Free Web NovelChapter 1643: Chapter 956: Uninvited Guest_2
"I’m not worthy of such praise, Director; it was just a spontaneous remark." Yang Xiao knew that in front of an old fox like Hong Anguo, he should still behave honestly, as he wasn’t very trusted.
Not long after, under the arrangement of Hong Anguo, the leadership team of their Provincial Office held another separate meeting, during which Deputy Director Zhao arranged Yang Xiao’s work content.
His position was the Captain of the Third Law Enforcement Team of the Provincial Office. The main task wasn’t combat, but internal inspection, also known as disciplinary inspection, responsible for supervising the discipline and conduct issues of the provincial leadership team.
This left Yang Xiao speechless, as he saw this as practically a nominal position. To have him supervise the leaders present? Who did he think he was? The seating order in the meeting already determined his status in the leadership team, and he was ranked last among the 9 people. What authority did he have to supervise?
If he really dared to criticize the leaders here, they would definitely make life difficult for him every day. Did he still want a future in the Provincial Office?
Then, Deputy Director Zhao went on to explain the responsibilities of the leaders present.
Firstly, there was Director Hong Anguo, who needed no further explanation. As the top leader of the Jiangbei Province Office, he was an absolute authority figure, his word was law.
Then there was Deputy Director Zhao himself, the nominal second-in-command, who had the authority to exercise power in Director Hong Anguo’s absence and control the entire Jiangbei Province Office.
Next was Wu Qingcang, Chief Wu, who was the Chief of the Provincial Law Enforcement Team, commanding three squads: the First Law Enforcement Team, the Second Law Enforcement Team, and the Third Law Enforcement Team, with Wu Qingcang concurrently serving as the Captain of the First Law Enforcement Team.
And this First Law Enforcement Team was a standard combat team, primarily responsible for eradicating the evil cultivation forces within the province. Therefore, its personnel configuration was the strongest, including Chief Wu himself. The team boasted over 10 Ghost-level Apostles in terms of power, and this was just the official statistics. How many more experts there were in private was something only Chief Wu knew.
What’s most critical is that the position of Law Enforcement Chief carried significant weight; usually, it only required reporting specific work content to the top leader, Director Hong Anguo, while others had no right to inquire.
Moreover, Wu Qingcang had another identity; he was a Specialist specially appointed by the General Bureau, which meant that some special operations within the province would be fully entrusted to him, and he could report directly to the Patrol General Bureau across levels.
This particular identity was remarkable; Yang Xiao finally understood why in the seating order Chief Wu could surpass Deputy Director Zhao. It was precisely this position that gave Wu Qingcang the confidence to contend with the nominal second-in-command, Deputy Director Zhao.
Yang Xiao sighed inwardly; power was the one thing in the world that couldn’t be shared. Both being in these positions meant Wu Qingcang and Deputy Director Zhao were destined not to become friends.
The three law enforcement teams under Wu Qingcang’s command each had their own duties. The first team, personally commanded by Wu Qingcang, was responsible for eradicating evil cultivators and maintaining peace. The second team, led by Captain Yang Lao, was mainly responsible for the security of the Provincial Office and patrolling key sensitive locations, and was thus also known as the Patrol Brigade.
The third team, led by Yang Xiao, due to its responsibilities, was also known as the Disciplinary Brigade.
However, only Yang Xiao and a few others knew that Yang Xiao’s real work involved commanding a team of evil cultivators, secretly working for the Provincial Office.
In terms of work nature alone, Yang Xiao felt there was no difference between himself and those Iga Sect ninjas; the ninjas were the private army of the Japan Ghost Sect Leader, while they were the secret force of the Jiangbei Province Office.
Next, other leaders were introduced, including those responsible for logistics, assisting in hosting daily work, specializing in intelligence, and being in charge of technical development. Yang Xiao’s uncle, Professor Cui, was the head of the technology department.
Among these people, the only two that Yang Xiao trusted were Professor Cui and Captain Yang Lao, but unfortunately, both of them were ranked lower within the leadership team of the Provincial Office.
Captain Yang Lao was only slightly better than Yang Xiao, ranking seventh among the nine, while Uncle Professor Cui was slightly higher, in fifth place. Both were still far from the core layer of power.
