Chapter 189 National Commendation

One week later, Beijing.

The dome of the Great Hall of the People hung high, and golden lights spilled across the entire auditorium.

Lin Mo stood in the backstage waiting area, peeking through a gap in the curtain at the crowd below—a sea of heads.

In the first row sat white-haired veteran scientists, in the second row were leaders from various ministries, and behind them were representatives of scientific researchers from all over the country.

"Are you nervous?" A familiar voice came from his side.

Lin Mo turned his head. Wang Zhenguo stood beside him, leaning on a cane, wearing a brand-new Zhongshan suit with an old medal pinned to his chest.

"Teacher, why are you here?" Lin Mo was a bit surprised. "Didn't the doctor say you should rest quietly—"

"Rest quietly?" Wang Zhenguo huffed. "My student is receiving the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, and you want me to rest quietly at home? That doctor would be out of a job tomorrow."

Lin Mo smiled.

Wang Zhenguo looked him up and down—a deep black suit, white shirt, dark red tie, and the golden badge representing the nation's highest honor pinned to his chest.

"Not bad," Wang Zhenguo nodded. "You look much more spirited than you did at the last press conference."

"The last one was a press conference, this is—"

"This is history." Wang Zhenguo interrupted him, his voice suddenly lowering. "Lin Mo, do you know how many people never reach this award in their entire lives?"

Lin Mo was silent.

Wang Zhenguo pointed to the old medal on his own chest: "This one of mine, I got it thirty years ago, the First Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress. At the time, I felt this life was worth it. But compared to yours—"

He shook his head and smiled: "It's a far cry."

"Teacher—"

"I'm not being modest," Wang Zhenguo patted his arm. "I'm proud. The greatest pride for a teacher is for their student to surpass them."

Lin Mo looked at the white-haired old man before him, remembering the scene three years ago when he first met him—back then, Wang Zhenguo was still running around to secure funding for him and shielding him from questioning from all sides.

"Teacher," Lin Mo said, "half of this award belongs to you."

Wang Zhenguo waved his hand: "Don't, don't share it with me. Yours is yours. I already got my half on the night of the ignition."

He paused, looking into Lin Mo's eyes:

"Lin Mo, remember one thing after you go up on stage."

"Please tell me."

"This award is not the finish line, it's the starting line." Wang Zhenguo's voice was very soft, yet every word was clear. "Nuclear Fusion has succeeded, but there is a longer road ahead. Carbon Nanotubes, space elevator, interstellar travel—these are all paths you must take. Don't be intoxicated by the applause, don't be tripped up by the flowers."

Lin Mo nodded solemnly.

"Good." Wang Zhenguo smiled. "Go, don't keep the country waiting."

"Now, please welcome the winner of the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award—Comrade Lin Mo, to the stage to receive the award!"

The host's voice echoed in the auditorium, and applause surged like a tidal wave.

Lin Mo took a deep breath and stepped onto the podium.

The spotlight followed him, and flashbulbs lit up like a sea. He saw countless faces in the audience—some familiar, some strange, some excited, some envious. The veteran scientists in the first row stood up one after another to applaud, and some wiped the corners of their eyes with the backs of their hands.

The national anthem played.

Lin Mo stood straight, his gaze fixed on the giant national emblem in the center of the rostrum.

In that instant, he thought of many things—

He thought of that late night three years ago, the shock when he first saw the system prompt.

He thought of the rudimentary laboratory at Kunlun Base, the cheers when the first Pilot-scale production succeeded.

He thought of Chen Xueming's silly grin when international lithium prices plummeted after the Lithium Extraction from Seawater press conference.

He thought of the wind and sand on the Gobi Desert, the days and nights at the tokamak-3 construction site.

He thought of the Enter key Black Sparrow pressed before she was captured, the alarm sounds when the Cooling System collapsed.

He thought of the moment of ignition, Wang Zhenguo's tears streaming down his face on the other end of the video call.

He thought of what Smith said before he left: "You proved that science has no borders."

...

