In the Name of Divine Ability, Part 24

The faces of the Special Response team darkened the moment they heard Zhang Like shout over the channel.

11:05

With the battle over, firefighters and local police entered the battlefield and deftly began cleaning up the aftermath.

The helicopter slowly landed in an open area.

As soon as Lu Zhao stepped off the helicopter, he felt countless eyes on him from every direction.

Zhang Like immediately came over. "If you hadn't come, we really would've died here today."

Then he lowered his voice. "Six people from Special Response died, and they're burning with anger. When you talk to them, remember to pin the blame on Lü Jinshan."

Lu Zhao followed his gaze and saw the Special Response team limping along.

The elite armed police looked thoroughly battered. All of them were injured, and only a few could still move freely. Even without Zhang Like's warning, their resentment was written all over their faces.

A man with the rank of major walked over.

At that moment, Lin Zhiyan, surrounded by her assistant and several task force operatives, moved first to stand between Lu Zhao and the Special Response company commander.

"You deserve the greatest credit for swiftly eliminating the ringleader and stabilizing the situation. I'll put you forward for a commendation with the commandery."

Lin Zhiyan's delicate features were still a little disheveled, but the gratitude in her voice was unmistakable.

She was a little proud, but at least she was fair.

Lu Zhao's impression of her improved somewhat. He raised a hand in salute. "Thank you, ma'am."

Lin Zhiyan followed up, "You're very capable. It would be a waste for you to stay at the border station. Would you like to join the task force and help with the investigation?"

Lu Zhao looked thoughtful, while Zhang Like made faces at him from the side, itching to accept on his behalf.

Joining the task force would put him beyond Lü Jinshan's influence, and a situation like today's would never happen.

Lu Zhao shook his head. "I still have duties to fulfill, so I can't take on another post for the time being."

The waters would rise in another half month, and the resulting mountain floods would wash demonic beasts from the Mei River in Miye Three Rivers into the area.

There were about a hundred each year, half of them aquatic.

The South Sea West Circuit was eighty percent mountains, ten percent water, and ten percent farmland. Agriculture depended heavily on the rivers, and if any beasts slipped through, people would die.

Joining the task force would be good, but as long as he remained at his post, his own duties should come first.

Rejected again, Lin Zhiyan frowned slightly.

But unlike the last time, when they had parted on bad terms, outstanding people naturally received favorable treatment, and Lu Zhao had demonstrated irreplaceable abilities.

She settled for less. "What if it's only a temporary adviser's position?"

Lu Zhao replied, "I'll follow the organization's arrangements."

The answer wasn't a refusal, but it could hardly be called acceptance either.

Zhang Like and the task force assistant breathed sighs of relief.

The former was glad Lu Zhao wasn't like the old man in his own family. Lu Zhao was stubborn about certain things, but usually knew how to read the situation.

The latter was surprised that the young lady was unusually tolerant of Lu Zhao.

With anyone else, it was usually, "If you won't do it, there are plenty of others who will."

That wasn't arrogance. With the resources the Lin family could mobilize, they could easily find a high-level transcendent.

But that would count as a blemish on Miss Lin's record, affecting her future entry into the South Sea Circuit's political establishment. Under the Federation's current system, birth could indeed guarantee a meteoric rise, but only below the rank of Martial Marquis.

Anyone seeking a place in the core decision-making ranks could not have a blemish on their record.

For example, being assigned a transcendent above their rank.

Such things weren't normally investigated or regulated, but they could easily become a weakness in a contest with someone of equal standing.

A person could be brought down over conduct or discipline because someone wanted them brought down.

"Ahem."

The Special Response company commander, who had been standing to the side all along, cleared his throat, then stepped forward, his face dark. "Team Leader Lin, we need an explanation."

He didn't take his anger out on Lu Zhao. He had intended to, but changed targets when he saw Lu Zhao's rank.

A lieutenant had no decision-making authority, so naturally he shouldn't bear the responsibility.

Lin Zhiyan raised her chin slightly but had yet to speak.

Before she could lose her temper, her assistant hurriedly cut in. "Company Commander Xu, we submitted a request to deploy Platoon Leader Lu before the mission began, but the border station didn't approve it."

"Why not?"

That was what Xu Zhenhua wanted to know. He pointed at Lu Zhao. "If he'd been there from the start, would we have lost so many people? I lost six soldiers. Half a squad is dead!"

If Lu Zhao hadn't appeared and they had suffered heavy losses in the end, Xu Zhenhua probably wouldn't have held a grudge. They had been completely outmaneuvered by the Green Bandits, and the mission had failed because they lacked manpower.

But Lu Zhao's appearance made the Special Response team's resentment erupt. They suspected the Ant Ridge Border Station had done it on purpose.

