116: Chapter 116 System Awakens! Tracing the Traitor from His Sickbed, Unwavering Commitment to Protecting the Important Equipment (3)

Lin Wei looked at Engineer Mu's slightly pale complexion, the exhaustion and haggardness in his eyes clearly visible.

After hesitating for a moment, she couldn't help but speak: "Engineer Mu, you really need to rest. You've been up all night, participating in the capture operation, checking for bombs, and sorting through clues from start to finish. Your body definitely can't take it anymore. You are the core of this project, our backbone. If you collapse, it will be even harder to push forward with the follow-up work, and everyone will be in a panic."

She softened her tone to persuade him, "The cafeteria has already prepared breakfast; it's all the millet porridge, meat buns, and cold side dishes you like. You should at least go eat something to replenish your energy before coming back to keep watch. It won't be too late then. Manager Zhang and I will keep watch here; there won't be any problems."

Engineer Mu was stunned for a moment.

He lowered his head to check the watch on his wrist, only then realizing it was almost seven in the morning.

A night of tension and busyness had made him completely forget about time and hunger.

It wasn't until Lin Wei mentioned it that he felt a slight hunger in his stomach, and his body still felt somewhat weak.

He looked up at their concerned eyes, then toward the busy members of the Technical Team in the Core Laboratory.

Warmth welled up in his heart, and he understood that pushing himself was not the best strategy, so he had to nod and say softly: "Alright, I'll go eat something and take the opportunity to go back to the dormitory to wash my face and clear my head. Regarding the situation here, no matter what progress is made—whether it's traces of Li Mo, clues about the mole, or the follow-up on bomb disposal—you must call me immediately. Absolutely do not delay or hide anything."

"Don't worry, Engineer Mu, we certainly will. If there's any movement, we'll notify you immediately!"

Lin Wei and Zhang Hongyuan responded in unison, a look of relief appearing on their faces.

Leaving the Core Laboratory, Engineer Mu walked slowly along the project road in the early morning.

Crystal-clear dew still clung to the grass on the roadside, and the sunlight spilling onto the dewdrops refracted into tiny, dazzling rays of light; the air was filled with the unique, fresh, and moist fragrance of mountain vegetation.

After inhaling it, it slightly alleviated the exhaustion and oppression of the night.

Early-rising construction workers, already in their work clothes and holding tools, had begun their busy day.

When they saw Engineer Mu, they stopped what they were doing one after another to greet him respectfully, their eyes full of admiration and peace of mind.

After last night's capture operation and this morning's bomb disposal, everyone was clear about the effort and hard work Engineer Mu had put into the project's safety, and they trusted this young, steady, and responsible Chief Engineer even more—with him here, they felt secure, feeling that the project's safety could be guaranteed.

Engineer Mu responded to everyone's greetings with a smile, his footsteps never stopping.

The smile on his face was gentle, yet it still carried a trace of imperceptible gravity.

He could feel everyone's trust and reliance, and a heavy sense of responsibility grew in his heart—he not only had to protect the safety of the Nuclear Fusion Power Station and the country's core secrets but also had to protect these team members who worked silently and fought hard for the project, not letting them suffer any harm due to the conspiracy of the "Dark Web Phantom."

Just then, the buzzing in his mind sounded again, weaker than any time before.

The system's voice carried the sluggishness of long-term dormancy, almost barely audible: [Energy... restored to 8%... currently monitoring Li Mo's movement signal... signal is weak and unstable... initially locked near the abandoned warehouse in the northwest corner of the project site... has been synchronized to the terminals of Zhang Hongyuan and Lin Wei... it is suggested that the host go to the area to check after finishing breakfast... current energy can only maintain basic positioning... cannot provide more clues...]

Engineer Mu felt a warmth in his heart; he knew the system had been trying hard to restore energy just to continue assisting him.

Even if it could only provide basic positioning clues, it had exhausted its efforts.

This timely clue instantly made him perk up, and his exhaustion dissipated a bit.

Engineer Mu's heart tightened.

He responded softly in his mind, his tone carrying a trace of concern: "Alright, I know. Continue monitoring Li Mo's movement signal. No need to force it; if energy is insufficient, pause monitoring and prioritize dormancy to restore energy. Additionally, assist the Technical Team in investigating clues about the mole. Focus on comparing project members who have had contact with Li Mo. Just do what you can; don't consume too much energy."

[Command received... currently continuing to monitor Li Mo's movement signal... energy consumption is controllable... will try its best to assist the Technical Team in investigating clues...]

