Then let them offer their loyalty!

Page 353

"So... some people are probably wondering if something happened to Minister Qiu?"

After hearing Su Xiaowan's words, Tang Feifei pondered for a moment and agreed with Su Xiaowan's analysis.

Before everything has settled down, even if someone wanted to target Qiu Tu, they wouldn't be able to make a move.

The current rumors are probably because the suicide squad was covered in injuries and their mission was temporarily suspended, and Qiu Tu did not return.

These are minor issues...

—As long as Qiu Tu can return safely.

Thinking about this... Tang Feifei couldn't help but recall what Qiu Tu had shown her in the "Boundless Sea of ​​Hearts," and the business they had discussed...

A hint of amusement crept into her eyes: even... this little problem could actually help her business with Qiu Tu.

Thinking of this, Tang Feifei also stepped out of the lounge and said, "Call a few senior executives and tell them to go to the conference room for a meeting."

"Have the suicide squad send four representatives, two from the military and two from the investigation department, to report on their work."

"Yes!" Upon hearing Tang Feifei's words, Su Xiaowan quickly saluted and then began to make arrangements.

Soon after, in the high-level conference room, Tang Feifei, Yu Zhengyi, Shi Youxin, Lin Ting, and Guan Weihua began to listen attentively to the report from the four suicide squad members.

When they heard that the fourth-tier evil god whale was not only invading the New World region, but also summoning hundreds of catastrophic creatures to search for ley line nodes and drive away humans, the high-ranking officials were shocked.

They knew the situation in the New Territories was deteriorating, but they didn't expect it to have deteriorated to this extent.

This indicates that the evil god has completely regained control of the New Territories.

Thinking this, they couldn't help but inquire about the suicide squad's mission and Qiu Tu's situation.

Upon hearing that the suicide squad's mission was nearly complete, but due to the deteriorating situation, Qiu Tu had them return to the real world ahead of schedule while he stayed to complete the final mission, the expressions of the high-ranking officers were somewhat complicated.

To be honest... although they had some grudges against Qiu Tu, they admired his spirit of risking his life for the mission despite his high position.

After all, if they were in their shoes, they wouldn't believe they could do that...

So, after the suicide squad members withdrew, Guan Weihua was the first to sigh and say, "Actually... I used to have some reservations about Minister Qiu. But... now I have a different opinion of him."

"His ability to stay focused on his mission even at a time like this, and to infiltrate deep into enemy territory, is something that everyone in the intelligence department should learn from."

Upon hearing his words, the expressions of the several executives who were initially somewhat moved, except for Tang Feifei, all changed slightly.

They exchanged glances, and finally Shi Youxin spoke first.

He said with a smile, "Director Guan is mistaken."

"Minister Qiu is indeed very brave and dedicated. But... you should know that their operation was not carried out by themselves, but with the support of the Investigation Department, the New Territories City, and many other departments, including the shelter."

“He’s on the front lines, so he only needs to focus on carrying out his mission. But we… those of us who are stationed in the rear have a lot more to consider.”

"What equipment to provide, how to execute the plan, whether to continue the mission, and whether to provide reinforcements are all things we need to consider."

"If a battle has 100 points of credit, then the frontline soldiers only account for 20% at most."

The meeting room fell silent upon hearing his words.

Because of their different systems, the officers in the management sequence and the officers in the operations sequence within the Investigation Department have always been somewhat at odds.

The distribution of credit is an even more sensitive topic.

Therefore, his words immediately made the atmosphere in the office a little stagnant.

Even though they were both from Yan's faction, Guan Weihua and Lin Ting's expressions showed a hint of displeasure.

Upon seeing this, Tang Feifei's lips curled into a slight smile, but she immediately withdrew it.

Instead of continuing her divisive tactics at this time, she tapped on the table and began to lay out her plan, just as she and Qiu Tu had intended.

After the senior executives looked over, Tang Feifei coldly surveyed them before slowly saying, "Everyone heard the suicide squad's report just now."

"Minister Qiu is currently in deep danger."

“I think our investigation department can’t just sit idly by; we should provide reinforcements or assistance.”

"So... does anyone want to take some people to help Minister Qiu?"

Upon hearing Tang Feifei's words, the executives present exchanged glances and then pretended to be dead.

Even Guan Weihua, who had just praised Qiu Tu, remained silent, his eyes downcast and his mind focused – he admired Qiu Tu, but he couldn't do what Qiu Tu did.

Seeing that no one responded, Tang Feifei did not persist. Instead, she pondered for a moment and then said again, "Since no one wants reinforcements, let's talk about something else first."

"The suicide squad's mission is basically complete. Although it didn't meet expectations, it achieved its objectives."

“The New Territories is not suitable for development at present.”

"So... can Qiu Tu's position as deputy director be directly awarded to him based on the completion of the task?"

Upon hearing Tang Feifei's words, the executives were all taken aback.

In fact, to be honest, the suicide squad's mission was indeed completed: the reason why the three giants sent out the suicide squad was to find out whether the New Territories area was suitable for development.

Now that it has been proven that it is not suitable for development, it is reasonable that we have not fully understood the information on the distribution of leyline nodes, catastrophic creature areas, catastrophic materials, and minerals—since it is no longer suitable for development, it would be meaningless to understand everything.

However... Qiu Tu's relationship with the people present was not very good, and he even had quite a few grudges with them.

Even if the suicide squad completes its mission, they don't want Qiu Tu to be promoted so easily.

The suicide squad hasn't even truly completed its mission yet, so how could they possibly agree to this?

