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

As the jeep turned into the tree-lined road leading to her uncle's house, Jiang Zhiyu looked up and saw that all the lights at the manor's main gate were on.

Under the light, a dark mass of people stood in a row.

Jiang Zhiyu pushed open the door and came down. As soon as she landed, her grandmother Shen Peiyu took a few steps forward, her brows furrowed tightly.

"You silly girl."

The old lady's tone clearly showed her disapproval.

"Why would someone go out alone at night when they're completely unfamiliar with the area in the US?"

Before Jiang Zhiyu could speak, an exaggerated cry of pain came from the back of the crowd.

Su Wenhao limped out from behind the doorpost, one hand supporting his waist, the other reaching out to her, his face filled with tragic determination.

"Cousin, save me!"

His lips twitched, and his voice trembled.

"If you don't come back, I'll be beaten to death tonight. You're my last straw."

Jiang Zhiyu watched his acting and couldn't help but twitch her lips twice.

Seventeen clicked her tongue in her mind.

"Host, your cousin's acting skills are... wow..."

Jiang Zhiyu ignored him and continued Su Wenhao's words.

"uncle."

She turned to Su Lixing, her tone serious.

"I had some personal matters to attend to, and it wasn't convenient for my cousin to come along, so I asked him to come back first."

Su Lixing stood on the steps with his hands on his hips, staring at his youngest son's leg that was putting on an act, and snorted coldly.

"I know it's your fault, but that brat hadn't been home long when he towed his spare motorcycle away for modifications again."

His eyes darted around and landed back on Jiang Zhiyu.

"The money you gave him?"

Jiang Zhiyu rubbed her forehead, her tone helpless.

"Uncle, it wasn't me who gave it to them. They earned it themselves through their own hard work. Really, I'm not lying to you."

Upon hearing this, Su Wenhao immediately straightened his back, stopped limping, and took a step forward with his neck stiff.

"See? See? I told you, but you didn't believe me."

He gestured at his father's chin.

"Do you think I'm the kind of person who would casually ask my cousin for money?"

Su Lixing's hand had already been raised again.

He Li quickly stepped forward, stopping her husband with one hand and pulling Jiang Zhiyu to her side with the other, trying to smooth things over with a smile.

"Alright, alright, it's good that everyone's back."

She looked Jiang Zhiyu up and down, her voice tinged with worry.

"Zhiyu, have you eaten?"

Su Wenhao's mouth started moving faster than his brain again.

"Can we not eat? My cousin treated us to a big meal this afternoon."

Su Lixing placed his hand on the back of his neck and gave him a light slap.

"Do you even have the right to speak?"

Su Wenhao shrank his neck and secretly winked at Jiang Zhiyu. Jiang Zhiyu pretended not to see it, took two steps forward, and reached out to take Su Lixing's arm.

"uncle."

Her voice was soft.

"I've already eaten. I'm so sorry to have worried you."

Su Lixing's anger dissipated considerably after she pulled him by the arm. The old man also sighed and patted her head lightly.

"It's good that you're back."

All the sternness in his voice was gone.

"Hurry up and wash up and go to sleep. You've been running so far all day, aren't you tired?"

Shen Peiyu took the opportunity to pull her hand and then touched her cheek.

"What do you want to eat for breakfast tomorrow? Grandma will make it for you."

I eat whatever my grandma cooks.

Jiang Zhiyu tilted her head and smiled.

A group of people escorted her into the house, and then went back to their own rooms.

Jiang Zhiyu closed the door, casually lowered the latch, stood against the door for a few seconds, and exhaled.

The natural smile on her face vanished, and she immediately became serious.

With a thought, one has already entered the space.

The small courtyard in the space was as it always was. She went straight to the courtyard and pushed open the door.

The woman in the bed looked slightly better than she had in the basement.

Seventeen flew over from another corner of the space, its wings flapping gently.

"Host, I fed him two more drops of spiritual spring water and wiped his body down again. He should wake up soon."

Jiang Zhiyu nodded, then casually picked out a set of plain cotton clothes from a wardrobe next to her and placed them on the edge of the bed. The size was loose, just right for someone who was so thin right now.

She pulled up a low stool and sat on the edge of the bed, then gently patted the man's face.

"Professor Lin."

Her voice was very low.

"Professor Lin, wake up."

The person on the bed twitched his brow almost imperceptibly.

Lin Ruihua thought he must be dead.

In that dark, sunless basement, he had lost count of how many days and nights he had endured. The old man couldn't get anything out of him, and for a whole week afterward, he wasn't even given a decent meal. So be it. It was better to take the secret to the grave than for it to fall into the hands of another country.

But at this moment, he slightly opened his eyes, and the face in front of him was unbelievable.

It was a face that was too young, a face he never expected to see at this time and place.

"Small……"

His throat was hoarse, and he could barely make a sound.

"Comrade Xiao Jiang."

He squeezed out those words with difficulty, and then paused for a long while.

"Am I...am I in the underworld?"

Jiang Zhiyu burst out laughing.

She leaned closer and spoke softly.

"We've arrived in the underworld."

She raised her hand to support the back of his neck.

"But I dragged you back from the underworld."

She supported his back with one hand and placed a thick cushion behind him with the other, allowing him to sit half-reclined.

