In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 183 Staying in Cangwu
Noon, lunchtime.

The event was held in a buffet style, and while some people left quickly, many more chose to stay.

To prevent his daughter from causing trouble, Chen Yunming took her away after the necessary activities were over.

On the other side, Li Dongxue also received news of a localized beast tide attack on the front line. Without even looking for Lu Zhao, she left the scene immediately.

Anyway, she'll be staying in Nankaido for at least six months, so she'll have plenty of time to settle accounts with him.

Lin Zhiyan arrived at the backstage lounge and used a small privilege to bypass the staff's obstruction and find Lu Zhao.

He looked like he had just washed his face; the hair on his forehead was slightly messy, and his straight eyebrows were as sharp as if they had been carved with a knife.

"Congratulations, senior! Your speech was a great success."

Lin Zhiyan said with a smile, "But be careful not to get punished. If someone reports you, you'll be in big trouble."

In such important occasions, speeches are usually prepared in advance, making it impossible for people to speak freely.

However, she was quite surprised that Lu Zhao had altered the speech. He had always been very disciplined, to the point of being rigid.

But sometimes he goes quite far, like when he reported Zhao De.

Lu Zhao replied, "There's a problem with the speech."

As he spoke, he handed the speech to Lin Zhiyan, who glanced at it but didn't notice anything wrong.

He looked at it carefully for another two minutes, and his brows gradually furrowed.

"Who gave you this?"

Lin Zhiyan, having been influenced by his surroundings, has developed a high degree of political sensitivity and can see through the dirty tricks hidden within.

When attacking the enemy, the best approach is to identify their corruption problems. If that's not possible, then address their ideology.

To throw mud at someone and label them.

No one is perfect, and no one's words and actions are without flaws.

But the public sphere is full of perfectionists; any mistake can be magnified infinitely, and any statement can be interpreted infinitely.

People like Lu Zhao are most afraid of being labeled.

Even if he didn't embezzle a single penny, they could still portray him as an utterly wicked person.

Lu Zhao replied, "It was delivered through the proper channels, but it wasn't delivered until forty minutes before the speech. If I hadn't checked it, it might have been a disaster."

Lin Zhiyan asked, "Do you have anything else to do later? Come with me to see Uncle Liu, and you can report to him."

"Row."

Afterwards, Lu Zhao and Lin Zhiyan left the venue and found Liu Hao there, telling him what had happened.

Upon hearing this, Secretary Liu praised, "Xiao Lu did a very good job this time, and the chief is very satisfied with your speech. However, it will probably be a bit difficult to investigate. At most, the person who passed the review will be punished, and there may be someone protecting them."

Lin Zhiyan said with dissatisfaction, "Uncle Liu, are we just going to let this go like this?"

"It's not that we should just let it go, but there's no need for targeted retaliation."

Secretary Liu explained, "This has a bad influence, and it doesn't really harm the enemy. For example, if you say the manuscript is wrong, you have to ask the reviewer, but you can't punish someone for just one sentence, can you?"

Lu Zhao understood.

The Liu faction belongs to the establishment and values ​​upholding the rules.

It's acceptable to hold someone accountable for a problem with a particular passage in a manuscript, but increasing the punishment would undermine the reward and punishment mechanism.

Even if you know the other party is an enemy, you cannot overstep the rules to retaliate.

That would be an abuse of power.

“If Uncle Liu is unwilling to help, I will go to Aunt Ding and investigate whether they have embezzled or accepted bribes.”

Lin Zhiyan made a move to pull Lu Zhao away.

Liu Hao asked helplessly, "So, what kind of result do you want to achieve?"

"Let them go see the pond."

"Row."

Although Secretary Liu didn't want to make a big deal out of it in principle, he was very angry and had to show some remorse.

Moreover, if Lu Zhao can successfully inherit the Dragon-Subduing and Tiger-Taming Technique in the future, he can become a great help to me.
-

On the other side, in the VIP room of the Daozheng Bureau building.

Wang Shouzhen chatted with Liu Hanwen, and the former praised Lu Zhaofang's speech, repeatedly mentioning the last paragraph.

He said, "What we need now is this spirit, not just to strive for survival, but to fight for the revival of humanity."

The two are very different; one is simply striving for survival, and the bottom line can be very low.

These days, the city-states outside are simply trying to survive. As long as they don't occupy too much territory, they can avoid conflict with the ancient god realm.

The Ancient God Circles are ecosystems that expand unconsciously, and conflicts exist between them. However, the Divine Continent is too vast; to the Ancient God Circles, it is a huge, unclaimed land.

Liu Hanwen asked, "Should I call him over?"

