In the Name of Divine Powers, Section 18

For example, back in the company, Zhang Like considered himself a man who loved his soldiers like his own children, yet the grunts preferred Lu Zhao, even though Lu Zhao was the strictest of all.

"How about..."

Before he could finish, Lu Zhao's face had already turned black as the bottom of a pot.

"Sigh... You're just too stubborn. What a waste of that face. If I were you, I'd have screwed my kidneys to pieces by now."

Zhang Like sighed, but he knew what Lu Zhao was like. If Lu Zhao had been willing, he wouldn't have ended up where he was today.

But he couldn't say Lu Zhao was wrong to think that way.

Beliefs that conformed to public order, good customs, and morality shouldn't be criticized in the name of knowing how the world worked.

That would be far too patronizing.

Chapter 21: Thirty Years East of the River, Thirty Years West

News of Lü Jinshan and Zhang Like's huge row quickly spread throughout the border station.

The people at the station were already used to it.

This wasn't the first time. At first, Lu Zhao had kicked up a fuss on his own. Later, he saved Zhang Like's life, and the two of them started doing it together.

The station leadership could do nothing about them. Within the system, aside from holding back their promotions, there was really no other way to suppress Lu Zhao and Zhang Like.

Lin Zhiyan also heard the news. "This Zhang Like is quite loyal, isn't he?"

Her deputy asked, "Team Leader, Lu Zhao is quite capable, and his background is clean. Should we bring him in to help? After all, more fugitives may come through later."

The exact number of fate bones in that Ming dynasty prince's tomb remained unknown, and the fate bones would most likely be taken abroad.

One batch was headed for Miye Three Rivers. There were many routes from the South Sea region to Miye Three Rivers, and Ant Ridge was one of dozens.

The county had ordered them to stay here and help the local authorities intercept the fugitives.

"We can recruit him, but we can't be the ones to make the first move."

A faint smile curved Lin Zhiyan's thin lips. Lu Zhao's file lay on the desk before her, and as she looked down at it, she seemed to have him in the palm of her hand already.

"He can extend his spiritual power outward over a range of a thousand meters. At five hundred meters, his precision reaches the millimeter level, and within a hundred meters, he can use divine sight. Senior Lu is talented, but someone too proud is prickly to work with. He needs to be taken down a notch."

Her deputy said no more.

It seemed their encounter that day had left Team Leader Lin very displeased with him.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone knocked, and Zhang Like pushed open the door to the special investigation team's temporary office alone.

Lin Zhiyan folded her hands and asked a question she already knew the answer to. "What brings you here, Captain Zhang?"

"I'd like to ask you a favor, Team Leader Lin."

Thick-skinned as ever, Zhang Like put on a flattering smile. "I have a very capable comrade under my command who would be a great help in the upcoming arrest operation. But because of a disciplinary issue, his application to join the team has been held up."

Lin Zhiyan named him. "You mean Lu Zhao, Captain Zhang?"

An expectant look appeared on Zhang Like's face. "Good, you know him, Team Leader Lin. So, what do you think?"

"Unfortunately, the special investigation team doesn't have the authority to assign personnel. We'd have to apply to our superiors as well."

Lin Zhiyan shook her head, pretending to be troubled.

"Others might not be able to do it, but I'm sure you can find a way, Team Leader Lin." Zhang Like grinned and rubbed his hands together like a fly, showing no concern for his dignity.

In theory, Lü Jinshan was one rank above Lin Zhiyan, but the actual power they wielded was on a different level.

The former's authority extended no further than the Ant Ridge area at most, while the latter's could reach across the entire South Sea West Circuit.

Lin Zhiyan said, "Are you asking me to overstep my authority to assign Lu Zhao, Captain Zhang, and offend Station Chief Lü and our colleagues throughout the defense city?"

"That's putting it too seriously, far too seriously." Zhang Like waved his hands repeatedly. "Lu Zhao is just a nobody. It wouldn't reach that far."

"Then where is he now?" Lin Zhiyan asked.

She extended her spiritual power outward but detected no sign of Lu Zhao.

"I'll bring him over right now!"

Zhang Like immediately turned as if to leave. Lin Zhiyan sighed softly and said:

"There's no need. I have official business to attend to shortly. Tell him to come find me whenever he has time."

Zhang Like understood. She wanted Lu Zhao to wait outside the door.

He felt things were uncertain again. Lu Zhao wasn't completely inflexible, but he strongly resisted surrendering all initiative.

If Lin Zhiyan made her position clear and explained what it would take for her to help, Lu Zhao would accept it.

The problem was that asking someone for a favor was like this: the side with the advantage wouldn't give you the slightest initiative, wanting only to make you humble yourself.

"I'll go tell him right away."

The door closed.

Lin Yanzhi understood that this had all been Zhang Like's doing, and she couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

She still hoped Lu Zhao would come and ask her himself. Making him bow his proud head would be very enjoyable.

