Lu Dingbo could give Wang Yuecheng nothing further about Shen Cong, because he did not know the truth about Shen Cong either. Even when he asked the Eastern Theater Command over the Super-Thunder Wave station, the answer came back vague. Shen Cong's standing was high, his strength was great, he was worth trusting. Deal with him honestly, and above all don't play games with him.

On how to get along with Shen Cong, Liu Yiwu thought he had the knack.

As he saw it, Shen Cong tended a little toward persecutory delusions, but he had principles and he had lines he would not cross. There was no need to greet him with a warm face. Lay everything out in the open and take away his suspicion, and that was enough.

Smile at him however you liked and Shen Cong would think no better of you for it.

Wear a cold face, and so long as the business was done properly, Shen Cong would not take offense at that either.

Here was a man who lived inside his own world and cared for nothing but himself. Like a tiger in the jungle — careful, watchful, walking the hills alone, not given to treating men as food, but perfectly willing to eat one that threatened him. If the Eastern Theater Command had held real power, it would never have left him to run loose.

The trouble was that Shen Cong held enormous strength, and so long as he did not turn against humanity, the only way to deal with him was on his own terms.

The Eastern Theater Command had worked with Shen Cong a long while. You could not call the relationship warm, but nothing had ever gone badly wrong, and the Command had profited a great deal by him.

An iron person that strong could serve the country and its people if he was used well, and ruin them both if he was used badly. That came down very much to a leader's touch — and it was the Eastern Theater Command's good fortune that Liu Yiwu was very good…