The game of power begins with the police officers at the local police station.

The descent was indeed quick, but Chen Shi was exhausted, covered in sweat. Jiang Yiqiu took a tissue to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

After resting five times on the way down the mountain, it took a little over an hour to reach the foot of the mountain.

Chen Shi put Jiang Yiqiu down, leaned against a large tree beside him, and panted heavily.

Jiang Yiqiu said with concern, "I can walk for a while, so you won't get tired."

"Walking downhill in high heels is even more difficult and can easily lead to a sprained ankle."

Jiang Yiqiu said like a child who had made a mistake, "I'll listen to you from now on, and I'll never wear high heels when I go hiking again."

As the sun set, the last rays of sunlight shone on the two of them. Jiang Yiqiu took out a tissue from his bag and wiped Chen Shi's sweat.

The scene was beautiful; people standing at a distance stopped to watch.

The spies in TV dramas are all beautiful women and handsome men. They are too eye-catching. Wherever they go, they are the focus. They can't do anything because every move they make is in the eyes of others.

Real secret agents are people with very ordinary looks; they can be easily lost in a crowd. That's the kind of appearance that's suitable for being a secret agent.

Chen Shi drove Jiang Yiqiu home. The two had a casual dinner outside. Too tired, Chen Shi declined Jiang Yiqiu's offer to stay and went back to his apartment to take a bath and rest.

On Monday, the bureau issued a notice that Tuesday afternoon, officers who had made meritorious contributions in arresting the criminal gang led by Fu Cheng would be commended.

The biggest contributor to this arrest of the criminal gang is undoubtedly Chen Shi.

Chen Shi called a small meeting with Liu Feng and the others, telling them to prepare and that everyone should speak.

The group was quite pleased with the commendation and went down to make active preparations. What made them happiest was that they were about to be promoted to deputy team leader, which was the beginning of their careers. The deputy team leader was a section-level cadre, and this marked their entry into the leadership ranks, taking them one step closer to becoming deputy section-level cadres.

Chen Shi was also very excited to be promoted to deputy director. He was thinking about who would succeed him as the head of the public security management team.

His first thought was of Xu Ping'an. Xu Ping'an had just been promoted to head of the political work section, and he couldn't be promoted to captain of the public security management brigade immediately. The Party Committee of the Bureau would definitely not approve it.

The current group of subordinates still cannot find a suitable successor.

Chen Shi's gaze lingered on Zhao Fanglin's name. He was now the deputy captain, senior enough, and there was no one more suitable than him to join him and take over as the head of the public security management team.

Once the candidate was chosen, I called Zhao Fanglin and asked him to come to my office.

Upon receiving the call, Zhao Fanglin rushed to Chen Shi's office, beaming, and said, "Captain Chen, you wanted to see me?"

Chen Shi pointed to the sofa: "Sit."

Zhao Fanglin sat on the sofa with one side of his backside, feeling somewhat anxious and uneasy, not knowing why Chen Shi had called him over.

Chen Shi poured Zhao Fanglin a cup of tea: "Team Leader Zhao, you've always been one of Director Zhu's men, why did you switch sides to me?"

Zhao Fanglin was shocked. What did Chen Shi mean by this? His smile faded, and he felt uneasy.

Chen Shi said casually, "Don't be nervous, I was just asking. If you don't want to say, that's fine."

Zhao Fanglin, unaware of Chen Shi's intentions, gritted his teeth and forced a smile: "Captain Chen, to be honest, Director Zhu is my benefactor. Without him, I would still be just a lowly policeman."

Director Zhu is nearing retirement and doesn't value his position that much. He talked to me and asked if I wanted to advance. He said if I did, I shouldn't follow him; he told me to follow you, because only by following you would I have a chance to advance.

Chen Shi took a sip of tea: "I don't mean anything by it, I'm just chatting casually. If I were to be transferred, who do you think would be suitable to succeed me as the head of the public security management team?"

