Looking at the countdown and text that suddenly appeared before him, Qiu Tu was full of question marks.
'Is this... the Golden Finger?' he wondered.
A Golden Finger that can hint at risks?
After a moment of contemplation, Qiu Tu felt it was a bit weak, but still acceptable.
After all, had it not been for the hint from his "Crisis Intuition," he would not have known that Yan Chen had gleaned some information from the maid and begun to suspect his involvement with Qin Shuman, preparing to test him.
Had he picked up the communicator and dared to tell one lie to cover up the matter, the next day he would have died in the filthy sewage ditch.
In such a scenario, the Golden Finger had indeed saved his life.
'Anyway, I can't change the Golden Finger, so it's pointless to think too much about it. I should focus on figuring out how to deal with the current situation...' he reasoned.
With that thought, Qiu Tu began to reflect on how to deal with the situation, observing the pile of hints before him...
The communicator vibrated in the palm of his hand, buzzing, and the bright red countdown pulsed like a heartbeat...
[1:56]
[1:55]
...
[1:52]
[1:51]
...
[1:48]
[1:47]
As time ticked away, second by second, it wasn't until it reached [1:45] that Qiu Tu's gaze slowly became resolute and he pressed the receive button without hesitation!
The next moment, his expression seamlessly switched as he reverently said into the communicator, "Bureau Chief, were you looking for me?"
"I had something to deal with, which is why I was late to answer the communicator," he explained.
Perhaps it was an influence from his previous life, but Qiu Tu spoke those ingratiating words with such fluidity that he surprised even himself.
[1:42]
[1:41]
Hearing Qiu Tu's voice, no different from any other day, Yan Chen on the other end of the communicator did not become suspicious. He gave a profound "hmm" and then said, "Qiu Tu, I have a task for you to handle."
"Xiafang Street Public Security Bureau has arrested a Pharmacist selling illegal potions. Go there and bring that person back to the Bureau; I have use for him."
[1:27]
[1:26]
Glimpsing the ever-decreasing numbers of the countdown, Qiu Tu quickly replied, "Yes, Bureau Chief!"
However, after his response, he pretended to be in a difficult position and said, "But, Bureau Chief, I..."
Yan Chen spoke sternly, "What's the matter? Is there a problem?"
He was like a volcano about to erupt—the heavy pressure so palpable it came through the communicator, clearly felt by Qiu Tu.
[1:18]
But Qiu Tu wasn't swayed by Yan Chen. He continued to keep his tone steady and spoke softly, "Bureau Chief, actually I have some other matters to take care of as well."
Then, intentionally hesitating for two seconds, he finally spoke as if he had made a decision, "Bureau Chief, in fact, there was something I've been wanting to report to you for the past few days, but I didn't dare to mention it without evidence."
"There's something off about Qin Shuman. I suspect she's a spy sent by the Municipal Committee to monitor you!"
As he spoke these words, the atmosphere suddenly became still, and the countdown seemed to freeze as well, halting at [1:03].
After a full five seconds of stillness, the countdown resumed ticking.
On the other side of the communicator, Yan Chen asked in a deep voice, "What do you mean?"
[1:00]
With only one minute left, the countdown turned a glaring, blood-red and began to flash frenetically.
However, Qiu Tu was not rushed. He calmly explained, "Bureau Chief, I've been under your orders to ensure Miss Shuman's safety. But I've noticed some things about her that don't seem quite right."
"For example, I remember you saying she had just come from the Disaster Zone to Xinjie City, but she seems very familiar with Xinjie City."
"For example, she's not a resident of the Sanctuary like us, yet her skin is so smooth, fair, without a single scar or callus."
"For example, every time I appear near her, she tries to talk to me, initiating conversations about you, probing for information."
"All these signs suggest that she is probably not as simple as she appears."
"And don't you find it a bit too coincidental?"
"Xinjie City is so vast and chaotic, yet why would such a beautiful person be so conveniently discovered by you?"
"Are all the other men blind? Wouldn't they want her for themselves?"
"Is that really reasonable?"
Speaking of which, Qiu Tu paused before saying, "So, these past few days I've been trying to curry favor with her, subtly expressing my admiration to gain her trust."
"Perhaps my approach really did earn her trust. Today she told me she felt like a canary trapped in a cage and wanted to go out alone. So, in collaboration with her, we managed to distract the maids and other security staff, and I went out alone with her."
"Throughout these hours, I've been at her side, covertly observing her every move, trying to figure out what she really wanted to do."
[0:15]
At this time, the countdown timer glowing with red light seemed to have completely stopped.
After a two-second silence on the other side of the communicator, Yan Chen asked, "So what did you find out?"
