In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 130 Signal Interruption.

night.

Lu Zhao had dinner with Lin Zhiyan and Lu Xiaotong.

This time, Miss Lin didn't need to treat everyone. Lu Zhao chose a local restaurant, a place he and Zhang Like would treat themselves to whenever they had free time over the past three years.

The boss is Zhang Like's friend.

They chose a seat by the window, where the heavy rain was pouring down, constantly pounding against the glass.

The restaurant was steaming hot, which only added to the chill of the heavy rain.

"The rain this year is unusual. In previous years, it would start raining in July and then clear up by mid-July, but now it's only starting to rain in August."

As the boss brought them tableware, he chatted with Lu Zhao, asking, "How's Platoon Leader Lu's work this year? Did you get a promotion or a raise?"

Lu Zhao replied, "It rose a little."

The boss said, "Congratulations! The platoon leader has been promoted to company commander, which is the same level as Li Ke."

Lu Zhao nodded in response, without specifically correcting his position.

When he is working, he is referred to by his job title; when he is not working, he is naturally just an ordinary citizen.

The boss looked at the two women Lu Zhao had brought, one in her early twenties and the other in her mid-fifteens or sixteens.

"Is this your girlfriend? She's really beautiful. You two are a perfect match."

Faced with the boss's praise, Lin Zhiyan calmly explained, "We're just friends."

Lu Xiaotong blinked.

She suspected that Sister Lin had never been in a relationship, otherwise how could she be so straight-talking?

If you can't speak, you can pretend to be mute.

"I apologize for my intrusion. I'll add a cold dish for you later."

The shopkeeper glanced at Lu Xiaotong and guessed, "Is this little girl your sister?"

Genes can be inherited across generations; Lu Zhao's older brother resembles his mother, while Lu Zhao and Lu Xiaotong resemble their father.

"niece."

Lu Zhao laughed and said, "You guessed wrong again this time. Here's a plate of smashed cucumber."

The owner was a straightforward person and said, "Okay, it's an honor for our Company Commander Lu to come to dinner."

It's raining today, so there are fewer customers. At six o'clock, there were only Lu Zhao and two others.

After serving the dishes, the owner stayed in the kitchen and did not come out, nor did he engage in excessive small talk with the guests or disturb their dining experience.

The rising steam left condensation on the window, and Lu Xiaotong shivered from the cold.

Lu Zhao said, "The weather is probably affected by the Water Beast Cave; the temperature is dropping very quickly. I'll buy you a coat tomorrow."

The Ancient God Biosphere, as the name suggests, is an invisible circle. An outbreak within the Ancient God Biosphere is not simply a matter of monster attacks; it will alter the entire environment.

This is why modern firearms cannot withstand the ancient god circle.

Modern weapons can kill monsters, but they cannot eliminate the changes in the environment.

In the Imperial Capital, there is a required course on modern history that clearly states that during the Great Cataclysm, the cause of the massive decline in the human population was environmental change, and less than 5% of the population died at the hands of monsters.

For example, the area north of the Federation's northern border has become permafrost, and white smoke occasionally rises from underground, which will burn violently when it encounters temperatures above zero degrees Celsius.

This kind of ancient god circle is relatively rare; most do not possess this kind of power.

Generally, the interference is mainly caused by magnetic fields.

Lin Zhiyan said, "I brought a coat, Xiaotong can wear it."

Lu Xiaotong shook her head and said, "Sister Lin's clothes are too expensive. What if they get ruined?"

"You don't need to pay for it if it gets damaged, I have plenty of money."

Lin Zhiyan pinched Lu Xiaotong's cheek and said, "When we get back to Cangwu, I'll give you my old clothes from high school. They're piled up like a mountain at home."

"You can't sell old clothes, so you can't just refuse to take them, can you?"

Lu Xiaotong looked to Lu Zhao for help, and the latter nodded and said, "If you're willing to wear it."

Giving someone new clothes is different from giving away your old clothes that you no longer use. Lu Zhao was not sensitive enough to think that accepting a small gift would offend his self-esteem.

"Yeah! That's great."

Lu Xiaotong was still just a young girl, and everyone loves beauty. She couldn't wait to ask, "Are all of Sister Lin's clothes designer brands? I heard my classmates talking about brands like Lihua, Tiannu, and Hongchou."

