Chapter 19 The Adjustment Period

Lin Mo noticed that Zhao Gang was appearing in his field of vision with increasing frequency.

It wasn't a grand entrance, but a silent one—at corridor corners, elevator entrances, the cafeteria corner, or in front of the glass windows outside the laboratory. He always stood there, expressionless, his gaze sweeping over everyone before quietly leaving.

At first, Lin Mo thought it was just the normal work of the head of security. But after three days, he realized things weren't that simple.

"He's here again," Zhang Zhe said without looking up, his eyes fixed on the data curves on the screen.

Lin Mo followed his gaze out the window—Zhao Gang was standing in the corridor, facing the direction of the laboratory, holding a folder as if reading some material. But from that angle, he was clearly aimed toward them.

"How many times a day does he come?" Lin Mo asked.

Zhang Zhe thought for a moment: "Once in the morning, once at noon, twice in the afternoon, and at irregular times in the evening. On average, four to five times a day."

"You counted?"

"I don't need to count." Zhang Zhe finally looked up and glanced at Lin Mo. "In our line of work, we're sensitive to being watched."

Lin Mo fell silent for two seconds before continuing to look down at the materials in his hand.

He was researching Pilot-scale production processes.

The laboratory preparation of Room-Temperature Superconductivity materials was basically mature, with purity stabilized above 99.5%. But the laboratory was one thing; industrial mass production was another. From grams to tons, from beakers to reactors, there were countless technical chasms in between.

These past few days, he had been devouring information in this area—pilot line process flows, equipment selection, parameter control, quality testing... every link was a brand-new challenge.

"Teacher Lin!"

Li Xiao's voice came from the door, and then she ran in, clutching a stack of printed papers.

"I found the literature you wanted! There are several internal reports from the nineties in the Chinese Academy of Sciences database about the summary of experience in the pilot production of high-temperature superconducting materials. I printed them all out!"

Lin Mo took the stack of papers, flipped through them, and his eyes lit up.

Although that batch of high-temperature superconducting materials in the nineties ultimately failed to achieve Room-Temperature Superconductivity, they accumulated a wealth of experience and lessons in pilot processes. These internal reports were simply unavailable to the outside world.

"How did you get these?"

Li Xiao blinked and said mysteriously, "I have my ways. One of my senior sisters is currently at the CAS Information Center, and I asked her to help look them up."

Looking at her proud face, Lin Mo suddenly felt that although this girl was usually a bit scatterbrained, she could really get things done at critical moments.

"Good job," he said.

Li Xiao smiled even more brightly, her ponytail swaying: "Of course! I can't just eat and not work!"

Just as she finished speaking, the door was pushed open again.

Zhao Gang walked in, his gaze sweeping over Li Xiao before landing on Lin Mo.

"Dr. Lin," he said, his voice as flat as ever, "I have a few things to confirm with you."

Lin Mo put down the materials in his hand: "Please, go ahead."

Zhao Gang walked over and stood by the table, not sitting, just looking down at Lin Mo from his height: "First, the entry and exit times for your team members in the laboratory need to be unified and registered. From now on, report the day's entry and exit plan to the Security Office before 9:00 AM every day."

Lin Mo nodded: "I can do that."

"Second, the receipt of external materials must undergo a security check. Especially paper documents and electronic devices brought in from outside."

Lin Mo glanced at the stack of materials Li Xiao had just delivered, and his heart skipped a beat: "These documents need to be checked too?"

Zhao Gang glanced at the stack of papers and nodded: "Anything coming in from outside does."

Lin Mo was silent for two seconds, then said: "Alright, I'll send them over in a bit."

Zhao Gang seemingly hadn't expected him to agree so readily; he raised an eyebrow slightly and continued: "Third, your team members need to attend security training next week. The content includes emergency evacuation, confidentiality regulations, and anti-infiltration common sense. Everyone must attend; those who miss it will have to take make-up training."

"No problem."

Zhao Gang paused, then suddenly asked: "You're not asking why?"

Lin Mo looked at him and said calmly: "You are the head of security; setting rules is your responsibility. Following rules is mine. What is there to ask?"

