Let them offer their loyalty!

He must move up in his position as quickly as possible, obtain power, and raise his profile in order to deal with an increasing number of dangers.

And by trading under the identity of a "Mysterious Person," releasing Larilo.

He could thus find an excuse for obtaining new intelligence in the future: the Mysterious Person had extracted new information from Larilo.

It also allowed him to share some of the credit for uncovering the truth about the "Yellow Phantom," helping Qiu Tu to advance further.

It was killing multiple birds with one stone.

So, at that time, Qiu Tu carefully planned with Tang Feifei and contacted Elder Tang.

To fool the old and cunning Elder Tang, Qiu Tu even staged a play: he claimed to be the Mysterious Person, only to be exposed by Elder Tang later on.

Humans are a strange species.

If Qiu Tu hadn't made this arrangement, given Elder Tang's astuteness, he might have guessed that Qiu Tu was the Mysterious Person.

He would have conducted various tests after that.

But since Qiu Tu admitted he was the Mysterious Person first and then showed flaws leading Elder Tang to expose him,

because Elder Tang had "made an effort" to discover the truth, he would subconsciously believe it was true and would not suspect Qiu Tu anymore.

Thus, Qiu Tu successfully moved from being in front of the stage to behind the scenes, becoming unseen under the light.

Next, the higher-ups in the Sanctuary would probably quietly search for this Mysterious Person.

They might suspect Secretary Bai, some influential figure passing by, or even Yan Chen. But they would never guess it was Qiu Tu...

This would provide Qiu Tu a peaceful golden period for development.

As for the future, when the time was right and Qiu Tu could use this prestige to further his ambition, he would naturally reveal his own identity...

To ensure the entire plan was successfully implemented, he thoroughly understood the personalities of Huang Shangzong and Ai Li through Yanyan and various sources of information, leading them step by step into the trap.

The entire plan linked one phase to another, breaking their defenses bit by bit.

And this… all aimed at his ultimate goal: the position of Acting Bureau Chief of Xinjie City Investigation Bureau and… the more important position of Councilor in the Dongye State Council!

Though Dongye State Councilor was the head of three major institutions from sixteen cities, it wasn't explicitly stated that those forty-eight positions automatically become councilors, especially not an acting bureau chief.

Observing experiences from other states, though they initially let the chiefs from the cities' three major institutions become councilors to consolidate power, they gradually adjusted once the situation in the state stabilized: reducing the number of councilors per city to one or two.

The positions freed up either transferred to the state to set up key departments or relocated to newly opened Planning Areas to hold positions of greater importance.

Hence, the status of a councilor was critical.

Only with the status of a councilor could Qiu Tu really access the core layers of power in the state!

Only then could he openly participate in the state's decision-making and extend his scope of rights there.

This was also... why he had to set a trap for Huang Shangzong, though he could have directly triumphed, plotting against Huang Shangzong to force his concession...

Not plotting against Huang Shangzong and pressuring him to concede would never have satisfied his appetite...

After reviewing the recent plans, Qiu Tu, embracing a sleeping Tang Feifei, looked as though his gaze could penetrate through the layers of walls and space towards Yan Chen's garden villa...

He could not make this demand to Huang Shangzong.

So... it was time to activate another backup plan he had arranged.

...

Meanwhile, as Qiu Tu was contemplating this,

In Yan Chen's garden villa,

Yanyan quietly entered Ai Li's study.

At this time, Ai Li, due to the matter of releasing the Evil God, had been suspended; all her work had been transferred to others.

She only waited for the investigation results to come out, to either be imprisoned or exiled.

Thus, she was utterly dejected, resting her chin on her hands, her twin ponytails drooping down lifelessly, a stark shadow of her normally unruly demeanor.

Just as she sat blankly lost in thought,

"Tap... tap... tap..."

The soft sound of footsteps echoed clearly in the silent villa.

She looked up towards the doorway and saw Yanyan carrying two glasses of milk.

Walking over to Ai Li, Yanyan pulled up a chair and sat down, then handed Ai Li one of the glasses, "Ai Li, there is something I want to talk to you about."

Ai Li took the milk, took a sip, and the trace of white around her mouth reminded her eerily of how Yanyan had been with little Qiu Tu a few days ago.

"What's the matter?"

Yanyan glanced at the milk on Ai Li's lips and said, "I have a way to save you."

Hearing Yanyan's words, Ai Li was initially stunned, then she extended her tender pink tongue to lick the milk residue from her lips. Curiously, she asked, "How can you help?"

Yanyan shook her head and then forced a stiff smile, responding, "It's nothing... Just rest assured, I can definitely get you out."

Ai Li keenly detected something off about Yanyan.

She put down her glass of milk, grabbed Yanyan's shoulders with both hands, and demanded, "Yanyan, what exactly do you plan to do to save me? Tell me."

"Did you find some evidence?"

Yanyan hurriedly shook her head.

Her face was filled with hesitation, as if unsure whether to speak up.

Only after Ai Li's repeated urging did she whisper, "Qiu Tu called me today."

"He said... he has a way to save you."

"But... there's a condition. Either convince Chairman Huang to agree to his becoming both the Bureau Chief of the Xinjie City Investigation Bureau and a Council Member of the Dongye State Legislative Council."

"Or... to have me accompany him for three days."

Hearing Yanyan's words, Ai Li burst out laughing, albeit with anger.