In the Name of Divine Powers, Part 13

At four in the afternoon, heavy rain began to fall. To avoid casualties, Zhang Like made the snap decision to call the team back.

"Zhang Like, I order you to continue the mission!"

Lü Jinshan's call came through, and everyone sheltering from the rain heard him clearly.

Zhang Like replied, "Station chief, visibility at the site is under thirty meters, and there are already signs of a small flash flood in the river channel. We have to suspend the mission to avoid casualties."

Lü Jinshan ordered him without relenting, "This order came from Team Leader Lin. On top of that, the case is under the Martial Marquis's direct supervision. Even if the mountain collapses, you still have to search."

A case under the Martial Marquis's direct supervision.

The weight of those words forced Zhang Like to deliberate for a moment. Lu Zhao also realized that things really weren't simple.

There was more to this fugitive than they had been told.

In the end, Zhang Like decided to suspend the mission anyway.

At that moment, even the slower-witted among them sensed the tension.

Though checks and balances existed, the station chief generally had the final word. This was the first time they had seen Zhang Like openly defy Lü Jinshan.

That was hardly good for unity.

The rain eased, and the sky grew dark.

As everyone prepared to return to camp, Lu Zhao reached the foot of the mountain and suddenly felt as though he were being watched. He whirled around, only to see birds and beasts fleeing from the distant treetops.

"What is it?"

Zhang Like grew alert.

Lu Zhao stared into the distance for a long moment, but he could no longer feel the gaze. He replied, "I felt someone watching us. It could have been a demonic beast, but whatever it was has already run off. Do you need me to chase it?"

Zhang Like shook his head. "It's too dangerous. Since it's gone, there's no need to chase it down. At worst, I'll write another report when we get back."

If Lü Jinshan hadn't requested it, they would theoretically have had the right to refuse to help search the mountain.

The border station and the special task force belonged to different systems. Border police were only responsible for emergency duties such as counterterrorism, major violent crimes, and disaster response. Yet now, over a hundred people had been mobilized to search the mountain, leaving the other mountain areas around Ant Ridge without patrols.

If something did go wrong, Zhang Like would be held responsible, and Lu Zhao was his biggest trump card.

Zhang Like usually looked out for Lu Zhao, and in turn, Lu Zhao helped keep him from committing a serious dereliction of duty.

He couldn't bear to let Lu Zhao take the risk.

On the fourth day, the officers at the border station were full of complaints, leaving Lü Jinshan no choice but to call off the operation.

That same day, Lü Jinshan was formally censured.

Chapter 15: Contact

June 1, Children's Day.

An announcement came over the border station's loudspeakers.

[On May 12, 3242, a Fate Bone was stolen in Lin City. This Fate Bone is a nationally controlled item of the highest importance. An investigation has confirmed that Comrade Lü Jinshan, chief of Ant Ridge Border Station, committed serious dereliction of duty in this case. The findings are hereby announced as follows...]

In his room, Lu Zhao drank Lang Brand Tequ and couldn't help laughing aloud.

Although Lü Jinshan hadn't been disciplined or suspended, a censure like this would go into his personal file and hinder his future promotions.

It counted as getting one back.

Lu Zhao used the detector to check the results of the past five days.

[Vitality: 36.2]

He tore off a sheet of paper, folded it into a plane, and threw it out the window. The paper plane caught the wind and rose.

Five hundred meters, one thousand meters, one thousand fifty meters. The paper plane disappeared beyond the range of Lu Zhao's perception.

"Fifty meters more."

Lu Zhao also tested the strength of his telekinesis.

He filled a small bag with rice, gradually adding more until he reached his limit, then put it on an electronic scale. The result was 41.5 grams.

A full 1.5-gram increase!

Divine Abilities of the same type had different inclinations. Lu Zhao's Divine Ability was specialized for control, allowing him to manipulate inanimate objects with millimeter-level precision.

Though he couldn't simply move objects weighing hundreds of jin, he could use firearms to unleash tremendous killing power. An increase of one gram was enormous for him.

For example, the projectile of a Federation 12.7mm anti-materiel round weighed 46 grams.

With another 4.5 grams, he could use an anti-materiel sniper rifle. When that happened, his combat power would make a qualitative leap.

Not to mention that Lu Zhao also had the cultivation technique the old Daoist had given him, so he didn't have to rely on vitality alone to force his Divine Ability to grow like everyone else.

Growing stronger at a rate he could see left Lu Zhao feeling more fulfilled than ever before.

Lu Zhao smiled more as he walked around, no longer the cold-faced oddball he used to be.

