A Bumpy Road to Power

The three of them advancing and retreating together meant that before Dirk Carter took office, they had already agreed on this.

And it wasn't just them.

There were also people like Logan Linden and Benedict Hall in the conference room.

They should be in the same camp as the three deputy directors.

Not everyone took leave.

That was only because they couldn't let the unit's work grind to a halt.

Judging from how they behaved in today's meeting, everything that was said here will also be passed on to the ears of those three deputy directors.

To be honest.

The few people present.

All looked down on Dirk Carter to some extent.

First, he wasn't that old; age in the system is a hard shortcoming.

Being young means little experience and shallow scheming, naturally not much experience in officialdom; getting pinched and played is perfectly normal.

Second, someone must have taken the lead in this show of force.

To pull off such a big move, there's only one person.

That person is the executive deputy secretary, Sidney Lewis.

Sidney Lewis is 54 this year.

He is the deputy secretary in charge of the Commission's day‑to‑day work, and the number-two.

When the 6/26 case broke, and Heriberto Sutton wanted to take the lead in intervening in the investigation of the Public Security Bureau's criminal investigation squadron chief, Grady Sawyer, Sidney Lewis was strongly opposed.

Back then he joined with the other deputy secretaries to constrain Heriberto Sutton.

That kept Heriberto Sutton's investigation from ever really spreading its wings.

Alexander Camden had also said.

After the State Commission for Discipline Inspection set up a task force and stationed it in Silverwood City, they never got cooperation from the local Commission; that too was Sidney Lewis's handiwork.

After all, with the top leader absent.

He was the real holder of power in the Commission.

In today's conference room, Dirk Carter got a genuine look at Sidney Lewis's reach.

Once the meeting started.

After everyone entered the conference room, they all acted perfunctory.

After Dirk Carter's bout with Logan Linden and Benedict Hall.

It was obvious everyone's state picked up.

The slouched postures vanished, the pens left on the table were picked up, and even Jasmine Summers, who'd been dozing off as soon as she came in, perked up a bit and stopped yawning.

Letting the atmosphere remain frozen like this wasn't a solution.

The number-four, Yates Grant, cleared his throat.

He said to Dirk Carter, "Secretary General Carter, regarding the three deputy directors taking leave, I'll coordinate on that after the meeting. Since you called us together, there must be other matters, right? Let's continue the meeting."

Yates Grant was clearly an old hand.

With one sentence, he gave both Dirk Carter and Benedict Hall a way down.

Newly arrived, Dirk Carter only wanted to knock some people around a bit; since his purpose was achieved, that was enough. After all, his prestige hadn't been established yet—if things got too rigid it would be bad for him. He nodded and said, "Alright, let's continue the meeting."

This time, Logan Linden and Benedict Hall didn't dare act up.

They obediently took out their notebooks and assumed a meeting posture.

They were smart too; there was no need at all to end up as the scapegoats for the three deputy directors.

"Today's meeting is mainly about two things. First, announcing a new rule: starting today, all division‑level cadres in the unit who want to take leave must get my approval. Unauthorized leave will be treated as absenteeism and reported to the Organization Department for attendance records. Second, as everyone knows, I, Dirk Carter, have just arrived. After you go back, organize the work in your hands into a report and submit it to me—include what you're currently working on, its progress, and when it will be completed. Deadline is three days."

As soon as Dirk Carter finished speaking.

Those sitting closer started whispering among themselves.

Clearly, they were unhappy with his rules.

Many people wanted to say they were too busy, had no time to write reports.

But remembering how Logan Linden and Benedict Hall's excuse had been ripped to shreds at the start of the meeting, they suddenly couldn't bring themselves to say it.

"In addition, let me add another rule: from now on, for any meeting, being one minute late counts as late. When the time comes, this conference room door will be closed. If you're not here, the meeting won't be opened."

After saying this last sentence.

Dirk Carter straightened himself a bit.

Stood up and said, "Alright, everyone's busy with work; I won't delay your time. Meeting adjourned!"

Leaving those words behind.

Dirk Carter walked out.

"Damn, what's this little brat acting so tough for? Just because he's become Commission Secretary he thinks he's hot shit…"

"Exactly…waving a chicken feather like an arrow of command, really thinks he's somebody now."

As soon as Dirk Carter left.

Benedict Hall and Logan Linden started jabbering, venting their dissatisfaction—and, of course, making up for the face they'd just lost.

For Sidney Lewis's direct protégés, Dirk Carter made them furious.

But for those watching the fire from across the river.

Things were starting to turn subtle.

This young top leader seemed to have a shrewdness beyond his years.

For Dirk Carter.

Today's meeting was merely a probe.

A preliminary feel for the cliques and factions inside the Commission.

Looking at the current situation.

Sidney Lewis was the hidden black hand behind the scenes.

The other two deputy secretaries, Amos Tanner and Todd Vincent, were his followers.

As for Benedict Hall and Logan Linden, they were also part of Sidney Lewis's faction.

The relationships among these five were now basically clear.

Besides these five.

He also saw that Yates Grant and Jasmine Summers usually kept pretty close.

The two of them, barring surprises, should be fence‑sitters.

They had no fixed alignment; they'd side with whichever camp looked stronger.

The other two standing committee members, Nigel Stone and Roman Zane, should be the hands‑on type. After joining the meeting, they listened very attentively and never interacted with Benedict Hall's group. Next step, these two were the first ones Dirk Carter planned to win over.

The last one was Athena Meyer.

Right now Athena Meyer's identity was relatively sensitive.

Everyone kept a certain distance from her, afraid of getting themselves covered in trouble. Throughout the meeting she kept her head down; clearly, being ostracized by everyone was nothing new for her.

She too was on Dirk Carter's list of people to win over.

Of course.

Just these three wouldn't be nearly enough for him to gain discourse power within the Commission.

The ones with the greatest power were the three deputy secretaries.

With Sidney Lewis as his opponent, getting him on side was basically impossible.

So if he wanted to split up this small group, he had to make a move on Amos Tanner and Todd Vincent.

Dirk Carter had always believed.

The premise for forming a clique is interest.

As long as you create conflicts of interest between them and Sidney Lewis, this so‑called "alliance" will naturally collapse on its own.

Same point as before.

It was only his second day here.

Regarding the relationships among these people, he was essentially in the dark.

If he wanted to understand them.

He had to work from the inside.

After thinking it over.

Dirk Carter still settled on Athena Meyer.

Athena Meyer had several qualities that made her an excellent choice.

First, given her current situation, she urgently needed someone she could lean on. Second, with all the ostracism from the others, she had to be nursing grievances.

But it would be hard to justify approaching Athena Meyer too rashly.

She was, after all, a woman—and a beautiful one. If he got too close, people would suspect his motives weren't pure.

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