In the Name of Divine Abilities, Part 43

Before, she would surely have laughed at Lu Zhao.

How could a first-tier transcendent like him dare say that a second-tier transcendent had done well to survive three exchanges with him?

But Lin Zhiyan had seen it for herself a few days ago, and understood why Lu Zhao's Divine Ability was classified as high-risk despite being of middling grade.

Back when firearms were less advanced, people rarely killed enemies above their own level. But with the power of modern guns, ordinary people could easily kill first- and second-tier transcendents.

Second-tier transcendents could withstand pistol bullets, but even bandits used rifles these days.

Thus, apart from the few with particularly unusual abilities, most people relied on guns as their primary means of attack and used Divine Abilities in support.

It wasn't that the Divine Ability was strong; Lu Zhao was strong.

Controlling a bullet was easy, but controlling one well enough to hit a target precisely was difficult. In the entire Federation, there were probably no more than ten people who could match his accuracy.

Once everyone used guns, transcendents once again outclassed ordinary people in combat thanks to their physical abilities.

For example, second-tier transcendents could heal themselves. Only a shot to the head could kill them instantly; wounds elsewhere could "heal just by breathing."

Lu Zhao's ability happened to make headshots very easy. He really could kill opponents above his level.

Chapter 52: The Surrender Faction

The convoy traveled along a mountain road, the bumpy dirt track jolting Lin Zhiyan until she frowned.

Some potholes could send her pitching straight onto Lu Zhao.

Lu Zhao was much more experienced and kept hold of the handle by the window.

After crossing four mountains and traveling thirty kilometers, they finally reached the frontline outpost.

The frontline outpost stood on a mountain ridge, overlooking two major rivers to either side and guarding the vital passage.

A six-meter-high brick-and-concrete wall surrounded the outpost, with watchtowers at all four corners. The towers had sniper loopholes and grenade ports to cover the wall from the flanks, as well as searchlights and heavy machine guns on top.

It was a war fortress as impregnable as a stronghold.

As soon as the convoy approached, a loudspeaker called out, "Convoy ahead, shut off your engines immediately and show your identification."

The convoy stopped, and Xu Fang stuck her head out. "Comrade, we're with the special investigation team."

"Please show your identification."

The voice from the loudspeaker remained cold.

Xu Fang frowned. "Don't these soldiers recognize the border station's vehicles?"

It was the first time their special investigation team had been stopped at the gate while on an inspection.

Lin Zhiyan sat in the back with her arms crossed and said with a smile, "Perhaps our Senior Lu is taking after Zhou Yafu at the Willow Camp."

"Thank you for the compliment," Lu Zhao countered. "Unfortunately, you're not Emperor Wen of Han, but I can be a general."

Lin Zhiyan wasn't angry. "My grandfather once held a permanent seat in the Hall of Martial Virtue. In theory, I could become its chief."

Lu Zhao said, "Once they reach the fifth tier, all citizens are eligible to become chief of the Hall of Martial Virtue."

Lin Zhiyan conceded defeat and stopped making things awkward for herself.

Reaching the fifth tier was easier said than done; even among ten million people, there might not be a single one. Without sufficient development of one's life force, no amount of backing could make one chief.

That was why the Federation had always followed the principle that "nobility lasts no more than three generations." If the first generation was a Martial Marquis, the second might only become the head of a commandery-level administration, and the third would be fortunate to become a deputy official at the city level.

The Chen Family, for example, looked illustrious, but once Marquis Chen died, nothing would be left.

Chen Qian had only managed to become a police chief in an outlying district, and she couldn't rise any higher because neither her record nor her life force was sufficient.

At the level of Martial Marquis and above, power belonged to the Martial Marquis, not the other way around.

Lu Zhao opened the car door and stepped onto the muddy road. After he completed the required procedures, the outpost's gate slowly opened.

The convoy drove inside. Its layout was simple: a two-story dormitory, a command center built into the mountainside, and an armory.

"Sir."

The squad leader on duty saluted Lu Zhao, then looked curiously at Lin Zhiyan and the many members of the special investigation team.

Stationed at the outpost year-round, they received little news and didn't yet know about the special investigation team.

Lu Zhao introduced her. "This is Team Leader Lin of the special investigation team from a higher department. She's here specifically to inspect the outpost today."

Hearing that, the squad leader on duty saluted Lin Zhiyan.

Lin Zhiyan nodded, then turned her attention to the rather cramped border station.

Though it was a little small, she could sense that every soldier here was full of aggression.

That was something she hadn't seen at the border station.

She said appreciatively, "You're good at training soldiers. Their overall quality is no worse than that of regular troops. There should be no problem using them to suppress the state's residents."

Lu Zhao replied, "If they're allowed to shoot at will, they can control and suppress an area the size of a county seat."

"Very good. Show me around."

