Invasion of America

Chapter 107 Promotion
Professor Hart put down the report in his hand, his gaze behind his glasses carrying a hint of solemnity. "Victor, your experience on the front lines of clinical practice is beyond question."

Especially during this pandemic, you demonstrated remarkable professionalism.

As a highly experienced foreign expert, I believe you should shoulder greater responsibility and contribute more to this arduous battle.

Zhou Qingfeng, sitting at his desk, maintained a stern face, showing no reaction to these polite words, and calmly asked, "What offensive thing do you want me to do this time?"

Since this "living Yama" joined the underground hospital's B ward, thanks to his active intervention, most of the patients admitted to B ward are now under forty years old and their conditions are relatively stable.

Many people can fight off the virus with their own immune system simply by receiving intravenous fluids and meticulous care, greatly reducing their reliance on advanced life support equipment such as "artificial lungs".

The workload of medical staff in the ward has decreased significantly, and everyone can finally breathe a sigh of relief and take turns resting.

However, the unexpected visit from the Department of Homeland Security personnel stirred up unease in Professor Hart's heart.

Zhou Qingfeng's identity cannot withstand scrutiny, and there are many people in the ward who might let something slip. It would be difficult to handle if someone accidentally revealed anything.

Rather than waiting for things to worsen, it's better to get rid of this 'living devil' before things get out of control—after all, everything is in chaos, as long as he's not caught on the spot.

Zhou Qingfeng himself shared the same idea. He was not a content person; this dark underground place was like a giant prison, and he would definitely leave once he had the chance.

“Victor, I have a suggestion,” Professor Hart leaned forward tentatively, “would you be willing to join the newly formed ‘Medical Efficiency Committee’?”

"What?" Zhou Qingfeng was slightly taken aback and asked in confusion, "I've only heard of the government's efficiency department and the medical efficiency committee? What kind of department is that?"

"This is a brand new organization dedicated to coordinating the transportation and distribution of medical personnel and supplies."

At this point, Professor Hart's face darkened. "Our current epidemic prevention work... frankly, is very bad."

The military was simply unable to effectively control the flow of people in Washington, D.C., with large numbers of residents moving through the neighborhoods, and the spread of the virus was almost out of control.

In order to change this frustrating situation, the higher authorities decided to establish this 'Medical Efficiency Committee'.

Originally, I was intended to fill this committee position, but I strongly recommended you to the Department of Health and Human Services.

Zhou Qingfeng's doubts deepened. "At a critical time like this, managing the allocation of personnel and supplies is no easy task. Especially in Washington, D.C., it will offend a lot of people."

Professor Hart quickly waved his hand, reassuringly saying, "No, no, no, this job is relatively easy. You just need to perform normally. Besides... would you care about offending anyone?"

“But I am, after all, a foreigner…” Zhou Qingfeng still felt that the proposal was full of uncertainty, and the barrier of identity made him feel uneasy.

“Victor, let’s put aside all that hypocritical politeness and be honest with each other,” Professor Hart’s tone suddenly became serious.

He leaned back slightly, his sharp gaze fixed on Zhou Qingfeng. "Actually, I've known your true identity for a long time, but I've never revealed it to the Department of Homeland Security."

Zhou Qingfeng felt a chill run down his spine, a sense of vigilance as if he were being watched arises spontaneously.

Professor Hart continued, "Precisely because you are an outsider, without constraints or conflicts of interest, you are able to view and handle thorny problems more neutrally and with a longer-term perspective."

Take yesterday's incident, for example; you decisively turned off that vice-ministerial-level official's "artificial lung."

Hundreds of elderly and frail patients were transferred to hospice care because of you, and an equal number of young adults and even children received treatment.

If it were me, under such circumstances and pressure, I absolutely could not have issued such an order. Because I am a professor, a temporary dean, and a public servant.

If someone later reports me for 'premeditated murder,' those medical staff will become witnesses against me, and I will face imprisonment.

The professor paused, his tone becoming even more somber: "And the work of the 'Medical Efficiency Committee' is even more so, as it concerns not just a few hundred people, but the lives and deaths of tens of thousands."

This kind of thing, which seems ruthless now and is even riskier in the future, must be done by someone who is fearless and willing to take responsibility.

