I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 75: Chapter 75: The City Bureau’s Reward

The promotion ceremony ended in a solemn yet enthusiastic atmosphere. The heavy auditorium doors slowly opened, and the attendees began to file out in an orderly fashion. The first to emerge were mostly colleagues from various departments working the mid and evening shifts, their faces beaming with a shared sense of pride and excitement.

Yang Wenqing stood at attention to the side with his third squad members, maintaining order, but his gaze couldn’t help but drift toward the entrance.

Soon, he saw Wang Jianchao and Xiao Liang walk out side by side. Both had changed into crisp, white Police Specialist uniforms. The silver star on their epaulets shone brilliantly in the sunlight, making them seem completely transformed, lending them an air of authority and bearing they hadn’t possessed before.

They were standing with Vice Director Gao, Deputy Director Zhou, and others, chatting with smiles on their faces, clearly in high spirits.

Colleagues passing by cast envious glances their way. From time to time, someone would step forward to offer congratulations, and Wang Jianchao and Xiao Liang would respond with composure, already stepping into their new roles.

Yang Wenqing watched this scene in silence.

Only after everyone had evacuated in an orderly manner and tranquility returned to the area around the auditorium did Yang Wenqing order his squad to dismiss. He then returned to the Third Squad’s office himself.

He spent the entire morning dealing with a backlog of paperwork and routine tasks. Perhaps it was due to the immense exhaustion from last night’s cultivation, or maybe his fluctuating emotions. Just as noon approached, he suddenly felt hungry. As he was about to head to the branch’s cafeteria, a familiar fluctuation of Spiritual Power came from the badge on his chest.

”Wenqing, come to my office right now.”

It was Vice Director Gao’s voice.

Yang Wenqing froze for a moment, then immediately replied, ”Yes, Vice Director!”

He quickly straightened his clothes, temporarily suppressing the thought of going to the cafeteria. Filled with a sense of anticipation, he walked briskly toward Vice Director Gao’s office.

He knocked and entered. Vice Director Gao was sitting behind his desk with a relaxed smile. Seeing Yang Wenqing come in, he pointed to the chair opposite him. ”Sit.”

Yang Wenqing sat down as instructed, his posture upright.

Vice Director Gao didn’t beat around the bush. He took two items from his drawer and pushed them across the desk to Yang Wenqing.

The first was an exquisitely crafted medal that gleamed with a silvery metallic luster. The emblem of the City Defense Bureau was engraved in the center, with two crossed rifles below it. This was a Second-Class Medal of Merit from the City Defense System!

”During the recent attack, you stepped up in a crisis, stabilized the situation, and recovered critical supplies. Your contributions are undeniable.” Vice Director Gao’s tone was solemn. ”After a discussion by the bureau leadership, and with the approval of the city-level bureau, we are awarding you a personal Second-Class Medal of Merit.”

Yang Wenqing’s eyes lit up. ’This is seniority, very important seniority! And it represents sixty merit points. It would take almost two years of service to earn this much.’ This wasn’t just an honor; it was a major highlight on his record.

”Thank you, Vice Director!” Yang Wenqing said solemnly.

”This is a reward from the bureau. I don’t have the authority to award you a Second-Class Medal.”

As Vice Director Gao spoke, he pushed a thick envelope toward Yang Wenqing. ”Inside is twenty thousand in cash. It’s an additional reward from the bureau for recovering those supplies.”

Yang Wenqing’s eyes lit up again. ’Twenty thousand in cash, plus my previous seizures and savings, should be enough to cover my short-term cultivation expenses.’

”Thank you, Vice Director!”

Yang Wenqing thanked him again and carefully put the envelope away.

Watching him put the reward away, Vice Director Gao leaned forward slightly, his tone turning serious. ”The rewards are for the past. Now, let’s talk about official business.”

Yang Wenqing nodded.

”Regarding the candidate for Deputy Head of the Major Case Team.”

