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

It was already daylight when the train pulled into Shanghai Station.

After a 20-hour hard-seat journey, Jiang Zhiyu almost lost her balance when she got off the train. She held onto a pillar on the platform for a few seconds to catch her breath, feeling a ache throughout her spine from her tailbone to the back of her head, as if someone had hammered her from head to toe.

Even though they drank some spiritual spring water along the way to keep going, the feeling was still unpleasant.

She stretched her stiff neck and sincerely admired the people of this era—sitting in hard seats for days and nights was the norm, and after getting off the train, they would still carry their luggage and continue their journey; they had bodies of iron.

As I exited the station, the morning light was already spreading.

The mornings in Shanghai are completely different from those in the disaster areas, with the smell of coal stoves wafting through the alleyways.

Jiang Zhiyu stood there for a while, took a deep breath, and walked towards home.

She did not tell her parents beforehand.

They'll only worry if I tell them, so I might as well wait until things are done before saying anything.

The alley was quiet; most families had already eaten breakfast and left home. Jiang Zhiyu paused for a moment when she reached the gate of her own courtyard.

The door was ajar.

She pushed open the courtyard gate, walked through the small courtyard, and saw that the bowls and chopsticks were still set on the dining table in the main room. Jiang Boxun was holding a bowl and drinking the last mouthful of porridge, while Su Wanqing was clearing away the salted vegetable dishes next to him.

The two of them looked up at the same time and saw the person standing at the door.

Su Wanqing froze.

She slammed the plate on the table with a thud, darted to the door in two steps, grabbed Jiang Zhiyu's arm and pulled her inside, scrutinizing her from head to toe—face, hands, arms, legs—her gaze sweeping over her like an X-ray.

"Why didn't you tell me beforehand!" Su Wanqing complained, already pressing her daughter down to the dining table. "Sit down, sit down. Are you hungry? I'll make you something to eat—how about your favorite scallion oil noodles? There's some spare rib soup from last night in the fridge; just heat it up and you can have it—"

"Mom, I'll rest for a bit and then leave. I have an urgent mission."

Su Wanqing froze, her smile still lingering on her face, when those three words froze her.

"...Leaving again?"

Jiang Boxun put down his chopsticks and looked disapprovingly at his daughter: "No matter how long you're coming back or how rushed you are, you should tell me and your mother in advance so we can prepare. Your sudden appearance at the door like this—"

He paused, then swallowed the rest of his sentence.

He knew that what this girl was doing was far more important than they imagined, and he was already very gratified that she would still take the time to come and see them.

Jiang Zhiyu nodded vaguely, picked up the bowl of porridge on the table and took a big gulp, then picked up a piece of pickled vegetables and stuffed it into her mouth.

Su Wanqing frowned with heartache as she watched her wolf down the food, but she didn't stop her anymore and turned to heat up the pork rib soup at the stove.

While eating, Jiang Zhiyu asked, "Mom and Dad, how's work going lately?"

"That's good," Jiang Boxun said, picking up his bowl again, his tone calm. "The atmosphere has improved a lot recently, and the teaching order in schools has returned to normal. By the way—"

He put down his bowl, his expression turning serious: "You know there was an earthquake in Dacheng Mountain, right?"

Jiang Zhiyu nodded: "I know. I came from over there."

The sound of chopsticks hitting the table rang out almost simultaneously.

Jiang Boxun and Su Wanqing stood up at the same time.

Su Wanqing rushed over from the stove, and Jiang Boxun went around the table. The two of them, one on each side, pulled her up and down and checked her over again—looking at her wrists by flipping up her sleeves, looking at her neck by lifting her collar, and even squatting down to press her calves to see if there were any injuries.

Jiang Zhiyu was both amused and exasperated: "No, no, I'm perfectly fine—"

"You little brat!" Su Wanqing's voice rose, her eyes already red, "What were you doing over there!"

"Dad, Mom, it's a secret." Jiang Zhiyu grasped Su Wanqing's hand, her tone earnest. "I've gone on a mission. Don't worry, I'm safe."

Su Wanqing opened her mouth, wanting to ask more questions, but knowing she wouldn't get any, she changed the subject: "Over there... are there many injured people? Is the work progressing smoothly? Are people alright?"

"The search and rescue operation is basically over, and we're now in the post-disaster reconstruction phase," Jiang Zhiyu said truthfully, "The most difficult phase is over."

Su Wanqing breathed a slight sigh of relief, but the worry in her eyes hadn't completely disappeared. She sat back down at the table, her voice suddenly lowering:

"When our school organized a donation drive, your dad and I donated two months' worth of wages. We don't know if it will be enough... but we hope it can help the people in the disaster area."

