97: Chapter 97 Protecting and Encouraging Anhe's Recovery! With One Heart and One Mind, We Assist Kangtai; With Frailty, We Strengthen Our Will to Protect Our Country (1)

Mu Li had been out of the hospital and recuperating for over four months. Previously, he had led a team to rush repairs on the core reactor and resolve a crisis, pushing himself to physical exhaustion until he fell into a coma. After emergency treatment at the hospital stabilized his condition, he had entered a phase of quiet recuperation. Four months of systematic treatment and specialized rehabilitation training had significantly reduced the frequency of his chronic headaches, and the stiffness in his fingertips had eased considerably, allowing him to barely grasp a pen or flip through simple project briefings. However, the old injuries and strain on his body remained like a shadow, never truly fading. The herniated disc in his L3-L5 lumbar vertebrae, accompanied by nerve compression, remained the most agonizing torture; even brief periods of sitting would cause piercing, unbearable pain. Even a short moment of standing would cause his lower back muscles to tighten and ache, radiating numbness down to his lower limbs. The scar on his back would throb with pulling pain on rainy days, as if countless fine needles were repeatedly piercing it, with every breath carrying a faint, dull ache. This morning, he had just finished half an hour of rehabilitation massage and the stinging pain in his lower back had not yet fully subsided when the encrypted phone on the table suddenly rang—the caller was Zhao Kai, who was in charge of project equipment maintenance. His tone was filled with an unprecedented gravity, a stark contrast to his usual composure.

"Engineer Mu, something has happened! The three core monitoring devices we just finished upgrading yesterday suddenly experienced data corruption early this morning. Furthermore... furthermore, when we were dismantling one of the faulty devices, we discovered that someone had tampered with it and hidden a miniature electromagnetic interference device inside!" Zhao Kai's voice came through the receiver, mixed with the sound of rain hitting the equipment shed. One could clearly feel the panic and lingering fear in his tone.

Mu Li's heart sank sharply. He instinctively wanted to stand up and ask for details, but the stinging pain in his lower back instantly swept through his entire body, causing him to freeze in place. He instinctively grabbed the edge of the table, and the scar on his back also sent a sharp, pulling pain, causing his brows to furrow tightly and cold sweat to instantly bead on his forehead. Enduring the dual agony, his fingertips turned slightly white from the force. His voice carried a trace of imperceptible trembling, yet he still asked in a steady, deep voice: "An electromagnetic interference device? Where exactly is it hidden? Which unit was responsible for this equipment upgrade? Was there any problem with the operating procedures? Was there supervision throughout the entire process?"

"It was hidden in the device's core sensor module. It's very concealed; we wouldn't have found it without dismantling it to the innermost layer." Zhao Kai's voice trembled slightly. "The upgrade was handled by 'Hengxin Technology'. They came in through a formal bidding process and have cooperated with us twice before; there have never been any issues with equipment debugging or maintenance. Moreover, our people supervised the entire upgrade process, and every step followed strict standards. There wasn't a single flaw in the procedure! Yet, even so, someone still managed to exploit it. Now, although the other two upgraded devices haven't malfunctioned yet, we don't dare to be careless. We have already urgently shut them down and are waiting for your instructions."

"Hengxin Technology..." Mu Li's brows furrowed tightly as he quickly searched his mind for information about this company. He remembered that the company had complete technical qualifications, and their previous two equipment debugging collaborations met all standards. They had even received recognition from Zhang Hongyuan. How could such a situation suddenly arise? Had the other party been infiltrated by the Overseas Forces, or was there a mole within the project team working in secret? Countless questions swirled in his mind. The stinging pain in his lower back continued to spread, but he dared not be the least bit negligent. He immediately steadied himself and said in an exceptionally firm tone: "Zhao Kai, immediately seal off all areas related to this equipment upgrade, including the equipment shed, the maintenance center, and the temporary dormitories of the Hengxin Technology staff! Do not allow anyone to enter or leave, and do not destroy any materials or equipment parts related to the upgrade. Don't even let a single piece of discarded debris go. I'm coming over now!"

"Engineer Mu, don't be anxious!" Zhao Kai hurriedly tried to dissuade him, his tone filled with worry. "The rain outside is too heavy, and the late autumn rain carries a bone-chilling cold. The mountain roads are muddy and difficult to traverse. More importantly, you have only been recuperating for four months. The doctors repeatedly warned that you cannot be overworked, cannot travel long distances, and certainly cannot endure such harsh weather! Your lumbar injury and the old wound on your back haven't healed properly. If your condition worsens, the consequences would be unimaginable! I have already had Engineer Zhang rush over. He told me to report the situation to you first and have you command remotely; you don't need to make the trip yourself!"

"Remote command cannot solve the problem." Mu Li interrupted him, his tone brooking no argument, even though the pain in his lower back made speaking somewhat difficult. "This is not a simple equipment failure; it is deliberate sabotage. The miniature electromagnetic interference device was hidden so discreetly that it must have been premeditated. Who knows if there are hidden dangers buried elsewhere? Without going to the scene to dismantle it and check the details in person, without seeing the damage to the equipment with my own eyes, I cannot find the perpetrator's methods or flaws, nor can I judge if there are other hidden risks. You tell Zhang Hongyuan to secure the situation first and keep an eye on the Hengxin Technology staff. Don't question them easily and alert the enemy. I will be there in half an hour!"

