Thinking this over, Jia Shu stood by the window for a while, running through the entire affair in his mind once more.
Moments later, he returned to the desk and amended Qiu Tu's appointment, changing "effective tomorrow" to "effective immediately."
Then he set aside Qin Shuman's arrest warrant for the time being, intending to issue it only after the Qin family had finished dealing with their internal affairs.
In the end, he opted for the more cautious maneuver.
"My god! Another promotion?"
"Who?"
"Who else could it be? Officer Qiu!"
"Huh? Officer Qiu got promoted again?"
In an era with radios and vehicles, orders traveled fast.
Before Qiu Tu even made it back to the Qin residence, the promotion notice had already reached the guard corps.
Thus, when he arrived at the guard corps' quarters, the buzz of agents talking was the first thing that met his ears.
"Officer Qiu just jumped two ranks in a single week!"
"He's getting a desk job already? I'm so jealous."
"He's a big shot now. Not like the rest of us anymore."
Hearing his name mentioned in passing, Qiu Tu waved over a Special Service Department agent and asked, "What's going on? Who got promoted again?"
The agent Qiu Tu singled out trotted over eagerly, rendering a respectful salute under the envious gazes of the onlookers.
Only then did he whisper to Qiu Tu, "Sir, it's you! Congratulations on being promoted to deputy section chief!"
Hearing the agent's words, Qiu Tu couldn't help but freeze for a moment.
A promotion? Deputy section chief?
What were Yan Chen and Jia Shu up to now?
Though doubtful in his heart, he wore a delighted expression on his face.
Smiling, he patted the agent on the shoulder and encouraged him, "Keep up the good work. You'll become a deputy section chief one day too!"
Hearing Qiu Tu's encouragement, the agent flushed with excitement and quickly saluted once more. "Thank you, sir!"
When he returned to the other agents, he was immediately surrounded like the moon amidst the stars, with everyone clamoring to ask what Qiu Tu had said to him and whether there was any promise of pulling him up.
Clearly, along with Qiu Tu's promotion, the attitudes of these Special Service Department agents toward him had undergone another massive shift.
As mentioned before with Lin Zuo, though Rank 1 agent and deputy section chief differed by only one level, the gap between them was worlds apart.
A deputy section chief could not only transfer favored agents into their own department, saving low-level agents from grueling fieldwork, but also held recommendation power for promotions below Rank 1 agent and a decisive say in recruit selection.
On top of that, Xinjie City was newly established and the middle-management roster at the Investigation Bureau had plenty of openings, giving newly promoted deputy section chiefs ample room to climb higher.
Thus, earning the favor of a young deputy section chief like Qiu Tu could easily be a life-changing opportunity for those rank-and-file agents.
Over the few days since crossing over, Qiu Tu had gained a comprehensive understanding of Xinjie City's power structure, so he fully understood what those agents were dreaming of.
However, he hadn't even seen his own promotion fax yet, nor had he figured out what angle Yan Chen and Jia Shu were playing, so he had no interest in recruiting followers right now.
He asked an agent where Fang Ming was and headed straight over to find him.
Sure enough, the promotion fax was in Fang Ming's hands.
Seeing Qiu Tu come looking for him, Fang Ming handed over the fax with a complicated expression.
Evidently, even someone with a solid background like his found Qiu Tu's promotion speed somewhat unbelievable.
Qiu Tu took the fax, read through it carefully, and a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
'Deputy section chief of the Political Department's Interrogation Section? Effective immediately? Hand over duties to Cao Dabiao?'
At a glance, the fax seemed unproblematic, but examining it closely revealed much between the lines.
Amusement glinted in Qiu Tu's eyes.
'It seems Yan Chen and his people sensed the danger and wanted to strike first, driving a wedge between me and the Qin family...
'Pity for them, it's already too late. The board has been set.'
Seeing Qiu Tu finish reading the report, Fang Ming let out a soft sigh and said, "Your promotion speed is practically strapped to a rocket."
Stowing the fax, Qiu Tu asked with a chuckle, "What? Envious?"
It was rare for Fang Ming to remain so levelheaded at a time like this. He nodded first, admitting his envy. "Of course. Who wouldn't be?"
Then he added, "But I'd advise you to watch your back."
Qiu Tu looked at him.
He said calmly, "Unless you're the illegitimate son of some big shot from the sanctuaries, or you've got dirt on one of the bureau's top brass, or maybe some heavyweight's daughter took a fancy to you...
"You'd better make sure the higher-ups aren't puffing you up just to knock you down."
He continued, "You're too young, and you've risen too fast. Ordinary agents like us might be jealous, but we can't touch you.
"The deputy section chiefs and section chiefs at your level, however—they can. Won't they hold a grudge?
"Many of them are leaders of medium to large factions across Xinjie City. They only earned their current posts after Xinjie City was established by throwing their weight behind the sanctuaries.
"Yet you've surpassed them in a single week..."
Fang Ming trailed off, but his meaning was plain.
