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

The silence did not last long.

Zhuge Yunhe put down his teacup and was the first to speak.

"Young friend, let's speak frankly."

His tone remained gentle, but his eyes held a new layer of solemnity.

"As you've seen, our country is in dire need of manpower right now. When Dingwen and I were calculating this disaster, we didn't sleep for several nights." He paused, his fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of his glass. "Every blink of an eye is a loss of life."

Jiang Zhiyu listened quietly without interrupting.

"In our line of work, everything revolves around cause and effect. It's all about fate—and with fate comes variables." Zhuge Yunhe looked at her, his gaze deep yet gentle. "And young friend, you are that variable."

Jiang Zhiyu paused slightly in her tea-serving hand.

"I can't say how many people we can save," Zhuge Yunhe lowered his voice, "but at the very least, we can help more people avoid the risks."

He sighed, "The biggest problem isn't the pre-earthquake evacuation, but the post-earthquake rescue and supplies. Young friend, you are the variable."

Zhong Dingwen spoke up at this moment, his voice heavy: "Recently, my master and I requested some supplies from the national reserves, but as you know, given the current situation in the country... we haven't been able to allocate many supplies. Right now, it's not easy for our soldiers to even have enough to eat."

He gave a wry smile: "The older folks in the bureau, since they heard about this, have all started voluntarily lowering their food standards, thinking they can save as much as they can. The country is in a time of crisis."

Jiang Zhiyu remained silent for a moment.

Then she said, "I did purchase a batch of supplies through the port city. Combined with yours, that should be enough."

There was a two-second silence in the office.

Zhuge Yunhe and Zhong Dingwen looked at her at the same time, and the light that suddenly flashed in their eyes was like a lamp being lit in the dark night.

Zhuge Yunhe immediately spoke up, his words even faster than before: "Young friend, I won't pry into your privacy—some techniques in our country have been passed down to this day, like the Five Meridians of Mysticism, there are simply too many ancient methods passed down. Or perhaps you've had some fortuitous encounter, or even possessed a celestial treasure. We won't inquire into those matters."

He looked into Jiang Zhiyu's eyes and said, word by word, "We just want to know, if you can bring these things back from Country M, then—can you safely deliver these supplies to the earthquake zone?"

He didn't ask if he was willing; he asked if it was possible.

He already had the answer in his heart, but he needed her to confirm it with her own words.

Jiang Zhiyu nodded.

Zhuge Yunhe and Zhong Dingwen both breathed a long sigh of relief, as if a stone that had been pressing on their chests for a long time had finally been removed.

"Good!" Zhuge Yunhe slammed his hand on the table, his spirits immediately lifting. "Now that you've purchased the supplies, give me the supply list, and I'll take it to the old leader for a look. Also—make any requests you have! As long as the country can provide it, we'll definitely fulfill them for you!"

Jiang Zhiyu shook her head: "There's nothing I want right now."

She picked up her teacup, took a sip, and said casually, "Anyway, the big boss already owes me one favor, I'm not afraid he'll owe me another."

Zhuge Yunhe's lips twitched.

This girl really speaks without any politeness.

On the other hand, the fact that they are not making demands or threats at this time is actually reassuring.

"Well—" Zhuge Yunhe's smile faded, "Now that we've come this far, do you have any other thoughts about joining our bureau?"

Jiang Zhiyu thought for a moment, then answered decisively, "I don't have any particular thoughts. I just want absolute freedom. As for whether it's a formal employment contract or not, you can decide that yourself. I don't like being controlled."

Zhuge Yunhe burst into laughter, so loud that the water in his teacup sloshed around.

"Look at those monkeys in our bureau, which one of them is actually disciplined?" He gestured towards the door with his chin. "They're all running around, not one of them can stay in the bureau."

Zhong Dingwen added with a wry smile, "I'm the only one who can't escape. I want to leave too, but there are too many trivial matters at the bureau, I can't get away."

As he spoke, he glanced at Zhuge Yunhe and added, "Now, if anything happens, I don't even need to lift a finger; my men can handle it."

Zhuge Yunhe didn't respond to that question, but instead took out a stone from his pocket.

The stone wasn't large, just the right size to fit in the palm of your hand. It was black in color, with an uneven surface covered in densely packed runes.

In Jiang Zhiyu's mind, Seventeen suddenly spoke up: "This stone is a bit strange. It has energy, and—this energy doesn't dissipate."

Does it not dissipate?

Jiang Zhiyu narrowed her eyes slightly. She could sense everything in the space, but she was never sensitive to external energy fluctuations. Since Seventeen specifically mentioned it, it meant that this thing was indeed unusual.

Zhuge Yunhe held the stone in his hand, touching it again and again, as if bidding farewell to an old friend. Then, he solemnly handed it to Jiang Zhiyu.

"This stone is yours."

Jiang Zhiyu took it; it felt slightly heavy in her hand. The stone surface was warm and smooth, unlike the coldness of ordinary stones. She couldn't understand any of the runes on it, but when her fingertips brushed against it, she could vaguely feel a faint tremor, like the pulse of the stone.

"It's nothing valuable." Zhuge Yunhe saw her seriousness and waved his hand. "Sometimes when you face a choice, when the road is blocked—throw it out. Go in the direction the sharp point of the stone points."

Is it really that simple?

Jiang Zhiyu glanced at him but didn't ask any further questions.

Some things don't need to be explained in detail; just believe them.

She carefully put the stone into her pocket, then stood up and bowed deeply to Zhuge Yunhe.

"Thank you, senior."

This bow was extremely deep and slow.

She was sincere.

Zhuge Yunhe was stunned for a moment, then quickly got up, took her arm, and pulled her up.

"You're too kind, young friend!" he said, but a hint of barely perceptible satisfaction flickered in his eyes. "It's rare to see you so serious, you little rascal."

Jiang Zhiyu straightened up, her lips curving slightly, but she didn't reply.

Zhuge Yunhe also dropped his joking expression, his voice becoming calm and steady: "The troops have already been stationed there. A large-scale evacuation of the masses would cause panic."

He sighed, a hint of weariness flashing in his eyes.

"Being in this line of work means facing many things beyond your control. Sometimes, it's not that you don't want to save lives—it's that you can't."

The words were spoken softly, but Jiang Zhiyu understood them.

Fate, cause and effect, variables.

Some people's fates are predetermined according to the law of cause and effect. Forcibly altering them comes at a too high price.

What she needs to do is, within the constraints of the given circumstances, to create as much room for change as possible.

"Alright." Zhuge Yunhe patted his clothes, stood up, and said, "This old man will go first. You can familiarize yourself with the bureau later."

He turned to look at Zhong Dingwen, his tone suddenly becoming serious: "Did you remember what I told you this morning?"

Zhong Dingwen straightened his back and replied in a deep voice, "We will act in accordance with Comrade Jiang's instructions. No investigation, no questioning."

Zhuge Yunhe nodded in satisfaction, then turned to Jiang Zhiyu, his tone softening again: "You go with Dingwen and the others to transport that batch of supplies. Don't hesitate to tell them anything you need."

As he spoke, he started walking towards the door, but stopped abruptly at the door and waved to Jiang Zhiyu with his back to her.

The door opened and then closed.

Only Jiang Zhiyu and Zhong Dingwen remained in the office.

Jiang Zhiyu looked down at her palm—although the stone had been stored in her spatial storage, the warm, smooth touch seemed to linger on her fingertips.

After the old leader left, Ji Buzhi kept popping up here and there, and Jiang Zhiyu chuckled.