In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 48 Order from the Chief of Public Security
On June 12th, it rained incessantly.

Lu Zhao received information that Lü Jinshan had been suspended from his post for one month, but had not yet faced any other charges.

If all goes well, I will be reinstated in a month.

As expected, even if Lü Jinshan had no connections, he couldn't possibly be fired for dereliction of duty; otherwise, the "iron rice bowl" would be a misnomer.

The news spread quickly, and the most significant impact on Lu Zhao was that things became much quieter.

The people who used to frequent his office were practically nowhere to be seen today.

June 13th.

At the station's routine flood prevention meeting, Chen Hongtao criticized Lu Zhao for being domineering without any reason, and pointed out that flood prevention work should be led by Liang Fei.

Then he was stripped of his temporary mentorship.

The enemy is Lü Jinshan, but it is not limited to Lü Jinshan.

Without Lü Jinshan, there would be Chen Hongtao; without Chen Hongtao, there would be Liang Fei taking over.

After the meeting ended, Lu Zhao walked along the corridor of the administration building, suddenly stopped, and looked out the window at the drizzling rain.

He suddenly understood where the teacher had gone wrong.

Names and tools should not be given to others.

Conversely, it can also mean that names and titles should not be bestowed by others.

What others promise me doesn't count; only what I can decide for myself counts.

Temporary instructor?
"It's just an empty title; it doesn't matter if I lose it."

Lu Zhao strode forward, ignoring the strange looks he was receiving from those around him.

He's the kind of person who's least afraid of being splashed with cold water; getting it on his head only makes him more sober.

On June 13th, the water level began to rise.

However, based on past operations, the current period is still stable. Water from the three rivers is continuously flowing back into the underground caves, and the water level will begin to rise sharply in July.

At that time, the entire Ant Ridge culvert, stream, and valley will be submerged.

As usual, after finishing his daily work, Lu Zhao sat quietly in his seat to cultivate his mind and seek enlightenment about his true self.

Or one could take life-sustaining supplements and practice refining qi into essence.

Once he took on an administrative role, his time suddenly became much more plentiful.

Boom boom boom!
There was a knock on the door, and Lu Zhao composed himself and said, "Please come in."

Chen Hongtao entered, a smile on his face, and said, "Staff Officer Lu, busy?"

Lu Zhao immediately noticed something unusual about the other party and had reason to suspect:
Are all the guards here from Zhongnan Province? Otherwise, why do they like to change their expressions so much?
Lu Zhao replied indifferently, "Not busy. The troops are busy with flood prevention arrangements and there are no training plans."

"Staff Officer Lu has been working diligently on the front lines for so long, he really needs a good rest."

Chen Hongtao approached, placed a green bill on the table, and said, "I acted impulsively yesterday. I hope Staff Officer Lu will not forgive me. I was only acting under orders and had no other choice."

Lu Zhao glanced at the money; it wasn't paper money or checks, but vouchers for life supplements.

Life supplements are a form of hard currency, so naturally there are various ways to legally give them as gifts.

For example, Honglang wine, though called wine, may actually contain life supplements.

"Station Chief Chen, please retract your statement. You don't want me to report you to the supervisory authority, do you?"

Lu Zhao's impartial attitude made Chen Hongtao somewhat embarrassed. Before he could come up with his prepared explanation, Lu Zhao continued:

"I will not accept the goods, but I want to ask Station Chief Chen a question: who is this person who has forced you into this predicament?"

Similar to Zhang Like's purchase of Honghualang through internal channels, although there was also suspicion of bribery, it was able to appease people's hearts.

If you don't handle someone's goodwill properly, it can easily turn into an enemy.

Lu Zhao also learned this lesson; taking advantage of others appropriately can appease people's hearts.

Chen Hongtao hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "It's the Municipal Enforcement Bureau."

City Executive Officer, also known as the top official in a city.

