Turning the Tables

At these words, Zhang Like’s breath hitched noticeably, and the vehicle gave a slight wobble. Patrol routes fell under Zhang Like's purview, and a year and a half ago, he had not yet had a complete falling out with Lü Jinshan. His signature being on the proposal was no surprise, but if an issue arose, he would be held chiefly responsible. Zhang Like asked, "The server room has things like that?" "The Federation has been promoting computerized administration. Starting a year ago, all valid documents are required to be kept on record." Lu Zhao explained what computerized administration meant to someone like Zhang Like, who had never touched a computer. For a Federation that had not even accomplished a moon landing yet, a digital lifestyle based on the internet remained quite unfamiliar. The Cataclysm had spurred the technology of life supplements, cultivating giant corporations one after another, but it had also stalled many other scientific developments. Everyone was busy trying to survive, with no time to tinker with anything else. In Zhang Like's mind, documents were still kept in the archives. In a small place like Ant Ridge border defense station, it was not uncommon for papers to get chewed up by rats or burned in a fire. Now, however, things were different. Everything was backed up on computers, and through the government intranet, the data was synchronized to the prefecture-level data center. Therefore, some things were no longer up to Zhang Like. He had to take Lu Zhao's side. As long as he pinned the blame on Lü Jinshan, everything would turn out fine. *** 1:00 AM, Ant Ridge border defense station. The convoy rolled through the main gate into the base, crushing through the midnight chill beneath sparse camp lights. The other teams assigned to perimeter cordoning had already returned one after another; Lu Zhao's squad was the last to arrive. Beside the motor pool parking apron, Lü Jinshan stood with several key station leaders, ready to welcome the triumphant heroes. The moment Lu Zhao stepped out of the vehicle, Lü Jinshan led his cadre forward, closing the distance in hurried strides to grasp Lu Zhao's hand. "You performed exceptionally well on today's mission. First thing tomorrow, I'll petition the higher-ups for your commendation." Then, turning his beaming, chubby face toward the crowd, he called out loudly, "In this critical mission—the joint bandit-suppression operation for the Fangcheng Special Taskforce—Comrade Lu Zhao rose to the challenge with tremendous political awareness, reversing a losing situation! "This also reflects the remarkable success of our border defense station in vigorously developing combat readiness and prioritizing talent cultivation in recent years!" Goosebumps broke out over Lu Zhao's skin, and he pulled his hand from the grip. The others frowned as well, especially the junior officers, whose eyes burned with unmistakable fury. Lü Jinshan had anticipated this. Showing not the slightest hint of annoyance, he rattled on nonchalantly with his bureaucratic platitudes. At least when it came to manipulating bureaucratic games, Lu Zhao truly had to admit he was no match. He droned on for more than ten minutes until everyone grew restless. Finally, Lü Jinshan cleared his throat lightly and said, "All right, everyone may return to rest. Dismissed." A collective sigh of relief went through the crowd. The regular soldiers began dispersing on the spot, but after taking only a couple of paces, they noticed their company commanders and platoon leaders had not moved, remaining planted rigidly in place. A few quick-witted squad leaders immediately hauled their men back. From Lü Jinshan's messy dismissal to the reformed ranks took less than five minutes. Lü Jinshan's amiable smile vanished abruptly, and the atmosphere turned bizarre. Zhang Like waited a beat, then turned and barked, "All personnel, attention! At ease! Dismissed!" *Whoosh!* The border defense soldiers dispersed in every direction. Walking alongside Zhang Like on the path, Lu Zhao asked, "Was that really necessary?" "Since ancient times, we've cared about picking sides, but political warfare within the Federation is all about struggling without rupturing," Zhang Like explained. "If you read the newspapers more, you'd know that the big shots in power battle it out by quoting conflicting doctrines. "And the true purpose of preaching doctrine is to demand loyalty and obedience. In official work, competence doesn't come first; loyalty does. Results don't come first; attitude does." Having said that, he dropped his serious tone and teased, "Women often say, 'All I want is an attitude,' and plenty of leaders are just like petty women—they all need to be coaxed and coddled." *** Deep into the early hours, at the Ant Ridge