In the Name of Divine Abilities, Section 19

Yesterday, Zhang Like had approached the assistant, who was also the deputy leader of the special task force.

Though these deputies had no decision-making authority, they were responsible for the actual execution and deployment of their assignments.

After seeing Lu Zhao's detailed records, the deputy leader decided to bring him onto the team without Zhang Like having to promise him any favors.

Because he was capable.

As long as Lu Zhao made a contribution to this operation, the deputy leader could also earn points in his year-end review.

The special task force's job was essentially to use the authority of higher-ups to select key personnel from local units.

Lin Zhiyan glanced over the records and nodded slightly. "When he comes later, I'll take him."

The deputy leader breathed a sigh of relief.

The Lin family's eldest young lady had a bit of a temper, but at least she was pragmatic. Unlike certain old leaders, who had little ability and each had a nastier temper than the last.

At ten that night, Lin Zhiyan finished all the work at hand, rotated her wrist, and leaned back in her chair. "Let him in," she said casually.

"..."

The assistant did not answer. His expression was stiff and awkward.

"Leader Lin, Platoon Leader Lu hasn't arrived yet."

Lin Zhiyan frowned, but considering his abilities and record, she held her temper. "I'll wait one hour for him."

At midnight, Lin Zhiyan slammed the door behind her and stormed off to find Lu Zhao, but the assistant stopped her in the end.

June 3.

The special task force coordinated the Ant Ridge border defense armed police, the Fangnan City traffic police brigade, and the General Bureau of Internet Supervision to launch an operation to capture the terrorists on the run.

The morning sun had barely peeked over the horizon when fifty people from the border station assembled in the open space by the gate. All were armed with loaded weapons and ready to depart.

Lu Zhao leaned against a fifth-floor corridor window in the dormitory building, gazing at the neatly arranged formation. He could faintly hear Zhang Like giving a pre-operation briefing.

Zhang Like had already told him the plan the night before.

The plan had three parts: assault, intelligence, and containment.

The Urban Special Service Rapid Response Brigade, or Special Response for short, was responsible for the assault. Internet Supervision and the traffic police handled intelligence, while containment fell to the border station.

Some would guard the routes leading to Miye Three Rivers, while others would help Special Response cordon off the area.

All in all, the danger was low. Even Liu Qiang had been brought along to pad his record.

"Move out!"

As Zhang Like's voice fell, everyone boarded the vehicles and drove out of the camp amid the roar of engines.

Lu Zhao turned and returned to his room, where he sat cross-legged on the floor, closed his eyes, and practiced Spirit Refining and qi cultivation.

The containment operation had given him three days off. As someone with nothing to do, it would have been improper for Lu Zhao to keep patrolling the mountains and interfere with official business.

If they still hadn't caught the terrorists after three days, his leave could be extended.

The free time was perfect for practicing the cultivation methods the old Daoist had taught him.

He had learned from the old man the previous night that both Spirit Refining and Qi Refining could be advanced; as long as he persevered, he would always gain something.

As for what that gain would be, the old Daoist had smiled without answering, as usual, and turned the conversation back to history.

The old Daoist was very interested in events after the Ming dynasty, but Lu Zhao was the opposite and liked discussing the Ming.

The more recent the history, the thicker the fog. Most of what he knew consisted of carefully worded accounts on paper.

From unifying the divine land amid a century of strife to going from holding a corner of the realm to receiving tribute from ten thousand nations, the Federation's founders had reestablished the tributary system not through benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, but through one foreign war after another.

In the era before he turned thirteen, society preached Eastern unity and equality for all.

The Hua people of the Central Plains and the peoples of the outer dependencies were all as close as brothers and sisters.

When the Cataclysm came, the Federation initially took in refugees, but after realizing there was no hope of a counteroffensive, it stopped honoring its promise of equality.

The distinction between Hua and outsider, the division into ranks and classes.

The superiority or inferiority of races was not written into law, but only Hua were listed on Federation household registers.

All of this had been suppressed by the official propaganda line. As a witness to the times, Lu Zhao felt it especially keenly.

Many things could not be brought into the open.

The affairs of the Han and Tang were only made clear in the Ming dynasty, and the full story of the Zhu Ming had yet to be told even now.

As outstanding students of the imperial capital, they had been told explicitly in their institution's political education classes:

The Federation today was different from what it had been before the Great Cataclysm. They were now the Second Federation, an empire without an emperor.

