In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 192 Taking Office as Special Counter-Strike Team
For a fleeting moment, everyone's hair stood on end.

But it was like lightning, so fast that only Lu Zhao could notice it.

If restraining one's supernatural powers is also a form of cultivation, then Li Dongxue must have reached a higher level.

Li Dongxue clenched her teeth slightly, a hint of resentment flashing in her eyes, but she quickly calmed down and returned to her expressionless state.

She chose to remain patient, knowing that with her current strength and resources, she could not possibly compare to Lin Zhiyan.

No matter how powerful the Five Thunder Divine Power is, it's not truly hers; she's merely an inheritor of a sequence. She might inherit the Heavenly Five Thunders in the future, or she might die on the way.

A genius may be highly regarded, but it is difficult for them to wield real power.

Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river...

Don't resist?

Lin Zhiyan was slightly surprised. Since the other party had backed down, she didn't need to push her luck.

If Li Dongxue can back down, we can still be friends. But if she overestimates herself, she'll be crying later.

Dinner was plentiful but ordinary.

But this was the only time in four years that Lu Zhao had New Year's Eve dinner with his family.

After dinner, everyone gathered in front of the TV, cracking sunflower seeds. The Spring Festival Gala was playing, but no one watched it.

For southerners, many elements of the Spring Festival Gala are too northern in style and often end up as background noise.

The eldest sister-in-law, Tian Yuanfeng, consulted Tang Fen about the girl's future education plans. Tang Fen had previously worked in the education system, rising to the position of chief clerk in Cangwu City.

If it weren't for continuing his work at the nursing home, he would have retired and been enjoying life long ago.

Lu Xiaotong studied the touchscreen phone. The phone's operating system ecosystem was still immature, but it was already novel enough for her.

Li Dongxue was catching up with Lu's mother, recalling how she used to often accompany Lu Zhao to visit her in the hospital.

Two teenagers, a boy and a girl, would visit a six-year-old child at the hospital every weekend.

At that time, Luo Xiuhua jokingly referred to it as a family of three.

Now that time has passed, Li Dongxue hasn't visited her for many years, and Lu's mother is very happy to see her back.

Lu Zhao watched the Spring Festival Gala on TV. Lin Zhiyan was on his left and Li Dongxue was on his right. The three of them were about a fist's distance apart.

Lin Zhiyan cracked sunflower seeds, watched the boring Spring Festival Gala for a while, and then looked around at the noisy yet cozy environment.

At first I was a little bored, but then my mind inexplicably relaxed.

This is something you can't feel at the Liu residence.

Liu Hanwen is a complete workaholic who has always adhered to the principle that officials have no private space and must be on standby at all times.

There are only two places in the mansion: office and rest. Although he spends time with Lin Zhiyan on weekdays, he can't create a warm feeling of home for her.

The last time she spent New Year's Eve like this was before the Great Cataclysm.

It would be better if the house were bigger.

The house is too small, the decoration is practically non-existent, and there are soundproofing problems. You can faintly hear people walking upstairs, and you can also hear the neighbors talking.

How uncomfortable must it be to live in a house like that?

Lin Zhiyan was thinking this, but her eyelids were already drooping, and she fell asleep in no time.

When she woke up again, fireworks were going off outside, and the New Year's Eve countdown was on TV.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven... two, one! Happy New Year to everyone!"

Fireworks continued to burst through the thick smog outside, breaking through the fog.

Logically, given the severe air pollution in Nankaido, the setting off of fireworks and firecrackers should be prohibited. Indeed, during the years when industries were relocated to Nankaido, the setting off of fireworks and firecrackers was prohibited.

But later the ban was ignored.

While fireworks certainly exacerbate pollution, in today's oppressive society, they can be one of the few sources of spiritual comfort for many.

Lu Xiaotong, her sister-in-law, and Luo Xiuhua went to the balcony to watch the fireworks. Tang Fen had left sometime earlier.

Li Dongxue and Lu Zhao were talking nearby.

"It'll be around March, but I don't know which special operations unit it will be."

"Regardless of which one, these units composed entirely of superhumans are quite difficult to manage. Special counter-terrorism units are similar to special operations forces in the military; they both concentrate their resources to accomplish major tasks."

Li Dongxue popularized the ecology of the federal army for Lu Zhaoke.