"Comrade Lin Mo."

The voice of the official presenting the award pulled him back to reality. The old man held the certificate and medal with both hands, handing them to him, his eyes full of gratification:

"This is what the country gives you. But more importantly—you gave the country a future."

Lin Mo accepted them with both hands and bowed slightly.

The applause rang out again, more enthusiastic than before.

He turned around, facing everyone in the audience, and raised the certificate.

The flashbulbs were almost blinding.

But what he saw was not these lights, but those few people standing in the very last row—

Li Xiao was clapping hard, her face covered in tears.

Chen Xueming stood straight, his eyes red, but the corners of his mouth were lifted high.

Zhao Gang still kept a straight face, but his hands were clapping the loudest.

And Wang Zhenguo, sitting at the very edge of the first row, not clapping, just looking at him, his eyes full of pride.

After the award ceremony, there was the routine photo session and interviews.

Lin Mo was surrounded by reporters for a full hour, with questions ranging from "How do you feel about winning?" to "What is your next plan?", from "Personal growth" to "Team stories," covering almost every detail of his thirty-plus years of life.

He answered them one by one, patiently, calmly, and with humility.

Finally, the crowd dispersed. Lin Mo walked out of the Great Hall of the People, stood on the steps, and took a deep breath of the air outside.

In Beijing in May, the evening breeze still carried a chill. Tiananmen Square was bustling with people; some were taking pictures, some were flying kites, and children were running after pigeons.

"Senior brother!"

Li Xiao ran over, followed by Chen Xueming and Zhao Gang.

"You must be exhausted, right?" Li Xiao handed him a bottle of water. "I watched those reporters; they seemed like they wanted to dig out your ancestors for eight generations."

Lin Mo took the water and took a sip: "It's fine."

"It's fine?" Chen Xueming widened his eyes. "An hour! I was standing to the side and my legs were sore, and you're still saying it's fine?"

Zhao Gang spoke up for once: "Dr. Lin is used to it. That press conference lasted over two hours, and didn't he get through that too?"

"That was then, this is now," Chen Xueming muttered. "This is the national top award; the whole country is watching."

Lin Mo didn't respond, just watched the crowd on the square.

"Senior brother," Li Xiao followed his gaze, "what are you thinking about?"

Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds, then spoke:

"I was thinking, when these people use electricity, do they ever wonder where the electricity comes from?"

Li Xiao was stunned.

Chen Xueming was also stunned.

Zhao Gang, however, nodded: "They will. My wife told me yesterday that once electricity bills get cheaper, she wants to buy a bigger refrigerator."

Lin Mo smiled.

"But that's a matter for the future," he said. "For now, electricity isn't cheap yet."

"It will be soon," Chen Xueming said. "The tokamak-3 is running stably, the tokamak-4 design has started, and in another five or six years, the demonstration pile will be connected to the grid."

"Five or six years…" Lin Mo repeated softly.

"What's wrong?" Li Xiao asked. "Do you think it's too long?"

Lin Mo shook his head: "It's not too long, it's too fast."

"Too fast?"

Lin Mo turned around and looked at the three of them:

"Nuclear Fusion has succeeded, but the real challenge has just begun. Engineering, commercialization, safety, sustainability—every single problem is no easier than the ignition itself. And—"

He paused.

"And what?" Li Xiao asked.

Lin Mo looked into the distance, the sunset was sinking, dyeing the sky a golden red.

"And, Nuclear Fusion is just the beginning."

In the evening, Lin Mo returned to the hotel and sat alone by the window.

His phone rang; it was a message from Wang Zhenguo:

"Did you remember what I said today?"

Lin Mo replied: "I remembered. It's not the finish line, it's the starting line."

"Good. Get some sleep early, there are things to do tomorrow."

"You should also rest early, Teacher."

Putting down his phone, Lin Mo looked at the night view outside the window.

Beijing's nights were brightly lit, with traffic like a weave. In the distance, the light show on the CCTV building was scrolling a celebratory slogan: "Warmly congratulate our country on the successful ignition of Controlled Nuclear Fusion."

