Under Nan Sheng’s instigation, the power transition between the town Party committee secretaries and the revolutionary committees had descended into chaos, giving Cao Guoxiang a massive headache.

Finally, one day, he couldn’t take it anymore and called Nan Sheng. “Director Nan, don’t you think the timing is right now? Shouldn’t we move to the next step?”

“Don’t rush. Give me three more days, and I’ll hand you back a peaceful Qinghe County.”

Cao Guoxiang sighed in relief. Three days—he could endure that. So he shifted to a lighter topic.

“The county government has already prepared an office for you. You can move in anytime. I’ve also arranged housing for you.”

The location wasn’t far from his own home, just a five-minute walk from the county government—a prime spot by any measure.

Nan Sheng thanked him but said there was no hurry to relocate to the county town. She still needed to continue assembling her disciplinary committee team. The current intake of public servants wasn’t enough, so she planned to recruit a fresh batch of bright-eyed college graduates—newcomers always had drive!

Then there were those sent down to Sanwei Town for re-education. She had to ensure proper arrangements for those with connections.

At least the re-education households were still under her supervision. As long as they followed her rules, their lives wouldn’t be too harsh—no one would starve or be worked to death!

When Deng Jun returned from the villages, his expression was grim.

“Director, the revolutionary committee members have been making unnecessary rounds in the villages, flaunting their authority. The villagers are so terrified they don’t even dare step outside except to work. If we don’t rein them in soon, things will spiral out of control.”

He had fully embraced his new identity, severing ties with his past self. Revolutionary committee? Not his concern anymore—he was part of the disciplinary committee now!

Nan Sheng reassured him, “Don’t worry. It’ll all be over soon.”

Before the end of the workday, Chen Tian and Liu Song also returned.

Over the past twenty-some days, they had traveled across the entire county, collecting intelligence at the cost of countless favors. They had lost weight and looked exhausted, but at least the mission was nearing its end.

“Director, we’ve got everything now. You’ll want to pay special attention to these circled towns—some people are colluding with the black market to resell goods, and they might even be armed.”

Members of the revolutionary committee had abused their authority to seize property, claiming it was all destroyed in the name of revolution. But the more cunning ones had found ways to profit, forming an underground network with black market operators.

Since they couldn’t act openly, they partnered with black market dealers, creating a sizable illicit force.

Liu Song had marked all the problematic areas, leveraging his past connections to gather this intel.

Nan Sheng had previously mentioned to Lin Han that she might need his help. Now it was clear—without military intervention, she wouldn’t be able to complete her mission.

“You’ve worked hard. Take two days off to rest and recover. Come back refreshed.”

It was no wonder the two had pushed themselves so hard. The more they witnessed the desperate flailing of other revolutionary committee members, the more they felt lucky to have escaped that fate.

Now, they were desperate to prove their worth. Their past association with the revolutionary committee was a stain they could never erase—their only lifeline was clinging to Nan Sheng’s coattails.

“Thank you, Director!”

“Thank you, Director!”

Before leaving, Liu Song added a warning. “Director, this matter involves too many people. For your own safety, it’s best if you stay out of the spotlight.”

“Don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.”

If the government and the military jointly cracked down on the black market and suppressed the revolutionary committee, what did that have to do with Nan Sheng? She had been keeping a low profile, focusing solely on building her disciplinary committee team.

Though Nan Sheng remained composed, word of her actions had reached higher-ups. Some questioned her capability, but Director Jin had shut them down every time.

When pressed too often, Director Jin retorted, “The one-month deadline isn’t up yet. If we reassign her now, who’s going to handle the military’s demands?”

Mention of the military silenced them. No one dared eye Qinghe County’s vacancy anymore. If Nan Sheng proved unfit when the deadline arrived, they could always remove her then!

After returning home, Nan Sheng discussed the situation with Lin Han. “It’s more complicated than I thought. They might even have firearms—this is practically smuggling.”

Handing the task to Lin Han didn’t ease her worries. The black market here was far more ruthless than in Huaishan Town, and the corruption ran deep.

Lin Han pulled her into his arms, reassuring her. “I’ve handled countless missions. This is nothing. Consider it done, Commander Nan.”

He had already submitted a request for live combat drills, allowing him to act at his discretion. But given the new developments, the government needed to be informed.

Nan Sheng whispered, “You have to protect yourself. Don’t get hurt.”

The same went for the brave soldiers under his command—no one could afford injuries. May the system watch over them!

The system: ?

Why am I being dragged into this again?

That night, Nan Sheng slept fitfully, waking several times. By morning, she looked haggard.

“Mom, are you feeling sick? Should you take the day off?”

Sizhe, seeing her pallor, immediately helped her to the dining table. Siqi was equally concerned.

“Mom, what’s wrong?”

Their family was usually healthy—why was she suddenly unwell?

“It’s nothing serious. Just an old issue—trouble sleeping gives me headaches. A short nap at noon will fix it.”

Thanks to better self-care, her complexion had regained its fairness, making fatigue more noticeable. But being escorted like an elderly woman was unnecessary—she wasn’t that frail yet.

“Do you know when your dad left?”

“I know!”

Siqi raised her hand—a habit since starting school.

“Dad left not long ago! He told us to keep an eye on the time so you wouldn’t oversleep!”

Lin Han, eager to resolve his wife’s troubles, had risen early to fetch breakfast. Now, munching on a steamed bun, he strode toward the barracks.

He’d brief his team first. Once Division Commander Yao arrived, they could move out!

“Reporting, Division Commander! I have an update!”

Division Commander Yao held Lin Han in high regard for his integrity and competence. Privately, he had even promised to promote him to regimental commander after the New Year.

“Cut the formalities. What’s the matter?”

“About the live combat drills I mentioned earlier—we need you to notify the government.”

Division Commander Yao paused. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Since when did the military have to announce its assistance to the government? Weren’t they the ones asking for help?

“Didn’t your wife submit an operation report?”

Lin Han explained the situation. “She’s worried about leaks. The government’s interests are too entangled.”

Division Commander Yao shrugged. Fine—it was just a phone call. Nan Sheng was a military spouse, after all. Family looked out for family.

“I’ll ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‌ ‌‌ ‌‌‌ ‌‌ ‌ ‍make the call. You take your team and go.”

To Division Commander Yao, this operation was just a warm-up—hardly worth a second thought.

"Division Commander Yao, my wife also mentioned that the black market deals might involve smuggling. The intercepted cultural relics and antiques will be handed over to the higher-ups, while the rest should be brought back to the military district for your disposal."

Every mission came with bonuses, and Nan Sheng wasn’t about to let everyone work for nothing—this was her way of being generous with someone else’s money.

Still, even if these assets weren’t turned over to the military district, they’d never make it back to their original owners.

Division Commander Yao didn’t particularly care about the money, but he had to admit—Nan Sheng certainly knew how to handle things smoothly!