In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 127 Awarded Second-Class Merit

July 25th.

Lu Zhao finally received the second-class merit award that he had been waiting for for a long time.

This is thanks to his efforts in cracking down on smugglers last year, but due to some of Lü Jinshan's actions, it has been stuck for eleven months to this day.

The verification of his deeds and preparation of materials took two months, and the submission for approval was delayed for another three months. Finally, it was submitted. Then, Lü Jinshan deliberately submitted some problematic materials, which were sent back for a second verification.

This kind of operation can often delay Lu Zhao for a year.

A commissioner from the county-level security bureau brought Lu Zhao a silver medal and a second-class merit certificate.

Lu Zhao originally planned to keep things simple, but Zhang Like, upon hearing the news, summoned all the soldiers who were not on duty and insisted on arranging a grand affair for him.

Zhang Like said, "When you were awarded your medal before, that old dog Lü didn't even give you a ceremony. Now that you've become the station chief, if you still don't have a ceremony, then isn't being the station chief a waste of your position?"

"Don't worry about me, just focus on receiving your medal."

Lu Zhao had no choice but to accept it.

This isn't exactly a violation of regulations, but as a leader, it's a bit embarrassing to be specially arranged to receive an award.

All officers and soldiers in the camp assembled on the parade ground and sat upright on folding chairs according to their unit's formation.

The Commissioner of the Public Security Bureau and Lu Zhao stood together at the front of the stage, with the former reading the announcement.

"Comrades, we are holding this meeting today to solemnly commend Comrade Lu Zhao for his outstanding contributions to border defense affairs, his heroic deeds and remarkable achievements."

"He is a role model for our camp and for our entire border defense affairs in the western part of the South China Sea. I feel I need to say a few words about his achievements."

The Commissioner of the Public Security Bureau then spoke at length, recounting Lu Zhao's achievements with great familiarity, clearly having come prepared.

Lu Zhao himself may not realize that in the eyes of some people in Liu's faction, he is already a rising star.

Even excluding Lin Zhiyan, the achievement of defeating a Chen-affiliated city executive is dazzling enough, and he will surely be given important responsibilities in the future.

Many great figures rise to prominence in this way: first, they demonstrate their abilities, then they are noticed by influential people, and thus they soar to great heights.

After listening for fifteen minutes, the soldiers' serious expressions had subtly changed.

It wasn't that the commissioner was wrong, but Chief Lu, who always appeared cold and hard, seemed to be stuck in place, his expression gradually becoming distorted.

Finally, Lu Zhao couldn't listen anymore and interrupted in a low voice, "Comrade, that's enough. This isn't a memorial service; there's no need to say so much."

Upon hearing this, the commissioner stopped his speech and concluded, "Therefore, I hope that all border guards will learn from Comrade Lu and contribute to the cause of federal border defense."

"Now, please welcome Comrade Lu Zhao to receive the award."

Applause erupted instantly, and everyone stood up in unison, in a neat and enthusiastic manner.

This wasn't the first time Lu Zhao had received a medal in the past four years, but it was the first time he received one amidst applause.

After the medal ceremony, leaders from various departments came to offer their congratulations, and soldiers from the reinforced platoon also crowded around.

Someone chimed in, "Chief Lu, you absolutely have to treat us to dinner tonight! Adding some braised pork to the canteen isn't too much to ask, is it?"

Lu Zhao didn't put on airs and said, "Then let's add another dish."

Everyone cheered immediately, not because they particularly wanted a braised pork dish, but simply for the festive atmosphere.

After the crowd dispersed, the official did not leave.

"Commander Lu, may I speak to you in private?"

"can."

The two arrived at the office.

After sitting down, the commissioner got straight to the point: "I've come to the border post for three things. The first is to award you the medal, and the second is to ask for your signature."

As he spoke, he produced a document titled "Application Materials for Second-Class Merit Citation for Comrade Lu Zhao"

"This is?"

Lu Zhao faced a dilemma.

Meritorious service awards are usually awarded by the unit where the individual is located, based on the individual's circumstances, by submitting an application for merit in accordance with regulations, and then undergoing approval and public announcement at each level.

