In the Name of Divine Abilities

The one thing he feared least was having cold water thrown on him. A drenching would only make him more clearheaded.

On June 13, the water level began to rise.

But judging by past years, it was still in the stable period. Water from the Three Rivers kept flowing back into the caverns below, and the level would begin to surge in July.

By then, the underground channels, streams, and river valleys throughout Ant Ridge would all be flooded.

As usual, after finishing his daily work, Lu Zhao sat quietly at his post, training his spirit and seeking to comprehend his true self.

Or he took life supplements and practiced Refining Qi into Essence.

Now that he held an administrative post, he suddenly had a great deal of time on his hands.

Knock, knock, knock!

Someone knocked on the door. Lu Zhao drew his qi back in and said, "Come in."

Chen Hongtao entered with a smile on his face. "Staff Officer Lu, busy?"

Lu Zhao immediately noticed that something was unusual about him, and had reason to wonder:

Was everyone at this border station from the Central South Circuit? Why else did they change faces so readily?

"Not busy," Lu Zhao replied coolly. "The troops have been busy preparing for flood control lately. There's no training scheduled."

"You've worked diligently on the front line for so long, Staff Officer Lu. You really do need a proper rest."

Chen Hongtao came closer and placed a green slip on the desk. "I was a little impulsive yesterday. I hope you'll forgive me, Staff Officer Lu. I was asked to do it and had no choice."

Lu Zhao glanced at the slip. It was neither a banknote nor a check, but a voucher for a life supplement.

Life supplements were hard currency, so naturally there were all kinds of ways to give them as "legal" gifts.

Red Lang Liquor, for example, was called liquor, but the bottle might actually contain a life supplement.

"Please take it back, Station Chief Chen. You wouldn't want me to report you to the Supervisory Directorate, would you?"

Lu Zhao's unyieldingly impartial attitude left Chen Hongtao a little embarrassed. Before he could deliver the explanation he had prepared, Lu Zhao continued:

"I won't accept it, but I'd like to ask you a question, Station Chief Chen. Who is important enough to leave you no choice?"

It was like Zhang Like using internal channels to buy Honghualang. Though there was still a suspicion of bribery, it could put people at ease.

If someone extended an olive branch and you handled it badly, they could easily become an enemy.

Lu Zhao had learned that too: accepting a small "favor" when appropriate could put people at ease.

Chen Hongtao hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice. "It was Fang City's city executive."

City executive was short for city chief executive, the city's top official.

Fang City was a third-tier city, where the post was generally at the deputy officer level. But because it was on the border, it was raised one level, to the Federation chief officer level.

Above that was Martial Marquis, above Martial Marquis was Hall Martial Marquis, and finally came Chief Heavenly Marquis.

Of course, there were differences even within the same rank. A commandery-level chief officer outranked a city-level one, and a circuit-level chief officer outranked a commandery-level one.

Lu Zhao had never dealt with the city executive or had any direct conflict with him, yet now he had suddenly made a move.

He was another one of the Chen Family's dogs.

Since Lu Zhao had yet to distinguish himself, the man naturally wouldn't have come after him unprompted. Like Chen Qian, he might have all but forgotten the matter.

Conversely, the moment Lu Zhao showed the slightest sign of rising, he would surely be suppressed.

This wasn't an order from the Chen Family or Chen Qian. It was the spontaneous doing of countless officials along the way.

When Lu Zhao rose to power in the future, he would surely repay them in kind, and he believed they thought so too.

Chen Hongtao pulled a long face. "Staff Officer Lu, I'm not with them."

"I believe you, Station Chief Chen." Lu Zhao then asked, "In that case, can you tell me why you're telling me all this?"

Chen Hongtao took out a document and placed it on the desk.

"Yulin Commandery Public Security Directorate notice of appointment for Comrade Lu Zhao"

The Yulin Commandery Public Security Directorate was effectively the immediate superior of every border station, and the signature at the end of the document was Liang Chengyun's.

This important figure held the same rank as Fang City's city executive, but the gap between them was enormous.

In the commandery government, the Ministry of Personnel, which oversaw appointments, held the most power, followed by the Directorate of Supervision, then the Ministry of Justice, and only then the Public Security General Directorate.

But the South Sea Circuit was a frontier circuit and had the largest foreign population. The Public Security General Directorate's authority was only half a step below the Ministry of Personnel's, and it could even stand on equal footing with it.

If a riot broke out, the Public Security General Directorate could temporarily take overall command.

And riots were the one thing the South Sea Circuit never lacked. Violent crime, drug smuggling, and human trafficking were commonplace.

"This is an order from the commandery. Effective immediately, you'll join the special task force as a temporary staff officer while retaining your current post."

There was a little more awe and speculation in Chen Hongtao's eyes.

