In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 181 Meeting with Lin Li
Inside the Daozheng Bureau building, in a brightly lit banquet hall.

The dome soars high and is covered with countless crystal incandescent lights, leaving no room for darkness in the banquet hall.

The huge murals on both sides depict the landscape of China. Hundreds of round tables are neatly arranged in the hall, with a podium in front of each table and a huge national emblem as a backdrop.

When a person stands on it, it represents the federation to some extent.

These are usually extremely important events where the highest levels of the federal government or elected representatives speak.

The event had not yet started, the banquet hall was not fully open, and the central round table area and the podium were blocked off.

People can move around and interact, catching up and chatting with acquaintances.

At that moment, a female colonel in officer's uniform walked in.

Standing at an exceptionally tall 1.85 meters, her long hair reached her knees, swaying gracefully with each step. Her sharp eyebrows and dark eyes seemed to hold a hidden lightning bolt, making it difficult to look directly at her.

Soldiers are supposed to have short hair, but her hair was a bit too long and thick.

Li Dongxue arrived very late because Tuen Mun Island always had endless defense missions, requiring her to take charge as the front-line commander.

She hadn't originally planned to attend, but she came because she heard that someone else was there too.

She looked around, and the gazes directed at her immediately ceased.

No one whose life development level was slightly below the fourth stage dared to meet her gaze.

This is a common characteristic of the Five Thunder Divine Power sequence; the holder possesses an aura similar to that of Zhuge Liang, making it impossible for others to look directly at them.

This gave Li Dongxue a unique advantage when she was in a command position, but she had virtually no friends in her daily social interactions.

At least I don't have any close friends.

The aura created by the Five Thunder Sequence can exert an invisible pressure on the minds of others.

People with high levels of life development can be immune, but these people are usually uncles or elders, so how could they possibly be friends with her?

"Little Li."

A deep voice came from behind, and Li Dongxue turned her head to see a scarred man.

She stood at attention, saluted, and said, "Greetings, Chief Tu."

Tu Li, the captain of the Special Counter-Strike Force of the South China Sea, had just become a major general two years ago, while her opponent was still serving in the Chishui Army as the commander of the special operations force.

He was the one who guaranteed Li Dongxue's success to the Five Thunder Divine Power, making him the first benefactor in her life.

Tu Bin waved his hand and said, "This is not the camp area, nor is it during duty time. Just call me Uncle."

"Didn't you say you weren't coming? Why did you suddenly come?"

He looked at the long-haired female soldier with sword-like eyebrows and dark eyes in front of him.

This girl has always been quite withdrawn, or more accurately, Buddhist-like.

Her personality is completely opposite to the supernatural powers she possesses. Li Dongxue is not very interested in anything other than orders, and she will not move unless she is given an order.

They will only develop vitality day after day, mechanically passing each day.

After successfully inheriting the Five Thunder Divine Power, he became less mechanical and took the initiative to apply for an overseas assignment for the first time to support Tuen Mun Island.

“A friend of mine is also coming, so I wanted to come and see.”

Li Dongxue's answer was concise and to the point.

Tu Bin stroked his chin and asked, "You have friends too, girl?"

"I had many friends during my student days."

"You graduated from high school and went to military school. Eight years have passed since then. We're still friends even though we haven't been in touch for eight years."

Tu Bin found it strange.

It wasn't that he was meddling, but rather that Li Dongxue's identity was very special, and the confidential department monitored who contacted her on a daily basis.

From the moment she became a soldier, she seemed to have no contact with the outside world.

Because her family had only one son per generation for two generations, her father died in the war to defend the country, and her mother was a local official who also sacrificed her life for the country during the Great Catastrophe.

"..."

A glint flashed in Li Dongxue's eyes as she emphasized, "It's just been six years since we last contacted each other."

It's only been six years since we last contacted each other?
Tu Bin felt rather helpless, but when he thought about the other party's background and education, he felt relieved.

These children, selected from the orphans of those killed in the Great Catastrophe, receive the best education and have access to the best resources and lifelines.

The Federation trained them into outstanding soldiers and officers, but failed to teach them how to live as normal people.

He remembered that Lu Zhao, who had recently been highly regarded by Chief Liu, was also from an orphanage.

Ten years have passed. Those who were in charge back then have gradually retired, and the young people have taken over the reins. The kids from back then have all grown up and are starting to take the stage and show their talents.

Tu Bin asked, "What's your friend's name? Do you need me to help you find it?"

Li Dongxue hesitated for a moment, then said, "Lu Zhao."

"Lu Zhao, right? I'll have someone go find him later..."

Tu Bin realized what was happening, stopped what he was about to say, and confirmed, "Lu as in land, Zhao as in the sun radical."

Li Dongxue nodded, noticing the change in Tu Bin's expression, and asked, "Do you know Uncle Tu?"

The security system in Nankaido is comprised of three pillars: the police, special agents, and border guards, with no subordinate relationship between them.

Two years ago, she learned from Lao Tang that Lu Zhao was working on the border and had been unable to get promoted because he had offended someone.

Li Dongxue came back this time to resolve this matter. She used to be just an unknown nobody, but now she should be able to help Lu Zhao get out of trouble.

However, Lu Zhaoneng's ability to speak on stage now suggests that he has escaped his predicament.

Based on his achievements in the newspapers, even if Nankaido doesn't want him, other places will extend olive branches.

"We know each other, we had dinner together a couple of days ago, but..."

Tu Bin sized up Li Dongxue, noticing the very obvious searching look in her dark, bright eyes.

He may look rough, but he's actually quite sensitive.

Li Dongxue has always been very easygoing, but now she has been unable to forget a man for six years.

If Tu Bin had never met Lu Zhao, he would have only suspected him, and perhaps they really were just friends.

