As for ways to help Qin Shuman, they were actually quite simple: first, rely on "connections"; second, rely on his "cheat."
For connections, Qiu Tu planned to find an opportunity to sound out Shen Lingshuang.
Shen Lingshuang's father was a high-ranking official in the sanctuary, and she was a potioneer herself, so she might very well know a way to help Qin Shuman.
And if even Shen Lingshuang had no way to help Qin Shuman, Qiu Tu still had his cheat.
His current cheat, [Crisis Sense], granted rewards every time he weathered a crisis. Perhaps among them would be an item capable of resolving Qin Shuman's dilemma.
Even if [Crisis Sense] couldn't help Qin Shuman, Qiu Tu could try to reroll other cheats and see if any of them could assist her.
Thinking this way, Qiu Tu suddenly had a clear goal in mind.
Toward this woman—the first person he had gotten to know since transmigrating, and the first with whom he had shared skin-to-skin intimacy—after learning of her tragic fate, Qiu Tu was not so noble as to feel obligated to take responsibility for her entire life, but he still hoped to save her if at all possible.
Moreover, Qiu Tu knew this wasn't merely unrequited sentimentality on his part; Qin Shuman was actually trying to save him as well.
After learning the Security Bureau's real objective, Qiu Tu immediately guessed that Lin Zuo's meeting with him today had likely been Qin Shuman's own doing.
Her purpose was simple: to supply him with more intelligence on the Qin family so he wouldn't be sold out by Fourth Master Qin.
At this thought, Qiu Tu let out a deep breath. Truly, the hardest debt to repay was the grace of a beautiful woman.
When he returned to the guard corps station, Cao Dabiao and the other two had already returned. Reeking of alcohol, their bellies were round and swollen from gorging themselves.
Spotting Qiu Tu, Cao Dabiao hurried forward with a fawning grin and whispered, "Sir, everything you instructed me to do is taken care of."
"Oh? Really?" Hearing Cao Dabiao's words, Qiu Tu glanced at the drunken man and gestured. "Let's talk inside."
Cao Dabiao wobbled in behind him.
Inside, Qiu Tu brewed a pot of tea and poured Cao Dabiao a cup.
Sticking out his belly, Cao Dabiao waved his hands repeatedly. "No more, no more, it's already backed up to my throat."
Qiu Tu looked at him and scolded with a chuckle, "You guys really don't hold back when wining and dining on public funds, do you?"
Cao Dabiao chuckled sheepishly. "The bureau is footing the bill anyway. It'd be a waste not to take advantage."
Qiu Tu knew he was testing the waters, so he put his mind at ease. "As long as it helps crack the case, spend what you need. If the money runs out, I'll apply for more!"
Hearing Qiu Tu's confident words, a broad smile broke across Cao Dabiao's face. He produced a dossier envelope and presented it with both hands. "Sir, here's our harvest from tonight."
Qiu Tu gave an acknowledging grunt, accepting the dossier with one hand while taking a seat.
Unsealing the envelope, he took out the documents inside and examined them page by page.
It had to be said that for Cao Dabiao to have reached Rank 1 agent in the Political Department, he certainly had real skill. Inside, not only was every piece of actionable information from the conversation in private room 108 recorded in meticulous detail, but the speakers had also been differentiated and labeled.
For instance, seven people had entered private room 108 tonight, and the conversation had mainly taken place between a buzz-cut young man and an elderly man in black.
On the first page of the file, rough facial sketches of both individuals were even attached.
Although their identities were not noted, it was already enough to give Qiu Tu a basic picture of them.
Furthermore, in addition to the paper files, the envelope contained the original audio tapes and undeveloped film negatives. Qiu Tu was thoroughly satisfied with Cao Dabiao's work tonight.
With that in mind, Qiu Tu didn't skimp on praise. He glanced at Cao Dabiao and said with a smile, "Brother Biao, you've got real talent. These materials are very thorough."
Saying that, he continued flipping through the files and asked, "Was there anything noteworthy while you were wiretapping tonight? What's your take on it?"
Cao Dabiao had clearly prepared for this. Hearing Qiu Tu's question, he fawningly pointed to his flushed, drunken face and said, "Sir, while monitoring the tap, I was so caught up in eating and drinking that I honestly didn't pay much attention.
"As for the details, you'll still need to look over them yourself."
Hearing that, Qiu Tu looked at Cao Dabiao. Seeing that the man's expression didn't waver, he immediately knew he was playing dumb on purpose.
Qiu Tu wasn't angry. He briefly sorted through the information, and then he understood why Cao Dabiao was playing dumb.
It was simple: Cao Dabiao had realized that tonight's matter was far too sensitive. It involved not only the mid-level leadership of the Investigation Bureau, but also a massive clan like the Qin family.
He couldn't afford to offend Qiu Tu with his "mysterious background," but neither could he afford to offend Qin Zhengguang and the Qin family.
Therefore, even though he had recorded everything tonight with meticulous care, he had deliberately drunk a lot of alcohol so he could use drunkenness as an excuse to plead total ignorance.
This was a common survival tactic for minor figures in troubled times.
So Qiu Tu didn't make things difficult for him, waving his hand to dismiss him to rest.
After carefully reading all the documents, Qiu Tu took out the audio tape and listened to every conversation from the private room. He sat in his chair with his eyes closed, his fingers lightly tapping on the desk.
The contents of the files and recordings were straightforward: representatives of two factions negotiating.
Judging by the way they addressed each other, one side was a captain from the Reform United Front (the buzz-cut young man), and the other was a housekeeper of the Qin family (the elderly man in black).
As for which branch this housekeeper belonged to, it wasn't clear from the recording, but in all likelihood, he was from the Second Branch.
The purpose of their negotiation was also very simple: a pharmaceutical deal.
In chaotic times, aside from hard currency like gold, the most valuable and sought-after commodities were pharmaceuticals and weapons.
Thus, facing the Reform United Front, the Qin family opened their mouths wide with exorbitant demands—not only charging prices far above the market rate, but also imposing a series of harsh conditions.
For example, they demanded that the Reform United Front cooperate with certain operations of the Public Order Section to help Section Chief Qin earn merits; for another, they required that part of the payment be settled with young women or two- to three-year-old boys, and so forth.
Although the sanctuary controlled the zone pending planning, most of this world remained the Cataclysm Zone. In the Cataclysm Zone, countless ordinary people still lived in deep misery. The Qin family couldn't scour those disaster areas for human traffic, but the Reform United Front could.
The young women gathered could be sent to the Qin family's underground brothels to generate enormous profits, while the two- to three-year-old boys would be raised from childhood as private soldiers or enforcers...
Having listened to the entire recording, Qiu Tu's gaze turned dark.
The Qin family's filthy trade couldn't help but remind him of the days in his past life when he had been sold to northern Myanmar.
In the eyes of fraud syndicates and the Qin family, people were never "human beings"—they were "merchandise."
"They truly deserve to die..."
Qiu Tu murmured softly. Then his mind raced, pondering how to deal with the Qin family...
Soon, he made up his mind.
Chapter 39