Pressure

Zhang Like walked in, saying with a touch of helplessness, "Old Lu, sometimes you just need to soften your stance. Women just want to see the right attitude." He had been listening outside earlier. He had known they would quarrel, but hadn't expected it to get so heated. Lu Zhao said, "Public is public, and private is private. I cannot give an attitude that blurs the line between public duty and private matters." In the first place, both had simply been using each other to get what they needed, and now he didn't want to drag Lin Zhiyan down with him. Zhang Like hesitated, wanting to say that when a woman didn't distinguish public from private, it meant she treated you as one of her own. Yet thinking of Old Lu's temperament, he figured Lu would probably come out with another shocking retort. He asked, "What if they really pull strings and have you transferred away? Your post on the special investigation team is only temporary; it can be revoked at any time." Lu Zhao said, "It doesn't matter. The key evidence has already been submitted." "And what about after that?" Zhang Like asked, thoroughly perplexed. "The higher-ups have every ability to throw it back at you, or at the very least transfer you away and have the next person overturn your investigation. "And you'll have offended people without gaining a single thing." Although this wasn't the first time Lu Zhao had done something like this, Zhang Like still couldn't understand it. Especially this time, when facing the Circuit Politics Bureau, Lu Zhao remained just as unyielding. Lu Zhao remained as calm as still water, saying, "I am only responsible for investigating cases, not for passing judgment." Zhang Like's lips twitched as he lowered his voice. "Stop spouting slogans at me and give me the real scoop. Have you gained the backing of some other big shot?" "No." Lu Zhao shook his head and countered with a question, "If it has come this far and no one is put on trial, do you think I still need to stay in Nanhai Circuit?" A thoughtful look crossed Zhang Like's face, and then, as if something occurred to him, his expression grew grave. If it had rotted to this point, what would be the point of staying? "So..." he dropped his voice to an absolute whisper, "you're going to join Mount Liang and turn outlaw?" Lu Zhao didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I'm going to Zhongnan Circuit, to seek a way forward in the military." No matter how bad the Federation was, it was still legitimate government; no matter how imposing bandits were, they were still bandits. "Let's go eat." Lu Zhao and Zhang Like went to the mess squad to pick up their meal boxes and saw the beef cooking inside. Zhang Like's expression shifted slightly, and he asked before Lu Zhao could, "Where did this beef come from?" The mess squad leader replied, "Reporting to the officer, it was seized from a cold storage facility in the Foreign District. There was too much of it, so we took a little to make beef rice bowls for the brothers." "Nonsense! That is criminal evidence. How can you eat it?" Zhang Like barked a reprimand, then turned to Lu Zhao and said, "I'll handle this in a moment. It won't happen again." Lu Zhao shook his head. "Just tell them to be careful in the future. With so much beef seized, some of it is bound to spoil anyway." He didn't fly into a rage as Zhang Like had expected; instead, he was surprisingly tolerant. "Give me a box without beef." The mess squad leader said, "Brother Lu, then there'll only be greens." "I can eat with greens." Taking the meal box that held only greens, Lu Zhao found a spot to squat and eat, just like the soldiers around him. The soldiers were delighted to get a meal of beef, every face brimming with smiles. In this era, happiness was just that simple. Holding his own meal box, Zhang Like squatted beside him and complained half-jokingly, "Doing this takes all the joy out of eating beef for me." "You make it sound as if I'm ruthlessly impartial," Lu Zhao said. "I've never thought there was anything wrong with beef, nor do I think wanting to eat beef is wrong. It's just humanity's natural yearning for good things." He recognized that in today's society, the problem wasn't beef, but the strained balance between population and land. Beef was merely an objective focal point of contradiction, a sacrifice made under the planned economic system to alleviate the grain crisis. Without beef, there were still meats like chicken, duck, fish, and mutton. Beef was regarded as a luxury solely because it was forbidden. "My favorite dish is stir-fried yellow beef. I haven't eaten it in years." Zhang Like immediately said, "I'll have the mess squad pull up a recipe and make it for you tonight." Lu Zhao shook his head in refusal. "No need." "And you still say eating beef is fine?" Zhang Like picked up a piece of beef with his chopsticks, dropped it into Lu Zhao's meal box, and said, "Taking one bite won't kill anyone, and even if someone dies, it's just Federation subjects. What's the point of following the rules all by yourself? Hardly any of those big shots play by the rules." Lu Zhao didn't reply. He merely smiled, used his chopsticks to put the meat back into Zhang Like's box, finished his last mouthful of rice, and stood up to return the lunchbox. Soldiers kept running over as they caught the aroma, and Lu Zhao walked away alone against the flow of the crowd. Zhang Like stared fixedly at him, as though seeing Lu Zhao for the first time. He wasn't simply stubborn, and he was by no means sanctimonious. He could accept soldiers eating some beef, and he could understand the petty, sordid maneuvering of officialdom. Yet he remained determined to stand against the city executive, and even the entire Nanhai Circuit. ----- At two in the afternoon. Lu Zhao received a phone call from Nanhai Circuit. The caller claimed to be the director of the Dali General Department, who was also at the Federation's regular executive rank. Yet there were distinctions between positions: the Dali General Department held authority over the law, ranking among the elites of the elites within the Federation, wielding immense real power. He was also the highest-ranking Federation official Lu Zhao had ever spoken with. "Comrade Lu Zhao, the issue regarding Fangshi is a systemic matter. We need to conduct a prudent review and cannot act rashly. I hope you will withdraw the lawsuit." Lu Zhao answered, "If the leadership believes there is an issue, please dismiss my lawsuit in the form of an official document." "..." Silence fell on the other end of the line for a moment. "Comrade Lu Zhao, the procedure will still take some time. However, the Circuit Politics Bureau is very pleased that you could enforce the law impartially and root out the vermin within the Federation; you have played a pivotal role. In this year's selection of outstanding cadres, your name will certainly be included." Lu Zhao refused without a second thought. "If my lawsuit is unfounded, it cannot be considered meritorious. If it is meritorious, that should only be recognized once the truth comes to light." "I require you to conduct a reinvestigation." The voice on the phone grew stern, and Lu Zhao firmly pushed back in kind, "There are no issues with my investigation. I request that the Dali General Department accept the case as soon as possible." Afterward, a tedious tug-of-war ensued. Yet no matter how the other side dropped verbal hints, made threats, or dangled inducements, Lu Zhao had only one answer: Handle it strictly by the book. If there were doubts about his evidence, then produce counter-evidence. If they believed prosecution was inappropriate, then dismiss the lawsuit. Just as his teacher had said, rules were originally established to maintain checks and balances. When acting strictly according to the rules, no one was Lu Zhao's match. Problems could also be resolved through unorthodox means, but one would have to bear the risks and consequences. After an hour-long call, the director of the Nanhai Circuit Dali General Department was exasperated. Seeing that neither the carrot nor the stick worked, the voice on the other end turned into blatant threats. "You need to rein yourself in. This matter isn't something you can meddle with. If you let go now, there's still room to salvage things. Keep pushing, and you won't even be able to do mountain patrol." Lu Zhao responded calmly, "As deputy leader of the special investigation team, I have the authority to investigate anyone in Fangshi." "You petty junior officer, don't fail to appreciate my goodwill!" "The Dali General Department has no authority to dictate what I do." "Fine! Fine! Fine! Just you wait." The call disconnected. Lu Zhao calmly slipped the phone back into his pocket, having taken note of the Dali General Department as well. Today was June 28, 3242. In the future, he would trace back along the timeline to see who was on duty. Duly noted in the record.