Special forces soldier demobilization: Starting from the county government compound, a meteoric rise

August, Jiangnan.

Heavy rain.

Large raindrops pounded furiously on the asphalt road in front of the Qingyun County Party Committee compound, splashing up clouds of white mist. The world was shrouded in darkness, save for a sliver of dim yellow light emanating from the guard post at the entrance, like a nearly blind eye helplessly peering into the world swallowed by the rain.

Liu Ming stood outside the dim yellow light, letting the cold rain slide down his angular face and into the collar of his faded old jacket, bringing a chilling sensation.

He held a piece of paper in his hand, the edges of which were softened by the rain. It was the "Special Forces Demobilization Order" stamped with a bright red seal.

The handwriting above was so simple it was almost laughable: Comrade Liu Ming, male, 26 years old, hereby reports to the Qingyun County Committee Office of Ningzhou City, Jiangnan Province.

Gone.

As for the codename that once struck fear into the hearts of the entire Southeast Asian underworld—"Shura"—and the illustrious military exploits recorded in the S-level encrypted file that were enough to shake the military, they were all buried in the dust along with this demobilization order.

"Dragon Fang" is gone, "Asura" is dead.

From this day forward, he is simply Liu Ming, an ordinary demobilized cadre.

He took a deep breath, his chest filled with the damp, earthy smell, then slowly exhaled, carefully folding the crumpled transfer order and putting it into his inner pocket.

The overwhelming killing intent and boundless sharpness in his eyes were completely subdued at this moment, becoming like a bottomless ancient well, without any ripples.

He stepped into the county committee compound, a symbol of power and rules.

……

The county party committee office is on the third floor.

The corridor was dimly lit, and the air was filled with the smell of cheap tea and old documents.

"Report." Liu Ming stood at the door of a room with a sign that read "Office Director." Her voice was not loud, but it carried clearly inside.

"Enter."

A slightly greasy voice came from inside.

Liu Ming pushed open the door and entered.

Behind the desk sat a middle-aged man with a receding hairline and gold-rimmed glasses, looking down at a document without even lifting his eyelids.

His name is Jia Zhengzhi, the director of the county party committee office, and the chief steward of Li Yuankui, the county party secretary.

"What's up?" Jia Zhengzhi asked slowly.

"Hello, Director, I am Liu Ming, a newly arrived demobilized officer." Liu Ming handed over her personnel file and demobilization order with both hands.

"Oh, you're a demobilized soldier." Jia Zhengzhi finally looked up, lazily took the file, and casually flipped through it.

The file was very simple; besides the name and age, there was only one line: "Served in a certain unit of the Southeast Military Region".

Gone.

In the eyes of someone as shrewd as him, such a resume is basically equivalent to "a common soldier with no background".

"Alright, I got it." Jia Zhengzhi casually tossed the file onto the corner of the table, pointed outside, and said, "Go to the General Affairs Section and find Deputy Section Chief Diao Deliang. He'll arrange a job for you."

From beginning to end, he never even glanced at Liu Ming, let alone asked him to sit down or pour him a glass of water.

"Okay, thank you, Director." Liu Ming's face remained expressionless as she turned and walked out.

The moment the door closed, Jia Zhengzhi pursed his lips, picked up the phone, and dialed a number: "Secretary, the man has arrived. He's just an ordinary soldier with no connections. I've already put him in the General Affairs Section... Don't worry, I'll make sure everything is taken care of."

The General Affairs Section is the most leisurely and least promising section in the County Party Committee Office, and is known as a "retirement home".

When Liu Ming pushed open the door, the room was filled with a "leisurely" scene.

An elderly man nearing retirement is reading a newspaper while wearing reading glasses; a young girl is secretly browsing shopping websites on her computer; and a slick-haired young man is sitting with his legs crossed, happily manicuring his nails.

"Excuse me, which one of you is Deputy Section Chief Diao Deliang?"

The slick-haired young man raised his eyelids, lazily sized up Liu Ming, and slowly put down his nail clippers.

"I am him, and who are you?" His tone carried an innate sense of superiority, as if he were the emperor here.

"Hello, Section Chief Diao. I'm Liu Ming, the new employee. Director Jia asked me to come and report to you."

"Oh, so you're that demobilized soldier." Diao Deliang stood up, put his hands behind his back, and circled around Liu Ming like a leader on an inspection tour, his eyes full of undisguised contempt.

"Judging by your physique, you must have done a lot of physical labor in the army, right? Not bad, not bad. Our department just happens to need someone who can do the work."

The girl browsing the website glanced up furtively, then quickly looked down again, seemingly reluctant. The old man reading the newspaper had a flicker of pity in his cloudy eyes, which was quickly replaced by numbness.

Diao Deliang walked to the corner, picked up a dirty mop and bucket, and threw them at Liu Ming's feet with a thud.

"Alright, stop standing there. A newcomer needs to be observant." He gestured with his chin towards the long corridor outside. "The general affairs department is in charge of sanitation on this floor. First, mop the floor, then go and clean the toilets at both ends."

"Remember, make sure it's spotless, especially the toilets. The leaders all use them. If I smell even a hint of odor, I'll hold you responsible!"

The entire office was completely silent.

This is no longer assigning work; this is blatant humiliation!

Making a newly arrived demobilized cadre clean toilets? If word gets out, Liu Ming will never be able to hold his head up high in the entire county government compound again.

Diao Deliang enjoyed this feeling. He wanted to give this newcomer a hard time and let him know that in this Comprehensive Section, he, Diao Deliang, was the boss!

He crossed his arms and looked at Liu Ming with a mocking expression, waiting to see his expression—whether it was anger, humiliation, or begging for mercy.

However, he was disappointed.

Liu Ming's face remained calm as still water, and there wasn't even a ripple in her deep eyes.

He just stared at Diao Deliang quietly, which made Diao Deliang feel inexplicably uneasy.

"What? You don't want to?" Diao Deliang raised his voice to cover up his guilty conscience. "Let me tell you, in our area, even if you're a dragon, you have to coil up; even if you're a tiger, you have to lie low! Giving you work is a favor, don't be ungrateful!"

Liu Ming finally made a move.

He slowly bent down and picked up the rag on the ground, its original color almost unrecognizable.

A smug smile appeared on Diao Deliang's face. He knew that these ordinary soldiers with no background would eventually have to obey orders.

But the next second, his smile froze on his face.

Liu Ming picked up a rag, but instead of going to the bucket, she slowly and deliberately wiped her hands with the dirty rag, as if she were performing some kind of sacred ritual.

Then, he looked up at Diao Deliang, a cold and dangerous smile curving his lips, a smile that resembled a lone wolf circling atop a snow-capped mountain.

He tossed the rag gently, and it landed accurately back in the bucket. The sound wasn't loud, but it struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.

"OK."

One word, clear and powerful.

Diao Deliang was stunned; this was a script he hadn't expected.

The second word Liu Ming uttered sent chills down his spine.

"However," Liu Ming's gaze swept over Diao Deliang, then over the faces of the others in the office, finally settling back on Diao Deliang, and she said, enunciating each word clearly:

"But if the floor is mopped clean, you might be afraid to leave."