Lin Zhiyan shook her head and said, "I don't really like wearing these branded clothes. My clothes are all custom-made by tailors."

"Sister Lin is quite frugal."

Lu Xiaotong did not show any disappointment when she heard that it was not a brand name product, which clearly demonstrated her good upbringing.

With her limited social experience, she couldn't comprehend the true value of the "specially customized" item that Lin Zhiyan mentioned.

Lu Zhao knew, but didn't care too much, as long as it wasn't bought specifically for Lu Xiaotong.

As for how much this garment cost, it was just a piece of cloth; the added value of capital had no effect on it.

After finishing my meal, I stepped outside and the temperature had dropped to the teens. A gust of cold wind blew in and it felt chilly.

Lu Zhao drove the two back to the state-run hotel, then drove back to the border post in the pouring rain, and went back to his room to meditate and cultivate his spirit.

Although his cultivation level is currently stuck and his soul can hardly grow in the slightest, he still habitually continues to cultivate.

Even if you don't do anything after a whole night of work, it's better than doing nothing at all.

The next morning.

Lu Zhao opened his eyes. The heavy rain outside was still pouring down, showing no sign of stopping.

He took out his phone and found that the signal was lost.

------------

Urban area.

When Zhao De woke up in the morning and saw that his cell phone signal was down, he immediately got up to call his secretary and activate a series of contingency plans.

Information transmission is extremely important for administrative management, but the magnetic field of the ancient god circle will cause a large-scale signal interruption, and only the dedicated communication line of the municipal administration building can be connected.

Because the cables are underground, they are not affected by the geomagnetic storms of the ancient god circle.

Then Zhao De remembered that he had been suspended from his post.

He sat back on the bed and looked out the window at the torrential rain.

"Wei Jiahong, don't let yourself get dementia at this age."

Just as all national leaders have wartime privileges, the Federation introduced new regulations after the Great Cataclysm to deal with many unforeseen circumstances.

The city's executive officer will possess overwhelming power in the face of emergencies. As long as the city avoids significant damage during a disaster, their power is limitless. According to Zhao De's understanding, six years ago in Shicheng, Nanhaidongdao, a group of Japanese and Luzon people took advantage of the disruption of the ancient geomagnetic storm signal to plot an armed rebellion to seize the city.

The situation was critical at the time, and the then-mayor issued an emergency martial law order.

Martial law was imposed so that no one was allowed to leave their home; anyone who did was shot dead, thus curbing the rebellion.

In the aftermath, statistics showed that nearly two thousand people were shot dead in just one week, most of whom were rioters and incited citizens.

However, there are inevitably innocent victims, and the official investigation results have not yet been released.

This city official was commended afterward and rose through the ranks to take up a post in the Imperial Capital, becoming one of the permanent Martial Marquises of the Martial Virtue Hall, and one of the twelve people standing at the pinnacle of the Federation.

This matter has been studied and referenced by many municipal authorities.

The point is not about right or wrong; they are involved in politics, not morality.

Rather, it's because this incident served as a reference that future similar situations will also be handled accordingly.

Anyone who causes trouble will be shot without any procedures or formalities. As long as order is maintained, the federal government will not hold them accountable later.

Last month, Zhao De really hoped for this to happen, so that he would have more options.

Now it's Wei Jiahong's turn of fortune. He can use this opportunity to break the deadlock, temporarily replace his own people, and clear the Wei family of all evidence of their crimes.

If that's all there is to it, Zhao De will accept his defeat; luck is also a part of strength.

But I'm afraid... I'm afraid that this 60-year-old old Bi Deng has some kind of mental problem.

Zhao De waited until noon before hearing a knock on the door.

He arrived at the door, opened the gate, and saw Xu Zhenhua, Wang Tong, and several of his close associates.

Director of the Dali Division, Chief of the Public Security Bureau, and Captain of the Special Counter-Strike Team.

Before they could even speak, Zhao De asked, as if he had anticipated this:
"You've all been suspended?"

Wang Tong nodded and said, "Wei Jiahong has declared martial law in the city and arranged for his own people to take over our posts. Now the only person he can't touch is the supervisor, but I guess it will be difficult for him to conduct an investigation on his own."

