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

After entering May, the weather got hotter and hotter.

Jiang Zhiyu was more than six months pregnant with twins, and her belly was much larger than that of a typical pregnant woman. She had to support her back and move slowly when she walked, and even turning over was difficult. Every night, Song Yanzhou would sleep close to her back with his hand on her belly. Sometimes in the middle of the night, he could feel a tiny fist or foot pushing out from inside. The two of them would then fall silent and quietly feel that tiny movement.

I had just finished breakfast when two cars arrived and parked one after the other in front of the courtyard.

Song Yanzhou came out of the main room, glanced at the two black Hongqi sedans, and then at the four armed guards standing beside them. His brows furrowed involuntarily. He walked to Jiang Zhiyu's side and said in a low voice, "The security level has been raised again. Is there some danger again?"

Jiang Zhiyu propped herself up and stood up, glancing at the scene outside the window. A forced smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Nothing's wrong. They're just being overly cautious. Let's go, don't keep the higher-ups waiting."

Song Yanzhou reached out to support her, adjusting her seatbelt as they drove, while he sat beside her, one hand constantly hovering over her stomach. The car sped along, the Kyoto cityscape rushing past the window. He watched his wife being escorted to a meeting by two cars and six guards, his heart pounding with tension.

...

The car drove into the solemn hall building and along the inner passageway all the way to the underground parking garage. Jiang Zhiyu was a little clumsy when she got out of the car, and Song Yanzhou picked her up without saying a word, gently placed her on the ground, and then helped her slowly walk towards the elevator.

The elevator reached the third floor, and after passing through two security gates, we entered a confidential conference room.

The meeting room wasn't large, but it was decorated very formally. The long conference table was covered with a dark green velvet cloth, and there were enamel mugs and pencils on the table. Several people were already seated by the window, with two elderly people with gray hair at the head of the table, Mr. Gao and Mr. Li. Jiang Zhiyu recognized them and quickly greeted them.

When Old Gao saw her walk in with her large pregnant belly, his face showed both kindness and heartache. He quickly beckoned, "Girl, come, sit here, lean against the cushions."

Jiang Zhiyu sat down in the designated spot, and Song Yanzhou pulled the chair back for her and tucked a cushion behind her back before leaving.

Jiang Zhiyu then noticed a row of people sitting to the left of the conference table. They were all wearing white lab coats, men and women, ranging in age from fifty to seventy, and each wore reading glasses or thick-rimmed glasses. Their notebooks were filled with dense formulas and data. She didn't recognize any of them.

Seeing her scrutinizing the row of white coats, Old Gao began to explain, "What I'm here to tell you about today—these old guys sitting down here are really working themselves to the bone. You've only had the aircraft carrier there for a little over four months, and they've already basically figured out the fundamental principles."

The man in the white coat at the head of the group stood up. His hair was neatly combed, but his eyes behind his glasses were frighteningly bright. He nodded slightly to Jiang Zhiyu, his voice steady and powerful: "Since our country has comrades who can bring back such valuable things, we should try to imitate them. If we can't do it, then we shouldn't be wearing these uniforms."

Jiang Zhiyu secretly admired them. Even in reverse engineering, to measure, disassemble, and thoroughly understand each component of a 100,000-ton aircraft carrier, the amount of hard work involved was unimaginable. After four months of work, these veteran scientists all wore obvious signs of fatigue, but the light in their eyes was undeniable.

She cleared her throat and asked, "So, does this mean we can build our own aircraft carriers now?"

The leading elderly scientist shook his head, his expression serious: "Girl, you're oversimplifying things. If we could build an aircraft carrier this quickly, we could truly surpass the US. We've only just completed the surveying and thoroughly understood the entire set of blueprints and principles; that part is basically done. But next, we'll have to tackle the tough challenges one by one: the deck armor steel, the giant steam turbines, the steam catapults, the arresting cables—each one is a difficult hurdle."

He tapped the notebook on the table with his knuckles, then said, "To fully understand and master all these parts, it will take at least four to seven years. Because we are starting from scratch, just these hundreds of thousands of parts alone require the upgrading of the domestic heavy industry system, including casting, heat treatment, and precision machining—it's not that simple."

Jiang Zhiyu scratched the back of her head and smiled a little embarrassedly: "I was oversimplifying things."

The old scientist waved his hand: "It's already very good. The various technological breakthroughs in the desert experimental zone are progressing steadily. If we want to build our own aircraft carrier, we will do our utmost to get it done within ten years."

