Then, Let Them Offer Their Loyalty!

Chapter 89: Qin Shuman's Shock

Qin Shuman looked at Qiu Tu with concern and asked softly, "I remember you mentioned last night that among Yin Caimei's personal belongings, there was a banned book?"

Qiu Tu nodded, confirming, "Yes, it’s called Brave New World."

Qin Shuman’s expression grew serious. "Have you read that book?"

Qiu Tu thought back and replied uncertainly, "I only skimmed through seven or eight pages, nothing too detailed."

Qin Shuman frowned slightly. "Although we can't be 100% sure, the theory that anti-government organizations could imprint a curse within banned books, ensuring their members carry and read them so they can be easily silenced, is quite plausible."

Qiu Tu asked, "So you think that book could be the carrier for the Resentment Curse?"

"Does that mean I've been cursed?"

Qin Shuman, deep in thought, replied, "I’m not completely sure about the effects of the Cursed Printer. I've only heard some rumors during my training in the shelters."

After a moment of deliberation, Qin Shuman seemed to reach a decision. She abruptly deactivated the Mist Index Book and then used it on Qiu Tu again, without giving him a chance to refuse.

The room once again filled with the strange mist, and Qiu Tu felt a mysterious force envelop him. His expression changed a few times before he finally chose to accept Qin Shuman's concern.

As the mist spread throughout the room, the physical world began to fade, and Qiu Tu’s body appeared to light up in the mist, much like Yin Caimei's corpse had earlier.

Qin Shuman stepped forward to carefully inspect the traces of cataclysmic energy outlined on Qiu Tu's body by the Mist Index Book.

"Hmm... There are traces of cataclysmic energy in the head—not a good sign."

"There are also traces on the neck—though that’s somewhat normal."

"Traces on the limbs, and even the internal organs..."

"Why is this Resentment Curse so powerful?"

"Wait a minute." Qin Shuman suddenly stopped, realizing something was off. She quickly stepped back to get a better view of Qiu Tu’s entire body, and what she saw left her in shock. Every organ, every cell in Qiu Tu’s body was filled with cataclysmic energy!

Qin Shuman was stunned, momentarily lost in thought.

‘How can there be so much!?’

The realization hit her like a ton of bricks.

This wasn't the result of a curse—it was... the manifestation of cataclysmic abilities strengthening his entire body!

Qiu Tu was a cataclysmic being!

The shock left Qin Shuman reeling.

She looked at Qiu Tu in disbelief. When did this happen? When did Qiu Tu become a cataclysmic being?

She racked her brain but couldn't recall any hints or signs.

Moreover... wasn't Qiu Tu, like herself, someone who had possessed this body?

Could a person awaken cataclysmic abilities after possession?

If she were to possess Su Xiaowan's body and ingest a cataclysmic potion, would it be herself awakening, or would it be Su Xiaowan?

These questions piled up in Qin Shuman's mind, leaving her feeling overwhelmed.

However, she didn’t forget the reason she had used the Mist Index Book on Qiu Tu. After forcing herself to refocus, she observed Qiu Tu's left chest for a while.

Now that she had filtered out the interference from Qiu Tu's own cataclysmic abilities, she finally saw the small mass of energy shrouding Qiu Tu's heart—Resentment Curse.

The bad news was that Qiu Tu had indeed been cursed.

The good news, however, was that the amount of Resentment Curse energy was much smaller compared to what was left on Yin Caimei’s corpse.

Qin Shuman breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that even if the curse were to activate, it would at most cause Qiu Tu some discomfort for a few days, without posing a serious threat to his life.

After calming down, Qin Shuman couldn't help but feel a bit foolish for worrying so much. She knew that Qiu Tu was far from an ordinary person. He had managed to obtain a cataclysmic artifact to restore her body quickly and had even awakened cataclysmic abilities after possession. Clearly, he had been someone of considerable power before.

It was likely that Qiu Tu wasn’t particularly skilled in solving cases but was more than capable of handling cataclysmic abilities and curses.

With this in mind, Qin Shuman deactivated the Mist Index Book and, feeling a bit deflated, said, "You’ve indeed been cursed, but it’s nothing serious."

She then gave Qiu Tu a complex look and added, "You weren’t really worried about this cataclysmic curse, were you?"

