Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

The golden peregrine falcon, having left the Nevada desert, did not head straight east. He Damin's consciousness, within his Yang God, looked down at the rapidly passing North American continent, and a new plan had already formed in his mind.

The fifty acres of land on the outskirts of Beijing are already enclosed by a wall, and construction of his "vehicle repair service station" will begin next spring. A service station, naturally, needs vehicles to be repaired and "displayed." But conjuring vehicles out of thin air inevitably raises suspicion. And on the war-torn peninsula to the north, the mountains of vehicles and equipment piled up behind the Allied lines provide a ready-made "source." And what about the weapons, ammunition, food, medicine, and winter clothing… For the Volunteer Army soldiers battling a powerful enemy in the freezing cold, every single item could be a lifeline, a crucial factor in victory.

"Since I'm here, why not act as a 'porter'? Take from the enemy and use for my own benefit. It can be considered... contributing my meager strength as a cultivator to my homeland." With this thought in mind, the Purple-Gold Peregrine Falcon drew a graceful arc in the air, slightly changed direction, and sped towards the Korean Peninsula in the northeast.

It was December 1951, and the Korean Peninsula was experiencing the harshest winter in decades. A cold front swept across the country, with temperatures plummeting to minus 20 or 30 degrees Celsius. Breath turned to ice, and snow filled the air. For the UN forces, with their superior equipment and relatively well-developed logistics, the bitter cold was a severe challenge; for the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, with its scarce supplies and long supply lines, it was a life-or-death ordeal. A thick cotton military uniform, an unassuming can of food, and a box of life-saving medicine were as valuable as guns and cannons.

The golden peregrine falcon pierced the clouds, descending to a lower altitude. Below, the peninsula's mountains and land were covered in thick white snow, the smoke and snow fog mingling to create a desolate and brutal picture of war. The battle lines were jagged and interlocking, both sides holding their positions in a stalemate. He Damin's divine sense, like the most acute radar, spread out, focusing on the rear areas of the Allied forces—large supply bases, vehicle assembly points, airfields, and armories near the main transportation lines.

Several large targets were quickly identified. A key logistics hub of the Allied forces, located in the west-central part of the peninsula near Seoul, became his primary focus.

Located near major highways and railways, the area is heavily fortified. The vast open storage yard is densely packed with thousands of vehicles of various types: Willys Jeeps, Dodge trucks, GMC 10-wheelers, half-track troop carriers, and even spare hulls and parts for Sherman tanks and M24 Chaffee light tanks. Most of the vehicles are covered with tarpaulins or snow, but they are relatively new, clearly intended for reserve and replenishment.

Beside it stretched a continuous warehouse area, its tall warehouses piled high with wooden crates—ammunition (from rifle bullets to heavy artillery shells), rations (C rations, various canned goods), medicines (sulfonamides, morphine, blood plasma, bandages), and clothing (especially thick wool overcoats, winter boots, and sleeping bags). Further away, hundreds of P-51 Mustang fighters, F-86 Sabre jet fighters (some under maintenance), and some transport planes were lined up on a makeshift airfield. On the artillery positions, 105mm and 155mm howitzers stood silently under camouflage netting, with ammunition boxes piled up beside them.

"That's quite a lot," He Damin thought to himself. These supplies were exactly what he needed, and what the front lines urgently required.

He chose to act at midnight. At that time, the wind and snow were fierce, visibility was extremely low, and the sentries were at their most exhausted. The Purple-Gold Peregrine Falcon hovered high in the night sky, the main body of the Yang God maintained vigilance and control, while several more subtle and agile soul entities separated out, like night spirits, silently drifting towards the massive base below, whose outlines were still clearly visible despite the blackout.

The spirit entities ignored the beams of searchlights, the footsteps of patrols, barbed wire, and minefields. They infiltrated watchtowers, barracks, and command posts, selecting key personnel on duty or asleep—duty officers, warehouse managers, vehicle dispatchers, and sentry sergeants—for brief possession and memory reading. They quickly acquired the base layout, patrol patterns, passwords, and most importantly, the specific locations and inventory lists of all warehouses, parking lots, and ammunition storage points.

Preparations were complete. He Damin's Yang Spirit began to mobilize its immense divine power, combining it with the absorption capabilities of his inner world.

His first target was the huge open-air parking lot. His divine sense, like an invisible hand, enveloped about a third of the area—mainly the well-maintained, practical vehicles (Jeeps and trucks), roughly five or six hundred in total. With a thought, he commanded, "Withdraw!" A faint, almost imperceptible ripple of space swept across, and the hundreds of cars and trucks covered in snow, along with their tarpaulins and the small amount of snow underneath, vanished instantly! Only a smooth expanse of snow and clear tire tracks remained, quickly buried in the ensuing blizzard. The entire process was silent; even the searchlights from the distant watchtowers only made the area appear slightly empty, barely discernible in the snowy night.

