Let them offer their loyalty!

Chapter 81 Cataclysmic Creatures: Phantom Jellyfish (7k)

Hearing Qiu Tu's words, Qin Shuman clearly hesitated for a moment.

Perhaps this matter was related to the secrets of the Security Department, so she hesitated for a full two seconds before saying to Qiu Tu, "Yes."

She explained, "The material world and the non-material world are not independent of each other but can influence each other."

"In the material world, the spirits, obsessions, and negative emotions of living beings can cause various changes in the non-material world."

"And if certain obsessions or negative effects reach a threshold, then the spirit world might give birth to related Cataclysmic Creatures, or even more terrible disasters."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu tentatively asked, "Then what kind of impact do these Cataclysmic Creatures and 'disasters' have on the real world?"

Qin Shuman said with a bitter smile, "A lot. So much that you wouldn't want to know."

"Let me give two simple examples...."

"For instance, the Cataclysmic Creature that was born due to the book 'Brave New World' once caused a disaster in the non-material world, destroying six or seven cities under the jurisdiction of the Third Sanctuary."

"Later, the Third Sanctuary paid a great price to quell the disaster and drive it away."

"Another example is a huge Cataclysmic Creature named the 'Phantom Jellyfish,' which is several kilometers long and drifts in the depths of the non-material world, alone."

"But once it moves towards the material world, it triggers a psychic tidal wave. The power of the disaster will surge toward the material world like waves."

"Ordinary beings in the material world will be affected by this Catastrophic Power, rapidly evolving."

"However, the spirits of many higher beings will be affected, with lighter cases experiencing dizziness and vertigo while severe cases may go mad or suffer from schizophrenia."

"Material affects spirit, and spirit in turn affects material...." Qiu Tu softly evaluated.

For the first time, he had a clear understanding of the information he had received from the world's origin.

The Boundless Heart Sea is not just the source of Catastrophe Power, but truly... the Cataclysm origin that has changed the entire world...

Thinking of this, Qiu Tu felt a surge of new ideas about the "Yin Caimei case."

If the emotions of beings in the real world can give rise to Cataclysmic Creatures, and if the Cataclysmic Creatures in the Boundless Heart Sea can in turn affect the beings of the material world...

Then this matter may very well involve more than just the Investigation Bureau, Xinjie Chamber of Commerce, Anti-government Armed Forces, and City Hall; there might be deeper secrets involved.

With this thought, Qiu Tu's mind stirred, and he became curious about another matter.

He looked at Qin Shuman beside him and inquired, "Actually, I've always been curious about something."

"Why would The military, Investigation Bureau, and City Hall plant spies within each other?"

"Aren't we all people of the Sanctuary?"

"Isn't this like stirring up a civil war?"

Qin Shuman pondered for a moment upon hearing this before carefully stating, "First off, I need to correct you on one thing. The Sanctuary has never supported the three major power authorities fighting against each other."

"In fact, openly, the Sanctuary has always severely criticized this behavior."

At this point, Qin Shuman's tone shifted, "But..."

"The Sanctuary is, after all, a new government that has only been established in recent years. Calling it a nation is one thing, but it's more aptly described as a coalition of various forces."

"Several top-level individuals sought to change the plight of humanity through cooperation and together rebuild the entire Cataclysm-affected world. So, they united, allocated interests according to the resources each possessed, and established an entirely new social system."

"Therefore, whether it's the Investigation Bureau or The military, they are actually relatively independent entities."

Qin Shuman gestured with her hand and explained, "It appears as though we are all led by the Sanctuary, but in reality, the power structure is segmented."

"If you join the Investigation Bureau, your promotion is within the Investigation Bureau's hierarchy. If you enter The military, you'll only rise within The military."

"The same applies to City Hall."

"This has resulted in each of the three major power authorities being independent kingdoms, each developing on their own. They only collaborate when facing crises."

Hearing this, Qiu Tu said in astonishment, "Wouldn't that cause chaos?"

Qin Shuman explained, "It would. Which is why, after recognizing the problem, the upper echelons decisively implemented two measures."

"One is to address the symptoms, and the other is to address the root causes."

Qiu Tu was curious, "Address the symptoms? Address the root causes?"

Qin Shuman nodded, "Addressing the symptoms is what you just mentioned. Although the Sanctuary forbids the three major authorities from targeting each other openly, it covertly encourages them to plant 'spies' in other authorities."

She paused for a second, correcting herself, "Actually, the correct term should be 'agents.' They are encouraged to insert agents into other authorities."

"And the agents inserted into other organizations should hide their true identities as much as possible, climb up the ladder with the support of their original power, and ultimately attain high positions."

"For example, if you're the person we've chosen. If you're a Deputy Staff Chief in the Investigation Bureau, that qualifies as a spy."

"But if you take Yan Chen's position and become the Investigation Bureau Chief... with the entire Xinjie City Investigation Bureau under your leadership, how could you be considered a spy?"

"You'd just be an Investigation Bureau official with good relations to The military."

Qiu Tu's mouth opened slightly: ....

Inexplicably, it made sense.

