Let them offer their loyalty!

Chapter 51 Cataclysmic Treasure: Nightmare Crystal Vial (7k words, please follow!)

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Night descended, a vast swathe of velvet drapery that muffled the clamor of the world.

Twinkles of blue moonlight interwoven with sparse starlight serenely and mysteriously sprinkled across the land.

In the city's villa, outside the study.

In the dim corridor, Yan Chen stood alongside Qin Heng. The light slanted from behind, casting their tall, intersecting shadows, segmenting the silent space into streaks of gold.

"I didn't expect the Bureau Chief to have such profound insights into civil affairs. The issues you pointed out are indeed ones we at the Civil Affairs Bureau hadn't considered."

"In the future, I shall certainly trouble you more, and I hope you won't mind."

Upon hearing Qin Heng's words, Yan Chen chuckled twice before he spoke in a deep, husky voice, "Commissioner Qin is too polite."

"I had a very close relationship with Old Master Qin. Before his passing, he asked me to look after the Qin Family."

"So in the future, feel free to consult me on any matter."

The two had already reached a consensus in the study. Now they were just exchanging pleasantries, so the atmosphere was exceptionally harmonious.

Just then, suddenly, a figure hurriedly approached from the end of the corridor.

They stopped their conversation to look at the approaching figure.

It was Qin Heng's assistant, a member of the younger generation of the Qin Family whom he had carefully cultivated.

Rushing in front of them, the assistant bowed slightly to Yan Chen and greeted, "Director Yan."

Yan Chen nodded slightly and grunted from his nose in acknowledgment.

The assistant then quickly stepped up to Qin Heng and, covering his mouth with his hand, leaned in to report.

Seeing this, Qin Heng pushed away his hand and chided with a frown, "The Bureau Chief is present. What kind of behavior is this, sneaking around?"

After speaking, he paused, then added with a serious face, "Whatever it is, report it directly."

Qin Heng was already frail; speaking with such intensity, he immediately covered his mouth and coughed twice.

At this time, hearing Qin Heng's words, the assistant had a troubled expression. He glanced at Yan Chen and then back at Qin Heng.

Qin Heng understood his assistant's difficulty but also knew that his family had now completely aligned with Yan Chen. At such a moment, it was crucial to show the proper stance.

Therefore, he gave the assistant a strict look.

Seeing this, the assistant, still with a troubled face, made his report,

"Master."

Qin Heng glared at him again, "Address me by my position at work."

Assistant: ...

"Commissioner, the main house is suspected of being deliberately set on fire."

"The fire is spreading, and the entire clan is in chaos."

"Director Qin Zhengguang is organizing emergency firefighting while also conducting a headcount and investigation."

"Since the fire started in a sparsely populated area, although the blaze is fierce, only two have suffered minor injuries, with no fatalities. But... Fourth Master and his wife and children have all disappeared."

Upon hearing the assistant's report, Qin Heng's expression turned drastically.

He couldn't help but look at Yan Chen.

Yan Chen, half-shrouded in darkness, showed no expression on his face, as if he hadn't heard the report at all.

Seeing this, Qin Heng tamped down his inner turmoil. He gave a slight nod to Yan Chen and then calmly said, "Bureau Chief, there's been an incident at the family abode. Please allow me to leave immediately."

Yan Chen smiled lightly and said, "Commissioner Qin is too courteous. If there's anything you can't handle, feel free to contact me."

Having said that, he called out, "Ji Chen."

A butler emerged from the dark, standing in front of Yan Chen, head bowed and hands clasped.

Yan Chen commanded, "You go with Commissioner Qin to take a look."

Upon hearing this, the butler bowed to Qin Heng and said, "Commissioner Qin, if you please."

Qin Heng didn't reject Yan Chen's kind offer. He first nodded at Yan Chen, then gestured to Ji Chen, before striding away.

As he gradually left, the inquiry he murmured to his assistant echoed softly in the darkened hallway, "What exactly happened?"

The assistant hurried behind him, softly responding, "Commissioner, it's like this..."

