Chapter 185 Team Embrace

Lin Mo had just pushed open the door to the control room when he was pulled inside by a force.

"What are you still standing there for—" Li Xiao's voice was so shrill it cracked. "Do it!"

Before Lin Mo could react, seven or eight pairs of hands reached out simultaneously.

He felt his body lighten, his vision shook violently—he had been lifted up.

"One, two, three! Toss!"

"You guys—" Lin Mo's words were drowned out by the cheers.

The control room ceiling spun before his eyes, the incandescent light making him squint.

As he was tossed up a second time, he saw Li Xiao, her face tear-stained but smiling like a child, saw Chen Xueming looking up and clapping vigorously, and saw Zhao Gang standing on the periphery, arms crossed, the corners of his mouth finally curving into a visible arc.

"One more time!"

A third toss.

Lin Mo suddenly laughed in mid-air.

He remembered that late night three years ago, when he was alone in the laboratory staring at the data for Room-Temperature Superconductivity, wondering if he had gone mad.

Back then, he never would have imagined that one day he would be tossed into the air by a group of people, just like celebrating a hero.

"Put me down—" he shouted.

No one listened to him.

The fourth time.

The fifth time.

It wasn't until everyone was tired that they put him back on the ground.

Lin Mo stumbled, steadied himself on the console, his hair a bird's nest, his shirt half-untucked from his trousers.

"Satisfied?" He panted, scanning this group of "culprits."

Li Xiao was crying while laughing, laughing while crying, her makeup long since ruined.

She wiped her face messily with the back of her hand, only making it worse, like a little kitten.

"Senior brother," she sobbed, "I, I didn't mean to, I just couldn't help it—"

Before she could finish, she suddenly rushed forward and hugged Lin Mo.

Lin Mo froze.

The control room fell silent for a moment, then erupted into even more intense teasing.

"Whoa—!"

"Li Xiao! Li Xiao! Li Xiao!"

Li Xiao didn't care; she buried her face in Lin Mo's shoulder, trembling as she cried: "Senior brother, do you know? Those ten minutes just now, I was staring at the curve on the screen, my hands wouldn't stop shaking. I was scared, I was scared that if something went wrong, I was scared that the backdoor might still have other hidden risks, I was scared—"

Her voice became increasingly garbled, finally turning into muffled sobs.

Lin Mo raised his hand, hesitated for a moment, and gently patted her back.

"It's okay now," he said, "it's all over."

"I know, but I just can't help it—" Li Xiao cried even harder, "I've never been this nervous, a hundred times more nervous than my own college entrance exam—"

"Alright, alright," Chen Xueming walked over and handed her a pack of tissues, "If you keep crying, Mr. Lin's shirt will be ruined."

Li Xiao took the tissues but refused to let go, hugging him for another five seconds before pulling away, blushing.

"I, I'm sorry," she said, lowering her head, "I got your clothes wet."

Lin Mo looked down at the large wet patch on his shoulder, then at Li Xiao's tear-streaked face, and suddenly smiled.

"It's fine," he said, "it's much better than the time you spilled coffee."

Li Xiao was stunned for a moment, then burst into a giggle, even blowing a snot bubble.

The control room erupted in laughter again.

As the laughter gradually subsided, Chen Xueming stepped forward.

He didn't speak, just stood in front of Lin Mo, staring at him for two seconds.

Then, he opened his arms and hugged Lin Mo tightly.

This hug was different from Li Xiao's just now—forceful, silent, and carrying a sense of ritual.

"Old Lin," Chen Xueming's voice was muffled, coming from Lin Mo's shoulder, "We did it."

Lin Mo patted his back: "Yes, we did."

"I mean," Chen Xueming tightened his arms, "us. Me, you, Li Xiao, Zhao Gang, Teacher Wang, Factory Director Liu, and all those people whose names I can't recall. Us."

Lin Mo didn't speak, just hugged him back hard.

Three seconds later, they released each other.

Chen Xueming's eyes were frighteningly red, but he held back his tears.

He turned his head, pretending to look at the data on the screen, his voice feigning calmness:

"Um... I'll go check the logs for the Tritium Cycle system."

"What logs are you checking in the middle of the night?" Li Xiao grabbed him, "Can't you just sit still for a while?"

Chen Xueming struggled, but couldn't break free, so he had to stand in place, looking up at the ceiling.

"Is there data on the ceiling?" Zhao Gang walked over at some point and handed him a bottle of water.

"No." Chen Xueming took the water, unscrewed the cap, and took a big gulp.

"Then what are you staring at?"

Chen Xueming didn't answer.

But everyone saw it—as he looked up, a drop of something slid from the corner of his eye into his temple.