But that would also mean the legend of Imperial Capital's psychic department had had his sharp edges worn away.

Meanwhile, Zhang Like hurriedly found Lu Zhao.

Lu Zhao was checking over his beat-up pickup truck. Driving mountain roads every day meant constant bumps and scrapes, and it broke down often.

Zhang Like explained the situation and said:

"Are you really not going to try? Team Leader Lin isn't bad-looking, and besides, it's not like she's actually asking you to sell your looks."

Lu Zhao lay beneath the truck, inspecting it. "In other words, I'd still have to go beg her, and then she'd decide whether to agree depending on her mood?"

"At least it's a chance."

Zhang Like pulled Lu Zhao out and said, "Wash your face and clean yourself up. Don't let that face go to waste. When you see Team Leader Lin, lower your voice a little. Can you put on a deep, booming voice?"

Lu Zhao declined tactfully. "She's busy right now, and so am I."

Her meaning couldn't have been clearer: he was to wait outside, and whether she would help was another matter entirely.

In the past, Lu Zhao would have gone, but now he no longer needed to. It wasn't that he couldn't accept cooperation; he just couldn't stand people who thought themselves above everyone else.

Neither Chen Qian nor Lin Zhiyan was worth begging.

Zhang Like grew angry, raising his voice slightly. "If you keep being stubborn with me today, I'm going to lose my temper!"

"I begged everyone I could before I finally found you a way out. I've spoken to both the head and deputy head of the special investigation team. You can afford to be proud, but what about your family? Your mother has a heart condition, and your niece has good life development aptitude. Both of those take a lot of money."

"Then I'll give you a serious answer too. First, if I hunt more demonic beasts, I can cover the family's expenses. Second..."

Lu Zhao paused, then said calmly, "If the country needs me, I'll accept any assignment. I won't hesitate to climb a mountain of blades or plunge into a sea of flames."

A week ago, Lu Zhao had bowed his head to Chen Qian, and it had done no good. That was the first time he had bowed his head in his life, and the last.

From then on, he would never bow his head again.

His loyalty was to the country and the people of this land, not to power itself.

"You... sigh!"

Zhang Like had wanted to say more, but somehow his anger faded. He said helplessly, "That's what I admire about you. You're stubborn with everyone, but sometimes you have to bow your head a little."

Perhaps Lu Zhao was right. He ought to have been right, but most people in this world were too driven by self-interest, making Lu Zhao seem like an oddity instead.

That was precisely where Lu Zhao's charm lay, and why Zhang Like had never gotten angry despite having his help refused again and again.

"The one thing I'll never learn in this life is how to bow my head."

Lu Zhao leaned against the hood, lit a cigarette, and exhaled toward the setting sun.

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west. Whether I'm a dragon or a worm, let's see in thirty years."

"I'll have the last laugh. I firmly believe that."

The evening glow shone on his face, outlining a smile that was its opposite: a rising sun.

Only then did Zhang Like realize he had grown old. Only then did he remember that Lu Zhao was ten years younger than him, yet seemed a hundred years younger than the world itself.

Back when humanity was still the ruler of the world, there had once been a group of warriors on this land who were like the rising sun. They had led Shenzhou to its zenith.

And Lu Zhao seemed to have walked out of that high-spirited era.

Chapter 22: A Change in the Situation

Night fell.

The lights in the special investigation team's office stayed on. Some of the members were getting sleepy, but with Lin Zhiyan still there, no one dared leave first.

Lin Zhiyan was preparing for tomorrow's joint operation.

The operation was codenamed [Thunderbolt 021]. Twenty similar operations had already been launched across the South Sea region.

Their encirclement operation was not particularly dangerous. There were only two enemies, and they couldn't stir up much trouble.

But they had to watch out for the Greenwood bandits making a desperate last stand and causing civilian casualties.

That was the hardest part of maintaining public security. More important than killing the bandits was protecting civilians and their property. Many times, the authorities let criminals escape because they feared harming innocent bystanders.

The assistant placed two files on the desk and said, "This is the information on the Greenwood bandits that was just compiled. One is called Shan Yong, an intelligence operative for Greenwood and a third-level wanted criminal. His life force development is between twenty and thirty. He has an earth-element divine power and can burrow underground."

"The other is Lao Gao, a combatant for Greenwood and a second-level wanted criminal. His life force development is between thirty and fifty. He has a metal divine power and can control and twist metal. Firearms don't work on him."

"According to the records, they left Shenzhou back in year 38 and hid in the Miye Three Rivers region. They probably risked coming back this time to meet up with the fugitives."

The assistant paused, then took another file from the folder and presented it.

"Platoon Leader Lu is a frontline commander and knows the outpost's situation very well. We may exchange fire with Miye Three Rivers later, so he could serve as our temporary adviser."

"His abilities are outstanding, and he's irreplaceable in the Ant Ridge area."