Me! A high-ranking official!

"Human greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant."

He lit a cigarette, the flame flickering in the dim village entrance. With a thought, he activated the Treasure Basin System in his mind.

On the panel, the population data of Linshui County remained stagnant, without any ripples. Although he could earn more than 300,000 yuan a day, which was an astronomical figure for ordinary people, he knew exactly what was going on.

The 20 million debt to the King of Hell has been paid off, but those high-level items in the Treasure Basin that can truly change one's fate and stir up the political arena cost hundreds of millions of exchange points! With this daily allowance of 300,000, when will I ever be able to borrow enough?

The most critical issue is that the system's core rules are very rigid. Daily earnings are directly tied to the population of the jurisdiction, and only for every additional 10,000 people can one obtain a chance to draw a priceless treasure.

"We need to get someone in."

He rubbed his cheeks, which were numb from the wind, but how easy was that? If he were the county party secretary, he could easily approve the construction of an industrial park, attract investment, and tens of thousands of industrial workers would naturally come. Even if he were just the director of an investment promotion bureau, he could still make a splash.

But what is his current status?

The deputy head of the Tourism Development Section of the County Culture and Tourism Bureau is in charge of the work.

The title was so difficult to pronounce that it was almost embarrassing. In the intricate web of power in the county, his current rank didn't even qualify him to report to the county leaders. He was just a low-level manager in a powerless department, and he didn't even have the authority to sign off on budgets. How could he possibly attract people to the county?

Moreover, there is a Du Yu lurking in the shadows.

Du Yu helped him through this hurdle in the Discipline Inspection Commission. There's no free lunch in the system. Du Yu is the kind of person who won't act until he sees the benefits. Since he protected him, he will definitely squeeze more value out of him with interest in the future. Once he can't withstand Du Yu's schemes, he may be purged a second time. To deal with these underhanded attacks, he needs not only power, but also a lot of money and trump cards.

He threw the cigarette butt, which had burned down to the filter, under his feet and stomped it out. He wasn't impatient or sighing. After struggling in the system for so many years, he had long understood a principle: you have to eat one bite at a time and set up a plan one step at a time. If there is no ladder to the sky, you have to learn to find your own stepping stones in the mess.

He turned around, put his hands back in his pockets, and slowly walked back down the dimly lit street.

Culture and Tourism Bureau... Industrial Development... The Abandoned Fantasy Martial Arts City...

A few fragmented words swirled slowly in his mind. To break the deadlock, he had to tear a hole in his existing three-tenths of authority.

Back at the hotel, he glanced at the quartz clock on the wall; it was only 9:30. Unable to fall asleep, he tossed and turned in bed, so he simply leaned against the headboard and started scrolling through Douyin (TikTok).

In just two days it will be the May Day holiday. The local and surrounding area recommendations are full of flashy promotional photos of various scenic spots. Looking at the famous mountains and rivers, ancient capitals of six dynasties, and even trendy streets that can be hyped up by just a few sets of Hanfu on the screen, he smoked and his eyes welled up with jealousy.

To develop cultural tourism, you need a solid foundation. Look at Linshui County. It's just a plain with no famous mountains or rivers. If you trace its history back 800 years, it's all about farming. It has no cultural heritage whatsoever. The only thing it can boast about is a half-dead, unfinished fantasy martial arts city. What can it use to compete with others for this lucrative May Day holiday?

After watching for a while, he drifted off to sleep amidst a sea of ​​photos of other people's tourism bureaus celebrating.

……

The next morning, as he walked into the courtyard of the Culture and Tourism Bureau with his bag, he saw a black Passat parked at the bottom of the steps. The door opened, and a middle-aged man with a large belly and a severely receding hairline emerged.

It was Zhang Baocheng, the director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau.

He was slightly surprised. Didn't Xu Ling from the personnel department gossip yesterday that Director Zhang had gone on a trip to another city to relax under the guise of an inspection? Why did he suddenly come back ahead of schedule?

Despite his confusion, he didn't hesitate when facing his superior and quickly took two steps to greet him: "Director Zhang, I just reported for duty yesterday. I was supposed to go to your office to receive instructions, but I heard you went on an inspection tour, so I'm just here today."

Zhang Baocheng, whose brows were furrowed like a knot, turned around when he heard the voice. Zhao Jianguo used to write materials in the county party committee office. Although he was not a high-ranking official, he often hung around in front of the leaders and was considered a familiar face.

"Oh, Jianguo." Zhang Baocheng forced a smile, readily spouting bureaucratic pleasantries: "I heard you started yesterday. How's it going? Are you settling in well in our bureau? Any difficulties?"

"I was definitely clueless when I first arrived." He went along with it, speaking humbly, "But I will definitely try my best to overcome it, and I still need Director Zhang's guidance and support."

Zhang Baocheng nodded, offered a perfunctory word of encouragement, and turned to walk into the building.

Just then, Xu Ling arrived in her high heels. She and Zhang Baocheng were close, so she wasn't as reserved in conversation. She jokingly asked with a smile, "Director Zhang, why did your inspection end early? Did you manage to learn anything from the martial arts city in Nanhe Province?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Baocheng's already dejected face fell even more, and he sighed heavily, looking as if he had something to say but couldn't.

Xu Ling, quick-witted as ever, immediately chimed in, offering a way out: "You've worked hard, leaders. Actually, the higher-ups are making things difficult for us. Our county has very few resources; developing tourism is like trying to cook without rice."

"Who says otherwise!" Zhang Baocheng felt like he'd found a kindred spirit, pouring out his grievances, even ignoring his newly arrived subordinate Zhao Jianguo standing beside him: "Secretary Zhou called me personally yesterday! The new secretary said that our county's cultural and tourism work must immediately shine, and he also wants me to make full use of the May Day holiday to come up with a practical and feasible cultural and tourism development plan!"

At this point, Zhang Baocheng shook his head in frustration: "The new Party Secretary has just taken office and is hot-tempered. He has no idea what a mess our county is in. We need to hear a report at 3:30 this afternoon. Isn't that too hasty?"

Zhao Jianguo stood aside, nodding and agreeing on the surface, but in his mind he had already quickly drawn up a picture of Zhang Baocheng: a top leader complaining about the county party secretary in front of his subordinates is a major taboo in the system. This shows that Zhang Baocheng is not only timid and unable to handle things, but also has very shallow cunning. He is the kind of mediocre official who just coasts along and waits for retirement.

"Old Xie is going to be working himself to the bone," Xu Ling said sympathetically, referring to Old Xie, who was in charge of writing materials in the office.

Zhang Baocheng had just stepped onto two flights of stairs when he suddenly stopped, turned around, and stared intently at Zhao Jianguo.

"Jianguo, you used to be a real writer in the government office!" Zhang Baocheng's eyes lit up, as if he had grasped a lifeline. "The county leaders are tired of hearing the same old phrases from Lao Xie's writings at meetings. Now that you're in charge of the tourism development section, tourism is your responsibility. So, you draft this May Day tourism development plan and hand it in to me before 3 p.m.!"