Vice Director Gao said in a low voice, ”Tomorrow, the bureau will officially post the public notice. According to regulations, any personnel changes for positions at the Section Chief level or higher require a one-week public notice period. Your nomination, as well as... the external candidate recommended by Director Zhang’s side, a man named Wu Qianjun, will both be announced.”

’Wu Qianjun.’ Yang Wenqing committed the name to memory.

”After the notice period ends, assuming there are no major objections,” Vice Director Gao looked at Yang Wenqing, ”I will personally preside over a competitive match between you and Wu Qianjun. The winner will become the Deputy Head of the Major Case Team.”

He specifically emphasized the words ”personally preside,” indicating both the importance he placed on the match and his unspoken support, ensuring its fairness.

’One week...’ Yang Wenqing calculated silently. He then looked up, his eyes showing no sign of retreat. ”Vice Director, I understand. I will be fully prepared.”

Vice Director Gao nodded in satisfaction. ”Prepare well. This Wu Qianjun comes from the north and has extraordinary combat experience. You mustn’t underestimate him. Director Zhang’s faction is shamelessly pulling out all the stops to give him a foothold in Qianjiao County.”

”Yes, sir!” Yang Wenqing stood, gave a solemn salute, and prepared to take his leave.

”Wait...”

But Vice Director Gao suddenly stopped him. The serious expression on his face melted away, replaced by a more relaxed, even slightly teasing smile. He said slowly, ”There’s one more piece of news. A pleasant surprise, you could say. It just came down, so I might as well tell you now.”

Yang Wenqing paused, looking at Vice Director Gao in confusion.

”You handled this matter beautifully.” Vice Director Gao tapped his fingers lightly on the desk. ”Word reached the ears of a certain leader at the city-level bureau. He felt that for a young man who has just entered the Qi Refining Realm to be able to stabilize the situation during an attack of this scale and recover critical supplies was truly remarkable. He thought that just giving you a Second-Class Medal would make the City Defense Bureau look a bit stingy.”

Yang Wenqing was taken aback by this and held his breath, listening intently.

Seeing Yang Wenqing’s expectant look, Vice Director Gao smiled and continued, ”So, that leader took matters into his own hands. He gave special approval to have your personnel file transferred directly from the county branch to the city-level bureau!”

At these words, Yang Wenqing’s head snapped up, his eyes filled with incredulous shock. ’A file transfer to the city bureau? That means my personnel affairs will be managed by the city-level bureau! That’s a privilege only Police Specialists have!’

Vice Director Gao was very pleased with his reaction and dropped an even bigger bombshell. ”Furthermore, from now on, you will enjoy the benefits of a Police Specialist. Your monthly salary and merit point accumulation will all be based on the standards for a city-level Police Specialist. There was originally a housing benefit too, but it would have drawn too much attention, so I took the liberty of striking it.”

Yang Wenqing could hardly believe it. The Police Specialist was an officer rank. Merit points were accumulated at a rate of one per day—ten times faster than a regular patrol officer. The base salary was already eight thousand, and with various allowances and seniority pay, the fixed monthly income would be at least ten thousand.

”That leader also came up through the ranks from the bottom. He knows exactly how difficult it is for a sergeant who has just entered the Qi Cultivation Stage to prevent the loss of supplies. Those supplies are worth this kind of treatment for you. And there’s more...”

Vice Director Gao looked at him and said, word by word, ”The leader also gave special approval that if you win this competition, as long as your cultivation advances to the Fifth Refinement within ten years, you will be directly granted the rank of Police Specialist without needing to take any further assessments. You should know that even at the city-level bureau, a spot like this is incredibly rare.”

Yang Wenqing felt it was all incredible, and a wave of excitement washed over him. But perhaps it was the pain from last night’s cultivation, or maybe it was being face-to-face with Vice Director Gao, but his excitement quickly subsided. He calmly began to reflect on everything the Vice Director had just said.

’First, the benefits of a Police Specialist, then a ten-year deadline. This is clearly an intentional arrangement. They’re giving me ten years. If I can continue to display extraordinary talent, my future could be limitless. But if I turn out to be mediocre, this is where my journey ends.’