In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 39 The Taste of Power

Liao Lang and Liang Chao hesitated for a moment, then both took their wine glasses and walked toward Lu Zhao.

Lu Zhao sat in the main seat. He was not used to this kind of occasion, but he knew what to do at this moment.

Liao Lang and Liang Chao simultaneously pressed the rim of their cups lower than the edge of Lu Zhao's cup, then tilted their heads back and drank it all in one gulp.

These movements are so fluid and graceful that they are almost imperceptible if you're not paying close attention.

"Staff Officer Lu, please take good care of me in the future."

Immediately afterwards, the other officers stood up one after another. The deputy company commander of the duty company, the operations staff officer of the mobile company, the platoon leader of the support company... they walked towards Lu Zhao one by one, holding wine glasses.

Contrary to their previous estrangement, they all greeted each other with smiles and compliments.

There was no pre-announced order or deliberate arrangement, but everyone's rank, status, and military rank were clearly defined.

The silent yet strikingly clear distinction between superiors and inferiors was revealed to Lu Zhao.

He had never attended any social gatherings before, and most of the time he spent at the border station was spent feeding mosquitoes in the deep mountains and forests.

He looked at Zhang Like, who raised his glass and smiled at him, a smile that seemed to say something.

This is power.

The drinking culture is very prevalent in federal society, or more precisely, the power culture.

In the aftermath of the cataclysm, society is constantly undergoing dramatic chemical reactions. The Martial Virtue Hall has been reorganized, conflicts between Chinese and non-Chinese communities have intensified, survival pressures have surged, violent crime has become rampant, violent organizations comparable in size to small pre-catastrophe nations have emerged, and the threat of beast tides looms...

In chaotic times, people become the key resource, with the extraordinary occupying a dominant position. People themselves symbolize power more than rules written on paper, and the dinner table becomes the best arena for power.

From the military commanders overlooking the Federation from the clouds dividing up interests in the Daozheng Hall to the gang leaders on the streets and alleys carving up territories, everything ultimately needs to be carried out by people.

This person usually refers specifically to an extraordinary individual.

Tonight's celebration banquet is to establish Lu Zhao's leadership position, because his life development level is the highest, and Zhang Like is willing to support him.

After several rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became increasingly lively.

Lu Zhao stood up, and the others immediately fell silent and looked over.

The feeling of having your every move affect others is like receiving a stimulant injection, making people feel refreshed and enlightened.

He said, "I would like to ask you all for a favor. I would like to receive an award in this year's evaluation."

Everyone was stunned for a moment, and then, without Zhang Like taking the lead, Liao Lang was the first to declare, "This year I will definitely vote for Staff Officer Lu!"

Others echoed.

"If we don't vote for Staff Officer Lu, who should we vote for? Should we vote for those office workers?"

"Staff Officer Lu has made great contributions over the years and should have been awarded an honorary title long ago."

Lu Zhao raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp. Even his ordinary drinking drew praise from everyone for his "Lu Zhao's hearty drinking."

At the subsequent reception, people started putting their arms around Lu Zhao's shoulders, calling him brother and buddy, as if they were old friends.

He could feel that his relationship with these officers had suddenly become much closer, even more so than when he had saved them.

'I need something from them, so we can form a community of shared interests.'

Lu Zhao suddenly realized something.

I've also come to understand why I wasn't very popular before. It might not be because of my personal troubles or my temper, but because I didn't have any needs from others.

"Lao Lu."

Zhang Like nudged him with his elbow and said with a helpless smile, "It's great that you took the initiative to make a request, but be more careful with your words next time. You're being too domineering."

“You should say that our company should win the award this year, and everyone should work together.”

Lu Zhao nodded and said, "I've learned a lot."

He sat amidst the clamor, his face flushed with the red glow of alcohol, the color of power he was experiencing for the first time.

But his eyes remained clear and sharp.

If this would allow him to climb higher, Lu Zhao would gladly accept the food and drinks at the table.

Lu Zhao took a sip of wine, and with a slight thought, the taste of the wine turned sweet.

When the mind completely overwhelms the senses of the body, then you have mastered visualization.

The sense of taste has been developed.
-
At midnight, the noise subsided.

The jeep drove along the quiet road back to the camp, the darkness outside the window so thick it seemed impenetrable, with only the headlights piercing a small patch of the road ahead.

Zhang Like gripped the steering wheel, his eyes clear. His status as a first-tier superhuman meant he had already metabolized the alcohol completely.