After hanging up the phone, Mu Li could no longer support himself and slowly leaned back against the chair, gasping for air. He pressed his palm tightly against the painful spot on his lower back, rubbing it with his fingertips, trying to alleviate the piercing pain. The medical staff responsible for his care saw this and hurriedly ran over with pain relief patches and warm clothing, urging him with an urgent tone: "Mr. Mu, you cannot go! It's raining heavily and cold outside, and the mountain roads are rugged and bumpy. Your lumbar injury cannot withstand such torment; four months of recuperation cannot be in vain! The doctor repeatedly emphasized that you must continue to recuperate and cannot go to the project site to rush about, nor can you be overworked. Otherwise, your lumbar injury will further worsen, possibly leading to increased numbness in your lower limbs, rendering you unable to walk normally again. The scar on your back could also suffer pulling damage, triggering an infection!"

"There is an emergency at the project site involving the safety of the core equipment and the core interests of the country. I must go." Mu Li slowly raised his head, his eyes full of determination. His tone carried a hint of apology, yet he did not shrink back in the slightest. "Give me my warm patches, pain relief spray, and lumbar support belt. The lumbar support belt must be tied tightly to provide some fixation for my lower back. In addition, contact the hospital's emergency team and have them on standby. Prepare an off-road vehicle with good performance, as smooth as possible, to prevent the bumps on the road from worsening my injuries. Thank you for your hard work."

The medical staff knew Mu Li's temper; once he made up his mind, no amount of persuasion would be useful. They could only nod helplessly and turn to quickly prepare the items. Mu Li braced himself against the edge of the table and slowly stood up, bit by bit. With every movement, the stinging pain in his lower back intensified, and the scar on his back felt as if it were being torn apart. He gritted his teeth, his face pale as paper, and cold sweat rolled down his cheeks, soaking his collar. He leaned against the wall and moved his feet slowly. Every step was exceptionally difficult, as if he were stepping on the tips of knives. The numbness in his lower limbs washed over him in waves, causing him to almost fall several times. He could only hold onto the wall tightly, pause for a moment, and then continue forward. When he finally reached the door, he took the lumbar support belt handed to him by the medical staff and gritted his teeth as he tightened it little by little. Although the restrictive feeling of the belt could slightly alleviate the pain in his lower back, it also made his breathing more rapid, and the scar on his back was pulled even more painfully.

Mu Li put on a thick coat, wore a hat, held an umbrella, and slowly walked out of the room. Down the mountain, the driver, Old Zhou, was already waiting with his hazard lights on. Seeing Mu Li walking with such difficulty, he immediately got out of the car and walked quickly to meet him, carefully supporting his arm. He said in a pained tone: "Engineer Mu, please walk slowly, watch your step! Your body hasn't fully recovered yet, how can you go to the site yourself? The mountain road is difficult to walk, and the rain is heavy; it breaks my heart just to see it."

"It's okay, Old Zhou, sorry to trouble you." Mu Li leaned on Old Zhou's support and slowly bent down to get into the car. This simple bending action made him tremble all over with pain, and the cold sweat on his forehead soaked his bangs. After getting into the car, he immediately leaned against the passenger seat, closed his eyes to catch his breath, and took out the pain relief spray. He sprayed his lower back a few times and then applied the pain relief patch, slightly alleviating his physical discomfort. The car slowly started and drove along the muddy mountain road toward the project site. The mountain road was uneven, and coupled with the downpour, the road surface was muddy and slippery. The car moved exceptionally slowly. Every slight bump caused a piercing, sharp pain to shoot from Mu Li's lower back. He instinctively gripped the handle tightly, his fingertips turning white, his brows furrowed tightly, and his face becoming increasingly pale. The pulling pain from the scar on his back also became more pronounced, making him unable to help but let out a muffled groan. In the curtain of rain, the distant mountains became blurred, just like the sudden crisis before him—full of unknowns and dangers, just like that crisis when the core reactor leaked, unfathomable. And he, dragging his battered body, rushed toward the crisis once again, without the slightest hesitation.

The car drove for nearly an hour and a half before finally arriving at the project site with great difficulty. Compared to the foot of the mountain, the rain at the project site was heavier, and the cold wind mixed with rain was bone-chilling on the face. The ground had already accumulated muddy water that went over the ankles; every step forward was a deep, difficult struggle. Zhang Hongyuan was wearing a raincoat, standing at the entrance of the equipment shed waiting anxiously, his eyes bloodshot; it was clear he had been busy for a long time. Seeing the off-road vehicle approaching, he immediately walked up quickly to meet them, fearing that Mu Li would get drenched in the rain and catch a cold.