border defense station dormitory building. Shafts of lamplight sliced through the night mist, drawing countless mosquitoes and moths. Lu Zhao returned to the dormitory building. The moment he stepped onto the stairs, he heard: "Operation didn't go smoothly today?" Old Niu's voice was hoarse and dry, carrying Nanhai's distinct accent with its long, reedy drawl. "You could say that." Lu Zhao stopped before the window of the guard room, deftly catching the rolled cigarette Old Niu slipped through the gap. This kind of cigarette had no filter. It tasted harsh and fiery, as if dusted with chili powder. A single drag was intensely pungent, the smoke scraping against the tongue and throat like sandpaper. At first, it had made him choke and cough, but he was no longer the greenhorn who had first arrived at the border defense station. Zhang Laoniu said, "You went head-to-head with Lü Jinshan?" Surprise showed on Lu Zhao's face. "Old Zhang told you?" Zhang Laoniu replied, "Everyone was talking about it when they got back just now. What can you possibly hide in a pint-sized station like this?" On second thought, Lu Zhao found that reasonable. At most, the border defense station had around a thousand personnel, with only a few hundred on the official payroll. His conflict with Lü Jinshan had not come out into the open just today. "You dare to go toe-to-toe with Lü Jinshan—found yourself a backer?" Lu Zhao chuckled. "Nope. How about you find one for me, Master Niu? Ideally someone who sits in the Nanhai Circuit Politics Bureau." "With that stubborn mule temper of yours, even if I hauled over a mountain of gold, you'd probably kick it over." "You can actually find one?" "If I could, would I still be sitting here as a gatekeeper?" "And here I thought you were a genuine Sweeping Monk, Old Niu." Lu Zhao's face dropped into mock disappointment, which drew a chuckle from Zhang Laoniu. He had fought in the War of National Defense, but he hadn't commanded it. Under the Federation's system, the Hall of Martial Virtue in Xijing stood supreme, followed by circuits, prefectures, cities, towns, and townships. The supreme governing organ of the Federation was the Hall of Martial Virtue, while the largest regional administrative units were the Circuit Politics Bureaus. The Federation itself was composed of these Circuit Politics Bureaus, known as the One Capital and Twelve Circuits. The Nanhai Circuit Politics Bureau Lu Zhao mentioned governed the entire 450,000 square kilometers of Nanhai, spanning three prefectures, seventy cities, and nearly five hundred million people. The figures seated within were, without exception, Martial Marquises—beings that would have been called Earth Immortals in ancient times. If Zhang Laoniu could truly connect him with a figure like that, Lu Zhao would latch on in a heartbeat. He simply refused to be a plaything for the powerful, not that he opposed power itself. Power existed objectively; its existence did not depend on any individual's likes or dislikes. In the future, he too could hold power. Zhang Laoniu curled a finger in a beckoning motion. Puzzled, Lu Zhao leaned closer, only to hear the old man lower his voice: "That Lü fellow has a younger brother who runs smuggling operations on the side. You might want to look into him." Lu Zhao's eyes widened visibly. Thoughts raced through his mind like lightning, connecting this piece of information with the smuggling route through the back mountain in a flash. *Lü Jinshan is almost certainly involved in smuggling.* Lu Zhao straightened up, returning to his usual half-dead, nonchalant posture. "Thanks, Uncle Niu. I'm heading in to get some rest." "Now you know to call me Uncle Niu." Zhang Laoniu lit a rolled cigarette, took a drag, and said, "I have some connections in Chishui, but you'd have to shed your status as a recent Dijing graduate and commissioned-training student, go out into society, and test into a military academy anew. Whenever you can't hold out any longer, come find me." Lu Zhao smiled. "If you have that kind of channel, why haven't you arranged it for Old Zhang?" He seemed more like kin to the old man than his nephew Zhang Like did. "Connections are only useful if a person has the capability to match," Zhang Laoniu said, clicking his tongue in exasperation. "In a tiny outpost like Ant Ridge, it doesn't matter. But if someone wants to move up to the prefecture capital, their level of life-force development can't be low. If it's too low, they can only run errands." "I can still hold out for now. You'd better save those connections of yours for getting into a cadre rest home." Lu Zhao waved a hand and turned, disappearing down the corridor. Zhang Laoniu offered a helpless smile, settling back inside the guard room to watch over the sleeping, silent mountains.