The rain drizzled down on the streets of Jingzhou City, a quiet yet ambitious second-tier city tucked away in the central plains of the New Huaxia Republic. The wet concrete reflected the glowing neon signs of convenience stores and noodle shops, casting a warm hue against the damp air. The scent of steamed buns and motor oil filled the atmosphere—a typical evening in the urban sprawl.
Lu Zhen stepped off the city bus, his black leather bag clutched in one hand and a slightly creased appointment letter in the other. He looked no different from the thousands of graduates who had recently walked out of university gates, chasing dreams into the heart of the nation's bureaucratic machine. But unlike the others, Lu Zhen was carrying a secret he hadn't yet discovered.
"Central District Office for the Ministry of Public Affairs," he muttered under his breath, glancing at the small building ahead. Modest, nondescript, and almost hidden between two high-rises, this was where his journey would begin.
The front desk clerk barely looked up when he walked in.
"Name?"
"Lu Zhen."
She tapped on her keyboard, then passed him a blue security card. "Intern desk is on the third floor, Room 3-07. You're reporting under Deputy Director Liang."
He thanked her and took the stairs—he had never liked elevators, perhaps a habit from living with his grandfather, who always told him, 'Climb each step, and you'll remember the weight of your path.'
---
Room 3-07 smelled faintly of aging documents and cold air-conditioning. The office was shared by six interns, all fresh-faced, all a little too eager or a little too lost.
"You must be Lu Zhen," a voice called out. A short, round man in his late thirties walked in, glasses slipping down his nose. "I'm Deputy Director Liang. Welcome to the Ministry of Public Affairs, Jingzhou Division."
"Thank you, sir. It's an honor."
"You're starting in the Urban Public Affairs Planning Unit. Not the most glamorous, but important. We work on neighborhood development plans, sanitation policy, and grassroots issues. Learn the ropes, do your paperwork, and stay quiet when needed."
Lu Zhen nodded. He didn't expect prestige. He was here to learn, to observe—and if possible, to climb.
Deputy Director Liang continued, "One more thing. Don't get involved in local politics. Leave the grand ideas to the Party Secretariat upstairs. Just do your part, and you'll have a future here."
Lu Zhen was handed a stack of planning files, community reports, and a backlog of petitions from residents. It was tedious work, buried beneath layers of bureaucracy. Still, he quietly got to work while the other interns chatted about upcoming exams for promotion certification.
But on the fourth day, something unusual happened.
---
It was late evening, and most of the office had cleared out. Lu Zhen stayed behind, reviewing a complaint from a small residential community facing sewage overflow due to a stalled construction project. The documents indicated that the problem had been reported three times with no resolution. Someone had marked it as "closed" despite no repairs being made.
He dug deeper and found irregularities—budget allocations for that sector had been logged, but the contracting company listed no completed work. He checked the company registry.
"Jingyuan Development Ltd." No listed owner. No tax filings. It didn't exist. He sat back in his chair.
Someone siphoned public funds and buried it.
Most would've ignored it. He didn't.
Lu Zhen took out his notebook and began drafting a report. He backed it up with records, screenshots, scanned logs—everything he needed to at least raise a question.
That night, as he saved the document and stood to leave, his phone vibrated.
The screen turned white.
A cold wind seemed to pass through the room.
Then a line of glowing text appeared on the device:
---
[Heavenly Mandate System Binding in Progress…]
Initializing… 5%... 28%... 100%
Welcome, Candidate. You have been chosen by the Mandate. Your rise shall shape the fate of the nation.
Current Rank: Intern (Public Affairs)
Mission Activated: Resolve the "Ghost Contractor" Case within 72 hours.
Reward: Basic Administrative Skill Pack + 100 Merit Points
Failure: -10 Reputation, System Dormancy for 30 days
---
Lu Zhen stared in disbelief. He rubbed his eyes, thinking it was a prank.
But the next morning, he discovered that his analysis report had already been forwarded—somehow sent to the Internal Affairs division under Deputy Commissioner Tang Wei.
By noon, the project site had been inspected. The ghost company was blacklisted. The funds were frozen, and Lu Zhen's name was discreetly mentioned in an internal commendation.
The same evening, Director Liang called him into his office.
"You're being transferred," Liang said flatly. "Effective tomorrow, you'll work under the Municipal Reform Task Force. You've caught someone's attention."
Lu Zhen's heart raced. "Is that… good?"
"That depends. You're young. Be careful where you step, Lu Zhen. And whatever you do, don't make enemies before you have allies."
---
The next morning, Lu Zhen was handed a new badge, new clearance, and a new cubicle—this time on the top floor of the building.
He wasn't sure if it was a promotion or a trap.
But when he walked past the frosted glass doors of the Reform Task Force Office, he saw her for the first time.
Tang Wei.
Calm, elegant, and sharp-eyed. She was speaking with two senior officials when her gaze briefly locked onto Lu Zhen.
Just a second.
But enough to freeze him in place.
She turned away without a word.
Lu Zhen sat at his new desk, opened his laptop, and heard the system's voice again:
---
[New Path Unlocked: Reformist Bureaucrat Route]
Support Character Unlocked: Tang Wei – Senior Strategist
System Tip: She's more than she appears. Approach carefully.
Lu Zhen smiled faintly.
So it begins, he thought.
And somewhere deep inside him, a quiet fire sparked to life.
He didn't know how far he could go.
But he intended to find out.