the Speaker a few times, yet you already understand his thoughts so well."
"You're only in your twenties. Truly, the young are to be feared."
Hearing the implication in Liu Xiongyuan's words, Qiu Tu's heart skipped a beat.
Damn. Talking to old foxes like these really required one hundred and twenty percent attention. There were traps everywhere!
Luckily—
With that thought, Qiu Tu raised his eyes and glanced at Liu Xiongyuan's "Alignment Cloud." There had been no deviation at all.
So this was probably just an old fox's habitual probing.
With that in mind, Qiu Tu's mind raced.
A moment later, he smiled. Following Liu Xiongyuan's example, he tossed his cigarette butt onto the ground, stomped it out, and said, "Uncle Liu, you're joking. Isn't each generation of young people followed by another?"
"I'm only a fairly outstanding young man. In the future, there will be even more young people more outstanding than me."
"I can't remain in my twenties forever, but outstanding young people in their twenties will always exist."
"Isn't it precisely through generation after generation of inheritance that humanity has developed better and better, gradually coming to rule this world?"
Qiu Tu cleverly shifted the evaluation of himself as an "individual" into the broader subject of humanity's development.
He dissolved the element of opposition in Liu Xiongyuan's earlier remark and deftly turned its negative undertone into something positive.
So, upon hearing this, Liu Xiongyuan indeed looked up, smiled, patted Qiu Tu's arm, and said, "I didn't expect you to possess such awareness."
After saying that, he added, "Alright, stop chatting with this old man. Let's go get ready to meet the Speaker."
Hearing that, Qiu Tu sighed inwardly in relief and softly acknowledged him.
Huang Shangzong was clearly truly anxious. Only a little over ten minutes after Secretary Han's call, he had arrived at the East City Investigation Department.
After asking where Qiu Tu and Liu Xiongyuan were, he directly brought Secretary Han and his entourage up to the sixteenth floor.
When he arrived at the conference room on the sixteenth floor, Qiu Tu and Liu Xiongyuan were seated opposite each other, quietly exchanging intelligence.
Hearing footsteps, the two turned around. Seeing Huang Shangzong, Qiu Tu quickly rose to his feet and greeted him. "Speaker."
As for Liu Xiongyuan, he was much more casual. He slowly stood and gave a slight nod. "Speaker~"
Hearing their greetings, Huang Shangzong raised a hand and lightly pressed it down.
He strode into the conference room, carrying with him a trace of the bitter winter chill in his cashmere overcoat.
When he reached the main seat, Secretary Han stood behind him and helped him remove the overcoat over his uniform, revealing his massive body tightly wrapped in the Speaker's uniform.
After taking off his coat, he sat heavily in his chair. Perhaps because he had not sat in a wooden, fabric-upholstered chair for a long time, Huang Shangzong shifted his rear slightly, a trace of satisfaction appearing on his face.
Seeing Huang Shangzong sit down, Qiu Tu and Liu Xiongyuan sat as well.
Once the two were seated, Huang Shangzong swept his imposing tiger-like eyes over them and slowly said, "The two of you, aside from inspecting the East City Investigation Department, I came here this time for another purpose: the Purge Plan."
At that, he paused and asked, "How is the Purge Plan progressing now?"
Perhaps Old Rao's matter was indeed urgent, so Huang Shangzong gave neither man an opportunity to evade the question.
Instead, he directly said, "As I understand it, there were more than forty squads and several hundred mid-level members of the Anti-Government Armed Forces coalition that was scattered this time. Have all of them been captured?"
"And the scattered remnants of the Anti-Government Armed Forces have also been captured one after another, totaling more than three thousand?"
Liu Xiongyuan likely truly felt that he had no hope of advancing further, so he was rather uninhibited in both speech and conduct.
He chuckled. "Speaker Huang's intelligence network is quite impressive. Every move Speaker Qiu and I make is crystal clear to you."
Huang Shangzong's expression froze.
Fortunately, Liu Xiongyuan was merely in the habit of needling him a little, so he did not continue after that jab.
Instead, he lifted his chin toward Qiu Tu. "Speaker Qiu, you were in charge of this matter. I only assisted, so you should report to the Speaker."
