In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 64 Entering the City
The logistics department's warehouse is an open-air tin-roofed shed.

Lu Zhao led his men in and showed their passes to the head of the logistics department, ordering everyone to bring their combat gear.

That is, a rifle, body armor, tactical helmet, and a day's rations.

As for the location of the operation, there was no notification, not even a mission briefing.

Mo Kun felt a chill run down his spine. He suspected that Lu Zhao was planning a rebellion, but when he saw the menacing reinforced platoon behind him, his voice softened.

"Officer Lu, this is your identification from the Public Security Command. I need to verify it with my superiors."

Lu Zhao nodded and said, "Thank you for your trouble."

Mo Kun turned and went back to his office, while Lu Zhao used his mental energy to probe inside.

He could hear the other person's extremely low voice very clearly.

"…Sir, he's going into battle with his gear, no mission, no notification. I think this identification is legitimate; he wouldn't forge it. A simple phone call to verify and he's going to be court-martialed."

"What? I can't hold them off! You don't know, Lu Zhao has a lot of prestige among the soldiers at the border station."

I'll try my best to stall for time.

Mo Kun walked out of the office and said, "Officer Lu, the landline seems to be broken. Please wait a moment."

At this moment, Lu Zhao had already dialed Lin Zhiyan's number and turned on speakerphone.

Lin Zhiyan's voice came through: "Regarding the pass, the Public Security Command has already conveyed the information in writing to all levels of the city and district. Any delays will be considered negligence."

"..."

Mo Kun was speechless and could only order the logistics department to distribute weapons.

Lu Zhao experienced the feeling of 'having a sword in hand'. Having power is not for abusing power, but for preventing others from being unreasonable.
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Soon, Lu Zhao and his men left the camp in five military trucks, heading towards the city in a grand procession.

Along the way, many truck drivers who used to honk their horns became more civilized.

The soldiers were also surprised that Lu Zhao was able to take out his gun and run all the way into the city.

As Liu Qiang drove, he said somewhat uneasily, "Brother Lu, are we going to start a rebellion?"

Lu Zhao asked, "With our size, how could we possibly rebel?"

"No, that's not right. It's just that carrying a gun into the city is a bit too much."

Liu Qiang and the others, holding their rifles, felt a mixture of fear and inexplicable excitement.

Lu Zhao reminded him, "Remember not to fire indiscriminately, or it will cause a lot of trouble. We are just following the instructions of the task force."

The federal government does not have strict gun control, and firearms and ammunition are not stored separately; magazines are always fully loaded before missions. However, this does not mean that one can act recklessly. If a person is shot, whether friend or foe, a report must be written.

It's alright if it's an enemy, but if it accidentally injures a citizen, it will incur legal responsibility.

"Yes!"

Everyone responded.

Lu Zhao then turned on the car radio, intending to listen to music, but instead heard a news report.

[...According to this station, the Nankaido Prefectural Government is soliciting public opinions on relaxing restrictions on the cultivation of some cash crops.]

Upon hearing this news, everyone became interested.

The federal government currently operates primarily on a rationing system, supplemented by a market economy. General products follow market principles, while scarce items such as life supplements are rationed.

For example, rice, flour, cooking oil, tea, electronic products, and vehicles are general products that can be bought in stores.

Life supplements are controlled substances, and coffee is a low-yield crop.

Liu Qiang said, "When will the restrictions on beef be lifted? I only ate it once when I was a child, and I've almost forgotten about it now."

My comrade in the back row said, "If you really want to eat it, you can try looking in the outer district."

"The prices in the outer district are so high, I can't afford it."

As everyone discussed the matter, Lu Zhao felt a sense of doubt.

If regulations on cash crops are lifted, wouldn't the production of staple crops decrease? If grain prices rise, will the profits from cash crops be used to subsidize the price of staple crops?

Humanity has now lost the right to expand its territory. Regions outside of China have either become ancient god ecosystems unsuitable for human production, or have been abandoned due to their uncontrollable nature.

For example, the presence of numerous aquatic animals, a diverse population, and numerous gangs in the Sanjiang area makes it difficult to afford the costs of maintaining public order.

It would be better to trade and exchange life-sustaining supplements for large quantities of grain.

The Federation trades with external forces, a fact Lin Zhiyan casually mentioned to Lu Zhao. This also corroborates the fact that no organization in the world can completely escape the Federation's influence.

Many problems are not about friend or foe, but rather a state of mutual interdependence where we are intertwined.

This is not as simple as unbinding cash crops; some people want to shake the rationing system.

Some people want to reform the system, and the struggle has become intense and is now out in the open.

Lu Zhao keenly noticed this, and then connected it with many of Lin Zhiyan's words.

Chen Wuhou consistently advocated for weakening the rationing system and allowing the market to dominate society.

At the same time, it also advocated easing the conflict between Chinese and foreigners, granting citizenship to foreigners, and abolishing foreign districts.

It sounds great, but even a neutral party like Lu Zhao couldn't help but wonder: Where will the food and resources come from?

Rice production cannot be increased because of good deeds.

The current social chaos is not a matter of Chinese versus barbarians, but rather a struggle among three billion people for limited resources.

Since the resource problem could not be solved, Lu Zhao could only speculate about Chen Wuhou with the most sinister intentions.

He wanted to turn everyone into 'lower classes'.

Even if they are called capitulationists, they would never wear their surrender on their faces.

At the entrance and exit of the national highway, five military vehicles stopped, and traffic police appeared to have been waiting for some time.

Lu Zhao showed his identification, but the other party did not let him pass, saying that they needed to report to their superiors.

It's still the same old mantra of the Great Way: delaying tactics.

Lu Zhao called over the other drivers and whispered a few instructions to them before telling everyone to get back into their cars.

At that moment, Zhang Like called.

"Old Lu, Mayor Zhao just called me and said that as long as you're even slightly late, he'll promote you to colonel at the end of the year."

Clearly, the effectiveness of the certificate has been conveyed to local departments, and it is unlikely that the municipal authorities would be able to obstruct it.

He was a city official, not a chieftain.

"Old Zhang, did you talk to him about the smuggling route?"

“I’ve considered settling this privately, but you won’t let it go easily. If I reveal all my secrets, I might not get anything in return, and our friendship will be over.”

"I've been waiting for this day for four years, and now all that's blocking my way is a small barrier gate."

Lu Zhao sat in the passenger seat, surrounded by his heavily armed comrades.

Unlike the invisible and intangible barriers of the past, only a small barrier bar blocked his way.

The soldiers in the same vehicle had already sensed that something was wrong.

Liu Qiang said with a bitter face, "Brother Lu, isn't this really a rebellion?"

"What if I say yes?"

Lu Zhao smiled slightly, then ordered, "Charge!"

Liu Qiang's fear was written all over his face, but his body pressed the accelerator without hesitation.

boom!
With the roar of trucks, the barrier gate was breached.

The soldiers gripped their rifles tightly, and not one of them raised any questions.

Since Staff Officer Lu was able to bring them out normally, and with weapons, it meant the procedure was correct. As for the risks and other cumbersome rules, they were not within the soldiers' considerations; they only respected Lu Zhaoyu's orders.

(End of this chapter)