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

Meanwhile, in country M, far across the Pacific Ocean...

In the back kitchen of a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco.

Chen Jianzhong, Lin Ruihua, and Chen Jiahong sat around an old wooden table with several letters and a remittance slip spread out on it.

A rare look of excitement and ecstasy appeared on the faces of the three of them.

Chen Jianzhong had been working undercover in the United States for nearly ten years and was one of the most important liaisons planted by the state on the west coast of the United States.

Upon receiving the news, he immediately notified the other two intelligence officers.

At that moment, all three of them focused their attention on the remittance slip.

That number—far exceeded their expectations.

Not only were all the equipment costs that had been advanced reimbursed, but the funding also increased several times over.

What moved them even more was the letter of commendation.

The letter paper was small, but the signature on it—

The three of them looked at it several times to make sure they weren't seeing things.

It was written by the former leader himself.

Chen Jianzhong's hands trembled slightly as he carefully folded the letter and put it back in the envelope.

"More than ten years..." His voice was a little hoarse, "This is the highest honor I've received in more than ten years."

Lin Ruihua took off his glasses and wiped the lenses. He didn't say anything, but his eyes were slightly red.

Chen Jiahong clenched his fist so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

During their years of infiltration in Country M, they knew the situation back home was tense and funds were always stretched thin. They desperately contacted patriotic overseas Chinese and tried every means to help purchase scarce but difficult-to-obtain supplies. Most of these purchases were made by overseas Chinese and their staff themselves. Some items required government reimbursement, but they always paid for them first and waited for the government to reimburse them gradually—sometimes waiting for half a year or more, sometimes not at all, they would find ways to make up the difference themselves, never asking for reimbursement.

This time is different.

This time, not only were they reimbursed, but they were also reimbursed so quickly and so generously—they even transferred the full amount of money they had spent on the equipment themselves.

This is simply unimaginable given the current fiscal situation in China.

Moreover—this letter of commendation was actually written by the former leader himself.

What does this tell us?

This shows that their efforts were recognized and their contributions were remembered.

This demonstrates that their work has received recognition at the highest level.

Chen Jiahong took a deep breath, looked at the remittance slip and the letter of commendation again, and then suddenly looked up at the other two:

"Brother Jianzhong, Brother Ruihua—what do you think of that Comrade Jiang from this mission…?"

He didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was already quite clear.

Chen Jianzhong and Lin Ruihua exchanged a glance, both seeing the same suspicion in each other's eyes.

After that mission, a lot of things happened in the US. Thefts at universities, equipment disappearing from military bases, data leaks from several top laboratories... The US intelligence agencies were in chaos, searching the world and creating a climate of fear.

The three of them, being among the crowd and well-informed, naturally heard about it. It was they who relayed the news of the chaos back to China.

To be honest, they had a vague feeling at the time that these things were inextricably linked to that Comrade Xiao Jiang.

But they couldn't believe it.

It's not that I don't want to believe it, it's just too outrageous.

It's unbelievable that a teenage girl could single-handedly cause such a huge commotion in the US and escape unscathed.

But now—

The government transferred such a large sum of money to them, greatly increasing their funding, and they even received a commendation letter personally written by their former leader.

What does this tell us?

This indicates that the people in charge are extremely satisfied with the results of this mission.

How satisfied were they? So satisfied that, even when finances were so tight that every penny had to be stretched thin, they were still generously given additional funds, increased allowances, and personal letters.

The tasks they performed on this mission—purchasing, contacting, and transporting goods—were routine work, and while arduous, they didn't deserve such treatment.

The only variable is that Comrade Xiao Jiang.

The three remained silent for a while.

Chen Jianzhong spoke first, his voice very low: "Don't ask anymore, don't ask what you shouldn't ask."

Lin Ruihua nodded, but couldn't help adding, "I'll just say this—if my guess is true, then this girl…"

He shook his head, unable to find the right words, and finally only said two words:

"amazing."

Chen Jia Hong didn't speak, but nodded heavily.

After the three finished their discussion, the room fell silent again.

Outside the window, the street scene of San Francisco unfolds, with cars coming and going and neon lights flashing. People walking on the street include white people, black people, and Chinese people—all sorts of faces. Chinese people walking on the street often unconsciously lower their heads and hunch their shoulders, as if they are used to hiding themselves in a corner.

Chen Jianzhong stood up, walked to the window, and looked eastward.

Their country is across the entire Pacific Ocean.

It's late at night there—if I'm not mistaken, it should be almost dawn.

"You say..." his voice was soft, as if he were talking to himself, "Will we live to see the day our country stands up again?"

Lin Ruihua walked to his side and also looked eastward.

"able."

His tone was calm, but very firm:

"I didn't dare say it before, but this time—I have a feeling."

Chen Jiahong also came over and stood behind the two of them.

He didn't speak, but all three of them were looking in the same direction.

They desperately wanted a prosperous and powerful country behind them.

Having lived in the US for so many years, they know all too well what being Chinese means in this country—it means being looked down upon, discriminated against, and treated as second-class citizens. No matter how hard you try, no matter how well you do, in their eyes, you will always be an outsider.

They've endured this for far too long.

But they believe that one day, those who look down on them and despise them will have to look up to them.

Because behind them stands a nation that the whole world has to look up to.

Thinking of this, all three of them felt a lump in their throats.

Chen Jianzhong took a deep breath, patted his companion, turned around and walked back to the table, picked up the letter of commendation again, and read it carefully once more.

Then he carefully put the letter away and placed it in the innermost hidden compartment of the drawer.

It was placed together with the commendation letters I had received before.

He will read this letter for the rest of his life.