Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Lin Zuo stared at him expressionlessly, saying nothing for a long while.
After a moment, he sighed and said, "Agent Qiu, we both work in classified departments. You ought to know that some intelligence can be shared, and some cannot.
"We genuinely want to cooperate with you, so please stop testing us."
Qiu Tu met Lin Zuo's gaze, refusing to let the matter be brushed aside so easily. With earnest sincerity, he said, "Section Chief Lin, I understand your position. But I'm not asking you to break protocol."
He paused, offering a very reasonable justification. "Since this is an exchange of intelligence, I believe we should first understand what each side can bring to the table.
"Not only will that allow both of us to properly weigh the value of our intel and reach an agreement, but it will also prevent leaks in case we share files only to discover neither side has what the other needs."
Hearing this, Lin Zuo fell into deep thought.
A moment later, he reached a decision.
"You have a point.
"Then I'll lay it out plainly. What we can provide are leads on the Qin family's secret collusion with the Reform United Front, along with evidence of illicit benefits funneled between the Qin family and several commissioners in the Executive Hall."
A smile curved the corner of Qiu Tu's lips. *Hooked.*
In truth, the only reason he had pressed the issue so relentlessly was to confirm one thing: did the Security Bureau reaching out to him have anything to do with Qin Shuman?
After all, the Political Department's jurisdiction covered only espionage, counter-espionage, and internal oversight.
To any outsider, Qiu Tu's assignment to the Qin household had only one purpose: investigating whether the Qin family, particularly Qin Zhengguang and the second branch, were guilty of infractions and corruption.
Even though Fourth Master Qin had provided Qiu Tu with leads on Qin Zhengguang colluding with anti-government armed groups and street gangs, that still ultimately fell within the scope of the Political Department's internal oversight.
Lin Zuo, however, was different. The intelligence he offered was about the Qin family colluding with the Reform United Front and funneling benefits to City Hall. That meant he was fully aware of Qiu Tu's true objective in infiltrating the Qin family.
Yet across all of Xinjie City, only three people knew that real objective: Yan Chen, Jia Shu, and Qin Shuman.
Qiu Tu hadn't breathed a single word of it even to his own trusted men, A Tai and Lao Ying.
So how had the Security Bureau caught wind of it?
The answer was all too obvious.
*To think Qin Shuman was hiding so much...*
Quietly marveling at the realization, Qiu Tu gave an impassive nod, sealing the cooperation with the Security Bureau. "I'm very satisfied with what Section Chief Lin has to offer. I agree to the exchange."
With that, Qiu Tu produced a portion of the intelligence he had copied down that afternoon to exchange with Lin Zuo, and the two briefly went over the files.
There was little overlap between their findings. Qiu Tu's leads mainly centered around four points:
1. Qin Zhengguang and the second branch were funneling illicit benefits to an underground gang called the Fierce Tiger Gang.
2. Qin Zhengguang had been secretly collaborating with the Reform United Front all along.
3. Two months prior, Qin Zhengguang had illicitly released a group of suspects, among whom were members of the Reform United Front.
4. Qin Zhengguang had been skimming medicines from black markets under his control to sell to anti-government organizations at exorbitant prices.
Lin Zuo's files, on the other hand, pointed to broader collusion between the entire Qin family and various factions.
For instance, even before the founding of Xinjie City, the Qin family had dealings with the Reform United Front, engaging in the trafficking of people, pharmaceuticals, and weapons.
During the initial establishment of Xinjie City, the Qin family had maintained extremely close ties with Yan Chen.
After Xinjie City was officially formed, the Qin family had partnered in illicit grey businesses with several commissioners from City Hall, using those operations to funnel benefits to them.
Furthermore, the Qin family operated their underground trade through bearer transactions—meaning any organization could buy or pick up goods simply by presenting a receipt voucher without any identity verification. This made many underground factions and anti-government armed groups their regular clients.
After comparing their respective leads and evidence, Qiu Tu and Lin Zuo both picked up on an intriguing contrast.
Lin Zuo asked, "All of your leads are about the Qin family's second branch?"
Qiu Tu countered, "And all of yours concern the entire Qin family?"
The two exchanged a look and smiled.
Qiu Tu explained, "The Political Department's jurisdiction is internal oversight. Naturally, our primary target is the second branch."
He then asked, "But does all your evidence truly implicate the entire Qin family?"
Pausing, he tested the waters: "Did your department simply not dig deeper, or do you believe the entire Qin family is dirty?"
Lin Zuo replied, "It's likely that the entire Qin family is dirty."
His gaze was resolute. "Don't be fooled by the subtle friction inside the family right now. Old Master Qin only just passed away.
"Before he died, all four branches had already begun running their affairs and coordinating closely with one another.
"Colluding with the Reform United Front, funneling pharmaceuticals, moving supplies—they all likely had a hand in it."
Qiu Tu nodded thoughtfully at Lin Zuo's explanation.
Over the next hour, Qiu Tu and Lin Zuo thoroughly compared notes and reached a basic consensus: Qiu Tu would operate in the open while the Security Bureau worked from the shadows. The two sides would carry out a joint investigation, sharing whatever they discovered.
If the investigation turned up nothing, both sides would keep the matter strictly confidential.
If they managed to bring down the Qin family, the credit would be split evenly.
Once terms were settled, the two shook hands firmly.
With the partnership established, Lin Zuo walked Qiu Tu to the door.
Reaching the threshold, Qiu Tu came to an abrupt halt. He turned back, flashed a smile at Lin Zuo, and said, "Give my regards to your superior."
Lin Zuo was visibly caught off guard. His mind worked furiously for a moment before he chuckled and nodded.
Satisfied, Qiu Tu turned and strode toward the elevator.
He hadn't been bluffing; he genuinely deduced that Lin Zuo answered to someone higher up.
The logic was simple.
Although the Military Department and the Investigation Bureau belonged to separate hierarchies, their ranking systems mirrored each other.
Both started with temporary agents and temporary commissioners, followed by Rank 3 agents and commissioners, Rank 2 agents and commissioners, and Rank 1 agents and commissioners.
Above Rank 1 lay the managerial ladder: detectives and senior detectives in the field, and deputy section chiefs and section chiefs in the office.
In terms of rank, Lin Zuo as a deputy section chief stood an entire tier above Qiu Tu. One was in management; the other was a frontline operative.
Under normal protocols of reciprocal interdepartmental cooperation, if the Security Bureau wished to liaise with Qiu Tu, Lin Zuo should not have been the one to step forward. It should have been one of his subordinates.
Yet Lin Zuo had lowered himself to deal directly with Qiu Tu. That could mean only one thing: this task had been pressed down by his superior, and that superior had explicitly ordered Lin Zuo to make the trip in person.
Chapter 36