After more than two hours of nonstop work, Zhou Yichen and Qi Zhiyuan finally got every one of the dozen-plus vehicles running again.

Tang Xiaoman brought out a large bucket of water, turned on the tap, and let them wash their hands. Then she handed them a bag of laundry detergent.

As he scrubbed the grease off his hands, Qi Zhiyuan turned to her with a grin. “Sis, you really know your stuff! With grease like this, nothing works better than detergent.”

Tang Xiaoman smiled but said nothing.

Zhou Yichen: “…”

He was older than her, and this guy was already calling her *sis*? No backbone at all.

Of course Tang Xiaoman knew what she was doing. In her previous life, she’d picked up some basic car repair skills—nothing advanced, but enough.

Changing tires with a jack, patching flats, refilling windshield fluid, replacing engine oil and air filters—those she could handle. But anything involving intricate internal components was beyond her.

Once they’d cleaned their hands, Tang Xiaoman handed each of them a large cup of rich, fragrant latte.

Qi Zhiyuan accepted it with both hands, his eyes practically sparkling with golden stars and pink hearts. The more he looked at her, the more she resembled some kind of fairy.

After the coffee came chilled watermelon—one slice each.

Qi Zhiyuan was completely won over. “What do I do… I kind of don’t want to go back to the army anymore…”

Before he could finish, Zhou Yichen lightly kicked him. “The country needs you.”

Qi Zhiyuan took a big bite of the icy watermelon and sighed helplessly. “Fine… I’ll go.”

After finishing their drinks, Zhou Yichen locked up each vehicle. The three of them boarded the helicopter again.

This time, their destination was the nearest military base to Jia City.

—

The storms, typhoons, and floods had thrown the entire country—no, the entire world—into chaos.

Government agencies were overwhelmed, scrambling to stabilize both themselves and the civilian population. The military, on top of self-preservation, had been deployed everywhere for rescue operations.

Grain reserves, weapons depots, chemical facilities—critical sites tied to national security and public safety—all required urgent intervention.

There were simply too many places in need, and not enough soldiers.

So the military issued emergency recall notices to retired personnel.

As a veteran, Qi Zhiyuan had received the message as well.

He had been at a dead end, and that single text felt like a beam of light in total darkness.

Unfortunately, he had no way to get there—and the military had no resources to pick them up. Everyone had to find their own way back.

Zhou Yichen piloted the helicopter and delivered Qi Zhiyuan directly to the nearest base.

As the aircraft circled overhead, they were questioned by the military below. Only after confirming they were transporting a recalled veteran were they cleared to land.

Zhou Yichen left behind Qi Zhiyuan’s key-cutting machine. Meanwhile, Tang Xiaoman stuffed his now-empty backpack full of food and drinks.

With the heavy pack on his back, Qi Zhiyuan kept turning around, reluctant to leave, waving as he walked away with tears in his eyes.

Watching his comrade go, Zhou Yichen lifted the helicopter back into the air.

Tang Xiaoman stored the key-cutting machine in her space, and they flew back toward the mountain valley where the vehicles had been parked.

The helicopter landed smoothly. The two of them stepped out and saw that every vehicle was exactly where they’d left it.

This place was remote. Even if someone stumbled upon it, there was no way they could take away more than a dozen vehicles.

Tang Xiaoman had Zhou Yichen insert each newly made key into its corresponding vehicle’s door lock. That way, they wouldn’t have to fumble around for keys later.

Once everything was set, she stored all the vehicles into her space.

Before they could board the helicopter again, Tang Xiaoman received a call from Huo Kai.

True to his reputation, his efficiency and connections were impressive.

“I got the aviation fuel,” he said. “Only two tons, though. You’ll have to pick it up yourself at Jia City’s fuel depot. Can you manage that?”

Under normal circumstances, aviation fuel cost around six thousand per ton. Now, over eighty million could only buy two tons—an absurd price.

But with floods everywhere and helicopters and planes in high demand for transport, fuel prices had skyrocketed beyond reason.

Tang Xiaoman didn’t hesitate. “I’m already in Jia City. Send me the location.”

She hadn’t expected him to move this fast—she’d thought it would take at least a couple of days.

As soon as she received the coordinates, she stored the small helicopter and brought out the large transport one instead.

Time to haul fuel.

—

Jia City’s fuel depot was located halfway up a mountain, so it hadn’t been flooded.

Zhou Yichen landed the transport helicopter there. Tang Xiaoman gave Huo Kai’s name and confirmed payment had already been made.

At the mention of Huo Kai, the staff immediately understood.

As they worked, they chatted idly.

“Word is the fuel depot in Lin City got flooded. That’s why the rich heir bought twenty tons of aviation fuel here.”

Tang Xiaoman blinked. “Huo Kai just bought aviation fuel?”

“Ten billion for twenty tons. Only the Huo family could throw money around like that.”

Now she understood—he’d bought twenty tons and allocated two tons to her.

In the current situation, even with prices skyrocketing nearly tenfold, having money didn’t guarantee you could buy any at all.

She silently noted the favor.

The two tons were loaded into the transport helicopter, and Zhou Yichen lifted off smoothly.

“Let’s switch back to the small helicopter,” Tang Xiaoman suggested.

This giant burned through fuel far too quickly—and aviation fuel was too precious to waste.

Zhou Yichen agreed. They returned to the valley and switched aircraft.

Soon, the smaller helicopter was airborne again, heading back toward Lin City.

—

On the way back, Tang Xiaoman sent Huo Kai a message.

After thanking him, she added:

“No idea when the disasters will end. Prices are rising fast, currency’s losing value. You’re better off converting as much as you can into essential supplies.”

A moment later, he replied:

“Got it. Thanks for the heads-up.”

For once, his tone was serious—no jokes, no teasing.

Tang Xiaoman figured he’d already realized how severe the situation had become. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have stockpiled fuel himself.

Since her rebirth, Huo Kai had helped her quite a bit. Their relationship was purely transactional—mutual benefit.

Still, she had a decent impression of him.

When she could help, she would. When something needed saying, she’d say it.

Whether he listened… that was up to him.