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

Three weeks later, the first batch of "guests" arrived.

The three groups operated under different pretexts: an academic exchange delegation, a trade and economic inspection team, and another claiming to be there to discuss the import and trade of medicinal plants. When the list was presented to Lu Zhenting, he scanned it with a red pen. Seven of the faces in the three groups were familiar faces that the National Security Bureau had been monitoring for a long time, and some were even listed in the intelligence systems of several countries.

Jiang Zhiyu did not show up. She moved a chair and sat by the window on the second floor of the command post, holding a cup of tea in her hand, looking down through the half-drawn curtains.

Qian Weiguo, dressed in a crisp white lab coat with a plastic sign that read "Sandu'ao Botanical Research Institute" pinned to his chest, stood waiting at the institute's main entrance, his hair neatly combed. He was used to wearing military uniforms in the lab, but this white lab coat was newly made, made of stiff material, and he felt a little uncomfortable wearing it, unconsciously tugging at the hem every few steps.

The three cars stopped one after another, the doors opened, and more than twenty people got out of the cars. Some had East Asian faces and some had European and American faces. They were all dressed smartly, carrying briefcases and cameras, and had smiles on their faces.

Qian Weiguo stepped forward, extending his hand, "Welcome everyone to the Sandu'ao Botanical Research Institute. I am Qian Weiguo, the director."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, he led his men inside.

"This way, everyone, this is our poisonous plant cultivation area."

The planting area was enclosed by a large wire fence, where highly poisonous plants grew lushly. Shrubs taller than a person crowded together, their leaves thick and dark black, some bearing eerie small purple flowers, others laden with bright red berries the size of a fingertip. Sunlight shone on the leaves, and a thin mist could be seen drifting along the ground—the toxic substances naturally released by the plants.

Several researchers in full protective suits were collecting samples, holding tweezers and sealed bags, moving carefully without even looking up.

Along the way, Qian Weiguo introduced the names, toxicities, and progress in the medicinal extraction of various poisonous plants, speaking with great pride. In his excitement, he even squatted down to point to the veins of a plant's leaves, saying, "Look at this one, it's called 'Upas tree' (literally 'contains deadly poison'), the sap can be fatal upon contact with a wound. But we've extracted a component from its bark that has a significant therapeutic effect on heart failure."

"This is the laboratory." Qian Weiguo led his men into a bungalow. Inside, there were more than a dozen lab tables, complete with microscopes, centrifuges, and distillation apparatus. Several researchers in white lab coats were conducting experiments, and the tables were covered with labeled bottles and jars.

"This is the laboratory," the group said. They saw dozens of rabbits and white mice in iron cages. Some of them had just been injected with toxins and were convulsing in their cages, their hind legs kicking out and making soft squeaking noises. The walls next to them were covered with data tables, one after another, densely packed with handwritten numbers and graphs, recording the experimental reactions at different dosages.

The delegation members felt a chill run down their spines as they watched the convulsing animals. One woman instinctively took a half-step back and covered her mouth.

Qian Weiguo remained unfazed. "Toxin testing is a necessary stage. We need to accurately determine the median lethal dose (LD50) for each plant before we can discuss medicinal extraction."

He spoke with such confidence and conviction that it sounded like he was giving a lecture to students.

A blond man lagged behind the group, squatted down in front of a poisonous plant, and took out his camera to take several pictures of it. After taking the pictures, he didn't stand up. Instead, he pretended to tie his shoelaces, knelt on the ground, turned his body slightly, and quietly aimed the camera at the direction of the harbor, pressing the shutter twice.

He thought he had done it very discreetly.

Qian Weiguo had actually seen it long ago. He walked over calmly, as if to introduce another plant to the person next to him, and "accidentally" stepped on the man's hand that was supporting him on the ground.

"what!"

The blond man recoiled in pain, nearly dropping the camera.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, I didn't see why you squatted down." Qian Weiguo pulled the man up apologetically and even patted the dirt off his clothes. "Are you alright? Let me check your hand."

The man put his hands behind his back and quickly stuffed the camera into his pocket with his other hand. "It's okay, it's okay, really it's okay."

"Are you really alright? Should we come to our infirmary for a checkup?"

"No, no, thank you."

