Chapter 16 The Heavenly Craft Project
Three days later, Lin Mo walked into that underground conference room once again.
This time, there were far more people than before. People filled both sides of the long table; a rough count suggested no fewer than twenty. There were white-haired veteran experts, middle-aged scholars who looked only a few years older than himself, and several young people sitting in the back row with notebooks in hand, their eyes filled with curiosity.
Fang Lin stood at the very front. Behind her was a massive display screen, which was currently black.
“Have a seat.” She nodded toward Lin Mo and pointed to an empty chair in the front row.
Lin Mo took his seat, his gaze sweeping across the room. He recognized several faces—all were big names in the domestic materials science community, the kind whose papers were published in top journals. Now, these people were all staring at him with complex expressions: some were scrutinizing him, some were expectant, and some were skeptical.
“Everyone is here.” Fang Lin spoke, and the conference room fell silent. “I invited everyone here today for only one reason.”
She pressed a button on the remote, and the display screen lit up.
Four large characters appeared on the screen—
tiangong project
“This name is taken from the 'Tiangong Kaiwu'.” Fang Lin’s voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear and powerful. “Written by Song Yingxing during the Ming Dynasty, it recorded the most advanced industrial technologies in China at the time. Hundreds of years later, what we must do is record and create the most cutting-edge technologies of this era.”
She looked toward Lin Mo: “Three days ago, Comrade Lin Mo brought a material to the base. This material, after preliminary re-testing by Academician Chen Qingshan's team, yielded results that—”
She paused. The conference room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.
“The results confirmed that the material discovered by Lin Mo exhibits zero-resistance characteristics at room temperature and pressure. The re-test data is highly consistent with the original data, with an error margin within one-thousandth.”
A commotion erupted in the conference room.
Lin Mo felt countless gazes instantly focus on him. There was shock, disbelief, and the eyes of a few people shifted from suspicion to fanaticism.
“Quiet.” Fang Lin raised her hand to signal for silence. “I know what this means. Room-Temperature Superconductivity is a dream humanity has pursued for a century. If it can be industrialized, it will completely transform energy, transportation, computing, medicine... every field will be subverted.”
She walked to Lin Mo’s side and rested her hand on the back of his chair: “But this dream is currently just a small sample. From the laboratory to the factory, from sample to product, there are still countless hurdles to overcome. Material purity, preparation processes, mass production costs, application adaptation... every single issue is a world-class challenge.”
She looked around the room: “Therefore, the state has decided to establish the 'tiangong project' special task force, concentrating the nation's most elite scientific research forces to conquer all technical challenges of Room-Temperature Superconductivity materials from the laboratory to industrialization.”
The display screen switched to show an organizational chart.
At the very top was written: 'Special Task Force Leader: Fang Lin (Science and Technology Security Bureau)'.
Below that were several branches: Materials Science Division, Process Engineering Division, Application Division, Testing Center, and Support Center.
Behind the name of the head of the Materials Science Division, two characters were written—
Lin Mo
“Comrade Lin Mo will serve as the Chief Scientist of the Materials Science Division, with full authority over the in-depth research of Room-Temperature Superconductivity materials.” Fang Lin looked at him. “All resource allocation, research directions, and technical routes for the Materials Science Division will be decided by you. I only ask you for results.”
Lin Mo was stunned.
He knew he would be entrusted with a heavy responsibility, but he hadn't expected it to be of this magnitude—Chief Scientist, full authority, final say on resource allocation. This meant an entire top-tier team, billions in equipment and funding, and the hard work of countless people would all rest on his shoulders.
He opened his mouth to say something, but found his throat was a bit dry.
“Is there a problem?” Fang Lin asked.
Lin Mo took a deep breath and stood up. He looked at the eyes watching him—some were expectant, some encouraging, and some were waiting to see him fail.
“Director Fang, teachers.” His voice was a bit raspy, but it gradually steadied. “Three months ago, I was just an ordinary Ph.D. Student, pulling all-nighters in the laboratory for experiments. I have never led a large team, never presided over a major project, and I have no management experience whatsoever.”
He paused: “By letting me be the Chief Scientist, I’m afraid I won't be able to bear this responsibility.”
The conference room fell into a dead silence.
An aged voice spoke up: “Young man, do you know how old I was when I first became a project leader?”
Lin Mo followed the sound and saw Chen Qingshan. The old man sat in the front row, his gaze gentle.
“Fifty-two.” Chen Qingshan answered his own question. “I spent my whole life in scientific research, and only dared to take on a project when I was nearing retirement. Why? Because I was afraid. Afraid of messing up, afraid of failing the trust placed in me, afraid of wasting the money the country invested.”
