Core Loyalists

As the Investigation Bureau's ace division, the Special Service Department enjoyed abundant training resources and generous perks. Its members had always carried themselves with an arrogant swagger, looking down on other departments. When dealing with an ordinary agent like Qiu Tu, the Special Service Department agents felt an even stronger sense of superiority, convinced that their capabilities far surpassed his. That was why, the moment the ambush began, their first reaction had been to tell Qiu Tu to take cover while they annihilated the enemy. Yet events had unfolded entirely contrary to their expectations. Their regular training had proved virtually useless in real combat; after firing dozens of rounds, they had struck only two or three thugs. Instead, the very ordinary agent they looked down upon had stepped up in the critical moment. With two effortless shots, he had neutralized two hostiles and single-handedly repelled the enemy assault. Aside from throwing them into an existential crisis, it made the way they looked at Qiu Tu subtly change. Qiu Tu acutely sensed the shift in the atmosphere, but he did not let it go to his head. Instead, he calmly clicked the safety back on, slid the pistol back behind his waist, and reminded them, "Stay sharp, everyone. Watch out for a second assault." With that, he turned to Fang Ming. "Agent Fang, don't you think you should contact the director to report what happened here? See if we need the Political Department or the Security Section to step in." Hearing Qiu Tu's reminder, the agents finally remembered that the danger had not completely passed. They hurried into action, dividing the tasks among themselves: some kept watch around the perimeter, some guarded Qin Shuman, and others began climbing onto the rooftops to search for traces. As for Fang Ming, he readily took the advice, pulling out his communicator to report to Yan Chen. Just as the Special Service Department agents dispersed to do their jobs, a clamor of hurried footsteps and shouts suddenly echoed from the end of the street. "Brother Tu! Brother Tu!" "Hurry! Quick!" "Over here! Over here!" A dozen or so agents in uniform—though rather disheveled—wielded battered batons as they came rushing around the western street corner. Leading them was a hulking agent. Standing at a hundred and ninety centimeters tall, he was built like a bear, his muscular arms as thick as an ordinary person's thigh. A single look at him tightened one's chest. Unlike the other agents carrying batons, he held a fist-sized iron hammer. His gaze was fierce and brimming with murderous intent. If not for the agent uniform stretched taut across his frame to the point of nearly bursting, he looked more like a blood-drenched brute. "Special Service Department on official business! Which department are you from?!" Seeing this menacing squad of unfamiliar agents, the Special Service Department agent keeping watch to the west stepped forward warily and barked a halt at them. Perhaps because of their numbers, his hand had already moved to the pistol at his lower back, ready to draw at the slightest provocation. Hearing the commotion, Qiu Tu looked over as well. With just one glance, his eyes landed on the muscular agent leading the group. "A Tai!" At Qiu Tu's call, the burly agent grew even more energized, brandishing his small iron hammer as he prepared to charge forward. Seeing this, Qiu Tu quickly said to the Special Service Department agent blocking them, "They're temporary agents from Jiuxiang Street. I called them over to assist with the case. Let them through." Hearing Qiu Tu's words, the Special Service Department agent hesitated briefly before finally nodding and stepping aside. With the Special Service Department out of the way, the temporary agents rushed over and gathered around Qiu Tu. After quietly shielding him from the view of the others, the brawny A Tai leaned in close to Qiu Tu and whispered, "Brother Tu, as soon as we got your message, we came running. Did something happen?" With that, he cast a vicious glare toward the Special Service Department agent who had just blocked them, asking in a low voice, "Did that guy mess with you? "Don't worry. Just say the word, and I'll stake out his front door tonight. The second he lets his guard down, I'll put a hammer through the back of his skull twice. I guarantee he won't see tomorrow's sunrise!" Listening to A Tai's murderous words, Qiu Tu looked at him, recalling the identities of the men before him. Although his predecessor had been Yan Chen's lackey, his actual status in the Investigation Bureau hadn't been high. He was merely a Rank 2 agent, assigned to a powerless department like the Administrative Office. Without Yan Chen's backing, he had virtually zero influence in the bureau. Fortunately, his predecessor had been a man of loyalty. After cozying up to Yan Chen, he hadn't forgotten the brothers he used to run with at the bottom of the ladder. So after being promoted to a Rank 2 agent and gaining a bit of power, his predecessor had used Yan Chen's name to secretly secure jobs for these dozen-odd brothers. Though they were only temporary agents at a grassroots neighborhood post, lacking official rank or issued firearms, they were at least on the public payroll and had a chance of earning full-time status. And these brothers had not betrayed Qiu Tu's loyalty. After becoming temporary agents, they still looked to Qiu Tu as their leader. Whenever something came up, they truly threw themselves into it. Many matters Qiu Tu found inconvenient to handle personally had been taken care of by them. It could be said that they were in the same boat as Qiu Tu, rising and falling together. They were his true core loyalists in this world. That was why they had rushed over with their riot gear the moment they received Qiu Tu's message. With this in mind, Qiu Tu didn't treat them as outsiders. He asked naturally in a lowered voice, "Did you bring what I asked for?" Hearing Qiu Tu's question, A Tai nodded and tilted his head toward an aquiline-nosed agent beside him. "Lao Ying." The hawk-nosed agent reached into his breast pocket and retrieved a heavy little cloth pouch, handing it to Qiu Tu. As it was passed over, the pouch gave off a dull clinking sound. Qiu Tu took it, opened it to check, and after confirming it was what he wanted, slipped it into his coat. Then, he patted A Tai's shoulder and whispered a few instructions with his head leaned in. A Tai listened with a furrowed brow, nodding continuously. Their conversation seemed long, but it had only lasted a few seconds. By the time the Special Service Department agents looked back over, Qiu Tu had already taken the initiative to lead the dozen temporary agents toward Fang Ming. No one knew that in those brief few seconds, Qiu Tu had already made countless quiet arrangements. When he reached Fang Ming, the man had just ended his call. Seeing Qiu Tu approach, Fang Ming spoke first. "Agent Qiu, good timing. I was just about to look for you. "I just finished reporting to the director. When he learned about the United Front's attack, he was furious. He ordered the Political Department to intervene and conduct a joint investigation with the Special Service Department to purge the United Front extremists from Xinjie City. "Given the current chaos in the city, he ordered you and Miss Shuman to return to the city villa as quickly as possible and not linger outside." Hearing Fang Ming's words, Qiu Tu calmly glanced at the countdown in the upper left corner of his vision. [3:28:12] The countdown hadn't changed at all. Apparently, Yan Chen had no intention of moving up the interrogation of him and Qin Shuman; he was merely forbidding them from going to Cross Street. Before the firefight, such a development might have given Qiu Tu a headache. But now... "All right. No problem," Qiu Tu agreed placidly. He hadn't forgotten his plan, either. Stepping aside to reveal A Tai behind him, he said to Fang Ming, "Agent Fang, this is my cousin A Tai. He's currently a temporary agent on Jiuxiang Street. "When he heard gunshots here, he immediately brought his colleagues over to assist. "How would you like to deploy them?"