In truth, Qiu Tu had felt a jolt of concern when Qin Shuman used the Mist Index Book on him. Being a cautious person by nature, even after growing close to Qin Shuman, he hadn’t revealed that he had already awakened cataclysmic abilities. In fact, while treating Qin Shuman, he had deliberately used the Nightmare Crystal Bottle to keep this secret.

But who would have thought that Qin Shuman, out of concern, would use the Mist Index Book on him, revealing his status as a cataclysmic being?

As expected, after examining him, Qin Shuman’s expression changed, clearly indicating she had realized the truth. Her words also carried a hint of sarcasm—she was obviously upset.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Qiu Tu decided to come clean. "Yes, I have a way to remove the curse."

Qiu Tu was referring to the fact that his cataclysmic abilities were unique, allowing him to nullify such curses. However, Qin Shuman interpreted this as Qiu Tu admitting that his previous identity was extraordinary, and that such a low-level curse was of little concern to him​.

Qin Shuman, after her thorough inspection of Qiu Tu, came to a realization that solidified her earlier suspicions: Qiu Tu was not an ordinary person. She was almost certain now that Qiu Tu must have been a high-ranking cataclysmic being in his previous life.

However, this new understanding led to more questions. If Qiu Tu had such power and the means to undo possession, why hadn't he returned to his original body? Why had he remained in the body of "Qiu Tu" for so long? Was it because of Yan Chen, the highest-ranking official he could reach in this identity?

As she pondered these questions, Qin Shuman considered what kind of person or organization would want to investigate Yan Chen. Reflecting on Qiu Tu’s actions over the past few days, she noticed that he hadn't shown much interest in the Investigation Department, anti-government forces, or even the major merchants. Instead, he seemed most attached to her and the Security Division.

This line of thinking led her to a sudden revelation: "Could he be a private soldier of a military bigwig or an investigator sent by the shelters to the planning area?" she speculated.

However, she couldn’t recall hearing about anyone like that coming to New Realm City for a secret mission. The lack of information only deepened the mystery surrounding Qiu Tu, making him seem even more enigmatic.

Faced with this uncertainty, Qin Shuman decided to suppress her curiosity about Qiu Tu's true identity. She knew that those who worked in secret were highly sensitive about their real identities. So far, Qiu Tu hadn’t harmed her or threatened the interests of the Security Division or the military, so there was no pressing need to uncover his secrets. For now, she thought it best to continue working with him, especially since the case they were handling might involve anti-government forces. Helping Qiu Tu could end up benefiting her as well, possibly even earning her some merit.

With her thoughts settled, Qin Shuman adjusted her mood and told Qiu Tu, "Since you can remove the curse, there's no need for me to worry. Let's continue analyzing the case."

She paused before adding, "What we can confirm now is that Yin Caimei was indeed murdered, and the likely culprits are the anti-government forces she was involved with, specifically the RUF."

"As for the murder weapon, given the curse you have, there's a 90% chance it came from that banned book she was carrying."

Qin Shuman then tapped the Mist Index Book in her hand and said, "So, our next step is to confirm the murder weapon. Even though the probability is high, in an investigation, we don't need 90% or even 99% certainty—we need 100%!"

"It’s possible that something else you and Yin Caimei both encountered—like drinking the same water or eating the same food—could have caused you both to suffer the same curse."

"There's even a slim chance that someone in the Investigation Department could have recklessly or deliberately spread the curse randomly."

Qin Shuman’s expression turned serious as she emphasized, "In investigations, we must be thorough. So, let's confirm the murder weapon first before moving on to the next deduction."

Qiu Tu nodded, acknowledging that, as a novice investigator, he was far less experienced than Qin Shuman. However, he was quick to follow her guidance, saying, "That copy of Brave New World is still in the investigation team's temporary office. I'll retrieve it now and compare it with the cataclysmic curse on Yin Caimei's body."

He turned to leave, but just as he reached the door and grasped the handle, he heard the sound of heavy boots approaching from outside. The footsteps grew louder, eventually stopping right in front of the morgue door.

Qiu Tu's brow furrowed slightly, and he released the door handle. At that moment, the door handle turned a few times, accompanied by a rattling sound, but the door didn’t open because Qiu Tu had locked it when he entered.

The person outside hesitated for a moment, then asked in a deep voice, "Who's in there?"

The voice made Qiu Tu freeze, his heart skipping a beat—it was the voice of his superior, Zheng Tao, the Head of the Interrogation Office and a trusted aide of Yan Chen and Jia Shu.

"What’s he doing here?" Qiu Tu wondered, his unease growing​.

Author's Note