105: Chapter 105 A Shocking Journey Home: A Spy Spying on the Camp, a Lone Warrior Sets a Trap to Lure the Snake Out (1)

A month ago, on a crisp early autumn morning, just as dawn was breaking, bringing with it the unique, cool mist of the mountains, Mu Li finally signed his name on the discharge form under the repeated checks and confirmation of his attending physician and nurse. The moment his pen tip swept across the paper, his fingertips paused slightly. His gaze fell upon the shadows of the parasol tree swaying in the wind outside the window, a trace of undisguisable relief and urgency flashing in his eyes. The soreness in his lumbar spine was like a maggot attached to the bone; despite a month of careful treatment and rehabilitation training, it had lessened by more than half but had not completely faded. After sitting or standing for a long time, that dull, heavy ache would spread along his spine, tugging at the nerves throughout his body. The long scar on his back, a mark left from fighting with the lurkers of the Dark Web Phantom, was now sending a subtle pulling pain in the cool air, as if silently reminding him that the thrilling crisis had only just passed not long ago. The rehabilitation therapist had repeatedly urged him that he still needed to continue his rehabilitation training, was temporarily unable to participate in high-intensity equipment debugging and on-site duty, and even had to be extremely cautious about bending over or turning for long periods to avoid tearing the wound or causing a relapse of his lumbar injury. But when he leaned on his lightweight cane and slowly walked out of the hospital inpatient building, feeling the free outdoor breeze brush against his cheeks, carrying the faint scent of grass and trees, and dispelling the smell of disinfectant that had long permeated the ward, all the fatigue and forbearance in his heart were replaced by a strong sense of urgency—he could finally return to the nuclear fusion power station project site he loved, return to the team he had fought side-by-side with through life and death, and return to the "national treasure" he had guarded with his life.

The wind grew a little stronger, ruffling the stray hair on his forehead. Mu Li subconsciously raised his hand to brush it away, while his other hand instinctively reached for the encrypted phone in his pocket. It was a specially made phone; the body was thicker and heavier than an ordinary phone, and the casing was made of a special material that was drop-proof, eavesdrop-proof, and hack-proof. The cold touch transmitted through his fingertips instantly pulled his thoughts back to those days and nights on the hospital bed, remembering his persistence in the intensive care unit, and remembering every bit of how the system exhausted its last ounce of energy to provide him with clues about Li Mo's escape and to crack the encrypted equipment of the Dark Web Phantom. In his mind, the system's cold, mechanical, yet incredibly precise electronic voice could still be clearly recalled; every instruction and every set of parsed data seemed to still echo in his ears. But now, that familiar electronic voice had long been silent, and the system was still in a low-power sleep state—in the intensive care unit, it had exhausted its last ounce of energy to lock onto Li Mo's smuggling route and crack the other party's encrypted communications. Its energy reserve had once dropped to 0.1% before falling into a complete sleep, retaining only the most basic vital sign monitoring functions, unable to perform any data parsing, signal tracing, or even send the simplest warning. During this time, he had strictly followed the system's previous prompts, taking medicine on time, performing low-intensity rehabilitation training, eating a reasonable diet, deliberately avoiding spicy and stimulating foods, and eating more foods rich in protein and calcium, all to slowly nourish the system's energy through the improvement of his own condition. However, the progress was far slower than expected, and the dilemma of the system's functional limitations had never been eased in the slightest, which had also become one of his greatest concerns.

In the parking lot outside the hospital gate, a black off-road vehicle had already been quietly waiting there. The car body was low-key and steady, the windows were covered with dark explosion-proof film, making it difficult for outsiders to peek inside. There were no extra logos on the car body, only the inconspicuous security badge on the front, hinting at its special status. This was a vehicle from the project security team specifically arranged by Zhang Hongyuan to pick him up and return from the hospital. The driver was Old Wu from the security team, who had followed the project for many years. He was steady, capable, agile, and had rich driving experience, especially in complex road conditions, where he could always handle things calmly. Seeing Mu Li walk out of the hospital gate, Old Wu immediately stepped forward quickly and respectfully took the discharge document bag and the lightweight cane from his hand. His tone was caring and respectful: "Engineer Mu, you have finally come out. Manager Zhang specifically instructed me that I must safely and steadily take you back to the project site. If you are tired on the way, we can stop and rest at any time." While speaking, Old Wu carefully supported Mu Li's arm, avoiding his wound, and slowly guided him to the off-road vehicle, his movements gentle, for fear of accidentally pulling on his lumbar spine and the wound on his back. Mu Li nodded slightly, a faint smile appearing on his face, and his tone was gentle: "Thank you for your hard work, Old Wu, sorry to trouble you with this trip."

