Qiu Tu's steps faltered slightly, but the next second, they resumed their normal pace.
While continuing to walk without any outward change, he glanced toward the upper left corner of his vision.
Similar to last time, several new prompts popped up in front of Qiu Tu.
"Congratulations on successfully navigating the recent crisis, but you have also drawn Yan Chen's attention."
"He has developed a certain curiosity about your changes, secrets, and the lies you've concocted."
"Fortunately, he is in the midst of a massive storm vortex and does not wish to invest too much energy in someone as weak as you for the time being."
"Cherish the calm before the storm, for you have only 24 hours of rest time...."
As the prompts ended, the hourglass slowly transformed into a treasure chest. Unlike the treasure chest that opened directly last time, this chest turned gray and had a 24-hour countdown timer on it.
[23:59:59]
Qiu Tu: ....
The good news: There was no new countdown, meaning he was at least safe for the night.
The bad news: The reward would have to wait 24 hours, and this time, he made it through not because Yan Chen trusted him, but because he had caught Yan Chen's interest.
Plainly speaking, his lies did not fool Yan Chen, but the Aurora Stone had successfully piqued Yan Chen's greed, preventing him from making a move against him.
Although he had anticipated this possibility during the last gamble, Qiu Tu couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed: Having such a clever boss takes away the sense of achievement, doesn't it?
He still preferred the simple mode and didn't enjoy walking a tightrope like this.
If only he could draw a "Difficulty Reduction" Golden Finger next time....
While envisioning such future possibilities in his heart, Qiu Tu walked outside.
Stepping out of the villa, the moonlight was like water, draping the tranquil night in a mysterious and enchanting blue veil.
After the Cataclysm, the moon turned azure blue because the Earth's atmosphere was filled with tiny particles slightly larger than 0.7 micrometers (the size of red waves). These fine particles scattered the red light, hence the blue moon seen by those below the surface.
'What a severely polluted world....' Qiu Tu sighed internally as he strode through the garden.
In the garden, various flowers were faintly visible under the Blue Moon, emitting a light fragrance as they swayed gently in the evening breeze, like whispering sprites. However, Qiu Tu, preoccupied with his thoughts, had no interest in admiring them.
Leaving the garden and reaching the guard post, Qiu Tu saw two familiar figures crouching by the road—Ah-Tai and Eagle.
Shoulder to shoulder, they both had their hands crossed, squatting like oversized penguins by the roadside. Ah-Tai had a wild grass in his mouth, chewing it as he looked up, while Eagle was vigilantly scanning the surroundings out of the corner of his eye.
Perhaps because the postures and actions of both were so bizarre, the detective from the Security Section at the guard post was staring at them intently. They probably would have been driven away if not for their detective uniforms.
Eagle was the first to notice Qiu Tu's emergence. He gently nudged Ah-Tai and hurriedly stood up to greet him, "Brother Tu."
Ah-Tai, on the other hand, was much more upbeat. Seeing Qiu Tu, he spat the wild grass from his mouth with a "tui~" and shouted as he ran over, "Bro! You're out!"
Watching the two figures—one tall, one short—charging towards him, Qiu Tu was initially taken aback, then a warm surge filled his heart....
.....
Meanwhile, in Yan Chen's study.
The lighting was as dim as ever, and Yan Chen was still obscured in the darkness.
"Have you checked all the people around him?"
Sitting opposite him, Jia Shu smiled and said, "Checked. They're all nothing but riffraff and hooligans. They couldn't possibly have had access to Cataclysm Materials."
"He used your name to place these people as temporary detectives in the grassroots Public Security Office, so it wasn't hard to check, and the accuracy of the information is quite reliable."
Yan Chen gave a sardonic laugh, his voice hoarse as he said, "He sure has a sense of loyalty."
Having made this remark, Yan Chen fell silent, and the room slowly quieted down.
After a while, Yan Chen spoke again, "So, the only way he could have come into contact with an Aurora Stone is through the Qin Family?"
Jia Shu nodded, "In theory, that's how it should be. But... my intuition tells me it's not."
Yan Chen also shook his head, "I also feel it's not."
He toyed with the Aurora Stone in his hand, "That kid thinks he can easily fool everyone with a story as bizarre as a fantasy. He's deluding himself."
"He definitely has a secret, a big one at that."
"But I don't have time to pay attention to such a minor character right now."
Hearing Yan Chen's words, Jia Shu tentatively asked, "Then... should I just take him into custody?"
"You should know my methods, no one can last a night, can they?" He made a gesture of torture.
Yan Chen hesitated for a second but ultimately shook his head,
"No need. If he was able to obtain an Aurora Stone, there must be someone behind him."
"Lately, City Hall has been keeping a close eye on me; I don't want to stir up unnecessary trouble."
As he spoke, he paused, then continued, "Let him and the Qin Family dog eat dog."
"He wants to bring the 'Letter of Challenge' to the Qin Family, doesn't he? Then give it to him."
"Cataclysm Materials are controlled resources; we can't give those to him."
"But didn't we arrest a Pharmacist selling contraband potions on Xiafang Street today?"
As he spoke, Yan Chen put the Aurora Stone, the gold bars, and Silver Yuan back into the cloth bag and tossed it to Jia Shu,
"Arrange for someone to bring out that Pharmacist tomorrow and send him over with these things."
"A Pharmacist capable of making Cataclysmic Potions is worth far more than some Cataclysm Resources."
"I want to see how he's going to play this act..."
.....
[12:09:57 (Treasure Chest)]
Early the next morning, Qiu Tu was awoken by a "thud thud thud" of knocking at his door.
He yawned as he climbed out of bed, then kicked aside Ah-Tai and Eagle, who were sprawled beside him haphazardly.
As someone who had lived two lifetimes, Qiu Tu hadn't had close friends for a long while. Plus, having just gotten through a crisis the day before, he needed an outlet. So he had pulled the two of them into a night of drinking until late.
All three of them drank too much, so they simply decided to sleep over at Qiu Tu's place.
After shoving the two aside, Qiu Tu yawned and went to open the door.
As the door opened, there stood a detective in uniform.
Seeing Qiu Tu, he snapped to attention with a "thwack!" and saluted, "Good morning, sir!"
Qiu Tu reflexively returned the salute, then belatedly asked, "You are...?"
The detective at the door answered formally, "Sir, I am Li Ke, a Third-Level Detective from the Administrative Office, sent by our superior to deliver your new uniform and epaulets."
With that, he waved his hand behind him, and suddenly a temporary detective appeared beside him, holding a set of black detective's uniforms.
Black was the exclusive color of the Political Department, representing the official status of a [Secret Police].
On the uniform lay a pair of epaulets, studded with three gold stars, signifying the rank of a First Level Detective.
Though Qiu Tu had already received Yan Chen's promise the previous night, when all of it was laid out before him, his heartbeat still unavoidably quickened.
And just then, "Brother Tu, what's going on?" came Ah-Tai's inquiring voice from behind him, "Who's here?"
But in the next second, the inquiry turned into an exclamation, "Holy shit! A First Level Detective from the Political Department?"
Turning around, Qiu Tu saw Ah-Tai and Eagle standing agape at the doorway.....