Qiu Tu, "Nothing at all."
As if seeing Yan Chen's face darken suddenly through the communicator, Qiu Tu paused before adding another sentence, "But... that's the biggest problem!"
"She went to the trouble of shaking off everyone just for a simple stroll?"
"Bureau Chief... Does that sound reasonable?"
Yan Chen remained silent.
Two seconds later, instead of answering Qiu Tu's question, he asked, "Then why do you say she was sent by the Municipal Committee to monitor me?"
Qiu Tu, "Speculation."
"After all, the entire Xinjie City knows that the Municipal Committee is at odds with our Investigation Bureau, and Commissioner Jiang even more so with you..."
Yan Chen let out a cold snort.
Seeing he had pushed far enough, Qiu Tu did not continue to discuss the private affairs of the higher-ups. Instead, he switched gears and summed up, "That's why I suspected the Municipal Committee first when considering who to doubt."
"But, I'm still in the process of verification, with no evidence so far."
Yan Chen's tone noticeably softened. After a moment of thought, he then asked, "So where are you right now?"
Qiu Tu, "At my place."
"It was Miss Shuman who requested it."
"She's currently playing video games there, and I took the excuse of hiding in the bathroom to answer your call."
Upon hearing this, Yan Chen "Hmm" responded.
He did not express his attitude to Qiu Tu but reverted to his initial topic, "I will have others handle Xiafang Street's matter for now. Continue to accompany Miss Shuman."
"Yes! Bureau Chief!" Qiu Tu bowed slightly, respectful as if Yan Chen could see him, "I will certainly help you ascertain Miss Shuman's identity and not let down your trust."
Yan Chen did not respond and cut off the communication.
Listening to the "beep...beep..." sound on the other end, Qiu Tu, who knew he had narrowly escaped for now, slowly exhaled. He straightened up slowly, his smile gradually fading to a blank expression.
In those years with the Northern Myanmar fraud group, he learned a lot, including reading people, discerning their psychology, and finding weaknesses in their personalities.
The weak point in Yan Chen's character was obvious: he was suspicious.
Such people, once they start doubting, won't easily stop.
So, when Qiu Tu realized he was "exposed," he knew the more he explained, the more he would arouse Yan Chen's doubts.
For a powerful figure like Yan Chen, confidants and mistresses were nothing more than dogs begging at his feet for scraps.
In these chaotic times, two lower-class individuals who hadn't even secured sanctuary status could easily be snuffed out if he felt the slightest suspicion or displeasure.
Therefore, for Qiu Tu to stay alive, he had to introduce a formidable "Third Party Force" that could make Yan Chen wary.
Only then would Yan Chen control his emotions and not act recklessly, giving Qiu Tu time to defuse the crisis.
And this formidable "Third Party Force" that could make Yan Chen wary was— the Municipal Committee.
The Municipal Committee was the highest governing body of Xinjie City, holding all the rights of legislation, personnel appointments, finances, and more.
In theory, the Investigation Bureau should also obey the Municipal Committee.
But for checks and balances, when the Sanctuary sent high-level managers, the Municipal Committee, Investigation Bureau, and the military all had the right to communicate directly with the Sanctuary.
So, in the Planning Area, the three parties were relatively independent; the Municipal Committee couldn't command the other forces outright, but instead had to use benefits, situations, righteousness, and various other means to make them comply.
This led to a relationship that was both full of conflict and yet necessarily collaborative between the three parties, extremely delicate and precarious.
In such a situation, facing a person suspected of being planted by the Municipal Committee, the wily Yan Chen would most likely act cautiously. Before clarifying Qin Shuman's identity and understanding the Municipal Committee's intentions, he would not rashly harm them, thus upsetting the delicate balance of Xinjie City.
Such a lie also made Qiu Tu and Qin Shuman appear as potential adversaries in Yan Chen's eyes, reducing the suspicion that the two might be in cahoots.
Moreover, Qiu Tu's "forthrightness" in voluntarily disclosing their whereabouts would likely make the information seem more credible to Yan Chen.
The plan was bold and fraught with future troubles, but it was the best Qiu Tu could come up with in a matter of seconds.
After recalling the plan he had devised, Qiu Tu looked deeply at the stalled countdown timer in the upper left corner, his mind continuing to patch up any weaknesses in his plan,
'Although I acted quite well and replaced the original question with a new doubt, thereby steering Yan Chen's suspicions,'
'But... given Yan Chen's suspicious nature, would the seed of doubt really be dispelled that easily?'
'Can things really be this simple?'
With this thought, the hourglass of the countdown timer in the upper left corner of his vision began to change slowly...