Lü Jinshan's Backer

Night fell. Lü Jinshan rode in a black sedan into the Foreign District. At first, the route passed through squalid, chaotic neighborhoods, but deeper inside, it gave way to the neon-lit indulgence of the entertainment strip. To many, the Foreign District was synonymous with chaos. Yet beneath that rough exterior lay an undercurrent of lavish decadence. Money that couldn't be spent in the Chinese districts could be squandered here without a second thought. At the West Street Bar, as soon as Lü Jinshan stepped out of the car, a doorman hurried forward, bowing as he spoke in the Nanhai dialect. "Mr. Lü, the big bosses have been waiting inside for quite a while." "Has Mr. Zhao arrived?" "Boss Zhao is already here." Relieved to hear that Mr. Zhao had arrived, Lü Jinshan quickened his pace. He entered the glittering, opulent bar and pushed through the thumping clamor of the dance floor. Flanked by bar security, he made his way to the private box on the top floor. At the doorway, Lü Jinshan rumpled his collar and put a couple of drops in his eyes before stepping inside. Moments later, a wail of grief echoed from within. Before the security guards pulled the door shut, they caught sight of Lü Jinshan throwing himself at a man's side. *Thud.* The door closed. Sitting on the sofa and puffing smoke, Mr. Zhao said, "All right, stop your sniveling. You're not going to die." Wiping away his tears, Lü Jinshan asked, "Old Leader, just what is Lin Zhiyan's background?" "Haven't you guessed yet?" Mr. Zhao reached forward with his cigarette, and Lü Jinshan hurriedly cupped both hands to serve as an ashtray. "The Cangwu Lin family. Two Marquises in one house—once the prominent nobility of Nanhai Circuit." The fat on Lü Jinshan's frame trembled. "Look at your pathetic self. Not a shred of backbone. Those two Martial Marquises of the Lin family died ten years ago; they can't make any real waves anymore." "Just wait. Once the special investigation team leaves, everything will be fine." *** That evening, Zhang Like and Lu Zhao met up as usual at the open-air food stalls outside the border defense station. The surroundings were bustling, filled mostly with officers and soldiers from the station alongside passing truck drivers. "Lü Jinshan has been suspended, and Chen Hongtao is serving as acting station chief. His primary goal is to ensure nothing goes wrong with flood prevention, so he shouldn't oppose us." Zhang Like poured Lu Zhao a drink as he reviewed the situation. Without Lü Jinshan holding them in check, no one at the border defense station was a match for them anymore. As the temporary top leader, all Chen Hongtao needed to do was guarantee a smooth flood season to add a solid mark to his record. His best option was naturally to rely on Lu Zhao. After all, over the past two years, Lu Zhao's competence had earned universal recognition. Lu Zhao shook his head. "As long as the Chen family doesn't fall, a second Lü Jinshan will appear. Chen Hongtao isn't on our side, and he could turn into an enemy at any moment." "You, on the other hand, are too set on revenge. That's not a good thing." Zhang Like sighed helplessly. Picking at dishes and sipping his liquor, he continued, "There are only seventy-two Martial Marquises in the entire Federation. In over two hundred years since its founding, Martial Marquises have only ever retired. They're like gods in the heavens—they never fall." "If you can join their celestial ranks someday, then treat what I'm saying today as hot air. If not, I advise you to let go of your grudge against the Chen family." Lu Zhao neither argued nor agreed. Old Zhang wasn't wrong. A Martial Marquis was power made flesh; in Lu Zhao's current state, he wasn't even worth a glance from one. Yet human effort dictated destiny. With the old Taoist around, his chances of becoming a Martial Marquis in the future were thirty percent. To advance his life-force development further, he had to keep climbing to secure larger quotas of life supplements. There was also the Federation's internal stock of secret medicines. From the second rank onward, developing one's life force required them. Outside, those secret medicines were worth a fortune, often fetching sky-high prices on the black market. Within the Federation, however, a single second-class merit could be exchanged for one. Lu Zhao said, "Old Zhang, is Deputy Station Chief Chen getting transferred next month?" "Most likely," Zhang Like replied. "Deputies are just biding their time to build seniority. He'll probably go elsewhere to take full charge. Why, do you have ideas?" Lu Zhao gave a noncommittal nod. "Do you think I have a shot? Or maybe you could take it." "Not me. I was only promoted to major two years ago; I still need to bide my time for another two years." Zhang Like shook his head, then stroked his chin in thought. "A deputy station chief is a battalion-level cadre. You just made captain, which is enough. Plus, you