The subtle change was like a pebble tossed into still water. Colleagues who had previously only exchanged nods with him began to wave and greet him of their own accord. A few young female clerks he didn't know caught the warmth in his eyes and brows and worked up the courage to approach him for a few words.

The atmosphere around him had a subtle influence. Back then, Lu Zhao had been most popular around the time he entered the top thirty in his grade.

At the time, Lu Zhao had still loved to smile.

Later, he developed insomnia from overusing his mental power, which indirectly gave him a pair of eyes full of a "dead man's air."

It was as though he looked at everyone with hostility.

When he reached the parking lot, a short-haired woman was standing in front of his battered little police pickup.

Liu Qiang was talking to her, his face as red as a baboon's backside.

When Lu Zhao approached, the two stopped talking, and the short-haired woman turned around.

She wore a black uniform and had a shapely figure. Her defined features, paired with her short hair, gave her an even sharper look.

Someone from the special task force.

As soon as Lin Zhiyan saw Lu Zhao in person, she took her eyes off Liu Qiang and turned them to his handsome features.

Lu Zhao saluted, neither servile nor overbearing. "Hello, officer."

"Lin Zhiyan."

She held out her hand, the corners of her mouth lifting in a slight smile. Her unconsciously raised chin revealed a hint of pride.

"I'm a graduate of Imperial Capital's thirty-sixth mental department class. Senior Lu, I wonder if you've heard of me?"

"There are a lot of people at Imperial Capital. I couldn't possibly remember every one of them."

Lu Zhao reached out and gave her hand a light shake, letting go as soon as they touched.

Her skin was smooth, and her palm was dry. June in the South Sea was hot, which meant she habitually wiped her hands or used some method to suppress perspiration.

She probably had a cleanliness obsession.

A host of useless details flashed through Lu Zhao's mind. It was an unconscious habit of his.

Lin Zhiyan helped jog his memory. "In year thirty-nine, you filled in for a teacher as an outstanding student, Senior. I was one of the students in the audience. Or perhaps you've heard a little about me from the rankings."

She said "heard a little," but placed particular emphasis on the words.

Lu Zhao could hear it. A compliment at this point, pretending to know who she was, might have been better.

"I taught a lot of classes. I can't remember them all."

The problem was that she was here to investigate him in the first place, so why have any more contact with her than necessary?

"..."

Lin Zhiyan's smile stiffened for a moment.

Such genuine forgetfulness and honesty without a trace of ingratiation left her speechless at once. For the first time in her life, Lin Zhiyan experienced an awkward silence.

All her life, it had been other people racking their brains to get close to her.

Fortunately, she wasn't a spoiled scion, so she didn't lose her temper. She quickly adjusted her expression.

"Senior, you've been here for four years. Have you noticed anything unusual?"

Lu Zhao replied, "The mountains are still mountains, and the forests are still forests. Nothing's amiss."

"But with your qualifications, staying at this little border station is unusual in itself."

A light shone in Lin Zhiyan's clear eyes, leaving Liu Qiang, who stood beside them, staring in a daze.

A kind of mental charm.

Lu Zhao, however, was completely unaffected. As a mental-type transcendent himself, he had resistance to it.

This junior he had never met before had probably developed her mental power inward, specializing in mental attacks and bewitchment, as well as certain abilities for searching memories.

He said, "The country needed me, so I came."

Lin Zhiyan tilted her head slightly, looking a little taken aback. Then, realizing that neither mental bewitchment nor attempts to get close to him would work, she got straight to the point. "Senior, you killed Greenwood's bandits. Didn't you find anything else?"

"That item is very important. Nothing can be allowed to happen to it. If you found it, I can put you forward for a commendation from the higher-ups."

Lu Zhao said, "You can read my report."

"..."

Lin Zhiyan had nothing to say. She could only turn and leave.

Liu Qiang watched until Lin Zhiyan had disappeared completely. Lu Zhao kicked him in the backside and said, "Never seen a woman before? Get in the car."

"Heh heh heh, I've never seen one that pretty. Brother Lu, graduating from Imperial Capital really makes you different. Even your classmates are important people."

Liu Qiang climbed into the driver's seat and was still muttering as the vehicle pulled away from the border station. "If only I could get a wife like that. Too bad I don't have your face, Brother Lu."

Lu Zhao said, "Having my face wouldn't help you either. High-born families like that care about matching social status. If one came looking for you, she'd just want to play with you."

Back when he was at school, he had heard more than once about what had happened to Chen Qian's boyfriends.

Men might not care much about chastity, but the people at the top were already bored with the things ordinary people could think of. They played far more elaborate games than common folk.

Good looks were a scarce resource, but they could never be the capital someone used to turn their life around.