But with Lu Zhao's appearance, can he really have a purely platonic friendship with women?
Li Dongxue asked with concern, "Uncle Tu, what happened?"

Oh no, oh no, I even called on my uncle to find out more. "It's nothing, he should be backstage getting ready to give his speech. Do you want to go see him?"

Tu Bin felt that he should first report this matter to his old leader, Tang Zishan, since the successor of the Five Thunder Divine Power was a matter of physical and mental health.

Moreover, according to what he knew, Lu Zhao wasn't really married.

If a scene breaks out in this kind of situation, you will be held responsible.

Li Dongxue hesitated for a moment, then shook her head and said, "No need."

If he goes back now, he'll definitely use official business as an excuse to get away with it.

11:00 minutes.

As the guests took their seats, Li Dongxue was assigned a seat slightly to the right of the main table, a seat reserved for dignitaries.

To start, one must at least be at the rank of adjutant; if one doesn't hold a position, one's family must have a military officer.

"Are you a general or a soldier?"

A pleasant voice came from beside her. Li Dongxue turned her head and saw a woman wearing a long dress with shoulder-length short hair.

The black long dress hugged her curves, and her beautiful features were adorned with light makeup. Without too many fussy decorations, she exuded an air of nobility.

Judging from the fact that she was not affected by her own aura, she must come from a very wealthy family, and it is unknown which military lord she is a descendant of.

One's state of mind is influenced by one's background. A person who has been pampered since childhood is naturally more courageous than someone from an ordinary background.

Of course, there are exceptions. In my memory, Lu Zhao was different. Even though he was the same age as me, he always acted like an adult.

He stood out remarkably at the age of 18, when boys' minds are not yet fully developed.

"Ah."

Li Dongxue nodded slightly.

The elegant woman extended her hand and said, "My name is Lin Zhiyan, nice to meet you."

"Hello, Li Dongxue."

Li Dongxue shook hands with him, and she was quite happy to be struck up a conversation with someone her age.

Lin Zhiyan said with envy, "My grandfather and father were both soldiers. I used to think about joining the army, but my elders wouldn't allow me to."

"The soldiers have a tough time."

Li Dongxue said, "Every day, besides training, we go on missions, and the casualty rate exceeds 20%."

Soldiers are considered specialized, extraordinary units; they are always the first to take on any dangerous mission.

A young lady from a prestigious family like Lin Zhiyan would never be allowed to join the ranks of soldiers. But what if there's an extremely dangerous mission? Should we send her?
If she were to be appointed, the military leaders would have to consider the people behind her.

If we don't let her play, it will affect morale.

Lin Zhiyan understood her implication and said, "My father and grandfather did not use connections; they got in based on their own abilities."

Upon hearing this, Li Dongxue was filled with respect, for she already knew who the other person's father and grandfather were.

Among the officers and soldiers, two generals were always publicized: Lin Yi-nong and his son Lin You-qiao.

"Are your elders General Lin Yinong and General Lin Youqiao?"

"Yes."

"Your father and grandfather were heroes."

"Thank you."

After chatting for a while, the two found they got along quite well.

Li Dongxue was a soldier, already a senior colonel at a young age. He spoke somewhat coldly, but was not pretentious. Lin Zhiyan, considering his status as a father and grandfather, intended to make friends with him.

Lin Zhiyan comes from a family of heroes, and Li Dongxue has been listening to stories about her family while in the army and does not resist communicating with them.

Everyone has a need for social interaction, and Li Dongxue also hopes to have a friend of the same age.

They quickly exchanged phone numbers.
-
Meanwhile, on the other side.

Lu Zhao, who was in the backstage preparation room, received his speech manuscript. There were still about fifty minutes before he was to give his speech.

Yesterday he inquired with the relevant staff, who clearly told him that he had a speech draft, but it was still going through the approval process.

Lu Zhao didn't care much at first, but when he arrived at the scene and there was still no speech, he immediately became alert.

In such important occasions, making a mistake is a huge stain that could very well ruin one's career.

Joining Liu's faction doesn't mean that no one will touch him.

On the contrary, too many people want to see themselves fall down.

They simply can no longer simply issue an order and confine themselves to a small place as they used to.

Lu Zhao glanced at it briefly; the main purpose was to commemorate the martyrs who sacrificed their lives, and overall there seemed to be no problem.

'Perhaps they just wanted me to read it less fluently? Or was there just an oversight in the process?'

He couldn't help but think that way.

After all, any order is executed by people. Lu Zhao didn't quite understand why some things could go wrong, when following the rules would have prevented any major problems.

After he became the top local official, Lu Zhao realized that the differences between people were huge, and that there were capable people as well as many incompetent people in the officialdom.

Lu Zhao read it again, this time very carefully, pondering each sentence for at least ten seconds.

Consider whether this statement fits the theme, whether it omits any important figures, and whether it indicates a bias towards one side.

As we stand here year after year, besides remembering our martyrs, do we also feel a sense of heaviness? Have we truly and completely realized the ideals that our martyrs pursued with their lives?
The road ahead is still long, and what we need to face is not only the distant goals, but also our own limitations and challenges.

We need to shoulder not only the pressure of development, but also the historical responsibility of ensuring that our sacrifices are not tarnished.

Lu Zhao put down his speech and glanced at the time; there were about forty minutes left.

The passage seems fine at first glance, but the two questions are filled with despair.

If we really investigate, Lu Zhao's actions could be seen as mocking the Federation.

The moment it's said, the media will immediately offer various interpretations, and then celebrities from all walks of life will jump out to criticize it.

To make things difficult for oneself, to label others, and to smear oneself.

At that point, even Chief Liu might not be able to protect him; he'll at least have to be sidelined for a few years.

(End of this chapter)