Perhaps sensing Qiu Tu's shock, Qin Shuman covered her mouth and chuckled before continuing, "Actually, due to these actions, there has been a significant increase in personnel transfers between the three major authorities in the past two years. The connections between them have also become much closer."

"After all, sometimes when 'spies' have been in place for too long, they can't even tell who they really work for. They might help The military as well as the Investigation Bureau."

"As it went back and forth, it did indeed shatter the scenario of an independent kingdom," Yan Chen said.

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu hesitated slightly before voicing his doubt, "What about the ordinary spies you send to the upper echelons?"

"It can't all be about climbing the ranks, right?"

Qin Shuman shook her head, "That's not it."

"Those spies have three purposes."

"First is to gather intelligence, to stay updated on what sibling agencies are up to, so as not to make decisions based on incorrect information."

"Second is to help our own people rise through the ranks. There has to be a vacancy up there for our people to climb. If we discover any illegal activities on their part, it not only creates positions for our people but also rids the Sanctuary of a pest, doesn't it?"

"Third is... oversight."

Qin Shuman's expression became complex as she continued, "Generally speaking, most mid- and high-level officials stationed in the Planning Area are Cataclysmics."

"Cataclysmics are too unpredictable; no one knows when they might Degenerate or undergo a Psychic Mutation."

"Therefore, we three major agencies monitor each other to try to prevent certain uncontrollable incidents..."

At this point, she looked earnestly at Qiu Tu and added, "Yan Chen, for instance, is someone we pay close attention to."

After listening to Qin Shuman's explanation, Qiu Tu finally had a rough understanding of the spy games played by the three major power agencies, a game of "tit for tat."

No wonder he felt that the government infighting in this world was rather intense. It turned out to be due to structural issues at the founding of the government, which was now going through a painful adjustment period.

According to Qin Shuman, the three factions would probably fight for years, maybe a decade, before gradually merging and forming a cohesive whole.

With this in mind, Qiu Tu couldn't help but think of another, more fundamental solution mentioned by Qin Shuman.

Since the conversation had reached this point, he naturally asked about it.

When the topic shifted to this, Qin Shuman became much more serious. She said, "The fundamental method would be... to promote top-level political reform."

"Initially, the highest governing body of each Sanctuary was merely a round-table meeting, with negotiations and benefit divisions amongst leaders of various factions."

"Now, each Sanctuary is setting up a Supreme Council, centralizing power within the Council, which has the ultimate decision-making authority over all affairs of the Sanctuary and the Planning Area."

"To go against the orders issued by the Council would be to commit a crime against the government."

"In various cities, the Supreme Council is also pushing for the establishment of Municipal Committees, trying to forge the Committee into the highest governing body of each city."

"Leaders of departments like the military and the Investigation Bureau will eventually become members of the Municipal Committee, merely regular members."

"The city's major and minor decisions, even the appointment of mid-level officials, will be determined through discussions by the Committee members."

"But this measure faces significant resistance, so for now it has only reached the propaganda stage."

After hearing Qin Shuman's account, Qiu Tu finally had a comprehensive understanding of the power structure of Xinjie City and indeed the Sanctuaries as a whole.

It was an era moving from chaos to order, filled with all kinds of opportunities.

If he could seize them well, perhaps he really could reach the peak!

And moreover...

He thought of his own journey towards Superhuman Power, "Order-Politics."

He thought of the Cataclysmic Creatures that intruded upon the real world from the Boundless Heart Sea.

Qiu Tu knew that he had to struggle up the ladder, step by step, to the very top, to grow ever stronger!

Only by doing so could he truly take control of his life in this bizarre world of Cataclysms!

With this thought, Qiu Tu's eyes became much more determined...

Afterward, Qin Shuman discussed with Qiu Tu some other details about the "Yin Caimei case."

As the head of the Security Department's Investigation Department, Qin Shuman had plenty of experience handling supernatural cases.

So many of her insights were enlightening to Qiu Tu.

For example, many Cataclysmic abilities or Cataclysm Props might not require close contact with the victim, making long-range murder a possibility.

For instance, the guard rooms of the Political Department and Security Department usually have the ability to block external Catastrophic Powers. Unless the door to the Guard Room is opened, external Catastrophes theoretically can't penetrate.

Moreover, ordinary objects in the hands of the deceased or within the body might have been "seeded" with Cataclysmic abilities, set to trigger automatically upon meeting certain conditions...

After talking with Qin Shuman, Qiu Tu felt he had a new perspective on the case.

Maybe... this case wasn't necessarily a silencing by the Political Department?

After all, if it was indeed the Political Department's doing, their methods might not have been so crude?

Such thoughts brought a glimmer of hope to Qiu Tu's investigation.

Most importantly... after they finished discussing the case. Qin Shuman took the initiative to say, "If you're willing, I can come to the Investigation Bureau with you tomorrow night to examine the body for Cataclysmic traces."

"See if I can provide you with new clues and directions."

Startled by Qin Shuman's proposal, Qiu Tu replied with a hint of surprise, "Would you really be able to do that?"

"With both your identities, it seems quite difficult for you to enter the Investigation Bureau, right?"