Lu Shen went upstairs and was led to the Personnel Office.
The duty supervisor at the Personnel Office, a white woman in her early fifties wearing gold-rimmed glasses, showed undisguised surprise when she saw a young Asian man push the door open and walk in.
"How can I help you?"
"I am Lu Shen, the new Chief of the East Asia Economic Intelligence Group in the Economic Intelligence Analysis Division." He displayed his pre-made ID badge from headquarters within her line of sight and handed over the second item from his briefcase—a complete copy of his personal background information. "I would like to proactively submit my full background information and apply for a review of the highest level of confidentiality clearance."
The duty supervisor took the documents, glanced at the cover, and slightly raised her eyebrows.
"You... are applying for a review voluntarily?"
"Yes," Lu Shen replied calmly and openly. "Director Casey issued an expedited transfer order that bypassed some routine steps in the personnel process. I believe, as a newly appointed core position leader, it is my responsibility to complete all procedural formalities proactively. This is accountable to the CIA and also a protection for myself."
The duty supervisor looked at him, then nodded.
"Alright. I will forward your application to the Security Office and the Confidentiality Office. They will complete the review within forty-eight hours and notify you of the results."
"Thank you."
...
Following this, Lu Shen visited the Security Office and the Confidentiality Office in the same manner.
Before eleven in the morning, he completed all the procedural departments.
At each place, he maintained the same demeanor—neither arrogant nor humble, proactively cooperative.
News traveled quickly through the corridors of headquarters.
At one in the afternoon, Lu Shen entered his office for the first time.
The Economic Intelligence Analysis Division was located on the fourth floor west wing of Langley Headquarters, with the East Asia Economic Intelligence Group's office area at the end of the corridor—two adjacent rooms, one large and one small.
The larger room, about forty square meters, had six desks and was the workspace for the team members; the smaller room, about fifteen square meters, had one desk, two visitor chairs, a filing cabinet, and a red secure phone—it was the team leader's office.
Lu Shen stood at the door of the team leader's office for a few seconds, looking at the brand-new nameplate on the door...
The nameplate had just been replaced that morning, and the paint around the screw holes hadn't fully dried, emitting a faint chemical smell.
Below the nameplate, the marks of old screw holes were clearly visible... another name had once hung there.
Lu Shen pushed the door open, walked in, and surveyed the entire room... the window faced north, with a view of the parking lot and the tree line of the distant Virginia suburbs; the filing cabinet was empty, with no belongings left by the predecessor; on the desk were only a phone, an IBM Terminal, and a summary of today's internal briefing.
Too clean.
A newly vacated office usually leaves some traces of the predecessor... folders, sticky notes, personal items forgotten in drawers.
But this office was meticulously cleaned, as if someone deliberately wanted to erase all evidence that it once belonged to someone else.
...
On the afternoon of his first day, Lu Shen completed two one-on-one meetings.
The first was with Lane, the Division Chief of the Economic Intelligence Analysis Division.
Lane's office was at the end of the fourth floor east wing, with deep red curtains at the entrance—a standard feature for division chief offices.
When Lu Shen knocked and entered, Lane was standing by the window watering a thriving green plant.
"Sit," Lane said without turning his head.
Lu Shen sat down in the visitor chair.
"Tell me, what do you want to discuss?"
"Chief, I'm here today not to talk about my personal work arrangements, but to discuss how the East Asia Economic Intelligence Group can create value for the division."
Lane's eyebrows twitched slightly...
"My group focuses on one thing: business results," Lu Shen's tone was steady and sincere. "All core reports will be submitted to headquarters under the name of the Economic Intelligence Analysis Division."
"The follow-up effects of the Plaza Accord report are fermenting, and the White House and the Treasury's demand for East Asia economic intelligence will continue to rise in the next six months. This is a window for the division... to secure more budget, higher organizational ratings, and greater influence among the various departments at headquarters. My group can be the core support for this window."
Lane took off his glasses and wiped the lenses with the hem of his shirt...
"What does your group need?"
"Final decision-making power on personnel allocation," Lu Shen said. "The Director requires me to produce results quickly, and I need people whose abilities match the tasks. If the team members are chosen by someone else, I can't be accountable for the results."
Lane put his glasses back on.
"I'll support you. But there's one condition."
"Please say it."
"If your group encounters any problems... business, personnel, compliance... you take responsibility. Don't bring the trouble to me."
"No problem."
Lu Shen stood up and shook hands with Lane.
...
The second meeting was with Weber, the Director of the Asia Operations Directorate.
Weber's office was on the third floor central wing... one floor higher than Lane's, closer by one corridor, and this subtle spatial difference had a precise correspondence in the CIA's power map.
Unlike Lane, Weber was a pure career bureaucrat.
He didn't care if the footnotes in the report were formatted correctly; he cared whether the report's signature line included the words "Asia Operations Directorate."
