Let them offer their loyalty!

Chapter 236 Confronting Secretary Bai (10,000 words for Monthly Ticket!)

According to Shen Lingshuang, Sanctuary didn't actually intend to research the direction of life prolongation; it was all a twist of fate.

Qiu Tu had already learned that First-Order Cataclysmics would enhance their bodies, while Second-Order Cataclysmics would reshape their bodies.

What he didn't know was that Third Order Cataclysmics could detach from their bodies and exist in both the real world and the Boundless Heart Sea in the form of a spiritual entity.

It was in such a state that some more open-minded Third Order Cataclysmics had once engaged in relations in the form of their spiritual entities.

At first, those two Third Order Cataclysmics thought it was interesting, and since they wouldn't get pregnant, they went ahead with it.

But who would have expected... not long after returning to their bodies, the female Third Order Cataclysmic was surprised to discover that she was pregnant.

And it was... her body wasn't pregnant, but her soul was.

This statement might seem counterintuitive and against common sense: how can a soul get pregnant?

Actually... because Third Order Cataclysmics have sufficiently strong spirits, their souls already have a fixed shape, not much different from their bodies.

It was the female Third Order Cataclysmic who noticed her soul's belly swelling, beginning to nurture new life, while her physical body showed no response at all, as though everything were false.

This discovery left her both shocked and scared, so she reported it to Sanctuary overnight.

Sanctuary had always been researching the secrets of the Boundless Heart Sea and spiritual entities. So, when they discovered her miraculous case, they immediately started their research.

And it was through this research that Sanctuary was able to uncover the essence of life's birth in the Era of Disaster—souls are born before bodies, which then are entrusted into bodies, and finally born into the material world.

If a new life lacks a body and only has a soul, that doesn't matter.

It will grow strong enough within the soul of its mother, and then it will be born!

And this time is likely not the typical ten months of pregnancy but could be three years, five years, or even ten years.

Moreover, because it lacks a body, it cannot be born into the real world but is destined to be born in the Boundless Heart Sea.

Becoming a natural-born Cataclysmic—or rather... a Cataclysmic Creature.

It was from Shen Lingshuang's mouth that Qiu Tu learned of this astonishing information, and he boldly guessed the past events involving Zheng Tao, Tan Huimin, and Larilo.

He speculated that Zheng Tao, the Evil God Cultist, likely traded something with Larilo and, in return, gave up his or Tan Huimin's reproductive capability.

Thus, for years, despite being perfectly healthy, the couple was unable to have children.

And it was because Zheng Tao knew the truth that he wasn't enthusiastic about having children. But since he couldn't openly discuss the trade, he was forced to accompany Tan Huimin to various medical checks.

It was this pressure of keeping a secret combined with the weariness of fruitless effort that made him increasingly impatient and cold towards Tan Huimin.

That's why he preferred to come alone to Xinjie City and... eventually agreed to send Tan Huimin to Qiu Tu....

Of course, all of the above were guesses Qiu Tu made after reading Tan Huimin's memory fragments and learning the secrets of birth in the Era of Disaster from Shen Lingshuang. They couldn't be guaranteed to be one hundred percent true.

But... he didn't care whether his speculation was correct or not. He only intended to sow discord between Tan Huimin and her husband, then open a new channel of intelligence through her, right?

So, as long as the logic was sound and Tan Huimin believed it, wouldn't that be enough?

With these thoughts, Qiu Tu let go of his moral baseline. Then he slowly presented his entire line of reasoning to Tan Huimin.

Tan Huimin clearly didn't quite understand the information conveyed by Qiu Tu. Coupled with her limited trust in him, she listened with skepticism.

It wasn't until the end that she asked Qiu Tu with some suspicion, "So, what you mean is... my husband made a trade with the Evil God and gave up my fertility to him?"

Qiu Tu gently caressed Tan Huimin's substantial chest, shaking his head, "Not necessarily yours. It could be his."

"But... it's definitely one of you two."

Tan Huimin was visibly stunned.

Seeing her reaction, Qiu Tu didn't bother her further. He knew Tan Huimin needed time to think and verify the information he had given.

So, he let go of his hands that had been holding and touching Tan Huimin and prepared to start his work for the day.

After returning to his desk, he sat down, picked up the telephone, and called Song Qing.

He asked her to replace Tan Huimin at the Intelligence Section, Interrogation Section, and the Inspection Department, to inform the department heads to summarize their work intel from the last six months, and deliver it to the office before next week. He wanted to review it.

As for... Tan Huimin. With her mind shaken to this extent, she probably wouldn't be able to snap back to reality right away, let alone work.

