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

Jiang Zhiyu woke up before dawn.

She wasn't woken up by noise; her own biological clock went off precisely before she set off. Outside the tent, all was quiet except for the distant, muffled sound of the river lapping against the shore and the occasional chirping of insects.

She neatly folded the bedding, went into her spatial dimension to wash up, and her sleepiness vanished instantly. Before leaving, she stood in the tent for a while, looking around—she might not come back to this place again next time she returned.

She lifted the curtain and went outside.

-

At a little past four in the morning, the sky over the disaster area was a deep, leaden gray. The tent area was still asleep, with only the occasional beam of the night watchman's flashlight piercing through the gaps.

Jiang Zhiyu walked around the edge of the tent area to the rear of the command post. Only a very few people knew that she was leaving, so there was no need to make a fuss.

Zhuge Yunhe's tent light was on.

Through the curtain, she saw a hunched figure sitting at the table, seemingly drinking tea.

She didn't go past.

Everything that needed to be said was said yesterday. Neither of us is good at saying goodbye, so it's better not to meet again.

On the distant river, the construction lights of the bridge were still on, forming a broken line. The one at the bridgehead was the brightest.

It was too far away; I couldn't see if anyone was under the light. The early morning mist blurred everything into indistinct outlines.

Jiang Zhiyu looked at it for a few seconds, then looked away.

enough.

She turned and walked towards the edge of the tent area.

-

After leaving the tent area, Jiang Zhiyu walked about 500 meters along the dirt road and, after confirming that no one was around, stopped.

Take a deep breath and close your eyes.

Seventeen.

[Host, I am here. 】

"Coordinates: Outer perimeter of Dacheng Mountain, a deserted high ground."

【receive】

She probed outwards with her mental energy—within a radius of 100 meters, the nearest person was at a sentry post 800 meters away, with their back to her.

The next instant, her figure vanished without a sound.

-

The moment my foot touched the ground, I was startled by the sensation beneath my feet.

The ground was badly cracked, with fissures and collapses everywhere, and the entire road surface was raised as if a corner had been lifted by a giant.

Before dawn, the city's outline was already faintly visible.

Or rather, it was once the outline of the city.

Jiang Zhiyu stood on a slightly higher earthen slope, gazing at the ruins before her, and remained silent for a long time.

I looked away and stopped looking.

Then she teleported twice more before Jiang Zhiyu finally stopped.

This is a densely populated area, so teleportation is no longer an option. She remembered what Old Zhuge had said yesterday—that fluctuations in supernatural abilities could be sensed by those with high cultivation levels. Although there was no such threat in the country at present, it was always better to be cautious.

From now on, we'll have to rely on our own two legs and train wheels.

She took out a clean set of civilian clothes from her spatial storage and changed into them—the military uniform was too conspicuous, and it was more convenient to wear civilian clothes when walking long distances.

She walked along the highway until dawn, then hitched a ride on a vegetable truck heading towards Jinshi. The driver, a dark-skinned man, hesitated for a moment before letting her on, muttering, "These days, a woman has to be careful going out alone."

"Thank you, Master." Jiang Zhiyu sat on a basket of cabbages, leaning against the side of the carriage, her tone indifferent.

-

By the time we arrived at Jinshi Station, it was already broad daylight.

Jiang Zhiyu gave the driver two yuan and jumped off the bus. The driver tried to return the money, but the girl had vanished in the blink of an eye.

The platform was packed with people. Following the earthquake, a large number of disaster-stricken people were transferring out of the city, and the Tianjin-Shanghai line was almost always full. Jiang Zhiyu bought a hard-seat ticket to Shanghai and found a corner to sit and wait for the train.

Two young men nearby were whispering: "Have you heard? The bridge across the river is finished!" "Really?" "Yes! My second uncle is in the engineering corps. He said in a letter that it was completed several days ahead of schedule!"

Jiang Zhiyu's lips twitched, but she didn't open her eyes.

The train pulled into the station, and she squeezed onto the train with the flow of people. The hard-seat carriage was full, and several more were standing in the aisle. The air was thick with the smells of sweat, cigarettes, and dried food. She sat down by the window, placing her backpack on her lap.

The train journey from Tianjin to Shanghai takes nearly twenty hours. Seeing so many people, Jiang Zhiyu didn't bother the train conductor. It's just a hard seat! If others can sit there, so can she.

At that time, railway capacity was far inferior to that of later generations. Trains were slow, made many stops, and after the earthquake, many sections were subject to speed restrictions, making delays commonplace. Jiang Zhiyu wasn't in a hurry; there was no use in being anxious.

She took two steamed buns from her storage space—the movement was very discreet; she reached into her backpack and used the cover to retrieve the items, so from the outside it just looked like she was taking food out of her bag.

A woman with a child nearby was breaking half a boiled egg in half and feeding it to the child, not wanting to eat any herself. Jiang Zhiyu broke off half a steamed bun and handed it to her.

The sister-in-law quickly waved her hand, "No need, no need—"

"Here, I have more." Jiang Zhiyu could tell at a glance that this was from Dacheng Mountain, where they had gone to stay with relatives.

The older sister-in-law took it and whispered a thank you.

The train rattled and swayed, the view outside the window changing from wheat fields in North China to the river network of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers. As dusk fell, the carriage lights shone dimly, illuminating the tired faces.

Jiang Zhiyu did not sleep.

She leaned against the window, her mind replaying what would happen after she arrived in the port city.

My hand reached into my bag, and my fingertips unconsciously touched the jade pendant. The character "虚" (xu, meaning emptiness) felt cool and uncomfortable against my skin.

Xu Yunzi. Thirty years have passed.

She didn't know what it felt like to wait for someone for thirty years, but she saw the trembling of Old Zhuge's fingers when he handed over the jade pendant, and she saw his hesitant expression.

So she had to go.

It wasn't just for the mission assigned by the country, but also for the old man she had never met, and for the old man Zhuge who placed all his hopes on her.

The train sped through the wilderness in the dead of night, the carriages filled with the sounds of snoring, and outside the windows it was pitch black, with only the occasional flash of a light.

Jiang Zhiyu closed her eyes and drifted into a shallow dream.

In my dream, there was that blurry figure.