In the passenger seat, Lu Zhao closed his eyes to rest, his face no longer showing any signs of drunkenness, only his usual coldness. He suddenly spoke up: "Old Niu asked me to investigate Lu Jinshan's brother. This guy has been relying on Lu Jinshan to do smuggling business, and he's most likely connected to the smuggling route in the back mountain."

Zhang Like paused for a moment, then said somewhat sourly, "The old man always tells you everything first, he's really biased towards outsiders. I've heard about Lu Jinshan's younger brother, you can have someone investigate, but you'd better not get your hopes up too high."

Lu Zhao frowned and asked, "Is there a protective umbrella?"

Zhang Like neither admitted nor denied it, and asked, "Who is behind Lü Jinshan?"

"It's one of the dogs kept by the Chen family."

Lu Zhao's answer revealed the truth.

How could Lu JS, a mere border station chief, possibly have climbed up to the Chen family?

Even a single Lü Jinshan couldn't suppress him; he could only be a county-level figure, or even someone within the Nankai Province political system.

"I don't know exactly who it is, but it's most likely a big shot in the South China Sea Political Bureau. Lu Jinshan is here to make money for him, and incidentally, he'll be your puppet master."

Zhang Like let out a self-deprecating chuckle: "We're just a major and a captain, mere mountain patrollers. How can we possibly defeat the mountain king?"

The car fell silent again.

Lu Zhao's furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and he said firmly, "It's all up to us. Let's find out the evidence first."

Zhang Like caught a glimpse of Lu Zhao's profile out of the corner of his eye; Lu Zhao's face had regained its composure, even becoming more resolute. The other man hadn't uttered any words of encouragement, yet he seemed to be somewhat influenced by him.

He sighed, and said with a hint of envy, "It's good to be young."
-
Return to the room.

Lu Zhao began to sit cross-legged and cultivate his spirit as usual.

In the morning, I practice refining essence into qi for an hour; at noon, I engage in visualization; and in the evening, I practice spiritual cultivation until daytime.

Among them, refining the spirit is the most painful, with the pain of swallowing needles every moment, and the effect is not as obvious as life development, which is the most agonizing.

Many people can endure pain, but very few can withstand loneliness.

Moreover, Lu Zhao is a spiritual superhuman, whose five senses are several times stronger than those of ordinary people, and the pain he can feel is also several times greater.

Lu Zhao frowned, sweat poured down his body, and his muscles twitched involuntarily from time to time.

However, he was never afraid of loneliness or pain; he was only afraid of not being able to see the road ahead.

The future is bright, so just keep moving forward.

In the early morning, sunlight streamed in.

Lu Zhao exhaled a breath of stale air, feeling refreshed all over.
The pain from refining the spirit disappeared, and when I circulated my energy again, I only felt a cool sensation flowing through my mind.

"Would this be considered a minor success in refining the spirit?"
-
June 6th, a light drizzle.

Liang Fei walked briskly into the slightly old office building of the duty squadron.

Although the environment was far less impressive than the station headquarters building, the thought of finally being assigned to a frontline position and soon reaping a reward for his contributions to the flood control mission made him smile involuntarily.

The Federation's assessment for officer promotion mainly focuses on two aspects: first, vitality development, and second, merit.

If you are a second-tier extraordinary individual, you will be automatically promoted to officer after meeting the basic time requirement.

If the basic service requirement is met (four years for a captain), a second-class or higher merit can lead to promotion, or multiple third-class merits.

Liang Fei is 43 years old this year and has been a captain for eight years.

He lacked the talent for life development, and he didn't want to risk his life for meritorious service, so the position of a front-line commander in the reinforced platoon was an opportunity for him.

Flood prevention is the top priority. As long as it is successfully completed, a second-class merit award can be obtained every year.

In Liang Fei's view, this task was too simple. Wasn't it just about arranging people to observe the water level and the water beasts and report to the local government in a timely manner?

If Lu Zhao can do it, so can he.

He walked into the office, his gaze sweeping over the slightly crowded space, where there were three people.

Zhang Zhenghong, Zhang Yanfeng, Liu Qiang.

The first two are irrelevant; Liu Qiang is Zhang Like's nephew, and it is inevitable that he will have to contact Zhang Like to carry out his work.

"Little Liu,"

Liang Fei put on a smile and deliberately softened his voice.

Liu Qiang looked up, his face expressionless, and simply nodded: "Platoon Leader Liang."

Liang Fei asked, feigning nonchalance, "How's the flood season work going this year?"

(End of this chapter)