In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 243 Ancient God Circle Riot

The Confederate District has a rough estimate of 500 million inhabitants and accounts for 36% of the Union's industrial production.

Chemical industries that are harmful to health are mostly located in the Confederate District, and almost all chemical products in the Union are produced there.

And various labor-intensive industries.

Although the average income of the citizens is only $540 under the intentional control of the federal government, the surplus value of their labor will not disappear.

These values ​​belong to the General Administration of Taxation and Household Registration. Most of the taxes collected are turned over to the national treasury, while a small portion can be kept for itself.

The amount of tax payable each year is fixed; you can pay more, but you absolutely cannot pay less.

Chen Yunming definitely wanted the Confederate District to pay more taxes, so he could gain political achievements and make money himself.

The Confederate District's total industrial output for the year was $3.2 trillion, which was dominated by low-value-added industries.

In terms of economics, the total industrial output of the Confederate District is roughly equivalent to that of two pharmaceutical companies, Wuliangye and Langpai.

In terms of political considerations, the two pharmaceutical companies are definitely not as important as the Confederate District.

If Chen Yunming can double the total industrial output of the Confederate District, then the relocation of industry will have to be postponed, and he can speak more loudly in the political arena.

If he can double his position, then he should be the chief of government in Nankaido.

Federal troops are judged by military merits, while federal officials are judged by their political achievements.

Whoever has more achievements has the loudest voice.

There were seventy or eighty military commanders. No one person could overpower everyone, nor could a group of military commanders maintain the entire society.

Under the life development system, even extraordinary individuals need ordinary people to farm and support them, otherwise the enormous metabolic demands would not be enough to sustain so many extraordinary individuals.

We must consider both individual ability and political achievements; the two complement each other.

The main reason Liu Hanwen was able to suppress Chen Yunming was because of his significant achievements; he was the one who proposed and participated in the formulation of the public grain system.

If it weren't for the fact that the South China Sea needed his abilities to guard it, Liu Hanwen would have already taken up a post in the Martial Virtue Hall.

If Chen Yunming wants to achieve political success, he has to start with the Confederate District.

The Confederacy’s greatest enemy is religion, especially the Holy Fire Way which came from Middle-earth.

He wanted nothing more than to dig it all up.

Whenever there is a large-scale strike or rally, it is always presided over by the Holy Fire Road.

The Federation is not afraid of gangs controlling the states, but it is afraid of forces that can mobilize the grassroots to cause trouble. The Holy Fire Road is one of the largest such forces.

According to rough estimates, approximately 200 million citizens are followers of the Holy Fire Way.

In comparison, Buddhism and Taoism are much better.

Buddhist temples pay taxes on the money they receive, while Taoist temples only offer tutoring classes to the wealthy.

They never participate in popular uprisings or strikes.

This is an excellent religion that has been improved over thousands of years in China.

If Buddhism were to dominate the region, my work would be much easier, and Buddhist doctrines wouldn't be so extreme.

This is the thought.

Chen Yunming suddenly had another idea and said, "Go to Yuntian Temple now and ask Abbot Qingmiao to take action. Afterwards, I will fully support the expansion of Buddhism in the Confederation District."

The Buddhist sect will definitely take advantage of the chaos to strike at the Sacred Fire Sect, but they will do it stealthily.

Secretary Wang said with some concern, "Won't this cause too much of a commotion? The Holy Fire Path is also hidden in the Divine Continent at the fifth level. If things get out of hand, it could easily affect production."

"Xu Zhigao is in the South China Sea. If the sky falls, there will be a tall guy to hold it up."

Chen Yunming waved his hand and said, "I will not only get the Buddhist sect to take action, but I will also notify all the major gangs to get them involved as well."

Secretary Wang asked, "What if Chief Liu discovers our intentions?"

Chen Yunming said confidently, "If he finds out, he will cooperate."

He even wondered if he should go and take the trip.
He sent the monk to hold off the opponent's fifth-tier opponents while he secretly went to kill the third and fourth-tier Holy Fire Daoists.

Secretary Wang left the office.

At this moment, the sound of explosions from the South Railway District could be faintly heard in the South Ridge District.
-
Confederate District.

Beyond the endless factories lie countless slums, like a skin disease, with shacks made of corrugated iron and rags piled up one on top of another, leaning against each other as if they would collapse with a gust of wind.

The air was filled with haphazardly connected wires, illegally branched off from the main line, of varying thicknesses.

They coiled around window frames, railings, and eaves, densely intertwining in the alleyways, each utility pole resembling a giant hornet's nest.

Due to frequent electricity theft, residential electricity is only available for two hours a day.