Zhou Qingfeng fell silent. He knew that Professor Hart's words had a hidden meaning, and that there was definitely a crucial detail he hadn't revealed.

This detail definitely requires his cooperation to complete.

Their eyes met, and a subtle tension filled the air.

After a long while, Professor Hart slowly opened the drawer of his desk, took out a thick identity document, and slowly and solemnly pushed it in front of Zhou Qingfeng.

The document cover bears the emblem of the federal government, and the first page contains a passport photo of a middle-aged man.

The man in the photo is in his early forties, white, with a sharp, angular face and an air of quiet authority.

“Oliver Harden, Deputy Secretary of the National Tax Administration of the U.S. Treasury Department, primarily responsible for tax audits and enforcement.” Professor Hart’s voice was deep and powerful.

Zhou Qingfeng looked at the photo on the document, then looked up at the professor, his eyes filled with doubt and confusion.

The professor spoke as if he were plotting something secret, his tone serious yet tinged with excitement: "Victor, you personally took Deputy Director Harden to 'hospice' yesterday."

Several hours later, he died of multiple organ failure.

However, when Harden was brought in, he was so ill that his whole body was swollen and his face was completely distorted. The emergency personnel had no idea who he really was.

Even after his death, he was cremated as an unidentified corpse.

Professor Hart lowered his voice even further, with a hint of seduction: "Victor, your head shape and face shape are almost exactly the same as Harden's."

With just a little makeup, some grooming of eyebrows and hair, and some anti-aging treatments on the skin, she can perfectly replace him.

I have Harden's complete iris and fingerprint records, and I can make you a set of custom contact lenses and fingerprint gloves.

After thinking it over carefully, the professor added, "As for your accent being quite different from Harden's, that's okay too."

You could explain it as someone recovering from a serious illness, whose body hasn't fully recovered yet, so their voice might be a little hoarse.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng was shocked and exclaimed, "You want me to impersonate the deputy director of the State Taxation Administration?"
How could this not be discovered? There must be many people in the bureaucracy who know him and are familiar with him! Isn't this sending me to my death?

Professor Hart shook his head slightly, a sly smile appearing on his face. "The American bureaucracy is now almost paralyzed."

At least in Washington, D.C., most civil servants are either self-isolating at home or already in hospital beds.

Nowadays, officials who are still able to work normally are generally entrusted with important responsibilities and rarely return to their original positions.

For example, who cares about collecting taxes anymore with the IRS? The most pressing issue right now is healthcare.

The professor continued, “In addition, Harden was originally an official in Tennessee and was only temporarily transferred to Washington, D.C. a month ago. Almost no one here really knows him.”

I know him because he happens to live next door to me.

Even after Professor Hart spoke so much, Zhou Qingfeng still felt his mind was in complete disarray, as if he were being bombarded by countless fragments of information.

However, the professor's last words struck him like a sharp arrow, piercing the depths of his heart—

“As a member of the ‘Medical Efficiency Committee,’ you can legitimately leave Washington, D.C., under the pretext of ‘official business.’”

I don't need you to stay in this position for long—three days, five days, a week at most. You do the work that offends people, then you can find a chance to slip away.
-
200 Independence Avenue, Washington, D.C., Hubert H. Humphrey Building.

This is a sleek, square building, like a silent boulder, standing quietly in the heart of power, facing the White House and Capitol Hill in the distance.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is located here, right at the epicenter of this nationwide pandemic.

Zhou Qingfeng changed into a wrinkled dark suit, with unnatural creases on the collar and cuffs, as if it had just been found in a forgotten corner of a wardrobe.

He drove out of the dark, damp underground hospital on Capitol Hill and slowly stopped at the foot of the steps of the Department of Health building.

Xia Ni, dressed in a business suit, followed closely behind Zhou Qingfeng, appearing unusually nervous, looking around like a startled deer.

Upon seeing the uniformed guards, her steps became stiff and slow, as if bound by invisible chains, and she kept whispering, "Victor, Victor..."

Zhou Qingfeng had already reached the guard post at the building entrance when he had to stop and turn back to look at the helpless Xia Ni with a stern face.

