In the Name of Divine Powers, Section 15

Just last year, armed men had still been a frequent sight across the mountains.

They had effectively established a foothold in the Miye Three Rivers and gathered the surviving populations of the South Sea nations, but the Federation did not recognize them as a nation.

First, they had no organized military. Second, their system of rule was far too Renaissance-like: they had even restored slavery. Third, their territory was a preserve for terrorist organizations such as Greenwood.

According to rough aerial surveys, the Miye Three Rivers had a conservatively estimated population of 200 million, the area north of North Mountain had five million, the Luzon Islands had 100 million, and Central Asia had ten million.

They existed as scattered city-states, religions, organizations, and even tribes. Clinging to the remnants of the old era, they eked out a living as they waited to be destroyed by the next calamity.

Some scholars had proposed that the so-called beast tides and calamities were caused by a life form whose development had gone too far, leaving its swollen power beyond its control.

Just as a supreme powerhouse would emerge when each dynasty finally fell, such a being was known in modern times as an Ancient God.

"...The large and small forces surrounding the Federation are basically all preserves for terrorist organizations."

Once Lu Zhao had finished explaining, Liu Qiang asked, "Why not send the army to wipe them out?"

"You can't kill them all or root them out completely. Besides, there are plenty of ordinary people among them who just want to stay alive."

Lu Zhao paused, then answered, "At the same time, nobody wants to see another Cangwu City. The foreigners it took in back then are still causing frequent problems today."

It was a mess that remained unresolved. To this day, Cangwu City's 200 million foreigners still had no household registration.

Just then, an emergency call came through on both men's police radios.

[Two colleagues have lost contact in Ant Ridge Zone Three. Proceed immediately to investigate and provide support.]

The police pickup turned and headed down another road.

Looking at the navigation on his phone, Lu Zhao said, "It's less than five kilometers away, in the next jurisdiction over."

Liu Qiang said, "This is the first time anyone's lost contact in two years. Could there be a large demonic beast?"

"It probably isn't a demonic beast. Otherwise, they couldn't have failed to call for help. If it is one, it's probably a special demonic beast with an ability. None of them are easy to deal with."

As he spoke, Lu Zhao called Zhang Like and explained the situation.

"Old Zhang, bring me a sniper rifle. A regular rifle won't be enough."

The voice on the other end said, "Just don't run off with the gun afterward."

Fifteen minutes later, Lu Zhao and Liu Qiang were at the foot of a mountain.

The sun had already set, and a misty drizzle had begun to fall in the mountains. Like dirty cotton batting soaked in leaden gray, it wrapped the primeval forest on the border in a tight embrace.

It was cold, as though giving some kind of warning.

"Stay in the car. Don't turn off the engine."

Lu Zhao got out with his gun and spread his spiritual power in all directions. He soon locked onto something not far ahead: a pickup bearing border patrol markings, parked at the end of a forest path.

The driver's door was open. Before Lu Zhao had even approached, he smelled blood. His spiritual power detected no medium or large life forms within fifty meters.

"Reporting to headquarters: vehicle located."

Lu Zhao gave a further report, then picked up his rifle and approached slowly.

Inside the vehicle, two corpses sat with their heads lowered, their throats cut open by some kind of sharp weapon. Blood had flowed out of the vehicle.

"Badge numbers 8955 and 8933, confirmed dead."

Lu Zhao reported over the radio, his voice heavy.

He then walked around the vehicle. Its wheels had sunk completely into the ground, and the surrounding soil was packed down in a peculiar way.

Not far from the vehicle, he found a pool of blood that looked like the initial scene.

Moving closer to examine it, Lu Zhao noticed two severely deformed bullets.

They showed none of the usual signs of shattering on impact. Instead, they looked as though they had been instantly melted by intense heat and then rapidly cooled.

Clearly, some kind of Divine Ability had caused it.

After looking around, Lu Zhao slowly withdrew without disturbing the scene.

Another twenty minutes passed, and heavily armed border police began arriving one after another.

A police helicopter appeared overhead, circling the area.

Zhang Like led the team. When he saw the two dead colleagues in the vehicle, a shadow fell over his face.

No death was a small matter, much less the deaths of two police officers.

"What have you got?"

He turned to ask Lu Zhao, who was handling a sniper rifle nearby.

The 7.62 mm high-precision sniper rifle was currently the Federation's standard police sniper rifle, and it could make the most of Lu Zhao's ability.

Lu Zhao was concise. "There are tracks from three people. I can confirm that two were extraordinary beings, one earth-attribute and one metal-attribute."

Feeling the pressure, Zhang Like couldn't resist lighting a cigarette. Blowing out clouds of smoke, he said, "They're probably from Greenwood. Only those lunatics would dare be this brazen. Two of our colleagues are dead. If we don't catch these people, this won't end well."

"This morning, I saw an overloaded vehicle. Its license plate was 7105**."

