In the Name of Divine Ability, Section 48

This was especially evident in families that had risen to prominence within the past three generations. A Martial Marquis had the power to let them have their way, but a Martial Marquis would die eventually. When the source of their power vanished, they would naturally fall from the clouds.

That was why many Martial Marquises chose to have their descendants go into business, at least ensuring them a lifetime of wealth.

Chen Qian could do as she pleased, and so could Lin Zhiyan, but every abuse of power closed off paths for the future.

Lu Zhao belonged to a local Fang City unit to begin with, so transferring him fell within her authority. She had only used her connections because someone else had broken the rules first.

Lin Zhiyan had her sights set on the Circuit Administration Bureau, or even the position of Martial Marquis, so naturally she had to protect her reputation.

Xu Fang clearly did not understand the nature of how power operated. Still confused, she asked:

"We're all part of the Federation. Why do they have to oppose us at every turn? Arresting those people wouldn't hurt them."

That was what she found hardest to understand. The task force had only come to carry out an assignment from the Circuit Administration Bureau, and its targets were just a band of robbers on the run.

Lin Zhiyan explained, "Some things can't be put on the scales, and no one is going to hand over leverage against themselves."

Xu Fang was even more confused. "If there's a problem, we can try to talk it over and define the scope of the investigation."

"Perhaps."

Lin Zhiyan gave a perfunctory reply, suddenly missing her senior a little.

Though he was the same kind of person as her father, whom Lin Zhiyan disliked, she preferred talking to intelligent people.

If Lu Zhao were here, he would understand at once.

This had never been a question of crime.

In the past, if an investigation into the Foreign District had been necessary, the higher-ups would have set the tone from the start and notified the people below.

Now Lin Zhiyan had received no word, and presumably neither had Fang City's officials, high or low.

The higher-ups had not said the Foreign District was off-limits, which meant it could be investigated-and that it would be best if the investigation turned up something.

The Martial Marquises had not spoken, so how could the people below make a decision?

Lin Zhiyan's phone rang. She glanced at the number. It was Zhao De, Fang City's city executive.

"My senior is quite a deterrent to play."

When the rules had to be observed, someone like Lu Zhao was a peerless sword.

Chapter 58: Comprehension

"Hello, City Executive Zhao."

"Miss Lin, my people have been ignorant lately. I hope they haven't caused you any trouble?"

Zhao De began with an apology, but his tone was steady. It sounded more like a provocation, as though he already knew the answer.

As the local administrator with real power, he had no need to humble himself before Lin Zhiyan. The Federation was not ancient society, after all; second-generation heirs could only bully minor officials.

Unless Lin Zhiyan's father was his immediate superior, that was-if her father were still alive.

Lin Zhiyan replied sarcastically, "They've caused quite a lot of trouble. It can't be easy for you either, City Executive Zhao, with such useless people under you."

"Sorry you had to see that. I'll have them write self-criticisms later."

Zhao De turned to the matter at hand. "The Circuit Administration Bureau is overseeing this case, so we wouldn't dare neglect it. But I hope Team Leader Lin will consider the difficulties we face locally. We can't work as efficiently as Cangwu City."

"I'll find the people for the task force. Please give us some time."

Lin Zhiyan's expression softened, and she made her demand. "I want them alive and in their right minds."

"The targets are transcendents. We can't guarantee they'll survive the arrest."

"Dead is fine too. The stolen goods must be recovered."

"I can't guarantee that either."

"What if I insist?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone before he answered, "In that case, our city will cooperate with the task force to the fullest."

Meanwhile, Lu Zhao and the others returned to the Special Response Detachment to retrieve the personal phones they had handed in.

The detachment captain, Wang Tong, seemed to have been waiting for some time.

He handed Lu Zhao a bottle of water. "Young Miss Lin must be hard to serve, huh?"

"She's all right. Not as bad as I imagined."

Lu Zhao answered without hesitation.

Though she still acted like a scion of an influential family in some respects, she was not a bad person.

She probably wants something from me.

Lu Zhao could tell that the task force had come into conflict with Fang City and that Lin Zhiyan was looking to him for a breakthrough.

"Is that so? I heard Young Miss Lin isn't easy to deal with. She offended a whole lot of people as soon as she came to Fang City."

Wang Tong seemed to be hinting at something. "Coming from Cangwu City, she probably doesn't understand how hard things are for border cities like ours. First, we don't have much industry. Second, we have to deal with the impact of illegal border crossings and smuggling. Third, we have to keep food production up."