Xia Ni snapped out of her daze, hurriedly tugging at the hem of her slightly tight pencil skirt, and said in a flustered whisper, "I'm sorry, Mr. Harden, I... I forgot." Zhou Qingfeng wasn't wearing the oppressive protective suit, but simply a disposable medical mask.

When he reached the guard, he even took off his mask, revealing his face, which had been carefully "modified" by Professor Hart, in order to pass through the facial recognition system at the entrance.

A cold camera scanned Zhou Qingfeng's facial features, while a conspicuous red cross flashed on the electronic screen, accompanied by a cold electronic notification sound, denying his request to enter.

A guard dressed in full protective gear, his face completely obscured by goggles and a mask, immediately approached and asked in a businesslike manner, "Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"

“My name is Oliver Harden, Deputy Secretary of the Internal Revenue Service.” Zhou Qingfeng’s voice was slightly hoarse, and he seemed very tired, just as Professor Hart had suggested beforehand.

"I have been ordered to report to the Ministry of Health to assume my position as a member of the 'Medical Efficiency Committee'. My appointment should be on your visitor list."

Professor Hart has been immersed in the medical field for many years and has mastered various materials and techniques that can subtly alter the appearance of the human body.

The disguise he personally created for Zhou Qingfeng was so meticulous that it even surpassed Lucy's makeup skills, striving for realism in every detail.

Xia Ni is Zhou Qingfeng's close assistant, responsible for maintaining his makeup when necessary and providing him with basic medical knowledge in case of emergencies.

Zhou Qingfeng's audacity was truly astonishing; he actually dared to impersonate Oliver Harden, the deputy director of the IRS, and brazenly take up a position at the "Ministry of Health."

Perhaps the panic caused by the pandemic led to a shortage of manpower; or perhaps Professor Hart's disguise was so flawless that the building's security personnel did not notice anything unusual.

After verifying the documents provided by Zhou Qingfeng, the guard looked apologetic: "I'm very sorry, Mr. Harden."

Many employees have been sick recently, and our department is short-staffed. Please wait a moment while I contact the relevant personnel for you.

"It's alright, I just went through hell myself, I understand." Zhou Qingfeng's face was somewhat ashen, and his hair and clothes were quite disheveled.

To onlookers, he truly resembled an official recovering from a serious illness, too preoccupied to care about his appearance. Yet, his willingness to come to work during this critical moment is exemplary.
-
About half an hour later, after going through a series of somewhat lax security checks, Zhou Qingfeng was allowed to enter the 'Ministry of Health' building.

The receptionist informed him that Secretary Robert would personally meet with the newly appointed member of the "Medical Efficiency Committee".

However, when he rode the slightly old elevator slowly up to the top floor of the building and pushed open the heavy double door of the minister's office, the spacious and bright room was empty.

He did not see the minister; only a young assistant minister was waiting in the reception area.

"Hello, Mr. Harden, it's a pleasure to have you here to assume your post." The assistant minister's voice carried a hint of professional enthusiasm, yet also sounded overly nervous.

She looked to be only in her thirties, and even her smart business suit couldn't hide her nervousness—Xiani was much more experienced than her.

The moment they shook hands, her palms were hot and damp, and she repeatedly said, "I'm sorry, as you can see, Minister Robert is unable to meet with you in person today."

"Is Your Excellency the Minister feeling unwell?" Zhou Qingfeng looked around.

The minister's office was spacious and bright, with huge floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the somewhat gloomy sky of Washington, D.C., but the interior felt empty and deserted, with hardly any other staff members in sight.

Looking back at the corridors I walked down, I noticed that many office doors were tightly closed, suggesting that many administrative staff had chosen to be absent.

"Yes, Minister Robert has unfortunately contracted the virus and is currently receiving treatment at the Army Medical Center in Reedburg," the assistant minister replied with a hint of concern.

"And what about the vice ministers?" Zhou Qingfeng pressed on. "Shouldn't you at least have one executive vice minister?"

“Yes, of course we have an Executive Deputy Minister.” The Assistant Minister nodded. “But His Excellency Higgins believes that coming to the ministry office at this time is too risky, so he has decided to work remotely from home.”

Where does he live?

"In Maryland."

