With three superpowers at his fingertips, he could dominate the 1970s.

Unbeknownst to Jiang Zhiyu, the morning after she left, a meeting about the list she had provided took place in a small conference room deep inside the sanatorium.

The meeting room door was closed, the curtains were drawn tightly, and an old-fashioned chandelier hung overhead, casting a dim yellow light onto the long conference table.

Several enamel mugs were placed on the table, steaming gently.

There were only a few people present, less than ten.

But each and every one of them is a pivotal figure in this country.

Vice President Liu, who is in charge of national scientific research planning, has been engaged in scientific research for thirty years. Half of his hair has turned white, and his glasses are as thick as the bottom of a bottle.

Director Zhao is in charge of project approval and fund allocation. He's a veteran planner with twenty years of experience and has seen hundreds of projects.

Commander Qian, a former soldier, went from being illiterate to dedicating his life to engineering construction, from road building to bridge construction, from underground fortifications to above-ground factories—there was nothing he couldn't accomplish.

There were two other people sitting in the corner, not saying a word, but with their backs ramrod straight.

The former leader was the last to walk in.

When he pushed open the door, everyone stood up.

"sit."

The old leader walked to the head seat and sat down, and Secretary Li placed the list in front of him.

The old leader picked up the handwritten list and pushed it onto the table.

The enamel mug hit the table with a crisp sound.

"Take a look at them all."

---

Vice President Liu was the first to reach out and take the list.

He put on his glasses and looked closer.

In less than half a minute, his hands began to shake.

Director Zhao leaned over for a look, his brows furrowing deeply.

Only Commander Qian remained still. He didn't know many characters, especially complex ones. But he stood ramrod straight, waiting to hear.

The others, though not very knowledgeable about scientific research, were still shocked when they saw the contents of the list.

The meeting room was silent for a full three minutes.

Only the clock on the wall was ticking.

Vice Dean Liu took off his glasses, his voice trembling slightly:

"Where did this list come from?"

The old leader glanced at him:

"A little girl, brought to us from abroad."

Vice President Liu stared in astonishment, his mouth agape.

Then he closed his eyes again.

The old leader isn't one to make baseless accusations. Since he presented this list, there must be a reason behind it.

Director Zhao cleared his throat:

"Sir, um...it's not that I'm questioning your judgment, but this matter is quite serious."

"I've managed planning for twenty years and seen hundreds of projects. There are so many pieces of equipment, some of which I've never even heard of."

He paused, then used more careful wording:

"What I mean is—do these things really exist? Can we really have them?"

The meeting room fell silent again.

The former leader did not answer immediately.

He picked up the teacup, took a slow sip, and put it down.

"I don't know either."

Everyone was stunned for a moment.

"I believe that girl. But I've never seen those things."

The old leader's gaze swept over everyone present:

"That's why I called you all here to discuss this matter..."

Director Zhao felt that this was a breakthrough, so he leaned forward:

"Sir, how about this—let's verify this first, even if it's just a few items."

"Our most pressing projects right now are missing a lot of things. Let's pick a few and have her ship these over first, then we'll take a look. I'll send an expert to check them out and confirm they actually exist before we—"

Vice President Liu looked very grim.

It wasn't because of anger, but because of the pain of knowing it was hope but not daring to believe it.

他 说:

"Sir, if the items on this list—and I mean if—are true, then every single one of them represents the highest level of supplies subject to the Western embargo against China."

"Who should we send? How should we send them? They've already aroused suspicion before they even reach the country."

The old leader laughed heartily.

"You don't need to worry about that—the little girl said these things have arrived."

Upon hearing this, everyone stood up.

Vice President Liu said excitedly:

"Old boss, are you sure?!"

"I've been doing scientific research for thirty years! There are some things I can tell what they mean just by looking at their names!"

For example, this one—

He pointed to a line on the list, his voice trembling:

"X-ray photoelectron spectrometer—I've been waiting for it for ten years, I've been dreaming about it."

His voice suddenly choked up, but he quickly suppressed it.

Director Zhao remained silent.

At this moment, the old leader spoke:

"We're having this meeting today for two reasons. First, to confirm if these things actually exist. The girl said she'll find a place and send some of them there."

"Vice Dean Liu, please check off a portion of the list. I'll arrange for that young girl to deliver these things tonight."

His tone became serious:

"Don't pry, don't inquire. Some things are best kept to ourselves."

Then he turned to look at Commander Qian, his voice deep:

"Old Qian, you're in engineering. Once these things are verified tonight, I'm having you build a test site in the desert. You and your men need to calculate the labor, materials, manpower, and time—building that system won't be a small undertaking."

"We know our country is poor. If these things are real, conducting secret experiments is no problem. This project is the largest in terms of national manpower and resources to date."

"Once I see the equipment tonight, I need a detailed report on starting construction by tomorrow afternoon. List out anything that's missing, and call for immediate deployment."

This statement resonated with everyone.

These are also their greatest wishes.

The old leader looked at the excited crowd below and sighed:

"You people—"

There was a hint of both amusement and helplessness in his tone:

"We won't act until we see the benefit. Alright, tonight we'll have that girl bring out a little something for you."

He stopped smiling and his sharp gaze swept over everyone:

"Remember—no one is to inquire about this. This meeting is top secret. Any leaks will be considered treason."

The people below immediately sat up straight.

Secretary Li quietly stopped taking notes.

The old leader stood up and walked to the map hanging on the wall.

It was a topographical map of a place in the northwest, with several red circles drawn on it.

With his back to everyone, he pointed to a spot on the map, paused for a moment, then turned to look at Vice Dean Liu:

"Get a few reliable, top-notch people from various units, and make sure they keep their mouths shut, and have them come over to conduct the technical acceptance test."

Then he looked at Commander Qian:

"The lab project will proceed as planned, but don't touch the main structure yet. First, get the external infrastructure up and running—roads, water, electricity. Even if the equipment doesn't arrive in the end, this foundation won't be wasted; it can be used for other things later."

Director Zhao and the other two exchanged glances.

Director Zhao said nervously:

"What if she can't get it?"

He simply couldn't believe that such precious things could flow into the country from abroad.

"She can transport it."

The old leader said.

His tone was calm, yet his words left no room for argument.

No one spoke in the meeting room anymore.

It wasn't because they believed it, but because the old leader's eyes told them—this wasn't a matter of belief, but a matter of it having to happen.

After a few seconds of silence, Vice Dean Liu nodded:

"I'll draft a list when I get back."

Director Zhao immediately followed up:

"I'll allocate some start-up funding first."

Commander Qian finally stood up, in the distinctive posture of a soldier, his back ramrod straight like a javelin:

"We'll find a few engineers to create a project proposal for you."

The old leader waved his hand at them:

"Go."

The three people stood up and walked out one after another.

As they reached the door, the former leader called out to Vice President Liu.

"Old Liu."

The old leader didn't look at him, but stared at the enamel teacup in his hand, his voice low, as if he were talking to himself:

"If those things really exist... you know what that means."

Vice President Liu stood at the door, silent for a long time.

He thought of the equipment he had waited ten years for, of the scientists who had never seen the instruments described in their papers, and of the days and nights they had spent desperately trying to catch up in their rudimentary laboratories.

Finally, he nodded, said nothing, and went out the door.

Only the former leader and Secretary Li remained in the conference room.

Secretary Li put down her pen, hesitated for a moment, and then asked:

"Sir, do you really believe her?"

The old leader put down his teacup and looked out the window at the ginkgo tree.

Sunlight filters through the branches and leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

"letter."

One word.

It has more power than any words.