There is no problem with military discipline; no one dares to openly disobey military orders.

However, when it comes to specific management measures, it's impossible to immediately send soldiers to military court for disobeying orders, as that would be considered a dereliction of duty by the officers.

Furthermore, due to the existence of supernatural powers, there is a very special group in the Federation Army: sergeants who have high life development levels but whose positions remain on the front lines of combat.

Their highest point is called the general/soldier.

Li Dongxue said, "These soldiers are often troublemakers, so be careful not to let them intimidate you. Especially since you are a mental superhuman, it's difficult to make them submit through tangible force."

"We need to work things out gradually and get them on track first. Otherwise, the officers won't listen to you, and the soldiers won't really respect you, which will cause problems later."

Lu Zhao's expression was somewhat strange.

Isn't this exactly what he does at the border post?

In law enforcement agencies, discipline comes first, but strength is equally important.

Lu Jinshan, having seized power, could indeed be driven by the system, but he could also accomplish many things through his prestige.

He asked, "How do you usually handle this?"

Li Dongxue replied, "Just beat them up under the guise of an assessment or competition."

After listening to their conversation, Lin Zhiyan said helplessly, "Can you two please stop talking about official business on New Year's Eve?"

Like Liu Ye, Lu Zhao is also a workaholic. He only responds with "uh-huh" and "yeah" when talking to others, showing interest only in work-related matters.

Li Dongxue said calmly, "We don't have a chief grandfather, so we have to fight for many things ourselves."

Whether it's her or Lu Zhao, even if they are favored by important figures, they still have to demonstrate corresponding abilities and contributions.

Lin Zhiyan sensed the sarcasm in the other person's tone and retorted, "I do have connections, but I've never used back channels; I always entered through the front door. Unlike some people who only know how to fight and kill, who don't understand human relationships at all and even mislead young people."

"If you ask me, Lu Zhao should just go to the brigade and inform Uncle Tu to let the company know. Everyone knows you have connections and ability."

Li Dongxue frowned and said, "The military is not a place for you to play the game of connections. If you want to win people's respect, you must have sufficient strength. Otherwise, how can soldiers risk their lives for you?"

"Moreover, next year is the military exercise, and if Lu Zhao wants to get a good ranking, he must manage his company well." This is not a peaceful era, and the army is always in a state of combat readiness, which is especially evident in special counter-terrorism units.

Take the military exercises he mentioned, for example. There are individual competitions, but the real highlight is the company-level confrontations.

The special forces soldiers in Cangwu City are elite troops, and if they are well managed, it is easy to achieve good results.

Military exercises are the least risky and best way for people from lower social classes to advance their careers.

Li Dongxue participated in an individual competition three years ago and achieved excellent results, which gradually led to her being valued and receiving certain resource support.

Lin Zhiyan said, "Lu Zhao's merits are already sufficient. He only needs to develop his vitality step by step to be promoted."

"You're using connections."

"This is at most a matter of using connections. He has a first-class merit and four second-class merits, which already meet the requirements for promotion to the third rank. Why would he take the risk?"

The two were locked in a fierce battle of wits, neither willing to back down.

Li Dongxue, a former soldier, values ​​strength and merit, and believes that Lu Zhao should leverage the elite special forces to earn more merit.

Lin Zhiyan, having been pampered since childhood, did not want to see Lu Zhao take any risks. Although it was a sham marriage, she never hesitated to provide Lu Zhao with political resources.

In her opinion, even going to the special counter-terrorism unit was unnecessary; it would be better to take a position in the Secretariat of the Ministry of Justice, which was risk-free and offered decent benefits.

They have supernatural powers in their own family, and they don't lack connections either.

"Okay, stop arguing."

Lu Zhao interrupted their argument and said helplessly, "I will definitely go to the special countermeasures unit, and I will also participate in the military exercises. Now that I have taken over as the captain of the special countermeasures detachment, I will do my best to complete the work."

Li Dongxue revealed a victor's smile.

Uncle Tang was right after all. There was a conflict between Zhao and the second generation's worldview, and disputes were inevitable in the future.

At 1 a.m., Lu Zhao drove Lin Zhiyan home, and then turned back to take Li Dongxue to the hotel.

She specifically applied for annual leave, so she didn't need to return to the camp.