Zhao Gang stared at him for a few seconds, a complex look flashing through his eyes.

Then he turned to leave, stopping at the door to say without looking back: "No need to send those documents. Since they're already in, study them well. But next time, report it in advance."

The door closed.

Li Xiao froze on the spot, only whispering after a long while: "He... he agreed?"

Zhang Zhe didn't look up: "He never intended to actually take them. He was just testing you."

"Testing what?"

"Testing Chief Lin's attitude." Zhang Zhe finally looked up and glanced at Lin Mo. "To see if you'll cooperate, if you understand the rules, and if you're worth his trouble."

Li Xiao blinked, a bit dazed.

Lin Mo, however, smiled and went back to looking at the materials.

He understood what Zhao Gang meant.

That cold, hard head of security wasn't looking for trouble; he was feeling out the bottom line. He wanted to know if this young doctor was the kind of self-righteous, rule-breaking troublemaker, or a sensible, smart person who knew how to cooperate.

In the first round, he had passed.

At 4:00 PM, Lin Mo left the laboratory, planning to visit the Equipment Department.

At the elevator, he ran into Zhao Gang again. He was standing by the window, looking at the mountains outside, his back as straight as a pine tree.

Lin Mo hesitated for a moment but walked over anyway.

"Captain Zhao."

Zhao Gang turned his head and looked at him: "Something the matter?"

"Nothing." Lin Mo stood beside him and also looked out the window. "Just getting some air."

The two stood in silence, separated by a distance of about a meter.

The distant mountains were layered, showing varying shades of green in the afternoon sunlight. Occasionally, a bird would fly up from the woods, streak across the sky, and disappear into another patch of forest.

"You people," Zhao Gang suddenly spoke, his voice still flat, "stuck underground all day, don't you find it stifling?"

Lin Mo thought for a bit: "I'm used to it. When doing experiments, time passes quickly, and you don't feel the stuffiness."

"Experiments." Zhao Gang repeated the word, his tone devoid of emotion. "A bunch of data—what's the point?"

Lin Mo turned to look at him and found Zhao Gang was also looking at him, with a scrutinizing gaze and something else... something hard to define.

"The data itself isn't the point," Lin Mo said. "But the things behind the data are."

"What things?"

Lin Mo thought for a moment and pointed at the distant mountains: "Captain Zhao, look at that mountain. In our eyes, it's just a mountain. But in the eyes of a geologist, it might have a history of hundreds of millions of years, hiding countless secrets about the Earth. In the eyes of a botanist, every tree and every blade of grass on it has a name and a story. In the eyes of a mineral expert, there might be rare earths, gold, and resources the country needs buried beneath it."

He paused: "Data is the same. Ordinary people see a bunch of numbers; we see laws, principles, and the way this world operates. Once you understand these, you can create Room-Temperature Superconductivity, you can achieve Nuclear Fusion, and you can make spaceships fly to Mars."

Zhao Gang was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly said: "Do all of you researchers talk in such roundabout ways?"

Lin Mo was stunned, then laughed: "It's not being roundabout; it's just hard to explain clearly."

"Then don't explain." Zhao Gang turned around to face Lin Mo. "I look at people, not data. What you say isn't important; what's important is what you do."

He looked into Lin Mo's eyes and said word by word: "These past few days, you've been soaked in the laboratory every day, arriving earliest and leaving latest. You eat in the cafeteria, sleep in the dorms, don't leave the base, and don't ask for special treatment. I've seen all of this."

Lin Mo's heart stirred slightly.

"So," Zhao Gang turned back to look out the window, "those rules aren't targeted at you. They're for everyone. My duty is to ensure nothing goes wrong at this base. Your duty is to ensure the project succeeds. We each mind our own business, and keep out of each other's way."

Lin Mo nodded: "Understood."

"Good that you understand," Zhao Gang said. "Go back. Staying outside for too long makes it easy for people to see you."

With that, he turned and left, leaving Lin Mo standing alone by the window.

Lin Mo watched his back disappear at the end of the corridor, suddenly remembering what Fang Lin had said—the number of scientists Zhao Gang had protected was at least eighty to a hundred.

