Gucheng.
A mid-sized, forgotten industrial city lying south of Jingzhou Province. Known for its failing factories, polluted rivers, and one rare constant: sky-high education results.
Every year, provincial exam reports listed Gucheng's top high schools as "academic miracles."
Every year, rumors circulated of pay-to-win education zones, ghost teachers, and exam forgeries.
No proof.
No whistleblowers.
No action.
Until now.
---
The Delegation
Lu Zhen stepped off the black government vehicle into a brisk, dusty wind. The local officials lined up in front of the City Hall, their expressions practiced.
"Welcome, Comrade Lu," said Vice Mayor Han Shuo, a tall man with square glasses and a constant frown.
"We're honored to have the delegation visit Gucheng. We've arranged a full three-day tour of our academic infrastructure. All reports and logs are ready."
Lu Zhen gave a courteous nod.
"This isn't an inspection, Vice Mayor Han. It's a diagnostic study. No need to impress—just show us the truth."
Han hesitated.
Then smiled. "Of course."
Behind Lu Zhen were three minor members of the Provincial Planning Bureau, each handpicked by Fang Qinglan. They were loyal, quiet, and understood their job: cover while Lu Zhen did the real work.
The delegation moved forward. The city was watching.
---
System Alert
[New Mainline Mission: "The Rotten Core" Activated]
> Objective: Uncover corruption mechanisms in Gucheng's education system
Bonus Objective: Use data to consolidate media leverage in provincial education policy circles
Rewards:
Hidden Skill: "Social Engine Dissector (Lv.1)"
+2 Black-Box Channels for Information Release
+1 Strategic Influence Node
Risk: Moderate | Countermeasures Expected
---
Behind the Rankings
Day one was all scripted tours.
Shiny classrooms. Mock lessons with overprepared students. "Spontaneous" math contests.
But Lu Zhen watched the corners.
The dust patterns on unused desks.
The identical vocabulary books in every school.
The locked filing cabinets in headmasters' offices.
> Too neat. Too orchestrated.
At dinner, he excused himself and made a private call.
"Activate embedded contact G-72," he said into his burner phone.
A woman's voice replied, "Online."
"Deliver me real midterm data from Second Gucheng High. Full student roll. No alterations."
"It'll cost you."
"I already paid," Lu replied. "In silence."
The line went dead.
---
By morning, a USB drive was slipped into the pocket of his pressed overcoat.
Inside: three spreadsheets.
Lu studied them in silence over breakfast while the others made polite small talk about local cuisine.
It was damning.
Entire student IDs repeated across classes.
GPA averages manipulated to remove outliers.
"Substitute students" appearing for practice exams, then vanishing by finals.
Private tutoring firms registered to relatives of principals.
This wasn't just cheating.
It was a business model.
---
The Pressure Builds
On day two, Lu requested an unscheduled visit to a Tier-3 public high school outside the district rankings.
The headmaster panicked but agreed.
There, the difference was night and day.
Old furniture. Worn books. Understaffed. Teachers pulling double shifts.
But students were honest.
They had no scripts.
No performances.
When Lu sat down with a group of seniors and asked what they thought of the "miracle schools," one girl replied:
"They don't take students like us. Only the ones with rich parents. Or those who pay the tutoring companies."
Another boy chimed in.
"My brother went there for a week. Then they made him leave. They said he 'didn't fit the image.'"
Lu's pen didn't stop moving.
---
Later that evening, Vice Mayor Han requested a private conversation.
They met in a silent tea house on the 12th floor of the Gucheng Administrative Hotel.
"Comrade Lu," Han began, "I sense you're not here just to observe."
"I'm here to diagnose," Lu replied. "Rot starts from the root."
Han's smile faltered.
"You're young. Idealistic. I was like that once. But this is how the world works. Parents want scores. Schools need funding. The system demands numbers."
Lu placed a printed page on the table.
It showed three student names. One had been listed at two schools simultaneously.
Han's face hardened.
"You're poking at powerful interests. Gucheng's top schools are linked to Zhou Jian, the Education Vice Minister's protégé. He built this system."
Lu didn't blink. "Then it's time we take it apart."
Han leaned closer, lowering his voice.
"Make your report light. Suggest 'improvements' without naming names. We'll fix it gradually. Quietly."
Lu stood.
"This isn't a quiet problem. It won't get a quiet answer."
He left without finishing his tea.
---
System Reward
---
[Subtask: Hard Evidence of Systemic Fraud – COMPLETE]
> Skill Unlocked: "Social Engine Dissector (Lv.1)" – Can model corruption ecosystems within institutions
Black-Box Channel Added: "Jingzhou Youth Educational Reform Forum"
Reputation Among Reformist Bureaucrats: +12
Hostility from Education Business Coalition: +8
---
The Female Lead Moves
That night, he received a secure message from Fang Qinglan.
A single sentence:
> "You've made a move. They'll respond now. Hold firm."
The next day, it came.
A report, filed anonymously, claiming Lu Zhen's office "pressured underage students during a provincial delegation visit, resulting in emotional distress."
It was thin.
Poorly written.
But enough to start a whisper campaign.
Back in Jingzhou, rumors began swirling: Lu Zhen had overstepped, interrogated minors, made "unstable" decisions.
He countered with precision.
Lu published a redacted summary of his findings on the Youth Reform Forum, citing only public data and phrasing everything in statistical terms.
No names. No accusations.
Just truth.
By the next morning, five independent media blogs picked it up.
Then two university professors.
Then a provincial journal.
---
Suddenly, the game changed.
---
The First Victory
By day four, Gucheng's mayor issued an emergency directive: All top schools were to submit their raw admission and exam data for internal review.
Vice Minister Zhou Jian released a statement urging "deeper structural reforms" in education performance reporting.
Behind the scenes, Zhao Wenyuan called Lu Zhen directly.
"You've made a fire," he said.
Lu replied: "I lit it in a field that was already burning."
Zhao chuckled.
"You'll be nominated for a provincial education oversight committee in two months. Not officially a promotion. But everyone will know."
Then he added, "Fang Qinglan thinks you're going too fast."
Lu paused.
"I'm not sprinting. I'm just refusing to walk with my head down."
---
Aftermath
When Lu Zhen returned to Jingzhou, things had changed.
The deputy who once cold-shouldered him in Planning now greeted him politely.
An old senior clerk passed him a file and whispered, "I voted for your article."
He now had a name.
The Quiet Firebrand.
Young. Clean. Relentless.
In one move, he had pierced an entire ecosystem of hidden corruption—and done it without scandal, without names, without blood.
That was his style.
Not loud.
But lethal.
---
System Summary
---
[Mainline Mission: "The Rotten Core" – COMPLETE]
> Strategic Outcome: Gucheng scandal neutralized without direct opposition
Reward Unlocked:
"Quiet Firebrand" Title – Increased influence over youth policy initiatives
Public Sector Loyalty (Tier 1) Gained
Network Expansion +3 Nodes
---
As Lu stood on the balcony of his apartment that night, city lights glittering below, he thought about power—not as an explosion, but as a current.
Invisible.
Constant.
Unstoppable when guided.
And he was becoming the one guiding it.
---
End of Chapter 9