For the next week, Lu Zhao stayed at home watching TV while using the dragon energy to temper his inner fire with the Horned Dragon Bow.

Unlike refining essence into qi, dragon qi tempering has no posture requirements. The only side effect is that it can easily cause dry mouth and a little bit of heat.

These are all things that can be controlled by willpower, and Lu Zhao is quite confident in this regard.

If a person with superhuman mental abilities cannot control their physiological instincts, they are not far from going insane.

For example, most people with superhuman mental abilities can create dreams, placing themselves in a dream world they can control at will. Once they become immersed in it, they may never wake up again.

Therefore, one of the main courses in the Department of Mental Health at the Imperial Capital Academy is to teach students how not to dream and how to wake up from a dream.

Self-control is a fundamental requirement for those with spiritual supernatural abilities.

The Horned Dragon Bow can ignite a burning desire in men, but its mental abilities perfectly counteract the side effects.

Aside from being somewhat agitated at first, Lu Zhao now only felt a burning sensation in his chest, and had no desires whatsoever.

"Glug! Glug! Glug!"

Lu Xiaotong counted his heartbeats beside him and asked, "Uncle Zhao, your heartbeat is so loud."

"Because Uncle Zhao is already a second-tier superhuman, his physical abilities are incomparable to those of ordinary people."

"Can I be like that in the future?"

"That depends on what kind of supernatural power you have. Only physical supernatural powers can do what I do."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiaotong shook her head repeatedly and said, "Physical types are too ugly. The female physical education teacher at school is a physical type superhuman, with a body full of muscles."

Lu Zhao asked, "Many supernatural abilities affect the body, so you don't need to be so resistant to them. They are uncontrollable."

"Then can I not use supernatural powers?"

"Yes, but it's necessary to advance to the second-tier of supernatural powers. Moreover, without supernatural powers, simply improving physical fitness is unlikely to be very effective."

During the conversation, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Lu Xiaotong went to open the door, and soon a sound came from the entrance.

"Uncle Zhao, there's an email that requires your signature."

"it is good."

Lu Zhao put down the Horned Dragon Bow, went to the entrance hall to receive the mail from the courier, and signed his name.

Upon opening the envelope, I found his letter of appointment.

[...In accordance with the Federal Officer Appointment Regulations and relevant regulations of our department on cadre management, and taking into account Comrade Lu Zhao's outstanding merits of one First-Class Merit and four Second-Class Merits during his service, after rigorous examination and evaluation, it is hereby decided to appoint:]
Comrade Lu Zhao is the captain (with the rank of major) of the 9th Special Countermeasures Detachment of the Federal South China Sea Special Countermeasures Brigade.

The detachment is a regimental-level unit. The transfer from a regimental-level cadre in the border region to a regimental-level cadre in Cangwu may seem like a lateral move, but it is a real promotion.

One is a position in a border region, and the other is a position in a top-tier core city; the two are not comparable.

February 25th.

Lu Zhao returned to Fangshi, met with the cadres of Ant Ridge, and informed them of his new work unit.

At the farewell party, Lu Zhao frankly said, "The casualty rate of the special counter-terrorism unit is very high, with one in ten people dying. But the treatment is also excellent, with an annual salary of 500,000 yuan and ample supplies of life-saving supplements."

"I don't force anyone to come. If any brothers want to take a chance, they can come to me."

Zhang Like immediately said, "Old Lu, I'll come with you next year. Can you provide enough Red Flower Broth?"

Lu Zhao said, "It's definitely enough. The special counter-terrorism forces have unlimited intermediate life-sustaining drugs, and they're half the price of ours."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the veteran border guards present lit up.

They used to live aimlessly, believing that it would be difficult to make breakthroughs in their life development. But after Lu Zhao became the station chief and changed the life supplements, everyone made breakthroughs in their life development.

Many people have broken through the 30-point vitality mark and are steadily progressing towards 50 points.

When there is hope, everyone wants to climb higher.

The veterans who survived the flood relief efforts and were awarded second-class merit all said they wanted to go to Cangwu with Lu Zhao to broaden their horizons.

The new recruits all looked at Lu Zhao with longing, dreaming that one day they could be like him.

Men always yearn for a grand long march, hoping to make a name for themselves.

On March 1, Lu Zhao put on his military uniform and took office as the captain of the Special Counter-Strike Force.

(End of this chapter)