In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 182 The Man of Steel (End of Volume)
This is just a short sentence, and it wouldn't cause any problem in other situations. People who aren't careful might not even notice it.

This seemingly insignificant move is actually a deadly strike that can kill instantly.

If the driving force has enough energy and is well prepared, it can ensure that Lu Zhao's utter ruin.

The Chen faction, or Buddhism?
A staff member came to remind him: "Comrade Lu Zhao, the chief and the other military officers are about to arrive. You have thirty minutes to prepare to go on stage."

"clear."

Lu Zhao stopped searching for the enemy; solving the immediate problem was the most important thing.

According to the rules, he cannot arbitrarily revise the manuscript; if investigated, he will be punished.

However, there are no explicit regulations that changing words on the spot is illegal or against the rules. As long as the words are spoken well, there is no problem.

Conversely, if all else fails, we can take responsibility and start over for another four years.

I can handle it, and I hope you can handle my retaliation as well.

As long as I remain in power, I will never let any enemy go unpunished.

Lu Zhao took out a pen and paper and revised the speech, keeping the theme the same and only changing the problematic paragraphs.

As long as there are no mistakes, it's fine.

It only took Lu Zhao five minutes to revise the problematic wording and paragraphs, with twenty-five minutes left before the speech.

He took the manuscript, glanced at it, then crumpled it up and threw it into the trash can.

If I only strive to avoid making mistakes, how can I talk about reviving humanity? How can I face my fallen brothers?

The martyr is not far away; he was right beside him just four months ago.

He stands here not because of power struggles or connections, but because the 60 brothers in the reinforced platoon came with him.

The enemy, as always, uses dirty tricks to play the power game they pride themselves on.

But Lu Zhao will not get caught up in their exchanges, will not be swayed by their words, and will not be afraid of their attacks.

His arrival was aboveboard, and his ambitions needed no concealment.

Lu Zhao wrote that the most precious thing a person has is life...
-

Half an hour later, all the guests were seated.

The light at the east gate seemed to brighten a bit, and a barely perceptible commotion arose in the crowd. Reporters' cameras all turned in that direction.

The gate opened, and a group of people appeared outside, led by a man who looked to be in his early sixties.

Liu Hanwen, Chen Yunming, and other military commanders were half a step behind him.

He was slender and thin, with a gaunt face, short hair neatly combed back, and bright, intelligent eyes.

His slightly faster pace symbolizes his vigor and spirit in his prime.

An invisible aura pressed down on the entire venue, not as frightening as a collapsing mountain, but more like the flow of a great river.

Calm and quiet.

Federal Chief, Supreme Leader of Humanity, Holder of the Heavenly Dipper Mountain-Mountain-Transcending-Sea, Wang Shouzhen.

This scene was broadcast to the entire Federation and to billions of people throughout human society via television cameras.

The military commanders took their seats at the large round table in the center. This time, apart from the Federation Chief, none of the other military commanders were present.

Because of the ongoing war, activities should be kept as simple as possible.

At the same time, no matter how many difficulties and dangers we face, we must not forget the sacrifices of the martyrs.

Any activity in the Federation can be stopped, except for the Memorial Day of the Great Patriotic War, which is the foundation of the Federation today.

The cancellation of the commemorative event means that the Federation is no longer committed to protecting the land that the martyrs defended.

Especially now that some people are very restless, Wang Shou-zheng has to attend to show his stance.

After the federal leaders were seated, the band began playing military music and a large chorus ensued.

After the chorus ended, representatives from various sectors took turns to speak, including government representatives, farmers, workers, businessmen, and others.

Everyone's speeches were formulaic and restrained. The writers were afraid of making mistakes in word choice or speech, and they kept repeating the same few sentences year after year.

Below the stage, Wang Shouzhen looked at Liu Hanwen on his right and said in a voice that only those at the same table could hear, "Old Liu, I heard that Xiao Yan got married. What's going on?"

Although he wasn't close to Lin Zhiyan, he was still the orphan of a friend, and her father had saved his life back then.

When it comes to marriage, elders should always have a say in it.

Liu Hanwen replied, "Young people act impulsively, and it was my fault for not disciplining them properly. Xiao Yan and Lu Zhao hadn't even gone through the proper betrothal ceremony, let alone dated before, and they got their marriage certificate in just a few words."

"They said it was to appease the Buddhist sect, but I think that girl was lusting after him."

Wang Shouzhen was somewhat surprised and said, "That is indeed too ridiculous, but I heard from my secretary that this young comrade named Lu Zhao is quite good."

"He is capable, but not suitable to be Xiaoyan's husband."