Hearing this, Qiu Tu fell silent for a moment, then reached out and patted Fang Ming on the shoulder. "Don't worry. I know what I'm doing."
Seeing this, Fang Ming didn't press further, merely cautioning, "Stay safe."
"Mm," Qiu Tu replied. "Since the order's come down, I'll go hand over the guard corps first."
With that, he moved to leave.
Just as he took his first step, however, he paused.
He hesitated for a second, then spoke with deliberate undertones: "As I recall, you don't get along with Cao Dabiao, right?
"You've always looked down on his loose, undisciplined ways.
"Now that you two have to work together, watch your temper. Don't go starting a fight right after he takes over. If you get kicked out of the guard corps, it won't look good for anyone."
Fang Ming was baffled.
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Fang Ming was completely confused.
When had he ever had bad blood with Cao Dabiao? And when had he ever had a bad temper?
Sure, he looked down on Cao Dabiao, but... there were plenty of people he looked down on; who was Cao Dabiao to matter?
Besides, his temper was always mild. Didn't he stay remarkably composed every time Qiu Tu exasperated him?
Even as the thought crossed his mind, a flash of insight struck Fang Ming. He snapped his head up to look at Qiu Tu.
Qiu Tu merely gave him a meaningful glance before walking away.
Watching Qiu Tu's receding back, Fang Ming swallowed nervously. He understood.
At noon, witnessed by the guard corps, Qiu Tu completed the handover of duties with Cao Dabiao. Without even stopping for lunch, he went straight to the Political Department's Interrogation Section to report for duty.
That very afternoon, a fierce argument erupted between Fang Ming and Cao Dabiao, ostensibly because Fang Ming was deeply dissatisfied with Cao Dabiao's leadership.
With the squabble escalating out of hand, the Special Service Department recalled Fang Ming and his squad back to the bureau, dispatching a fresh squad of agents to assist instead.
What no one realized, however, was that amid the chaos of the personnel changeover, Shen Lingshuang was secretly moved out of the Qin residence.
She had been smuggled into the estate in secret from the start. As long as Qiu Tu and Fang Ming kept silent and the higher-ups didn't investigate, Cao Dabiao and the new Rank 1 agent had no clue she even existed.
At five in the afternoon, Qiu Tu clocked out from the Investigation Bureau and returned home.
The moment he unlocked the door with his key, he stopped in his tracks.
His apartment had transformed completely.
The living room, previously somewhat cluttered, had been thoroughly revitalized. The sofa was neatly arranged, the clutter on the table methodically put away, and the floor, table, and even the windows had been swept and polished spotless, gleaming with clean luster.
If not for his familiar belongings still being there, he might have suspected he had walked into the wrong apartment.
"You're back~?" A crisp, pleasant voice called out from the bedroom.
Having likely heard the door open, a girl of sixteen or seventeen emerged from the bedroom. She seemed to have just finished bathing; her hair was still damp, beaded with glistening droplets of water, and her skin was smooth and fair as cream, glowing with healthy warmth.
She wore one of Qiu Tu's white button-down shirts. Because it was the wrong size, the shirt hung loose over her petite frame, faintly revealing her fair, jade-pale legs beneath.
Yet she seemed utterly unconcerned, tilting her head slightly and gazing at Qiu Tu with large, bright eyes.
For a split second, Qiu Tu's heart skipped a beat.
Quickly mastering his composure, his gaze swept over the pristine, orderly room. "You cleaned all this?"
Shen Lingshuang nodded with a smile. She was at an age of carefree innocence, and her pure, untainted smile was as bright and enchanting as spring sunshine.
"Mm," Qiu Tu said. He closed the door, set down his things, and asked, "Is everything ready?"
Hearing Qiu Tu turn to business, the smile on Shen Lingshuang's face faded into seriousness. She nodded. "Ready."
With a gesture, she led Qiu Tu into the bedroom.
The cramped bedroom had been cleared out; the bed was tipped up on its side against the wall. The entirety of the space was dedicated to a potion-brewing apparatus and an array of ingredients.
Qiu Tu had arranged for Lao Ying and A Kun to purchase these from the black market over the past two days.
After checking the brewing equipment, Qiu Tu glanced at the countdown in the upper left corner of his vision.
The countdown for [Concoct Cataclysm Potion], which still had several hours remaining this morning, had now reached zero, replaced by a wobbling little treasure chest.
Having confirmed that everything was in order, Qiu Tu looked at Shen Lingshuang and said, "Since everything's ready, let's begin."
At his word, Shen Lingshuang nodded vigorously and stepped up to the apparatus, preparing to brew the [Cataclysm Potion].
Qiu Tu stood quietly behind her for a few minutes. Seeing that no new crisis warning popped up, his mind was finally at ease.
He walked out of the bedroom into the small living room. Standing beside the clean window, he gazed at the wild, fire-like sunset and fiery clouds outside, drifting into thought.
'Things over at the Qin family should be getting underway soon, too...'
Chapter 45