Xu Zhenhua, who had the fiercest temper, cursed, "What the hell? This old dog doesn't deal with the emergency first, but instead targets us."

"I should have been more decisive this morning and just arrested him. Anyway, I already had the evidence, so at worst I'd just get a disciplinary action later."

With the intelligence they currently possess, they could completely bring down Wei Jiahong. However, everything must follow procedures; otherwise, no amount of evidence would be legal.

"Rashness is undesirable."

Zhao De shook his head, then stepped aside to let everyone into the living room.

The top executives of Zhaoshantou gathered together.

To be honest, they have no way to deal with Wei Jiahong right now.

Zhao De said, "Wei Jiahong may struggle for a while, but no matter how you try to clear his name, he can't get away with what he's done. Let's keep quiet for now and let him deal with this unexpected situation. Don't provoke the old man."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

No matter what, maintaining stability is the most important thing. They have only temporarily lost power. As long as the influence of the ancient god circle disappears, power will naturally flow back.

Each faction and clique has its own characteristics. Zhao De's group of people are more bureaucratic than those of Wei's faction and are more concerned with maintaining the system.

Sometimes, people like Xu Zhenhua, who are not very reliable, would say that Mayor Zhao is more like an establishment figure than a reformist.

------------

Border station.

Lu Zhao had learned through a dedicated line that radio signals had been interrupted in many areas of the South China Sea West Coast due to the influence of the Ancient God Circle.

The entire city of Phong is currently under martial law and traffic control measures are in place.

Lu Zhao summoned all cadres and issued orders for flood and animal prevention.

"Due to the impact of the ancient god circle this year, radio signals have been interrupted, so we need to be more vigilant than in previous years. If a large-scale water beast appears, the message may not be able to be transmitted in time."

"Comrade Lin, how are the supplies at the front-line outposts?"

Lin Yongkang stood up and replied, "Report: The front-line troops have sufficient reserves, enough to last at most one month."

"Send someone to contact the frontline outposts and confirm the situation."

"Yes."

Lu Zhao then said, "Liao Lang, I need you to send someone to notify the villages in your jurisdiction to prepare dry rations and be ready to evacuate at any time."

"The engineering squad is traveling together, and there is a possibility that a mudslide may wash away the road. We need to go now."

"Yes!"

Liao Lang stood up, saluted, and then quickly left.

Under Lu Zhaoyi's orders, the border station operated as efficiently as a machine, with trucks and pickups speeding across the fields in the heavy rain.

Now that we've entered a critical stage of flood prevention, any other issues must give way to the flood control mission.

Now, if a similar incident occurs at the grain depot, the soldiers will issue a warning, and after the warning, they will immediately go up and deliver a rifle butt elbow strike.

Anyone who dares to cause trouble should be shot dead.

At 12:06, the soldiers sent to the outpost returned, but the roads had been washed away by the heavy rain.

The border station dispatched a company to clear it.

At 12:39, the road was still not cleared, but a soldier on duty at an outpost returned in the heavy rain to deliver intelligence.

Everything is normal at the outpost at present.

At 15:40, the road was still not cleared. The heavy rain had made the road muddy and was accompanied by continuous mudslides.

In the end, Lu Zhao had no choice but to go to the scene in person and use his spiritual perception to monitor the surrounding environment for the soldiers to prevent sudden collapses and mudslides.

Wearing a dark green raincoat and holding a shovel, Lu Zhao stood at the forefront, swinging the shovels around with the border guards until they were smoking.

The heavy rain pounded on them, making it difficult for them to breathe.

"Brother Lu, many of our brothers are about to give up!"

Liu Qiang shouted from three or four meters behind, but his desperate roar was mostly drowned out by the sound of the rain.

Lu Zhao's mental power 'heard' it clearly. He abandoned his usual consideration for the soldiers and issued an almost ruthless order.

"Have the camp send life-saving supplements to everyone. The passageway must be cleared today."

If the roads are not cleared, and an incident occurs at the outpost, the border post will be unable to provide timely assistance, allowing the water monsters to penetrate unimpeded.

Liu Qiang hesitated and said, "But..."

"There are no 'buts'!" Lu Zhao reprimanded. "All I need to do is hear 'yes,' and immediately carry out the order."

"Yes!"

(End of this chapter)