A Good-for-Nothing

215. Li Zong’s Reinstatement as Vice-Superintendent (I)

 

Translator: Dragon Rider

 

In the Supernaturalism Management Bureau (SMB).

Zhen Daoyuan and Zong Xian had both been paying close attention to the ongoing search for the Demonic Seed in the south-west. On this day, a matter of some importance left the latter no choice but to call Li Zong in.

Zong Xian was talking with Zhang Jingqiu on the phone when Li Zong arrived, and his eyes performed a brief upward glance at Li Zong as they alighted on him walking inside. Then he resumed the phone conversation. “… Got it. I’ll send you some more backup, but you’ll have to let those trainees come back in the middle of this month if no progress is made by then.”

After Zhang Jingqiu gave an undertaking on the other end of the phone with a few words, Zong Xian ended the call.

Zhen Daoyuan said, “Take a seat.”

Li Zong walked up to a chair opposite them and sat down.

Although Zhen Daoyuan and Zong Xian were not on good terms in private, when faced with an important task, they always put aside their personal feelings to make sure staff members of SMB worked as one.

Zong Xian put his cellphone down on the side and tossed Zhen Daoyuan a glance. “Director Zhen, how about you brief him on this matter?”

Zhen Daoyuan gave a nod and then said to Li Zong, “Li Zong, you and your boys did a very good job eliminating the Human Devil in time in Hang City before he could get any stronger. As a reward for your meritorious service, you’ll be reinstated as vice-superintendent. There will be an official announcement from our superior department in a day or two.”

In fact, Li Zong didn’t really care much about whether people addressed him as ‘Group Leader Li’ or ‘Supt. Li’. What he cared more about was the matter that Zhen Daoyuan was going to tell him next. After all, it was totally unnecessary for Zong Xian and Zhen Daoyuan to be both present if this was only about informing him of his reinstatement as vice-superintendent.

The two leaders of SMB were rather disappointed by the sheer composure Li Zong displayed at the news, but this was not the time to talk about this kind of trivial details. Zhen Daoyuan let out an unnatural cough in an effort to conceal his embarrassment, shifted his sitting position and then got down to business. “There’s yet another thing we have to bother you with, and you’ll need to make a temporary shift of emphasis from your regular job to this task.”

“?”

Zhen Daoyuan looked Li Zong in the eyes and said with great distinctness, “Select some trainees to build a team and take them to participate in the 2018 World Exorcism Championship as their team leader.”

The World Exorcism Championship and the Global Exorcists Friendly Communication Competition were organized jointly by exorcism organizations of various countries annually, and the prizes were very generous, but leaders of the Department of Homeland Security had no great liking for the idea of competing with their foreign counterparts for public attention, so they had only selectively had SMB participate in some of the previous events.

Over the past few years, the team leader had been either Zhang Jingqiu or Xiang Hailou, and their winning percentage was 0.7. The reason why they hadn’t won every championship they’d participated in was because they sometimes had orders not to embarrass foreign exorcism organizations too much. As regards Li Zong, normally SMB wouldn’t assign him to lead the team, and it was solely because his participation would make the game a blowout.

Back at the time when the Global Exorcism Committee had decided to hold a global exorcism contest, the National Exorcism Council of the Republic of Hua had just been through the fierce fight against the Demon King and had suffered heavy casualties, and some member states had dared the National Exorcism Council of the Republic of Hua to attend the event because it’d barely had any international fame and seemed a low-hanging fruit.

‘A weak country has no diplomacy,’ as the saying goes. The higher-ups of the Department of Homeland Security had been angered. As luck would have it, in that year, Li Tiangang had just recommended Li Zong, his grandson, to the leader of SMB, who had then named Li Zong captain of the first national team for the exorcism championship. At that time, leaders of SMB had given Li Zong very strict orders to steam roll all the other competing teams. Therefore, Li Zong, who had never liked doing things with panache, had trounced all rival teams within three days, shortening the event which was supposed to last seven days by four days, successfully accomplishing his task.

News about SMB of the Republic of Hua having a powerful exorcist named Li Zong had instantly spread through the whole exorcism world, and Li Zong had risen to fame overnight. When the Republic of Hua had decided to participate in the World Exorcism Championship for the second time, in order to deal with Li Zong who had been believed to be the most powerful exorcist in the Republic of Hua, all the other competing exorcism associations of foreign countries had sent their best players. Leaders of superior departments, after being informed of this, had instructed Li Zong to create a repeat performance of his victory in the first championship, and this time Li Zong had excelled himself, bringing the event to an end with great ease on the second day of the competition.

When the Republic of Hua had decided to compete in the event for the third time, would-be squads of other countries had demanded that Li Zong stay out of the arena, for if Li Zong took part in the competition, no contestant would stand a chance of winning and they might as well stay at home sleeping.

As a result, the couple of elders of the Global Exorcism Committee had, not without embarrassment, consulted with the couple of leaders of the Department of Homeland Security of the Republic of Hua, saying that maybe Li Zong could just be the team leader giving instructions to the players on the sidelines. Naturally, the leaders had agreed with smiling faces and a lot of courtesies, but after the consultation, they had immediately given Li Zong some strict orders, saying that he was to stay on the sidelines, but his team must not lose.

Predictably, Li Zong had not let his superiors down. By merely giving instructions to the players, he had still been able to save the day for his team. What with this, all exorcism organizations of foreign countries were still experiencing a carry-over of fear for Li Zong’s capabilities till this day. It was rumored that an exorcist, after losing to Li Zong three years in a row, had even directly backed out of the competition at the mention of Li Zong’s name in the fourth year.

Afterward, in order to maintain the semblance of harmony, or maybe because the Global Exorcism Committee had made some kind of secret deal with the Department of Homeland Security of the Republic of Hua, leaders of the later had very happily let Zhang Jingqiu or Xiang Hailou take the place of Li Zong as captain of the national team from the fourth championship on.

It was said in that year, SMB’s operational funding had been treble the usual level, and a large number of magic tools had been allocated to SMB as well, and it had even been offered access to detailed information of registered exorcists of other countries.

This time, given that they were not only reinstating Li Zong as vice-superintendent but also naming him captain of the national team, they must be determined to win this exorcism championship.

Zhen Daoyuan said, “You must lead your team to the championship this time, because the reward for the champion team is the original manuscript of Zhang Daoling’s anti-demon exorcism circle.”

With this remark, Zhen Daoyuan made it very clear what he meant.