Chapter 15 First Steps into the Base

When Lin Mo woke up, it was already light outside.

He lay in the unfamiliar room, taking three seconds to recall everything that had happened last night—the black business car, the highway in the dead of night, the layers of checkpoints, and finally that giant metal door slowly opening on the mountainside.

Where is this?

He sat up and looked around. The room wasn't large, about twenty square meters, with simple but complete furnishings: a bed, a desk, a computer, and a wardrobe. A landscape painting hung on the wall, and lush mountain forests were visible outside the window. Sunlight filtered through the glass, casting warm patches of light on the floor.

If not for the door, which was clearly made of specialized steel, this place would have looked like an ordinary standard room in a budget hotel.

Lin Mo pulled back the covers and walked to the window. Pushing it open, a fresh mountain breeze brushed against his face, carrying the scent of greenery. He leaned out to look down—it was three stories high, with an open area below where a few people in plain clothes were taking a walk. In the distance were rolling mountains, with no trace of any urban buildings.

A faint electronic sound came from the door lock, and then it opened.

Fang Lin stood at the door, dressed in a simple shirt and trousers, holding a thermal bag.

"Awake?" She walked in and placed the thermal bag on the table. "You've slept for ten hours; it seems you were truly exhausted."

Lin Mo checked his phone; sure enough, it was already 9:30 AM. He had drifted off in the car last night and had no memory of when they arrived at the base.

"This is..." He hesitated.

"Breakfast." Fang Lin opened the thermal bag and took out several food containers—millet porridge, buns, eggs, and a few side dishes. "Eat first, then I'll take you for a tour."

Looking at this ordinary food, Lin Mo suddenly felt a bit hungry. He sat at the table, took a spoonful of porridge, and the warm aroma of rice melted in his mouth.

"Eat slowly, there's no rush." Fang Lin sat on the chair by the bed. "If there's anything you want to ask, we can chat while you eat."

Lin Mo swallowed a bite of a bun. "Where is this?"

"Deep in the Qinling Mountains." Fang Lin didn't hide it. "It's not convenient to disclose the exact location; you only need to know that this is one of the nation's highest-level scientific research bases, code-named 'Kunlun'."

Kunlun.

Lin Mo mulled over the name. He had heard this code name in rumors within academic circles—it was said to be a secret base where the state concentrated efforts on cutting-edge technologies, and only the most core projects could be stationed there. He never expected that he would one day come here in person.

"When can I go back?"

"Go back?" Fang Lin raised an eyebrow slightly. "You just got here and you're already thinking of leaving?"

"I mean..." Lin Mo paused, "What about the school, and Teacher Wang..."

"Professor Wang knows where you are." Fang Lin's voice softened. "He personally called the school leadership last night, and your leave of absence has already been processed. To the outside world, it's just said that you have family matters and need to take some time off."

Lin Mo bit into a bun in silence. He knew these were necessary security measures, but a trace of unease still welled up in his heart—he had just vanished from his original life like this, without even a formal goodbye.

Fang Lin seemed to read his mind. "Rest assured, this isn't imprisonment. Once the project is on track, you can go back as needed. But for now, safety first."

Lin Mo nodded and continued eating.

Twenty minutes later, he followed Fang Lin out of the room.

The corridor was wider than he imagined, with numbered doors on both sides and gates every dozen meters that required a card swipe to pass. The overhead lights were soft but bright, the floor was covered with anti-static flooring, and there was a faint smell of disinfectant in the air.

"This floor is the living area," Fang Lin introduced as they walked. "Your room is 301, and the people living next to you are researchers from other projects. The fourth floor has the cafeteria and activity rooms, and the fifth floor is the gym and medical center. If you have any living needs, you can find the floor administrator or call me directly."

They passed through a gate and entered an elevator. Fang Lin pressed the button for the -3 floor.

As the elevator descended and the numbers flickered, Lin Mo could feel a slight sense of weightlessness, indicating they were rapidly going deep underground.

"The base is divided into above-ground and underground sections," Fang Lin explained. "The above-ground part is mainly for living, administration, and some laboratory buildings. The underground is the core research area, with a total of eight floors, the deepest being fifty meters underground."

"Why build it underground?"

"First is safety; the mountain itself is a natural protective layer," Fang Lin said. "Second is isolation; many precision experiments have extremely high environmental requirements. The constant temperature, humidity, and electromagnetic shielding conditions underground are much better than above ground."

The elevator stopped and the doors opened.

Lin Mo stepped out and then froze.

Before him was a massive underground space, about the size of half a football field, with a ceiling over ten meters high. Overhead was a dense system of pipes and lighting equipment, and beneath his feet was an epoxy floor reflecting the cool white light. Transparent glass cubicles were distributed all around, filled with various instruments and equipment he couldn't even name.

Researchers in white coats moved between them, some operating instruments, some discussing things, and a few others slowly pushing a strangely shaped piece of equipment past.

"This is the Materials Science Experimental Zone." Fang Lin's voice carried a hint of pride. "The floor area is twelve thousand square meters, and the various experimental equipment is worth over two billion. The most advanced material research equipment in the country is all here."

Lin Mo looked at those instruments, his heart rate accelerating slightly. He recognized several—Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope, X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer, Raman Spectrometer... they were all high-end models he had only seen in papers, each worth tens of millions.

"I... can use these?"

"Of course." Fang Lin looked at him, a smile touching the corners of her mouth. "That's the purpose of inviting you here. We've already organized an expert evaluation of the report Professor Wang submitted. If your Room-Temperature Superconductivity material can be reproduced and possesses industrial potential, this is the most suitable place for you to continue your research."

