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

When Jiang Zhiyu returned to Beijing, it was already dawn.

Zhuge Yunhe stood at the entrance of the courtyard, as if he had been waiting for her for a long time.

The old man frowned awkwardly the moment he saw her.

"You knew exactly what they wanted, so why did you come back!"

"You old man, you're so contradictory. You're the one who asked me to handle this!" Jiang Zhiyu looked at him helplessly. "Why are you blaming me now?"

Zhuge Yunhe was taken aback by her words, his expression froze for a moment, but then he regained his composure.

"...Looking at you standing here, you've already resolved the 808 issue?"

"Yes, it's temporarily resolved." Jiang Zhiyu walked into the courtyard, saying as she went, "I saw the signs of sabotage yesterday. The mole was well hidden; someone who could get into the core laboratory is no ordinary person."

"Don't worry about that, let the people below handle it." Zhuge Yunhe followed behind her, his tone neither too loud nor too soft. "Your top priority is your own safety. Better safe than sorry. No matter how skilled you are, there are times when you make a mistake."

"Okay, I got it." Jiang Zhiyu yawned, her eyelids drooping. "I'll rest for a bit."

Jiang Zhiyu was too sleepy to say another word, so she pushed open the door, went inside, and collapsed onto the bed.

The moment my head hit the pillow, a thought flashed through my mind—I felt like I'd forgotten something important.

Never mind, I don't want to think about it anymore, I'm going to sleep.

……

I slept for more than four hours.

When I woke up, I felt refreshed and invigorated. My poison-based abilities had improved further from last night's absorption, and the heat in my body had completely dissipated, replaced by a clear and refreshing feeling.

She pushed open the courtyard gate and found the courtyard packed with people.

Jiang Boxun, Su Wanqing, Qi Zhengli, Liu Hong, and Hua Xinsheng—six faces turned to look at her simultaneously, all with identical expressions of curiosity.

"...Why are you all staring at me like that?"

Su Wanqing was the first to react, jumping up and heading straight to the kitchen: "Hurry up and bring the food! Zhiyu must be starving!"

Liu Hong pulled a steamed bun from her pocket and shoved it into Jiang Zhiyu's hand: "Eat this first! You slept for over four hours and didn't even have lunch."

Jiang Zhiyu took a bite without any hesitation.

It's filled with meat and still hot.

As they were eating, Ma Fangli came out of the inner room carrying her youngest daughter. The little girl was four months old, chubby and fair-skinned, looking around with her round eyes wide open, babbling incoherently.

"Sister-in-law, did you bring the child over today?" Jiang Zhiyu asked, taking a bite of her steamed bun.

Qi Zhengli took the little girl from Ma Fangli's hands, carefully tossed her around, and couldn't hide his smile.

"You know what, this little girl is really adorable. The four of us have been playing with her all the time lately."

Jiang Boxun also came over and pinched the little girl's cheek. The little girl giggled as he pinched her cheek and patted his face excitedly.

"This little girl is even more mischievous than you were when you were a child," Jiang Boxun said with a smile.

Su Wanqing chimed in, "Zhiyu is even more mischievous; she almost threw the neighbor's chicken into the well."

"Mom, you can't just make things up because I don't have memories of my childhood."

Laughter filled the courtyard.

Jiang Zhiyu looked at them—four elderly people surrounding a four-month-old baby, their faces beaming with smiles, and the tension in her heart finally eased.

They were quite comfortable in Zhuge Courtyard. With Ma Fangli cooking, guards watching over them, and a young maid keeping them company, they felt even more at ease than she had imagined.

"Mom and Dad, there are a lot of people watching us lately, so please bear with us and stay here for now."

"It's alright, what's there to be upset about?" Su Wanqing waved her hand. "There's someone to cook, someone to clean, and a little girl to keep us company. What's there to be upset about?"

"Although I don't know what's happening outside, you must be careful." Jiang Boxun stopped smiling and looked at her seriously. "Dad knows you're capable, but I'm still worried. You should be cautious."