Back at the entrance to the study, Yan Chen stood with his hands behind his back, watching with an unfathomable gaze as Qin Heng's figure disappeared at the end of the corridor, then turned and re-entered the study.

Once back inside, beneath the dim light, he strolled over to the desk and picked up the telephone.

He dialed a few numbers, and once there was a voice on the other end, he ordered, "Check what happened with the Qin family."

A deep voice from the phone responded, "Yes, Bureau Chief."

......

Simultaneously.

In his home on Old Alley Street, Qiu Tu witnessed through Spiritual Vision as Master Qin Si, leading Qin Shuman and guarded by several henchmen, hurriedly left the Qin residence.

Behind them, the wild flames danced like an uncontrollable dragon, its furious roars in vain as they failed to stop their departure.

Watching Master Qin Si and Qin Shuman get into the car, heading for the Milan Grand Hotel, Qiu Tu also deactivated his Spiritual Vision.

The grey fog slowly dissipated, and the material world's outlines filled back in, solidifying into wall after wall, building after building...

As the lingering sapphire hue of Spiritual Vision faded from his pupils, Qiu Tu felt a wave of dizziness.

Bracing himself against the window frame, he struggled to support himself, belatedly realizing he might have overexerted his mental faculties.

Like Cataclysmic abilities, Spiritual Vision was not without limits; each use required a significant expenditure of spiritual power as a price.

According to the information carved in the world's Foundation Stones, this was because all Supernatural Power in this world needed to be driven by Cataclysmic Power, which only existed within the "Boundless Heart Sea."

Thus, to wield such power in the material world, beings needed to connect with the "Boundless Heart Sea" and actualize Cataclysmic Power into the material realm.

And this required an immense amount of spiritual power.

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For someone like Qiu Tu, who had just undergone a Cataclysm Awakening and then forcefully used spiritual vision for an hour, it was an incredibly extreme approach.

Unless there was a potion to replenish spiritual power or a Cataclysmic treasure, one would need to rest for over ten hours to recover.

'A potion to restore spiritual power or a Cataclysmic treasure...?'

Thinking this, Qiu Tu looked toward the two tiny treasure chests in the upper left of his field of vision that were still swaying....

'I actually have...'p>

There were two Crisis Treasure Chests. One was from this morning when Qiu Tu had completed the task in Yan Chen's office by implicating Master Qin Si, corresponding to the crisis of "Collecting Evidence of the Qin Family's Crimes."

The other had popped up automatically after the countdown ended at 6 p.m. today, in response to the crisis of "Creating an Awakening Elixir."

And Qiu Tu had already checked the contents of these two crises.

The treasure from "Collecting Evidence of the Qin Family's Crimes" was still a piece of Cataclysmic Material.

'Memory Clay: A precious Cataclysmic Material, bred from the Night Demon Swamp, capable of recording and reproducing a creature's memory.'

'With certain forging skills, one could craft Cataclysmic treasures such as "The Thinking Sculpture," "Reverberation Echo Pot," "Starry Beyond Letter," and "Eye of Future Foresight."'p>

A piece of Cataclysmic Material that seemed very valuable, but Qiu Tu had no way to use it at the moment.

As for the treasure chest from "Creating an Awakening Elixir," it was different because it actually contained a Cataclysmic treasure.

'Treasure Name: Nightmare Crystal Vial'

'Treasure Description: A unique container made primarily from Spirit Breath Crystals. It contains an energy that drives people to madness.'

'Treasure Effect: Simply leave it under moonlight for one night, and the vial will be filled with spiritual nourishment condensed from the power of the Cataclysm and the essence of dreams. Drinking it can instantly replenish depleted spiritual power.'

'Side Effects: Unknown.'

'Note: When you wander the Boundless Heart Sea or confront those terrifying entities trying to devour your mind, the Nightmare Crystal Vial is an indispensable treasure for maintaining mental vigor and resisting mental breakdown.'

It was because he had obtained this Cataclysmic treasure capable of restoring his spiritual power that Qiu Tu dared to use Spiritual Vision so aggressively....

