Then, Let Them Offer Their Loyalty!

Chapter 59: Testing the New Golden Finger

Chapter 59: Testing the New Golden Finger

Seeing the prompt before him, Qiu Tu suddenly remembered that his new golden finger not only allowed him to see the loyalty levels of his subordinates but also let him see changes in his superiors' attitudes towards him. So, despite his enthusiastic performance with Jia Shu, it seemed Jia Shu was completely unmoved.

Just moments ago, he almost believed that Jia Shu genuinely trusted him and intended to cultivate him as a close confidant. Indeed, life is all about acting—you act, I act, and no one knows who is sincere.

Reflecting on Jia Shu's gesture of covering him with his uniform, Qiu Tu felt a chill. He suddenly remembered that Jia Shu never wore a uniform himself. So, why would he go out of his way to cover Qiu Tu with his uniform? This thought made Qiu Tu more determined: Jia Shu must be dealt with. Having such a viper watching him made it impossible to sleep peacefully.

After leaving Jia Shu’s office with an unexpected double-agent mission, Qiu Tu returned to his original task—testing his newly acquired golden finger. His first targets were naturally the many subordinates in the Interrogation Office.

The department had one chief and two deputy chiefs, with Qiu Tu being the third deputy chief. Since he had just joined yesterday, his responsibilities hadn't been assigned yet. Technically, everyone in the department below his rank was his subordinate.

Qiu Tu decided to inspect each working group under the guise of familiarization.

[Song Yan, Loyalty: 35]

[Wang Xue, Loyalty: 37]

[Chen Fan, Loyalty: 32]

As the new officer, most agents were neither overly friendly nor antagonistic. They greeted and saluted him politely but without much warmth. This corresponded to their loyalty levels in the 30s.

Qiu Tu deduced that a loyalty level of around 30 indicated that the agents recognized him as their superior and were willing to follow his orders. They wouldn’t openly defy him but also weren’t particularly loyal.

If their loyalty was below 30, they might not even respect his authority. Orders would be followed half-heartedly at best. If loyalty exceeded 30, say 40, 60, or 80, they would increasingly trust and follow him. At a high enough loyalty, they might even defy the Investigation Department’s orders or betray it for him.

With this understanding, Qiu Tu also checked the loyalty levels of the five members of the "Female Spy Task Force" he led last night to see if there was a difference.

Two agents from the Duty Group had loyalty levels similar to the others: 39 and 40. However, the pharmacist Wang Xi and the recorder Song Qing were different. Wang Xi’s loyalty was 45, the highest Qiu Tu had seen. In contrast, Song Qing’s loyalty was only 28, the lowest in the department.

This baffled Qiu Tu. How had he offended this young woman? He didn’t recall doing anything to her. Were all women this unpredictable?

Throughout his golden finger tests, the only disappointment was not encountering Liu Fuping. It seemed she had skipped work to catch up on sleep at home. Qiu Tu was genuinely curious about her loyalty level—was it higher or lower than the average agent? This would influence his judgment of her.

The day passed quickly, and by 5 PM, Qiu Tu clocked out on time. Feeling energetic after a day of leisurely activities, he prepared to go home and get ready for his meeting with Qin Shuman.

Just as he stepped out of the office, he ran into his superior, the chief of the Interrogation Office: Zheng Tao.

Zheng Tao, in his early thirties, was a trusted confidant brought from the shelter by Yan Chen and Jia Shu. As the head of the Investigation Department’s ace section, he enjoyed their full trust and was a key figure in their plans.

Zheng Tao had proven his capability by training and managing the department’s new recruits, turning them into competent interrogators in less than a year. His team's efficient handling of the female spy case last night was a testament to his skill. Compared to the still-green agents of the Special Operations Division, his team's performance stood out.

Thinking this, Qiu Tu saluted respectfully, “Good evening, Chief.”

Zheng Tao, looking preoccupied, nodded without expression and walked past Qiu Tu.

Feeling slighted but unconcerned, Qiu Tu shrugged and continued on his way home.

But after a few steps, Zheng Tao seemed to reconsider and called out, “Chief Qiu, heading home?”

Qiu Tu stopped, puzzled, “Yes, it's time to clock out.”

Zheng Tao checked his watch and frowned, “Leaving right on time? Look around; do you see anyone else leaving?”

Qiu Tu was confused. He had worked late into the night, was scheduled to work late again as a double agent, and now was being reprimanded for leaving on time? Was Zheng Tao taking out his frustrations on him, or was this his management style?

Wondering about this, Qiu Tu turned back to face Zheng Tao, waiting to hear more.

Realizing he couldn’t let this slide, Qiu Tu pretended to look around, then said with feigned realization, “Indeed, no one is leaving. I understand, Chief Zheng. Don’t worry, I’ll call everyone to leave together!”

Saying this, Qiu Tu made a show of heading to the various workgroups to rally the agents for clocking out. Seeing this, Zheng Tao panicked. He quickly grabbed Qiu Tu, lowering his voice, “Chief Qiu, what are you doing? What’s this talk about leaving? As agents, we should dedicate every moment to creating value for the shelter and New Realm City!”

Hearing this, Qiu Tu responded, “Oh,” and then, looking puzzled, said, “But we need rest too. The value of work isn’t measured by time. Only by resting well can we be energetic and fully committed to our work.”

He paused, then smiled and waved, “Anyway, I’m heading off. Goodbye, Chief.”

With that, Qiu Tu turned and left the Interrogation Office casually.

No way was he going to work overtime—having endured a 9-9-7 work culture in his previous life, he wasn’t going to do it again after transmigrating. He came to this world to enjoy life, not to suffer.

If Zheng Tao wanted to work overtime, he could do it alone. Qiu Tu wasn’t going to indulge him.

Seeing Qiu Tu leave, Zheng Tao’s face turned livid. Pointing at Qiu Tu’s receding figure, he stammered, “You, you, you,” but eventually lowered his hand in frustration.

Meanwhile, a prompt appeared before Qiu Tu:

[Zheng Tao Satisfaction: -5]

[Song Qing Loyalty: +3]

[Wang Xue Loyalty: +1]

[Cheng Jianxin Loyalty: +4]

Seeing the series of prompts, Qiu Tu nearly missed a step on the stairs. He was filled with confusion: ??

So the agents had been eavesdropping on his conversation with Zheng Tao? Just a bit of resistance to overtime had earned him so much loyalty? How oppressive had Zheng Tao been to them?

Reflecting on the female spy task force working all night and continuing the next day, Qiu Tu realized this might be a way to win over the Interrogation Office. While government employees working overtime for the city and citizens was one thing, such extreme overtime was inhumane.

With these thoughts, Qiu Tu drove home, preparing for his meeting with Qin Shuman. Parking at the alley’s entrance, he locked the car and walked towards his house, flipping his keys.

Just as he entered the alley, a sharp scream rang out, “Hiss! Ghost!”

Startled, Qiu Tu looked in the direction of the scream, only to see a neighbor scrambling away in terror. Confused, he looked around but saw nothing unusual.

Scratching his head, he continued down the alley, but everyone who recognized him fled as if he were the plague. Increasingly puzzled, Qiu Tu wondered what was going on. He checked his attire—a black uniform from the Political Division, intimidating to civilians but not to this extent. What had happened?

Author's Note