Heads Held High

Both men had clearly been jarred awake by the noise at the door. Their hair was as disheveled as uncombed bird nests, and they wore nothing but oversized boxer shorts, looking thoroughly unkempt. Yet the agent outside showed no surprise whatsoever. In this world, merely surviving was an uphill battle; aside from a tiny handful of the wealthy and powerful, who had the luxury to care about quality of life? He took the uniform and epaulets from the temporary agent's hands and presented them to Qiu Tu with both hands. "Sir!" Once Qiu Tu took the uniform, the agent did not leave. Instead, he pulled a slip of paper from his pocket and respectfully offered it with both hands once more. "Sir! This is my contact information. If you ever have need of me for anything, please give the word—I will be at your beck and call!" Then he repeated his name once more: "My name is Li Ke." With that, he gave Qiu Tu a textbook salute and departed without lingering. Watching Li Ke's departing back, Qiu Tu's eyes flickered, the corners of his mouth curling into a smile. Smart people truly were everywhere. Yesterday, in order to get A Tai transferred into the Special Service Department, he had constantly put his face forward and played angles before Fang Ming. Yet today, no sooner had he been promoted to a Rank 1 agent in the Political Department than someone took the initiative to pledge loyalty. Indeed, a Rank 1 agent—especially one in a powerhouse department—was truly a coveted position. Thinking this, Qiu Tu slipped Li Ke's note into his pocket. If a suitable opportunity arose in the future, he wouldn't mind throwing this clever agent a bone. Turning around, he saw A Tai already shuffling over. A Tai gawked left and right, inspecting everything in disbelief. "Bro, you really became a Rank 1 agent? And even got into the Political Department?" Qiu Tu shut the door, nodding with a chuckle. "I did." A Tai clamored in excitement, "Holy crap, and here I was worried sick something happened to you last night! That's why I dragged Lao Ying to crouch by the estate gate, planning to charge in and rescue you if you didn't come out! But not only did nothing happen to you, you even got a promotion?" Amused by A Tai's words, Qiu Tu chuckled. "Charge in and rescue me? With that little iron hammer of yours? Do you have any idea how many agents and how many guns are in there? Before you could even reach me, you'd be riddled with bullets." At that, A Tai scratched his head with an earnest grin. "I wouldn't care! I'd rescue you anyway! From the moment you picked me up when we were kids, my life has belonged to you!" Hearing this, Qiu Tu's eyes wavered slightly, and his mind couldn't help drifting back to his past with A Tai. What Qiu Tu had told Fang Ming that day was indeed half-truth, half-fiction. The true part was that A Tai really had run with a gang and ended up on a blacklist for resisting the Military Department. The fabricated part was that Qiu Tu had never been looked after by A Tai's parents; rather, the two of them—or rather, the dozen or so of them—had depended on each other to survive from the very beginning. Qiu Tu had been an orphan of this chaotic age, surviving in his childhood by scavenging trash. At age six, he found the dying A Tai in a garbage heap; at age eight, he took in Lao Ying; at age ten, he picked up A Kun... In the brutal aftermath of the Cataclysm, where tomorrow was never guaranteed, the children huddled together for warmth just to stay alive. Gradually, this little band grew, eventually numbering more than twenty. Later, as they grew older, they were gradually scouted and absorbed by local gangs. Yet their bond never faded; they continued looking out for one another. Still later, the sanctuary designated Xinjie City as a zone pending planning, and the Military Department swept through in advance. Underground gangs burst like bubbles, wiped out one after another. Some youths of their circle were killed, some landed on blacklists, and others fled. Finally came the founding of Xinjie City. With his clean-cut appearance, good health, a spotless record, and driving skills picked up in the gangs, Qiu Tu successfully became an agent. He then tracked down his brothers one by one and made proper arrangements for them... That was why he and A Tai shared a bond forged in life and death, and why A Tai could declare with utter sincerity that he would try to save Qiu Tu even if it meant being shot to pieces. At this thought, Qiu Tu gave A Tai a profound look and clapped him firmly on the shoulder. Subordinates who gravitated toward him out of self-interest, like Li Ke, had their uses; but brothers like A Tai were what Qiu Tu truly needed. As the great man once said: to achieve great things, make more friends and fewer enemies. Only by uniting every force that could be united could one grow bigger, stronger, and achieve greatness! After changing into his uniform and pinning on the new epaulets, Qiu Tu received a call from Jia Shu. Over the comm, Jia Shu told him to head over to the garden villa, saying there was an assignment for him. Qiu Tu guessed that Yan Chen must have reached a decision. So after giving brief instructions to A Tai and Lao Ying, he went downstairs, bought a steamed bun, and ate it on the horse-drawn city bus bound for Yan Chen's villa. As for A Tai and Lao Ying, neither stayed idle. After tidying themselves up, they set off for work at the Jiuxiang Street security post with their heads held high. They had only managed to become temporary agents because Qiu Tu had borrowed Yan Chen's banner to bluff back then. In the beginning, the station had valued them and entrusted them with important responsibilities. But when it became apparent that Yan Chen didn't care about them at all and had never once brought them up, the station gradually caught on. As a result, they were slowly marginalized, reduced to the bottom rung of the station... Now, however, things were different. Qiu Tu had been promoted to a Rank 1 agent in the Political Department. As his brothers, their standing would naturally rise alongside his, allowing them to hold their heads high. Thus, they couldn't wait to reach the station and spread the good news. Walking in fine clothes by night? Not a chance! In this cataclysmic wasteland, if you didn't bare your fists, people would walk all over you without a second thought! Only by growing strong—and making sure everyone knew it—would anyone think twice before messing with you! [11:27:03 (Chest)] After transferring buses twice and walking for over ten minutes, Qiu Tu finally arrived at the City Garden once more. After this trek, a single thought echoed in his mind: He really needed to get a car! Otherwise, traveling just wasted far too much time! Thinking this, he verified his identity with the sentry and strode into the garden grounds. Yan Chen truly was a man of refined tastes. This estate was beautiful by night, but even more so by day. The artfully arranged shrubs, neatly trimmed greenery, and a fountain sparkling under the sunlight could almost make one forget that this was a post-cataclysm world. Indeed, no matter the world or the era, high society lived in supreme privilege. "Qiu Tu?" As Qiu Tu was quietly marveling, Fang Ming's voice suddenly reached his ears. Qiu Tu looked up and saw Fang Ming leading an escort detail, marching a girl out. The girl looked young, no more than fifteen or sixteen, with three stripes of red, yellow, and blue paint smeared across her face. Her eyes were sharp, carrying a raw, youthful ferocity like a wolf pup ready to tear into someone at any second. Qiu Tu glanced over the girl twice, asking curiously, "What did she do to warrant the Special Service Department escorting her in person?" Fang Ming let out a light huff and smiled. "She's the black-market potioneer caught yesterday on Xiafang Street. The higher-ups seemed to place great weight on her, specifically having us escort her here for interrogation. It just wrapped up, so we're preparing to take her away."