Then, Let Them Offer Their Loyalty!

Chapter 54: The Beautiful Young Widow

Chapter 54: The Beautiful Young Widow

Hearing Yan Chen's analysis, Jia Shu's eyes flickered as he quietly pondered. After a moment, he asked, "Director, do you have any suspects?"

Yan Chen didn't answer directly but instead asked a low question, "Has Qiu Tu returned to the Investigation Department?"

Jia Shu responded affirmatively, "Yes, after I called him, he arrived at the department in less than fifteen minutes."

"On his way, he received six calls. Five of them were from Fourth Master Qin."

Yan Chen made an intrigued sound, "Oh? How did he explain that?"

Jia Shu smiled, "His explanation was perfect. He said Fourth Master Qin called to curse him, accusing him of betrayal. Unable to bear it, he hung up, but Fourth Master Qin kept calling and cursing. Eventually, he cursed back, which finally stopped the harassment."

"The series of calls and their explanations were clear and reasonable."

Hearing this, Yan Chen let out a rare laugh, sounding like a night owl, sending chills down one's spine. After laughing, he asked, "Do you believe him?"

Yan Chen nodded, slowly collecting his emotions, and then gave a low command, "Investigate from this angle. Let's see what our little friend is planning with such a big commotion."

"Understood," Jia Shu responded respectfully.

After hanging up, Jia Shu sat quietly in his office for a while longer, organizing his thoughts. He then picked up the desk phone and dialed a number. When the call connected, Jia Shu smiled and instructed, "It's our turn."

He hung up, donned a coat, and left his office, heading downstairs. As he walked through the dark corridor, memories of the past half hour flashed through his mind.

Earlier, Yan Chen had informed him about the fire at the Qin family estate and Fourth Master Qin's escape. Jia Shu's initial instinct was to have the Political Division intervene immediately to investigate the matter. After all, such a significant incident meant every minute of delay could result in lost evidence.

However, Yan Chen insisted on allowing Qin Heng to return to the Qin family first and to only intervene after Qin Heng requested assistance from the Investigation Department. Yan Chen's reasons were threefold:

First, Qin Heng had just aligned himself with Yan Chen, and they needed to save face for both Qin Heng and the Qin family.

Second, things obtained freely are not valued, while those earned through effort are cherished.

Third, since New Realm City was newly established and its various forces were like makeshift troupes, their methods were crude. Even if given time to cover their tracks, the Political Division could still uncover the truth with its techniques.

Both perspectives were valid—one from a crime-solving standpoint, the other from a political standpoint. Ultimately, Jia Shu followed Yan Chen's plan. However, now that the investigation was about to begin, Jia Shu couldn't shake the feeling that the half-hour delay had changed the situation somehow. But what could happen in just thirty minutes? He had even restricted their prime suspect, Qiu Tu, to the department.

Contemplating this, Jia Shu's eyes behind his glasses showed a hint of deep thought. After a moment, he pulled out his communicator and made a call.

"Skip your current task and monitor Qiu Tu in the surveillance room."

A man's voice responded promptly, "Yes, Sir."

With that arranged, Jia Shu resumed his characteristic fake smile and headed downstairs, exiting the Investigation Department building.

A T-type vehicle was already parked at the entrance, and several seasoned middle-aged men were waiting there. These were veteran agents who had followed Jia Shu and Yan Chen from the shelter and had been promoted to heads and deputy heads of various departments in New Realm City.

This was Yan Chen's confidence in handling the case. Today, due to the unexpected fire, these experts were urgently summoned to collaborate once again.

Meanwhile, at the Interrogation Office, Qiu Tu was scrutinizing the agents in front of him.

The Interrogation Office, a significant division within the Political Division, housed various teams such as the Interrogation Group, Duty Group, Psychological Analysis Group, Forensic Medicine and Pharmacology Group, and the Records and Archives Group. When a case arose, members from each team were drawn to form a task force.

Tonight, the three men and two women present were members of the task force for the "Spy Case".

Song Qing, the young girl who had been making off-color jokes, was a third-level agent and a recorder in the Records and Archives Group.

Wang Xi, a second-level agent, was the young man speaking earlier and a pharmacist in the Forensic Medicine and Pharmacology Group.

The two silent, burly middle-aged men were third-level agents from the Duty Group, responsible for ensuring the safety of agents during interrogations and assisting with the process.

The last person, the enchanting young widow who was the subject of the gossip, was Liu Fuping.

In her early thirties, Liu Fuping was widowed with no children. She often looked at people with her head slightly turned, her almond-shaped eyes filled with charm and a hint of mischief.

Such a woman was naturally the source of office gossip.

Casting a glance at the alluring widow, Qiu Tu smiled and said, "Sister Liu, you look even more beautiful tonight than you did this afternoon."

Hearing Qiu Tu's tease, Liu Fuping's almond-shaped eyes curved, and she playfully rolled her eyes at him, making her even more captivating.

Seeing Qiu Tu's playful comment, both Song Qing and Wang Xi exchanged glances, visibly relieved, and joined in the laughter, easing the previously tense atmosphere.

Having broken the ice with his subordinates, Qiu Tu got down to business. He placed the file he was holding on the table and began, "Tonight's task is to conduct an emergency interrogation of a female spy from the anti-government forces."

He then pointed to Song Qing, "Recorder, introduce the case details of this female spy to everyone."

"Yes, Chief!" Song Qing stepped forward and began, "The female spy's real name is Yin Caimei, and she is the secretary and mistress of Deputy Chairman Tian of the New Realm Chamber of Commerce."