The off-road vehicle started slowly and drove steadily out of the hospital parking lot, merging into the morning traffic. Along the way, Old Wu drove extremely slowly and steadily. Whenever he encountered speed bumps or potholes, he would slow down in advance to minimize the vehicle's jolting and avoid pulling on Mu Li's old injury. Mu Li leaned on the passenger seat, adjusted to a comfortable position, and looked through the window at the street scene rapidly receding behind him—the morning streets were exceptionally quiet. The breakfast stalls on the roadside had already started setting up one after another, and the misty heat mixed with the aroma of food permeated the air. Pedestrians were walking in a hurry, some rushing to work, some rushing to buy breakfast, a scene full of the flavor of life. Looking at this calm and peaceful picture, Mu Li couldn't help but feel a lot of emotions. He knew deeply that this peace and tranquility were hard-won; it was precisely because there were countless people like them who held their posts and guarded silently that this peace could be maintained. The off-road vehicle sped along for about two hours before finally leaving the city and heading towards the nuclear fusion power station project site located in the mountains. The scenery along the way gradually changed, from the city with its high-rise buildings and heavy traffic to the mountainous area with overlapping peaks and lush greenery. The road surface also changed from a smooth and wide asphalt road to a winding mountain road, with many curves, complex road conditions, and steep cliffs on the side, which was very dangerous. But Old Wu was not panicked at all, holding the steering wheel tightly with both hands, his gaze focused on the road ahead, his eyes as sharp as an eagle, always vigilant about the movements around him. Even on sharp turns, he could handle it calmly and keep the vehicle driving steadily.

After driving for about another hour, the off-road vehicle finally drove slowly into the gate of the nuclear fusion power station project site. The moment the vehicle stopped slowly, Mu Li's eyes felt slightly hot, and his heart was full of excitement and relief—the open space in front of the Main Control Room was already crowded with team members, including key members of the Technical Team, members of the security team, and colleagues from the logistics team. Everyone's face was filled with genuine joy and expectation, and they were holding simple yet sincere flowers in their hands—carnations, sunflowers, and little daisies, all of which were welcome gifts everyone had prepared for him. Sunflowers symbolized firmness and bravery, carnations symbolized blessings and care, and little daisies symbolized persistence and hope. Each bouquet carried everyone's blessings and admiration for him. Seeing the off-road vehicle Mu Li was in stop, everyone immediately surrounded it, the smiles on their faces becoming brighter. The successive greetings came, warm and powerful, instantly dispelling the fatigue of his journey and reminding him of how everyone had held their posts, never left, and cooperated with law enforcement officers to catch the mole and investigate hidden dangers while he was in a coma. His heart was full of emotion, and his eyes became even wetter.

The vehicle stopped firmly, and Old Wu immediately got out, quickly walked around to the passenger seat, carefully opened the door, and helped Mu Li get out slowly. Mu Li subconsciously straightened his back, even though a slight soreness came from his lumbar spine, pulling on the scar on his back and bringing a trace of subtle pain, he still maintained a steady posture, unwilling to let everyone see his fragile side. "Engineer Mu! Welcome back!" "Engineer Mu, you have finally come back. We have all been looking forward to you, and we have been asking about your recovery every day!" "Engineer Mu, is your body better? Don't be too tired, you must rest well, your health is the most important thing!" "Engineer Mu, thanks to your persistence and dedication, we were able to crush the Dark Web Phantom's conspiracy and keep the project. You are truly our role model!" Greetings, blessings, and expressions of admiration intertwined, echoing in the open space in front of the Main Control Room, warming Mu Li's heart. He smiled and waved to everyone. Although his voice still had a hint of the softness of a post-illness state, it carried an unquestionable firmness. The moisture in the corners of his eyes was not concealed at all, and his tone was full of emotion: "Thank you everyone, thank you for still remembering me, and thank you for your consistent care and persistence. I've made you worry. My body is much better. I will cooperate well with the rehabilitation training later, and I will be able to fight side-by-side with everyone soon. Let's work together to make the project better, guard our core position, and guard our 'national treasure'!"