Lu Zhao's sudden suggestion left Zhang Like looking puzzled, so he explained, "Five Elements Divine Abilities often affect the body. For example, fire-attribute extraordinary beings generally have a body temperature of forty degrees, and the blood of metal-attribute ones is as though it's been filled with lead."

He had only glanced at the oncoming vehicle in passing, but seven or eight hours later, he still had a clear picture of it in his mind.

The model, the license plate, the tires...

That was another benefit of a spiritual-type Divine Ability: a photographic memory.

Zhang Like said, "You're sure they're the culprits based on that alone?"

Lu Zhao continued to recall, "The vast majority of freight transported along the Ant Ridge national highway travels long distances. Vans are only suitable for short trips, so they rarely appear here.

"And through the windows, I could see three people inside, with no cargo."

Normally, he wouldn't have thought so much about it, but two police officers were dead, which made the vehicle highly suspicious.

After hearing Lu Zhao's analysis, Zhang Like said admiringly, "With your powers of observation, you should be working narcotics instead of staying on border patrol."

Lu Zhao smiled. "What I've been doing these past four years is no different from narcotics work."

"True."

Zhang Like's phone rang.

Lu Zhao stood nearby and watched as calls came in to Zhang Like from Lü Jinshan, then from the county level and the circuit level. Many leaders he rarely saw called to ask about the situation.

Death was common in the world today, and violent crime was commonplace. At least ten bodies were dumped at Cangwu City's Triangle River Mouth every day.

But the Federation authorities had not treated it as normal, and crimes of a provocative nature directed at the authorities in particular would be met with a swift, severe crackdown.

Of course, that only applied to people with household registration. Those without it fell under the Outer Vassal Comprehensive Administration Bureau, which often closed cases sloppily for the sake of efficiency.

When someone without household registration died, it was no different from a stray dog dying by the roadside.

Lu Zhao had lived in Cangwu City for six years, and he could understand the authorities' policy of separation. Ultimately, there were simply too many people. The South Sea East Circuit now had a population of 300 million, and only two-fifths were Hua People.

And as time went on, their numbers would grow.

In response, the Federation, which still retained some of the character of a classical empire, used an ancient method to govern them: it did not grant household registration to non-Hua people.

Without household registration, they naturally did not count as people.

Their cheap labor was needed, but there was no intention of taking on much of the cost of governing them. They were commonly known as "expendables."

Humanity had to give way to the pressure of survival. All truth lay in the hands of the extraordinary.

Chapter 18: A Warrior of Steel

Night fell completely, and the border police had found nothing. They could only return, burning with anger.

Zhang Like said, "The killers are most likely from Greenwood. They were trying to force the whereabouts of the Fate Bone out of them. As the last witness, you may have been exposed already, so don't go out for the time being."

"All right."

Feeling a slight sense of urgency, Lu Zhao said, "Help me apply for permission to carry a gun."

Zhang Like nodded. "A handgun shouldn't be a problem."

Word reached the traffic police department, and in just half an hour, the police identified the suspect vehicle.

The investigation was left to the police, while Lu Zhao and the others returned to the border station.

Lu Zhao first asked Liu Qiang to take the demonic beast's corpse to the logistics department, while he needed to return to the dormitory for a quick wash.

Demonic beast blood was an ingredient used to make life supplements, but it was highly toxic before processing.

Lu Zhao gave himself a quick rinse, then headed for the logistics department. Before he got close, he could faintly hear an argument.

That hothead Liu Qiang.

Without having to think about it, he knew Liu Qiang had most likely gotten into an argument with someone.

Mo Kun, the head of logistics, was the fourth-ranking person at the border station. He was always skimming off the top in matters like this. He wasn't targeting anyone in particular; he was simply letting everyone know they needed to stay on good terms with him.

"The money will be included in your wages next month."

"Can't you pay us on the spot?"

"This month's quota is full."

Mo Kun held up a newspaper with his legs crossed, not even sparing Liu Qiang a glance.

"How could it be full? Aside from Brother Lu, who else at this border station can hunt demonic beasts? Isn't it always our reinforced platoon that brings them back every month?"

Liu Qiang grew a little agitated and stepped forward to reason with the head of logistics. His raised voice drew the attention of others.

Mo Kun lowered his newspaper and frowned. "If you're unhappy, you can file a complaint. Someone, throw him out."

"Who are you throwing out?"

Lu Zhao's voice came from a distance. He walked into the logistics department and came up to Mo Kun.

He looked down at Mo Kun, his dead-fish eyes making Mo Kun uneasy. Mo Kun lowered his newspaper and changed his tune. "I was just joking with Platoon Leader Lu's man. I'll get the money right away."

Although Mo Kun was a field-grade officer, Lu Zhao's prestige and level of life development were both far higher than his. Mo Kun wasn't stupid enough to confront Lu Zhao head-on.