The normal procedure is for the border station to report, the municipal-level public security department to approve, and then the county-level department. If it is a first-class merit, it needs to be approved all the way up to the provincial-level military region.

The commissioner explained, "We have taken note of your application. Whether it's the smuggling case or the special operation against bandits some time ago, it can only be considered a second-class merit."

"So Commander Liang plans to separate the smuggling and the support operations, so that you can get two second-class merits."

Before the cataclysm, Lu Zhao's achievements were enough to warrant a first-class merit, but now they are far from sufficient.

Violent crimes, street shootouts, smuggling and drug trafficking are no longer considered major incidents, and meritorious service must be considered in the context of the times.

The definition of a first-class merit is to have a significant impact on the entire federation or the entire military. The smuggling case only brought down some key officials, so the merit was naturally much less.

Lu Zhao nodded and said, "Thank you for your help."

A first-class merit is not something that can be awarded simply by killing a few robbers, and he didn't have high hopes for it.

On the contrary, he was surprised that someone actually came to explain to him that in the past, he would have been directly rejected.

"I'm glad you understand. We will approve it as quickly as possible, and it should be approved by the end of next month at the latest."

The commissioner breathed a sigh of relief and continued, "The third thing is whether Station Chief Lu has considered working in Yulin County? Commander Liang said that he can give you a powerful position, with multiple positions to choose from."

They want to win me over?

Lu Zhao was somewhat surprised and declined, saying, "I plan to go to Cangwu next year."

The commissioner was taken aback, surprised that Lu Zhao would refuse.

This is a powerful official at the county level, not the same as a border station chief.

He advised, "The competition in Cangwu is fierce. Although there are many opportunities, it's not as stable as Yulin County. Commander Liang thinks highly of you. You definitely won't suffer if you go there."

Lu Zhao shook his head and said, "Please apologize to Commander Liang for me. I have already promised someone that I will go to Cangwu next year."

After several unsuccessful attempts to persuade him, the commissioner had no choice but to leave his phone number and then depart from the border post.

Refusing the offer of a chief clerk position is truly an unusual act. Lu Zhao sat alone in his office, clutching his silver medal and estimating the time.

He was promoted to captain at the end of June, and if he gets two more second-class merits next month, he should be able to be promoted directly to field officer.

This way, a direct transfer to the chief official of Cangwu would be even more secure.

Although Chief Ding agreed, Lu Zhao was not used to relying entirely on others and wanted to do his part.

A promotion from a school officer to a second-tier extraordinary rank is no longer considered an exceptional advancement.
-
July 26th.

All the farmers have already handed over their grain quotas, and the granaries and warehouses in various places are overflowing. The border garrison troops should now consider how to deal with these tens of thousands of tons of rice.

Lu Zhao called Langjiu's Fangshi branch.

That afternoon, two men in suits arrived at the border garrison carrying large and small bags.

Lu Zhao and Zhang Like met with the other party in the office. The four of them sat on the sofa, one on each side.

"Hello, Station Master Lu. I am Lan Ze, the manager of Langjiu Fangshi Branch. This is my assistant."

"Hello."

Lu Zhao shook hands with him and sensed that the other party had at least a second-tier aura.

He wasn't quite clear on the specific job levels of a winery manager, but such giant companies are often incredibly wealthy, so it wouldn't be surprising if a manager had second-tier capabilities.

After taking their seats, they immediately got down to business.

"Regarding the new procurement contract, our station hopes to obtain a better allocation of life supplements."

Lan Ze said, "After your site is redesigned, it does need a better quota of life-sustaining supplements, but the price will probably be several times higher."

As he spoke, the assistant took a document out of his bag.

"This is your previous contract."

Lu Zhao glanced at the document, bypassing the complicated regulations, and saw the purchase price of 120 yuan per bottle. In his heart, he had already cursed Lu Jinshan's ancestors for eighteen generations.

A life supplement that costs 120 yuan is sold to them for 500 yuan, and any portion exceeding the limit is sold for 800 yuan.