The system's voice was still weak but carried a trace of firmness.

Subsequently, the buzzing in his mind weakened again.

Apparently, it was controlling energy consumption, monitoring Li Mo's movements while assisting in investigating clues.

Even in its fragile, newly awakened state, it always adhered to the mission of protecting the project.

Engineer Mu's eyes became even firmer, and he quickened his pace toward the cafeteria—he had to replenish his energy as soon as possible, then rush to the abandoned warehouse to catch Li Mo, find the mole, live up to the system's efforts, and completely eliminate the project's security risks.

In the cafeteria, many project members were already eating breakfast.

Steaming mantou, buns, and porridge were placed at the service window, and the aroma filled the entire cafeteria, warm and healing.

Everyone sat in twos and threes, talking in low voices, their tones carrying a trace of lingering fear as they discussed last night's capture operation and this morning's bomb crisis.

But more than that, it was firmness and fighting spirit—no matter how great the danger they encountered, they would hold their posts and, together with Engineer Mu, guard this project and guard their shared hard work.

Engineer Mu went to the window, ordered a bowl of millet porridge, two meat buns, and a serving of cold side dishes, and found a seat by the window.

He ate very slowly.

While chewing slowly to replenish his energy, he quietly observed the people around him, paying attention to everyone's expression and movements, trying to find the mole hidden among them.

The mole was hiding in their midst, working and living with them, appearing no different from an ordinary person on the surface.

But in their eyes, there would always be an inadvertent trace of abnormality—it was just that this abnormality was too subtle and difficult to be discovered.

He occasionally paid attention to the movement in his mind, confirming that the system was still operating weakly, which gave him a sense of peace of mind.

"Engineer Mu, no one is sitting here, can I sit here?"

A familiar voice came, carrying a trace of restraint and shyness.

Engineer Mu looked up and saw that it was Zhao Yu, a young engineer from the Technical Team—he was holding a bowl of porridge and a mantou, standing by the table somewhat restrainedly.

His cheeks were slightly red, and his eyes held awe.

Zhao Yu was a college student who had just graduated not long ago.

His technical ability was outstanding, and he worked seriously, responsibly, and with meticulous detail, but he was introverted and not good with words.

He rarely took the initiative to communicate with Engineer Mu, most of the time silently doing his job well, and when encountering technical problems, he would only quietly ask Lin Wei for advice.

"Sit down."

Engineer Mu nodded, a gentle smile appearing on his face, his tone soft, trying to ease Zhao Yu's restraint, "No need to be so polite, we are all partners working together."

Zhao Yu quickly sat down, carefully placing his breakfast on the table.

He hesitated for a long time before whispering: "Engineer Mu, thank you for what happened last night. If it weren't for your meticulous plan, we might not have known that Li Mo had snuck in, let alone that he had installed a bomb at the bottom of the core reactor. If the bomb had actually exploded, the consequences would be unimaginable; all of us, the entire project, would have suffered a devastating blow. You are truly amazing, calm, decisive, and so strategic."

Engineer Mu smiled and shook his head gently, responding in a gentle tone: "This is not my credit alone; it is the result of our entire team's joint efforts. Your Technical Team cracked the communication equipment of Liu Hao and others, checked monitoring signals, and extracted traces of bomb residues last night, which also took a lot of effort—without you, we couldn't have cracked the encrypted instructions of the 'Dark Web Phantom' so quickly and successfully dismantled the bomb."

He changed the subject, his tone becoming rigorous, "By the way, when you were cracking the mobile phones of Liu Hao and others, did you find anything else besides relevant information about 'Ghost' and Li Mo? Did you find any clues related to the mole? Such as communication records or contact traces between Liu Hao and project site personnel?"

He specifically asked about the Technical Team's cracking progress, also wanting to confirm whether the clues assisted by the system were accurate, and at the same time hoping to combine the Technical Team's findings to find the mole faster.

Mentioning work, Zhao Yu's eyes instantly lit up.

The restraint on his face dissipated quite a bit, and his tone became firm and serious: "We found an encrypted address book in their mobile phones. Inside, besides contact information for 'Ghost' and Li Mo, there are several numbers without names, with a very high level of encryption. Members of the Technical Team have been doing their best to crack the attribution and user information of these numbers. Currently, we have locked onto one number—it was registered in the provincial capital of Ji Province. We suspect that this number is very likely Chen Tian's contact in the country. He has been lurking in the dark; perhaps it is through this contact that he maintains contact with Li Mo and the mole."

"Very good, continue to follow up and increase the cracking efforts."