“Okay,” Zhou Qingfeng raised his voice slightly, with an incredulous tone, “neither the minister nor the executive vice minister are here.”

And what about the assistant ministers? You have at least six assistant ministers. Surely not all of them are absent?

Upon learning of the absence of high-ranking officials in the ministry, Zhou Qingfeng's tone involuntarily rose a few decibels, carrying a hint of anger, as if he felt dissatisfied and heartbroken by this disorganized situation.

The assistant minister looked aggrieved. "You guessed right. All six assistant ministers have their own reasons for not coming to work for several days."

Even I, who was originally just an ordinary employee in the public affairs office, was temporarily promoted due to a severe shortage of staff.

Hearing this, Xia Ni, who had been nervously following behind Zhou Qingfeng, finally breathed a sigh of relief, and her tense expression relaxed considerably.

The government is so short-staffed, what are they afraid of?

Zhou Qingfeng pressed on, "Then where are the other members of the 'Medical Efficiency Committee'? Where are they now?"

The assistant minister looked even more aggrieved, and his voice lowered a few decibels: "You are currently the only member who has reported for duty after receiving the appointment."

Others either couldn't be contacted, refused the appointment outright, or delayed coming after accepting the appointment.

If you officially assume the position, you will likely be the highest-ranking official in the ministry, and even I will have to take your orders.

"Wow..." Zhou Qingfeng's facial muscles twitched slightly, and he almost couldn't control the slightly comical expression on his face.

This is practically a real-life version of "when the cat's away, the mice will play!" A sense of unbelievable absurdity and a subtle excitement quietly grew in his heart.

"Could it be that from now on, I'll be in charge of the US 'Department of Health'?"
-
About half an hour later, Zhou Qingfeng settled down in a spacious but stuffy office.

This place originally belonged to an assistant minister in his fifties, who tragically lost his life to the relentless pandemic three days ago.

The office still smelled faintly of disinfectant, as well as traces left by the owner when he left in a hurry.

With the introduction of the assistant minister who stayed behind, Zhou Qingfeng began to get a basic understanding of the Ministry of Health's operations and staffing, which was simply 'paralyzed' and 'lacking in personnel'.

He met online with ministers and deputy ministers who were not at their posts or were working from home, so they could get acquainted and become familiar with each other.

However, these video call processes all appeared unusually formulaic and lacked substantial content.

Some of the people on the other side of the screen had hoarse voices and haggard faces, and indeed looked like they were afflicted by illness and unable to perform their duties normally;

Some had shifty eyes and perfunctory words, clearly showing their fear of the epidemic and their choice to escape.

Across a small electronic screen, the sense of distance between people is magnified infinitely, and the so-called official authority and status become blurred.

Without face-to-face communication and the oppressive aura, the hierarchy of official rank seemed to be completely erased by an invisible barrier.

Since only Zhou Qingfeng came to report to the "Medical Efficiency Committee," the official who was supposed to be the chairman of the committee did not come to take office.

With no competition, Zhou Qingfeng naturally became the vice chairman of the committee and acted as the chairman.

It was precisely because of this special status that Secretary Robert, who was recuperating at the Army Medical Center in Reedburg, had no choice.

He formally appointed Vice Chairman Oliver Harden to take full responsibility for managing all affairs of the Department of Health and Human Services under the current state of emergency, reporting directly to the Secretary.

The reason is simple: within the current Ministry of Health, 'Harden' is indeed at the highest level.

Xia Ni, who had come to serve as Zhou Qingfeng's secretary, seemed exceptionally excited. She skipped over to Zhou Qingfeng's desk, lowered her voice, and said in a smug tone:

"Victor, Victor, you've hit the jackpot! There's not a single person who can stop you, and you're the minister here now!"

Zhou Qingfeng's smile faded slightly. He sat upright in his soft, wide leather office chair, his fingertips rhythmically tapping the oak tabletop, and said seriously:

"During work hours, you should address people by their job title."

Shani playfully stuck out her tongue, rolled her eyes at him, and emphasized teasingly:
"Yes, Mr. Oliver Harden, Vice Chairman of the Committee on Medical Efficiency, Department of Health and Human Services, United States of America."

Do you have any orders to give?

(End of this chapter)