He looked at those lights and suddenly thought of the plasma inside the tokamak-3 device—also light, also energy, but one was consumption, the other was creation.

His phone vibrated again.

This time it was a system prompt:

【Milestone detected: State Preeminent Science and Technology Award granted】

【Achievement reward: research points +3000, current balance 15550】

【Tip: Honor is a summary of the past, the future is the real battlefield】

【Next stage main mission unlocked: Industrial preparation of Carbon Nanotubes】

【Mission objective: Complete laboratory verification within three months, complete pilot production line construction within six months】

【Mission reward: space elevator core technology package (staged unlock)】

Lin Mo looked at the screen and was silent for a long time.

Then he replied:

"Accept mission."

The system interface flickered and disappeared.

Outside the window, the night in Beijing was still prosperous.

But his heart had already flown back to that Gobi Desert.

The next morning, Capital International Airport.

"Senior brother, are you really not staying for a few more days?" Li Xiao looked reluctant. "It's not easy to come to Beijing, and we haven't even been to the Forbidden City."

Lin Mo shook his head: "There are things to do at the base."

"What's so urgent?"

Lin Mo didn't answer, just looked toward the boarding gate.

Chen Xueming walked over and handed him a note: "This is from Factory Director Liu, saying that the Southwest Aerospace Factory is currently trial-producing a new type of carbon fiber material. The strength is 30% higher than existing products, but the process is unstable. See if it's useful."

Lin Mo took the note, glanced at it, and put it in his pocket.

"It's useful," he said.

Zhao Gang was the last to speak: "Dr. Lin, I've already arranged things at the base. After you go back, rest for a day first; don't rush to the site."

Lin Mo looked at him and smiled: "Brother Zhao, when did you learn to say things like that?"

Zhao Gang kept a straight face: "I've always known how to say it."

"Then why didn't you say it before?"

"You wouldn't have listened before."

Li Xiao and Chen Xueming laughed out loud at the same time.

Lin Mo laughed too.

"Alright, boarding now." He picked up his simple luggage. "You guys go back, see you at the base."

"See you at the base."

Lin Mo turned and walked into the boarding bridge without looking back.

Li Xiao watched his back disappear and suddenly said: "Do you guys feel like Senior brother has changed?"

"Changed?" Chen Xueming asked. "How has he changed?"

"I can't say," Li Xiao tilted her head and thought, "It's just... he's further away."

"Further away?"

"Yeah. Not the kind of distant that means alienation, it's—he sees further than we do."

Chen Xueming was silent for a while and nodded.

"He has always seen further than us," he said. "Otherwise, it wouldn't be him standing on the stage and us standing off it."

Zhao Gang patted both of their shoulders:

"Let's go, don't think about it. All we can do is keep up."

The three turned and left.

In the departure hall, people were coming and going, and no one noticed the four ordinary young people just now.

But on the broadcast, the news was playing:

"...After Academician Lin Mo received the State Preeminent Science and Technology Award, he has returned to the research base this morning to continue investing in the next stage of research work. It is reported that his team is tackling the industrial preparation technology of Carbon Nanotubes, which will lay a solid foundation for our country's space elevator plan..."

Someone stopped and looked up at the broadcast.

Someone took out their phone to search for the news.

Someone said to their companion: "Hey, that's the guy who lit up the sun."

The plane passed through the clouds, and sunlight spilled into the porthole.

Lin Mo sat by the window, looking at the sea of clouds below, and the line from the system prompt appeared in his mind:

"The future is the real battlefield."

He closed his eyes.

The roar of the tokamak-3 device starting up seemed to ring in his ears.

But that sound gradually faded away.

Replacing it was a grander, more distant echo—the vibration of the space elevator's cable in the wind, the roar of the starship engine ignition, the sound of humanity's footsteps walking toward the stars and the sea.

He opened his eyes.

Outside the window, above the clouds, was an endless deep blue.

Further away, was the universe.