Hearing Liu Xiongyuan's words, Qiu Tu nodded, then looked toward Huang Shangzong and reported, "Speaker, this Purge Operation of mine has indeed been almost completed."
"We captured three general-level leaders of the Anti-Government Armed Forces, thirty-six field-grade officers, eighty-three captains, several hundred first and second lieutenants, and more than 3,600 ordinary soldiers."
"It could be said that we have nearly wiped out all the remaining Anti-Government Armed Forces members and embedded operatives wandering around East Industry State."
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, a satisfied expression appeared on Huang Shangzong's broad face.
He gave a deep hum and said, "In that case, have someone prepare the records and report, then submit them to the council."
Huang Shangzong handled matters quite openly. He said bluntly, "This is one of the most important achievements since East Industry State was established."
"In a couple of days, I'll be going to the Shelter to report my work to Speaker Rao. This will be perfect to bring up."
Hearing Huang Shangzong's words, Qiu Tu smiled faintly and said without betraying anything, "Speaker, don't be in such a hurry."
"Please note my wording: 'almost completed' and 'nearly wiped out.'"
"I used the word 'nearly.' That actually means this mission has not yet been completed."
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, the two thick brows stretched across Huang Shangzong's forehead slowly furrowed.
His tiger eyes landed on Qiu Tu's face, as though he wanted to see through whether Qiu Tu was deliberately stalling or had genuinely not finished.
Qiu Tu seemed unable to sense Huang Shangzong's piercing gaze at all. He simply looked back at him calmly.
Huang Shangzong was silent for a full two seconds before he finally asked, "What work remains unfinished?"
Hearing Huang Shangzong's question, Qiu Tu said with a serious expression, "Although we have wiped out the mid-level members of the Anti-Government coalition, there are still several hundred, perhaps even over a thousand, scattered soldiers roaming the 16 Cities of East Industry."
"We need to continue capturing them."
"Also, because I went to capture Red Hair two days ago, I did not have the time to interrogate these captured mid- and high-ranking personnel."
"Their testimony records have not yet been completed."
At that point, Qiu Tu recalled the violently fluctuating Order Line on Scarface and, struck by an idea, casually dug a pit.
"Although we all know their purpose in causing chaos throughout East Industry State was to counter your Infiltration Plan."
"Still... no one knows whether they might have some other plot."
"I think we should remain cautious."
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, irritation surfaced on Huang Shangzong's face. He asked, "Then approximately how much longer do you need?"
Seeing that Huang Shangzong was indeed somewhat anxious, Qiu Tu became even more composed.
He smiled. "Speaker, that's hard to say."
"You know how interrogations are. No one knows how long it will take to get results. It could be an hour, or it could be a month."
"Besides, I just spent four days out catching criminals. I need to rest first as well."
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, the veins on Huang Shangzong's forehead throbbed.
Although his political ability was relatively average, he still possessed basic political acumen.
Qiu Tu's words were clearly not a serious answer. He was waiting for the right price, openly demanding benefits.
If Huang Shangzong gave him enough benefits, he would speed things up and might even directly hand the prisoners over.
If Huang Shangzong did not offer enough, he would deliberately drag things out until Huang Shangzong could no longer wait, or until Old Rao's celebration had passed.
This brat! He really is no good! Insidious and cunning to the extreme!
Although he viciously cursed Qiu Tu several times in his heart, Huang Shangzong had no other options now.
Power was accountable only to the source of its power.
Only the Shelter could decide the candidate for Deputy Speaker. As Speaker, even though he too was a senior figure in the Shelter, he had no authority to decide it.
If Qiu Tu had not yet become Deputy Speaker and was seeking promotion to Deputy Speaker, Huang Shangzong could still hold him in check. After all, at that time, his opinion as Speaker of East Industry State would still matter greatly.
But now that Qiu Tu was already Deputy Speaker, Huang Shangzong's influence was greatly diminished.
Thus, when Qiu Tu did everything according to the rules and regulations, Huang Shangzong truly had little he could do to him.
With that thought, Huang Shangzong gave Qiu Tu a deep look, then said, "Then what kind of support does Speaker Qiu think the state needs to provide for you to speed up this operation?"
