He wore a crisp white uniform, with the Red Chicken Rope of commendation from the first Chief Executive since the handover on his chest.
Looking particularly radiant, Sir Kwan approached the Presidium with firm, powerful strides.
At that moment, as he looked at the senior Hong Kong Government officials before him, Zhou Quan found it difficult to calm himself.
From that day onward, he would become the youngest member of the Police Force's core management since the handover.
Most importantly, he was the head of the newly established National Security Department, making him a member of the Hong Kong Government's National Security Committee.
Within the entire Police Force, only he and the Police Force Number One held that status.
Even across all of Hong Kong Island, there were only a dozen or so such people.
By the standards of the Hong Kong Government's civil service system, an Assistant Commissioner of the Hong Kong Island Police Force ranked below the heads of the government's bureaux and departments.
But in terms of actual power, as a member of the core management of the foremost of Hong Kong Island's Disciplined Services, an Assistant Commissioner undoubtedly stood at the top of the island's pyramid of power.
Moreover, Zhou Quan was not merely an Assistant Commissioner of the Police Force, but also a member of the Hong Kong Government's National Security Committee.
In present-day Hong Kong Island, setting aside the powerful figures dispatched by or directly subordinate to the Motherland,
among the Hong Kong Government authorities alone, only the senior figures on the Presidium before him could stand above Zhou Quan.
In certain specialized matters, even the Senior Assistant Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners in the Police Force's core management were somewhat below Zhou Quan.
For Zhou Quan, heading the National Security Department would mark a