Of the five million allocated for life-sustaining supplements, only about one million was used; the rest likely ended up in Lü Jinshan's pocket.

Lu Zhao asked, "Isn't it illegal for you to sell these substandard tonics?"

Lan Ze naturally understood what Lu Zhao was talking about, and replied with a smile, "Our winery is only responsible for sales, and everything is clearly priced. As for what the unit uses it for, that's none of our business."

At this moment, the assistant took out small glass jars, each about the size of a thumb, from a bulging black leather bag. Each jar had a piece of paper attached to its outer wall indicating its model number.

The unified Langpai Tequ is labeled with T3, T6, T8, and T9.

Langpai Tequ is a low-grade supplement; the liquid is brown and appears quite cloudy. The higher the number of words on the label, the lighter the color.

Tequ T9 is a slightly transparent color.

Finally, they took out a bottle of Honghualang T3 with a label.

"These are some samples we brought; you can take a look at them."

Lu Zhao picked up the different grades of premium liquor and smelled them all.
T3 has a strong, pungent smell of Chinese medicine that makes one feel nauseous; it's the kind of medicine he usually drinks.

T6 is much better; the herbal smell isn't as strong.

T8 and T9 can only be distinguished by their color, but they have a pleasant fragrance.

Lu Zhao was very familiar with this taste; it was the same drink he used to have at the orphanage.

T represents the purity of the life supplement. The higher the purity, the easier it is to absorb. It can also be understood as the conversion rate.

If we only consider low-level life supplements as the standard, with a starting point of 0, then T3 has a 30% conversion rate, and so on.

Supplements available on the market are all of T3 level or higher; those below that are considered substandard products.

The key to life supplements lies in absorption; not everyone can refine essence into qi.

Lu Zhao pondered for a moment and then quoted: "Our station plans to prepare eight million in funds to purchase life supplements. We hope to have 50,000 bottles of Tequ T3 and a certain amount of Honghualang T3."

Lan Ze shook his head and said, "Eight million is probably not enough. Special T3 costs 500 yuan a bottle, so 5 bottles would cost 2500 million. Are you trying to cut my head off?"

"Five hundred is the highest price you can offer, why don't you sell it to us for two thousand?"

Zhang Like played the bad cop, snorting and saying, "If you don't give it, plenty of wineries will. Our Ant Territory has fertile soil, and the quality of our rice has always been better than other places."

Lan Ze said, "Ant Ridge is already the southernmost point of the Federation, and other wineries are probably unwilling to pay the transportation fee."

"Then there's nothing to discuss?"

"Of course there are, but 8 million yuan for 50,000 bottles of Tequ T3 is too expensive."

Lan Ze didn't want the negotiations to really fall apart, so he took a step back and said, "If your station is willing to continue the previous contract and sell the grain directly to us, I can negotiate the amount of eight million with my superiors. Hong Hualang will be calculated separately."

The word "grain" was emphasized slightly.

This is the key to the negotiations between the distillery and the unit: the money they are talking about is not simply gold notes discovered by the federal government, but something pegged to food.

If there's no food, why wouldn't pharmaceutical companies make money off life-saving supplements that are twice the market price compared to the internal price? The defense market previously discussed with them that the price would be based on the value of the food sold, and only then would the discounted price apply.

There is no market economy in the life supplement industry. The federal government only allows breweries to make a profit on a small scale, and 95% of the output must be provided to federal units.

Lu Zhao said, "Sell me three thousand bottles of the lowest purity safflower for 900 each."

900 yuan per bottle, this is the lowest price through internal channels, the same price as the low-grade supplement Tequ T9.

You don't need many intermediate-level health potions, but you absolutely can't do without them. Intermediate-level health potions play a crucial role in maintaining 40 to 50 health points.

Many people managed to pull through thanks to the power of the medicine.

Developing life resources comes first, followed by talent and hard work. Lu Zhao wants to leave a path for future generations, giving them choices.

Lu Zhao also needs better life supplements to speed up his development; otherwise, even with a 100% conversion rate of refining essence into qi, he still feels it's too slow.

(End of this chapter)