"According to Deputy Chairman Tian's recollection, he met Yin Caimei in March of last year, not long after New Realm City was established."

"At that time, Deputy Chairman Tian was privately inspecting the black market on Xiafang Street for pharmaceutical business. There, he encountered Yin Caimei."

"Deputy Chairman Tian described her as wearing a green military coat, looking dirty and like a beggar, squatting in an alley. Upon seeing him, she suddenly sprang up, opened her coat, and asked if he wanted communicators, claiming they were good stuff from the shelter."

"Deputy Chairman Tian, who was in the communications business, became curious and closely examined the communicators she had strapped to her body."

At this point, suppressed laughter echoed in the office.

Interrupted, Song Qing looked at Qiu Tu with a grievance.

Qiu Tu smiled, "It's okay, continue."

Song Qing shot a glance at the others and resumed, "Deputy Chairman Tian said after examining for a while, he confirmed the items were fake."

"But intrigued by this 'colleague,' he asked, 'Are these things real?'"

"Unexpectedly, Yin Caimei pulled out a wanted notice from the shelter, proving she had indeed stolen the communicators. Of course, this wanted notice was also fake."

"Perhaps finding her interesting, Deputy Chairman Tian developed an interest in Yin Caimei and extended an olive branch."

"He said he was in the communications business and needed help, asking if she wanted to join him."

"Initially, Yin Caimei was suspicious, wondering if she had met a real 'colleague.'"

"But after seeing Deputy Chairman Tian's luxury car, she believed him."

"Thus, Yin Caimei entered Deputy Chairman Tian's company as his secretary. Their relationship grew closer, and by the end of last year, she had become his mistress."

"However, after Yin Caimei joined Deputy Chairman Tian's communications company, strange things started happening: some material transport companies in New Realm City began experiencing frequent robberies by anti-government forces after leaving the city."

"The frequency was more than three times higher than similar companies in other cities, leading to huge losses."

"Two months ago, during an investigation, the Detection Office found unknown listening devices in a suspect's communicator."

"Following the lead, they discovered more merchants and officials were being eavesdropped on."

"Tracing these clues, the Detection Office focused on Deputy Chairman Tian's company and finally caught Yin Caimei, a spy for the anti-government organization."

Pausing, Song Qing looked around at the other agents before adding, "Additionally, Deputy Chairman Tian has a special status."

"During the establishment of New Realm City, he provided significant assistance and has a major influence on the city's business environment. Thus, the shelter awarded him a 'Third-Class Peace Medal' last December."

"This allows him to attend Municipal Council meetings, participate in policy discussions, and grants him third-level immunity: the Political Division cannot investigate him without written authorization from Director Yan and reporting to the shelter."

"Moreover, he has close ties with council members and department heads, including cooperation with our Information Investigation Division. Hence, we must handle this case carefully."

Song Qing nodded at Qiu Tu, indicating she had finished her report.

After listening, Qiu Tu found the case quite interesting. However, regardless of its intrigue, it had little to do with him. He clearly understood his role tonight: he wasn't really there to interrogate or investigate.

His, or rather Jia Shu's, requirement was simple: stay at the Investigation Department and go nowhere else.

As long as he remained at the department, whether the case was solved didn't matter. Of course, he still needed to put on a show.

With that in mind, he looked around the office and said, "You've all heard the case details from Song Qing."

"This isn't a small case. It likely involves a prominent figure who has received the 'Peace Medal.' So, everyone, stay alert and don't be careless."

Clapping his hands, he continued, "Alright, let's bring the suspect in and start the interrogation!"

"Yes, sir!" the agents responded in unison.

As seasoned interrogation agents, they knew the procedure well and began their tasks methodically without needing further instructions from Qiu Tu.

Song Qing and two agents from the Duty Group took the authorization papers to bring the suspect, while Liu Fuping and Wang Xi followed Qiu Tu to the interrogation room to set up.

Maintaining a calm demeanor, Qiu Tu watched Wang Xi and Liu Fuping arrange the equipment, occasionally glancing at Liu Fuping's peach-shaped posterior with a relaxed air.

Noticing Qiu Tu's wandering gaze, the enchanting Liu Fuping glanced back coquettishly while fetching the interrogation tools, giving Qiu Tu a playful eye roll. Her eye roll, devoid of any real admonishment and enhanced by her mature allure, only added to her charm. This made Qiu Tu's smile even wider.

However, in the midst of this playful exchange, Qiu Tu's communicator in his left pocket began to vibrate softly. Feeling the vibration, Qiu Tu immediately became alert and serious, shedding his previous nonchalant demeanor.

The communicator in his left pocket belonged to A Tai.

Subtly, Qiu Tu slipped his hand into his pocket and ended the call. He glanced around to check if Wang Xi and Liu Fuping, who were busy preparing the equipment, had noticed the vibration. They seemed oblivious, continuing with their tasks.

Qiu Tu casually pulled out the communicator and saw that the missed call was from Lin Zuo.

He pondered for a moment, calculating the time in his head. If his estimations were correct, the Security Division should have already erased all traces of tonight's activities. Lin Zuo would have also picked up Fourth Master Qin and conducted a brief interrogation.

Lin Zuo calling now could only mean one thing: he had realized that he had been deceived and that Fourth Master Qin did not possess any evidence of Yan Chen's collusion with the RUF.

Having this thought, Qiu Tu formulated a plan. 'It seems the final move in tonight's game is approaching its conclusion.'

Author's Note