Every year, thousands of people die because of haphazardly connected electrical wires.

The social status of a citizen can be simply determined by the duration of electricity supply in their residential area; the longer the electricity supply, the wealthier they are.
There are twelve levels in total, with each level lasting two hours.

The main road in the Confederate District is federally maintained, and the security situation is normal, with no excessive illegal construction.

Secretary Wang rode in a helicopter, soaring over the Confederate District and looking down at the steel forest shrouded in smog.

Amidst the low, dilapidated houses of the slum stands a massive temple.

A golden Buddha statue, tens of meters tall, silently gazes down. The entire statue is plated with copper, and its golden light shines brightly even in the pervasive smog.

Slums, factories, smog, temples, golden Buddha statues.

Such abrupt, yet strangely harmonious.

The plane landed in the temple. The local people were thin and dirty, while the monks were strong and powerful.

Led by the monks, they soon met the person in charge of Buddhism in Nankaido.

The abbot of Yuntian Temple is Qingmiao.

An old monk with a round and plump appearance, always smiling, like Maitreya Buddha.

He is a martial arts master, the abbot of Yuntian Temple in Buddhism, and a holder of the supernatural powers of the seventy-two Earthly Fiends.

"Amitabha Buddha, what brings Secretary Wang to this humble monk's place?"

Secretary Wang cut to the chase: "Master, our leader is asking you, does Yuntian Temple have enough believers?"

The monk Qingmiao narrowed his small eyes, but still smiled and said, "Amitabha, in this world, people are attacking each other with their own attachments. If our Buddhist disciples use anger to stop anger, it is no different from adding fuel to the fire and only increasing our karmic obstacles."

Secretary Wang said, "After the matter is completed, Yuntian Temple will be allowed to enter the factory to preach, and Buddhist believers will be given priority in job placement."

The monk Qingmiao changed the subject, saying, "If I don't go to hell, who will? This humble monk cannot sit idly by."

Buddhism's adoption of the mass line is something the Federation strongly dislikes.

Federal law prohibits all religious activities from taking place in public places; Buddhist temples can only preach in their own temples and wait for worshippers to come to them.

The states are different; the federal government basically doesn't care about them and doesn't have the resources to manage them.

Yuntian Temple is the bridgehead of Buddhism, and its greatest enemy is the Sacred Fire Path.

The border between the Indochina Peninsula and Nankaido is a meeting point of two world religions, one from the Central Plains and the other from the East, and has been a site of constant conflict since ancient times.

At 6:30, a special counter-terrorism force of 5,000 men penetrated deep into the state area, with armored vehicles leading the way and helicopters circling overhead.

The followers of the Holy Fire Sect rioted, and countless factories and warehouses were looted.

At 6:40, a Buddha's light appeared, forcing out a fifth-level expert from the Holy Fire Path, and the two fought a great battle in the sky.

At the same time, Liu Hanwen received the news and immediately realized Chen Yunming's intentions.

He immediately ordered Tu Bin, saying, "Focus on attacking the Sacred Fire Path, burn down all their temples, and Xiao Ding, you go there too."

"Yes."

Ding Shoujin got up and disappeared from the spot.

Secretary Liu expressed the same concern, saying, "Won't this cause too much of a commotion? After all, we're still sweeping through Ping Kai Bang and can't spare any manpower."

Liu Hanwen said, "There will be no more surprises in Pingkai State, and the Holy Fire Road is also an obstacle for us."

Chen Yunming was not the only one who opposed the relocation of industry. Countless remnants of the old era were hiding in the state, including three of the five factions known to the Federation.

One was a venerable figure of the Holy Fire Way, the other an unnamed woman, and the last Holy King of the Indian religion.

The Holy Fire Way and the Indian religion certainly do not want industry to relocate inland.

Liu Hanwen must plan ahead.

The relocation of industries to the interior cannot be accomplished simply by issuing an order after the general meeting of the Wuhou Army in June.

This is a six-year plan.

The goal is not only to relocate factories, but also to ensure that production can be quickly restored and that there is a significant economic recovery after the relocation.
-
Pingkai State.

The roads were basically under control, with police guarding each entrance. The special forces responsible for raiding gang hideouts also completed their missions one after another.

But instead of leaving, they set up camp at a pre-arranged location.

Sweeping away the Kyoto Gang's offices is only the first step. The Kyoto Gang members arrested and killed today actually account for less than 10% of the total members.

Even though the elite forces were eliminated, a large number of members still managed to escape.

Liu Hanwen intends to completely eradicate the Kyoto Gang, establish a new power, and build a long-term rule.

Binh Khe State will become a bridgehead for the relocation of industries inland.

For the next month, martial law will be implemented in Binh Khe State.