Yang Xiao knew that if he wanted to make a name for himself in the Provincial Office in the future, gaining Hong Anguo’s trust was one aspect, but he also had to choose between Chief Wu and Deputy Director Zhao to place his bet.
Yang Xiao was more inclined towards Wu Qingcang, after all, this person was his immediate superior. However, if he later discovered that Deputy Director Zhao had his merits or an impressive background, Yang Xiao felt that going to seek allegiance wasn’t out of the question. After all, the higher you climb, the higher you can climb.
Yang Xiao wasn’t someone without bottom lines, but his bottom lines were relatively limited.
In a countercurrent, if you don’t advance, you’ll retreat. Moreover, he wasn’t alone; he also bore the expectations of Director Nalan, Mr. Lu Youdao, Professor Cui, and others. For everyone’s sake, he had to make something of himself, he had to strive more diligently. Only he knew the hardships and exhaustion he had suffered over the years. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
The scene where his good brother Fu Qingzhu kneeled in front of him begging for the Bone Fan was still vivid in his mind. Director Nalan was right; he lacked Fu Qingzhu’s fierceness, the ambition of ’who dares to block my way, I will eliminate.’
The Provincial Office wasn’t Rongcheng, and Hong Anguo wasn’t Nalan Shuo. No one here would coddle him, care for every aspect of his life, and it would be hard for someone to help him shoulder the burden if anything went wrong. He had to rely on himself for everything.
Planning for himself wasn’t shameful. "Man is for himself, otherwise he will be punished," was the first lesson Nalan Shuo taught him.
After the meeting, most people left quickly. Yang Xiao saw the opportunity and approached Director Hong Anguo, who hadn’t yet left, "Director, I have something to report to you."
"Go ahead." Hong Anguo glanced up at Yang Xiao, looking very kind and amiable.
Yang Xiao didn’t beat around the bush. He took out the damaged seal from his pocket and recounted the ’story’ he had revised several times the previous night to Hong Anguo.
To ensure it was convincing, he didn’t dare lie too much, embedding nine truths with one lie.
"You say this item was seized from a Japan Iga Sect Apostle, something belonging to the Jiu Mountain Family?" Hong Anguo raised the seal, scrutinizing it against the sunlight.
"That’s right." Yang Xiao nodded. ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom
"How do you know it’s something from the Jiu Mountain Family? Do you know them, or... was it told to you by someone?" Hong Anguo suddenly inquired.
"No, I don’t know anyone from the Jiu Mountain Family. It was told to me by people from the Yi Sect." Yang Xiao replied steadily.
He was telling the truth. After all, it was through the Provincial Office that the Yi Sect had contacted him, and it was the Provincial Office that approved him to help. Hong Anguo would surely know about this, and it was logical for him to take this opportunity to let the Yi Sect appraise the item.
"Hmm, if it was said by people from the Yi Sect, then it’s likely accurate. So what do you plan to do with this item?" Although Hong Anguo said this, he showed no sign of returning the item to Yang Xiao.
Yang Xiao understood and feigned ignorance of what to do, "Director, I’m new here and it’s my first time encountering such a matter. I think it’s better if you decide."
"In that case, I’ll attempt to contact the Jiu Mountain Family. To be honest, I do have some dealings with them, but not very familiar ones." Hong Anguo naturally accepted the seal.
Yang Xiao knew that this credit was likely to be taken by Hong Anguo, but he wasn’t surprised. After all, this was a gift he was offering.
It was also his stepping stone.
Giving a gift demands hitting right at the heart, and you absolutely must avoid leaving traces. Show your good intentions and leave immediately, lest you irritate others by lingering.
Seeing Hong Anguo accept the item, Yang Xiao bade farewell and left. He returned to the office arranged for him, but upon arrival, he found the door unlocked, slightly ajar.
Yang Xiao pushed open the door, and in the next second, he was surprised to find a person standing by the window of his office.
Hearing the door open, the person turned around, revealing an old face, but wearing a genuinely sincere smile. Deputy Director Zhao warmly walked towards Yang Xiao, proactively extending a hand, "Captain Yang, I came uninvited. I hope you don’t mind."
