The Cause

At the border station, Lu Zhao was something of a legend. He was said to be one of only a few thousand mental-type transcendents in the entire country.

Even if he ranked at the bottom of those few thousand, Lu Zhao was still a powerhouse one could find only once in ten thousand people.

His uncle held Lu Zhao in extremely high regard, saying, "Anyone who graduates from the Imperial Capital will become at least a field officer, and Lu Zhao was one of the outstanding graduates. There are only thirty of them each year."

Yet now he was a mere platoon leader here, holding a lower rank than his uncle.

"Before I came, at least ten people in the three counties and eight townships died to demonic beasts every year. Since I came, not one person has died in the past three years. I grew up eating rice from my hometown, so guarding its mountains isn't such a bad thing."

Lu Zhao did not answer directly. He put the safety back on his rifle and took out a knife to bleed the cat beast.

"Help me hold this."

He handed the carcass to Liu Qiang, and the two headed down the mountain one behind the other. Just as they left the mountain, heavy rain began to fall again.

They had no choice but to take shelter in the earth god temple at the foot of the mountain. The rain outside grew heavier and heavier, and Lu Zhao felt a dull ache in his temples.

His insomnia was not an illness, but a result of his divine ability.

Mental-type transcendents could explore the mental world, and because Lu Zhao had lived two lives, his mental power was much stronger than the average person's. Once he fell asleep, his mind would uncontrollably explore the mental world.

It was a world of complete darkness, filled with static and murmuring voices.

Over time, Lu Zhao had become "allergic" to sounds that were too densely packed together.

Liu Qiang kept asking him questions, and to distract himself, Lu Zhao had no choice but to reveal a few things.

It was nothing important.

"The year I got into the Imperial Capital, even the mayor came to see me off, and everyone in the village beat gongs and drums. From the village to the town and then to the city, people everywhere were talking about me."

Liu Qiang's face filled with longing. "That must have felt incredible. It's a shame I didn't have your ability, Brother Lu. I only got into a junior college, and I had to pull strings to get into the border station."

"I was lucky with my timing. I got special bonus points."

Lu Zhao took off his rain boots. His feet were covered in calluses from walking mountain trails, and the thick layers of hardened skin had been softened and damaged by the rainwater.

Admiration welled up in Liu Qiang's heart.

Although the villagers all called him Lu the Tiger, they were grateful to him from the bottom of their hearts. Without Lu Zhao putting his heart and soul into his patrols, there would have been more funerals in the village.

"In the great cataclysm of 3230, a hundred countries around the world lost contact on the same day, and the South Sea West Circuit faced the largest demonic beast tide in its history."

"I was only fourteen then. My father and three uncles were called up and went to the armed forces department, but they never came back. Then my older brother and five adult cousins went, and they never came back either."

"Finally, my mother and aunts went too. They didn't have to go to the front lines, so they came back alive. Do you know how many points ten lives were worth?"

Liu Qiang shook his head. He had been very young at the time and barely remembered it.

"A hundred points. Ten points for each life."

Liu Qiang had no answer, and he was afraid of saying the wrong thing.

"The whole South Sea West Circuit had been devastated, so naturally there was no hope of the schools reopening right away. As a martyr's family member, I was selected as a sponsored student and sent to Cangwu City in the South Sea East Circuit to study. I also witnessed the largest human migration in history after the great disaster."

"At the time, the Federation, as the suzerain state, chose to take everyone in. From the Luzon Islands to Fusang, from the Siam Plain to Baiyue, hundreds of millions of people migrated. Siamese, South Asians, Fusang people, Kunlun slaves, Westerners."

"Yellow, black, white-you could find them all."

Lu Zhao suddenly felt a craving for a smoke. He took out a pack of Best Under Heaven cigarettes, and the flame of his lighter lit the tobacco amid the heavy rain and cold wind.

He took a deep drag, just as his father had on the last cigarette he smoked by the door before setting out that year.

The village committee's broadcasting station played the announcement over and over. Static mingled with the sound of rain as the men smoked, drank and ate, the women wiped away tears nearby, and the children stood at a loss.

"Federation Radio Station No. 1. This is an emergency bulletin from the South Sea West Circuit. The South Sea West Circuit is suffering the largest beast tide in its history. The South Sea Legion can no longer hold it back. Upon hearing this broadcast, residents of all cities, counties, towns and villages in the South Sea are asked to report to their armed forces departments in an orderly manner..."

That year, the South Sea West Circuit, a permanent war-readiness zone, conscripted a total of a million soldiers.

By the end of the fighting, Lu Zhao was the only male left in the Lu family. His father, uncles, older brother and cousins... none of them ever came back. His old home suddenly became desolate.

The cigarette burned down, and Lu Zhao came back to himself.

He ground out the butt and suddenly wanted to answer Liu Qiang's earlier question again.

He felt aggrieved at having offended someone and been kicked out to this remote backwater, but he did not for a moment believe that what he was doing was meaningless.

He could shine and give off heat anywhere. He could be a brick, moved wherever he was needed.

Because this land was what his father's generation had defended with their lives.

Chapter 3: The Cause

The heavy rain came quickly and left just as quickly.

