In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 52 The Surrender Faction

The convoy drove along the mountain road, the bumpy dirt road making Lin Zhiyan frown.

Some of the pits allowed her to pounce directly onto Lu Zhao.

Lu Zhao, on the other hand, was much more experienced and held onto the handrail on the window the whole time.

After crossing four mountains and covering a distance of thirty kilometers, we finally arrived at the front-line outpost.

The forward outpost was built on the ridge, with views of the two main rivers on the left and right, guarding the vital passage.

The outpost is surrounded by a six-meter-high brick and concrete wall, with watchtowers at the four corners. The towers are equipped with sniper holes and grenade launchers. The walls on the flanks provide cover, and searchlights and heavy machine guns are mounted on top.

An impregnable war fortress.

As the convoy approached, a loudspeaker announced: "The convoy ahead, please turn off your engines immediately and show your documents."

The convoy stopped, and Xu Fang leaned out and said, "Comrade, we are from the special task force."

"Please show me your ID."

The voice coming from the loudspeaker remained indifferent.

Xu Fang frowned and asked, "Don't these soldiers recognize the border station's vehicles?"

This was the first time their task force had been blocked at the door during their inspection.

Lin Zhiyan sat in the back row, arms crossed, and laughed, "Maybe our senior Lu is learning from Zhou Yafu's army in Xiliu."

"Thank you for the compliment." Lu Zhao retorted, "It's a pity you're not Emperor Wen of Han, but I can be a general."

Lin Zhiyan was not angry and said, "My grandfather used to have a fixed position in the Martial Virtue Hall, so theoretically I have a chance to become one."

Lu Zhao said, "As long as one reaches the fifth rank, all citizens are qualified to become the chief of the Martial Virtue Hall."

Lin Zhiyan gave up and didn't continue to make a fool of himself.

Reaching the fifth rank is no easy feat; perhaps only one in ten million can achieve it. Without sufficient development of vitality, even the most powerful background cannot secure a position as chief.

Therefore, the Federation has always had the principle of "nobility does not last more than three generations". If the first generation is a military marquis, then the second generation may only be able to become a county-level official, and the third generation may be able to become a city-level deputy official.

For example, the Chen family seemed to be very powerful, but after Chen Wuhou died, they had nothing left.

Chen Qian is currently only a police chief in an outer district, and she can't get promoted any further because she lacks experience and vitality.

Above Zhuge Liang, power belongs to Zhuge Liang, not the other way around.

Lu Zhao opened the car door, stepped off the muddy road, went through the necessary procedures, and the gate of the outpost slowly opened.

The convoy drove in. The structure inside was very simple: a two-story dormitory building, a command post embedded in the mountain, and an armory.

"Sir."

The duty officer saluted Lu Zhao, then looked at Lin Zhiyan and the other members of the task force with curiosity.

They are stationed at the outpost year-round, so their information is somewhat blocked, and they are unaware of the task force's activities.

Lu Zhao introduced, "This is Team Leader Lin from the special task force, who came here today specifically to inspect the outpost."

Upon hearing this, the duty officer saluted Lin Zhiyan.

Lin Zhiyan nodded in acknowledgment, then turned his gaze to the somewhat cramped border post.

Although it was a bit small, she could sense that every soldier here was full of aggression.

This is something you can't see inside the border station.

She praised, "You are very good at training troops. The overall quality of these soldiers is no worse than that of the regular army. They should be fine used to suppress the people."

Lu Zhao replied, "If indiscriminate shooting is allowed, it's possible to control and suppress an entire county."

"That's great, show me around."

"Yes."

Lu Zhao took the lead, walking with Lin Zhiyan.

From the dilapidated yet tidy dormitory to the cold and gloomy command post set up in a mountain cave, we finally climbed the watchtower and looked out over the Ten Thousand Mountains of Nankaido.

Looking across a mountain, one could vaguely see villages beyond the border, with fires burning and people cooking. "That's the Miye Sanjiang area, and as far as I know, it's quite chaotic there."