He didn't care if the mathematical derivation of the analysis model was rigorous; he cared whether the analysis conclusion could allow him to say something impressive in front of the Director.
Lu Shen's meeting with Weber was even shorter and more direct.
"Director, I suggest that the follow-up investigation and closure of the Soviet Union's embargo trade line with Japan be led by the Asia Operations Directorate and reported to the Director and Congress under the Directorate's name." This story is hosted at novelping.com.
Weber's hand holding the coffee cup paused in mid-air.
"My group is responsible for intelligence analysis and evidence chain closure, but the credit for the operational aspect belongs to the Directorate. If this line is successfully closed, it will be one of the CIA's most significant achievements in the Cold War direction. The Congressional budget hearing needs a compelling story, and the person to tell that story should be you."
Weber put down the coffee cup and looked at Lu Shen...
"What do you want?" Weber asked directly.
"What I need is already written in the transfer order... dual reporting and coordination permission with the Counterintelligence Center," Lu Shen's tone was neither arrogant nor humble. "Besides that, I only need the Directorate to provide normal administrative support to my group and not interfere with our work for any non-business reasons."
Weber understood who "others" referred to.
Horton was Weber's deputy but also his potential competitor.
If Lu Shen's Soviet embargo trade line could be successfully closed, Weber could use this achievement to overshadow Horton in front of the Director.
And to achieve this, he only needed to do one thing... protect Lu Shen from being sabotaged by Horton.
Weber calculated this clearly.
"Do your job," Weber said, taking a sip of coffee. "I'll handle the rest."
Lu Shen nodded and left.
Two meetings, two styles of power transactions.
Lane provided him with a business-level umbrella.
Weber gave him a political buffer zone.
Neither of them was his friend... there were no friends within the CIA system... but under the current interest structure, they temporarily stood on Lu Shen's side.
That was enough.
...
The next day, Lu Shen received the team personnel list forwarded by the Personnel Office.
A formal document marked "Approved by the Chief of the Economic Intelligence Analysis Division, Co-signed by the Director of the Asia Operations Directorate," listing six names... his team, directly appointed by headquarters.
Lu Shen took the list back to his office, closed the door, and sat down at the desk.
He reviewed each person's file one by one.
The position of deputy team leader had a name: David Chen.
Thirty-two years old, second-generation Chinese American, Master's in Economics from the University of Virginia... Lu Shen paused when he saw his alma mater's name... five years of frontline experience at Tokyo Station, fluent in Japanese, English, and Mandarin.
The evaluation column of the file consistently marked the same grade for five years: "Excellent."
But the promotion record column was blank.
Five years of "Excellent," zero promotions.
Lu Shen didn't need to look further to know the reason.
In the CIA of the 1980s, a Chinese analyst receiving five consecutive years of "Excellent" without ever being promoted had only one reason... the racial ceiling.
He turned to the next file.
Emily Jones. Twenty-eight years old, white female, Master's in Accounting from the University of Pennsylvania, Certified Public Accountant, three years of experience at Hong Kong Station.
Lu Shen recognized this name.
In the work at Hong Kong Station... a significant portion of the offshore capital flow data used in his writing of the Plaza Accord report was organized by this person.
The data was extremely clean, with meticulous cross-referencing, one of the best foundational works on capital flow monitoring he had seen.
But the file showed that in her three years at Hong Kong Station, her name never appeared in the signature line of any core report; all achievements were credited to her superior.
Lu Shen closed her file and opened the third one.
Mark Harris. Thirty-five years old, white male, former naval officer. Two years of field experience in Vladivostok, fluent in Russian.
The last column of this file caught Lu Shen's attention for a while... "Current position: Archivist at Headquarters."
A Soviet Far East trade expert with field experience in Vladivostok, assigned to organize archives.
The fourth file: Sarah Lee. Twenty-nine years old, Korean American, PhD in Economics from the University of California, Berkeley. Four years of experience at Seoul Station.
The same pattern... outstanding ability, marginalized.
The fifth file: George Miller. Forty years old, white male, former Security Office official. Fifteen years of compliance and confidentiality management experience.
Former Security Office... Lu Shen squinted his eyes, pondering for a moment. A person who worked in the Security Office for fifteen years, transferred to the Economic Intelligence Division for basic compliance review, was itself a form of exile.
The sixth file.
Lu Shen opened the last file and sneered.
Richard Wilson. Twenty-five years old, just graduated from university, with no intelligence work experience.
Remarks: "Recommended by Robert Wilson, Deputy Chief of the Economic Intelligence Analysis Division."
Who the Fing Hell said there was no nepotism in the United States?
...
On the third day of his appointment, at nine in the morning.
Lu Shen held the first full meeting of the East Asia Economic Intelligence Group in the workspace next to the team leader's office.
David Chen sat to Lu Shen's left, his back straight, his facial expression serious and restrained.
Emily Jones sat on the outermost side, her short golden hair neatly tucked behind her ear... she was looking at Lu Shen, as well as everyone else in the room.
