Let them offer their loyalty!

Chapter 260 Quitting Lust Tomorrow (10,000 words for Monthly Tickets!)

And with Qiu Tu's words, several opulent eldsters indeed appeared in the distance.

Their hair was gray, but meticulously groomed, the silvery strands shimmering under the lights of Longshan Road.

Possibly due to long-standing upper positions, their demeanors were dignified and their eyes as deep as still waters, radiating an aura of majesty without anger.

They were... the legendary figures known as "The Five Elders," who once controlled Xinjie City for over a decade.

The backgrounds of "The Five Elders" varied, but were similar in one respect: they all started from gangs, moved on to enterprises, took control of the livelihoods of the citizenry, and finally established the order of the city.

Initially, when they had control of Xinjie, relations among The Five Elders were tense, with endless overt and covert struggles.

Unexpectedly, after being purged from the power center of Xinjie City by Yan Chen and General Ye, they ended up living together and even becoming good friends...

It could be considered a whimsical twist of fate.

However, as Qiu Tu and Qin Shuman had discussed, although these five elderly men had withdrawn from the core stage of power in Xinjie City, they still wielded a considerable influence over it.

Just this afternoon, Qiu Tu had taken the time to engage in a deep conversation with Tang Feifei—yes, a truly deep exchange.

In the midst of it, they came to a consensus: the authority they had now was temporary and superficial.

Only by using this power to rally more people and solidify their base at the grassroots level could they make this authority endure.

Only then, when Yan Chen returned, would they be able to stand up to him and even marginalize Yan Chen!

So, who wielded the most influence over the grassroots of the three major institutions in Xinjie City? Read latest stories on My Virtual Library Empire

Clearly, it was The Five Elders...

After all, the grassroots of the three major institutions were the middle class of old Xinjie City, or their children.

And they had all been subordinates to The Five Elders...

Thus, gaining the support of The Five Elders could mean quickly penetrating the grassroots of the Investigation Bureau, thereby fulfilling their goal of sidelining Yan Chen.

After setting the goal of winning over "The Five Elders."

The remaining question was... whether "The Five Elders" were still willing to get involved in these power struggles or not?

And... how would Qiu Tu and Tang Feifei persuade "The Five Elders"?

Regarding the first question, Qiu Tu soon gave Tang Feifei a definite answer.

Over this period, "The Five Elders" had actually been getting restless. (Chapter 138)

According to the objective development laws of cities in the Planning Area, within one to three years after a city's founding, many contradictions that were suppressed at the outset tend to erupt in unison.

The various major families and forces of the original city, having gradually adapted to the rules of the Planning Area, would start scheming to wrest power and profit from the middle and upper echelons coming down from the Sanctuary.

"The Five Elders" were no exception.

Hence, the two of them had a basis for cooperation with them.

As for the second question, how to persuade "The Five Elders," Qiu Tu had thought of several aspects.

The first aspect was undoubtedly "enticement."

If The Five Elders were still craving power and wished to exert their influence, then Qiu Tu and Tang Feifei would give them power and influence.

After all... the Investigation Bureau belonged to Yan Chen, the two of them wouldn't mind spending its resources.

Qiu Tu and Tang Feifei, being essentially newcomers in Xinjie City, didn't have many confidants to install. So... they would install those of The Five Elders instead.

Promote some confidants of The Five Elders, or transfer them to key departments. Give power to The Five Elders.

By doing this, they could not only draw The Five Elders to their side, but also plant landmines between Old Wu and Yan Chen.

— After Yan Chen finished his seclusion, if he didn't adjust those positions, The Five Elders could continue to use their influence; but as soon as he did, friction between the two parties would inevitably intensify.

Beyond "enticement," the second aspect was "displaying strength."

Simply providing benefits would only make people greedier; showing one's own potency formed the basis for genuine cooperation.

And this strength wasn't just in terms of influence, but also in actual power.

That is to say... Qiu Tu and Tang Feifei had to show The Five Elders that they were capable of dealing with them at any moment.

Only then could they prevent The Five Elders from taking the benefits offered but then betraying them at the next turn.

Hence... there was tonight's grand performance...

Qiu Tu flung away rockets with one hand and then single-handedly intimidated three squads of the Lianzhen! Eventually, hundreds of Special Service Detectives appeared and captured all the Lianzhen mobsters.

Actually, Qiu Tu didn't know from the start that he would be facing rockets this evening.

Throughout the afternoon, he had been practicing his Second Order "Order Space," specifically working on "Static Bullet."

He aimed to create a staggering scene where countless bullets flew at him, but he stopped them all in mid-air.

For this, he had practiced all afternoon until he was finally able to effortlessly hold the bullets' trajectories in place.

It was only because his spiritual power had greatly increased after becoming a Second-Order Cataclysmic Awakened that his "Order Space" could "pause" and "move." (Chapter 218)

Otherwise, he couldn't have pulled off such a "performance."

Of course, even so, he was fully equipped with defensive Cataclysmic treasures, just in case his abilities failed and his attempt to impress turned fatal.

Luckily, even though the Lianzhen used rocket launchers instead of firearms, these were still within the effective range of his abilities, allowing Qiu Tu to showcase his terrifying strength in front of The Five Elders.

After running through all of his arrangements for the afternoon in his mind, Qiu Tu also returned to his senses.