In the Name of Divine Abilities, Part 38

The roads were cracked and left unrepaired, homeless people were everywhere along them, and many houses had scarcely a pane of glass intact.

Black, white, and other foreign people were everywhere.

The Foreign District was a place for accommodating unregistered residents without household registration, and a feature of every major city in South Sea Circuit.

Because Fang City was on the border, its Foreign District had a population of one million.

They arrived at a bar called West Street on Kabuki Street.

The huge neon sign at the bar's entrance shone into the car, and a faint "thump, thump, thump" could be heard from inside.

Zhang Like rolled down the window and lit a cigarette. "We've found both physical evidence and witnesses, but we've already left Ant Ridge. This is outside our enforcement jurisdiction."

"Once the flood season is over, we'll find a time to arrest all of them. That should be enough to put Lü Bowen away, but it's hard to say about Lü Jinshan."

"That's all we can do."

Lu Zhao nodded in agreement.

The border station's enforcement jurisdiction was limited to the border management zone; the city proper fell under police jurisdiction.

And the border guards had no independent authority to conduct criminal investigations.

Although they couldn't take Lü Jinshan down in one blow, if they could obtain evidence linking Lü Bowen to smuggling, Lü Jinshan, who was currently suspended pending investigation, would inevitably be affected.

On the way back, Zhang Like kept talking about the task force, as if he wanted to will them into lending a hand.

Chapter 46: Supreme in One Dao

Lu Zhao and Zhang Like drove out of the city proper and, following the neon lights through the night, entered the Fang City administrative building.

The task force's temporary office.

The place had now been converted into the task force's new office.

It had originally been set up right at Ant Ridge Border Station, but after the previous operation failed, the task force moved out of the station and chose to base itself in Fang City.

From here, it could oversee the overall situation and coordinate resources across the city, while also being able to mobilize forces from other departments.

Lin Zhiyan rubbed the space between her brows and pushed the documents in her hands aside, bringing the long workday to an end.

"Senior Lu, how did you keep going for four years in a situation like this?"

She couldn't help asking.

Recently, Lin Zhiyan had experienced the "Lu Zhao treatment."

Whenever she tried to take charge in Fang City, she immediately faced all manner of obstruction. The group led by Marquis Chen had imposed an all-around blockade on the task force.

For example, they assigned people to accompany and monitor the task force, pulled members away to drinking parties at night, and had the heads of the relevant departments skip meetings without reason during the day.

They even had thugs throw stones at their office and write threatening letters.

A robber had recently escaped. Lin Zhiyan had received word early that morning, but problems arose in coordinating the various departments.

The first time she asked, there were no solid leads. The second time, they would handle the matter in accordance with the overall plan. The third time, they had taken action, but it was already too late.

First they played dumb, then they stalled, then they passed the buck.

Lin Zhiyan had extensive connections and a powerful background, but once she came onto someone else's turf, she found that unless a Martial Marquis came in person, it didn't matter who showed up.

Even a mighty dragon struggled to suppress a local snake.

Just as Lu Zhao had experienced, they didn't need to break the law to put obstacles in your way.

Meanwhile, Lin Zhiyan also had to deal with the disobedient people within the task force.

Her newly promoted deputy was a middle-aged woman. She walked to Lin Zhiyan's right, bowed slightly, and held out a phone with both hands.

"Team Leader Lin, Commander Liang is on the phone."

"Mm."

Lin Zhiyan took the phone. "Hello, Uncle Liang."

A deep voice came through the phone.

"I just got out of a meeting. What made you think to call your Uncle Liang? Have you run into some problem at work?"

Liang Chengyun was the commander of the South Sea West Circuit Public Security General Directorate, a full-ranking official in the Federation who oversaw the circuit's entire public security system.

He had also once been an aide to Lin Zhiyan's father.

Lin Zhiyan got straight to the point. "There's something I'd like to ask you to do, Uncle Liang."

Liang Chengyun spoke firmly. "Whatever it is, just tell me. Uncle Liang will definitely help you."

Lin Zhiyan said, "I need you to help me transfer someone: Lu Zhao, the reinforced platoon leader at Ant Ridge Border Station."

"..."

There was a moment's silence on the other end of the phone before Liang Chengyun spoke, sounding somewhat helpless.

"I knew it. Either you don't ask for anything, girl, or you ask for big trouble. You should know about all that business with Lu Zhao, right?"

"Mm."

Although Lu Zhao was an outstanding graduate from the Imperial Capital, the Federation had never lacked geniuses. There were many now, and there would be more in the future.