"Okay, Dad." Jiang Zhiyu smiled and took another bite of the bun.

The grape trellis in the yard is covered with leaves, and bunches of small green grapes hang down from the vines. Sunlight filters through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

Ma Fangli handed the little girl back to Qi Zhengli, then turned and went to the kitchen to bring out two more dishes.

Jiang Zhiyu leaned against the door frame and ate the steamed buns one bite at a time.

A rare moment of relaxation.

She mentally calculated—this nuclear leak was probably just a test by the other side. The real big move was yet to be made.

I wonder how the investigation is going over there.

She looked up at the grape trellis above her head; the sunlight was perfect, and the leaves were rustling.

Enjoy the moment!

........................

Country M.

An underground conference room at a military base.

Stacks of documents were scattered on the table, and the top photo showed a desolate hillside in ruins—forty or fifty men in black lay sprawled on the ground, some still twitching, others completely motionless.

"Smack—"

A large, muscular hand slammed down on the table, making the documents bounce.

"They sent so many people, with even junior staff assisting, yet they still couldn't capture that special talent user!"

The man who spoke was in his early fifties, with a square face and graying temples. His gaze swept over everyone present.

"You're talking nonsense! You came up with so many ideas, used so many people, and spent so much money, and what's the result? You didn't even get the person, and you suffered heavy losses yourself!"

The conference room was deathly silent.

The elderly man in the lower left corner slowly picked up his coffee cup, took a sip, and then slowly spoke.

"General, when we received the information, that gifted individual was likely already under the protection of the Chinese government. Furthermore, the time between our planning of the nuclear leak and their arrival at the scene far exceeded our expectations."

He put down his coffee cup and pointed to a report on the table.

"Our inside report indicated that no helicopters arrived at the scene after the nuclear leak. But that person got there almost instantly. Think about it, the nearest helicopter base to Factory 808 takes nearly two hours. Yet he arrived more than twice as fast as we predicted."

"How did he get there?" the general asked, frowning.

"That's what's puzzling us," the old man shook his head. "Do you think it's possible she just happens to be near that lab?"

"That possibility cannot be ruled out. She did visit Factory 808 during her nationwide radiation cleanup tour."

"So this further illustrates," the old man tapped the table with his finger, "that this gifted individual's status in China is far deeper than we imagine. The Chinese government's protection of him wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision; it was a pre-planned strategy."

The general remained silent for a few seconds, leaned back in his chair, and unconsciously twirled a pen on the table with his fingers.

"So, what do you think is the maximum potential of this gifted individual's abilities?"

Another middle-aged man in a gray suit spoke up; his voice was soft but steady.

"According to intelligence from our inside sources, every time she finished cleaning up the nuclear radiation and walked out of the lab, her face was pale and she was visibly weak. This indicates that her abilities are not unlimited—cleaning up radiation takes a toll on her."

"So," the general narrowed his eyes, "that means the amount of nuclear radiation she can clear is limited?"

"Judging from the current situation, yes." The man in the gray suit nodded. "And after this incident, the Chinese government will only tighten its protection of her even further. It will be exponentially more difficult to touch him again."

"It's not worth such a fuss," the old man continued, his tone calm but firm. "Unnecessary sacrifices would be a losing proposition."

The meeting room fell silent for a few seconds.

The general's finger stopped, the pen tip poking at the table, leaving a small black dot.

"Then let's put the hunting plan on hold for now."

He stood up, placed his hands on the table, and scanned everyone with his eyes.

"But we can't just let it go like this."

His voice deepened, like a dull knife slowly cutting through an iron plate.

"Starting today, a comprehensive technological and economic blockade against China will be implemented. All high-end instruments, experimental equipment, and precision parts are strictly prohibited from being sold to them. Countries with which we have vested interests are hereby notified to cease providing assistance to China."

He straightened up and adjusted the collar of his military uniform.

"They dare to oppose our country, but they should consider whether their strength allows it."