Chapter 148 Fang Lin's Report 1
At three in the morning, Lin Mo was awakened by a series of urgent knocks at the door.
He rolled out of bed and pulled open the door to find Fang Lin standing outside. Her expression looked somewhat solemn under the dim hallway lights, and she was holding a tablet computer.
"Lin Mo, something's happened."
Lin Mo's heart tightened as he stepped aside to let her in.
Fang Lin placed the tablet on the table and clicked open an encrypted file. On the screen was a photo—a conference room where a dozen people, all Westerners, sat around a long conference table. Lin Mo recognized the person right in the center at a glance.
Smith.
"A closed-door meeting of the International Science and Technology Alliance," Fang Lin's voice was low. "Three days ago, in Geneva. This was captured through our channels."
Lin Mo stared at the photo, his brow gradually furrowing. "The contents of the meeting?"
Fang Lin swiped the screen. The next page was a screenshot of the meeting minutes, stamped with a red 'Confidential' seal.
"Proposed by Smith." She pointed to a section. "Listen closely—'Closely monitor China's Nuclear Fusion progress, and take joint action if necessary.'"
Lin Mo's pupils contracted slightly.
"Joint action?" He looked up. "What does that mean?"
Fang Lin shook her head. "Specifics weren't mentioned. It could be a technological blockade, public opinion pressure, or uniting other countries to refuse recognition of the ignition results... anything is possible."
She paused, her tone growing heavier. "But one thing is certain—they're getting desperate."
Lin Mo remained silent for a few seconds before looking back at the minutes.
There were summaries of remarks from several others. Some suggested "strengthening intelligence collection," others proposed "uniting European nations for a unified stance," and one directly stated that "the Chinese cannot be allowed to monopolize Nuclear Fusion technology."
"Lin Mo," Fang Lin looked at him, "do you know what this means?"
Lin Mo nodded. "It means that after ignition, the real game will have only just begun."
Fang Lin was taken aback for a moment, then she smiled.
"I thought you'd be nervous."
Lin Mo shook his head. "What's the use of being nervous? What will come, will come. What we need to do now is start the fire and let the whole world see it. If they want to blockade, pressure, or refuse recognition—that's their business. We'll do ours."
He stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the pitch-black Gobi Desert.
"Director Fang, there's one more thing."
"What is it?"
Lin Mo turned around, his eyes calm but firm. "I need to know exactly what they mean by 'joint action.' Is it before or after ignition? Is it targeting the technology or the people? Is it economic or political?"
Fang Lin looked at him, a flicker of admiration flashing in her eyes.
"We're already looking into it," she said. "But it takes time. And—"
She paused, her tone becoming solemn. "Some things, even if we find out, we won't be able to stop."
Lin Mo nodded. "I understand. But not stopping it doesn't mean not preparing for it. If we know what's coming, we can at least devise a counter-strategy."
Fang Lin stood up and patted his shoulder. "Alright, hearing that puts my mind at ease. You keep busy with the ignition; I'll handle the intelligence side. If there's any news, I'll notify you immediately."
She walked to the door, then stopped and looked back at Lin Mo.
"By the way, Smith said something else at the meeting."
"What?"
"'If the Chinese succeed, we are all losers.'"
Lin Mo was stunned for a moment.
Then he laughed.
"Losers? If we succeed, they aren't losers—they can come to learn, they can come to cooperate, and we can move forward together. The losers are those who only sit in conference rooms and hold meetings, refusing to take action."
Fang Lin looked at him and suddenly felt that this man had truly changed.
Three years ago, he would have been anxious over Director Zhang lodging a complaint. Now, facing joint action from the International Science and Technology Alliance, he simply said calmly, "What will come, will come."
"I'm off." She pulled open the door. "Get some rest early."
The door closed.
Lin Mo stood by the window, watching the lights of the construction site in the distance.
In those lights were Chen Xueming, Li Xiao, Zhao Gang, and hundreds of workers and technicians making final preparations for the ignition.
They didn't know that in places they couldn't see, a new game had already begun.
But Lin Mo knew.
He took a deep breath, turned back to the desk, and opened his computer.
On the screen was the final simulation of the ignition program.
He hit the enter key and watched the data stream roll slowly.
Bring it on.
No matter what you have coming.
We'll start the fire first.
Early the next morning, Lin Mo called Chen Xueming and Li Xiao to his office.
He didn't hide anything and directly told them about Fang Lin's intelligence.
After hearing it, Chen Xueming was silent for a long time, then he cursed.
"Those bastards!" He slammed the table hard. "We're doing scientific research, and they're playing politics. We're igniting a fire, and they're holding meetings. What a joke!"
Li Xiao's face was a bit pale. "Director Lin, would they... sabotage the ignition?"
Lin Mo shook his head. "Sabotage is unlikely. That would be an act of war; they wouldn't dare. But after ignition, there might be all sorts of trouble—technological blockades, patent lawsuits, international non-recognition. They might even unite to prevent us from joining the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor Organization."
Chen Xueming sneered. "If we don't join, we don't join. ITER has been at it for decades, spent so much money, and still hasn't achieved ignition. We did it ourselves, and we succeeded. Who needs whom?"
Lin Mo looked at him and suddenly smiled. "Teacher Chen, your tone is sounding more and more like mine."
Chen Xueming was startled, then he also laughed. "Learned it from you."
Li Xiao whispered from the side, "So what do we do now?"
Lin Mo thought for a moment. "What do we do? We keep working. There are nine days left in the ignition countdown; all preparations will proceed as usual. They can hold their meetings, and we'll start our fire. Once the fire is lit, we'll see what they have to say."
He stood up and looked out the window.
"Remember—true core technology isn't hidden away; it's forged by running ahead. If we run fast enough, they won't be able to catch up. If we run far enough, they can only watch."
Chen Xueming nodded. "Alright, we'll do as you say."
Li Xiao also stood up. "Then I'll go back to monitoring the data."
After the two left, Lin Mo stood alone by the window.
In the distance, the silhouette of tokamak-3 became clearer in the morning light.
He suddenly remembered what Wang Zhenguo had said:
"If you run fast enough, others won't be able to catch you."
Yes.
Run fast enough.
So fast that they can only watch.
The morning nine days later.
In the Gobi Desert, sunlight pierced through the clouds, spilling over the massive device.
In the control room, everyone was at their stations.
Lin Mo sat at the main console, facing a dense array of buttons and screens. Chen Xueming stood behind him, clutching a stack of data reports. Li Xiao stared at the real-time display of the Digital Twin System, her fingers hovering over the keyboard. Zhao Gang stood guard at the door like a statue.
Wang Zhenguo sat in the corner, leaning on his cane, his eyes never leaving the main console for a moment.
Fang Lin was there too. She stood by the window, watching the crowd gradually gathering outside—reporters, observers, scientists from various countries, and countless people waiting to witness history.
Lin Mo picked up the intercom, his voice calm.
"All systems report."
"Magnet System normal."
"First Wall normal."
"Divertor normal."
"Vacuum System normal."
"Cooling System normal."
"Diagnostic System normal."
He took a deep breath and looked at the clock on the wall.
9:58.
9:59.
10:00.
"Ignition sequence initiated."
His finger pressed the red button.