After passing supply vehicles such as mobile ovens, dough mixers, and field kitchen trucks, she finally climbed onto a Type 101 tank.
Just as Ye Qingning was about to enter her space to rest, she noticed the armored convoy had stopped.
Had she boarded the wrong vehicle? Were they stopping already?
Her ability time was about to run out!
She quickly found her answer—the two soldiers inside the tank she had hitched a ride on were chatting.
“It’s time to eat.”
“Those guys in charge of the artillery better make it smell good today.”
“Isn’t it always just boiled? As long as it’s fully cooked, it’s fine.”
“That still makes a difference. I’ll go roll a cigarette first…”
By “artillery,” they were referring to the field kitchen behind them, where potatoes and meat were always stewing in a pot.
She could understand the bread, sausages, and drinks—but why were cigarettes and tobacco included?
And candy too? Dessert after the main meal?
After recovering in her space, Ye Qingning also went to get a portion of food. Boiled potatoes dipped in jam actually tasted decent.
Drinking red tea, nibbling bread, and watching the laughing soldiers, she felt as if she had come camping with them.
Before her abilities ran out again, Ye Qingning climbed back onto the tank and entered her space.
When she exited her space again, she nearly got killed by flying shell fragments. Luckily, she reacted in time and blocked them with her ability.
Otherwise, that would have been an unjust death.
She made up her mind—next time she came out, she would not only turn invisible but also set up a spatial barrier.
“Our tank is being shelled from the side! I can’t determine the enemy’s position!”
“There’s a tank by the woods on the right!”
“Lock onto the target!”
“Elevation 450.”
“Too close!”
“Elevation 500!”
“Still too close!”
“Elevation 550…”
So the battle had already begun—she had arrived at the battlefield.
Ye Qingning jumped off the tank and moved along the bushes. This battle wouldn’t end anytime soon. She needed another plan.
She saw the enemy tank that had been spotted get hit. The people inside rushed out and hid in the bushes as well.
Watching them crawl forward, Ye Qingning couldn’t help but feel grateful for her height—for once, being short had its advantages.
That guy’s face was covered in cuts.
Before she could think of a way to leave, airborne troops entered her spatial perception range.
Perfect.
Ye Qingning immediately started running. The movement in the bushes made the person lying on the ground tense up, staying still for a long time before continuing forward.
By the time Ye Qingning reached the airborne troops, her energy was almost depleted. She turned invisible, blended into the group, and climbed onto one of the vehicles.
Before that, she had briefly entered her space—probably just a second’s difference. Hopefully, no one noticed.
“I think I just saw a child on top of the vehicle.”
“You’re imagining things.”
“No, really—”
“Hurry up! Or we’ll get punished!”
“Damn it!”
At this moment, Ye Qingning was replenishing her energy. The duration of her abilities was too short.
The battlefield was vast. She had to repeatedly hide in her space to safely move forward, leaving her utterly exhausted.
The airborne troops could depart at any time, so she couldn’t properly rest.
If only they would rest when she rested.
Every two hours, Ye Qingning came out to check. After a whole night of this, she hadn’t rested at all.
Her eyelids kept drooping—she wished they would just cooperate and stay shut.
Fortunately, because she checked regularly, she discovered that the airborne troops were actually preparing to attack at dawn.
Ye Qingning turned invisible again and followed behind them as they ran.
What’s so great about long legs? Why run so fast?!
She wanted to teleport, but she needed to conserve energy.
She nearly ran her legs off before finally catching up to a plane—and even had to use teleportation to get inside.
Taking a deep breath, she noticed the soldier beside her looked familiar—she had seen him before entering her space yesterday.
“Brother, what’s wrong? Ready?”
“I feel like someone’s staring at me.”
“Ha! Don’t tell me you’re scared?!”
“I’m not scared, it’s just…”
“Come on! We can’t be deserters!”
“I know. I’ll adjust myself. Hoo—”
Hang in there, brother! Sorry for scaring you earlier! I’ll need your help soon!
She would have to cling to him when landing.
Don’t shake! Don’t panic!
Fortunately, the soldier was skilled and landed safely.
Though the commander… wasn’t he a bit unreliable? Below them, bombers had turned the area into a sea of flames. Thick smoke billowed everywhere, and something—probably oil barrels in a warehouse—had exploded.
Ordering soldiers to jump down into that—it was basically sending them to their deaths!
“Oh God! Dear father, mother, and my brothers and sisters, I won’t be going back! For the Empire, I have no regrets! Remember me!”
Ye Qingning thought: You may not want to live, but I do.
She used her ability to shift the landing point.
That soldier should thank her.
Carrying an extra person had cost her more energy—what a loss!
And why was he spinning around in panic after landing? All she did was grab his waistband when she nearly fell!
Hey, this is a battlefield! Don’t you care about your life?!
“Here! Take it! Take all my clothes! Just don’t follow me! Aaaahhh!!!”
…Well, that was certainly a unique way of expressing gratitude.
She didn’t like it much.
The surroundings were engulfed in flames, thick smoke everywhere, with occasional explosions.
Ye Qingning stopped paying attention to the clearly unhinged soldier. After running some distance, she dispelled her ability and put on a gas mask—otherwise, she might not burn to death but would suffocate instead.
The roaring sounds filled her ears. Was she going to go deaf?
She had to leave this place quickly.
This was the Imperial City of Windmill Country, still far from her destination—Boot Country.
Taking out a small electric scooter from her space, she sped forward along the rugged roads.
Because she had been constantly dodging bullets and flames, and visibility was poor, she unknowingly headed north—completely opposite her intended direction.
It wasn’t until she reached the city and removed her gas mask that she realized she had arrived at the capital of Windmill Country.
Well, since she was here, she might as well make the best of it.
She put away the now powerless scooter and headed into the city.
This must be an invitation for her to visit—such hospitality!
She should take plenty of things.
“Surprise attack! Svastika Country launched a dawn assault on the airport!”
“That can’t be real. Newspapers report this all the time.”
“This time it’s real.”
“I heard someone saw a lunatic running naked out of the flames.”
“The front lines are already fighting!”
“Weren’t we fighting other countries?”
“Our country didn’t prepare anything…”
“Pack up and hide first.”
“Hide where?”
“I’m going to buy food and stock up at home!”
“Me too!”
“Wait for me!”
Amid the panicked crowd, Ye Qingning walked leisurely.
She had already started collecting things.
Even jewelry and ornaments she previously had no interest in—she took them now. In a couple of years, her grandfather would be born.
She needed to prepare a betrothal gift for him to marry her grandmother.
Her grandfather once said that betrothal gifts in this era included cloth, quilts, tables, and chairs.
She might as well assemble a complete household set—of course, in large quantities.
Her grandfather loved bragging about how wealthy his ancestors were. She would help make that a reality!
In the future, he could boast even more convincingly.
Maybe she could even become a queen and leave her name in history!
Yes—dreams should be big!
At this time, her homeland still lacked medicine, so she needed to stockpile plenty of it.
She would also bring back local specialties—her grandfather had never been abroad, so she had to broaden his horizons.
She wanted to be a queen and support many people… which meant she probably needed even more supplies.
Take it, take it all.
Her goal wasn’t high—she would just collect as much as she could before nightfall, covering as much ground as possible.
There seemed to be several museums here, as well as malls and supermarkets…
She wasn’t completely ruthless. As for grain, fruits, and vegetables—she had plenty in her space already, so she didn’t bother with those.
At this moment, Ye Qingning felt that even her walk had a certain flair—completely unaware that she was filthy all over and looked like a homeless beggar in the eyes of others.