Zhao Gang turned around to face Lin Mo.

He didn't hug him, just reached out his hand.

Lin Mo took it.

The two hands shook vigorously, and then Zhao Gang reached out his other hand, grasping Lin Mo's right hand with both of his, shaking it up and down three times.

"Dr. Lin," his voice was lower than usual, "my life, Old Zhao's life, it's been worth it."

Lin Mo looked at the man in front of him—in three years, he had grown from a security captain prejudiced against researchers into a base commander capable of handling things on his own.

There were a few more wrinkles on his forehead, gray hairs at his temples, but his eyes were brighter than they were three years ago.

"Brother Zhao," Lin Mo said, "it was you who protected us."

Zhao Gang shook his head: "I couldn't protect you. It was you who protected this country."

"Don't," Lin Mo also shook his head, "without you, we wouldn't have survived until today. That escort mission, the later electromagnetic protection suggestions, this capture of Black Sparrow—how many times have you saved us? Have you counted?"

Zhao Gang was stunned, then grinned.

This was the first time he had truly laughed today—not a polite smile, not a restrained curving of the mouth, but a laugh that came from the heart, unreserved.

"Alright, alright," he said, "let's not sit here complimenting each other. There's a pile of things waiting outside—reporters, superiors, and that Smith is coming tomorrow—"

"We'll talk about tomorrow's business tomorrow," Li Xiao said, uncharacteristically firm, "tonight is our own time."

"Right!" someone immediately echoed, "We must celebrate tonight!"

"Is the Canteen ready?"

"It's been ready for a long time! Master Liu said it'll be open all night, with plenty of beer!"

"Let's go, let's go!"

The crowd began to surge out.

Lin Mo was ushered forward, and when he reached the door, he looked back at the control room.

The huge screen had gone dark, but the buttons, gauges, and console were still glowing with a faint light.

For three years, he had spent countless days and nights here, endured countless failures, and borne countless pressures.

"Mr. Lin?" Li Xiao called from outside the door.

Lin Mo withdrew his gaze and walked out of the control room.

The door closed gently behind him.

The Canteen was buzzing with joy.

Long tables were pushed together, covered with plastic tablecloths, and filled with cold and hot dishes.

Beer crates were stacked into small hills, and Master Liu stood in front of the stove wearing an apron, the pot sizzling, the aroma filling the entire hall.

"Come, come, everyone sit, sit!" Master Liu brought out two large plates of braised pork, "Tonight there are no superiors or subordinates, no chief engineers or deputy chief engineers, we're all our own people! Eat!"

Everyone sat down with roars of laughter.

Lin Mo was pushed into the main seat, with Li Xiao on his left, Chen Xueming on his right, and Zhao Gang sitting opposite him.

"The first glass," Chen Xueming stood up, raising his beer glass, "a toast to Lin Mo."

"A toast to Lin Mo!" everyone said in unison.

Lin Mo stood up with his glass: "Don't toast me, toast everyone. A toast to us."

"Good! A toast to us!"

Dozens of glasses clinked together, beer foam splashing out onto the table, hands, and sleeves, but no one cared.

Li Xiao drank half a glass in one go, wincing from the burn, but smiling happily.

She took out her phone, took a photo of the table full of food and the room full of people, and sent it to the group chat.

"My parents must be asleep," she said, "they'll be so happy when they see this tomorrow morning."

Chen Xueming uncharacteristically spoke up first: "I sent a message to Factory Director Liu, and he said they are celebrating at the factory too, with three tables set up."

"Three tables?" Zhao Gang was surprised, "How many people are they?"

"The Divertor project team alone has over twenty people," Chen Xueming said, "plus the factory leadership and the technical department, that's about forty people. Factory Director Liu said, tonight we don't stop until we're drunk."

Lin Mo raised his glass: "Then we have to keep up the pace. Come, a toast to Factory Director Liu, a toast to the Southwest Aerospace Factory!"

"A toast to the Southwest Aerospace Factory!"

Another round.

After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere became increasingly lively.

Some people started singing, some started playing drinking games, and some dragged Master Liu over, insisting on learning how to make braised pork.

Li Xiao's face was flushed red from drinking, and she lay on the table, but her eyes were sparkling.

She turned her head to look at Lin Mo:

"Senior brother, do you remember? Three years ago, when I first met you, you asked me to organize some materials, and I was so nervous that I dropped the folder on the floor."

Lin Mo thought for a moment: "I remember. When you picked it up, the page order was all messed up."

"You still remember that!" Li Xiao covered her face, "How embarrassing—"

"Later, you spent the whole night reordering them," Lin Mo said, "and the next morning you put the organized folder on my desk, with a sticky note attached, writing 'I promise it won't be messy again.'"

