Chapter 147 Wang Zhenguo's Call

The news of the successful seventy-two-hour test spread through the entire base as if it had grown wings.

But before Lin Mo had a chance to celebrate, his phone rang.

The name flashing on the screen made him pause for a moment.

Wang Zhenguo.

He quickly walked out of the control room, found a quiet corner, and answered the call.

"Teacher."

A familiar voice came from the other end, sounding a bit older than in his memory, but still gentle and powerful: "Xiao Lin, I heard you guys finished the seventy-two-hour run?"

Lin Mo felt a warmth in his heart. The news had traveled fast.

"We just finished, Teacher. All parameters met the standards, and the device is running stably."

Wang Zhenguo was silent for a few seconds. In those seconds, Lin Mo could hear the faint sound of breathing from the other end, and the vague sound of a television in the background.

"Good," Wang Zhenguo's voice was a bit hoarse, "Good."

It was only two words, but Lin Mo could hear a thousand meanings within them.

"Teacher," he asked, "how is your health?"

Wang Zhenguo laughed: "What, are you afraid I won't last until the day of the Ignition?"

Lin Mo's nose felt a bit sour, but he didn't speak.

Wang Zhenguo's voice became softer: "Xiao Lin, I'm fine. It's just that my legs have been a bit troublesome lately, and I need a cane to walk. It's an old problem, nothing to worry about."

Lin Mo's hand tightened around his phone.

He remembered the first time he met Wang Zhenguo. It was seven years ago, when he had just been admitted for his doctorate and went to the office to report. Wang Zhenguo stood in front of a bookshelf, hale and hearty, his voice full of resonance, and he walked with a brisk pace.

Back then, his teacher was only in his early sixties, and his hair was still black.

Now, seven years have passed, and his teacher's hair is entirely white, and he needs a cane to walk.

"Teacher," Lin Mo's voice was a bit choked, "you must take care of yourself. On the day of the Ignition, you must be there."

Wang Zhenguo was silent for a long time.

So long that Lin Mo thought the call had been disconnected.

Then, he heard his teacher let out a soft sigh.

"Xiao Lin, in my life, I've done many things. When I was young, I wanted to achieve Nuclear Fusion, but I didn't; later, I worked on Superconductivity, and I didn't achieve that either. Watching projects being launched and then canceled, watching colleagues change careers and retire. Sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night, I wonder—have I lived my life in vain?"

Lin Mo opened his mouth but couldn't find the words.

"But then I met you." Wang Zhenguo's voice became tender, "Starting from Room-Temperature Superconductivity, I've watched you come this far step by step. Lithium-Sulfur Battery, Lithium Extraction from Seawater, Tritium Extraction, and now Nuclear Fusion. Some things I couldn't achieve myself, but seeing you achieve them makes me happier than anything else."

He paused, a hint of a smile in his voice:

"Xiao Lin, I haven't lived my life in vain. To be able to live to see this day, it was worth it."

Tears suddenly welled up in Lin Mo's eyes.

He turned his back so no one would see, and wiped them away fiercely with the back of his hand.

"Teacher," his voice trembled slightly, "you must stay alive. On the day of the Ignition, you must come. If you don't come, I won't dare to start the Ignition."

Wang Zhenguo laughed, his laughter filled with relief and affection:

"Fine, I will definitely come. Even if I have to crawl, I will crawl to the Gobi Desert."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Mo stood in place for a long time.

The wind of the Gobi Desert blew over, carrying fine sand that stung his face slightly. But he didn't move; he just stood there, letting the wind dry the tear stains on his face.

At some point, Chen Xueming walked over, stood beside him, and offered him a cigarette.

Lin Mo waved it away: "I don't smoke."

Chen Xueming lit one for himself, took a puff, and exhaled a cloud of smoke: "Teacher Wang?"

Lin Mo nodded.

"What did he say?"

Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds, then said: "He said he hasn't lived his life in vain, and that being able to live to see this day makes it all worth it."

Chen Xueming's movement of smoking paused for a moment.

Then he took a deep drag, stubbed out the cigarette, and threw it into a nearby trash can.

"Let's go," he said, "back to work. Teacher Wang is still waiting to see the Ignition."

Lin Mo nodded and followed him back.

After walking a few steps, Chen Xueming suddenly said: "Chief Lin, do you know, I sometimes really envy you."

Lin Mo was startled: "Envy me?"

"To have a mentor like Teacher Wang." Chen Xueming looked at the construction site in the distance, "When I was abroad, my mentor was just a capitalist who used you like an ox or a horse. When papers were published, his name went on them; when projects were applied for, his name went on them; and when results were achieved, they were all his. Not like Teacher Wang, who considers everything for your sake."

Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds, then said: "Teacher Chen, you have me too."

Chen Xueming was stunned for a moment.

Lin Mo looked at him and said seriously, "There's also Li Xiao, Zhao Gang, Director Fang. And Factory Director Liu, Academician Zhou, and all those people who helped us along the way. You are not alone."

Chen Xueming stared at him for a long time, then suddenly laughed.

"Old Lin, you're becoming more and more eloquent."

Lin Mo also smiled: "I learned it from you."

The two of them walked side by side back to the control room.

Behind them, the sunlight of the Gobi Desert was just right.

In the evening, Lin Mo called Wang Zhenguo again.

This time it wasn't a work report, but a casual chat.

He asked how the teacher's leg was, whether he took his medicine on time, and if the heating at home was warm enough. Wang Zhenguo answered them one by one, and then asked him in return: The conditions there are harsh, don't push yourself too hard, and take care of your health.

"Teacher, I'm tough," Lin Mo mimicked Chen Xueming's tone.

Wang Zhenguo laughed: "Xiao Chen is a good man. When he first arrived, I was worried you two wouldn't get along. I didn't expect you to become such ironclad partners now."

Lin Mo nodded: "He has helped me a lot. During those two months with the Divertor, he lost a significant amount of weight."

"It's worth it," Wang Zhenguo said. "The Divertor is key. Once we crack this hard nut, everything else will follow smoothly."

Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly asked: "Teacher, back then... when it was the hardest, how did you get through it?"

Wang Zhenguo was silent for a long time.

Then he spoke slowly:

"The hardest time? That was after the failure of the eastern star. The project stopped, the team disbanded, and I sat alone in the empty laboratory, staring blankly at the dismantled equipment. At that time, I thought my life was over, and it would never be possible again."

Lin Mo didn't speak, just listened quietly.

"How did I get through it?" Wang Zhenguo answered his own question, "Later I realized. Science is not something that one generation can complete. If you can't finish it, you leave it for the next generation to do. If you fail, you tell the next generation not to take that path. When you get old, you watch the young people continue to move forward."

His voice became distant:

"Xiao Lin, do you know, when I received your call saying you were going to do Nuclear Fusion, my first reaction wasn't happiness, it was fear. Fear that you would be like I was back then, getting halfway and not being able to continue."

"But now," there was a hint of a smile in his voice, "I'm not afraid anymore."

Lin Mo's eyes felt hot again.

"Teacher..."

"Alright, let's not talk about it anymore," Wang Zhenguo interrupted him. "Get some rest early. I'm going to sleep here too."

"Teacher, take care."

"Take care."

The call ended.

Lin Mo held his phone, looking out at the pitch-black Gobi Desert.

In the distance, the construction site was brightly lit, like stars scattered across the wasteland.

He remembered that sentence his teacher had said:

"If you run fast enough, others won't be able to catch up to you."

Now, they were running fast enough.

Fast enough that he could proudly say to his teacher: Teacher, you watch, we will definitely light it up.

The next morning, Lin Mo received a delivery.

It was sent from the Capital, without a sender's name, but the address was very familiar to him—his teacher's home address.

Opening it, he found an old notebook.

The cover was so worn that the color was indistinguishable, the pages inside were yellowed, and the corners were curled. Lin Mo opened the first page and saw a line of neat fountain pen writing:

"eastern star Design Proposal (March 1985)"

Below it was Wang Zhenguo's signature.

Lin Mo's hands trembled slightly.

He gently opened it and read page by page. Those hand-drawn blueprints, the dense calculation formulas, the red modification notes—every page was his teacher's life's work from his youth.

On the last page, a slip of paper was tucked in.

On the paper was Wang Zhenguo's handwriting, shakier than the writing in the main text, clearly written when his hand wasn't very steady:

"Xiao Lin:

This notebook has been with me for forty years. After the failure of the eastern star, I locked it in a drawer and never opened it again. It wasn't that I didn't want to, but that I didn't dare to.

Now I give it to you. Most of the things inside are outdated, but some of the ideas might still be useful.

On the day of the Ignition, I will come to see you.

Teacher"

Lin Mo closed the notebook and closed his eyes.

After a long time, he stood up and placed the notebook in his most precious drawer.

Then he walked out the door and toward the control room.

A new day, and there were still countless things waiting for him.

But there was one thing he was absolutely certain of—

On the day of the Ignition, his teacher would definitely come.

And he would definitely let his teacher see that light turn on with his own eyes.