"You border guards have it hardest of all, Brother Lu. You get paid so little each month to feed the mosquitoes in the jungle."

Lu Zhao said nothing. He could already guess what the other man was going to say.

Of the three major armed agencies-the Special Response Detachment, public security, and the border guards-the public security police had the most authority, followed by the Special Response Detachment and then the border station.

In terms of combat strength, the border station had better weapons and equipment than public security or Special Response. The Ant Ridge Border Station had four companies, fully equipped with all kinds of heavy firepower.

But they could not enter the city. Their authority extended only to Ant Ridge.

Struggles within the Federation followed a rule: fight, but do not break with one another. Very few people dared openly defy a higher authority, and those who did usually came to a bad end.

So the usual tactic was to stall. All they needed was the ability to sabotage things.

Public security was unwilling to cooperate, and Special Response had sent only one squad.

If their border station played along as well, Lin Zhiyan might as well go home and eat.

Seeing that Lu Zhao still had not said where he stood, Wang Tong continued, "Have you thought about pursuing a career in another unit, Brother Lu? Come join our Special Response team. It's a better place for you to advance, and one of our companies needs a commander."

"I think the border station suits me."

Lu Zhao politely declined, but his answer was so decisive that Wang Tong's expression stiffened.

He laughed. "You can think it over in the future. Here's my number."

After leaving his number, Wang Tong turned and walked away.

Liao Lang and the accompanying soldiers all looked on enviously.

This was a personal invitation from the Special Response Detachment captain.

Liao Lang flattered him. "Brother Lu, you're really going places. Don't forget us when you make it big."

"The most important thing is to do your own job well first."

Lu Zhao glanced at him. People had an instinctive desire for power, yet many were slow to react to it.

The Special Service Rapid Response Detachment was a higher-level unit than the border station, and a company commander's post was better than that of an operations and training staff officer, but Lu Zhao's foundation was at the border station.

Joining the Special Response team would be like jumping into a pit of his own accord.

Lu Zhao got his phone back and found a missed call from his mother, Luo Xiuhua.

They called each other once a month to give each other a brief update on their lives.

His mother was a typical rural woman. She had only a middle-school education, having completed the nine years of compulsory schooling. She had no great ambitions in life and only wanted to live in peace. She often complained that his father and elder brother had rushed off to their deaths back then.

But she had never interfered in or commented on Lu Zhao's affairs.

All she said was, "Take care of yourself. Don't wear yourself out."

Then his niece snatched the phone away.

"Hello, hello, hello! Uncle Zhao, can you hear me?"

His niece Lu Xiaotong's booming voice made Lu Zhao move the phone an inch away. "I can hear you. I'm going deaf."

"Hehehe, Uncle Zhao, I came first in my grade on the monthly exams."

"What were your scores?"

"Eight hundred on the academic subjects, ten points short of full marks."

"What about Life Development?"

"Uh... just seventy."

Secondary education in the Federation was divided into academic subjects and Life Development. Life Development was uniformly graded out of 100, while the academic exams for senior high schools in the South Sea West Circuit were graded out of 810.

Top schools generally had strict Life Development requirements. Lu Xiaotong's scores were good enough for a first-rate university, but not for the Imperial Capital or Red Water.

She needed at least 90 points to meet the minimum requirement.

But there was nothing to be done about it. Lu Xiaotong did not have particularly good resources, after all. Lu Zhao had been in a government-run care home, where he had received ample resources so he could be held up as an example.

Lu Xiaotong went on to chat about everyday trifles, complaining about her friends at school, calling one teacher a fucking idiot, or talking about some awful dish her mother had made.

As Lu Zhao listened, a smile unconsciously appeared on his lips, and his whole face was less tense than usual.

For an instant, he was pulled out of the mire of power struggles.

There was more to this world than scheming against one another. It was not all enemies and comrades-in-arms; there were still many ordinary people who longed for a good life.

Thoughts stirred within him in some mysterious way. The most direct way to perceive the existence of others was through touch, and the mind holding others was also a kind of touch.

Lu Zhao's skin itched slightly, and the thoughts spreading out from him relayed sensations.

His mind could touch objects.

The cool ground, the damp blades of grass-when he cast it toward the mountains, he could feel the mountain wind howling; when it drifted toward the sky, he seemed to stand among the clouds.

For a moment, he seemed to be flying.

Lu Zhao slowly withdrew his divine sense and watched his hand open and clench again. Still wanting more, he returned to his body.

"Touch. This feels as though my mind has left my body."