Li Xiao peeked at him through her fingers: "You still kept that note?"

Lin Mo nodded: "I kept it."

Li Xiao was stunned for a moment, and her eyes turned red again.

"Senior brother, why are you like this," she sniffed, "I've already cried several times today, if I cry anymore, I'll form a river."

"Then let it form a river," Lin Mo joked for once, "the Gobi Desert is short of water."

Li Xiao laughed, but tears welled up again.

Chen Xueming had drunk a bit too much, and his chatterbox was completely opened.

"Old Lin," he stood up unsteadily, holding his wine glass, "I have to tell you something."

"Speak."

"Three years ago, when I first arrived," Chen Xueming hiccuped, "I wasn't convinced. Really, I wasn't. I thought you were just lucky, discovering Room-Temperature Superconductivity first. If I had discovered it first, I could have done it too."

Lin Mo listened quietly.

"Later," Chen Xueming continued, "you gave me the project on Lithium Extraction from Seawater, and I thought, are you just brushing me off? What does lithium have to do with Nuclear Fusion?"

"And then?" Li Xiao asked.

Chen Xueming glanced at her, then looked at Lin Mo: "Later I realized that the principles of Lithium Extraction from Seawater and Tritium Extraction are the same. You were paving the way for me."

Lin Mo didn't speak.

"And later," Chen Xueming's voice was choked with emotion, "when I was stationed at the factory for the Divertor, I lost fifteen pounds. Those two months, every night lying in bed, I thought about what would happen if I failed, I thought about your trust in me, I thought about Factory Director Liu promising 'three months.' Old Lin, do you know? In my life, no one has ever trusted me like this."

He paused, and drained his drink.

"Thank you, Old Lin."

Lin Mo stood up and also drained his glass.

"Don't thank me," he said, "it was you who walked through it yourself."

Chen Xueming shook his head: "Without you, I wouldn't have made it. Back then I was breaking down, sending you messages late at night saying 'I think I messed up,' and you didn't say a word and helped me deduce and find the boundary condition error. Old Lin, that life, I owe it to you."

"Let's not talk about that between us," Lin Mo said.

"I know you don't want me to say it," Chen Xueming smiled, "but I will remember it. Remember it for a lifetime."

Zhao Gang hadn't drunk much, keeping himself sober.

He looked at the group of people in front of him—Lin Mo's steadiness, Li Xiao's liveliness, Chen Xueming turning from a thorn in the side into a backbone, and those young people whose names he couldn't recall, everyone's face beaming with genuine joy.

He suddenly remembered his thoughts when he first received the mission three years ago: "Protect a bunch of nerds? What's there to protect?"

Now he knew the answer.

They weren't nerds.

They were the most precious wealth of this country.

He took out his phone and sent a message to his wife: "It was a success today. I'm very happy."

The reply was almost instantaneous: "I watched the live stream! Daughter said Daddy is so handsome!"

Zhao Gang stared at the screen, the corners of his mouth slowly curving up.

"Brother Zhao!" Li Xiao called to him, "Stop playing on your phone, come drink!"

"Coming." Zhao Gang put away his phone and raised his glass.

At two in the morning, the Canteen gradually quieted down.

Most people had already passed out, and the few who could still sit were just staring blankly.

Master Liu was tidying up the dishes, moving lightly and quietly, afraid of waking the sleeping people.

Lin Mo leaned back in his chair, looking at his colleagues sprawled all over the room, and suddenly remembered Teacher Wang's words: "After reaching the summit, there will be a feeling of emptiness."

He felt it now.

It wasn't a sense of loss, but a strange kind of peace.

Just like reaching a destination after a long journey, sitting down, looking at the road he had traveled, not wanting to do anything, not wanting to think about anything.

His phone vibrated.

Wang Zhenguo: "Still not asleep?"

Lin Mo: "Just finished. Teacher, you're not asleep either?"

Wang Zhenguo: "Can't sleep. Watched the live stream replay three times."

Lin Mo: "Teacher, thank you."

Wang Zhenguo: "What are you thanking me for?"

Lin Mo: "Thank you for everything you taught me. Not just knowledge, but—how to be a person."

After a long time, Wang Zhenguo replied: "Lin Mo, do you know what I am most gratified by?"

"What?"

"It's not that you succeeded, but that you led a group of people to succeed. Chen Xueming, Li Xiao, Zhao Gang, and those children whose names I can't recall. They have all become better versions of themselves."

Lin Mo looked at this message, and didn't speak for a long time.

Outside the window, the wind on the Gobi Desert had stopped.

On the horizon, there was a faint glimmer of dawn.