This cold, hard head of security said they should keep out of each other's way, but his eyes saw everything more clearly than anyone.

Evening, cafeteria.

Lin Mo sat down with his tray and had just taken a couple of bites when Li Xiao ran over with her tray, followed by Academician and Su Qing.

"Teacher Lin, Teacher Lin!" Li Xiao sat down, her eyes sparkling. "I heard you chatted with Captain Zhao today?"

Lin Mo was taken aback: "How do you know?"

"Sister Su Qing saw it!" Li Xiao pointed to Su Qing beside her, who was stifling a laugh. "She went to the Equipment Department this afternoon and happened to see the two of you talking by the window! Quick, tell us, what did you talk about?"

Lin Mo glanced at Su Qing, who quickly waved her hands: "I didn't mean to eavesdrop! I was just passing by and caught a glimpse from afar!"

Lin Mo smiled and picked up a rib: "We didn't talk about much, just a casual chat."

"A casual chat?" Li Xiao's eyes widened. "A casual chat with Captain Zhao? With that icy look of his, how could you even have a conversation?"

"He's actually not that cold," Lin Mo said. "He just doesn't talk much."

Li Xiao nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly asked: "Did he praise you?"

Lin Mo was stunned: "Praise me for what?"

"Praise you for your good performance!" Li Xiao said as if it were obvious. "I can tell his attitude toward you has changed. When we first arrived, the way he looked at you was like he was looking at a suspect. It's much better now; at least he doesn't glare at you."

Lin Mo remembered Zhao Gang's words, "I've seen all of this," and a strange feeling welled up in his heart.

That cold head of security spoke of minding their own business, but his eyes were always watching. Watching who was working seriously, who was slacking off, who was worth his trouble, and who wasn't.

"He didn't praise me," Lin Mo said. "But he did say one thing."

"What was it?"

Lin Mo thought for a moment and said, "He said, 'I look at people, not data.'"

Li Xiao blinked, a bit confused: "What does that mean?"

Lin Mo didn't explain and continued eating.

Outside, the sky was gradually darkening.

In the laboratory, Zhang Zhe was still looking at data. He looked up, glanced toward the cafeteria through the glass window, and then looked back down.

His phone vibrated; a message came in:

"Brother Zhang, I heard you went to a new project? How is it?"

It was a former colleague from the research institute.

Zhang Zhe thought for a moment and replied with two words:

"Quite interesting."

The other party replied quickly: "What do you mean? The project is interesting? Or the people are interesting?"

Zhang Zhe looked at the message and was silent for a few seconds.

He remembered Lin Mo's calmness when faced with his own questioning, his cooperation with Zhao Gang's rules, and his figure arriving earliest and leaving latest every day.

That twenty-six-year-old young man didn't say much, but every sentence was to the point. He didn't do much, but everything he did was done right. He didn't fight or grab, was neither humble nor arrogant, and just quietly went about his business.

He replied:

"Both are interesting."

After sending it, he put his phone aside and continued looking at the data.

At 9:00 PM, Lin Mo came out of the laboratory.

The corridor was very quiet, with only the sound of his own footsteps. Reaching the elevator, he saw Zhao Gang again.

Zhao Gang was standing at the door of the security control room, facing the screen on the wall, looking at something unknown.

Lin Mo walked over and nodded to him.

Zhao Gang also nodded back.

The elevator arrived, and Lin Mo stepped inside. Before the door closed, he heard Zhao Gang say:

"The temperature is dropping tomorrow; wear more clothes."

Lin Mo was stunned, but the door had already closed.

As the elevator descended, he looked at his reflection on the door and suddenly smiled.

That cold head of security really had been watching all along.

Watching the laboratory lights, watching the weather outside, and watching every person who needed protection.

Lin Mo stepped out of the elevator and returned to his room. Standing by the window, looking at the night outside, his heart suddenly felt much more at ease.

In this base, there were people who believed in him, people who questioned him, and people who protected him.

And the only thing he had to do was to do his own job well.

Everything else, he would leave to time.