I Cultivate in a Government Office

Chapter 85: Chapter 79: Opponent’s Profile

Yang Wenqing stared at the sharp, cold eyes of Wu Qianjun in the file. Remembering the pain of his cultivation last night, his competitive spirit was stirred. ’Only a powerful opponent can test the fruits of my arduous training!’

"Thank you, Vice Director Gao." Yang Wenqing carefully put the file away.

Vice Director Gao saw the fighting spirit rekindle in his eyes and nodded in satisfaction. "A Qi Cultivator’s arena is simple. It’s just like your assessment back in the operations division. Li Yi’s evaluation of you was, ’First make yourself invincible, then await the enemy’s defeat.’ As long as you ensure you can’t lose, victory will be yours."

Yang Wenqing nodded. ’I was thinking the same thing. An ordinary Golden Light Body Protection Spell wouldn’t be able to withstand Wu Qianjun’s attacks. But after activating the Spirit Gathering Array, my speed of absorbing and refining Spiritual Qi would allow me to maintain the Golden Light Body Protection Spell indefinitely. That would make it easy to remain undefeated.’

They had discussed the matter enough for now. As the atmosphere relaxed, Deputy Director Zhou picked up his teacup and took a sip. As if suddenly remembering something, he said to Yang Wenqing in his usual flat tone, "Oh, right, Wenqing, just a heads-up. In a couple of days, Internal Affairs Inspection will be conducting a routine internal investigation on you. We’ll need your cooperation to give a detailed statement."

Yang Wenqing’s heart tightened upon hearing this. ’Internal Affairs Inspection wants to see me, now of all times?’

Deputy Director Zhou seemed to notice his concern and added, "Someone submitted an anonymous report to the higher-ups. It claims your command was improper and that a personal grudge led to the sacrifice of those sixteen colleagues. Director Zhang’s side specifically instructed us to handle it by the book."

He paused, then added, "Don’t overthink it. It’s just a formality. Just state the facts clearly."

Vice Director Gao laughed from the side, teasing, "Old Zhou, has your Internal Affairs Inspection become a weapon for certain people now? If Wenqing weren’t still in a low-ranking position and a real threat to them, I bet this investigation wouldn’t be ’just a formality.’ They’d be trying to take a pound of flesh off him."

Faced with Vice Director Gao’s teasing, Deputy Director Zhou just gave a faint smile and didn’t reply. His tacit agreement was obvious. Internal Affairs Inspection investigates independently, but that didn’t mean they completely ignored politics. When evidence was clearly lacking and internal power balances were at stake, they knew how to tread carefully.

Vice Director Gao then turned to Yang Wenqing, his tone cautionary. "See? These are the obvious and hidden attacks you can’t dodge even if you want to keep a low profile. You think you can stay safe by showing weakness and hiding in the back? If Deputy Director Zhou and I weren’t watching out for you from above, this report alone would have landed you in deep trouble. You might have been sent off to do the hardest, most tiring patrol duties. How could you even think about the arena then?"

He paused, smoothly steering the conversation in another direction. "Speaking of which, regarding the case of the Wang family father and son, I’m already expediting communication with the County Inspectorate and the municipal bureau’s special cases office. The application process for the Soul-Searching Technique is complicated and requires signatures from multiple parties. The fastest we can expect a definite approval is probably in three days."

At the mention of the Inspectorate, Vice Director Gao’s tone became much more serious. "You can rest assured about the Inspectorate. They’re an independent system. It’s extremely difficult to corrupt them. Besides, if anything were to happen, it would be an act of universal condemnation that no one could cover up. With their supervision, we can at least guarantee the fairness of the procedure and prevent anyone from interfering."

Yang Wenqing glanced at Deputy Director Zhou. It was clear the two leaders had already discussed this matter beforehand.

He took the two leaders’ words to heart. ’The Internal Affairs investigation is a warning, a reminder that I’m caught in a political whirlpool. Meanwhile, the Wang family case is proceeding step-by-step, fraying the nerves of those at the very top.’

"Can we really not just drive Zhang Qiming out?"

Deputy Director Zhou asked abruptly. He was clearly asking this in front of Yang Wenqing on purpose.

Yang Wenqing raised an eyebrow. ’I don’t understand why they’re suddenly bringing this up, but it means I’ve been fully accepted into their circle.’

"We could, but we can’t do it like that. If Director Zhang falls this way, the Zhang family will just send someone else. Besides, if we make things too ugly, do you and I still want to work in the City Defense Bureau in the future? We need him to leave on his own accord. And I estimate that will take five years at most."

Deputy Director Zhou nodded. "Five years. Then we’ll wait."

Vice Director Gao smiled, then tapped his fingers on the table. "Alright, that’s enough business for now. We came here today to listen to some music."

As he spoke, he pressed the Array behind his seat.

A moment later, there was a soft knock on the private room’s door. The voice of the attendant from before called out, "Master Gao, what are your orders?"

"Are there any new songs?"

The attendant’s face lit up with a smile. He replied, "Miss Liu heard you were here today and was just asking if you were free. She has composed a new piece and would like to invite you to hear it."

A smile spread across Vice Director Gao’s face. He turned to Yang Wenqing and Deputy Director Zhou. "Miss Liu’s music is unparalleled. It’s rare for her to extend an invitation personally. Shall we go listen together?"