The sunshine was just right, the golden light shining on everyone's faces, dispelling the chill of the mountains, and also shining on the towering Main Control Room, making the glass curtain wall shine brilliantly, refracting dazzling light. The Main Control Room was ten stories high, with a simple and atmospheric appearance, made entirely of glass and steel structures, appearing exceptionally solemn and majestic. It was like a silent giant, standing in the mountains, guarding the normal operation of the entire nuclear fusion power station project. Surrounded by everyone, Mu Li walked slowly into the Main Control Room, his steps a little slow but exceptionally firm. As soon as he entered the Main Control Room, a familiar atmosphere rushed towards him—the faint humming of machines, the crisp sound of keyboard typing, the low-voiced communication of technical personnel, and the faint smell of electronic components in the air. All of this made him feel incomparably close and at ease. He saw the steadily running data on the display screen at a glance—the temperature, pressure, and power of the core reactor. Every curve was steady and smooth, like a gentle stream, and every set of parameters fell precisely within the standard range without the slightest fluctuation. Looking at this steady data, Mu Li's gaze lingered for a long time, his heart filled with pride and relief. Those past pains, past crises, those struggles and persistence on the hospital bed, and those days and nights fighting side-by-side with team members, all had the most precious reward at this moment. This steadily running data was the meaning of their persistence, the best witness to their dedication, and formed a sharp contrast with the chaotic operating state and frequently alarming parameter curves before he fell into a coma.

Just at this moment, a trace of an extremely weak signal fluctuation suddenly came from his mind, like a ripple on a calm lake. Unlike the silence of the past, it seemed to be a precursor to the system's imminent awakening—this was the second time the system had shown obvious fluctuations since it went into sleep, and it was also its only attempt to break through the limits under the condition of extreme energy deficiency and limited functions. That fluctuation was extremely weak and fleeting. If Mu Li hadn't been focusing on the system's movements, he would hardly have noticed it. Immediately afterwards, a disjointed mechanical voice, even weaker than when it was awakened, quietly sounded in his mind. Every byte had obvious stuttering, clearly because the energy was insufficient to support normal sound production: "De... Detecting... core reactor... operating normally, project site... safe and no abnormalities. Energy reserve... 1.5%, unlocking... 'Equipment Optimization Suggestion' function module. Generating... core reactor parameter optimization plan... has been stored to... encrypted phone." Before the voice fell, that weak mechanical voice was interrupted instantly, and his mind returned to silence again, without any movement. Mu Li's heart tightened. He knew clearly that this was obviously because the system's energy was insufficient to support continuous operation, let alone restore full functionality. It could only barely break through the sleep state to issue this simple prompt, and after generating the optimization plan, it fell into sleep again. This also made Mu Li more certain that the system was still limited by insufficient energy, and it would take some time to wake up. In the short term, it could not provide more help to the team, and he could only continue to rely on his own and the team's strength to guard the project well.

Although the system fell into sleep again, Mu Li's heart was still full of joy and expectation—the energy reserve had increased from 0.1% to 1.5%. Although the progress was slow, it was enough to show that his recuperation had worked. As long as he persisted, the system would one day be able to wake up, restore full functionality, and fight side-by-side with him again. Mu Li was overjoyed, his fingertips trembling slightly as he carefully took out the encrypted phone from his pocket, fearing that he would accidentally drop and damage it. Because of excitement, his fingertips were trembling slightly, and they swiped across the cold phone casing, quickly unlocking the phone screen. The screen lit up, and a brand-new parameter optimization plan was clearly presented on the screen. The layout was neat, the logic was rigorous, and every parameter adjustment was marked in great detail. Compared with the preliminary plan generated before the system exhausted its energy, this plan was more detailed and more in line with the actual situation at the site. It not only marked the basis, specific values, and adjustment steps for each parameter adjustment, but also added precautions during the actual operation, possible problems and coping methods, and even marked the expected effects after adjustment, perfectly continuing the system's rigorous, efficient, and precise style.

Mu Li raised his head and turned to look at Zhang Hongyuan and the technical personnel beside him. A flash of undisguisable surprise flashed in his eyes as he raised the encrypted phone in his hand, his tone carrying a hint of imperceptible excitement: "Everyone, look, this is the core reactor parameter optimization plan that I formulated by staying up late, combining recent operating data with my previous technical accumulation. After implementing this plan, the operating efficiency of the core reactor can be increased by 5%, energy consumption can be reduced by 3%, and it can also effectively reduce equipment wear and tear, extend the service life of the equipment, and further build a solid safety line for the project, making the operation of the core reactor more stable and efficient." He deliberately concealed the existence of the system and did not mention that this plan was generated by the system. On one hand, it was to protect the secret weapon of the system. He knew deeply that once the existence of the system was known to the outside world, especially to the Dark Web Phantom and the M-Country Energy Department, it would inevitably attract their covetousness and snatching, and the consequences would be unimaginable. On the other hand, he did not want everyone to rely too much on the system. After all, the Dark Web Phantom's conspiracy had never stopped, and the dilemma of the system's fragile energy and limited functions could not be changed in the short term. There would always be times when it could not provide assistance. He must let the team develop the ability to independently deal with crises and solve problems. Only in this way could they hold their posts and guard the project well under any emergency situation.