Hearing Huang Shangzong's words, Qiu Tu wore an innocent expression. Looking at him, he said, "Speaker, you're actually asking me to make demands?"
"I've always been very dutiful. I do whatever my superiors tell me to do and never dare to name conditions."
"Pfft." This time, Huang Shangzong said nothing. Liu Xiongyuan laughed first.
After laughing, he stood and said to Huang Shangzong, "Speaker, if there's nothing else, I'll continue interrogating the prisoners. I'll do my best to wrap up the case sooner."
"You two continue."
With Liu Xiongyuan there, Huang Shangzong and Qiu Tu truly could not discuss terms easily. So, hearing that, Huang Shangzong did not mind. He simply waved his hand and said casually, "Go on, go on. Speaker Liu, you've worked hard."
After Liu Xiongyuan left, the solemn doors of the conference room slowly closed, leaving only Huang Shangzong and Qiu Tu inside.
Huang Shangzong looked at Qiu Tu, his gaze darkening slightly as he said, "Qiu Tu, there's no one else now."
"Go ahead. What support do you need from the state to close this case as soon as possible?"
Hearing Huang Shangzong's words, Qiu Tu coughed and said, "Speaker, sometimes it isn't a question of support."
"You know that after I became Deputy Speaker, my jurisdiction only covered Lang Yue City."
"Other than my usual responsibilities there, the Purge Plan is my only additional assignment."
"Of course, I want to complete this task beautifully, without leaving the slightest flaw."
"After all... once this task is over, I won't have any other political achievements to pursue."
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Huang Shangzong's gaze darkened slightly. He roughly understood Qiu Tu's intentions: Qiu Tu's condition was to adjust his jurisdiction and increase his authority.
Though it was somewhat like asking for the moon—after all, every area of jurisdiction held enormous power for a Deputy Speaker of a state.
Still, considering that Qiu Tu's authority currently only allowed him to exert influence over a single city, such a request was not entirely unreasonable.
With that thought, Huang Shangzong's expression noticeably softened.
Leaning back in his chair, he said gravely, "Speaker Qiu, I can understand how you feel."
"However... there's one thing you're mistaken about."
"How could the council possibly let such a young and capable Deputy Speaker as you be responsible for only Lang Yue City?"
"That would be a terrible waste of talent."
"Just now, I heard you say that the final work of this Purge Operation will require a great deal of energy and time."
At that, Huang Shangzong paused before saying, "So I intend to have several departments cooperate with your work."
"Which department do you think would help you wrap things up faster?"
Hearing Huang Shangzong's words, Qiu Tu smiled.
Following the speech he had prepared before meeting Huang Shangzong, he said, "That actually depends on the extent of the Speaker's support."
"If the Speaker's support is insufficient, then even if you gave me the Supervisory Department, I estimate I still couldn't wrap things up quickly."
"But if the Speaker's support is sufficient, with help from the Court of Judgment, I could also complete this mission quickly."
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Huang Shangzong's expression changed slightly. His tiger eyes fixed heavily upon Qiu Tu, and a weighty aura surged toward him wave after wave.
But Qiu Tu was also a Fourth Order Peak Calamity Descendant. Invincible among those of the same rank, he barely felt Huang Shangzong's aura at all.
So he naturally met Huang Shangzong's gaze.
Seeing Qiu Tu's state, Huang Shangzong finally remembered that Qiu Tu was a peak expert who had slain a Fourth Order Evil God with a single sword strike. His strength was equal to Huang Shangzong's own Fourth Order Peak. Huang Shangzong's aura was utterly useless against him.
Thus, he withdrew his aura awkwardly, then sat in the main seat and silently pondered.
Qiu Tu's meaning was obvious: he wanted the Supervisory Department and the Court of Judgment.
These two departments were not particularly powerful, actually.
Without strong backing from above, both departments had extremely limited utility.
Especially in the hands of a Deputy Speaker like Qiu Tu, their influence would be even smaller.
But one must not forget that Qiu Tu excelled at creating miracles and at building something great from something small.
And although these two departments were somewhat weak, they were also highly sensitive.