Engineer Mu nodded, a bit more anticipation in his heart, and his eyes became bright, "Confirm the user information of this number as soon as possible, find Chen Tian's contact, and follow the vine to find the melon to figure out Chen Tian's whereabouts. Catching Chen Tian will completely cut off the command chain of the 'Dark Web Phantom,' and we can further find clues about the mole, solving all hidden dangers in one fell swoop."

He added, "In addition, when you are cracking communication records, focus on the contact traces between Liu Hao and project site personnel in the near future—even if it is a short call or an encrypted message, do not let it go. This is very likely the key to finding the mole. If there is any progress, report it to Lin Wei immediately; she will notify me at the first opportunity."

"Understood, Engineer Mu, we will definitely do our best to crack the clues and will not let you down!"

Zhao Yu nodded solemnly, his tone firm, his eyes full of fighting spirit.

He had always admired Engineer Mu very much and cherished this job exceptionally, hoping to contribute to the project's safety through his own efforts and help share some of the pressure for Engineer Mu.

The two talked about work matters while eating breakfast.

Zhao Yu gradually let go of his restraint and took the initiative to ask Engineer Mu about several technical problems he encountered at work—such as the optimization of the Core Laboratory access control system, cracking techniques for encrypted signals, etc.

Engineer Mu answered patiently, giving detailed and practical suggestions based on his own work experience, and specifically reminded him that he needed to be more cautious and meticulous in subsequent work, especially when handling encrypted data and monitoring clues, and could not be sloppy in the slightest—any small mistake could affect the progress of the entire investigation.

Engineer Mu occasionally thought of the energy fluctuations when the system first woke up, thinking secretly in his heart that perhaps he could reserve an energy supply interface for the system when optimizing the access control system later, to facilitate the system's subsequent recovery and operation.

Watching Zhao Yu listening carefully and nodding and taking notes from time to time, Engineer Mu remembered what he looked like when he first started working—green, ignorant, but full of enthusiasm and fighting spirit.

He never flinched when encountering difficulties, always went all out to solve them, and always humbly asked seniors around him for advice.

A touch of warmth rose in his heart, and he also had an expectation: he believed that young people like Zhao Yu, who were serious, responsible, technical, and full of fighting spirit, would definitely become the backbone of the project in the future and would protect the country's energy cause with them.

After finishing breakfast, Engineer Mu did not return to the Core Laboratory immediately, nor did he rush to the abandoned warehouse to investigate Li Mo's whereabouts, but first returned to his dormitory.

His dormitory was in the staff dormitory building at the project site.

The area was not large, but it was kept clean, tidy, and spotless.

A single bed, a desk, and a wardrobe were all the furniture in the dormitory, simple and plain.

On the desk, several professional books related to the Nuclear Fusion Power Station were neatly placed, as well as a notebook—densely recording the project's work progress, technical difficulties, and security deployment plans.

Every page was written seriously and rigorously, and between the lines, it was full of his responsibility for the work and his dedication to the project.

In the corner of the desk, there was also a photo frame, which contained a group photo of him and his college classmates.

Everyone in the photo had a bright smile, full of youthful vitality.

That was his most precious memory and the warmest comfort when he was exhausted.

Engineer Mu walked to the desk, picked up the photo frame, and gently wiped the dust off it.

His fingertips rubbed the smiling faces of his classmates in the photo, and the warm scene of the classmate reunion in Jing City appeared in his mind.

He thought of the laughter of Chen Feng, Zhao Lei, and others, and the exhaustion and tension in his heart dissipated a lot.

That carefree youth was the softest corner in his heart and one of the driving forces for him to persist—he worked hard and protected the project's safety not only for the country's trust and the team's trust, but also so as not to live up to his youth and not to live up to his classmates' expectations.

He put down the photo frame, walked to the bathroom, and turned on the faucet to wash his face with cold water.

The cold water flowed down his cheeks, making him much more awake instantly, and most of the exhaustion and chaos of the night dissipated.

He looked up, looking at his slightly pale face in the mirror.

The red bloodshot eyes were still clearly visible, but his eyes were exceptionally firm, without any retreat or fear.

He took a deep breath and silently recited to himself in the mirror: "Mu Li, come on, you can definitely do it. Catch Li Mo, find the mole, defeat the conspiracy of the 'Dark Web Phantom,' and protect the project, protect your partners, and protect your original intention."

At the same time, he silently said to the dormant system in his heart: "Wait a little longer, we will be able to achieve complete victory soon. At that time, I will let you rest well and restore energy."