If they had someone this damn capable, why hadn't they called him in from the start?

If the Federation hadn't maintained strict discipline, the Special Response team, having just lost so many brothers, would already have started hitting people.

The conflict was on the verge of escalating, and the task force assistant was still trying to find the words when Lu Zhao spoke with a perfectly serious expression. "The deployment procedure was entirely in compliance with regulations."

He took half a step forward, positioning himself in front of Lin Zhiyan. She looked somewhat surprised.

"A border station deployment requires the station chief's approval. The chief believed the regular police force was sufficient, so he did not approve it."

"Sir, please don't make unreasonable demands."

At those words, everyone reacted differently.

Zhang Like had originally thought Lu Zhao had finally caught on and was playing the hero rescuing a beauty, but then he sensed a different purpose.

Xu Zhenhua grew even angrier. "Which chief?"

"Lü Jinshan, chief of the Ant Ridge Border Station."

Chapter 29: Change

At that moment, Lu Zhao looked like a soldier faithfully performing his duty.

He dared to step forward and face the Special Response team's anger, getting Lin Zhiyan out of a difficult position while also defending his immediate superior, Lü Jinshan.

For the Special Response team, it was undoubtedly pouring oil on the fire. Xu Zhenhua's entire face turned as dark as a pig's liver with rage.

"Say that again, you bastard!"

A hotheaded youngster from the Special Response team stepped out, covered the distance in a few strides, and swung a clenched fist at Lu Zhao.

Smack!

The fist didn't hit its target. Lu Zhao caught it firmly in a hand like an iron clamp.

Only two people present had developed their vitality further than Lu Zhao: Lin Zhiyan and Xu Zhenhua.

The use of a Divine Ability determined the upper limit of attack power, while vitality determined the lower limit of physical attributes. The Fangnan City Special Response team required twenty points of vitality, and most members typically had no more than thirty.

That was because those with thirty points could join better units.

An ordinary Special Response soldier would have a hard time beating Lu Zhao, and the attack made the atmosphere spiral out of control.

More than a dozen Special Response members surrounded them at once. The border station's core personnel reacted a little more slowly, but gathered behind Lu Zhao, unwilling to back down.

The two sides began to argue.

"What, you want a fight?"

"Come on! You really think we're afraid of you?"

Just as the situation was about to get out of hand, a clear, icy voice rang out, carrying spiritual power.

"Enough!"

Everyone except Lu Zhao felt their heads buzz, and they swayed on their feet as if they had drunk bad liquor.

Lin Zhiyan said coldly, "First Special Duty Rapid Response Unit of Fangnan City, return and report in immediately. If you have any issues, submit them to the organization in writing."

Xu Zhenhua and the Special Response soldiers were merely caught up in their anger; they hadn't entirely lost their senses.

After calming down, they stood at attention and saluted, then turned and left, still carrying some anger.

Lin Zhiyan gave Lu Zhao another look before leaving with her people.

Only Lu Zhao and the border soldiers remained at the scene. Farther away, the police and firefighters were cleaning up the aftermath.

With the outsiders gone, the atmosphere became inexplicably awkward, filled with an indescribable sense of discomfort.

At the border station, Lu Zhao had long been isolated by an invisible line. The veiled hints from above, the blocked path to promotion, his deliberate exclusion from certain important missions... all were like layers of invisible barriers separating him from most of his colleagues.

The border soldiers who had come on this mission all had at least twenty points of vitality. First-stage transcendents were basically all lieutenants and captains-in other words, junior officers at the border station.

Almost all of them were present now, and they were among those who had helped isolate him.

They hadn't genuinely wanted to isolate Lu Zhao. Admiring the strong was instinctive to soldiers, and no one would refuse to befriend a strong person.

But within the Federation's organizations, avoiding taking the wrong side was almost instinctive.

Today, Lu Zhao, who had been tacitly regarded as an "outsider," had pulled them back from the gates of death with nothing but himself and his gun.

If Lu Zhao hadn't been there, the consequences would have been unthinkable. Without their guns, they could never have matched that metal-affinity transcendent.

Lu Zhao had saved them.

That weighty fact carried more force than the leaders' hints.

The military might not be a pure land, but it was always where interpersonal relationships were simplest, and where people formed associations most easily.

"What are you all standing around for?"

Zhang Like stepped out and nudged Lu Zhao toward the front of the crowd. "Everyone knows Lu Zhao. If you don't, get to know him today."

He raised his voice and looked around at everyone.

"If it weren't for Old Lu today, at least three or four of us would be lying dead, and maybe we'd all have died here. There are some things I can't say outright, and I'm not asking everyone to do anything-we're not bandits. But I hope you'll all keep in touch more from now on, so you can look out for each other when danger comes."

"After all, Lü Jinshan won't be on the front lines with you."