Next came the warehouse area. The soul entity had already identified which warehouses contained the most urgently needed medicines, high-energy rations, and winter clothing. Divine sense penetrated in, precisely "enveloping" the wooden crates and shelves marked with medical symbols, food labels, and heavy winter clothing. Tons of sulfonamide powder, morphine injections, blood plasma bags, vitamin tablets, compressed biscuits, canned meat, canned fruit, chocolate, and hundreds of thousands of thick, brand-new wool military coats, leather boots, cotton hats, gloves, sleeping bags... disappeared one after another from the warehouses as if swallowed by an invisible giant whale, and were stored in a specially designated open space within the inner world, neatly stacked and categorized.

Ammunition depots were key areas, but also high-risk. He Damin didn't go overboard, choosing only a few warehouses storing standard rifle bullets, grenades, mortar shells, and some 105mm howitzer shells. He was extremely careful during the collection, using layers of his divine sense to stabilize them and avoid collisions. Even so, the disappearance of a massive amount of ammunition (enough to equip several divisions) instantly made those warehouses much emptier.

He Damin hesitated for a moment regarding the aircraft at the airport and the heavy artillery positions. The aircraft were too conspicuous and their maintenance was complex, offering relatively limited value to the "service stations" in Beijing and the frontline Volunteer Army (which lacked the necessary pilots and ground crew). He only selected 350 P-51 Mustang fighters that appeared to be in the best condition and 88 C-47 transport planes, along with some accompanying aviation ammunition and fuel, to store in his small world. Perhaps they would be useful for future research or dismantling. As for the heavy artillery, he collected 530 relatively lightweight 105mm howitzers and a large quantity of shells, which would be an excellent supplement to the Volunteer Army's firepower.

The entire "transportation" process lasted approximately two hours. He Damin, like a master thief, staged a silent "supply evaporation" spectacle in the heavily guarded logistical heartland of the Allied forces. His movements were swift, his mental manipulation precise and meticulous, controlling each collection to a small area and quantity to avoid causing large-scale spatial fluctuations or energy anomalies. The wind, snow, and night provided excellent cover; occasional patrols passing through the collected areas only sensed something was amiss, but couldn't quite put their finger on it, attributing it to the heavy snow and blurred vision.

After completing its "visit" of this main base, the Purple Gold Peregrine did not stop, continuing to fly north along the coalition's rear supply lines. Over the next two nights, it visited two other smaller supply depots and a frontline ammunition stockpile, "borrowing" more trucks, jeeps, medicine, food, winter clothing, and some light artillery and ammunition using similar methods.

As the golden peregrine falcon finally took flight and began its return journey westward towards the homeland of China, a staggering "mountain of supplies" had appeared within He Damin's inner world:

Vehicle section: 632 Willys Jeeps, 350 Dodge medium trucks, 186 GMC 10-wheel trucks, 36 half-track vehicles, and a number of spare Sherman tank hulls and parts. All are in relatively new condition.

Airfield: 350 P-51 Mustang fighters, 88 C-47 transport aircraft, along with ammunition, fuel, and some ground support equipment.

Artillery section: 530 105mm howitzers, 1,300 75mm mountain guns, and countless artillery shells.

Ammunition section: Hundreds of millions of rifle bullets, tens of millions of hand grenades, hundreds of thousands of mortar shells, rocket launcher shells, recoilless rifle shells, and hundreds of tons of 105mm howitzer shells.

The pharmaceutical section contains a huge quantity of sulfonamides, morphine, antibiotics, plasma, first aid kits, surgical instruments, etc., enough to support the medical needs of several large-scale battles.

Food section: Various military canned goods, compressed biscuits, chocolate, milk powder, coffee, sugar, etc., piled up like mountains, estimated to be nearly 320,000 tons.

Clothing section: 300,000 brand-new, thick wool military overcoats, and a full range of supporting cold-weather supplies such as boots, cotton hats, gloves, and sleeping bags.

In addition, there were 300 radio stations, telescopes, engineering tools, and countless other miscellaneous supplies.

"These cars are enough for the initial operation and demonstration of the service station. As for the remaining supplies..." He Damin's divine sense swept over the massive "mountain" in the small world, his gaze seemingly piercing through space, seeing the figures fighting tenaciously in the icy snow on the Korean front, "Let's just say... we're returning what we borrowed to its rightful owner."

How to deliver these supplies to the Chinese People's Volunteer Army without exposing themselves requires careful planning. Perhaps, under the cover of an upcoming snowstorm or battle, some supplies could be "placed" in areas or along transportation routes that the Volunteer Army might control, through a "miracle" or "accidental discovery"? Or, could information be transmitted through some covert channels?

These things can be thought about slowly. For now, let's go back to Beijing. I've been away from home for several days. I wonder if Zhu Zi has slacked off in his boxing practice, if Yu Shui has adjusted to going to school, if He Daqing has behaved himself, and if Chen Xueru... has she gone to the hospital again?

The golden peregrine falcon transformed into a streak of light, traversing the darkest night sky before dawn, leaving the snow and smoke of the Korean Peninsula far behind, carrying a bounty of "borrowed" gains, and throwing itself into the warm embrace of that ancient land in the East.

The morning bell of Beijing is about to ring. In He Damin's warehouse, he has prepared enough capital to start his business for that spring, and he has also prepared a silent and powerful "east wind" from the Star Sea cultivators for the distant battlefield.