Then, Let Them Offer Their Loyalty!

Chapter 36: Qin Family Secrets

Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Lin Zuo looked at him with an expressionless face, just staring.

After a moment, he sighed and said, "Agent Qiu, we are both from secret departments, so we should know that some information can be shared, and some cannot."

"We sincerely want to cooperate with you, so please stop probing us."

Qiu Tu looked at Lin Zuo, unfazed by his attempt to deflect. He spoke earnestly, "Chief Lin, I understand your difficulties. But I’m not asking you to violate any rules."

Pausing, he offered a legitimate reason, "Since we’re exchanging information, I believe we should first understand what each side can offer."

"This way, we can more effectively assess the value of the information and reach a cooperation agreement, avoiding unnecessary information leaks when the shared information turns out to be unneeded."

Lin Zuo fell into deep thought upon hearing Qiu Tu's words.

After a moment, he made a decision.

"Let me be straightforward. We can provide you with clues about the Qin family’s collusion with the RUF and evidence of their dealings with several council members."

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Qiu Tu’s lips. “Great!”

The reason he had been pressing this topic was to verify one thing: whether the Security Division’s approach was related to Qin Shuman.

He knew that the Political Division’s scope of work included only espionage, counter-espionage, and internal surveillance.

Therefore, from an outsider’s perspective, Qiu Tu's placement in the Qin family could only have one purpose: to investigate the family, especially Qin Zhengguang from the second branch, for any illegal activities.

Although Fourth Master Qin had provided Qiu Tu with some leads on Qin Zhengguang's collusion with anti-government forces and gangs, these were ultimately matters within the Political Division's internal surveillance duties.

However, Lin Zuo was different. He offered information on the Qin family’s collusion with the RUF and their dealings with the Municipal Council, indicating a clear understanding of Qiu Tu's real mission.

It’s worth noting that in the entire New Realm City, only Yan Chen, Jia Shu, and Qin Shuman knew Qiu Tu's true mission in the Qin family.

Even his confidants like A Tai and Eagle were kept in the dark.

So how did the Security Division get this information?

The answer was clear.

‘Who would have thought Qin Shuman could hide so deeply,’ Qiu Tu thought, silently marveling.

He nodded calmly, confirming his cooperation with the Security Division. "Chief Lin, I’m satisfied with the information you provided. I agree to exchange information."

Saying this, Qiu Tu took out the information he had transcribed that afternoon and exchanged it with Lin Zuo. They discussed briefly.

There was not much overlap in their information. Qiu Tu's clues mainly consisted of four points:

1. Qin Zhengguang (second branch) had financial dealings with the underground gang, the Tiger Gang.

2. Qin Zhengguang had been secretly collaborating with the RUF.

3. Two months ago, Qin Zhengguang had privately released a batch of suspects, including RUF members.

4. Qin Zhengguang had been hoarding medicines from the black market and selling them at high prices to anti-government organizations.

Meanwhile, Lin Zuo had clues about the Qin family’s various dealings with different factions:

1. The Qin family had connections with the RUF even before the establishment of New Realm City, involving trade in people, drugs, and weapons.

2. During the establishment of New Realm City, the Qin family had close ties with Yan Chen.

3. After the establishment of New Realm City, the Qin family had secretly cooperated with several council members in gray-market businesses, funneling benefits to them.

4. The Qin family’s underground businesses operated on a no-name basis, allowing any faction to trade as long as they had a certificate, attracting many underground organizations and anti-government forces as customers.

After comparing their leads and evidence, Qiu Tu and Lin Zuo noticed something interesting.

Lin Zuo asked, "All your clues are about the Qin family’s second branch?"

Qiu Tu replied, "And all your clues are about the entire Qin family?"

They exchanged a look and then smiled.

Qiu Tu explained, "The Political Division’s jurisdiction is internal surveillance, so our main target is naturally the second branch of the Qin family."

He then asked, "But your evidence involves the entire Qin family?"

He paused and probed further, "Did you not investigate further, or do you believe the entire Qin family is problematic?"

Lin Zuo replied, "The entire Qin family is likely problematic."

He looked determined, "Although there are signs of internal discord in the Qin family, don’t forget Old Master Qin just passed away."

"Before Old Master Qin’s death, all four branches of the Qin family were already handling their affairs and cooperating with each other."

"So, they probably all share involvement in the collusion with the RUF and the trade of drugs and materials."

After hearing Lin Zuo’s explanation, Qiu Tu nodded thoughtfully.

Over the next hour, Qiu Tu and Lin Zuo exchanged their departments’ opinions and reached a basic consensus: Qiu Tu would operate openly while the Security Division worked in the shadows. They would jointly investigate and share information.

If no issues were found, they would keep everything confidential.

If they could bring down the entire Qin family, the credit would be shared equally.

By the end of their discussion, they shook hands firmly, sealing their cooperation. Lin Zuo then saw Qiu Tu to the door.

At the doorway, Qiu Tu suddenly stopped and turned back to Lin Zuo, smiling, "Give my regards to your superior."

Hearing this, Lin Zuo was clearly stunned. His mind raced before he smiled and nodded.

Satisfied, Qiu Tu turned and walked towards the elevator.

He wasn’t bluffing Lin Zuo. He had truly guessed there was someone behind him.

The reason was simple:

Although the military and the Investigation Department belonged to different systems, their hierarchy was similar.

Both started from temporary agents, then progressed through third-level agents, second-level agents, and first-level agents.

Above first-level agents, there was the management sequence: captains and senior captains at the grassroots level, and deputy chiefs and section chiefs in the office.

Thus, Lin Zuo, as a deputy chief, was actually one rank higher than Qiu Tu, and was a management personnel while Qiu Tu was a low-level employee.

So, according to the principle of equal cooperation between departments, if the Security Division wanted to connect with Qiu Tu, it should have been through Lin Zuo’s subordinates.

The fact that Lin Zuo had personally contacted Qiu Tu could only mean one thing: his superior had ordered it, and Lin Zuo's superior had specifically asked him to handle it himself.

Author's Note

This chapter upload first at NovelBin.Com