And now, alone, he finally had time to ponder what exactly was going on.
First, he checked the "Active Prompt" explanation of the [Loyalty Game] again: "You will see the impact of your actions and words on your subordinates and superiors."
When he first saw this definition, Qiu Tu thought it would only prompt him when there was an interaction face-to-face.
Now it seemed that wasn't the case.
Even if he wasn't in front of Yan Chen or Jia Shu, the things he had done and the words he had said seemed to influence them and give him real-time feedback.
After figuring out how this "prompt" worked, Qiu Tu felt things were much simpler.
That is: what exactly had he done to reduce Yan Chen's suspicion and increase his satisfaction with him? And... Jia Shu was involved in this matter...?
After all, without Jia Shu, it wouldn't have been possible for the prompt to pop up with Yan Chen.
With this thought in mind, Qiu Tu started his car and sank into silent contemplation.
In the past few days, the Municipal Committee of Xinjie City seemed to have suddenly received a large amount of financial support; the roads were being repaved, public facilities were being rebuilt, and Xinjie City had officially entered the era of infrastructure development.
Unfortunately, these were all things that would be beneficial in the future; at least for now, because construction was everywhere, the roads were even harder to navigate.
Qiu Tu carefully drove his car, trying his best to avoid any accidents.
After turning past several repaved roads and passing by a few reconstructed signal towers, just as Qiu Tu was driving past a rebuilt power plant, he suddenly slammed on the brakes!
The tires screeched madly on the worn-out road, emitting a "piercing" noise.
Pedestrians on both sides of the road scrambled to evade: it wasn't that they were afraid of the car exploding, but rather they feared the driver being in a bad mood, getting out, and randomly choosing a pedestrian to beat up.
In the waste-laden Planning Area where only the rich or powerful were able to afford cars, even if they randomly assaulted pedestrians, the victims could only silently endure.
Of course, Qiu Tu wasn't so heartless. He had simply suddenly realized the answer to the question he had before driving!
Why was it necessary that he had done something to make Yan Chen satisfied?
Why couldn't it be that he hadn't done something, which was why Yan Chen was satisfied?
Upon clarifying this key point, Qiu Tu's thoughts opened up instantly.
He felt he might have guessed the whole truth of the matter.
First of all, Yan Chen's satisfaction with him must be due to something Jia Shu reported.
And what could Jia Shu have reported about him to make Yan Chen satisfied?
His slacking off at the Investigation Bureau during the day? Flirting with female subordinates? Or leaving work right on the dot?
Therefore, the thing Jia Shu reported could only be about... what he did last night.
Then the question was, let alone what he did last night, how did Jia Shu know about it?
With this, things became simple: Jia Shu must have been watching him last night.
But why would Jia Shu be watching him last night?
Was it because he was suspicious of him?
Qiu Tu recalled the entire conversation he had with Jia Shu yesterday, and there was no problem: this could be seen from the fact that the "suspicion" level of Jia Shu in the [Loyalty Game] hadn't changed at all.
Was it because of his meeting with Qin Shuman?
But... since the Investigation Bureau and the Security Department could not afford to have a falling out, and Jia Shu couldn't possibly sneak into the room and eavesdrop on his exchange with Qin Shuman, there was no need for surveillance.
And aside from these two possibilities, only one significant thing happened around Qiu Tu last night that would warrant Jia Shu monitoring all the suspects: the death of Vice President Tian's mistress.
Having clarified the focus of the matter, what followed was simple.
He had done nothing last night.
After receiving Secretary Bai's call, he didn't flee nor did he investigate secretly.
Meeting with Liu Fuping, he did not collaborate with her, nor did he follow her.
And this reduced Yan Chen's suspicion and made him satisfied.
As the logic board got to this point, Qiu Tu had no trouble understanding the true nature of the entire affair: last night's incident had been a trap!
The message from last night, it was very likely a joint ruse set up by Yan Chen and Jia Shu!
The purpose was to test the attitudes and positions of all involved parties and then root out those harboring disloyalty towards Yan Chen and the Investigation Bureau!
With this in mind, Qiu Tu finally understood something else: the source of Liu Fuping's information.
He had suspected Liu Fuping's source of information last night.
After all, Qiu Tu had only learned about the "Death of a Female Spy" through a secret tip-off from Secretary Bai. And Secretary Bai was not only Yan Chen's right-hand man but also a high-ranking member of the Investigation Bureau.
What status did Liu Fuping have to receive the same information as him?!
And after sorting everything out, Qiu Tu suddenly realized everything: Jia Shu had secretly released the information to several lines, which was why the message had reached the scouts of various forces.
So, anyone who had received the message last night and then acted strangely was probably under surveillance by Jia Shu.
Realizing this, Qiu Tu's face involuntarily darkened a few shades.
'Such ruthless tactics.'
'One piece of news, fishing out a string of fish!'
'Last night, who knows how many moles were exposed and caught the attention of Jia Shu.'
Upon understanding the whole ordeal, Qiu Tu wasn't pleased.
Because what lay before him was a cruel reality:
He "withstood the test" and earned Yan Chen's appreciation, meaning Secretary Bai and Liu Fuping failed the test.
Liu Fuping was inconsequential, but Secretary Bai was one of his own, and the only high-ranking member in the Investigation Bureau he could trust.
If something happened to him, there would be no one left to tip off Qiu Tu or guide him through confusion.
Thinking of this, Qiu Tu's face grew colder still.
'Old Bai must not have an accident!'
With that thought, he started the car and drove while quietly contemplating how to save Secretary Bai's fate.
Driving all the way until he was close to the Investigation Bureau, Qiu Tu finally had a rough idea.
Looking at the scenery retreating past the car window, Qiu Tu took a deep breath, murmuring to himself softly,
'I still need to find the right opportunity... I hope it's not too late.'
With these thoughts, Qiu Tu arrived at the Investigation Bureau in no time.
Arriving at the parking lot of the Investigation Bureau, Qiu Tu stopped the car, was just about to open the door and get out when he bumped into Qin Zhengguang, the Deputy Division Chief of the Public Security Bureau and second son of the Qin Family, who was also just getting out of his car.
In just two short days, Qin Zhengguang seemed to have aged quite a bit: his face not only had many more wrinkles but his eyes were also a bit darker.
It was clear that the anxiety of the past few days had left him with little rest.
And upon seeing Qiu Tu, his gaze became somewhat complicated.
After all... Qiu Tu was both his "savior" and the "enemy" of the entire Qin Family...
Without Qiu Tu initiating the investigation, the Qin brothers wouldn't have turned on each other, the main house wouldn't have burned down, and the Qin Family wouldn't have been forced to rely on Yan Chen...
So, upon seeing Qiu Tu, he first spaced out for a moment, then smiled and said, "Agent Qiu... oh, I'm sorry, I mean Chief Qiu. Have you gotten used to the Interrogation Section yet?"
Upon seeing Qin Zhengguang, Qiu Tu was also taken aback.
He didn't have mixed feelings towards Qin Zhengguang.
Seeing him reminded Qiu Tu of Master Qin Si's wife and children.
Even though Master Qin Si's wife and children were in custody at the Security Department, their wealth had fallen into the hands of his own brothers.
Tonight might be a good opportunity to take inventory, to see just how much money that old codger had made over the years....