Chapter 9: Showtime!

Upon leaving the room, Qiu Tu followed behind Cui Lan.

He walked at a measured pace, his demeanor composed. The flickering lights in the hallway cast his tall shadow, like a painting in motion.

Soon, the two arrived at the entrance of an elegantly decorated study.

At the entrance of the study waited a middle-aged man with rimmed glasses and a scholarly demeanor. He was dressed in a well-tailored Zhongshan suit, with a duplicitous smile hanging on his face, resembling a sly fox.

Qiu Tu recognized him, he was the director of the Political Department at the Xinjie City Investigation Bureau, Yan Chen's right-hand man, his chief strategist: Jia Shu.

Despite his genteel and courteous appearance, only those who had truly dealt with him knew how cruel and bloody his methods could be.

The Political Department's reputation for instilling fear throughout Xinjie City was largely due to him.

Each midnight, the blurred corpses carried out from the Political Department could be attributed to this sly fox more often than not.

He was like a shadow cast by the Investigation Bureau's vast reach, silently penetrating every corner of the city, unfathomable and omnipresent...

Thus, upon seeing Jia Shu, Qiu Tu immediately became alert. He quickly stopped and saluted Jia Shu, "Sir!"

It seemed that Jia Shu had been waiting specifically for Qiu Tu. Upon seeing him, Jia Shu sized him up and then asked with a smile, "Qiu Tu?"

After seeing Qiu Tu nod, Jia Shu's smile grew wider, "The Bureau Chief is waiting for you. Please."

Having said that, he turned and opened the study's grand door, gesturing for Qiu Tu to enter.

The light within the study was dim. Qiu Tu couldn't tell if it was an illusion, but the open door felt like the gaping maw of a beast, ready to devour anyone at any moment...

Today, however, he was prepared for a walk in the tiger's den, so without revealing any emotion, he took a deep breath and stepped inside...

.....

Yan Chen's study was spacious, but dimly lit. The large windows were draped with two thick curtains that blocked all outside light, casting large shadows.

The only light in the study came from a desk lamp, which was dimmed to illuminate only a small area of the large rosewood desk. Yan Chen sat behind that desk in the shadows, where only his silhouette was faintly visible...

"Good day, Bureau Chief!"

Upon seeing the overlord of Xinjie City, Qiu Tu quickly straightened up and gave a respectful salute.

But.....there was no response.

Keeping his salute, Qiu Tu tried to discern Yan Chen's expression, but the room was too dark to see anything clearly.

He just felt that Yan Chen was observing him, a chilling gaze that made one's scalp tingle and shudder in fear...

After about a dozen seconds, a dull "Hmm" came from the shadows, "At ease."

Qiu Tu let out a sigh of relief, lowered his hand, and then used his peripheral vision to scan the study.

There was more than just Yan Chen in the study. Apart from Jia Shu, who had led Qiu Tu in and now stood beside Yan Chen, Fang Ming was also present, standing not far from Qiu Tu.

Upon seeing Fang Ming, Qiu Tu's heart stirred, and he had a rough guess: it looked like his arrangements from the afternoon might have had an effect.

Indeed, accompanying this thought, Jia Shu, who stood by Yan Chen's side, slowly began to speak.

With a mocking smile, he looked at Qiu Tu and praised, "I hear... Agent Qiu has excellent marksmanship?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu replied earnestly, "Sir, my subordinate's marksmanship is quite ordinary!"

"Oh? Is that so?" Jia Shu said with an exaggerated expression of surprise, "But that's not what I heard."

His gaze swept over Fang Ming, who stood to the side, and he said with a sly grin, "Did you know that in just a few short hours, the news of a sharpshooter from the Administrative Office, repelling the United Front with six shots, has spread throughout the entire Investigation Bureau?"

"Even some staff members at the City Hall have heard of it."

"On my way here, I received at least three communications, all concerning you."

Qiu Tu didn't directly answer Jia Shu's question. He turned to look at Yan Chen and then sincerely said, "Bureau Chief, you personally chose me to join the Investigation Bureau; you are aware of my abilities."

"I'm all right with driving and handling matters. But my marksmanship is truly lacking."

Yan Chen, seated in the shadows, sat upright in his chair, his gaze deep and tiger-like as he watched Qiu Tu without a word.

Jia Shu adjusted the gold-framed glasses on the bridge of his nose and said with a smile, "Agent Qiu, are you implying... that this matter is a fabrication?"

Qiu Tu shook his head, "No, it's not fabricated. But there's more to the story."

Speaking, he glanced at Fang Ming beside him and earnestly said, "Agent Fang was at the scene at the time. He saw how formidable the United Front was."

"The Special Service Department attacked with full firepower for over a minute and failed to injure a single member of the United Front."

Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Fang Ming's face suddenly looked a bit embarrassed. But in front of Yan Chen, he dared not hide anything, and could only nod slightly, speaking in a grave voice, "Yes."

Having said that, he also took the initiative to admit his mistake, "It's our lack of sufficient training and lack of real combat experience that led to disarray in our ranks."

"But Bureau Chief, believe me, as long as..."

He was only halfway through his sentence when he was interrupted by Qiu Tu, "Agent Fang, don't underestimate yourself."

Fang Ming frowned and looked at Qiu Tu, not understanding what Qiu Tu was really trying to say.

But Qiu Tu didn't even look at him, gazing directly at Yan Chen as he said, "Bureau Chief, the agents of the Special Service Department are actually very capable, it's just that, today the United Front was intentionally avoiding their attacks."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Jia Shu's smile did not reach his eyes, as he said, "Agent Qiu must be joking. In battle, isn't avoiding enemy attacks the very intention, rather than 'intentionally' getting hit by the enemy?"

After speaking, Jia Shu seemed to have thought of something, suddenly paused, and narrowed his eyes at Qiu Tu.

At this moment, Qiu Tu finally revealed the first smile since entering the room. He nodded and said, "Correct! Those few shots of mine were intentionally allowed by them to hit!"

Perhaps because Qiu Tu's words seemed too preposterous, the study fell silent for a moment...

After a while, Fang Ming looked at Qiu Tu, completely perplexed, and said, "Qiu Tu, what are you talking about? They let you hit them on purpose?"

But before he could finish, the normally reticent Yan Chen suddenly spoke up, "Fang Ming, get out."

Fang Ming looked at Yan Chen in the shadows with a face full of surprise, not understanding why he was suddenly being ordered to leave.

But Yan Chen offered no explanation, only staring at him with that deep gaze.

The heavy pressure swept over him, causing beads of sweat to form on Fang Ming's forehead.

After a moment, he lowered his head, "Yes, Bureau Chief!"

Having said that, he saluted and walked quickly out of the study.

As the study door closed behind him, Yan Chen slowly straightened up, his tiger-like eyes ominously fixed on Qiu Tu, "Tell me what exactly happened."

Qiu Tu responded and then slowly began, "Bureau Chief, it's a long story, starting from when we hung up the communication."

He said, "After I hung up your call, I returned to Miss Shuman's side and took the initiative to tell her about the communication with you."

"She was startled, then asked me how I dealt with it."

"I told her that I brushed you off with an excuse that wouldn't arouse your suspicion, and once again expressed my affections for her."

"Perhaps she saw that as my Letter of Challenge, so she finally stopped acting and hinted to me in a veiled manner that her identity was extraordinary. As long as I remained loyal to her, she could guarantee my prosperity and riches."

"And to prove her power to me, she said she would also send me a welcoming gift..."