Being able to catch Wang Shouzhen's eye is quite an opportunity.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Wang Shou-cheng could serve as the federal chief for more than a decade, until the end of his maximum term.

Wang Shouzhen shook his head and said, "You should have already met him. It would be inappropriate for me to meet him again, and it would not be conducive to the growth of cadres."

A newly appointed official from the border region, giving a speech on the anniversary of the Great Patriotic War, with Liu Hanwen, the chief official of the South China Sea Circuit, backing him up. If he were to meet him again, it's hard to guarantee that Lu Zhao wouldn't have psychological problems.

"If he can put his words into practice, it doesn't matter whether he meets with me or not, he won't care."

"Too."

Liu Hanwen thought for a moment and said, "That kid has a really bad temper. I was planning to send him to the Confederate District to toughen him up, but I'm afraid he'll die."

"If Xiaoyan makes a fuss, I might not be able to appease her."

This was the only thing that gave him a headache.

Lu Zhao is an excellent cadre, and Liu Hanwen is willing to promote such a person, but it is impossible to promote him without him doing anything.

Even the inheritors of the Five Thunder Divine Power have to fight on the front lines of the battlefield.

Wang Shouzhen said, "It's normal for children to have emotional outbursts. As long as you interfere less, they won't blame you. You're just spoiling Xiao Yan too much."

"Lu Zhao is a rough gem that needs to be polished, not treasured. Many reformers today are people who have been nurtured as if they were precious treasures."

Upon hearing this, Liu Hanwen nodded in agreement.

Ten years ago, too many powerful individuals were killed. In order to quickly fill the gaps, the Federation launched a national-level talent development program.

The orphanage where Lu Zhao was located was one of them.

Provide geniuses with abundant resources unconditionally and cultivate them into the pillars of the new era.

Many people today, as they grow up, are less willing to defend their homeland and more inclined to abandon the territory that their martyrs protected.

Based on the current capitals of various major cities, a huge urban cluster was built, and vast territories were gradually abandoned.

Farmland can still be cultivated, and mines can still be mined. As their name suggests, they only tolerate a limited portion of the ancient god circle's invasion.

Similar views have widespread support not only in official circles but also in all sectors of society.

High-income earners in some cities, senior executives of state-owned enterprises, businessmen, officials and other upper-middle-class individuals generally agree with this.

It seems that the life-sustaining supplements they drink and the food they eat grow from the asphalt roads of the city.

Once the factory machines are running, coal can be transformed into rice, flour, and cooking oil.

Wang Shouzhen added, "Although Lu Zhao has obtained the Lin family's divine power sequence, it is ultimately just a powerful divine power. We cannot tie him down completely. The necessary procedures and work experience must be followed without any omissions."

“Arrange for him to attend a federal youth cadre training program.”

Liu Hanwen twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "If Xiao Yan throws a tantrum, will you come and appease her?"

Wang Shouzhen laughed and said, "That's your business, I'm not her guardian." "Alright, I'll go and make some adjustments."

Liu Hanwen remembered.

Lu Zhao's promotion was achieved directly through connections, arranged by Tu Bin at Ding Shoujin's request, bypassing the formal education process at the Administrative Academy.

This is not a necessary step, and many people find it a waste of time.

Anyway, it's only a little over a month.

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

eight pm.

Lu Zhao changed into casual clothes, tidied himself up a bit, refused a ride home by public transport, and took a bus back home.

Miss Lin originally wanted to go back with him, but Lu Zhao didn't say anything, and she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Songya Residential Area.

The old gatekeeper was dozing in the security booth, but Lu Zhao ignored him and walked straight into the community.

In the distance, under a tree, a group of three or five old men were playing chess. Because the streetlights in the neighborhood were dim, no one noticed them.

Lu Zhao easily found his way to his apartment building, and pressed the doorbell at his door.

Ding Dong!

Two seconds later, a sound came from inside.

"Who is it? It's late at night, time to rest. Come back tomorrow if you need anything."

A slightly deep female voice came out, and just by listening to it, one could imagine the image of a middle-aged woman.

Lu Zhao said, "Sister-in-law, it's me."

Immediately afterwards, the door opened, and a middle-aged woman stood in the entryway.

My sister-in-law, Tian Yuanfeng, is forty years old this year, but she looks like she's in her fifties. Her black hair is streaked with white hair, and her crow's feet are very obvious.

"Ah Zhao, you're finally back."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a series of hurried sounds came from inside the room. Then, Lu Xiaotong, dressed in her pajamas, ran out and headbutted Lu Zhao in the arms.

"Uncle Zhao, you're finally back!"

"Keep your voice down, don't disturb your grandma's sleep."

Helpless, Lu Zhao pulled Lu Xiaotong off him.

He then went inside, closed the door, and asked, "Is Mom asleep?"