When they governed regions in the future, they were to remember that the empire's glory did not need to shine upon the people of the outer dependencies.

The productive capacity of the divine land could not sustain equality for so many people.

The current system had emerged from internal struggles more than a decade ago. It was not the best, but it was the most stable and workable.

Ning County, Fangnan City.

18:00. The sun set.

Zhang Like sat in a light passenger vehicle known as the South Sea troop carrier. It was packed with border defense soldiers carrying loaded weapons, their average Life Development reaching twenty points.

They were the border station's most elite force and would have to work with the Special Response Brigade in a direct firefight with the criminals.

Only seven of them possessed Divine Abilities, and those were mostly at the weak level. None had Divine Abilities that could kill directly or indirectly.

Divine Abilities were not uncommon. Some people were born with them and were called spirit children. Many historical figures throughout the ages had also been born with Divine Abilities, and theirs were still being passed down today.

But because their rank fell when passed down, Divine Abilities of the mediocre level or higher were not widespread.

Even the city's Special Service Rapid Response force could only ensure that each team had one Divine Ability at the powerful level.

Zhang Like glanced at the time. It was ten in the morning, two hours before the operation.

"Captain Zhang, the situation has changed. I need you to join the assault team."

Chapter 23: The Operation Begins

The voice came through the radio. The order from the command center left Zhang Like stunned.

Wasn't the Special Response Brigade supposed to handle this mission?

He asked, "Leader Lin, this isn't what we agreed on at the start. The men haven't made any preparations."

"It happened suddenly." On the other end of the phone, the deputy leader explained, "Another group of criminals fled to Ruinan yesterday. There were a lot of them, so the Special Response force sent some of its people to provide support."

"The Special Response force will still be the main assault force. We just need you to fill the gap."

The border defense soldiers around him looked at one another. Zhang Like badly wanted to curse, but as a soldier, he could only answer firmly, "Yes! We'll complete the mission."

Putting down the radio, he looked at everyone present. "The mission has changed. We'll be one of the assault teams."

Everyone saluted. "Yes, sir!"

20:36.

Zhang Like and the others drove to the designated location. Looking out through the window, they saw that the street was deserted.

The surrounding crowds had already been cleared away.

At night, the county town's streets were empty and silent, lit by dim yellow streetlights. Only the occasional bark of a dog came from the distance.

Through the glass, Zhang Like stared at a three-story building about fifty meters away. A faint neon sign by the ground-floor entrance flashed the words "Mahjong parlor."

Time crawled by, second by second. Low confirmations from his teammates occasionally came through his earpiece:

"Team one in position."

"Team two in position."

"Team three has run into an unexpected problem. The lock on the roof door of the nearby building is broken."

"Smash it open, now."

Zhang Like began checking his ammunition, and his teammates around him did the same.

In the silence, there was only the faint rustle of fabric and the sound of rounds being chambered.

Suddenly, Zhang Like felt restless. He badly wanted to take out his phone and contact Lu Zhao.

The original plan had called for six teams, but now only three remained, including theirs.

That meant each team would have to do twice the work originally assigned and bear greater risks, along with countless worries.

What if they slip away through somewhere I haven't noticed?

What if they try to force their way through?

What if we can't take control of the scene immediately, and a firefight breaks out and causes casualties?

The targets of the operation were not two ordinary people, but two extraordinary individuals with Divine Abilities. Even if the large-caliber firearms in their hands could guarantee a fatal hit to a vital spot, they still had to proceed carefully.

In an actual operation, enemies were not targets; there were always objects they could use as cover.

Driven by a strong sense of unease, Zhang Like first looked at the team members around him. "I need to contact Lu Zhao."

This was against the rules, and he needed the others to keep it quiet.

Their expressions varied, and for a moment, no one dared be the first to speak up.

When a leader wanted to do something unconventional, you would be favored if you went along and sidelined if you didn't.

But if anything went wrong, everyone would bear responsibility.

Some of the more quick-witted men thought further. By saying it to their faces, Zhang Like was forcing them to choose sides. Lu Zhao had a grudge against the station chief, and Captain Zhang had recently opposed Lü openly as well.

After a moment's silence, a team member close to Zhang Like said, "I'll follow Captain Zhang. Lu Zhao is capable. We'll be much safer with him here."

Once the first man spoke up, the others immediately voiced their agreement.

Objecting now meant confronting Zhang Like alone, while if they were held responsible later, they wouldn't be the only ones singled out.