She led Lin Mo through the experimental zone and into a corridor. On both sides of the corridor were laboratories marked with numbers, and busy figures could be seen through the glass.

"Every laboratory has an independent ventilation and security system." Fang Lin pointed to the signs on the wall. "According to the classification level of the research projects, they are divided into four levels: Public, Internal, Secret, and Confidential. Your project is currently classified as Confidential."

Lin Mo's heart skipped a beat. "Confidential?"

"You should know better than I do what Room-Temperature Superconductivity means." Fang Lin stopped and turned to look at him. "If this material is real, it will change the entire world's technological landscape. Energy, transportation, computing, military... all fields will be subverted. Such technology deserves the highest level of protection."

She paused, her tone becoming a bit more serious. "So from now on, you need to adapt to new rules. Entering and exiting the laboratory requires dual verification of face and fingerprints, experimental data cannot be taken out of designated devices, and contact with the outside world needs to go through an audit. These are not because we don't trust you, but are necessary security measures."

Lin Mo was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"Follow me." Fang Lin continued forward, finally stopping in front of a door. There was no number on the door, only an electronic screen.

She scanned her face, entered a password, and the door opened.

Inside was a small meeting room where seven or eight people were already sitting. Seeing Fang Lin enter, everyone stood up.

"Let me introduce everyone." Fang Lin stepped aside to reveal Lin Mo. "Lin Mo, the discoverer of the Room-Temperature Superconductivity material. From today on, he is one of us."

A round of applause rang out in the meeting room. Lin Mo nodded somewhat awkwardly, his gaze sweeping over the faces present—there were white-haired elders and young people who looked not much older than himself, and everyone's eyes held curiosity and scrutiny.

"This is Academician Chen Qingshan." Fang Lin pointed to the oldest man. "A materials science expert and the director of our base's Academic Committee. Academician Chen was originally in Beijing and flew here specifically last night."

Chen Qingshan stood up and shook Lin Mo's hand. The old man's hand was rough but powerful, and his eyes shone with a gentle light. "Young man, when Wang Zhenguo called me, he was so excited he couldn't even speak clearly. He said you've come up with something incredible and insisted I must see it for myself."

Lin Mo felt a bit embarrassed. "Academician Chen overpraises me, it still needs verification..."

"Verification is certainly necessary," Chen Qingshan laughed. "But before the verification, let me ask you one question—how certain are you about what you've discovered?"

The meeting room fell silent, and everyone looked at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo took a deep breath and met the old man's gaze. "Academician Chen, I have tested it repeatedly in the laboratory seventeen times. Every time, the data pointed to the same conclusion."

He paused, his voice calm and certain. "I am sure."

Chen Qingshan stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled, looking very gratified.

"Good." He let go of his hand and patted Lin Mo's shoulder. "Young man, just for this attitude of yours, this trip wasn't in vain. There's no rush about the material; settle in first and get familiar with the environment. Starting tomorrow, we'll form a team and verify it clearly together."

Fang Lin added from the side, "Lin Mo, Academician Chen is a titan in the domestic materials science community; with him presiding, your material will receive the most authoritative verification. Additionally, we have assigned you three assistants, all of whom are outstanding talents among the younger generation. They will report for duty tomorrow."

A warm current welled up in Lin Mo's heart. From last night until now, everything had happened too fast for him to process. But now, looking at these strangers who were willing to believe in him, he suddenly felt that this path might be the right one.

"Thank you, everyone," he said seriously. "I will definitely give it my all."

The meeting lasted for half an hour, mainly with Fang Lin introducing the base's basic situation and Lin Mo's arrangements for the next few days. After it ended, Chen Qingshan called him over and chatted with him privately for a few moments.

"Little Lin, I've seen too many so-called 'major breakthroughs'," the old man said earnestly. "Ninety-nine percent of them eventually turn out to be experimental errors or over-interpretations. But my eye for people is decent; you're not the impetuous type."

He looked at Lin Mo, his gaze deep. "Work hard. If it really succeeds, your whole life will have been worth it."

When Lin Mo walked out of the meeting room, his heart felt heavy yet light. Heavy with responsibility, light with hope.

Fang Lin accompanied him back to the ground level in the elevator. Walking out of the building, the sunlight was dazzling. Lin Mo squinted his eyes, looking at the surrounding mountains. His eyes were filled with verdant green, with no trace of modern civilization.

"Do you like it?" Fang Lin asked.

Lin Mo nodded. "It's beautiful."

"You can come out for walks often in the future," Fang Lin said. "There are several walking paths in the mountains with nice scenery. As long as you don't leave the restricted zone, you can walk during designated times."

She pointed to a distant mountain peak. "There's a viewing platform over there; when the weather is good, you can see a sea of clouds. Many researchers go there to sit when they're under pressure, and they feel better when they come back."

Lin Mo looked in the direction she was pointing and could vaguely see a winding mountain road.

"Director Fang," he suddenly asked, "Do you believe me?"

Fang Lin turned her head and looked at the young man. The sunlight cast mottled shadows on his face, and there was a purity in his eyes that she was familiar with—the kind of look only someone who truly loves scientific research would have.

"Whether I believe you or not isn't important," she said. "What's important is that you're willing to let what you believe in undergo the strictest testing. With that heart, it's worth me giving you this chance."

She turned to walk back. "Nothing to do this afternoon, so have a good rest. Starting tomorrow, you'll be very busy."

Lin Mo stood in place, watching her figure disappear into the building's entrance.

The mountain breeze blew past, carrying the fresh scent of greenery. He took a deep breath, suddenly remembering the dream he had in the car last night—in the dream, he stood amidst a vast sea of stars, with a glowing path beneath his feet leading to the endless distance.

Now, he had finally stepped onto this path.