Fangshi is a third-tier city, and positions there are generally at the deputy commander level. However, due to its border location, positions are sometimes promoted to the federal commander level. Above that is the Martial Marquis, then the Palace Martial Marquis, and finally the Chief Heavenly Marquis.

Of course, there are differences even within the same level. The head of a city-level official is more powerful than the head of a prefecture-level official, and the head of a circuit-level official is more powerful than the head of a prefecture-level official.

Lu Zhao had never had any contact with the city's executives, nor had he ever had any direct conflict with them. Now, they had suddenly made a move.

This is also a dog belonging to the Chen family.

Since they haven't made a name for themselves, the other party naturally won't take the initiative to step forward, and they might have almost forgotten about it, just like Chen Qian.

Conversely, if one shows even the slightest sign of gaining momentum, one will inevitably be suppressed.

This was not an order from Chen Jiayi or Chen Qian, but rather the spontaneous action of countless officials along the way.

Lu Zhao will inevitably retaliate when he gains power, and I believe they think so too.

Chen Hongtao said with a bitter face, "Staff Officer Lu, I'm not with them."

“I trust Station Chief Chen.” Lu Zhao then asked, “So now can you tell me why Station Chief Chen is telling me this?”

Chen Hongtao took out a document and placed it on the table.

Notification from the Yulin County Public Security Bureau regarding the appointment of Comrade Lu Zhao

The Yulin County Security Division was equivalent to the direct superior of all border posts, and the document was signed by Liang Chengyun at the end.

This important figure holds the same rank as the mayor of Fangshi, but the difference between them is significant.

Among the county-level government offices, the Ministry of Personnel, which was in charge of personnel, was the highest, followed by the Censorate, then the Ministry of Justice, and finally the General Administration of Public Security.

However, Nankaido is a frontier region and has the largest number of foreigners. The power of the Chief of Police is only half that of the Ministry of Personnel, and they can even rival each other.

In the event of a riot, the Chief of Police can temporarily assume overall authority.

Nankaido is not short of riots, and violent crime, drug trafficking, and human trafficking are commonplace.

"This is an order from the county. Effective immediately, you will join the task force as a temporary staff officer."

Chen Hongtao's eyes held a hint of awe and speculation.

Perhaps Lu Zhaozhen has met a benefactor, and from now on she may soar to great heights.

This is also why he really didn't want to get involved.

The Chen family is powerful, and Lu Zhao has the backing of the Chief of Public Security; he can't afford to offend either side. If the two sides were to fight, his small frame could easily be overwhelmed by the waves.

After carefully reading the document, Lu Zhao pictured a woman with shoulder-length short hair in his mind.

Lin Zhiyan.

Only she has the power to summon the Chief of Police.

He said, "Thank you for conveying this message, Station Chief Chen."

"It should."

Chen Hongtao nodded, just about to steer the conversation toward the issues criticized at the meeting.

Lu Zhao spoke first: "Station Chief Chen is being transferred next month, right?"

This transfer order was not something Chen Hongtao fought for; his apology in person was merely a verbal gesture.

Upon hearing this, Chen Hongtao immediately understood Lu Zhao's implied meaning.

He wanted to recommend himself.

If it's a transfer of the chief administrative officer, the superior department will arrange a seamless replacement, but the deputy position is allowed to remain vacant. This ensures that positions are reserved and allows for flexible personnel adjustments.

Chen Hongtao said, "The appointment of the deputy station chief needs to be approved by the county-level Ministry of Personnel, but I can recommend Staff Officer Lu so that you can skip the nomination process."

He didn't rule out any possibility of a definitive answer, after all, a recommendation wasn't the same as an appointment. However, since Lu Zhao had been able to receive a direct appointment from the Chief of Public Security, he must have had connections to help him get it approved.

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhao knew that things were not so simple. After receiving the recommendation, he would still need to use his connections to have a chance of being promoted.

But anything is possible with effort, and it's never wrong to give it a try; even if it doesn't succeed in the end, there's no loss.

(End of this chapter)