Liu Hanwen said, "This brat is like me, and also somewhat like you."

Upon hearing this, Wang Shouzhen immediately understood.

Although the mainstream nowadays is life development, and there's no need for the self-cultivation practices of ancient times—that is, cultivating life without cultivating character—talented individuals often choose to pursue both.

The higher one's level, the more one should cultivate one's character and temperament.

This group of autocrats is a fusion of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, and a blend of the Quanzhen School, Buddhist studies, and Neo-Confucianism.

This is not just a concept, but also a way of cultivating one's character, which helps in breaking through to the fifth level.

They were competent as officials, but utterly unsuccessful as husbands.

"That's definitely not appropriate. We can try to help them break up peacefully."

Liu Hanwen sighed, "It's unlikely in the short term. Let's just let things take their course. Maybe if I can work on this kid's personality, he'll be a good fit."

Wang Shouzhen smiled and said, "Wouldn't this be considered damaging the reputation of a high-quality federal official?"

Liu Hanwen replied, "The Federation is not short of talent. I'm not asking him to be a stay-at-home dad; I'm just slightly changing his personality."

This may be unfair to Lu Zhao, but he is just a minor official, and no one cares about his feelings.

Only when you become a military commander and actually sit at the table for a meal will others consider your preferences.

Chen Yunming remained silent, not particularly interested in Lin Zhiyan and Lu Zhao's marriage. It was a matter with far-reaching implications, but not of great importance.

It involves many Wuhou, but will not have any impact on Wuhou himself.

At most, it will be the emergence of a new political star in the federation.

However, he was curious whether Lu Zhao could get through this ordeal.

He had already found out that Lu Zhao was going to join the special counter-terrorism unit this year as a vanguard for Liu's faction to resolve the riots caused by the relocation of the factory.

Now that we've entered the game, it's only natural that we need to strike back.

Chen Yunming gave his secretary an instruction, and the secretary used all his connections to tamper with the speech draft. First, he delayed the presentation; second, he bribed the writer.

If Lu Zhao is observant, he can spot the problem and avoid it, giving the Chen faction a preliminary understanding of his abilities. If he is careless and fails to see through such tactics, he will be easily eliminated.

There's no chance to miss either way.

At this moment, the worker representative stepped down from the stage, and a figure walked out from the right side of the venue, brushing past the worker.

As the camera moved with him, people's initially indifferent attitude gradually changed, their gazes began to focus, and murmurs of discussion arose. Finally, everything settled on a handsome face.

Below the stage, Li Dongxue stared intently, her eyes widening slightly, as if she had been transported back eight years.

'I heard he's fallen on hard times, I heard he's become a minor official patrolling the mountains, but he's still as dazzling as he was eight years ago.'

Lin Zhiyan had a smile on her lips. She still remembered seeing Lu Zhao half a year ago, and how disheveled he looked.

His face was weathered, his clothes were worn and tattered, and he always smelled of sweat from patrolling the mountains.

Now he has simply returned to his rightful place and stage.

Chen Qian's mouth opened slightly, and the gentle care from her celebrity boyfriend beside her suddenly became tasteless.

She can't compare to him in looks, she can't match his charisma, and she can't match his abilities either; she's just a pretty face...

Chen Qian clenched her teeth involuntarily, a surge of nameless anger rising within her. Years later, she was once again furious at how Lu Zhao dared to refuse her back then, and she also felt even more resentful towards Lin Zhiyan, who was sitting at another table five or six meters away.

The rest of the people had a variety of emotions, and most of them were amazed by the demeanor and appearance of the soldiers on the stage.

Wang Shouzhen cast a calm glance, showing no surprise at the appearance of the person on the stage.

In his view, appearance is just a facade, and a good-looking person will not bring any substantial change to the Federation.

The country is not a talent show, and the people cannot be judged solely on their appearance.

Lu Zhao was chosen by him simply because he was an excellent soldier, nothing more.

On the stage, Lu Zhaoneng took in the entire banquet hall and said, "Comrades, today, we stand here again to remember the martyrs who gave their lives for this land beneath our feet."

"Looking back on history, we are filled with emotion and feel an immense sense of responsibility. In those turbulent years, our motherland was torn apart and our nation was on the verge of collapse. It was countless martyrs who resolutely stepped forward in the face of life-or-death tests."

Lu Zhao spoke calmly, his words steady and unremarkable, much like many of his previous speeches.

Chen Yunming, however, viewed the manuscript differently. Although it was formulaic, he could not find any flaws in it.

If you didn't know the inside story, you wouldn't think this was a last-minute change.

