Chapter 30 Power
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After one's spine is forcibly broken, it becomes very hard for them to hold their head up high again.
So, when Cao Dabiao showed weakness, he had already reached a point of reckless abandon.
He bellowed, "Please give your orders, sir!"
Seeing this, Qiu Tu let out a slight smile,
"Now, I command you to leave the Qin Family with two familiar agents. In half an hour, I will contact you and give you further instructions."
"Huh?" Possibly not expecting such an order from Qiu Tu, Cao Dabiao looked at Qiu Tu with a confused expression.
But now, the entire scene was under Qiu Tu's control, and his prestige and confidence had just been thoroughly crushed, so he didn't dare to voice any objections.
Thus, like a zombie, he picked out two of his confidants from the ranks and, still dazed, led them away from the Qin Family, ready to receive Qiu Tu's next command in half an hour.
In this manner, they left the Qin Family Mansion.
Standing at the entrance of the Qin Family Mansion, facing the extensive city roads that branched out in all directions, Cao Dabiao was bewildered for a few seconds before he suddenly came to his senses!
Damn it! Was I just stripped of my "military power"?!
Thinking of his squad, now completely out of his control, a horde of unspeakable emotions surged wildly in Cao Dabiao's heart!
However, the next second, when he saw the two confidants by his side, he exclaimed again, "Damn it!"
Shit! Did I just take my confidants with me?
Doesn't that mean I don't even have anyone to pass on messages or give remote orders??n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
With this realization, Cao Dabiao felt an icy chill throughout his body.
He thought back to Qiu Tu's series of actions just now: preemptive strike—herd mentality—overwhelming authority—intimidation—relocation. A combination of moves that left him out of the game before he even got into the groove.
At that moment, Cao Dabiao only felt an ominous chill.
He was tempted to go back and challenge Qiu Tu again, but Qiu Tu's recent tactical combination had completely sapped his courage.
Being not of a tough disposition to begin with, after much hesitation, he chose to give up.
'Forget it, he's a tough nut to crack... better not provoke him.'
'Might as well consider it a vacation.'
'After all, I've got two confidants with me. Worst comes to worst, after this mission is over, I'll just gift something nice to the superior officers and get transferred to another squad...'
Thinking this way, Cao Dabiao wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and waved to his two confidants, saying generously, "Let's go, off to have some barbecue. It's on me."
...
Meanwhile.
Inside the barracks of the Security Team, Qiu Tu looked at Chen Feng and the remaining nine agents with satisfaction and nodded approvingly.
After kicking out Cao Dabiao, who was of equal rank to him, all the agents present were now lower in both position and rank, completely eliminating the possibility of challenging his authority.
However, while this squad appeared outwardly obedient to him, to truly win their allegiance required some additional methods...
With this in mind, Qiu Tu turned to Fang Ming and asked, "Agent Fang, has the funding I applied for from the Bureau Chief come through?"
Hearing Qiu Tu's words, the bewildered Fang Ming at his side snapped back to reality.
The shock of what had happened in those few short minutes was greater than the teachings of his family over several years.
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Upon witnessing how Qiu Tu dispatched Cao Dabiao with just a few swift moves, a phrase his father once taught him echoed through his mind:
"The essence of power isn't the ability to do what you want, but the ability to make others do what they don't want to do."
In that instant, he felt as if he truly comprehended what this sentence meant. And... it was his first real encounter with Qiu Tu.
Therefore, when he heard Qiu Tu's inquiry, he snapped back to reality, gave Qiu Tu a deep look, and then respectfully responded, "Reporting to the officer, we have arrived."
Having said that, he stood up to retrieve a small box bearing the Investigation Bureau's insignia from the room and presented it to Qiu Tu with both hands.
Qiu Tu received the box, opened it to inspect the contents, and found it brimming with shiny Silver Yuan.
He grabbed a handful—thirty to forty coins—and threw them directly at all the agents.
Seeing the scattering Silver Yuan, the agents' eyes reddened. Their reflex was to reach out and collect them.
But at that moment, Qiu Tu let out a thunderous shout, "Don't catch it!"
"You are agents! A disciplined force! If the officer hasn't told you to move, I'll see who dares!"
Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, the ten agents present swayed slightly, but ultimately all stood still. However, from their fervent gazes, one could tell their desire had not lessened at all.
After all, in the Planning Area, Silver Yuan had substantial purchasing power.
A single Silver Yuan could buy 80 pounds of top-quality rice, 10 to 20 pounds of meat, or 30 feet of cotton fabric. Its purchasing power was roughly equivalent to 800 of Qiu Tu's former world's currency. It was generally not used in transactions among the lower class.
So, for the agents whose monthly salary was only "three Silver Yuan," these thirty to forty coins truly represented a fortune.
Seeing his authority and prohibitions respected, Qiu Tu nodded with satisfaction.
He returned the small box to Fang Ming, then paced in front of the ten agents. Only then did he speak under the intense gazes of the crowd, "You are all my subordinates. As long as you follow me and work hard! What are promotions? What is Silver Yuan? You will have it all!"
After finishing, Qiu Tu gestured with his hand, "Now, Chen Feng takes five coins, everyone else takes three, and the rest will be picked up and returned to me!"
"Chen Feng supervises!"
"Dismissed!"
Accompanying Qiu Tu's voice, the agents eagerly bent down to pick up Silver Yuan from the ground.
But owing to Qiu Tu's prior order, they did not scramble for it and tacitly picked up only the coins nearest them.
Soon, each agent held three Silver Yuan in their hands, and the extras were handed over to Chen Feng, who then presented them all to Qiu Tu.
After placing the Silver Yuan in Qiu Tu's hands, Chen Feng looked at him with complexity in his eyes and sincerely expressed, "Officer, you, you are... very impressive."
Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu scanned the other agents, who now regarded him with a mix of awe and eagerness.
Qiu Tu knew that these ten individuals were now reliable...
"In name, power comes from above, but in substance, it derives from below."
.....
After calling the ten Political Department Investigators to the room, Qiu Tu first divided them into pairs, then took out several clues copied from Master Qin Si's booklet, instructing them to follow up on the information.
Soon, the five teams of Political Department Investigators were assembled into squads and set off in sequence.
Before they left, Qiu Tu made sure to exchange communicators' numbers with them, demanding immediate reports on any developments without causing alarm.
Perhaps motivated by the combination of reward and authority exercised earlier, all five teams cooperated fully.
After completing all these arrangements, Qiu Tu left the room and, watching the Political Department Investigators file out, took out his communicator and dialed Cao Dabiao's number....