.....
After a day of experimentation, Qiu Tu had gained a rough understanding of how Loyalty could be increased or decreased.
If he wasn’t mistaken, when Loyalty was relatively low, it could approximate Favorability.
Simply put, the more subordinates liked their superior, the more obedient they would be.
At this time, subordinates obeyed their superiors solely because of the latter’s higher position.
But once Loyalty reached above 60, it was no longer just about favorability, but a kind of Trust Level.
The more subordinates trusted you, the more they listened to you.
At this time, subordinates no longer followed orders simply because of position, but out of personal trust: trust that he could lead them to victory, that he could ensure their safety, that he could help them get promoted and wealthy, that his commands were always correct....
And when Loyalty exceeded 80, it was completely different. This was now about the superior’s unique charm and the influence of their daily interactions.
At that point, subordinates could be said to be the superior’s private soldiers, obeying only their commander’s orders....
The higher the level of Loyalty, the more difficult it was to increase.
As for the method of increasing it, it was quite simple - it was nothing other than the timeless, universal methods of winning people over: helping subordinates out of difficulties, promising them benefits, providing them with interests....
The more moved they were, the more they believed that following you led to a bright future, the more Loyalty would increase.
Thinking of this, Qiu Tu couldn’t help but want to laugh: It seems like his action of sparing Liu Fuping earlier had really moved her....
With these thoughts, Qiu Tu took one more long look in the direction Liu Fuping had left, then finally headed home....
Arriving at the foot of his apartment, Qiu Tu looked up and saw that the lights were still on in his home.
Seeing that dim, warm light, Qiu Tu felt a sudden sense of relief: It seemed Shen Lingshuang had indeed not left... all his careful planning had not been wasted.
With that thought, he slowly ascended the stairs.
Unlocking the front door, the first thing Qiu Tu saw was Shen Lingshuang asleep on the sofa.
The girl must have been truly exhausted. She lay there, hands clasped and resting beside her face, deeply asleep.
Qiu Tu slowed his pace, not wanting to disturb this peaceful scene.
After silently watching the girl for a moment, Qiu Tu quietly shut the door behind him and walked over to her, gently picking her up around the waist.
Feeling someone lifting her, the girl immediately started struggling. At this moment, Qiu Tu softly said, "It’s me. Go back to sleep."
Perhaps there was something genuinely comforting about Qiu Tu’s voice, because upon hearing him, the girl actually fell asleep again in his arms....
Seeing this, Qiu Tu smiled, then carried the girl into the house.
The inside and outside of the house were cleaned spotlessly by the girl, even the bed sheets were changed, making her look like a hardworking and dutiful country maid.
Qiu Tu gently placed her on the bed, and then went to wash up in the small bathroom.
After freshening up, Qiu Tu turned off the light, took off his overcoat, and lay down beside the girl.
With one arm around the girl and the other behind his head, Qiu Tu’s mind was free of any distractions.
He lay with his eyes open, looking at the ceiling, quietly contemplating the murderer who had killed the female spy.
Liu Fuping’s unexpected visit tonight, although revealing her mole identity, had also led Qiu Tu to "basically" exclude her from suspicion.
Liu Fuping’s behavior was entirely in line with how a mole would act when fearing "collateral damage" or "stray hits."
Hmm... Qiu Tu, who also harbored secrets and feared ’stray hits’, could very well understand that state.
Excluding Liu Fuping, there were only four other people with substantial suspicion: two agents from the operations team, the recorder Song Qing, and the Pharmacist Wang Xi.
Although Liu Fuping came with ulterior motives, her analysis was not wrong; among the other three, Wang Xi indeed had a significantly higher level of suspicion.
’So, is there any way to test Wang Xi?’ Qiu Tu pondered.
As he thought, Qiu Tu suddenly remembered the new Golden Finger [Loyalty Game] he had acquired.
The Loyalty Game had two effects. In addition to passively indicating changes in Loyalty, there was also an active effect: initiating the Loyalty Game.
This "[Start Loyalty Game]" requires a threshold of loyalty points.
Among Qiu Tu’s subordinates at the Investigation Bureau, not a single one could initiate the game.
It wasn’t until he returned home tonight and saw Ah-Tai, Eagle, and a few others that he realized the game could be started.
At that time, he briefly glanced over the game’s introduction, and it vaguely seemed to be a "[combat game]," where winning could yield information, loyalty points, and other rewards?
Thinking this, Qiu Tu silently invoked in his heart, "[Start Loyalty Game]."
Indeed, the next second, a row of prompts appeared before him.
[Loyalty Game initiation threshold: 60, 90.]
[First game initiators include: Ah-Tai, Eagle, Ah-Kun, Monkey....., Shen Lingshuang.]
[Second game initiators include: Ah-Tai, Eagle.]
Qiu Tu didn’t aim too high and chose the first game first.
Immediately, the introduction for the first game popped up.
[As a boss, you can designate a subordinate with a loyalty above 60 to "attack" another subordinate every night.]
[The two will engage in fierce combat in a dreamscape. If the attacker wins, you will receive memory fragments, intelligence, and loyalty points as rewards related to the attacked subordinate.]
[If the attacked subordinate has special talents, there is also a chance to obtain related Cataclysmic Materials, Cataclysm Props, etc....]
After reading the game introduction, Qiu Tu was instantly invigorated!
This game is strong!
Not only can you get loyalty points, but also memory fragments and intelligence?
That alone would have sufficed. But if any of his subordinates turned out to be Cataclysmics, who knows, he might get some precious Cataclysmic Materials and Cataclysmic treasures. He could rapidly enhance his strength.
With these thoughts, Qiu Tu didn’t delay any further and tried to initiate the first game.
The selection of participants for the game was unsurprising.
On his side was Ah-Tai, a burly man over one meter ninety, covered in sinewy muscle.
The enemy, of course, was the subordinate Qiu Tu intended to investigate tonight: Wang Xi.
Once the game participants were selected, the next second, a tiny screen popped up in front of Qiu Tu.
On the screen, Ah-Tai’s pixel character was beating up on Wang Xi’s pixel character with gusto.
As for why it was possible to tell them apart...
Well, aside from the pixel characters bearing an uncanny resemblance to their respective appearance features, it was also because... Ah-Tai held a tiny hammer in his hand, while Wang Xi was embracing a medical injector nearly his own height....
So, in front of Qiu Tu, Ah-Tai’s pixel character was "ding ding dang dang" hammering away at Wang Xi’s pixel character, while Wang Xi’s pixel character, getting hammered, occasionally jabbed Ah-Tai with the massive injector.
At first, Qiu Tu watched the pixel characters’ battle with great interest, but it didn’t take long for him to find... that the scene was almost in a constant loop, without any change.
This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.
Eventually, he grew tired of watching it. He simply turned off the game and went to sleep, cuddling Shen Lingshuang, the soft girl.
However, what he didn’t know was that no sooner had he fallen asleep than Ah-Tai’s pixel character let out a roar, his tiny hammer struck 18 times on Wang Xi’s head and burst forth with an item shaped like an envelope.
And Wang Xi’s pixel character not only looked bruised and battered, but also had a prompt above his head that read, "[Loyalty +3]..."
...
The azure moon hung high above the pitch-black firmament, casting a deep and serene glow.
In its light, the myriad crumbling buildings of Xinjie City cast dancing shadows that mingled with the darkness below, forming an eerie and mysterious tapestry.
And so, the night passed without an incident.
Early next morning, Qiu Tu was awakened by a scream...
----