After reading the introduction of this Cataclysmic Creature, Qiu Tu suddenly understood much more about the biological diversity of this world.
Since crossing over, he had always stayed in Xinjie City, never venturing into the vastness beyond nor delving deep into the Boundless Heart Sea.
Therefore, he only knew about the uniqueness of this world and the horrors of the Cataclysmic Creatures through bits and pieces shared by Qin Shuman and Jia Shu.
He had always thought that Cataclysmic Creatures were like the "villains" in anime, whose goal was to destroy the entire world. But now it seemed... not all Cataclysmic Creatures were disasters.
...Some Cataclysmic Creatures seemed to also possess various magical abilities, which, if used well, could bring a lot of help to humanity.
As Qiu Tu reminisced, the "Rice Grain" stuck to Liu Fuping's behind slowly split open.
A bee-like insect too tiny to be clearly seen even with careful observation unfolded its wings, then with a flutter, vanished without a trace.
Qiu Tu looked around, and after confirming he could no longer see the Silver Key Bee, slowly withdrew his gaze—he guessed that the Silver Key Bee had probably traveled into the Boundless Heart Sea by now, actively surveilling and recording Liu Fuping's every move in the Spirit World....
'By the day after tomorrow, I can check what Liu Fuping has been up to for the past day and a half.'
Thinking this, Qiu Tu slowly retracted his thoughts.
He had used the "Silver Key Bee" on Liu Fuping on a spontaneous impulse. His true targets were actually Yan Chen, Jia Shu, and Wang Xi...
But, just as he always planned carefully before taking action in the past, he always tested out such sensitive methods beforehand to see if there were any downsides or if they could be detected by others.
That's why he chose to try it on Liu Fuping first.
While thinking this, Qiu Tu was also being led by Liu Fuping to the entrance of Jia Shu's office.
After knocking on the office door, Liu Fuping pushed it open to report to Jia Shu, "Minister! Chief Qiu is here!"
Jia Shu offered a forced smile with a "Thank you," then instructed, "Go ahead with your tasks. I'll have a private word with Chief Qiu."
"Yes!" Liu Fuping saluted Jia Shu, then left the office.
As she passed by Qiu Tu, Liu Fuping's pinky subtly hooked and gently brushed against the palm of his hand.
In that moment, Qiu Tu felt a current run from his palm to his waist, tingling and numb.
This woman... was truly skilled!
Internally remarking on this, Qiu Tu also unnoticeably withdrew his hand, lightly rubbing it on his trousers: It wasn't that he disliked Liu Fuping. He was... truly itchy.
Being itchy was far harder to endure than pain, simply unbearable.
After Liu Fuping left, Qiu Tu closed the door behind him, then turned to look at Jia Shu.
Jia Shu looked somewhat tired today, which made his smile seem even more insincere.
But Qiu Tu didn't let his guard down because of it. He tried to keep his mind operating at peak condition, not daring to let up for a moment.
He respectfully saluted Jia Shu, "Minister!"
Then he waited for Jia Shu's move.
But Jia Shu didn't play by the book.
He first adjusted the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose bridge, then, with a feigned smile, looked at Qiu Tu, "Qiu Tu, I have a temporary case for you."
With that, he picked up a document from the table, gesturing towards Qiu Tu.
Qiu Tu was momentarily stunned, then quickly said, "Yes, Minister!"
Speaking, he stepped forward to take the document from Jia Shu's hand.
As he took the document, Qiu Tu's gaze naturally fell on the title of the file.
And then... he was taken aback, because it was actually a Joint Investigation Application from the Public Security Bureau.
A Joint Investigation Application is an application issued within the Investigation Bureau among different departments when faced with a thorny case, to improve the efficiency of the investigation and expedite the resolution of the case.
Generally, such applications are submitted by weaker departments seeking assistance from stronger ones. The stronger department would then send an elite team to the weaker department to form an investigation team and conduct the investigation.
But... Since Xinjie City has only recently been established, all the departments are quite busy. Moreover, in these chaotic times, no one cares about the case-solving rate, and each department just tends to its own affairs, making such applications extremely rare.
This also means that whenever you see such an application, you know it's definitely about a major case.
With this in mind, Qiu Tu carefully examined the details of the case on the document once more.
After reading it, Qiu Tu looked up in a daze, with only one thought in his mind, "This is just too much of a coincidence, isn't it?"
Because the case mentioned in this "Joint Investigation Application" was none other than... the "Pharmacy Robbery" from just over a month ago.
The "Pharmacy Robbery" had caused a commotion a while back. The robbers not only stole drugs and medicinal materials worth hundreds of Silver Yuan but also brutally killed 16 people, including two official agents and six temporary agents...
As a result, the Investigation Bureau faced severe criticism from the Municipal Committee. The Public Security Bureau was given a serious penalty and ordered to solve the case within a strict deadline.
However, a month and a half had passed with no progress reported on the case. Now it seems... the Public Security Bureau was truly unable to solve the case and, under immense pressure, turned to the Political Department for reinforcements.
But... that's not what Qiu Tu found coincidental.
What he found coincidental was... the Public Security Bureau didn't know who the perpetrator was! But he did!
It was the handiwork of his subordinate who juggled multiple jobs and still didn't forget to work hard after hours: Wang Xi!
Moreover... Qiu Tu had even "personally" participated in Wang Xi's operation with the man in the suit and mask.
So... was he finally going to start dealing with his subordinates after wrapping things up with his superiors?
Thinking this, Qiu Tu even felt a bit surprised.
However... he had been planning to take action against Wang Xi and the man in the suit and mask since he discovered their brutality last night, so now it just seemed like a convenient opportunity to earn some credit!
With these thoughts, Qiu Tu couldn't help but look up at Jia Shu, thinking of accepting the case.
But just as he looked up and met Jia Shu's eyes, Jia Shu suddenly spoke.
"Qiu Tu, do you know about the spy list that our Investigation Bureau has in the military?"
Honestly speaking, Jia Shu was indeed a master interrogator. He asked this question precisely during a gap in Qiu Tu's thoughts.
As a result, Qiu Tu almost reflexively responded to the question.
Fortunately, Qiu Tu had been on guard all this time, so just as the words were about to leave his mouth, at the last possible moment, he caught himself.
He bit down hard on his left cheek, allowing the pain to force him to shut up and regain composure. Then, he quickly pretended to be still lost in thought.
After a moment, he asked with a puzzled face, "What?"
"I'm sorry, Minister. I was so engrossed in the case file that I didn't quite catch what you said."
Hearing Qiu Tu's response, Jia Shu smiled and waved his hand, "It's nothing. I was just asking casually."
Qiu Tu continued with his full act, further inquiring, "Is something wrong?"
Elbows on the desk, Jia Shu crossed his hands under his chin and looked at Qiu Tu with a burning gaze, speaking in a tone that was both jesting and serious, "A week ago, I used the Yin Caimei case to lure out a large number of spies embedded in the Investigation Bureau by the military and City Hall."
"I was planning to take them all down in one fell swoop."
"But then, just two days ago, a colonel from the military came to me with a document."
"The document contained a list and information about the spies I had painstakingly planted in the military over the past year."
Jia Shu said with a half-smile, "So, I'm really curious, who has such great power to obtain the list of spies from the Political Department, and who leaked it out?"
Qiu Tu had anticipated that today Jia Shu might probe him, or perhaps even confront him.
Today there are 3 chapters of 10,000 words, for now here are 2 chapters of 7,000 words, and the 3rd chapter I estimate to be released before 19:00 at the latest.