Qian Weiguo smiled and led his men forward.

On the second floor of the command post, Jiang Zhiyu, holding a teacup, almost burst out laughing. Seventeen was rolling around in her mind, laughing hysterically, "Host, Commander Qian's acting is superb! He hit the nail on the head!"

"He served in the military his whole life; he's very steady on his feet."

......

Even after touring the entire experimental area, this group was still not satisfied.

A tall foreigner stood at the edge of the planting area, gazing towards the distant harbor. He turned to Qian Weiguo and said, "Director Qian, could we go take a look at the nearby docks? I'd like to see what the differences are between the wild plants on the outskirts and those cultivated in your lab."

Qian Weiguo looked troubled and pushed up his glasses.

Two soldiers standing guard in the distance huddled together and whispered to each other.

"Do you think Commander Qian isn't used to wearing glasses? Why does he keep pushing them up?"

"Nonsense, you've never worn glasses before, you wouldn't know, wearing them is uncomfortable."

Qian Weiguo coughed. "Everyone, the area over at the dock is a wastewater discharge zone for experiments. The soil and water there have very high toxicity levels. You can't go near it without protective clothing. Last time, a local fisherman ignored the warnings and went in. He was rushed to the hospital and only survived after three days of emergency treatment. If any of you are interested, I can arrange for you to observe from a distance, but you must stand at a safe distance."

He paused, then added, "Those poisonous miasmas are toxic gases formed from a mixture of plant volatiles and decaying wastewater. Their composition is complex, making them difficult for hospitals to treat."

The group looked at each other in bewilderment, but the mission ultimately prevailed, and they all expressed their willingness to observe from a distance.

Qian Weiguo led them to a high slope behind the research institute, from which they could overlook the entire harbor.

Someone took out binoculars and held them up to carefully scan the entire bay area.

The view was filled with dense forest, the poisonous trees along the shore growing so thickly that their canopies formed a green curtain, blocking out the sun and creating a gloomy atmosphere. A few fallen leaves floated on the water, the place was deserted, save for a dozen or so dilapidated fishing boats moored at the dock. The paint was peeling off the hulls, and two of them had leaky bottoms, looking like they were worth little money.

There was nothing else.

The man with the binoculars lowered the scope and exchanged a glance with his companion. That's it? What kind of advanced technology could they possibly develop in this remote, impoverished place? What's with all the tension above them?

As the group descended the slope, they continued to praise Qian Weiguo's research institute, but their expressions clearly relaxed. Qian Weiguo shook hands with each of them to say goodbye, his face beaming with smiles.

Once the car was far away, he looked down at his foot and frowned. That stomp had been quite solid; he wondered if the foreigner had broken his hand.

......

That evening, the three reports were sent out through different channels, and their contents were largely the same.

Sandu'ao has been identified as a national-level research base for highly poisonous plants and chemical defense drugs in China. The area is densely covered with poisonous plants, the water source is severely polluted, and there are no signs of large ships moored there. It does not have the function of a naval base at all.

The intelligence agencies of Country M studied these three reports for a long time and repeatedly compared them with satellite photos. In the photos, the harbor of Sandu'ao was always shrouded in clouds and fog, and the outlines of any warships could not be seen. In the photos transmitted back from the scene, there were only a few small boats on the dock. They also zoomed in on the water surface area, and there was nothing but ripples and fallen leaves.

Ultimately, Sandu'ao was removed from the list of key naval targets.

The threat level was downgraded by two levels, and the intelligence department added a note: It is recommended that our personnel stay away from the area, as the plants in the water and along the shore are highly poisonous.

When the news reached Old Gao, the old man held his teacup and looked at it for a long time before finally saying only, "This girl."

......

A month later.

Jiang Zhiyu sat on a high reef, watching the last research vessel sail out of the mouth of Sandu Bay, leaving a white trail of waves behind it as it went further and further away until it disappeared on the horizon.

The sea breeze carried a salty, fishy smell, and the barrier of poisonous weeds in the distance swayed slightly in the twilight, the leaves touching each other and making a rustling sound.

"Host, they're gone."

"Um."

"Can we put the things back now?"

Jiang Zhiyu stood up, dusted off her pants, and glanced at the empty harbor.