have two second-class merits, so you qualify for promotion." "I think it's feasible. Ideally, you should get Deputy Chen's recommendation." Lu Zhao said, "I'll give it a try. If it doesn't work, I'll figure out another way." Tipsy from the drink, Zhang Like chuckled. "Graduates from Dijing University really do learn fast—I don't even need to guide you." "I honestly don't know whether pulling you down this path was right or wrong. I thought you'd make a fine teacher. In officialdom, sometimes you can only stop once you've reached the very end." *** June 10th. It was a special day, and the camp was filled with festive cheer: it was payday. Soldiers formed long lines in front of the logistics department, waiting to collect their life supplements and salaries. Lu Zhao had queued up early as well. The men in front of and behind him were soldiers from his own platoon, and they chatted casually. The soldiers of the reinforced platoon noticed that their platoon leader had become much more talkative lately; even his usually stony expression now held occasional smiles. "Oh! Isn't this Staff Officer Lu?" A voice called out. Lu Zhao looked up to see a balding major approaching—Logistics Section Chief Mo Kun. Their relationship had always been lukewarm. Early on, Mo Kun had deliberately made things difficult regarding Lu Zhao's life supplement quota, but after Lu Zhao grew closer to Zhang Like, the harassment had stopped. Even so, the two had never become close; Mo Kun had simply ceased targeting him. The border defense station housed all sorts: pushovers like Liang Fei, and fence-sitters like Mo Kun. Once Lu Zhao demonstrated enough strength, most people chose to sit on the sidelines rather than stick their necks out just to flatter Lü Jinshan. Now, Mo Kun cast aside his usual by-the-book attitude, his face practically beaming with enthusiasm. "There are a few matters regarding flood prevention that I'd like to consult you about, Staff Officer Lu," he said. "Could you step into my office for a moment? It will only take a short while." Lu Zhao raised an eyebrow. This man had previously treated him with cold indifference, yet now he was doing a complete about-face. When things were abnormal, something was definitely amiss. Following Mo Kun into his office, Lu Zhao found that the man genuinely did begin discussing flood prevention. For the most part, Mo Kun asked all the questions, acting thoroughly dedicated to the preparations. Lu Zhao couldn't tell what game he was playing, but he still answered each question with diligent care. Half an hour passed. Lu Zhao checked the time and saw it was already nine in the morning. He stood to take his leave. "It's getting late, Section Chief Mo. Let's talk another day. If you have further questions, I can send someone over later." "Wait a moment, Staff Officer Lu. I have something here that I'd appreciate you delivering to Captain Zhang on your way." From behind his desk, Mo Kun hauled out a battered cardboard box. "This is the liquor he asked me to buy for him earlier." As if worried Lu Zhao wouldn't believe him, he opened the box to reveal the bottles inside. The label read Honghualang. Without overthinking it, Lu Zhao leaned down to pick up the box. Logistics were underdeveloped in this era, and online shopping did not exist. Many items inside the camp were purchased through internal logistics channels. This included personal goods for soldiers, which only required filling out an application form. In the next instant, a sense of vigilance flared in his chest. Setting the box down, he pulled out one of the bottles, unscrewed the cap, and took a sniff. A pungent scent of herbal medicine wafted out. This was clearly not liquor—it was life supplement. And not a low grade, either; it was most likely an intermediate-grade life supplement. Lu Zhao looked up, frowning. "This is life supplement?" With a smile plastered across his face, Mo Kun said, "Medicinal liquor. It's medicinal liquor." "Deliver it to him yourself." Lu Zhao set the bottle down and walked out, leaving Mo Kun standing there, his expression frozen. The soldiers outside collecting their pay and supplements had no idea what had just occurred. They only saw Staff Officer Lu return to the line, collect his supplies like everyone else, and leave the logistics section. This was the very source of Lu Zhao's prestige. Many things could be done without immediate consequences, but that didn't mean people were completely blind to them. Lu Zhao returned to his dormitory first. He consumed the life supplement and began the long-neglected process of refining essence into qi, then tested himself with the blood analyzer. [Life Force: 37.4] That day, Lu Zhao's office was unusually lively. Department leaders, middle managers, low-level clerks, and ordinary soldiers—people who normally wouldn't exchange a word with him—came by in wave after wave to curry favor. It reached the point where he could barely get any work done.