She paused for a moment, her gaze becoming somewhat vacant, as if she were looking far, far away through the dining table in front of her.

"Life is too hard for ordinary people..."

As she spoke, her voice changed. She tried desperately to suppress the sobs that welled up inside her. Su Wanqing turned her face away and quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, but tears still streamed down her face.

Jiang Zhiyu looked at her mother, and her heart felt like it was being clenched.

Su Wanqing's hands trembled as she wiped away her tears, not because of the earthquake, but because those who had suffered couldn't bear to see others suffer again.

Jiang Boxun walked over, gently patted his wife's shoulder, and said nothing.

After a long pause, he said in a low voice, "They should be almost done over there by now."

He paused, then added in an even softer tone, "Why do we ordinary people suffer so much hardship?"

Jiang Zhiyu nodded firmly.

"It will be alright."

Her voice was soft, then firm:

"It will be alright."

After finishing her meal, Jiang Zhiyu put down her chopsticks and said, "I'll eat, take a nap, and then leave."

Jiang Boxun looked at her, remained silent for a few seconds, and then asked, "Where are you going?"

Jiang Zhiyu shook her head.

Jiang Boxun nodded immediately and didn't ask any further questions. He was a man of principle; keeping secrets was keeping secrets, and he wouldn't ask a single question that he shouldn't.

"Be careful on the road."

"Um."

Su Wanqing had already stood up and habitually walked towards the kitchen: "I'll prepare some food for your journey—"

"Mom, I have enough to eat," Jiang Zhiyu stopped her, "Don't bother. I just want to get a good night's sleep."

Looking at her daughter's tired face, Su Wanqing's eyes were filled with heartache. She opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing, and turned to go to the bedroom to make the bed.

Jiang Zhiyu walked towards her room.

She paused for a moment when she pushed open the door.

The room was very clean, the windows were spotless, and the bedding was neatly folded.

After she left, her parents had obviously tidied up the place again. Simple, clean, and neat—the sheets were plain, the curtains were light gray, and even the vase on the table had no flowers, only a white porcelain cup.

That does suit Jiang Zhiyu's taste.

She stood at the door for a few seconds, then threw herself into bed.

The pillow smelled of sunshine, as if it had been aired out. The bedding was also fluffy and soft, carrying a scent of soap and sunshine, quite different from the lingering muddy smell in the disaster area tents.

She fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

-

At one o'clock in the morning, Seventeen's voice rang in my mind right on time.

[Host, it's time to get up.]

Jiang Zhiyu opened her eyes; the sky outside the window was still dark. She had slept so soundly! Even her parents hadn't had the heart to wake her that afternoon.

She lingered in bed for three seconds before nimbly getting up. She went into her room to wash up, changed into the elegant cheongsam jacket she'd worn in Hong Kong, and restyled her hair, transforming herself from a "traveling older sister" back into "Miss Jiang from Hong Kong."

Before leaving the house, she went to the kitchen first.

The stove was cold, and her parents hadn't gotten up yet. Jiang Zhiyu closed the kitchen door and started rummaging through her storage space.

She took out ingredients one handful at a time—fresh vegetables, top-quality pork belly, dried mushrooms, and several strings of cured meat and sausages, all of which were stored in the space to the brim. Finally, she placed three large buckets of river delicacies under the stove.

She left a note on the table.

She placed the note under the salt shaker, and then took out two cans of malted milk powder and a packet of milk powder from her storage space and placed them next to it.

Finally, he poured two more cups of water from the kettle, adding a few drops of spiritual spring water to each cup. The amount was so small that it wouldn't be noticed. In addition, the food he had left was enough to keep them in good spirits and reduce the chances of them getting sick during this period.

She placed the water glass on the bedside table in her parents' bedroom and tiptoed out.

Stepping out of the alley, Jiang Zhiyu took a deep breath.

"Seventeen, do you still have the energy cubes from last time?"

[Yes, host. Since the last replenishment, there's been almost no depletion; the reserves are ample.]

"Alright, thank you for your hard work this time. We'll teleport directly to the port city; it's quite a distance, probably requiring nearly forty teleports. Don't worry about using up the energy blocks; we'll exchange them for spirit spring water when we run out."

[Understood, host. Based on distance calculations, it will take approximately thirty-seven teleportations to reach the port city. I will automatically plan unmanned transit points for you along the way.]

Then she closed her eyes and silently disappeared into the early morning mist.