"Engineer Mu, why did you still come!" Zhang Hongyuan walked quickly to the side of the car, carefully opened the door, and reached out to support Mu Li. When he touched Mu Li's icy arm and saw his paper-pale face and the cold sweat on his forehead, his heart was filled with pain and self-reproach. "It's all my fault for not handling the situation well and making you brave such heavy rain, dragging your injured body to make this trip. If your injury worsens, how will I be able to answer for it!"

Mu Li leaned on Zhang Hongyuan's support and slowly stepped out of the car. His foot slipped, and he almost fell; Zhang Hongyuan hurriedly supported him firmly. Just those few short steps from the car to the entrance of the equipment shed exhausted all of Mu Li's strength. The stinging pain in his lower back made him almost unable to stand, and the scar on his back made him tremble all over with pain. He gasped for breath for a long time before he could barely steady himself. He said in a weak but still steady voice: "Stop talking, take me to see the equipment first. How is the situation?"

Zhang Hongyuan was helpless and could only support Mu Li as they slowly walked into the equipment shed. The shed was filled with a damp smell of machine oil and rain. The three upgraded core monitoring devices were placed side by side on the operating table, and one of them had already been dismantled. The internal circuits and modules were clearly visible, and a black device the size of a fingernail was fixed next to the core sensor—it was that miniature electromagnetic interference device, small yet harboring danger. Mu Li wanted to bend down to check the dismantling of the equipment, but as soon as he bent over, the stinging pain in his lower back instantly reached its peak, making him black out and almost faint. Zhang Hongyuan hurriedly supported him firmly and quickly handed him a chair: "Engineer Mu, sit down and rest for a while, don't force yourself. I'll have the technical staff report the situation to you in detail. You can guide us remotely; please don't bend over again!"

"No, I'm fine." Mu Li waved his hand, leaned back in the chair, and slowly calmed his breathing. The stinging pain in his lower back continued to spread, and the numbness in his lower limbs was becoming more and more obvious, but he did not slack off in the slightest. He picked up a magnifying glass, endured his physical discomfort, slowly leaned closer to the operating table, and carefully observed the miniature electromagnetic interference device. A series of small codes were engraved on the shell of the jammer; it looked like some kind of custom-made device, not like a common product that could be bought on the market. He turned to ask the technical staff beside him: "Are the analysis results out? What is the working principle of this jammer? Where does the signal frequency point? Can the source be tracked?"

"Engineer Mu, the technical content of this jammer is very high. It uses frequency-hopping transmission technology, and the signal frequency is constantly changing, making it very difficult to track the specific source." The technical staff handed over an analysis report and said in a grave tone, "Its working principle is to interfere with the data acquisition of the core sensor by emitting electromagnetic waves of a specific frequency, causing the device to output disordered data, which in turn affects the monitoring data of the core reactor. We detected that it started operating around 3:00 AM yesterday, which was exactly during our shift change gap. It is clear that the other party calculated the time carefully."

Mu Li took the analysis report and sat in the chair to check it carefully. The technical parameters on the report were dense, and he found it somewhat difficult to read. His chronic headache began to flare up again, making him unable to help but furrow his brows tightly and rub his temples with his hand. He endured the discomfort and continued reading. When he saw that "the interior of the jammer contains a chip component unique to a certain laboratory overseas," his eyes instantly became sharp, and his suspicion was confirmed—it was the Overseas Forces again. They truly had not given up.

"It was the Overseas Forces again." Mu Li put down the report, his tone serious and his eyes filled with gravity. "Have the three staff members from Hengxin Technology confessed to any abnormalities? Has their identity background been investigated? Have any clues related to the Overseas Forces been found?"

"They insist that they are unaware, saying that the equipment had undergone strict testing before leaving the factory and it was impossible for it to contain a jammer. They also said that we are deliberately framing their company." Zhang Hongyuan sighed, his tone filled with helplessness. "We have contacted the headquarters of Hengxin Technology, and they have stated that they will fully cooperate with the investigation, but they have not yet given a clear answer. As for their identity backgrounds, we have already launched an emergency investigation and contacted relevant departments for verification. We expect to have results by this afternoon."

"We cannot wait for their reply; we must speed up our own investigation." Mu Li struggled to stand up. The stinging pain in his lower back made every step exceptionally difficult, and the numbness in his lower limbs made his steps unsteady. He could only hold tightly onto the edge of the operating table to barely stand firm, yet his pace remained firm. "Take me to see those three Hengxin Technology staff members; I will question them myself. In addition, get me all the process records, staff duty rosters, and supervision logs for this equipment upgrade. I want to verify them one by one. I will not let a single detail slip by; I must find the flaw in this."

In the temporary interrogation room at the maintenance center, the three Hengxin Technology staff members sat on chairs. Their expressions were somewhat panicked, their hands were clenched tightly together, and their eyes were evasive—clearly, they had something to hide. Seeing Mu Li walk in with difficulty, supported by Zhang Hongyuan, all three revealed expressions of surprise. One of the slightly older technical supervisors immediately stood up and defended himself in an urgent tone: "You must be Engineer Mu, right? We really didn't know there was a jammer in the equipment; this must be someone framing our company! Our company has been doing equipment upgrades for so many years and has never had such a problem. This time, everything was operated according to the standards!"