I Cultivate in a Government Office

Liu Qin immediately replied, ”Yes, Director.”

Liu Xin, however, added, ”Director Yang, besides the items on the list, there was actually something else… that wasn’t included.”

She lowered her voice. ”Deep within the cavern, beneath a hidden altar, we found some processed Cultivator skeletons. Most were incomplete, but one was relatively intact. It had a strange, warm, jade-like color and was worth as much as a Foundation Establishment Level Gathering Spirit Array. I took the liberty of having it sent to the Yang’s Residence.”

Upon hearing this, Yang Wenqing’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly. Then, a smile appeared on his face. ”That was thoughtful of you, but rules are rules. Spoils of war belong to the branch, not for personal claims. How about this…”

He activated his badge and opened a communication line to Yang Yong. In front of Liu Xin and Liu Qin, he gave his instructions. ”Yang Yong, did the branch send a Gathering Spirit skeleton to the Yang’s Residence earlier? Good, good. Now, I want you to transfer three hundred thousand from the family’s public account to the Major Case Team’s special operations fund.”

After ending the communication, Yang Wenqing looked at Liu Xin. ”Three hundred thousand. Consider it the purchase fee for that skeleton. Don’t do this again in the future, understand?”

Liu Xin didn’t offer any explanation. Her response was crisp. ”Yes, sir!”

”Mm.” Yang Wenqing nodded. ”If there’s nothing else, you can get back to work.”

”Yes, sir!” Liu Xin stood, came to attention, and saluted. She glanced at Liu Qin, then turned and left the office, her steps much lighter than when she had arrived.

”Have Section Chief Su from the Archives Section come see me,” Yang Wenqing ordered.

”I’ll notify her right away,” Liu Qin nodded, suppressing the urge to ask for leave as she responded.

A short while later, a middle-aged woman with a refined air knocked and entered. She looked to be in her forties, with her hair in a neat bun and wearing thin-rimmed glasses. Her gaze was calm and focused. The insignia on her shoulder marked her as a Police Commissioner. She was the head of the Archives Section, Su Jing.

She had been transferred from the city bureau six years ago. She had no Cultivation to speak of, so she had likely used some connections at the city bureau to come through the special talent channel. She was unassuming in her work, but she kept the Archives Section in perfect order—a typical pillar of the professional staff.

”Director Yang, you were looking for me?” Su Jing’s voice was placid.

”Section Chief Su, please have a seat,” Yang Wenqing gestured. ”I need the files of the top twenty percent of this year’s graduating class from the city’s Police Academy—specifically, those with clear family backgrounds and no disciplinary records.”

Su Jing replied, ”I should be able to coordinate and get them within ten days.”

”Excellent!”

Yang Wenqing was satisfied with Su Jing’s professionalism and competence. ”Make sure to highlight the cadets with relatively simple family situations.”

”Yes, Director Yang.” Su Jing noted the key points. After a moment of thought, she added, ”Also, Director Yang, we may need to have some informal discussions with the academy’s career guidance office or the city bureau’s personnel department beforehand.”

”You can report this matter to Director Gao.” Yang Wenqing smiled. Director Gao was about to be transferred to the city bureau’s personnel department; a single word from him could resolve this issue.

”Understood, Director Yang. I’ll get back to my work then.” Su Jing rose crisply and left, her steps light yet steady.

Yang Wenqing watched her leave. ’A person like Su Jing might not have Liu Xin’s drive or case-breaking ability, but within her own domain, she is professional, reliable, and understands boundaries. She’s an indispensable cornerstone for maintaining the stable and efficient operation of an organization.’

After Su Jing left, Liu Qin spoke up. ”Director, I… I’d like to request three days of leave to enter seclusion and attempt a breakthrough.”

Yang Wenqing looked at her. His Divine Sense flashed through her body, and then he nodded. ”I’ll give you five days. Is that enough?”

”More than enough,” Liu Qin’s tone was firm.

”Go on, then. Hand off any urgent work to the general affairs department. If you run into any problems during your breakthrough, you can contact me,” Yang Wenqing instructed. He was finding Liu Qin more and more competent. Plus, Director Gao would still be overseeing the branch for another ten days, so Liu Qin’s five-day leave wouldn’t cause too much trouble.