Located at No. 320, Gangxin Road, Pingbang Ward, Inoue Group Office.

This is the base of the Ninth Detachment, where the First Detachment, the Second Detachment, and the First Mobile Detachment, responsible for carrying out missions in the Bang District, are temporarily stationed, totaling 521 people.

Now only one guard company remains in the camp, which is basically the entire force that has been deployed.

Lu Zhao chose a room on the first floor as a temporary office.

Boom boom boom!
There was a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Immediately afterwards, three company commanders with the rank of major walked in, stood at attention, saluted, and reported their positions, ranks, and names.

Lu Zhao did not respond, continuing to read the document without looking up. The gist was that for the upcoming month-long deployment, the Ninth Detachment would need to cooperate with the Security Command to implement military control over the entire Ping Kai State.

He guessed that Chief Liu really wanted to wipe them all out this time and directly control the entire Pingkai area for the long term.

Today's operation may seem impressive, but it is actually unable to eradicate the entire gang completely.

Based on Lu Zhao's experience as a narcotics police officer in his previous life, gangs that have formed an industry are deeply entrenched and cannot be eradicated simply by taking down their leaders.

If the leader is defeated, the middle-level leaders will automatically take their place. Even if the middle-level leaders are also defeated, the lower-level leaders will automatically take their place.

To truly eradicate the problem, long-term treatment is necessary.

True drug control always involves development and education; what makes drug-trafficking villages disappear is increased income.

The replacement of the Chen family by Chief Liu will not improve Binh Khebang; in fact, it may make things worse. Without the beauty industry as a pillar, Binh Khebang's economy will inevitably suffer a severe decline.

However, Chief Liu probably doesn't care; his goal is simply to control Pingtung.

The atmosphere in the room was heavy.

The three officers had different expressions: the first stood upright with a normal expression, the second looked somewhat uneasy, and the third had his head slightly lowered.

The casualties in today's operation were four.

One person was slightly wounded, two were seriously wounded, and one person was killed in action.

While the Kyoto State is a minor player in the political landscape of Nankaido, individual special agents still possess the ability to resist and could potentially cause casualties.

Second-tier transcendents are only immune to most fatal wounds, not immortal.

A gunshot to the head will kill you, a shot to the heart will kill you, a grenade or explosives exploding at close range will also kill you, not to mention the various unpredictable supernatural abilities that exist.

In human society, the Federation is indeed an unparalleled god, but when it comes to its own soldiers, they are all flesh and blood.

Lu Zhao put down the documents in his hand, turned his gaze to the three people in front of him, and asked the first person first: "One of the first squadrons of the first duty brigade has a minor injury. What exactly caused it?"

"Reporting to the detachment commander! He fell from the building during the pursuit and suffered a fracture."

The first squadron leader of the first duty brigade answered.

This was an unexpected situation and does not constitute a violation of operational guidelines.

Lu Zhao nodded: "You can go now."

"Yes!"

"Two soldiers in the First Company of the Second Duty Battalion have been seriously injured and may be unable to continue their service. What caused this?"

"Report to the squad leader! The two men broke away from the group to pursue a second-tier transcendent, and were accidentally injured by a detonator."

Why did they dare to pursue them?

"..."

After a moment of silence, the first company commander of the second battalion on duty replied with a forced smile, "They did not follow the operational guidelines."

Lu Zhao looked at the third person and asked, "How did he die?"

"Fighting against a third-tier transcendent, successfully holding off the opponent, and cooperating with teammates to kill him."

"I remember this mission didn't require us to kill every Tier 3 Transcendent. Why force it?"

"If we don't go, the enemy will escape."

"Then let them escape! Losing a third-tier transcendent being won't cause irreparable damage, but losing a warrior is!"

Lu Zhao raised his voice, which came from the doorway.

The once noisy hall immediately fell silent, and the many special agents looked at each other in bewilderment.

Do you really think you have heads of bronze and arms of iron? Do you really think you are invincible heroes?

The second company commander of the mobile battalion retorted, forcing a smile, "My soldiers are sacrificing themselves for the Federation..."

"The Federation does not need this kind of sacrifice."

Lu Zhao interrupted, "He lost his life because of his arrogance and stupidity! He lacked discipline, disobeyed orders, had no team spirit, and was not a soldier!"

The squadron leader was scolded until his face turned red.

Inside the hall, people began to whisper among themselves.

Some people are dissatisfied, while others agree; the initial shared hatred has faded.

Cao Yang and Li He were sitting together. The former was the former captain of the mobile battalion, and he frowned as he listened.

"That was a really harsh scolding."