Jiang Zhiyu nodded and said earnestly, "I don't know anything about research, but if you need anything, just tell me directly, and I'll do my best to get you materials and information."

Upon hearing this, the row of doctors in white coats on the table all lit up, and some of the older ones even leaned forward excitedly.

Old Li then raised his hand to quell the crowd, interrupting them: "I called Comrade Jiang here today for another matter. This aircraft carrier is for your reverse engineering research, so you need to speed things up as much as possible. Also, several scientists were unfortunately poisoned while conducting their perimeter survey, and the hospital hasn't yet found a cure for this toxin. I heard Lu Zhenting told me that you were the one who set up the poisonous forest outside?"

Jiang Zhiyu nodded: "I'm worried that spies or fishermen outside might accidentally wander in and see something that could cause trouble. Also, if the forest is too dense, the miasma will spread, making it difficult for satellites to capture clear images."

Old Li nodded knowingly: "That's what we thought too. You did a great job, allowing our people to conduct their research in peace. We'll leave the poisoned comrades in your care; I'll have them come over for you to check on later."

Old Gao then took over the conversation: "The reason I've arranged for you to meet today is twofold: first, to let us know about the progress of your research, and second, to let you get to know Comrade Xiao Jiang. Not a single word spoken in this meeting room today can be circulated. Everyone, please sign the confidentiality agreements you have first."

A staff member came in and handed out a confidentiality agreement to everyone. After everyone in the room quickly signed the agreement and took it back, they all looked at Old Gao with puzzled expressions.

Old Gao looked around and slowly began, "Now that you've given this aircraft carrier for reverse engineering, it's time to plan what to do next."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the row of doctors in white coats: "These old guys say the miasma is forming particularly fast lately; if you take pictures from the sky, you can basically only get a hazy blur. Maybe the plants you've grown are different from those elsewhere. So I think we can bring out that aircraft carrier now."

As soon as he finished speaking, the row of doctors in white coats stood up with a loud bang, and several chairs were knocked back and slid far away.

"Professor Gao, you mean there's another one?" The old scientist at the head of the group asked, his voice cracking.

"Yes, that's why I had you sign that confidentiality agreement." Old Gao leaned back in his chair, picked up his teacup, and took a sip of water. "Reverse engineering alone is no longer enough for us. After several months of repeated discussions at the higher levels, we've decided to use the second ship as a training and testing vessel. We won't dismantle it extensively; we'll only perform limited repairs. Once the propulsion system is repaired, it can operate at low speeds in the inner bay, but it will never leave the hidden harbor of Sandu'ao."

He held up three fingers and explained, point by point: "First, we need to quickly establish a training platform for aircraft carrier personnel. We can build aircraft carriers, but it takes several years to train qualified crew members. This ship will be used to cultivate talent. Second, we will also be responsible for testing whether domestically produced alternatives are usable. Third, and most importantly, remember this: it must never be made public, never enter international waters, and never participate in naval combat. It has absolutely no external presence; its name is not in the naval organizational structure. It is a top-secret experimental equipment. Does everyone understand?"

Everyone in the room blushed with excitement and nodded in unison.

Jiang Zhiyu was stunned upon hearing this; she hadn't considered this aspect before. Building an aircraft carrier wasn't enough; you needed people who knew how to operate it and how to fight it. Just having a metal lump wasn't sufficient. She nodded knowingly: "Alright, then you can choose your personnel first. By the time you've chosen enough, I'll be about to give birth, and then I'll transport the second ship over to you."

The row of doctors in white coats stared at her with shining eyes, their gazes as fervent as if they were looking at some rare treasure.

Jiang Zhiyu touched her face, both amused and exasperated: "Don't look at me like that, I'm really afraid of being stared at lately."

Old Gao and Old Li were the first to burst out laughing. Old Gao covered his mouth with his teacup and chuckled for a while before saying, "You're such a precious little thing, we'd better have someone keep an eye on you."

Jiang Zhiyu slumped onto the table in a deflated manner, saying in a muffled voice, "After I give birth, you're not allowed to keep an eye on me anymore."

Seeing the atmosphere ease, the scientists below chuckled, filling the room with a warm and harmonious atmosphere. The elderly scientist at the head of the group sat down again, opened his notebook, and began writing rapidly, muttering to himself, "Second ship, personnel structure, power plant repair plan, domestic replacement of steam turbines..."

The person next to him leaned over for a look, then picked up a pen and started writing as well.