”Thank you, Director!” Liu Qin was filled with gratitude. She gave her solemn thanks and withdrew.

In the office, Yang Wenqing turned his attention back to the light screen. Recruiting new members was one move, but how to place them, train them, and ultimately integrate them with the soon-to-be-promoted mid-level staff to form a new power structure required more detailed planning.

’Then there are the two new police stations… The choice of station chiefs is key. These aren’t just two leadership positions; they are the future fulcrums of my control over the New District’s security forces.’

’And then there was Liu Xin’s little test just now. Her intentions were crystal clear. She’s eyeing the vacant Vice Director position. If Director Gao is transferred and I take over as Director, a Vice Director spot will indeed open up. The city bureau certainly won’t give up on that position, but the possibility of adding another Vice Director for the New District is also very high.’

’Promote Liu Xin?’

Yang Wenqing’s rational mind quickly weighed the pros and cons. Liu Xin was capable enough, and she had the seniority. If she became a Vice Director, she could not only share his burden but also become his staunchest supporter in bureau meetings.

’Perhaps I can discuss this with Director Gao, get his opinion, and see if Director Qi will be supportive.’

Just as his thoughts were turning and he was about to contact Director Gao, his badge let out a short, sharp tone—the signal for a high-priority, malicious incident within the city limits!

Yang Wenqing’s eyes sharpened. He instantly cast aside all other thoughts and shot out of his office like a lightning bolt, heading straight for the emergency command center.

In the command center, on the massive, curved light-screen wall, the supervisor on duty—an old, gray-haired police sergeant—was shouting urgently into a Communication Array. When he saw Yang Wenqing enter, he pointed to a fluctuating red energy pattern on the main screen and reported:

”Director Yang, we’ve detected an Evil Magic energy signature in the downtown commercial district! Trait analysis indicates it’s a variant of the ’Fire Bomb Skill.’ It’s a vicious form of Magic where an aberrant evil fire is implanted into a living being and then instantly detonated by sacrificing its life.”

The light screen quickly switched, displaying a real-time recorded image from the incident area. The street was in chaos, with people screaming and fleeing. At the center of it all, a middle-aged man in gray sackcloth with a fanatical, glazed look in his eyes had his arms spread wide. A heart-stopping, dark red light shone from his chest as his body swelled like a balloon.

”Mark the target! Notify the nearest patrol team! Stop him from approaching densely populated areas at all costs! Lethal force is authorized!” Yang Wenqing commanded sharply, his words rapid-fire.

The instant the order was given, the man in the image suddenly froze, then violently exploded.

”BOOM!”

After the tremendous sound, a searing, dark red shockwave erupted outward. Within its blast radius, the stone pavement instantly blackened and cracked. A few nearby pedestrians were sent flying with screams, their bodies engulfed in eerie, dark red flames that couldn’t be extinguished.

Almost at the same instant as the explosion downtown, several more explosions rang out—but not from the recording Array. They came from outside the window.

”It’s the urban district police station! It’s also been hit by a ’Fire Bomb Skill’ attack! The explosion was inside the station itself! The main building is severely damaged, and the situation inside is unknown!” another duty officer cried out in horror.

Just then, Director Gao also arrived at the command center, with Vice Director Chu behind him.

”What’s all the panic for? The sky isn’t falling!”

Gao Zhen scolded the flustered officers. He and Vice Director Chu walked over to Yang Wenqing. Just as he was about to speak, the head of the incident monitoring team shouted, ”Director Yang, urgent reports from the mining district and port police stations!”

The duty officer’s voice came through, slightly distorted. ”Water Race Little Demons have infiltrated from the coastline! There are a lot of them! They’ve already broken through the outer perimeter…”

As his words fell, the Communication Arrays inside Yang Wenqing’s, Gao Zhen’s, and Zhu Yunchuan’s badges all lit up at once.

Yang Wenqing answered his. It was the voice of Du Hong, the chief of the mining district police station, shouting himself hoarse. ”Director Yang, a huge number of Water Race Little Demons are attacking the mining district! This isn’t like the small-scale raids from before! The initial energy readings from the outer Array detect tens of thousands of them!”