Arrangements

Lin Zhiyan asked, "How many men can you bring into the city at most?" "Four companies." Lu Zhao pondered briefly before adding, "At least one company—specifically, the squads you saw at the forward outpost." Surprised, Lin Zhiyan said, "Aren't you and Captain Zhang life-and-death friends?" "He isn't me, and he isn't the commander of every single company," Lu Zhao replied. Power was a tightly interlocking machine. Whenever a vacancy opened, someone would step up of their own accord to fill it, yet that applied only to power itself. The people who wielded power possessed their own subjective agency. Lu Zhao trusted Zhang Like, but he did not trust the men under Zhang Like's command. Since Wang Tong and the Fangshi city executive backing him could attempt to recruit Lu Zhao, they could naturally win over others as well. From antiquity to the present day, there had been countless turncoat generals and wavering fence-sitters throughout history, and in modern times there would only be more. Only what he held in his own grasp truly counted. Lin Zhiyan calculated the numbers. One company had one hundred and twenty men, which should be enough to lock down Kabukicho. After all, they were not truly going to war; they only needed to maintain control of the scene. Lin Zhiyan drove Lu Zhao back to the garrison of the Special Counter-Terrorism Response Detachment. When he stepped out of the vehicle and walked inside, the squad of soldiers he had brought from the border defense station was already gathered around the military transport, shooting the breeze. At the sight of Lu Zhao approaching, everyone's gaze snapped onto him. "Fall in!" With that brief two-word command, they snapped into formation in an instant. Noticing that Liao Lang, who had led the detachment, was missing, Lu Zhao asked, "Where is Company Commander Liao?" "Reporting, sir! Company Commander Liao just left with Colonel Wang," one soldier answered. Lu Zhao turned his gaze toward the Special Counter-Terrorism Response Detachment's building, his eyes darkening in thought. They had made their move faster than he had anticipated, and far more brazenly. Then he let it go. In this world, how many things could truly be kept secret? The more steps a plan had, the easier it was to fail. Besides, when the city executive made a move, why would he care about a mere captain like him? It was just like today's false report. As long as it served to divert the special investigation team's attention, it worked. No matter how crude the pretext was, they had no choice but to make the trip. Such was the momentum of power. After waiting for about five minutes, Liao Lang's figure appeared at the entrance of the administrative building. Seeing that the squad was already assembled, he hurried over in a fluster, stood at attention before Lu Zhao, and saluted. Through the Visualization Method, Lu Zhao "smelled" the nervousness radiating from him and "touched" the rapid pounding of his heart. "Mount up. Returning to camp." Lu Zhao asked no questions and took the front passenger seat. The vehicle departed the Special Counter-Terrorism Response Detachment. Throughout the drive, Lu Zhao never brought up what had just occurred, acting entirely unaware. This allowed Liao Lang to breathe a sigh of relief. Back at the camp, he offered no explanation either, and the men were dismissed in silence. Instead of heading back to his dormitory, Lu Zhao pulled out his phone and called Zhang Like out to catch up. About half an hour later, Zhang Like arrived in his service uniform and said, "I haven't eaten yet. Let's go grab a bite at a food stall." "I just ate with Team Leader Lin." Lu Zhao's answer made Zhang Like freeze for a second before he blurted out in amazement, "Holy shit! You actually hooked up with her? Damn it, you're really about to shoot straight to the top, aren't you?" He threw an arm over Lu Zhao's shoulders, pressing down playfully and shaking a fist at him. "Spill it right now! How did a quiet guy like you manage to hook up with Team Leader Lin?" "Who hooked up with whom? It was just a business dinner." "Pfft! Business dinner, my foot! Did you pour Team Leader Lin wine? Are you heading back to her hotel room tonight?" "I really didn't hook up with her. She came to invite me. Could I have refused?" Lu Zhao felt helpless. Aside from illegal acts, which he refused to touch, Lu Zhao understood basic social etiquette. He was hardly going to give someone a cold shoulder when they treated him to a meal. That wasn't being selfless; that was being an idiot. After listening to Lu Zhao's explanation and confirming it several times over, Zhang Like felt even more sour. He could only grumble with a hint of envy, "Must be nice being handsome. Even when you treat her like that, Team Leader Lin still cuts you slack." He wanted his brother to do well, but how could he do this well? Others would trip over themselves just to fawn over Team Leader Lin, yet this kid gave her cold looks time and again and still got treated to meals twice. This world cared far too much about looks, breaking the heart of a rough fellow like Old Zhang. Lu Zhao had no desire to argue with him. Whatever he said, Old Zhang would just sourly retort that being handsome solved everything. "My treat today. How about that?" "At least you have a conscience." The two made their way to a roadside food stall, ordered a few dishes and some alcohol, and began eating and chatting. Lu Zhao said, "I want to adjust the outpost companies and rotate my men off the line." "Why?" Zhang Like chewed on a piece of white-cut chicken, his speech slightly slurred. "Aren't your soldiers doing great out there? Why pull them off?" Lu Zhao retrieved a small blue booklet and handed it over. Zhang Like wiped his hands on his clothes before picking it up to inspect it. Gradually, his expression turned grave. He set down his chopsticks. "Have you lost your mind? Forging something like this?" Just as expected, Zhang Like was doubtful. They were military personnel; how could they have the authority to move freely in and out of the urban area? For a border defense company to enter and leave the city carrying weapons without inspections or filings just by showing this permit—could such authority really be granted to them? After Lu Zhao explained the situation, Zhang Like begrudgingly accepted it, sighing, "The Federation decentralizing power isn't a good sign. The Hall of Martial Virtue probably can't control the overall situation anymore and has no choice but to delegate authority to the regional Circuit Politics Bureaus." Lu Zhao remarked, "It looks like they're turning into military commissioners." "An apt comparison." Zhang Like wore a worried frown. He was thirty-seven this year. He had been a university student during the Cataclysm, watching with his own eyes as an age of prosperity devolved into an age of chaos. He had thought things would gradually stabilize, yet the wheels of history continued to grind forward. "What's your plan? If it's just a blockade, wouldn't another company work just as well?" Scheduling which company was on duty fell within his authority, but executing it was quite troublesome, requiring a complete reshuffling of assignments. If any problems arose because of the rotation, he would be held accountable. "When I returned, Liao Lang went alone to see Wang Tong, and he didn't offer any explanation when he got back." Lu Zhao recounted what had happened, and Zhang Like's brows furrowed. "Could it just have been some minor routine matter that wasn't worth mentioning to you?" "I hope so," Lu Zhao said, not entirely certain either. "But I want the men swapped out for my platoon, just to prevent any unforeseen trouble." Zhang Like nodded. "All right. I'll take care of it as soon as I get back." * * * The next day, June 20th. Zhang Like altered the company rotation roster, pulling the reinforced platoon back from the front line. This move caused quite a stir within the border defense station. Acting Station Chief Chen Hongtao came by specifically to inquire. Once he learned a bit of the situation from Zhang Like, he immediately dropped the matter. He was due to be transferred next month and wanted no part in such entanglements. On June 21st, Lu Zhao accelerated his preparations for the flood season. Rotating them out squad by squad, he steadily pulled the men of his reinforced platoon off the line. It took an entire week, but without disrupting the flood prevention efforts, he finally managed to extricate the full reinforced platoon.