Looking at those few lines of prompts before him, Qiu Tu's mind raced, and he began to analyze the newly obtained intel bit by bit.
First, so it turned out that [Crisis Sense] wasn't limited to triggering only one at a time—it could trigger several!
This discovery improved Qiu Tu's situation considerably. After all, even if many crises came at once, he could know about all of them.
Second, this [Crisis Sense] actually wasn't limited to triggering only when someone meant him harm—if he himself was "courting death," it would trigger a warning as well.
That way, the usefulness of this cheat was greatly enhanced. It could even help Qiu Tu make some key decisions.
Third, the formulation of the [Cataclysm potion] actually had "hidden elements"? Related to the time and the place?
No wonder the probability of gaining supernatural power in this world was so low—it turned out this key element had been overlooked.
Or rather, from the standpoint of scientific development, no one could have imagined that time and place would become key factors affecting the drug's effect.
And more importantly, even if others knew this piece of information, it would be very hard for them to verify it: after all, every experiment might cost a precious Cataclysm potion and a living human life.
Only Qiu Tu was different. With [Crisis Sense], as long as he faced a lethal threat, he would receive a corresponding prompt.
So as long as he prepared the Cataclysm potion according to the prompts from [Crisis Sense], wouldn't he be able to achieve 100% Cataclysm Awakening?
At this thought, Qiu Tu suddenly felt that all the worries he'd had over the past two days had vanished like smoke!
Besides those three key pieces of information, Qiu Tu also analyzed an utterly absurd piece of information from these prompts—namely, that Shen Lingshuang was actually a masochist?!
He had been so rough with her, and yet she had instead developed a trace of unusual feeling toward him?
If that wasn't a masochist, what was it?
At this thought, Qiu Tu couldn't help turning around and casting his gaze into the room. 'Could it be that from now on I'll have to spank this girl's bottom to build a closer bond with her?'
Qiu Tu felt a little lost. After all, he was a respectable man.
Just then, the maid came over carrying the reheated food.
Seeing this, Qiu Tu reached out on his own initiative and took it, then carried it into the room.
Inside, Shen Lingshuang was wearing the silver handcuffs, propping her cheek with her left hand, gazing out the window and thinking about who-knew-what.
Qiu Tu looked her over a couple of times and found that the girl was actually quite pretty when she was quiet: a palm-sized oval face, a small mouth, and a slightly upturned nose combined into a fresh, youthful face.
Perhaps she hadn't fully grown into her looks yet, so she carried less of a womanly grace and allure and more of a youthful vitality.
Perhaps Qiu Tu's gaze was too direct. Shen Lingshuang frowned and turned her head away, and with her lips pursed, she asked with adorable fierceness, "What are you looking at?! Keep looking and I'll poke your eyes out!"
Perhaps because he had learned Shen Lingshuang's temperament from the crisis prompts, Qiu Tu's temper was much better now.
Calmly, he set the food out on the table and said to Shen Lingshuang, "Lingshuang, you cooperated with the interrogation and told me everything you know, every last detail. That makes me happy."
"But your attitude is always so bad, and I don't like that."
Shen Lingshuang bared her little tiger fangs, wanting to talk back, but perhaps realizing she was still in Qiu Tu's hands, she could only give a "hmph" through her nose and then eat in silence.
As for Qiu Tu, he didn't keep pressing her down. Although he knew this girl was a masochist, training a masochist was just like running a scam—it was all about casting out the line and reeling it in, loosening and tightening in turn.
He couldn't just keep pressing her; he also had to give her some small doses of warmth now and then.
And so, Qiu Tu read the interrogation record in his hand while quietly keeping Shen Lingshuang company through her meal.
When Shen Lingshuang set down her chopsticks, Qiu Tu promptly closed the interrogation record in his hand and stood up.
Shen Lingshuang gave him a strange look, tilted her head, and asked curiously, "Were you just keeping me company while I ate?"
Qiu Tu glanced at her and said deliberately, "No."
With that, he turned and left with a flourish, arranging for the servants to come in and clear up.
As for Shen Lingshuang, she watched Qiu Tu's dashing retreating figure and blinked her big eyes. Then she thought of the scene from before, when Qiu Tu had pinned her to the chair and given her a harsh thrashing, and a ripple couldn't help stirring in her heart.
Meanwhile, Qiu Tu, having walked outside, looked up at the gray, overcast sky and sighed softly, recalling the experiences of his past life.
Besides financial fraud, fraud actually had another branch: emotional scams.
And in many cases, emotional scams were easier to squeeze profit from than financial ones.
The telecom fraud syndicate Qiu Tu had worked for in his past life was a large, comprehensive organization that, besides financial fraud, also handled emotional scams.
The twelve types of women, the thirty-six response strategies, and the one hundred and eight ways to deepen a bond and PUA them—all of it had been compiled into manuals and handed out to the employees for study.
Although Qiu Tu hadn't studied it seriously, he had dabbled in it a little.
He hadn't thought along those lines before; it was the System that had reminded him Shen Lingshuang had developed a liking for him. That was why he had gone with the flow and deepened the bond between the two of them.
After an evening of interacting with her, Qiu Tu had formed a rough judgment about Shen Lingshuang's identity: even if it wasn't as exaggerated as she claimed, it was close to the mark. At the very least, she was undoubtedly the child of a high-ranking official.
Although he didn't understand why a girl with such an identity would end up in a zone pending planning, this was indeed an opportunity for Qiu Tu.
If he could really keep a firm grip on this lead, perhaps many things would have room to turn around.
At this thought, Qiu Tu went to find Fang Ming again and arranged the guard work for Shen Lingshuang, mainly by borrowing two maids from the Qin family to look after her.
After all, Shen Lingshuang was a girl, and the guard corps was full of rough men, so some things were still rather inconvenient.
Fang Ming really was a rare good person in this cataclysm world. Qiu Tu had clearly been under his command before, and yet within two days had leapt up to become his superior. But Fang Ming showed no emotion at all; instead, he competently served as Qiu Tu's deputy.
With him assisting at his side, Qiu Tu could also free up more energy to resolve his current predicament.
After arranging Shen Lingshuang's daily care, Qiu Tu headed toward the residence the Qin family had prepared for him.
To house the guard corps, the Qin family had specially cleared out a two-courtyard compound. With Qin Shuman living directly in the Qin family main residence, Qiu Tu of course took the main rooms of this compound.
Coming to the entrance of the main rooms, before he even stepped inside, Qiu Tu noticed that the door to the front hall was open and there was still a light on inside.
He paused for a moment, then stepped in.
Entering the front hall, Qiu Tu saw a portly middle-aged man sitting in the guest chair of the front hall, leisurely drinking tea.
And a girl of sixteen or seventeen was standing beside him with her head lowered, attending to him.
Perhaps hearing the footsteps, the middle-aged man turned his head, and seeing that it was Qiu Tu, his face immediately broke into a smile. He stood up and came over smiling. "Oh, Agent Qiu, at last you're here."
Qiu Tu's gaze flickered slightly, and he too walked over warmly. "Fourth Master Qin, visiting so late at night—is there something you'd like to discuss?"
Fourth Master Qin was the fourth son of Old Master Qin and the head of the fourth branch of the family. Don't let his affable smile fool you—within the Qin family, he managed black-market businesses like underground brothels and casinos.
Chapter 22