The plaque outside Lu Zhen's new office gleamed faintly under the corridor lights:
> "Internal Audit Specialist – Special Track"
Just below that, a red stamp indicated "Reform Task Force Priority Designation."
It was a bureaucratic mouthful, but inside the government building, titles were weapons. The moment that plaque went up, Lu Zhen could feel it: curious glances, whispered discussions, subtle distancing. His rise hadn't gone unnoticed—and not everyone was thrilled.
Still, he worked in silence.
His first assignment as an Internal Audit Specialist was deceptively dull: conduct an evaluation of the "Springwater Urban Renewal Plan," a multi-billion yuan initiative to redevelop old residential zones.
But the moment Lu Zhen pulled up the funding distribution charts, alarm bells went off in his head.
---
"Two billion yuan allocated," he muttered, fingers tapping the desk. "But only 800 million reported in use?"
He cross-referenced local building permits, zoning documents, environmental reports. A pattern emerged—several land plots had been marked for "infrastructure greening," but in satellite images, they were just empty lots. In one case, a supposed public park was now a private golf course, surrounded by luxury townhouses.
He looked up the developers.
Jinrui Holdings.
A massive real estate consortium with ties to multiple provincial officials.
Lu Zhen felt a chill. This wasn't a local issue.
It was political.
---
That evening, as he walked through the parking lot under a misty drizzle, a black sedan rolled up beside him. The window lowered.
Inside sat an elegant woman with an air of quiet dominance.
Tang Wei.
"Get in," she said, without looking at him.
Lu Zhen hesitated for only a second before sliding into the passenger seat.
The car glided through the city as lights blurred against the wet glass. Tang Wei finally spoke.
"You're digging into Springwater."
"It was assigned to me."
"I know. I assigned it."
He glanced at her. "So you knew what I'd find?"
"I suspected. I needed confirmation from someone clean."
Lu Zhen frowned. "What's the real story?"
Tang Wei turned slightly toward him, her eyes sharp. "Jinrui Holdings isn't just a developer. It's a financial vehicle for Liu Qingxian—Executive Deputy Governor of the province. The Springwater project was his flagship."
Lu Zhen's mind raced. "You want me to take him down?"
"No," she said calmly. "Not yet. You're not ready to touch a provincial-level official. But…"
She handed him a flash drive.
"There's a secondary company involved—Yunbei Logistics. It's owned by Liu's cousin. They're laundering construction budgets through fake transportation orders. Find it. Expose it. Publicly."
"Publicly?"
She nodded. "Through a controlled leak to the Jingzhou Evening News."
Lu Zhen hesitated. "That'll blow back on me."
"It'll also isolate Liu's network locally and force the central inspection team to tighten monitoring. And it'll elevate you in the eyes of our… allies."
He caught the emphasis.
Allies.
Tang Wei wasn't acting alone.
---
Later that night, Lu Zhen sat alone in his apartment. A small two-room government dorm with peeling paint and a noisy air conditioner.
He stared at the flash drive in his hand.
System Interface – Active
---
[New Mission: Orchestrate Targeted Exposure of Yunbei Logistics]
Mode: Indirect Political Strike
Difficulty: B-
Reward: "Strategic Leverage" Skill + 500 Merit Points + Favorability with Tang Wei's Network
Warning: Risk of Retaliation – Influence Dispute Detected
---
Lu Zhen activated the analysis tools.
By dawn, the fake shipping records were sorted. Dozens of entries had timestamps that clashed with weather conditions—routes marked "completed" during city-wide floods, for instance.
He drafted an exposé-style summary.
Clean. Professional. Non-emotional.
Then, using an anonymous government terminal, he leaked the report to a mid-level editor at Jingzhou Evening News known for sniffing out political corruption stories.
Within hours, the article went live:
> "Billions in Ghost Trucks: An Audit Trail in the Springwater Scandal"
---
The response was immediate and explosive.
By noon, government news channels were forced to comment. Journalists flooded Springwater sites. Public outrage surged on social media platforms.
"Where's our park?"
"Who owns Yunbei Logistics?"
"Liu Qingxian must explain this!"
Lu Zhen kept his head down and continued his routine. But his phone buzzed repeatedly—contacts, party members, even a professor from his university wanted "to catch up."
By sunset, he was called into a closed-door meeting.
---
Four men were already seated around the table. Only one chair remained.
He sat.
Tang Wei stood near the window, arms folded, expression unreadable.
One of the men leaned forward. "Lu Zhen, I'm Liu Kezhang, Senior Advisor to the Municipal Disciplinary Commission."
The air was heavy.
"Your report caused quite a storm," Liu said. "Several of us were… surprised."
"I only compiled what was public information," Lu Zhen replied calmly.
Another man snorted. "Don't play coy. You know damn well this wasn't a coincidence. You targeted Liu Qingxian's family company."
Tang Wei spoke then, voice cold. "We're not here to discuss personal feelings. We're here to discuss facts. And the fact is, the leak prevented a deeper public audit embarrassment. Lu Zhen's actions created political space for internal corrections."
Liu Kezhang nodded slowly. "True. Still... This is a sensitive time. We cannot afford public instability. So we need to manage the fallout."
Another advisor added, "And we can't allow some… intern-turned-specialist to act without oversight."
Tang Wei turned her gaze to Lu Zhen. "Which is why I propose we formalize Lu Zhen's advisory role. He'll now report directly to me—on select reform cases."
The room went silent.
Finally, Liu Kezhang exhaled. "Fine. Let the kid take the heat while we reap the benefits. But if he steps out of line..."
"He won't," Tang Wei said firmly.
---
Back at his desk, Lu Zhen's title updated again.
> Lu Zhen – Strategic Reform Advisor (Deputy Rank, Task Force Elite)
He was now officially a rising force.
And he knew it.
---
That night, Tang Wei sent him a single message:
> "Welcome to the game. From here on, the knives are sharper."
And the system chimed softly:
---
[Congratulations: Political Influence Tier Upgraded – "Emerging Strategist"]
New Skill Unlocked: Strategic Leverage (Lv.1)
System Insight: You are now part of the high-stakes network. Power moves will escalate. Allies and enemies will respond accordingly.
---
Lu Zhen stood on his balcony, watching Jingzhou's skyline shimmer in the night.
The city no longer looked quite the same.
Not from up here.
---