"When we stand here year after year, besides remembering them, do we also feel a sense of heaviness? Have we truly and completely realized the ideals that our martyrs pursued with their lives?"

As soon as these words were spoken, some astute people in the audience sensed that something was amiss.

Liu Hanwen frowned slightly and looked at Chen Yunming, wondering if the other party was trying to trip him up.

This statement touched a nerve with Wang Shouzhen; he hated such discouraging words the most.

The speech itself was not written by Lu Zhao; he merely read it aloud.

At this moment, Chen Yunming also looked surprised, which made Liu Hanwen begin to suspect the others.

Chen Yunming is a complete scoundrel. He doesn't hide many things, and he might just do whatever he wants to deal with Lu Zhao without bothering to conceal it.

Who is that?
“Today, countless soldiers from the Federation still go to the battlefield, and every day countless people become martyrs. Four months ago, I led a platoon of soldiers to the outpost, and in the end, only I came back alive.”

“Some people may ask, what is the meaning of this day after day? Many people were only in their twenties when they sacrificed their lives.”

Wang Shouzhen also frowned slightly.

He didn't think much about it; he only reacted to that statement.

This is a common tactic used by the surrender faction: they only talk about how many people died in the war, without mentioning what would happen if they couldn't win.

It seems that as long as there are no defenses and the monsters are allowed to rampage into the land of China, no one will be sacrificed.

Even if they know that Lu Zhao was tricked, it only shows that he is incompetent.

Lu Zhao paused, took a slight breath, and raised his voice slightly, saying, "Sacrifices are necessary. The Federation is built on sacrifices; every inch of our land is bought with blood."

"The most precious thing a person has is life. Each person only has one life."

In his past life, when Lu Zhao read "How the Steel Was Tempered," his junior high school teacher secretly remarked, "This is an idealistic fairy tale that glorifies a filial son who suffers hardship."

At that time, Lu Zhao saw many doubts from his classmates and online.

He also didn't understand why Paul couldn't be born into a wealthy family, why he couldn't grow old with his first love, and why he couldn't hold a high position.
In peacetime, the common problem of survival is no longer faced by everyone; everyone's situation is different.

After arriving in this world, Lu Zhao was no longer confused, because everyone had to face a direct and urgent survival problem.

In his previous life, he had already sacrificed his precious life for a cause as a narcotics police officer.

In this life, he remains active on the front lines.

He doesn't just live for the sake of living; after completing one career, he is still willing to devote himself to the next, even more challenging one.

The world keeps turning no matter who dies, the sun still rises in the east and sets in the west, but if I stop, then I am truly dead.

Looking back on his youth and forward to the future, he felt he was now qualified to say those words.

Lu Zhao turned his gaze to the main table and met Chen Yunming's eyes, his meaning clear.

"A person's life should be lived in such a way that when he looks back on the past, he will not regret wasting his years, nor be ashamed of having accomplished nothing, and when he is about to die, he can say—"

Even though his opponent was a military commander, he was not intimidated in the slightest.

Lu Zhao gripped the podium with both hands, his voice rising higher and higher, loud enough for the entire venue to hear without a microphone.

From the stage to the audience, from well-dressed guests to viewers watching television, from the bustling Cangwu to the remote frontier outposts.

From the surging rivers and mountains to the vast snow-capped peaks of the North Mountain, from bustling metropolises to the deserts of the north, it seems as if billions of people have heard his voice and looked up.

A huge national emblem stood on Lu Zhao, the lights reflecting a golden-red glow that shone on him, making him seem as if he were being lifted up by the very existence called the nation.

He was already prepared to be shattered to pieces, and he would step into this turbulent era with the most proud posture.

"I have dedicated my entire life and all my energy to the most magnificent cause in the world: the struggle for the liberation of mankind."

The lingering sound resonated deeply, captivating the soul.

Wang Shouzhen's calm gaze held a hint of surprise, Liu Hanwen's furrowed brows relaxed and a smile appeared on his face, while Chen Yunming frowned.

The guests held their breath; those who didn't know him would remember him in that moment. Those who did would recall him once again, remembering the legend from their student days who still shone brightly today.

Snapped!
A round of applause broke the silence, and everyone turned to see the Federation Chief standing up and clapping.

Liu Hanwen, Chen Yunming, and a group of federal officials stood up one after another, and everyone in the entire venue had to stand up as well.

The applause was enthusiastic. This only remaining nation of mankind, this civilization that is barely surviving, can still burst forth with vitality and continue to fight.

(End of Volume 1)

(End of this chapter)