Xinjie City was a Planning Area that had just been developed near the Eighth Sanctuary in the past two years.
Material life was scarce, and living conditions were poor, with many basic infrastructures being cleaned up and rebuilt.
However, several large hotels and restaurants had been established early on. After all, no matter how dire the life of the lower tiers was, the upper echelons still needed to eat, drink, and enjoy themselves...
Walking into the Milan Grand Hotel, Qiu Tu felt like he had traveled through time and space.
If he didn't know that he was still in a world stricken by the Cataclysm, he would have thought he had traveled back to Earth and walked into a high-end four-star hotel.
——The tall ceiling was adorned with large crystal chandeliers, the floor was paved with high-quality marble, and the walls were decorated with exquisite reliefs or hanging calligraphy and paintings. Even the seating area was equipped with luxurious sofa sets.
Although this caliber of hotel generally only catered to wealthy merchants and officials from the Sanctuary, the living environment was still somewhat exaggeratedly luxurious.
Thinking this, Qiu Tu didn't gawk like a country bumpkin, but instead naturally took a seat in the lobby area, ordered a cup of tea, and began to wait patiently.
He didn't have to wait long. At 7:20 PM, 40 minutes before the scheduled time, a hotel waiter approached Qiu Tu and respectfully handed him an envelope.
Qiu Tu looked up at him.
"Sir," the waiter said reverently, "this was given to me by your friend to pass onto you."
"My friend?" Qiu Tu raised his head and looked around but didn't see anyone suspicious.
He took the envelope with his hand. It was light and thin, as if it contained nothing substantial.
After the waiter departed, Qiu Tu opened it to take a look.
Inside, to his discovery, was a... room card.
Qiu Tu toyed with the room card, an amused glint in his eyes.
Having finished his tea, Qiu Tu picked up the room card and stood up to walk towards the elevator.
He pressed the elevator button, and soon the elevator doors opened.
Qiu Tu stepped inside.
While the elevator ascended, Qiu Tu touched his waist and felt the reassuring presence of his service pistol still holstered there.
Before departing, Qiu Tu had already checked his handgun, adjusted it to a ready state, and disengaged the safety.
This allowed him to fire at a moment's notice should danger arise.
The elevator ascended level by level, and quickly stopped at the fourth floor.
With the opening of the elevator doors, Qiu Tu cautiously observed the surroundings before stepping out.
Since Xinjie City was newly established, the business environment was still comparatively poor, leading to a low overall occupancy rate for the hotel, and Qiu Tu encountered no other guests as he made his way to room 416.
Upon reaching the door, Qiu Tu tentatively knocked, but there was no response from within.
He hesitated for a moment before swiping the room card.
The sound of the door lock turning emanated from within, and Qiu Tu pushed the door open.
Inside the room, a young man with a square face dressed in plain clothes was standing by the window, looking at him.
"You are...?" Qiu Tu stepped into the room, closed the door behind him, and inquired tentatively as he observed the young man.
The young man pulled out an ID from his pocket and showed it to Qiu Tu. "Hello, Agent Qiu, let me introduce myself. I am Lin Zuo, Deputy Staff Chief of the Investigation Department from the Security Department."
"The reason for the presumptuous invitation today is to request your cooperation with our work."
At Lin Zuo's introduction, Qiu Tu's pupils contracted slightly.
Security Department...?
If it were the former Qiu Tu, he probably would have been clueless at the mention of the "Security Department," given it wasn't a high-profile department.
But having spent the last few days with Shen Lingshuang, Qiu Tu had gleaned much covert information from her, including details about the Security Department...
The Security Department, officially known as the Department of Security Protection and Secret Investigation, was a confidential division under the military.
Its primary roles were to combat anti-government armed forces and handle crisis events.
More importantly, secret affairs related to Cataclysm Awakening also fell under this department's jurisdiction.
According to Shen Lingshuang, everyone in the department was elite, and many were Cataclysmics.
Additionally, since the members of this department were selected directly from the Sanctuary and not recruited from the various Planning Areas, their combat capabilities were said to be unmatched by any department within the Planning Areas.
However, why would such a formidable department seek him out?
Was it because of the commotion he had stirred up recently, drawing their attention and interest, or was it... that Qin Shuman's background was connected to this department?
With that thought, Qiu Tu also asked tentatively, "What does Section Chief Lin need my assistance with? And why seek me out?"
Hearing Qiu Tu's probing, Lin Zuo said, "Actually, we have been monitoring the key members of the Qin Family for the past six months."
"So when the United Front attacked you and Qin Shuman, we likewise took notice of you."
"Later, we discovered the Investigation Bureau seemed to be investigating the Qin Family as well, even transferring you to the Political Department specifically for this matter, so we hesitated over whether to make contact."
"It wasn't until yesterday when you ostentatiously moved a team of Political Department Investigators into the Qin household that we felt things might be getting out of hand, prompting us to make an urgent connection with you."
"The reason for inviting you over is to both communicate and exchange intelligence and to discuss our respective operational scopes to prevent mutual interference leading to the failure of our missions..."
Lin Zuo's reasons were well-founded and outwardly beyond reproach, but... Qiu Tu just didn't trust them...
He probed again, "Section Chief Lin seems very well-informed about the current situation in the Qin household. Have you planted a spy there?"
Lin Zuo's expression remained unchanged, "I apologize, Agent Qiu. That is a secret of the Security Department and I regret I cannot disclose it."
Qiu Tu was not offended; his mind raced. "Alright then, I won't ask about that. Let's get right to the crux of our potential cooperation."
He said, "I recall Section Chief Lin mentioned in the text message that you have information that would interest me. Might I inquire what information Section Chief Lin believes would pique my interest?"