Leaving aside the Court of Judgment, which held judicial and adjudicative authority, there was the Supervisory Department.
The Supervisory Department's powers included overseeing officials at every level, as well as investigating officials and holding authority over their appointment and dismissal.
That authority could be great or small. At its smallest, it would not carry weight with anyone. At its greatest, the precedents and lessons of Eastern Han provincial inspectors gradually becoming separatist warlords were still vividly remembered.
If Qiu Tu were allowed to grasp local supervisory authority and then gradually acquire military power, it would be fine so long as Huang Shangzong remained there to suppress him. But if Huang Shangzong was not there to keep him in check, he truly feared Qiu Tu would develop into an uncontrollable monster.
When that happened, Huang Shangzong would become a sinner of the Eighth Shelter.
With that thought, Huang Shangzong was about to reject him.
But at that moment, Qiu Tu spoke again. "Speaker, if you feel these two departments would put you in too difficult a position..."
"Actually... it would also be fine to give me one department to assist me, then let me temporarily take charge of Wu Hai City."
Qiu Tu lied with a straight face. "I captured Red Hair in Wu Hai City. With Wu Hai City's cooperation, I believe this operation can be concluded more quickly as well."
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Huang Shangzong's eyes brightened slightly.
One department plus Wu Hai City?
That was not entirely impossible to consider.
As long as he did not give the Supervisory Department to Qiu Tu and Qiu Tu could not interfere with personnel matters, Huang Shangzong felt he could accept it, especially at a time like this.
With that thought, a smile appeared on his broad face.
Looking at Qiu Tu, he finally showed a trace of satisfaction. "Then, once I return, I'll issue the documents and have Speaker Qiu take charge of work related to the Court of Judgment and Wu Hai City."
"Speaker Qiu, wrap up this Purge Operation properly as soon as possible. Don't disappoint me."
Hearing that, a smile could not help but appear on Qiu Tu's face.
If a psychologist from his previous life had been here, they would have recognized the famous psychological principle Qiu Tu had just used in the negotiation: the concession effect.
In a negotiation, one first made a large demand, then took a step back and replaced it with a smaller demand. That smaller demand would then be much more readily accepted.
In truth, what Qiu Tu had targeted from the beginning was control over Wu Hai City.
What was so good about supervisory authority?
Indeed, as long as one was powerful enough, it could influence appointments and dismissals. And if one also held military authority, one could even control an entire state.
But that would be far too conspicuous and would easily attract too much attention in the early stages.
By comparison, controlling a single city was far more satisfying.
Because of his high position and immense authority, Qiu Tu would effectively be the local emperor in that city.
Combined with control over the Dock Sea Area, Wu Hai City, like New Realm City and Lang Yue City, would be placed entirely under Qiu Tu's control.
East Industry State had only sixteen cities. Qiu Tu now directly controlled three of them, nearly one-fifth. That was already enough for him to accomplish many things.
With that in mind, Qiu Tu hurriedly assured him, "Please rest assured, Speaker. I definitely won't let you down."
Huang Shangzong did seem to be in a great hurry.
Not long after returning, he spoke with several Deputy Speakers by phone and directly adjusted Qiu Tu's jurisdiction.
Qiu Tu's authority officially expanded from Lang Yue City to Wu Hai City and the Court of Judgment. He had truly become a Deputy Speaker with real power.
However, after his jurisdiction was updated, Qiu Tu did not rush to celebrate.
He was still deeply troubled by Scarface's bizarre Order Line.
So, he planned to launch another surprise interrogation of Scarface tonight and find out exactly what secret Scarface was hiding.
Moreover, he was also interested in the "important thing" the Cataclysm Zone was searching for in East Industry State.
What could possibly make the Cataclysm Zone gather so many troops and even send three generals to cause trouble in East Industry State?
That evening, East City Investigation Department, Interrogation Room No. 1.
Qiu Tu sat alone in the spot Liu Xiongyuan had occupied that morning, quietly watching Guan Xiao interrogate Scarface.
With Qiu Tu's guidance, Guan Xiao had a new direction for the interrogation and kept trying to dig out Scarface's hidden secrets.