She then picked up a blue-and-white porcelain bowl from a small table next to her and lifted the lid.

A warm, fragrant aroma of rice wafted out.

Jiang Zhiyu took a small spoon, scooped up a small half spoonful, blew on it to cool it down, and brought it to his lips.

Lin Ruihua's mind was still blank; he just mechanically opened his mouth and swallowed mouthful after mouthful. The warm millet porridge slid down his throat like a long-awaited warm current, gradually soothing his internal organs, which had been stiff for months.

After feeding Lin Ruihua more than half of a bowl of porridge, his eyes slowly began to light up again.

He swallowed hard, stared at the face in front of him, and looked at it several times before finally confirming it.

"It really is... Comrade Xiao Jiang."

His voice was trembling.

"So... I really am saved."

Jiang Zhiyu nodded.

Lin Ruihua could no longer hold on.

Tears streamed down his sunken eyes, one after another, landing on his thin, emaciated hands.

"I didn't expect..."

He choked up.

"I never thought that when I was about to die, I would run into Comrade Xiao Jiang... You actually dragged me back from the brink of death."

Jiang Zhiyu didn't interrupt him, letting him cry for a while. She put the blue-and-white porcelain bowl back on the small table, and casually pulled out a clean handkerchief, handing it to him.

She only spoke after he had calmed down considerably.

"Professor Lin."

She asked, somewhat surprised.

"Haven't you always been a professor at the university?"

She stared into his eyes.

"Was it exposed? Or... how did that old man end up locking me up in a place like that?"

Upon hearing the words "that old man," a surge of hatred welled up in Lin Ruihua's eyes.

He paused, his tone becoming increasingly firm.

"That man isn't the owner of any antique shop."

He paused, and waited until he caught his breath before speaking again:

"He's a spy planted in the US by the European side. His superior works at the same university as me."

Jiang Zhiyu's eyes flickered, but she didn't interrupt.

"The incident began when I accidentally synthesized a substance while conducting research in the lab."

Lin Ruihua's voice became hoarse.

"I realized something was wrong with this thing. To ensure accuracy, I secretly tested it a few times. Before I could even send the news back to China, my superior found out. He acted quickly; before I could even finish transcribing my report, I was knocked unconscious. When I woke up, I was already in that basement."

He took another difficult breath.

"Comrade Xiao Jiang, that substance is extremely crucial, especially in the aerospace field."

Jiang Zhiyu's knuckles silently tightened on her knees.

"I've lost count of how many days I've been locked up."

Lin Ruihua's voice lowered.

"At least three months."

Seventeen sighed in Jiang Zhiyu's mind.

"Three months."

He lowered his voice.

"It takes real guts for this old man to pull through."

Lin Ruihua was completely unaware that someone else was commenting on him, and continued speaking on his own.

"At first, they wanted to treat us with courtesy."

He twitched the corners of his mouth, a smile full of sarcasm.

"Promise me a position on the British Isles, a detached villa, a car, and a generous annual salary, so I can move my research there."

He took a breath.

I didn't answer.

"They approached me several more times afterward, using both soft and hard tactics."

He closed his eyes slightly.

"I still haven't given up."

He opened his eyes, and the coldness in them deepened.

"They probably thought, 'It doesn't make sense that a professor like me, who teaches peacefully in the US, would rather die than accept such treatment.'"

"It was from that time that they began to doubt my identity."

Seventeen clicked her tongue in Jiang Zhiyu's mind.

"It's very simple."

He lowered his voice.

"People in this country aren't that loyal to their own country. His attitude of refusing to yield even at the cost of his life makes it obvious he's an undercover agent or a spy, without even investigating."

It paused.

"In that case, those people will only keep a closer eye on him, even more eager to pry this information out of him, and maybe even try to dig out some other news."

Jiang Zhiyu gave a nonchalant "hmm," then looked away and turned to Lin Ruihua.

"Professor Lin, please rest. I understand the situation. Just focus on recovering, and I'll find you suitable accommodation. Please make do with what you have for now."

She put the bowl lid back on and pushed the small table further in.

"You can't leave this room for now. I'll lock the door from the outside when I go out later."

She pointed to the neatly folded cotton clothes on the edge of the bed.

"These are some clean clothes I prepared for you by the bed. They're a bit big, but you'll have to make do with them for now. There's water in the wooden tub in the corner of the room; wash yourself up quickly and wipe away the bad luck of the past few months."

Lin Ruihua looked at her, her eyes brimming with gratitude again, but when she opened her mouth, her voice was too hoarse to speak.

Jiang Zhiyu patted the back of his hand.

"Don't rush to say anything."

She got up.

"Focus on recovering your health first, then we can talk about other things."

She turned and walked towards the courtyard gate.

As soon as she stepped out the door, she gave Seventeen a command in her mind.

"Keep an eye on him, don't let him wander off, and make sure he doesn't touch anything that shows this isn't an ordinary courtyard."

"Don't worry, host."

Seventeen's voice was as steady as ever in her mind.

"I developed a small area for him. All he can see is a small Chinese courtyard and a tiled house. Besides, you don't want him to leave the room, do you?"

Jiang Zhiyu's lips curled slightly.

"OK."

"Just keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't wander off. I'll find a suitable opportunity to send him to Chen Jianzhong's place."