"Yes, ma'am."

Lu Zhao walked half a step ahead, leading Lin Zhiyan around.

They went from the shabby but tidy dormitory to the cold, damp command center in a cave inside the mountain, and finally climbed a watchtower to gaze out over the vast mountains of the South Sea Circuit.

Looking past one mountain, they could just make out a village beyond the border, where people were lighting fires to cook.

"Out there is the Miye Three Rivers. As far as I know, it's pretty chaotic."

Lin Zhiyan waited several seconds without a reply. Turning her head, she saw that Lu Zhao was silent. It seemed he simply refused to answer anything that wasn't official business.

"Staff Officer Lu, what's the situation in the Miye Three Rivers?"

Lu Zhao replied, "The Miye Three Rivers is too broad a term. I can't give you a precise answer. I only know about the area bordering Ant Territory."

The Miye Three Rivers was only a general place name, not a specific power.

Some areas were ruled by transcendent families, some by religious groups, and some by violent organizations like the Greenwood. There were all kinds of organizations, ranging from vaguely human to fully human.

The Greenwood bordered Ant Ridge. Among the many powers outside the border, it was relatively human; out there, even gangs counted as decent.

After listening to Lu Zhao's explanation, Lin Zhiyan asked, "Staff Officer Lu, if you were put in charge of planning border defenses for the entire South Sea West Circuit, what would you do?"

Lu Zhao replied, "The current model is the best one. We can't kill all the powers beyond the border, and there's no need to."

Although the War of National Defense had ended ten years ago, the wounds it had left the Federation had yet to heal. Some had already begun to fester and stink.

"Some people have proposed restoring the old system and issuing household registrations to everyone. That way, we could solve the border problem and the conflict between the Chinese and the outsiders."

Lin Zhiyan was presenting a ridiculous argument.

It was like asking why the rich didn't give their money to the poor, so there would be no poverty in the world.

But Lu Zhao also knew that such voices really did exist within the Federation. They advocated opening up household registration and accepting everyone as citizens.

Ordinary people would call them bleeding hearts, but none of those whose voices could be heard within the Federation were stupid. They were simply evil.

Under the current system, they still had to concern themselves with the rules. If they remade the Divine Land into the festering Three Rivers, they wouldn't have to anymore.

Their deeper demand was surrender: to give up resisting the Ancient Gods. Humanity wouldn't go extinct; it would merely become part of a new era.

But the Federation would fall apart, and humanity would return to the age of city-states.

Such people were generally called the surrender faction.

Was Lin Zhiyan part of the surrender faction?

Lu Zhao didn't rush to state his opinion. He simply watched her in silence.

Lin Zhiyan gazed into the distance and continued, "For a while, a certain Martial Marquis surnamed Chen shouted about it every day at the circuit government. He even pushed for the integration of the Chinese District and the state district in Cangwu City. Wouldn't you call that stupid?"

Lu Zhao said, "No. He's simply evil."

Lin Zhiyan smiled. "It seems you're a holdout, Senior."

Lu Zhao made no comment. Two generations of his Lu Family had all died in the War of National Defense. If they surrendered, wouldn't his family have died for nothing?

Back at the border station, Lu Zhao sat in the staff office, tapping his fingers on the desk.

His thoughts were still on his conversation with Lin Zhiyan.

As the saying went, no one visited a temple without a reason. Someone like Lin Zhiyan couldn't have been chatting with him for no reason.

In the Federation, one had to be careful not to misspeak. A wrong word could cost one an opportunity at best, or end one's official career at worst.

So everyone spoke rather indirectly, which was also a way for those in power to maintain their authority.

If she had a purpose, then, considering the transfer order she had given him and what she had said, Lu Zhao was certain-

Lin Zhiyan was testing my stance.

She had first gotten him to state his position so she could determine his stance.

As for why she was testing him, the answer had been clear from the start.

The South Sea West Circuit was Marquis Chen's territory. He had spent twenty years building his influence there, and all the major departments were filled with Chen Family people. The Lin Family, meanwhile, had great influence in the East Circuit and might have wanted to strike at the Chen Family.

By now, the Lin Family had probably already reached into the circuit.

Lu Zhao took the Public Security General Directorate's transfer order from his drawer and stared at the name Liang Chengyun on it.

The Public Security General Directorate was with the Lin Family.

Chapter 53: Entering the City

Having sorted out his thoughts, Lu Zhao put away the document and returned to his daily work.

He didn't rush to figure out how to declare his allegiance to the Lin Family.

Some things couldn't be rushed. The more eager he was to seek their patronage, the more likely he was to stumble. Besides, Lin Zhiyan hadn't made any request, so how could he be sure she needed him at all?

After work that evening, Lu Zhao again called Zhang Like out to a roadside food stall.

The two ate their fill, and the drinks went around three times.