Li He shook his head and said, "Captain Lu is right. This mission did not require that a third-tier superhuman be left behind. It was not even mentioned. If it weren't for the sake of merit, there would have been no casualties."

The two seriously injured soldiers will most likely be discharged from the military, and one person died, making a total of three casualties.

Cao Yang complained, "At least respect the dead. Can't you watch your words? A good soldier is one who dares to fight and is willing to sacrifice himself. I don't approve of his way of leading troops."

"You've toned it down a lot."

Li He chuckled. In the past, Cao Yang would have already started cursing.

He then changed the subject, saying, "Do you know how Captain Lu came to our detachment?"

Cao Yang said, "Isn't he supposed to have a powerful background? He even spoke as a military representative at the anniversary of the Great Patriotic War."

"And before that?"

"It seems they made a contribution in the western part of the South China Sea."

“You really don’t read the news at all. Last year, a giant beast landed in the western part of the South China Sea from the Indochina Peninsula and ran all the way to the border city. Lu Zhishen was on the border there and was ordered to lead a platoon to intercept the monster. In the end, only he came back.”

Li He had specifically investigated Lu Zhao. He didn't have much power or connections, but he could always get some information by asking around.

He discovered that Lu Zhao had worked at a small border post for four years after graduation, and didn't seem to have the powerful background he had imagined; at least he wasn't a pampered second-generation rich kid.

Cao Yang's eyes widened slightly, as if he couldn't quite believe it.

Li He said, "This is no secret. You can find out by asking around when you get back and looking through the newspapers from the end of last year."

Cao Yang couldn't find any more faults and asked curiously, "Is this a lasting trauma?"

Li He shook his head and said, "Loving soldiers like sons and using them like grass are not contradictory."

Ten minutes later, the two squad leaders, thoroughly scolded, walked out of the office with their heads down.

Inside the office, Lu Zhao sat in his chair. He took out his phone and glanced at it. An hour and a half had passed since he last contacted Xiaoxue.

If nothing unexpected happens, martial law has already begun and will last for at least ten hours.

He dialed Zhou Wanhua's number.

"Hey, Brother Lu, what's up?"

"Where are you now?"

"They're still watching the road on Penglai Road. Speaking of which, now that we're in Pingkai State, shouldn't we investigate the black supplements further?"

"I just received instructions, I'll come find you in a bit."

"Okay, I'll be right here on Penglai Road."

After hanging up the phone, Lu Zhao took out a yellow talisman.

He held the talisman between two fingers of his right hand, channeling his Qi to his fingertips. A wisp of golden light flashed across the yellow talisman.
It was neither the Taoist mantra "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands," nor any other talisman, but rather a line of small characters.

Lu Zhao took a closer look and realized that holding it vertically was wrong; it had to be held horizontally to see the words clearly.

[Imperial edict: Zhang Hong, the Salt Commissioner of Lianghuai, is to come before the Emperor for an audience.]

Imperial edict, a decree issued by the emperor.

The salt-managing eunuch was not a formal official position, but the Ming Dynasty greatly favored the use of eunuchs.

Officials were required to enter the capital to meet the emperor.

Lu Zhao had heard a professor in the field say something during a course on ancient god circles at the Imperial Capital Academy.

Modern classifications of ancient god realms are very crude. Many small ancient god realms only meet a few of the criteria and have some unique characteristics, and some do not even contain giant beasts.

The professor refers to these small ancient god circles as secret realms, and the process of their creation is called becoming an immortal.

Just three years ago, this professor's academic work was recognized, and the Federation, which originally had hundreds of ancient god circles, suddenly had only a dozen or so left.

Lu Zhao looked at the talisman, or rather, the imperial edict.

He stated with such certainty: "The fire-elemental beast in the South China Sea Beast Cave was transformed from a human, a eunuch from the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty."

The next second, the yellow paper spontaneously combusted, turning into a wisp of ashes that merged into the world.

Lu Zhao stared at his phone; the signal was still present on the small screen of the mobile phone.

One second, one minute, ten minutes.

The signal disappeared.

beep! ! !
A long, piercing air raid siren sounded.

The soldiers of the Ninth Detachment outside were stunned at first, then their eyes widened and a hint of panic appeared on their faces.

This panic stems from the unknown.

Now that the Federation has no external enemies, air raid sirens mean only one thing.

The Ancient God Circle is in turmoil, and all radio communications will be disrupted.

"What's going on? It's only April, why is there another uproar in the Ancient God Circle?"

"Could the alarm be malfunctioning?"

"If the alarm is malfunctioning, then someone at the broadcasting station will lose their job."

"Wait! The radio isn't working!"

"Holy crap, it's really unusable."

(End of this chapter)