Lin Zhiyan waited for a few seconds without a response, then turned to see Lu Zhaomo remaining silent, seemingly refusing to answer anything except for official business.

"Staff Officer Lu, what's the situation in Miye and Sanjiang?"

Lu Zhao replied, "Miye Sanjiang is too general, I cannot give a definite answer. I only know about the area bordering Ant Territory."

Miye Sanjiang is just a general place name, not a specific force.

Some are ruled by a supernatural family, some are religions, some are violent organizations like bandits, and all sorts of anthropomorphic and humanoid organizations are available.

Bordering Ant Ridge is the Green Forest, which is considered relatively human among the many foreign forces; the gang is considered benevolent by outsiders.

After listening to Lu Zhao's explanation, Lin Zhiyan asked, "Officer Lu, if you were in charge of planning the entire western border defense of the South China Sea, what would you do?"

Lu Zhao replied, "This is the best model right now. We can't kill all the foreign forces, and there's no need to."

Although the Great Patriotic War ended ten years ago, the wounds left on the Union have not yet healed, and some have become festering and foul.

"Some people have suggested restoring the old system and issuing household registrations to everyone, which would solve the border problem and the conflict between Chinese and non-Chinese peoples."

Lin Zhiyan presented a ridiculous argument.

It's like saying why the rich don't give their money to the poor, so there would be no poverty in the world.

But Lu Zhao also knew that such voices did exist within the Federation, advocating for the relaxation of household registration restrictions and the acceptance of everyone as citizens.

Ordinary people might criticize a saint, but those who can make their voice heard within the Federation are not stupid; they are simply evil.

The current system still needs to consider rules and regulations; if we were to turn China into a corrupt and decadent place, then we wouldn't need to.

The deeper demand is surrender, abandoning resistance against the ancient gods. Humanity will not become extinct, but will simply become part of a new era.

But the federation will fall apart, and humanity will return to the era of city-states.

These people are generally referred to as the surrender faction.

Is Lin Zhiyan a capitulationist?
Lu Zhao did not rush to make a statement, but simply watched her quietly.

Lin Zhiyan gazed into the distance and continued, "For a while, a certain Marquis Chen was making noise in the Daozheng Bureau every day, and he was even pushing for the integration of the Hua District and the Bang District in Cangwu City. Don't you think that's stupid?"

Lu Zhao said, "He's not stupid, he's just simply bad."

Lin Zhiyan smiled and said, "It seems that you are a staunch believer, senior."

Lu Zhao could not deny it. Two generations of his Lu family had died in the war to defend the country. If he surrendered, wouldn't his family members have died in vain?

Back at the border station, Lu Zhao sat in the staff officer's office, tapping his fingers on the table.

My thoughts were still on my conversation with Lin Zhiyan.

As the saying goes, "No one visits the temple without a reason," and someone like Lin Zhiyan wouldn't chat with him for no reason.

Within the Federation, one cannot afford to make a mistake in what one says; at best, one loses an opportunity, and at worst, one's career is ruined.

Therefore, people tend to speak in a more reserved manner, which is also a way for those in positions of authority to maintain their power.

If it was purposeful, considering the transfer order she gave me and her words, Lu Zhao was certain—

Lin Zhiyan was testing my stance.

First, I need to state my position and confirm my stance.

As for why one should test oneself, the answer was explained from the very beginning.

The western part of the South China Sea is Chen Wuhou's territory. He has been in charge of the western region for twenty years, and all the major departments are staffed by Chen family members. The Lin family, on the other hand, has a great deal of influence in the eastern region, and may want to take action against the Chen family.

It's estimated that the Lin family has already extended their reach.

Lu Zhao took out the order to transfer the Chief of Police from the drawer and stared at the name of Chief of Police Liang Chengyun.

The Chief of Police is a member of the Lin family.

(End of this chapter)