As the Investigation Bureau's ace department, the Special Service Department enjoyed abundant training resources, handsome remuneration, and always looked down on other departments from their lofty perch.
Faced with ordinary agents like Qiu Tu, the detectives of the Special Service Department felt an overwhelming sense of superiority, believing that their abilities far exceeded Qiu Tu's. That's why they told Qiu Tu to hide at the first sign of an ambush, waiting for them to eliminate the enemy.
However... the situation didn't unfold as they had envisioned. Their routine training was of little use in real combat. After dozens of shots, only two or three mobsters were hit.
Instead, it was this ordinary agent they had underestimated who stepped up in such a time, effortlessly neutralizing two enemies with two shots and repelling the enemy attack all by himself.
This caused them to question their life choices, and their gazes at Qiu Tu began to change...
Qiu Tu keenly sensed the shift in the atmosphere, but he didn't allow himself to become complacent. Instead, he coolly engaged the safety on his weapon, tucked the gun back into his waistband, and warned, "Let's not drop our guard, guys. Be careful of a second enemy attack."
After speaking, he turned to Fang Ming, "Agent Fang, should you perhaps report to the Bureau Chief about the situation here? See if the Political Department or Security Section needs to get involved."
Upon Qiu Tu's reminder, the other detectives remembered that the danger wasn't fully resolved yet. They quickly began to divide the tasks, some standing guard around, others moving to Qin Shuman's side for protection, and some started to climb onto rooftops to search for clues.
As for Fang Ming, he readily pulled out a communicator and began to report to Yan Chen.
While the Special Service detectives were busy, a clamor of footsteps and shouts suddenly erupted at the entrance of the street.
"Brother Tu! Brother Tu!" "Hurry! Hurry!" "Here! Here!"
About a dozen uniformed detectives, though somewhat disheveled, grasped worn police batons and rushed in haste from the corner of the western street.
Leading them was an exceptionally burly detective.
Standing at one meter ninety, with a physique like a bear and a back like a tiger, his arms were as thick as the average person's thighs, which unavoidably made one's heart tighten at the sight of him.
Unlike the other detectives who carried police batons, he wielded a sledgehammer the size of a fist, his eyes fierce and murderous. If not for the tight-fitting detective uniform that seemed ready to burst, he resembled more a blood-stained mobster than an officer.
"Special Service handling a case! Which department are you from!"
Seeing the group of unfamiliar, aggressively approaching detectives, the Special Service detectives standing guard to the west stepped forward vigilantly and sharply halted them.
Perhaps intimidated by the newcomers' numbers, his hand even moved toward the pistol at his back, looking as though he would draw it at the slightest provocation.
Meanwhile, Qiu Tu, hearing the noise, also looked over and instantly focused on the muscular leading detective.
"Ah-Tai!"
Hearing Qiu Tu's call, the strong detective became even more agitated, waving his small sledgehammer and preparing to rush forward.
Seeing this, Qiu Tu hurriedly addressed the detaining Special Service detective, "They are temporary investigators from Old Alley Street; I called them to assist with the case. Let them through."
Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, the Special Service detective hesitated for a moment but ultimately nodded and stepped aside to let them pass.
With the Special Service no longer obstructing them, the group of temporary detectives hastily came through and surrounded Qiu Tu.
After stealthily excluding the views of the others, the burly Ah-Tai closed in on Qiu Tu and said in a low voice, "Brother Tu, as soon as we received your message, we rushed over. Did something happen?"
Then, with fierce eyes, he glanced at the detective who had initially stopped him and quietly asked, "Did that guy give you trouble?"
"Don't worry. Just say the word, and I'll squat by his door tonight, catch him off guard, and give his skull a couple of whacks with the hammer, guaranteeing he won't see tomorrow's sun!"
Hearing Ah-Tai's menacing words, Qiu Tu's gaze fell upon him as he recalled the identity of the group before him...
Although his predecessor had been Yan Chen's lackey, his position within the Investigation Bureau wasn't high, merely a Second-Class Investigator, and his role was in the weak Administrative Office. So, upon leaving Yan Chen, he had virtually no influence in the entire Investigation Bureau.
Fortunately, the predecessor was a loyal person. After ingratiating himself with Yan Chen, he did not forget the brothers who had struggled with him at the bottom.
Therefore, after being promoted to a Second-Class Investigator and gaining a bit of power, the predecessor, using Yan Chen's name, secretly arranged jobs for his dozen or so brothers.
Although they were only temporary investigators at the grassroots Public Security Office, without ranks or guns, they at least had a regular ration and hope for a permanent position.
These brothers did not let down Qiu Tu's loyalty, either. After becoming temporary investigators, they still looked up to Qiu Tu as the leading figure. They were always ready to take action. Many of the things Qiu Tu couldn't do personally were handled by them.
One could say they were in the same boat with Qiu Tu, sharing both honor and loss. They were Qiu Tu's true direct force in this world.
That's why, on receiving a single message from Qiu Tu, they hurried over, armed with police gear.
With this in mind, Qiu Tu didn't treat them as outsiders; instead, he naturally spoke in a low voice, "Did you bring the things I asked you to?"
Upon hearing Qiu Tu's question, Ah-Tai nodded, then turned to look at a detective with a hooked nose beside him, "Eagle."
The detective with the hooked nose reached into his coat and pulled out a weighty little cloth bag, handing it to Qiu Tu. As it passed from hand to hand, the "clang" of dully clashing metal came from inside the small cloth bag.
Qiu Tu took it, opened it to check, and confirmed it was what he wanted before tucking it into his jacket.
Then, he clapped Ah-Tai on the shoulder and whispered a few instructions. Ah-Tai frowned as he nodded and listened.
Their exchange appeared lengthy, but in reality, it lasted only a few brief seconds. So, by the time the detectives from the Special Service Department looked their way, Qiu Tu had already taken the initiative to lead the temporary investigators in search of Fang Ming.
No one knew the extent of the arrangements Qiu Tu had secretly made in those short seconds.
When they found Fang Ming, he had just ended a communication.
Seeing Qiu Tu approach, he took the initiative to say, "Agent Qiu, you've arrived at the right time, I was about to come find you."
He said, "I've just finished talking with the Bureau Chief. Learning about the attack from the Lianzhen mobsters, he's extremely furious. He demands that the Political Department intervene and collaborate with the Special Service Department to jointly investigate and cleanse Xinjie City of the Lianzhen mobsters."
"Due to the current chaos in the city, he has ordered you and Miss Shuman to return to your city villa as soon as possible and not to linger outside."
Hearing Fang Ming's words, Qiu Tu covertly glanced at the countdown timer at the top left corner of his vision.
[3:28:12]
The countdown hadn't changed, indicating that Yan Chen likely didn't plan to interrogate him and Qin Shuman ahead of time, but simply wanted to prevent them from going to Street Crossing.
If this were Qiu Tu before the shootout, such a change might have been troubling. But now...
"Alright. No problem," Qiu Tu responded nonchalantly.
He even remembered his own plan. With Ah-Tai behind him, he said to Fang Ming, "Agent Fang, this is my cousin Ah-Tai. He's currently a temporary investigator on Old Alley Street."
"Hearing about the shootout here, he immediately brought his colleagues to assist."
"What do you suggest we do...?"