With this thought, Qiu Tu clicked on that treasure chest.

In a moment, a colorfully radiant crystal bottle appeared in his hand.

The Crystal Bottle was not large, only the size of a thumb, and looked a bit like some kind of oral liquid Qiu Tu had drunk in his past life.

Holding the Crystal Bottle, he gently shook it twice, and the contents rippled with iridescence like stars.

Qiu Tu tipped his head back and drank the spiritual nourishment inside. The colorful liquid slid down his throat, as if illuminating every corner of his bones and organs, making them clearly visible.

Suddenly, the light went out, and Qiu Tu felt a coolness reaching his brain. His thoughts, which had been somewhat painful and fatigued, instantly became crystal clear.

Qiu Tu shook his head, then opened his mouth and exhaled a colorful bubble....

Qiu Tu covered his mouth, trying to prevent the bubbles from escaping. But then.... he felt the bubbles continuing to move downward....

Qiu Tu, alarmed, quickly released his hands, allowing himself to exhale a colorful bubble every now and then....

After spitting bubbles for a while, the side effects of the Cataclysmic treasure gradually disappeared.

Feeling his spiritual power restored, Qiu Tu picked up the Nightmare Crystal Vial and shook it; it was now completely empty. It seemed it could only be used again after being left still overnight.

Thinking this, Qiu Tu put the first Cataclysmic treasure he had obtained into his pocket and made sure it was secure.

Then he stood up, walked next door, called over Sister Xin to help watch over the still-sleeping Shen Lingshuang, and then he went downstairs.

The climax is never the most important part of a play; it's the curtain call.

He had already let Master Qin Si perform in the first half of the play, and in the second half, he intended to personally draw the curtain on this show.

After all, don't forget, facilitating Master Qin Si's escape from the Qin Family was only the first step.

Negotiating with the military, handling the subsequent reactions from Yan Chen and the Qin Family, and maximizing the benefits from this situation, were the most crucial parts of the entire play....

With these thoughts, Qiu Tu got downstairs, started the black sedan given to him by Director Qin Zhengguang, and headed toward the Milan Grand Hotel.

He didn't know if the Nightmare Crystal Vial had other special effects.

The bumpy roads of the Planning Area somehow did not stir any negative emotions in Qiu Tu. He felt exceptionally calm, and even his thoughts seemed to flow much more smoothly.

'Ring, ring, ring'—Halfway there, the communicator suddenly rang.

Qiu Tu gathered his wandering thoughts and picked up the communicator to see it was Jia Shu calling.

Seeing the name on the communicator, Qiu Tu's eyebrows knit slightly. He pondered for a moment before calmly answering the call.

"Good evening, Director."

From the other side of the phone, Jia Shu's feigned laughter came through, "What are you busy with, Agent Qiu?"

Qiu Tu glanced at the rearview mirror and lied without changing his expression, "A friend asked me out for a drink; I'm on my way there."

"Oh? Is that so?" Jia Shu, on the other side of the communicator, smirked while looking out the window before saying, "Then Agent Qiu, come to the Bureau for some overtime work."

"There's an urgent case."

Upon hearing Jia Shu's words, Qiu Tu gradually brought the car to a stop.

He pondered for two seconds, then suddenly laughed, "Alright."

Jia Shu continued, "I remember Director Qin gifted you a car at noon today? It should be about a 15-minute drive from your place to the Bureau."

"Shall we meet in... 18 minutes?"

Qiu Tu did not refuse, "Yes, Director."

After hanging up the phone, he looked through the car window at the pitch-black, deserted street, took a deep breath, and his face revealed an inexplicable expression.

'Interesting, very interesting.... One should never underestimate the enemy.'

'I've just made my move, and they've already responded?'

'But do they really suspect me, or are they just trying to lock down a suspect?'

After contemplating for two seconds without reaching a conclusion, Qiu Tu smiled nonchalantly.

Too bad... they can't hold me down.

This play, I've already got it set.'