Mark Harris sat the most upright.
Sarah Lee sat in the corner, leaning slightly forward, unconsciously clutching a pencil in her hand, appearing more nervous than the others...
George Miller sat against the wall, his hands crossed over his abdomen, expressionless.
Richard Wilson sat in the farthest corner from Lu Shen, his chair tilted back, his body language screaming that he didn't want to be there.
Lu Shen stood up.
"I'm not giving a speech. Let's get straight to the rules."
Six pairs of eyes focused simultaneously.
"First rule. All external reports, inter-departmental coordination, and counterintelligence center collaboration must go through my final review and signature. No one is authorized to release information externally or coordinate with other departments without permission. This is procedural discipline, with no exceptions."
His gaze didn't target anyone specific when he said this, but Richard's chair unconsciously moved forward a bit.
"Second rule. The signature on business achievements... the first author of core reports will be the frontline executors present, not me. Year-end evaluations and promotion recommendations will be based solely on business results. Seniority, age, tenure, and background connections do not constitute any bonus points in this office."
David Chen's pupils dilated slightly, Emily's fingers clenched and unclenched under the table, and Mark Harris's back... if it could get any straighter... straightened by another millimeter.
"Third rule. I don't care where you've been, what you've encountered, or who has suppressed you before. From today on, this office only looks at one thing... your work. If you do well, I'll fight for everything you deserve. If you don't, I'll tell you to your face and give you a chance to improve."
Lu Shen scanned the room.
"Just these three rules, any questions?"
Everyone was silent, but... a few people quickly nodded.
In the CIA system, where seniority, racial discrimination, and gender bias were rampant, someone had just stood before them and said something that couldn't be heard in any other office.
And the person saying it didn't seem to be grandstanding.
"Good." Lu Shen sat back in his chair, opened the drawer, and took out the twelve-page "Work Responsibilities and Operational Boundaries Statement." "Next, task allocation."
He verbally outlined the core content of the statement... East Asia economic trend analysis, cross-border capital flow tracking, CoCom embargo compliance investigation, Southeast Asia industrial transfer monitoring, four major business sectors, each corresponding to everyone's professional field.
"David, you lead the US-Japan economic game and yen exchange rate direction. The follow-up analysis of the Plaza Accord report, you are the first author."
David Chen nodded, his lips tightly pressed.
"Emily, you're in charge of cross-border capital flow monitoring. I need you to complete the evidence chain closure on the financial side of the Soviet embargo trade line within two weeks."
Emily's eyes lit up, "Two weeks is enough." Her response was brief and decisive.
"Mark, you lead the Soviet and CoCom embargo sector. With the intelligence you accumulated in Vladivostok and the logistics evidence chain from Hong Kong, I need you to string the entire line together from start to finish, forming a complete action plan that can be directly submitted to the Operations Directorate."
Mark Harris also nodded.
"Sarah, you're responsible for Southeast Asia industrial transfer and the economic direction towards China. The theme of the first report is the path analysis of Japanese manufacturing shifting to the Four Asian Tigers, with a draft due in two weeks."
Sarah Lee's fingers finally released the pencil she had been clutching for ten minutes.
"Okay."
Her articulation was clear.
"George." Lu Shen looked at the expressionless middle-aged man sitting against the wall, "Compliance review, confidentiality management, and process design within the group are entirely up to you. From today on, every external document, inter-departmental coordination, and confidential operation in our group must go through your compliance signature. Your signing authority is equal to mine... if I sign and you don't, it doesn't leave this office."
George Miller's facial expression finally changed.
This was respect.
"Understood." George replied quickly.
Finally, Lu Shen's gaze fell on Richard Wilson in the corner.
Richard had been waiting for this moment, his body language since the meeting began had been full of you better give me a decent job—chair tilted back, legs crossed, fingers tapping a dissonant rhythm on the table.
"Richard."
"Yeah." The response was lazy.
"You are responsible for the group's administrative affairs and basic data organization. Meeting minutes, document archiving, briefing distribution, data entry, all fall under you."
Richard's expression changed.
Administrative affairs, basic data organization, meeting minutes.
These tasks had an unspoken nickname in the CIA system... grunt work.
A person who got in through his uncle's connections, assigned to do grunt work.
Richard's lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he ultimately held back.
His gaze quickly darted towards the door... that direction led to the corridor, the corridor's end was the elevator, and one floor up was his uncle's office.
Lu Shen noticed his gaze.
"Any problems?"
"...No."
"Good." Lu Shen flipped over the last page of the statement, "Lastly, I've submitted this 'Work Responsibilities and Operational Boundaries Statement' to Chief Lane and Director Weber. From today on, the group's business boundaries, responsibilities, and external coordination processes will all be executed according to this statement. Anyone with objections can bring them up with me directly, and I'll consider them seriously. But if no one raises any, it will be considered as agreement."
He scanned everyone present.
"Meeting adjourned, get to work!"