The arrival of Beijing's internal audit team came without fanfare.
No motorcade, no public announcement. Just three officials from the Central Discipline Commission quietly walking into the Provincial Urban Policy Council building.
Yet everyone felt it.
It was like a thunderstorm rolling in—unseen, but electric.
At 8:45 a.m., Lu Zhen received the internal memo. At 9:00, he was summoned to Room 407—a neutral zone within the building known for internal inquiries.
The probe had begun.
---
The Three Shadows
Lu entered Room 407 calmly.
Inside sat three investigators:
A middle-aged man with sharp features and glasses: He Qiang, Lead Investigator, known for dismantling corrupt networks in two provinces.
A young woman with a mechanical gaze, fingers constantly on her tablet: Yin Lu, tech-oversight and forensic auditor.
A quiet, heavyset man who said nothing: clearly muscle or a silent strategist.
They motioned him to sit.
"Lu Zhen," He Qiang began, "this is not a criminal inquiry. We are conducting a routine disciplinary inspection into various development projects and fund reallocations. You are not a suspect—yet. You understand?"
Lu nodded.
He Qiang continued, "You've played a prominent role in recent blueprint revisions. We'll need your digital notes, drafts, communications, and financial disclosures."
Lu handed over a prepared folder and a password-protected drive.
His confidence was absolute.
He had nothing illegal.
And everything questionable had been insulated through layers of legality.
---
System Update
[Host is Under Active Scrutiny: "Shadow Audit" State Activated]
> All asset movement is frozen
Skill "Legal Camouflage (Lv.1)" temporarily applied
+20% success rate in bureaucratic interviews
New Side Quest: "White Lotus Amid Mud"
Objective: Redirect attention from yourself by exposing a mid-tier corrupt figure
Reward: Influence Increase + Clearance Buff
---
A Tactical Diversion
Lu Zhen had expected this.
From the moment he changed the blueprint trajectory and exposed Zhou Minghao's network, retaliation had been inevitable.
So he set a trap.
Days earlier, Lu had submitted an anonymous dossier—under an obscure pen name—detailing discrepancies in "Green Revival Project No. 17", led by Assistant Director Liu Jianhua.
Nothing too extreme.
Just enough gray money movement, unaccounted consultancy fees, and conflict of interest to catch a watchdog's attention.
Now, as the audit deepened, Yin Lu's tablet began to blink.
She looked up. "Director Liu's signature appears on overlapping documents between Green Revival 17 and Southwest Corridor Reallocations."
He Qiang frowned. "How interesting."
The room's tension shifted—away from Lu.
Exactly as planned.
---
A Visit from Xu Qinglan
Later that evening, Lu Zhen sat alone in the building's rooftop lounge when he heard footsteps behind him.
Without turning, he knew it was her.
Xu Qinglan.
Now promoted to Deputy Director of Central Personnel Strategy.
Her heels clicked with measured power.
She sat across from him without a word, set a file down between them.
"The probe won't find you. You've built your walls too carefully," she said.
Lu raised an eyebrow. "You sound disappointed."
She smiled faintly. "I'm not. I'm watching."
Then she gestured at the file. "There's a power vacuum in Xichuan District. An elderly district chief is stepping down due to health. I've suggested a candidate."
Lu opened the file.
It was blank—except for a sticky note with three words:
"Make your move."
He looked up. "Is this a test?"
"Always," Xu Qinglan replied.
Then she stood, her silhouette a shard of authority against the night skyline.
---
System Mission Activated
[Mission: "The Xichuan Gambit"]
> Objective: Install a trusted proxy as Xichuan District Deputy Chief
Subtask: Neutralize local strongman "Chen Rongyuan"
Bonus: Unlock Political Proxy System
Rewards:
Skill: "Remote Influence (Lv.1)"
Asset Access Node in Western Development Funds
Public Image +2
---
Building a Proxy
Lu knew exactly who to push forward: Huang Shuo, a quiet but principled former colleague from his intern days at General Affairs.
He wasn't flashy.
But he was clean. Loyal. And most importantly—untied to any local faction.
Lu reached out quietly, offering strategy notes, project templates, and softly-worded endorsements from three mid-tier officials who owed Lu favors.
Within a week, Huang Shuo was shortlisted.
Within ten days, he was appointed Deputy District Chief of Xichuan.
The old guard was stunned.
And Lu Zhen had his first real field node in a district of 1.3 million people.
---
New System Feature: "Proxy Command Module" Unlocked
> You may now guide 1 appointed official
Current Proxy: Huang Shuo
Influence Level: 23%
Proxy Skills: Economic Restructuring (Lv.2), Crisis Response (Lv.1)
New Commands Available:
Strategic Proposal Draft
Local Resource Optimization
Minor Personnel Shifts
---
Retaliation Begins
But Chen Rongyuan, the former de facto strongman of Xichuan, did not go quietly.
He began whispering that Huang was a pawn—"a boy sent by someone who never set foot in the district."
He orchestrated an internal complaint letter campaign, pushed fake protests, and lobbied his allies in the Municipal Party Standing Committee.
One wrong move, and Huang would collapse.
Lu responded fast.
He orchestrated a public data release on past corruption cases across the district—without naming names but highlighting mechanisms.
The public picked up the scent.
Then Lu used his media contact to float a viral article:
> "The Silent Revolution: How a Young Deputy in Xichuan Is Cutting Through Decades of Deadwood"
Backed by neutral statistics, it painted Huang as the quiet reformer Xichuan had waited for.
The article made waves in provincial discussion groups.
And Chen Rongyuan was silenced.
No need to confront him directly.
Just bury him in irrelevance.
---
Expanding the Network
Two weeks later, Huang Shuo launched his first official project: a Community Small Enterprise Fund, aimed at revitalizing mom-and-pop businesses wiped out by megastore chains.
It was modest—just 20 million yuan.
But it reached the people.
And public satisfaction in Xichuan ticked up by 9% in one quarter.
System Notification:
> Public Image Value increased to 42 (Emerging Reformer)
Proxy Influence +7%
Influence Point Earned: 1
You now qualify for Local-Level Award Nomination
---
Xu Qinglan's Return
That same week, Xu Qinglan sent Lu Zhen an encrypted email.
Inside were two items:
1. A sealed report on Lu Zhen's audit: Cleared, with minor notes on "unusual foresight and document sophistication."
2. A single sentence:
> "You've passed your first fire trial. Are you ready to light your own?"
---
The Voice of the People
Lu Zhen opened his dashboard.
He now had:
One trusted district leader
Passive influence in four provincial subcommittees
A public image trending upward
And a growing asset base managed through his offshore node
But he knew that wasn't enough.
His next leap couldn't be just quiet maneuvers or silent sabotage.
He needed the people.
He needed to be seen.
And so, he made his move.
He announced a public online town hall series, under the name "Urban Futures: By the Young, For the Young."
It would address issues ignored by traditional politicians:
Youth employment
Startup incubation
Rural-urban mobility
Air quality metrics transparency
---
Chapter Close
Lu Zhen stood before the empty hall where the first session would stream live.
Just twenty years old.
No official title above "junior advisor."
No political dynasty behind him.
But with a mind of steel, a system in his hand, and a growing web of silent allies, he was building a future in the shadows—one where he would emerge, not as a footnote, but as the author of a new era.
The dragon was not flying yet.
But it had stretched its wings.
And the world would soon hear the wind change.
---
End of Chapter 12