Pummeling the Superior

Pummeling the Superior

The twenty-sixth day since crossing over.

That night, after relentlessly fleecing the sheep, there was nothing major left to do in town, and things had settled down considerably.

Unable to find anyone to do good deeds for, Lin Wen had worked all day without accumulating even 1 point of Good Karma. Feeling somewhat dispirited, he made himself a meal of greens and radish rice that barely fit the atmosphere of cultivation before recovering a little vitality.

Just then, Little Li hurried over and informed him that there was an emergency meeting he had to attend.

Lin Wen had not wanted to go. Rather than waste time in a meeting, he might as well make another mad dash—perhaps he could discover another useful new way to die?

But on second thought, the town's situation was deteriorating by the day. If this continued, forget 100 days—even after 1,000 days, he might not be able to scrape together 50 points of Good Karma. And if he still could not find a perfect way to die, would he not be stuck here awkwardly?

Cultivation was clearly right before his eyes, yet he was forced to muddle around in the physical world. That was far too miserable, like being cuckolded right in front of his face.

So this could not go on.

He had to make a change.

Attending a meeting and broadening his horizons might reveal another path.

This was a good thing.

Having made up his mind, Lin Wen got into the car with Little Li.

It was the only motor vehicle in the entire town, already so dilapidated it was falling apart. Its engine was exposed, and it had to be hand-cranked to start.

The wreck had no shock absorption system whatsoever. Lin Wen spent over an hour on pitch-black mountain roads enjoying the thrill of being jolted into the sky before reaching their destination.

East Grain Town.

Though it was still shabby and backward, this town was vastly better than Lin Wen's dump of a town. At the very least, it carried a faint air of civilization.

It had paved roads, lit streetlamps, small two-story houses with courtyards, and even an open-air barbecue stall.

Lin Wen finally felt a trace of familiarity, as though he had arrived in a tiny city from his previous life, somewhere beyond the eighteenth-tier fringe.

With driving skills embarrassing even F1 racers from his previous life, Little Li flung the car to a stop in a large courtyard. Before the two wheels still hanging in the air had even turned back down, he leaped out and shouted, "Mayor Lin, hurry! We're going to be late!"

Lin Wen nearly threw up, but he still forced himself to walk inside.

Amid low houses and dim lights, in an atmosphere like an underground Party rendezvous, Lin Wen finally met his other colleagues in this world.

There were around ten of them. Every one was dusty and grimy, their faces weathered by hardship, like a group of old farmers.

Only the one standing looked slightly better. He wore an old formal suit and looked to be in his forties. With gold-rimmed glasses, he resembled an office drone whose every edge had long since been worn smooth.

"Little Lin is here. Take a seat; the meeting will begin shortly," the man said.

Lin Wen deliberately chose a corner seat beside Little Li and asked in a low voice, "Who is he?"

Little Li looked at him in astonishment. "That's Commandery Governor Zhao Anping. You don't recognize him?"

"Oh."

Lin Wen nodded. So this was his direct superior.

A few minutes later, the meeting officially began. The middle-aged office drone started discussing flood-control matters. Lin Wen could not understand him, nor could he make sense of the various technical terms and place names. Before long, he was nodding off, thinking that humans were all the same wherever they went.

Half asleep, he suddenly heard, "The mayors and village heads of every town and village must properly carry out the flood-control work assigned by Imperial Headquarters. Thoroughly inspect the safety of every dike. Town and village officials must personally be on the front lines and ensure that nothing goes wrong. Remember, behind you stand the lives and property of over a million people in Long Mountain Commandery. Whoever dares to take one step back will be treated as deserting before the enemy under military law..."

Like a bolt from the blue, the words struck his thoughts. Lin Wen sprang to his feet at once, and every trace of drowsiness vanished without a trace.

Going onto the dikes and guarding the dams—was that not protecting the lives of the common people?

Was that not fulfilling a mayor's duty?

If he died because of it, would not both Star of Salvation and Duty-Bound Person be fulfilled?

He had just been wondering how to achieve the perfect death and reincarnate into cultivation as soon as possible. Had this opportunity not delivered itself right to him?

The flood surged fiercely, an unstoppable natural disaster. I fought with all my strength to defend the dike, but human strength has its limits. I was swept away by the flood while guarding it and died in the line of duty. Wasn't that a common and easily conceivable outcome?

Ahahaha!

And not just that.

Guarding the dike would definitely earn Good Karma. Before reincarnating, I could farm a huge wave of Good Karma too!

This was simply killing two birds with one arrow—no, three birds with one arrow!

Haha! Just as I got sleepy, someone brought me a pillow. I really am the child of destiny.

Lin Wen had just been about to throw his head back and laugh when a glance from the corner of his eye showed him that everyone had turned to stare at him. Commandery Governor Zhao Anping looked particularly displeased, his face full of irritation at having his speech interrupted by some little lackey.

Uh, I got a little carried away. This was not yet the cultivation world where I could act as I pleased and settle grudges with swift satisfaction. I had to rein myself in. I absolutely could not mess up this mission.

Lin Wen instantly changed his expression and shouted, "Commandery Governor Zhao is absolutely right! This concerns the lives and safety of countless people. We must never be careless or negligent, much less flee before battle. For this flood-control effort, I will personally go to the front lines, personally inspect the riverbanks and dikes, stay awake through the night, and never rest until death. If anyone objects, I'll be the first to disagree!"

To be honest, the lines were a little awkward, and he had not quite grasped the essence of them, but in an emergency, this was the best he could manage.

Besides, Lin Wen was not very good at this sort of thing. Being able to say it at all was already not bad.

As soon as his words fell, the expressions around him varied. Only Commandery Governor Zhao relaxed. "Little Lin is quite politically aware this time. Well said—you have the speaking standards of the Governor-General's Office. Next time, remember to wait until I finish before jumping up."

A burst of good-natured laughter rose around the room. Lin Wen knew he had passed the test; the effect should have been decent.

Commandery Governor Zhao continued, "Since Little Lin is so politically aware this time, I'll assign the section of dike at Changpai Village to you."

The moment those words fell, the entire meeting room went silent. Only the sound of Commandery Governor Zhao sitting down and drinking tea remained.

Though he did not look at him, Lin Wen could feel Commandery Governor Zhao's gaze fixed on him the entire time.

At this moment, no matter how foolish Lin Wen was, he understood that whether this stretch of dike was important or not, it was certainly the most dangerous.

"It's really here..."

Lin Wen's body trembled slightly. He could scarcely believe it was real.

Commandery Governor Zhao took two sips of tea and set the cup on the table. The soft thunk could be heard throughout the meeting room. He glanced at Lin Wen's trembling hands and said with a smile, "Little Lin, don't talk so big in the future. That makes it hard for everyone to back down..."

"Wonderful!"

Lin Wen roared, forcibly cutting off Commandery Governor Zhao. He was terrified that if the man continued, he would ruin the heaven-sent opportunity Lin Wen had worked so hard to obtain.

"This is precisely the opportunity I have dreamed of—to sacrifice myself for the Empire! It is precisely the opportunity to prove the talents and abilities I have cultivated for thirty years, to display my ambitions!"

"Please, Commandery Governor Zhao, rest assured and entrust this task to me. I will complete it with the devotion of my entire life. This task can be done by no one but me; no one else can do it!"

The veins on Lin Wen's forehead bulged, and his fists clenched tightly. He looked as though, if Commandery Governor Zhao refused to let him go, he would throw a punch and pummel his superior.