She stared coldly at Scarface, who hung in midair, covered in wounds, and demanded,
"Talk. What exactly was your purpose in throwing East Industry State into chaos this time?"
"And what exactly is the Cataclysm Zone looking for in East Industry State?"
"What is that thing used for?"
Hearing Guan Xiao's questions, Scarface hung his head. His eyes were black as ink, and his bleeding mouth let out a raspy "Heh, heh, heh." "What are you talking about? Why can't I understand you?"
"I've already said everything I can. What else do you want me to say?"
Guan Xiao was clearly not so easily fooled. She dipped her whip in salt water and lashed Scarface with a sharp crack! Then she said, "Stop playing dumb!"
"Do you really think we don't know what you're plotting?"
As she spoke, she used the riding crop to lift Scarface's face and said viciously, "You betrayed the Anti-Government Armed Forces coalition that trusted you!"
"You set them up! You even wanted to get them killed!"
At Guan Xiao's words, Scarface's gaze visibly flickered, but he quickly returned to normal. Then he spat at Guan Xiao viciously. "That's complete fucking bullshit!"
"You useless bastards are just smearing my name because you've got no accomplishments! A bunch of lapdogs licking the Shelter's ass!"
Qiu Tu watched quietly from the observation room. The reason he now had his subordinates handle everything, aside from training them and having them continue to share his burdens,
was that it saved time and effort.
With Guan Xiao interrogating him down there, he could clearly identify the direction of Scarface's hidden secrets.
Later, it would be more convenient for him to question Scarface directly with Order Space.
If Guan Xiao managed to interrogate all the intelligence out of him like last time, he could even simply ask, "Was everything you just said true?" and end the interrogation.
But Scarface was clearly far more resolute tonight than he had been last time.
Guan Xiao used every method she had, but he merely clenched his teeth and refused to give anything away.
When pushed too far, he even began cursing Guan Xiao's ancestors for eighteen generations, infuriating her terribly.
Unfortunately for him, the tougher he acted, the more Qiu Tu believed that the secret he was hiding was enormous.
After patiently watching Guan Xiao interrogate him for an hour, Qiu Tu walked to the Interrogation Room door and knocked.
Tonight, only Qiu Tu and Guan Xiao were in Interrogation Room No. 1. Hearing the knock, Guan Xiao immediately stopped the interrogation and came to the door.
When she opened it, the beautiful woman's forehead was covered in sweat, and her face was full of dejection.
She whispered to Qiu Tu, "Speaker. I let you down."
Qiu Tu smiled and patted her arm. "Why would I be disappointed? You did very well. You helped me find the direction."
With that, Qiu Tu tilted his head toward the room. "All right, go out first. I'll interrogate him."
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Guan Xiao gave a quiet "Mm," nodded, and walked out on her long legs.
After she left, Qiu Tu entered the Interrogation Room.
Seeing Qiu Tu enter, Scarface, whose hands were bound behind his back as he hung in midair, glared at him viciously. He opened his blood-filled mouth and snarled, "You Shelter lapdogs! Forcing confessions through torture! Brutal interrogation! You'll die horrible deaths!"
Qiu Tu laughed when he heard that.
He walked over and sat at the interrogation table. Setting down his paper and pen, he said, "You're Anti-Government Armed Forces. We don't need to follow any rules when dealing with people like you."
"Now, I ask. You answer."
"Pah! Dream on!" Scarface glared viciously at Qiu Tu.
Qiu Tu did not mind. He twirled his pen and asked, "What was your purpose in coming to East Industry State this time?"
"Don't tell me it was to throw East Industry State into chaos."
"I'm asking about you, not the Anti-Government Armed Forces."
Qiu Tu paused, then refined the question. "If I'm not mistaken, you had your own mission, didn't you?"
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Scarface was just about to spit at him a few more times. He knew he could not possibly survive anyway, so he had nothing to fear.
But at that moment, he suddenly found his consciousness growing hazy, his thoughts becoming muddled, and even his tongue seeming to slip beyond his control as he began speaking!
"You've all fallen into the trap. Heh, heh, heh."
"I came to East Industry State this time to complete a blood sacrifice mission for my god, Night Curtain!"
Before you continue