"Already asleep."

Tian Yuanfeng answered, then couldn't help but ask, "Ah Zhao, what official position are you coming back for this time? Can we move to the cadre housing complex?"

Lu Zhao had anticipated this; his sister-in-law was a very ordinary woman who was concerned about saving face and liked to take advantage of small things.

But he also took care of his mother for many years.

He patiently explained, "Sister-in-law, the cadre housing area is a privilege only for officials at the principal level. Even if I return to Cangwu, I will still be a minor official, and I will only receive a housing subsidy."

"Besides, our family isn't small either; our living conditions are already quite good for an average person."

Owning a house in the core area of ​​a first-tier city like Cangwu, even without property rights, makes one a citizen of the Federation.

Tian Yuanfeng was somewhat disappointed and said, "You've already spoken on television, aren't you going to allocate the houses yet?"

Lu Xiaotong, who was very quick-witted, immediately changed the subject, saying, "When Uncle Zhao returns to Cangwu, I can apply to the school for a six-person room, and my salary has increased, right?"

Lu Zhao replied, "At least 500,000 yuan a year, which will greatly improve the family's financial situation. We can also get better medicine for Mom, and my sister-in-law can spend more money to buy clothes and jewelry."

"I heard that T9 purity life supplements can be taken in small amounts by ordinary people, and the place I'm going to should have them."

Other places cannot guarantee this, but the Confederate Special Countermeasures Force certainly does.

Upon hearing that there was 500,000, the sister-in-law immediately beamed with joy and said, "Xiaotong, life development also costs money. We can enroll her in higher-grade life supplements at school."

"As for the life bone supernatural abilities, once A-Zhao's position is higher, she can apply for even better ones. A-Zhao, are you hungry now? I'll go make you a bowl of noodles."

"I've already eaten."

"Then I'll make your bed. Xiaotong, you can sleep with me for a while."

"I want to sleep with Uncle Zhao."

"Nonsense, how old are you?"

Amid the commotion, a cough came from inside the room, followed by a voice: "Ah Zhao is back?"

Lu Zhao went to his mother's room, pushed open the door, and saw an old woman with white hair and a somewhat swollen face lying on the bed.

He approached the bedside and said, "Mom, I'm back."

His mother, Luo Xiuhua, touched his face and said, "Have you gained weight? You don't look as rough as before."

"I've been eating well lately, and my life development level has also improved."

"That's good."

After that, Luo Xiuhua didn't ask any further questions, including about his appearance on television, Lin Zhiyan, the Chen family, and so on.

She rarely asks questions she doesn't understand, to avoid causing unnecessary trouble and putting pressure on her child.

Lu Zhao has been smart since he was a child, and his parents have gotten used to not taking care of him.

The next day, early in the morning.

Lu Zhao woke up on the wooden sofa in the living room, having had a good night's sleep for the first time in eight months.

In the kitchen, the eldest sister-in-law was making breakfast, the mother had already woken up and was tending to the potted plants on the balcony, and Lu Xiaotong was washing up in the bathroom.

"Xiaotong, you have to go to school tonight. Have you finished your homework?"

"I'll write it in a bit."

"You haven't written it yet? It's the last day."

"I said I'd write it in a bit."

"It always drags on until the very last minute."

"Ugh, Mom, you're so annoying! I'll definitely write it later!"

Lu Zhao sat up, yawned, and looked around at the cluttered and messy surroundings, while the noisy voices of his family reached his ears.

In this world, besides ancient gods, monsters, and crime, he also has a home.

My mother is a quiet and simple rural woman, my sister-in-law is a shrewd, greedy, talkative, and responsible middle-aged woman, and my niece is in her adolescence, lively and active to the point of being a headache.

Now he can finally take on the responsibility of supporting the family. He doesn't have to worry too much about the family's living expenses, his mother's medical expenses, or Lu Xiaotong's life development expenses.

Breakfast was simple: egg noodles.

While slurping noodles, Lu Xiaotong asked indistinctly, "Uncle Zhao, are you leaving again this time?"

Lu Zhao replied, "I'll leave tomorrow. I need to go back and hand over my work. I'll be back in March."

Lu Xiaotong sighed, "Sigh~ I thought Uncle Zhao wouldn't have to leave. I was hoping you could come with me to see the fireworks for the New Year."

According to usual practice, Lu Zhao does not take holidays; he has not spent Chinese New Year at home for four years.

11:00 am.

Lu Zhao received a phone call informing him of a job reassignment; he no longer needed to return to Fangshi to hand over his work.

For the next month and a half, he would need to attend the Federal Cadre Academy in Cangwu City, Nankaido, to complete all the required courses before he could be promoted.

(End of this chapter)