Confrontation

Lao Gao said coldly, "There's a cop at the border defense station who's terrifyingly sharp. He picked up on us the moment we crossed the back mountain of Ant Ridge. Most likely a psychic superhuman, and quite advanced, too." Shan Yong countered, "A psychic superhuman on mountain patrol? Do you honestly believe that?" "There is one person." Lao Gao paused and offered no further explanation. His companion's face gradually darkened. The Miye Sanjiang region was vast—in the broader sense, even larger than Nanhai—and far more chaotic. Over there, control down to each individual street belonged to different organizations, with ownership changing hands daily. The area bordering Ant Ridge belonged to their lodge. Roughly two years ago, their drug trade had grown increasingly difficult, and the reason came down entirely to a single man. He was the current commander of the outpost deep within Ant Ridge, known throughout the underworld as Lu Shanjun. To this day, not a single person who had engaged in a direct firefight with him had escaped unscathed. A year ago, the head of their lodge had half an ear blown off by him. A major figure in Greenwood had once declared that whoever could resolve the Ant Ridge problem would become lodge master. "Call for backup. Bring in men from the other lodges," Shan Yong said decisively. "We're only five hundred kilometers from Cangwu City. Take the national highway, and they can be here in a day and a night." In the underworld today, survival was not about being fierce and reckless. No matter how strong you were, you couldn't beat Special Counter-Terrorism; no matter how ruthless, you couldn't surpass a Martial Marquis. A head-on clash with the authorities was practically suicidal, especially with Lu Shanjun in the picture. Superhumans of his caliber were the trickiest to deal with. You never knew when he would strike, or whether his psychic power had already locked onto you. What they feared most was being exposed under the government's watchful eyes. That meant imminent, devastating destruction. ----- On June 2, many soldiers at the border defense station received counter-terrorism taskings and began gearing up. As expected, Lu Zhao received no notification. His superiors had no intention of giving him any opportunity to earn merit. Within the official system, everything followed rules. No matter how Lü Jinshan tried to suppress him, once Lu Zhao accumulated enough merit, promotion would have to follow. Meanwhile, on the other side of the compound. Having had his request for Lu Zhao to join the apprehension operation rejected, Zhang Like stormed into the administration building, erupting into a fierce argument with the officer in charge. Lü Jinshan had denied Lu Zhao's application on the grounds that "the current task force is at full complement, and adding personnel could compromise operational secrecy." The clerk, a junior officer, offered a bitter smile. "Captain Zhang, this comes straight from the top. If you object, I can help you submit an appeal. In theory, you could be assigned a mission of equivalent value instead." "By the time that paperwork clears, the day will be long gone!" Zhang Like slammed his hand on the desk, drawing stares from everyone nearby. "Mission of equivalent value? How many major violent cases do you think there are? We go out on these missions with our heads tied to our belts! With a superhuman like Lu Zhao around, we could avoid so many casualties. Why won't you approve it? "Whenever things went sideways in the past, wasn't it Lu Zhao holding the line? "Every time, you fob me off with these pathetic excuses. Do you really take me for a fool?" It happened to be right after lunch, and more and more comrades from the station gathered outside the doors and windows. They pointed toward the personnel department, whispering without bothering to hide it. Many at the border defense station had heard rumors about Lu Zhao. Usually, as rank-and-file soldiers, they minded their own business. But now that someone was leading the charge, they naturally found the courage to join the commotion. Ten minutes later, the duty patrol arrived and escorted Zhang Like away. "Absurd! You are openly defying orders!" Inside the station chief's office, Lü Jinshan slammed his desk and glared at Zhang Like. The confrontation between them was on the verge of turning into an outright brawl. "Who gets assigned where is none of your business!" Zhang Like said, "Chief, we need Lu Zhao for this operation. If more men die during the arrest, it won't reflect well on anyone here." "You're getting more insolent by the day! Do you have no regard for rules and regulations?" "I just want to know: why can't Lu Zhao join?" "Get out!" Furious, Lü Jinshan drove him out. If Lu Zhao were allowed to earn more merit, things would only become more troublesome down the line. From the border defense station to the city, and all the way to Nanhai West Circuit, so many high-ranking figures were implicated. Suppressing Lu Zhao was a minor affair, but reopening his case would tear the sky wide open. Were they supposed to admit fault and take the blame? Out of the question! Zhang Like was booted from the chief's office, and the crowd lingering outside scattered like startled birds. Lu Zhao arrived late, and before he even reached him, he heard Zhang Like unleashing colorful curses in the local dialect: "*Xie mie meng*, you old dog Lü!" The corner of Lu Zhao's mouth twitched. In Nanhai West Circuit, every mountain and river had its own dialect; Old Zhang was using the Jinxing Prefecture accent. He said, "I'd better just wait for your emergency dispatch. We can't openly disobey orders." Lü Jinshan's refusal had been entirely expected. If he hadn't refused, Lu Zhao would have suspected a trap. Of his previous merits, the first had been a chance encounter, and the second had come through Zhang Like's dispatch. During a mission, if violent resistance broke out unexpectedly or police forces suffered heavy casualties, the commander on the scene had the authority to temporarily requisition nearby personnel for reinforcement. Now, they could only reuse that old tactic. "I'd rather not see it come to that. The men's lives matter more," Zhang Like said, shaking his head. "Right, what if we approached the special investigation team?" Lu Zhao said, "We're not even in the same system. They don't have operational authority over the border defense station." Though Lü Jinshan showed deference to the special investigation team, he would never relinquish control over his jurisdiction. "I heard Team Leader Lin comes from a serious background." "Even if she does, why would she help me?" Zhang Like looked Lu Zhao up and down. His cheekbones were sharply defined, his jawline chiseled, the bridge of his nose straight and high, paired with a pair of peach-blossom eyes that tapered sharply at the inner corners and curved upward at the tips. His only flaw was that repeated exposure to wind and weather had left his skin somewhat rough. Even so, it could not hide the foundation underneath. Calling him handsome was an understatement; he looked like Pan An himself. In ancient times, a face like that would have easily earned him the title of Tanhua, third in the imperial exams. Otherwise, he never would have been ensnared by his own "fatal beauty." Even stuck out here at the border defense station, female comrades frequently cast flirtatious glances his way, and three or four had pursued him openly. Yet in the end, all of them had been scared off by his deadly serious attitude and those lifeless fish-eyes. Just as beautiful women were showered with adoration, an exceptionally handsome man enjoyed no less attention. For instance, in the company, Zhang Like considered himself someone who loved his soldiers like sons, yet the grunts clearly favored Lu Zhao—even though Lu Zhao was the strictest of them all. "How about..." Before Zhang Like could finish, Lu Zhao's face turned black as the bottom of a pot. "Sigh... You're just too stubborn. That face of yours is completely wasted. If I were you, I'd have played around until my kidneys gave out." Zhang Like sighed, though he knew Lu Zhao's character well. If Lu Zhao were willing to compromise, he wouldn't have ended up in this state in the first place. Yet he couldn't say Lu Zhao's mindset was wrong. Values that aligned with public decency and morality shouldn't be criticized in the name of worldly sophistication. That would just be far too preachy.