Moreover, the officialdom is pyramid-shaped; the higher you go, the fewer pitfalls there are. Once Qiu Tu got up there, they couldn't.

Therefore... thinking of this, Shi Youxin, Lin Ting, and even Guan Weihua all directly voiced their opposition.

Originally, they thought that their opposition would definitely provoke Tang Feifei's dissatisfaction or retaliation.

The two sides were bound to have a heated exchange, but then something amazing happened.

After the three objected, Tang Feifei surprisingly nodded and agreed.

Afterwards, Tang Feifei acted as if nothing had happened and simply ended the meeting. Then, she returned to the director's office with all the audio-visual materials and intelligence data collected by the suicide squad.

This half-hearted action completely overwhelmed the CPUs of the high-ranking executives present.

They exchanged a glance, both wondering what Tang Feifei was up to...

........

Silent all night.

The boundless sea of ​​the mind is inverted from the day and night of the real world.

Qiu Tu sent Team 1 and Team 4 back in the morning at the Boundless Heart Sea.

The time to return to the real world is around 20 PM to 21 PM.

At this time, there weren't many agents still working at the Investigation Bureau, and although news of the Suicide Squad and Qiu Tu had begun to spread, it wasn't yet widespread.

The next day, as the sun rose over the New Territories, all departments of the Detective Agency began their workday.

The news about the suicide squad and Qiu Tu was like a bomb, suddenly exploding in the calm pool of the investigation department.

The mission the suicide squad was undertaking encountered an unexpected situation and became extremely dangerous?

Many members were injured, and three of them were seriously injured.

Qiu Tu was forced to halt the suicide squad's mission and send all the members back.

But Qiu Tu himself did not give up the mission; instead, he continued to act despite the enormous danger.

This somewhat legendary experience instantly elevated Qiu Tu's reputation among the lower-ranking agents in various departments of the Investigation Bureau to a new level.

If things ended there, these detectives would likely only reinforce Qiu Tu's image as someone who cares deeply for his subordinates, and choosing to side with him when they had the chance wouldn't resonate with them much genuinely...

However, soon another rumor began to circulate.

The rumor is about the impromptu high-level meeting last night.

Someone leaked Shi Youxin's words about "combat troops" and "logistics departments" from the high-level meeting, and also spread the news that the three top leaders had jointly rejected Qiu Tu's promotion.

Suddenly, undercurrents were stirring within the Investigation Bureau.

The lowest ranks of the Investigation Department are all ordinary agents.

Whether it's the Public Security Department, the Special Operations Department, the Political Department, or the Administrative Department, apart from the middle and senior management who sit in offices, everyone works on the front lines.

Qiu Tu, a high-ranking official, went to the front lines of combat. Yet, a single sentence from Shi, a high-ranking official in the rear, erased most of his achievements and prevented him from becoming the deputy director.

This shared identity immediately earned Qiu Tu a great deal of sympathy and goodwill from the lower classes.

If approval ratings existed, among the six senior officials of the New Territories City Investigation Department, Qiu Tu would undoubtedly have the highest approval rating, without a doubt...

Because of this shared experience, more and more grassroots detectives have started to pay attention to Qiu Tu's situation.

People admire heroes and yearn for miracles.

Heroes and miracles can further boost morale and inspire people's hearts.

Soon, the day passed in this undercurrent of tension.

Qiu Tu did not send back any messages that day.

No one knows whether he is still safe, whether he has been captured by the evil god, or whether he has completed his mission.

However, everyone knows that as time goes on, Qiu Tu will be in increasing danger, and his chances of survival will become lower and lower.

The sun rises and the moon sets.

Soon, another day had passed.

The atmosphere at the Investigation Bureau became extremely oppressive that day.

After all, everyone knows that today is the last day of the suicide squad's mission.

Tomorrow morning is the end of the mission.

Therefore, if Qiu Tu is to return, it should be today.

But... no matter how much they inquired, no news came through.

Compared to the lower-ranking agents of the Investigation Department, the members of the Suicide Squad are actually under more pressure.

Because... the low-ranking agents of the Investigation Bureau were just waiting for news, but they were actually staying close to Qiu Tu's body.

Seeing that Qiu Tu showed no signs of waking up, they were more tormented than anyone else.

Besides these mid- to low-level agents.

In the Investigation Department, in the Director's office, Tang Feifei was also unable to concentrate on her work today.

She stood by the window of the director's office, holding a cup of tea. She didn't drink it, just held it, quietly gazing out the window.

The office of the head of the security department at the military headquarters.

Yu Die sat at her desk, furiously scribbling and correcting documents. She seemed completely unaffected.

But only those who truly understand her know that this is simply a state she exhibits when she's anxious...

18 points.

Investigation Bureau, Intelligence Task Force.

In the empty office, Guan Xiao's long legs were propped up on the desk, a piece of gum dangling from her bright red lips, her arms crossed, her face expressionless...

20 points.

Investigation Department, Qiu Tu's office.

Tan Huimin, wearing the office lady outfit that Qiu Tu liked the most, bent over and wiped Qiu Tu's desk over and over again.

22 points.

Investigation Department, Political Department.

Eagle, Ah Kun, Ah Tai, and several of their close associates, some sitting and some standing, all looked rather grim.

24 points.

Committee member Jiang from the City Hall and Colonel Lin from the Military Headquarters arrived at the Exploration Bureau...

1 points in the early hours.

Detective Agency, 12th floor, Shi Youxin's private office.

Lin Ting and Shi Youxin were drinking tea.

Lin Ting: "They probably won't be coming back, right?"