Indeed, when Song Qing came to report, Tan Huimin was still standing there, lost in thought.

Song Qing looked at the transfixed Tan Huimin curiously, then leaned toward Qiu Tu and asked with curiosity, "Chief, what's with the beauty you provoked? Why isn't she moving?"

"Did you freeze her in place? ?|???|?*~?"

Hearing this, Qiu Tu knocked Song Qing on the head in annoyance, "Stop yelling nonsense if there's nothing. She's my secretary."

"Now she...."

```

As Qiu Tu thought this, he coughed and said, "She's upset because something happened at home."

Song Qing uttered an "Oh," then looked up at Tan Huimin, whose clothes were disheveled over her chest, her face stained with tear tracks, and her eyes swollen. She nodded and said, "I see. So that's what happened."

But her expression clearly showed that she believed none of it.

Just like that, Tan Huimin remained stunned and motionless for nearly an hour before she finally snapped out of it.

Yet she said nothing, neither thanking Qiu Tu nor continuing to argue with him—she just silently resumed her secretarial duties—as if nothing had happened.

But Qiu Tu knew... his words must have planted a seed in this woman's heart.

Her current noncommittal stance was merely because she still harbored a sliver of hope, intending to investigate the so-called "spiritual synergy and life creation" theory that Qiu Tu mentioned to see if it was true.

Once she realized everything Qiu Tu said was true, a huge rift would form in her heart towards Zheng Tao!

By then, she would be usable.

Although her relationship with Qiu Tu might prevent her from being loyal to him... the enemy of one's enemy is a friend.

As long as she could become the sharpest knife in Qiu Tu's hand, did it really matter whom she was loyal to?

As for whether she would choose to collaborate with someone else after learning the whole truth?

Honestly, Qiu Tu wasn't worried. After all, given her status, position, and the people she had access to, was there anyone better to collaborate with than Qiu Tu?

With this in mind, Qiu Tu did not press Tan Huimin as he had that morning; instead, he went about his business as usual.

Thus, with their tacit cooperation, the day's work was quickly finished.

After work, Qiu Tu didn't leave the office immediately. Instead, he lit a cigarette and quietly contemplated his evening plans.

After some hesitation, he ultimately decided to stick to his plan.

He picked up the phone and called Secretary Bai, expressing a desire to meet with him alone that evening.

Secretary Bai, as if he had been waiting for this call for a long time, agreed immediately to the request with a light laugh and no hesitation.

...

[Threat in the Darkness (16 hours)]

[Commitment to the Evil God (2 days)]

[Revenge of the Linked Formation (3 days)]

...

At 6 p.m., Qiu Tu arrived at Secretary Bai's standalone villa in Xinjie City, ten minutes early.

Knowing the sensitivity and importance of this conversation, Secretary Bai had arranged for no one to be on guard near the villa and had even sent away the housemaids.

Seeing this, Qiu Tu sighed softly outside Secretary Bai's villa door. Then, touching the "Gold-Addicted Wallet" hidden on his person and calculating the cooldown of his Cataclysmic ability, he made sure all his life-saving and combat options were ready before stepping into Secretary Bai's villa.

Upon entering Secretary Bai's villa, a melodious piano sound filled the air.

The elegant and casual notes seemed to express the owner's calm mindset.

Qiu Tu stopped in his tracks and listened quietly to the piano for a while, only proceeding after the piece had finished.

Secretary Bai, as if he had been waiting for Qiu Tu, spoke in a soft voice without turning around or taking his hands off the piano, "Actually... you should have come earlier."

Hearing this, Qiu Tu responded with a smile, "It's not too late now, is it?"

Secretary Bai chuckled, stood up, and gestured towards Qiu Tu before leading him to the living room.

Along the way, Secretary Bai hinted with his question, "Aren't you afraid I've set up ambushes all around my house?"

Qiu Tu replied calmly, "I promised to spend the night with Director Tang."

Hearing Qiu Tu's seemingly irrelevant but seemingly relevant response, Secretary Bai paused for a moment before bursting into laughter.

He pointed at Qiu Tu in the air, "You... you're always so unrestrained, never knowing the proper bounds when you talk."

After speaking, he shook his head in reminder, "I might not mind such words. But if your subordinates heard them, would you still have any image in front of them?"

As Qiu Tu listened to Secretary Bai's friendly conversation and advice, he laughed twice before cutting to the chase, "So, you've aligned with the Evil God. Do you think you have any image in front of me?"

------

3 chapters, 10,000 characters haha. Aiming for the minimum Monthly Ticket on the 15th!

```