Perhaps Lu Zhao really had met a benefactor, and from now on might rise to great heights.

That was also why he truly didn't want to get involved.

The Chen Family was powerful, and Lu Zhao had the Public Security General Directorate's backing. He couldn't afford to offend either side. If the two sides fought, someone as insignificant as him could be swept away by the waves with one careless step.

After carefully reading the document, Lu Zhao pictured a woman with short, shoulder-length hair.

Lin Zhiyan.

Only she had enough influence to enlist the Public Security General Directorate's help.

"Thank you for passing this on, Station Chief Chen," he said.

"It's my duty."

Chen Hongtao nodded and was just about to turn the conversation to the criticism at the meeting.

Lu Zhao spoke first. "You're transferring out next month, aren't you, Station Chief Chen?"

Chen Hongtao hadn't secured that transfer order himself. His visit to apologize had been nothing more than empty words.

Hearing this, Chen Hongtao immediately understood what Lu Zhao meant.

He wanted Chen Hongtao to recommend him.

When a chief administrator was transferred, the higher authorities would arrange a replacement for a seamless handover, but a deputy's post could be left vacant. That kept a position open, allowing flexibility in personnel assignments.

Chen Hongtao said, "The appointment of a deputy station chief has to go through the commandery-level Ministry of Personnel, but I can recommend you, Staff Officer Lu, so you can skip the nomination process."

He didn't make any promises, since a recommendation wasn't an appointment. But since Lu Zhao could receive an appointment directly from the Public Security General Directorate, he presumably had connections who could help him get it approved.

Lu Zhao also knew it wouldn't be that simple. After getting the recommendation, he would still have to seek help from his connections before an exceptional promotion would be possible.

But the outcome depended on what he did. There was no harm in trying first, and if it didn't work out, he would lose nothing.

Chapter 49: Gaining Influence

At noon, in the cafeteria.

Lu Zhao ate with the other officers, and he could sense that the mood was somewhat subdued.

It was probably because of the news that Lü Jinshan was to be reinstated.

Although Lü Jinshan couldn't go after the junior officers, and a tiny place like Ant Ridge Border Station couldn't find replacements for them anyway, they still had reason to worry about their benefits.

That made it essential to crush Lü Jinshan completely. As long as he could still come back, Lu Zhao wouldn't have a single easy day.

But for now, the limits of their authority left Lu Zhao and Zhang Like at a loss.

They could only look for a chance to expose the smuggling route. That might delay Lü Jinshan's reinstatement.

Just then, Zhang Like carried his food over and sat beside Lu Zhao, cursing as he spoke:

"Xie Miemeng, Mo the Skinflint has some nerve. He came to my door asking me for Honghualang. Those fence-sitters turn whichever way the wind blows."

"We can't be like them. They're out there making their way in the world without an ounce of resolve."

The other officers shook their heads repeatedly, denying it, and roundly cursed Mo Kun.

"All right, you're making us sound like a gang." Lu Zhao interrupted their show of loyalty and took out his transfer order.

"I'll be leaving the border station for a while to help the special task force investigate a case."

Everyone was taken aback. Zhang Like took the transfer order to read it, and the officers around them gathered close.

"'...to expedite the investigation of a major criminal case in our commandery, the Yulin Commandery Public Security Directorate has resolved and approved the appointment and assignment of professional personnel to support the special task force.'"

Zhang Like read it aloud, immediately drawing the attention of everyone in the cafeteria.

"'Lu Zhao is appointed staff officer of the Fang City special task force'! Holy shit, Old Lu, you've really made it!"

The news traveled faster than a flash flood on Ant Ridge, soon spreading throughout the station.

Liang Fei had only just returned to his post and hadn't even begun directing the work. As soon as he heard the news, he immediately fell back into line.

Lu Zhao remained unmoved by it all.

These things were ultimately empty honors, beyond his control. If they could change faces twice today, they could turn against him tomorrow.

Early the next morning, the seventeenth.

After finishing his practice of Refining Essence into Qi, Lu Zhao used a blood analyzer to check his vitality.

[Vitality: 38]

"It went up by 0.2 in one go."

Lu Zhao glanced at the empty Honghualang bottle and confirmed that high-grade life supplements could also speed up cultivation when practicing Refining Qi into Essence.

He recalled what Zhang Like had been saying for the past two days-

Get promoted and make a fortune? Drink Honghualang.

The major liquor makers all had brands with similar connotations, and as life supplements, they also had ample basis in reality.

Only upon reaching a certain rank could one receive a quota of intermediate or even advanced life supplements.

Take the South Sea Circuit's Lang Brand: its intermediate life supplements included Honghualang and Blue Hualang, while its advanced life supplements included Red Fortune Lang and Azure Cloud Lang.