Compared with the Chen Family, he was too weak.

Lu Zhao had helped her once, and she would give him a hand. If Lu Zhao did well in the future, she could also gain a capable friend.

Liang Chengyun said, "Since you know, don't make things difficult for your uncle. Marquis Chen spent twenty years building his position in South Sea West Circuit. His people are everywhere, from top to bottom. He's only been out of office for a little over a year, and his influence is still considerable."

"Uncle Liang, you won't help me?"

"My dear young lady, it's really not that I won't help you..."

Lin Zhiyan hung up and quickly dialed another number with her slender fingers. The call was soon answered by an operator on the Federation's internal line.

"Please connect me to Liu Hanwen, chief of the South Sea Circuit Administrative Council, Marquis Liu."

Her deputy, standing beside her, swallowed. She knew her boss had a powerful background, but this was a little too much.

She had gone straight to the circuit administrative council-and its chief, at that.

The Federation was made up of thirteen circuits, each retaining a high degree of autonomy, and the circuit administrative council was the highest authority in a circuit.

After the Great Cataclysm, each circuit was a vassal state, and the chief of its Circuit Administration Bureau was a vassal king.

The call connected, and an elderly voice came through. The deputy instinctively held her breath.

"Little Yan, what wind blew you my way?"

"Grandpa Liu, I want someone: Lu Zhao, the reinforced platoon leader at Ant Ridge Border Station."

Lin Zhiyan's voice took on a hint of coquettishness.

This man was not one of her father's former subordinates, but a friend of her grandfather's.

On the other end of the phone, Marquis Liu laughed heartily. He didn't ask why, or who Lu Zhao was, or what trouble was involved.

He simply replied, "I'll tell someone to take care of it."

Chen Qian had been able to exercise her power to indulge a small whim, pinning Lu Zhao down at the border station for four years. Lin Zhiyan could do the same, and be even more willful than Chen Qian.

Chen Qian had only dared to secretly instruct her father's subordinates, while Lin Zhiyan went directly to a Martial Marquis.

Besides, Lin Zhiyan was following procedure more closely than Chen Qian. Lu Zhao was a member of a local border station, and the task force already had the authority to transfer him.

Someone else had simply broken the rules first.

It was already nine at night by the time Lu Zhao returned to his dormitory. As usual, he sat cross-legged to practice Spirit Refining. Whenever he had free time, he cultivated.

In the morning he took life supplements and practiced Refining Qi into Essence, at noon he ate and practiced Visualization of the five senses, and at night he meditated and practiced Spirit Refining until the next day.

After a while, Lu Zhao opened his eyes. He had encountered a bottleneck in his spirit refining.

It was an indescribable feeling of blockage.

"Time to see my teacher."

He closed his eyes again, sank into the chaotic world of the mind, and once more pushed against the mental tsunami to enter Primordial Unity.

A small Daoist temple came into view, wisps of smoke drifting above it.

Lu Zhao walked into the temple grounds. The old Daoist sat in meditation with his eyes closed, seemingly contemplating the Great Dao.

He stood outside the door and waited quietly.

The passage of time in the mental world was chaotic, but the Primordial Unity Realm was extraordinary. It was like a small world independent of reality.

A consciousness here was no different from a physical body that truly existed.

Here, Lu Zhao could experience the five senses without using the Visualization Method.

However, the old Daoist did not recommend that he stay long, because the five senses existed naturally in Primordial Unity. Borrowing the power of the blessed land would only blind him to the bigger picture.

After a long time, the old Daoist slowly opened his eyes, his gaze as calm as the water in a well.

Lu Zhao cupped his hands in greeting. "Teacher."

Seeing his somewhat awkward movements, the old Daoist smiled. "Come in. There's no need to stand on ceremony."

"Yes."

Lu Zhao entered the temple and sat down on a meditation cushion.

The old Daoist asked, "You look very happy. I take it your official career has been smooth sailing."

"Is it that obvious?" Lu Zhao touched his face. He wasn't smiling.

"It isn't obvious, but the spirit shows itself in the Outer Form. With your limited ability, you can't fool your teacher." The old Daoist stroked his beard and smiled smugly. "As the ancients said, 'The relics of the Six Dynasties lie beneath grass reaching to the sky; the pale heavens and drifting clouds are the same now as of old.'"

"So many things under heaven are alike. I've seen far too much of them."

Lu Zhao understood immediately. His teacher was curious about exactly what had happened and was also waiting for him to ask for advice.

Just like the elders at home, who wanted to offer a pointer or two about everything.

He said, "There are a few things I don't quite understand."