Then, Let Them Offer Their Loyalty!

Chapter 14: Blue Moon

Chapter 14 Blue Moon

Qiu Tu’s steps faltered slightly but quickly returned to normal.

As he walked, he subtly glanced at the top left corner of his vision.

Similar to last time, new prompts appeared before him.

[Congratulations on successfully navigating the recent crisis, but you have also attracted Yan Chen's attention.]

[He is curious about your changes, secrets, and fabricated lies.]

[Fortunately, he is currently caught in a massive storm and doesn't want to focus too much energy on a minor character like you for now.]

[Enjoy the calm before the storm; you have 24 hours of rest.]

As the prompts ended, the hourglass transformed into a treasure chest. Unlike the previous chest that opened immediately, this one turned gray with a 24-hour countdown displayed on it.

Qiu Tu's reaction was mixed: Good news—there was no immediate countdown, indicating he was safe for the night. Bad news—the reward had to wait for 24 hours, and his success this time was due to piquing Yan Chen’s greed, not gaining his trust.

This meant his lies had not completely fooled Yan Chen. However, the Aurora Stone had successfully triggered Yan Chen’s greed, sparing Qiu Tu from immediate danger.

Though he had anticipated this outcome during their final negotiation, Qiu Tu couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed. "The boss is too smart, it's not satisfying at all," he thought.

"I prefer simple modes; I don't like walking on a tightrope."

He mused, "If only I could draw a 'lower difficulty' cheat code next time."

With this hope in mind, Qiu Tu continued walking towards the exit.

Stepping out of the villa, moonlight blanketed the serene night in a mysterious and enchanting blue veil.

After the cataclysm, the moon had turned blue due to the atmosphere being filled with particles slightly larger than 0.7 microns (red waves). These particles could scatter red light, making the moon appear blue to those on the ground.

"What a heavily polluted world," Qiu Tu sighed inwardly as he walked through the garden.

The flowers, barely visible under the blue moon, emitted a faint fragrance and swayed gently in the night breeze like whispering spirits. However, Qiu Tu, lost in thought, paid them no heed.

Leaving the garden, he reached the sentry post and spotted two familiar figures squatting by the roadside—A Tai and Eagle.

The two sat shoulder to shoulder, arms crossed, resembling oversized penguins. A Tai chewed on a wild grass stem, head tilted back, while Eagle remained vigilant, watching the surroundings with his peripheral vision.

Their strange posture and actions drew the sentry’s attention, who kept a close eye on them, likely refraining from chasing them away only because of their agent uniforms.

Eagle was the first to notice Qiu Tu. He patted A Tai and hurried over, "Brother Tu."

A Tai, more boisterous, spat out the grass and shouted, "Brother! You’re out!"

Watching the tall and short figures running towards him, Qiu Tu was initially stunned, but then a warm feeling surged in his heart.

Meanwhile, in Yan Chen’s study, the dim light barely illuminated the room, leaving Yan Chen shrouded in darkness.

"Have you checked the people around him?" Yan Chen asked, his raspy voice breaking the silence.

Jia Shu, sitting opposite him, smiled, "Yes, I have. They are all insignificant ruffians and hooligans, unlikely to have access to cataclysm materials. He used your influence to place these people as temporary agents at the local security bureau, so the investigation was straightforward, and the information is reliable."

Yan Chen scoffed, his voice hoarse, "He seems quite loyal to his friends."

After this remark, silence fell again, and the room grew quiet.

After a while, Yan Chen spoke again, "So the only possible source of his Aurora Stone is the Qin family?"

Jia Shu nodded, "Theoretically, yes. But my intuition tells me otherwise."

Yan Chen shook his head, "I feel the same. That kid thinks he can pass off a far-fetched story to easily fool us. He's dreaming."

"He certainly has a big secret."

"But I don't have time to focus on such a minor character now."

Jia Shu cautiously suggested, "Should I detain him? You know my methods; no one can last a night under my interrogation."

Yan Chen hesitated for a moment but ultimately shook his head, "No. If he has access to the Aurora Stone, someone must be backing him."

"The Municipal Council has been watching me closely lately. Let's not stir up trouble."

"Let him and the Qin family fight it out. Didn’t he want to bring proof of allegiance to the Qin family? Let him."

"Cataclysm materials are regulated resources. We can't give him any more."

"But I remember we arrested a pharmacist selling black-market drugs today?"

Yan Chen tossed the Aurora Stone, gold bars, and silver coins back into a cloth bag and handed it to Jia Shu, "Arrange for that pharmacist to be released tomorrow and sent to him along with these items."

"A pharmacist who can make cataclysm potions is worth more than some raw materials."

"Let's see how he plans to play this game."

[12:09:57(Chest)]

Early the next morning, Qiu Tu was woken by a knock on the door. Yawning, he got up and kicked away A Tai and Eagle, who were sprawled on his bed.

Having lived two lifetimes, Qiu Tu hadn’t had close friends for a long time. After surviving the previous day's crisis, he needed an outlet, so he had dragged the two of them out drinking late into the night.

Drunk, they had all ended up crashing at Qiu Tu’s place.

After pushing the two aside, Qiu Tu yawned again and went to answer the door.

A uniformed agent stood outside, snapping to attention and saluting, "Good morning, sir!"

Instinctively, Qiu Tu returned the salute before asking, "Who are you?"

The agent replied seriously, "Sir, I am low-level Agent Li Ke from the Administrative Office. I’ve been ordered to deliver your new uniform and shoulder insignia."

He gestured behind him, and a temporary agent stepped forward, holding a black uniform.

Black was the distinctive color of the Political Division, symbolizing the official role of the "secret police."

The uniform bore shoulder insignia with three golden stars, indicating the rank of a high-level agent.

Though Yan Chen had promised this promotion the night before, seeing it in front of him made Qiu Tu's heart race.

Just then, A Tai’s voice called from behind, "Brother Tu, what's up? Who's here?"

His curiosity quickly turned to astonishment, "Whoa! A Political Division high-level agent?"

Turning, Qiu Tu saw A Tai and Eagle gaping at the door.

Author's Note