Zhao Fanglin looked surprised: "Captain Chen, you're getting a promotion."

"I mean, if you go out there, don't talk nonsense."

"clear"

Zhao Fanglin's mind raced. What did those words mean? Could it be that Chen Shi was going to take over the deputy director position that Song Youming had vacated?

This is highly likely. Chen Shi's question about who could succeed him indicates that the matter has already been decided.

Zhao Fanglin's eyes lit up. Chen Shi had been promoted, so it was bound to be his turn this time.

In the Public Security Management Brigade, no one was more qualified than him, except for Li Zhi, who was already in there.

Since you asked me to recommend someone, I'll recommend myself. Any objections?

"Captain Chen, I think no one in the Public Security Management Brigade is more suitable than me to take over as captain."

Chen Shi asked calmly, "What's the reason?"

"I am the most senior member of the team. Of course, there are people who are older than me, but they are past retirement age."

If I were to take over as the head of the public security management team, I would certainly follow your lead without question.

Chen Shi stared at Zhao Fanglin: "Keep this a secret, don't tell anyone. I am very likely to take over as deputy director. After I take office, I will recommend you to take over as the head of the public security management team."

During this period, behave well and don't cause any trouble.

Zhao Fanglin was overjoyed and immediately stood up to salute Chen Shi: "Captain Chen, I will work hard and achieve results to live up to your expectations."

Are you free tonight? I'd like to report to you about my work.

It's time to give Zhao Fanglin a chance to prove himself: "Okay, you make the arrangements tonight."

"Thank you, Captain Chen."

Zhao Fanglin walked out of the office with a happy heart to arrange the dinner.

Chen Shi's phone rang; it was a call from Jiang Yiqiu, inviting him over for dinner that evening.

"I have a dinner engagement here, you can eat by yourself."

"Okay," Jiang Yiqiu said, hanging up the phone with a look of disappointment.

After get off work, Zhao Fanglin came to the office: "Team Leader Chen, should we go now, or wait a bit?"

Chen Shi said, "It's nothing: Now go."

Liu Feng walked in: "Captain Chen, where are we going tonight?"

Liu Feng became Chen Shi's driver, and would wait for him every day after get off work.

"You're off your early shift today, so Team Leader Zhao will give me a ride."

Liu Feng smiled and greeted Zhao Fanglin before leaving the office.

Chen Shi stood up, and the two went to the parking lot. Zhao Fanglin quickly stepped forward, opened the car door, and Chen Shi got in.

Zhao Fanglin drove to Qingcheng Restaurant, stopped the car, quickly got out, opened the car door, and Chen Shi got out.

Zhao Fanglin took two bottles of wine from the trunk and led the way into the private room.

Chen Shi doesn't want to drink tonight; his stomach can't handle drinking every day.

"Tonight, the two of us won't drink alcohol, just some tea will do."

Zhao Fanglin put down the two bottles of wine: "Okay, I'll go order a pot of good tea."

The food was ordered in advance and served quickly, along with a pot of fine tea.

Zhao Fanglin poured tea for Chen Shi and picked up the teacup, saying, "Captain Chen, this is a toast to you."

Chen Shi picked up his teacup, and the two of them drank it all in one gulp.

At the dinner table, Zhao Fanglin kept trying to please Chen Shi. After Chen Shi finished eating, he put down his chopsticks.

"Team Leader Zhao, if you do your job well and produce results, you'll naturally have more opportunities for promotion. If you don't have any achievements, there's no reason for us to promote you."

Zhao Fanglin nodded repeatedly: "Captain Chen is absolutely right. I will definitely do my job well in the future and live up to your expectations."

"You can't take shortcuts; you have to be down-to-earth."

"Yes," Zhao Fanglin said softly, "Team Leader Chen, I'm going to the restroom."

"Go ahead," Chen Shi lit a cigarette. Zhao Fanglin was capable, but he wasn't focused on his work. He needed a nudge.