Invasion of the United States

Zhou Qingfeng's audacity is truly astonishing; he dared to impersonate the deputy director of the Federal Tax Bureau, Oliver Harden, and blatantly came to the "Ministry of Health" to assume his duties.

Perhaps it was the myriad issues revived by the epidemic, causing a shortage of staff; or perhaps it was Professor Hart's impeccable disguise, the security personnel in the building did not notice anything unusual.

After verifying the documents Zhou Qingfeng provided, the guard wore an apologetic expression: "I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Harden.

Recently, many people have fallen ill, and the department is short-staffed. Please wait a moment while I contact the relevant personnel for you."

"No worries, I've just returned from a trip to hell myself." Zhou Qingfeng's face appeared somewhat ashen at this moment, and his hair and attire seemed a bit disheveled.

In the eyes of others, this semblance truly made him look like an official who had just recovered from a serious illness and had no time to care about his image. His willingness to assume his post and report for work in this crisis was exemplary.

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About half an hour later, after passing through somewhat lax security procedures, Zhou Qingfeng was allowed entry into the 'Ministry of Health' building.

The receptionist informed him that Minister Robert would personally meet with this newly appointed member of the "Medical Efficiency Committee."

However, when he slowly ascended to the top floor in a somewhat antiquated elevator and pushed open the heavy double doors of the minister's office, the spacious and bright room was empty.

He did not see the minister's figure, only a young minister's assistant waiting in the reception area.

"Hello, Mr. Harden. It's a great honor that you are here to assume your duties." The minister's assistant's voice carried a hint of professional enthusiasm, yet she seemed somewhat nervous.

She looked barely in her thirties, and her professional outfit couldn't conceal her anxious demeanor—even Shanni seemed more seasoned compared to her.

As they shook hands, her palm was warm and damp, and she repeatedly apologized, "As you can see, Minister Robert is unable to meet you in person today."

"Is the minister unwell?" Zhou Qingfeng glanced around.

The minister's office was spacious and bright, with the slightly overcast sky of Washington D.C. visible from the large floor-to-ceiling windows, but indoors it felt empty and desolate, and other staff members were hardly visible.

Reflecting on the corridors he had passed through, many office doors were tightly closed, as if many administrative officers chose to be absent.

"Yes, Minister Robert unfortunately contracted the virus and is currently receiving treatment at the Reid Fort Army Medical Center," the minister's assistant replied with a trace of concern.

"Then what about the deputy minister?" Zhou Qingfeng continued to inquire, "You should at least have a permanent deputy minister, right?"

"Yes, we do have a permanent deputy minister." The minister's assistant nodded, "But Mr. Higgins believes it's too risky to work at the office currently, so he decided to work remotely from home."

"Where is his residence?"

"In Maryland."

"Alright," Zhou Qingfeng slightly elevated his voice, with a hint of disbelief, "Neither the minister nor the permanent deputy minister is here.

What about the assistant ministers? You must have six assistant ministers. Surely, they can't all be absent, can they?"

Upon learning about the absenteeism among the department's senior officials, Zhou Qingfeng's tone involuntarily elevated, carrying a faint trace of anger, as if he was displeased and distressed by such a disorganized situation.

The minister's assistant looked aggrieved, "You guessed entirely correctly, all six assistant ministers have their reasons and haven't come to the office for days.

Even I was just an ordinary employee from the Public Affairs Office, temporarily promoted due to the severe manpower shortage."

Upon hearing this, Shanni, who had been nervously trailing behind Zhou Qingfeng, finally breathed a sigh of relief, and her tense expression relaxed greatly.

The government department is so understaffed, what's there to be afraid of?

Zhou Qingfeng continued to ask: "Then what about the other members of the 'Medical Efficiency Committee'? Where are they now?"

The minister's assistant appeared even more aggrieved, and her voice was slightly lower: "You are currently the only member who received an appointment and came to report for duty.

Others are either unreachable, have outright refused the appointment, or have been slow to come even after accepting the appointment.

If you formally take office, you might be the highest-ranking official currently in the department, even I would have to report to you."

"Wow..." Zhou Qingfeng's facial muscles slightly twitched, almost failing to control the somewhat ludicrous expression on his face.

This is practically a real-life case of when the mountain lacks a tiger, the monkey proclaims itself king! A sense of incredible absurdity and a faint thrill quietly sprouted in his heart.

"Could it be that, for the upcoming days, this United States 'Ministry of Health' is under my control?"

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About half an hour later, Zhou Qingfeng settled down in a spacious yet somewhat oppressive-feeling office.

It originally belonged to an assistant minister in his fifties, who unfortunately lost his life to this ruthless epidemic three days ago.

The office still carried a faint scent of disinfectant and traces left by its hurriedly departed owner.

With the introduction of the young minister's assistant staying behind, Zhou Qingfeng began to get an initial understanding of the basic operational conditions of the Ministry of Health.

Through online video connections, he had online "meetings" with the ministers and deputy ministers who hadn't shown up or were working from home, just to get familiar with each other.

However, these video link processes appeared extremely formulaic and devoid of substantive content.

On the other side of the screen, some were visibly haggard, with hoarse voices, genuinely appearing plagued by illness, unable to perform their duties;

while others had shifty eyes and perfunctory words, clearly avoiding responsibilities out of fear of the epidemic.

With only a small electronic screen in between, the sense of distance between people was infinitely amplified, and the so-called authority and status of officialdom became blurred.

Without face-to-face interaction and the suppression of presence, the hierarchy of officialdom seemed completely flattened by an invisible barrier.

As Zhou Qingfeng was the only person from the "Medical Efficiency Committee" to report for duty, the official who was supposed to take the committee chair did not come to take office.

In the absence of competition, Zhou Qingfeng naturally became the vice-chairman of the committee, also assuming the duties and work of the chairman.

It was precisely by virtue of this special identity that Robert, who was recuperating at Reid Fort Army Medical Center, had no choice.

Through an authorization order, he formally appointed Oliver Harden as vice-chairman to take full charge of managing all affairs of the Ministry of Health during the current emergency, reporting directly to the minister himself. The most up‑to‑date version is on M4VLEMP4YR.

The reason was simple: in the current Ministry of Health, 'Harden' was indeed the highest-ranking official.

Shanni, who came to serve as secretary, was extraordinarily excited about this. She cheerfully walked to Zhou Qingfeng's desk, lowered her voice, and said in disbelief:

"Victor, Victor, you've really hit the jackpot! There's not even a single person here who can hold you back; you're the minister here now!"

Zhou Qingfeng's smile slightly faded, as he sat upright in the soft wide leather office chair, rhythmically drumming his fingers on the smooth oak desk in front of him, and said solemnly:

"During work hours, address by title."

Shanni playfully stuck her tongue out, rolled her eyes at him, and emphasized mischievously:

"Yes, Deputy Chairman of the United States Federal Government Department of Health and Human Services 'Medical Efficiency Committee', Mr. Oliver Harden.

Do you have any orders now?"