The office on the 17th floor was a world apart from the third. Where the interns bickered about cafeteria prices and weekend exams, here the air was laced with silent urgency. Every keystroke felt precise, every file confidential. Lu Zhen quickly realized: he was now inside the machine's beating heart.
The Reform Task Force didn't advertise its existence publicly. Officially, it was listed as a "research coordination unit" under the Jingzhou Municipal Bureau. In practice, it was an elite cell responsible for policy restructuring, administrative audits, and political troubleshooting. Quiet movers behind many sweeping changes the public never heard about.
Lu Zhen was the youngest member—by far.
He hadn't even warmed his new chair when a stack of case files landed on his desk.
No greeting. No introduction. Just cold paper and a sticky note:
> "Handle this by Friday. Prioritize the Qingshui District files. – TW"
He blinked. TW?
Tang Wei?
---
The Qingshui District case was familiar—too familiar.
It was the same district he had flagged in the ghost contractor report. The place had been rotting from within: phantom construction sites, unusable facilities, and disappearing municipal funds. The more he dug, the clearer it became—this wasn't just a single contractor skimming off the top. This was systemic.
Six companies. Three district officials. Years of collusion.
He felt the familiar buzz in his pocket. His phone lit up again:
---
[System Update: Case Complexity Detected]
New Mission: Trace Corruption Network in Qingshui District
Difficulty: C+
Deadline: 72 Hours
Rewards: Advanced Logic Processing Skill + 300 Merit Points + Passive – Political Instinct (Lv.1)
---
Lu Zhen took a deep breath.
He didn't have investigative experience. But he had something better—systematic clarity.
He turned on his dual monitors, spread out the documents, and activated the new skill. Instantly, red threads began to emerge in his mind's eye. The budget discrepancies, the land-use permits, the mismatched signatures—they aligned like dominoes waiting to fall.
Two days later, his report was complete. Detailed. Unambiguous. He listed the officials, the shell companies, the specific fund transfers and the precise legislative gaps they'd exploited.
He wasn't sure what to expect. A pat on the back? A quiet thank-you?
Instead, at 7:03 PM that Friday evening, his phone buzzed again.
Unknown number.
He hesitated, then answered.
A voice, cool and even: "Lu Zhen, meet me at the rooftop. Five minutes."
Before he could respond, the call ended.
---
The rooftop of the government building was quiet, wind brushing against the rusting railing. Lu Zhen stepped out into the dusk, the last sunlight bleeding orange across the horizon.
She was already there.
Tang Wei.
No coat, no guards, no folder. Just her black office suit and a distant expression.
"Deputy Director Tang," Lu Zhen said cautiously.
"Just Tang Wei is fine. We're off the clock."
He nodded, saying nothing. Her eyes, sharp and unreadable, studied him like a specimen under glass.
"You compiled that entire report in under forty hours," she said.
"Yes, ma'am."
She didn't smile. "Either you're a genius, or you're hiding something."
He met her gaze. "I prefer to say I work hard."
She allowed herself a tiny curve of the lips. Not quite a smile—more like an acknowledgment.
"You're not the first young talent I've seen enter this building thinking you can change the world," she said, stepping toward the railing. "Most burn out. Some disappear. Fewer still learn how to swim with sharks."
"I don't plan to be eaten," he said.
"Good." She turned to him fully now. "Then let's see how far you can go."
She handed him a small silver card. Unmarked except for a QR code on the back.
"Use this to access the secondary database. You now have clearance for Level-2 internal records."
His breath caught. "That's… only given to department heads."
"And now you," she said simply.
---
That weekend, Lu Zhen immersed himself in the new system. With Level-2 access, he saw things most public servants never knew existed.
Secret project codes. Internal reshuffle memos. Political climate reports from the National Central Office.
And tucked within it all—a name that came up again and again.
Vice Mayor Han Qicheng.
The man behind the Qingshui corruption network. Officially clean. No public controversies. But every shadow, every anomaly, every falsified audit led back to him.
The system chimed again:
---
[Critical Node Identified: Han Qicheng]
System Prompt: Choose Your Next Step
1. Submit evidence through proper channels (Low impact, safe route)
2. Leak evidence anonymously to the media (High risk, high chaos)
3. Use evidence to cut a deal with a higher official (Unlock new political route)
---
Lu Zhen's eyes narrowed.
He wasn't here to create chaos. Nor to make backroom deals—yet.
He chose the first option.
But as soon as he pressed "Submit," the screen flickered, and another line appeared:
---
[Tang Wei has manually overridden your action.]
New Outcome Selected: Strategic Delay – Use Data to Pressure Han Qicheng's Allies into Isolation
Result: +5 Tang Wei Favorability | +15 Political Instinct | System Synchronicity Enhanced
---
Lu Zhen sat back.
She had access to the system?
No. Not quite. She had overridden an action within a political channel. The system responded to real-world authority.
He was still the user.
But she was a powerful external force. One the system recognized.
He needed to understand her better.
---
On Monday morning, the building was buzzing.
Vice Mayor Han's name had not appeared in any memo.
But his two key allies—Bureau Chief Ren and Finance Director Zhao—had both been reassigned to "rural policy roles" in outlying counties.
A silent purge.
Lu Zhen passed Tang Wei in the hallway. She didn't stop. Didn't look.
But as she walked past, she murmured under her breath, just loud enough for him to hear:
"You played it right. But this is only the beginning."
---
Later that evening, his system activated again:
---
[Promotion Eligible: Internal Audit Specialist – Special Track]
Do you accept the transfer and rapid promotion?
Yes | No
---
Lu Zhen didn't hesitate.
Yes.
With a soft chime, a new title appeared beneath his name:
Lu Zhen – Internal Audit Specialist, Reform Task Force (Special Track)
Rank: Deputy-Level Section Chief Equivalent (Fast Track)
---
He was only 20. And in just over a week, he had already climbed two levels ahead of his batch.
The others wouldn't understand. They'd think it was luck, or nepotism.
Let them.
He glanced out the window at the glimmering city skyline of Jingzhou.
He was only getting started.