One minute it was pouring; the next, scorching sunlight was streaming into the valley again.

Lu Zhao walked out of the earth god temple and gazed toward the mountains. Suddenly, he saw a figure walking along a mountainside.

He stared for a moment, and Liu Qiang followed his gaze and spotted the figure too.

"Brother Lu, that should be the fugitive."

Ant Ridge was a danger zone where demonic beasts could be present at any time. Ordinary people were expressly forbidden from entering.

Only fugitives and criminals would risk hiding there.

"Most likely."

Without hesitation, Lu Zhao set off up the mountain again.

He did not mind guarding the mountains, but he also wanted to climb higher. He would not pass up any chance to earn merit.

Liu Qiang followed behind him, his steps light, as though he were on an outing.

"Brother Lu, with those bullets of yours that can turn corners, catching him should be easy, right?"

The people at the border station avoided Lu Zhao while they were at the office, but whenever they went outside, they all competed to follow him.

The reason was simple: with Lu Zhao, they could come away unharmed even if they ran into a gang of ruthless bandits passing through.

"That's a divine ability. It can kill, but it's not much good for making an arrest."

Lu Zhao reached a slope and raised his binoculars. He saw the figure resting beneath a tree halfway up the mountain.

The man was short and stout, with rocklike skin, a broad forehead and small eyes. Comparing him with the wanted notice, Lu Zhao could confirm he was the fugitive.

At that moment, the fugitive seemed to spot him. He got up and fled in a hurry.

Lu Zhao quickened his pace and ordered, "Contact the center. Tell them we've found the fugitive's trail and ask whether we have permission to shoot him dead."

Liu Qiang took out his phone and made contact. It took roughly two minutes to get permission, and when he looked up, Lu Zhao had already run far ahead.

He could only give chase. One man fled and two pursued, all three racing through the mountain forest.

Lu Zhao was fast. He crossed the mountain gullies as though they were level ground, closing in on the fugitive like a tiger charging down a mountain.

Judging by the fugitive's speed, his vitality development was no higher than 20 points.

A faint shout came from behind.

"Brother Lu, permission to shoot!"

Lu Zhao came to an abrupt stop, kicking up a clump of turf, and raised his gun to aim at the target eight hundred meters away. Amid the bushes and trees, the fugitive was using the rock formations for cover.

Bang!

The bullet flew out and struck the fugitive squarely in the head, only to glance off the rocky shell covering it.

A second bullet immediately struck the exact same spot. Blood burst forth, splattering the bushes.

Roughly fifteen minutes later, the undergrowth rustled as Lu Zhao and Liu Qiang pushed their way through and confirmed that the fugitive was dead.

His rocklike skin made it impossible to tell his age or appearance. His clothes were in tatters, and he had nothing on him.

He had hidden his things.

That was Lu Zhao's judgment.

Transcendents' metabolisms were many times faster than those of ordinary people. Maintaining an ability like his would make his caloric needs soar dozens of times over, and people could not eat grass.

Liu Qiang asked, "Brother Lu, is something wrong?"

"Nothing."

Lu Zhao shook his head and said nothing more.

If he wrote it in the report, they would definitely make him search for the things. The higher-ups were blocking his promotion, so there was no need for him to put that much effort into it.

He and Liu Qiang had only just come back from a rotation, and both were already exhausted in body and mind.

If it really was something especially important, it would become a task for the entire border station when the time came.

Lu Zhao and Liu Qiang carried the body down the mountain. Border police who had received word arrived by car just then, and four police cars stopped at the foot of the mountain.

Zhang Like, captain of the border service brigade, leaned against a car door and smoked, showing no sign of preparing to search the mountain. When two gunshots echoed through the mountains, he stubbed out his cigarette and said with a laugh to the people beside him, "Once Old Lu starts shooting, someone's head is going to burst open."

Before long, everyone saw Lu Zhao carrying the body down the mountain, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

Thud.

The body was dropped to the ground. Lu Zhao took a cigarette from Zhang Like, lit it and took a drag. "Good luck. I happened to run into him."

Zhang Like was the border squadron leader, held the rank of company commander, and was Lu Zhao's superior. Two years earlier, Lu Zhao had saved him in a shootout with drug traffickers, and the two had quickly grown close.

Lu Zhao had been able to become a platoon leader thanks to Zhang Like standing up to the pressure and transferring him to a frontline post where he had opportunities to earn merit.

"Ordinary firearms couldn't hurt this guy. He killed five police officers along the way." Zhang Like shook his head. "He just had to run into a big tiger like you. Having you guard the mountains here is a real waste of your talent."

"This time, I'll talk to the higher-ups for you. Consider it repayment for what I owe you."

Lu Zhao thought for a moment, then said, "If I can get promoted, help me arrange a transfer to the military."

The person he had offended should not be able to reach into the military.

Zhang Like pondered for a moment as well.

Promotions involved considerable authority over personnel decisions, and it was not something he could decide. But he could work some connections and try to get Lu Zhao in.

"I can't promise it'll work."

"Whether it works or not, I'll owe you a favor."

Zhang Like waved his hand. "Pack it up."