He stood up and walked over to Lin Mo: “But you are different. At twenty-six, you produced something that humanity hasn't managed in a hundred years. What does that mean? It means your mind is more flexible than us old fogies. It means your vision is sharper than ours.”
He patted Lin Mo on the shoulder: “Being afraid means you understand reverence; that’s a good thing. But reverence isn't the same as retreating. The country is giving you these resources not because you are experienced, but because you are worthy of them.”
The old man turned around and looked at everyone present: “Room-Temperature Superconductivity—how many years have we chased it? We chased it until our hair turned white, chased it while burning through countless funds, chased it through generation after generation from youth to retirement, and caught nothing. Now, a young man has caught it. Who among you is qualified to be dissatisfied?”
No one spoke.
“That’s more like it.” Chen Qingshan clapped his hands. “Little Lin, just go for it. I’ll back you up on matters concerning the Materials Science Division. If there’s anything you don’t understand, ask me anytime. If there’s anything you’re unsure about, we can discuss it anytime. But you set the general direction.”
Lin Mo looked into the old man’s cloudy yet sharp eyes and suddenly felt a bit of a sting in his nose.
He nodded vigorously: “Thank you, Elder Chen.”
Fang Lin spoke up at the right moment: “Good. Next, Comrade Lin Mo, please tell us your personnel requirements for the Materials Science Division. Everyone here was carefully selected from the national materials science community. You can take your pick; those chosen will stay, and those not chosen will return to their original units.”
The display screen switched to show a long list of names.
Lin Mo looked at those names, his heart rate accelerating slightly. He recognized most of them—they were all top figures in various sub-fields of domestic materials science, any one of whom could lead a department on their own. Now, these people were lined up for him to choose from.
He suddenly understood what was meant by 'unprecedented resource support'.
“I...” He spoke, his voice still trembling slightly but becoming steadier, “I need to first understand the research directions of each teacher. Then, based on the actual needs of material development, I will determine the division of labor.”
He looked at Fang Lin: “Director Fang, could you give me three days to have a private chat with each teacher?”
A flash of approval showed in Fang Lin’s eyes: “You may. For these three days, focus on understanding the situation. In three days, submit your personnel allocation plan and equipment requirement list.”
The meeting lasted for two hours. After it adjourned, people gradually left, leaving only Lin Mo and Fang Lin in the conference room.
“How do you feel?” Fang Lin asked.
Lin Mo sat in his chair, looking at the thick stack of documents in front of him, and gave a bitter smile: “The pressure is immense.”
“That’s normal.” Fang Lin sat down beside him. “But remember, pressure isn't a bad thing. This pressure will force you to grow.”
She paused, her tone becoming more serious: “Lin Mo, I’ve seen too many talented people eventually ruined by three words—'cannot bear it'. It’s not that their ability was insufficient, but their mindset couldn't hold up. They panic as soon as there's pressure, retreat at the first sign of difficulty, and fall into self-doubt the moment they are questioned.”
She looked at Lin Mo: “The fact that you dared to take on this burden today, and dared to ask for three days to understand the situation before deciding on a plan, shows that your mindset is fine. Next, it’s down to your skill.”
Lin Mo was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked: “Director Fang, do you believe I can succeed?”
Fang Lin didn't answer directly but asked back: “Do you know who approved the four characters 'tiangong project'?”
Lin Mo shook his head.
“The highest level.” Fang Lin pointed toward the ceiling. “There are no more than three projects of this level every five years. It was approved not because my report was well-written, nor because Elder Chen’s prestige is so high, but because the data that small sample of yours showed in the re-test exceeded everyone's expectations.”
She stood up, walked to the door, and looked back: “The country believes in you, which is why you were given this opportunity. The rest is up to you.”
The door closed, leaving Lin Mo alone in the conference room.
He sat in his original spot, looking at those four characters on the display screen—tiangong project.
Outside the window, the setting sun was sinking into the mountains. The afterglow spilled through the glass, coating him in a layer of gold.
He suddenly remembered what Wang Zhenguo had said: “The most sci-fi style of leveling up is climbing the tech tree.”
Now, he stood at the starting point of this tech tree. Beneath his feet was Room-Temperature Superconductivity; above his head was Controlled Nuclear Fusion; and further up were space elevators, Plasma Engines, interstellar exploration...
A path unfolded before his eyes.
He took a deep breath, flipped open the stack of documents, and began to look through the names and research directions one by one.
Outside the door, Fang Lin caught a glimpse of his back through the glass, nodded slightly, and turned to leave.
As night fell, the lights of the base lit up one after another.
In the Materials Science Division office on the third basement floor, a twenty-six-year-old young man was making the most basic preparations for the most important climb of his life.
He didn't know how long this path was, nor did he know how many difficulties he would encounter.
But he knew that this time, he was not alone.