Chapter 196 Team Discussion

At nine in the morning, Lin Mo closed the conference room door from the inside.

Li Xiao watched the action, her heart skipping a beat—usually, closing the door meant something major was about to be announced.

Chen Xueming had already sat up straight, his notebook flipped to a new page and pen tip against the paper, ready to record at any moment. Zhao Gang sat in the corner, appearing relaxed, but Li Xiao knew he was in his highest state of alertness—hands on his knees and gaze locked onto Lin Mo, like a cheetah ready to pounce.

Lin Mo walked to the whiteboard, picked up a marker, and wrote down a few words:

Nuclear Fusion → Infinite Energy → Next Step?

He turned around and looked at the three of them:

"Nuclear Fusion was a success, and three power stations are about to begin construction. In five years, China will have inexhaustible clean energy. What then?"

The conference room was quiet for a few seconds.

Chen Xueming was the first to raise his hand.

"Speak."

Chen Xueming stood up, walked to the whiteboard, grabbed the marker from Lin Mo's hand, and wrote two large words after "Next Step":

Space

He turned back, his eyes terrifyingly bright:

"Old Lin, is there even a need to think about it? With infinite energy, we should go to space!"

Li Xiao blinked: "Space?"

"Yes, space!" Chen Xueming became more excited as he spoke, "Think about it, why couldn't we go to space before? It wasn't that we didn't want to, it was that we couldn't afford it! A rocket launch costs tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram—who could afford that? But with Nuclear Fusion, with infinite energy, the situation changes—"

He used the marker to draw a simple diagram on the whiteboard, a circle representing Earth, with an arrow pointing outward:

"First, energy becomes cheap, so we can produce liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen on a large scale, and the cost of rocket launches can drop by an order of magnitude. Second, Nuclear Fusion itself can be used as propulsion for spaceships, with a specific impulse ten times higher than chemical rockets; going to Mars won't take half a year anymore. Third—"

He paused and looked at Lin Mo:

"Old Lin, that thing you mentioned before—the space elevator. The energy required for that thing can also be supplied by Nuclear Fusion."

Li Xiao gasped: "A space elevator? Is that for real?"

Chen Xueming nodded: "Old Lin mentioned it to me the night he came back from the meeting. I thought he was joking at the time, but then I thought—no, Old Lin never jokes."

Both of them looked at Lin Mo at the same time.

Lin Mo didn't deny it; he just walked to the whiteboard and wrote next to the word "Space":

Carbon Nanotubes, space elevator, Plasma Engine, Mars Base

Li Xiao stared at those words, her heart racing.

Carbon Nanotubes—she had heard of them; their theoretical strength was a hundred times that of steel, but industrial mass production had been impossible until now.

space elevator—she had seen them in sci-fi movies as a child, the ultimate transportation tool leading straight from Earth to space.

Plasma Engine—she had read papers on them; their specific impulse was much higher than chemical rockets, but they required a high-power energy source.

Mars Base—that had been a dream of humanity for decades, yet it still remained only on blueprints.

These words put together were like a table of contents from a science fiction novel.

But the person who wrote these words was Lin Mo.

He was the one who said three years ago that "Room-Temperature Superconductivity could be done" and then did it; the one who said two years ago that "Lithium Extraction from Seawater could be done at thirty thousand per ton" and then did it; the one who said a year ago that "Nuclear Fusion could be ignited" and then ignited it.

Li Xiao suddenly felt that these things might actually be possible.

"Senior," she asked cautiously, "can a space elevator really be built?"

Lin Mo looked at her: "What do you think?"

Li Xiao thought for a moment: "Theoretically... it seems possible. If there are strong enough materials, enough energy, and a stable enough control system—but those are all difficulties on an astronomical scale."

Lin Mo nodded: "Yes, it's very hard. But three years ago, Nuclear Fusion was also very hard."

Li Xiao fell silent.

Chen Xueming chimed in: "Xiaoer, think about it, we've even lit up an Artificial Sun; why would we be afraid of an elevator?"

"That's no ordinary elevator," Li Xiao glared at him, "that's an elevator thirty-six thousand kilometers long! It's three times longer than the diameter of the Earth!"

"So?"

"So—" Li Xiao was momentarily at a loss for words, "So... I don't know. I just feel it's too big, so big that one wouldn't dare to imagine it."

Lin Mo looked at her and suddenly smiled.

"Li Xiao, do you remember how you felt when you first met me three years ago?"

Li Xiao was stunned for a moment: "Back then... I just thought you were a pretty impressive senior, but you didn't seem like anything special."

"And later?"

"Later..." Li Xiao recalled, "Later, you said you were going to start a Room-Temperature Superconductivity Pilot-scale production, and I thought you were crazy. Later, you said you were going to do Lithium Extraction from Seawater, and I thought you were even crazier. Later, you said you were going to do Nuclear Fusion, and I thought you were beyond help."

Chen Xueming burst out laughing beside her.

Li Xiao laughed as well: "In the end, as crazy as it seemed, it all worked out."

Lin Mo nodded: "So, what about this time?"

Li Xiao looked at those words on the whiteboard and remained silent for a long time.

Then she took a deep breath:

"Senior, I believe you. If you say it can be done, it can be done."

Zhao Gang hadn't spoken, quietly listening to the three of them discuss.

He didn't understand Carbon Nanotubess, he didn't understand Plasma Engines, and he didn't understand the principles of a space elevator. But he understood one thing—

Lin Mo was going to do something big again.

Something even bigger than Nuclear Fusion.

He scratched his head, and once the three of them had quieted down a bit, he finally spoke:

"Dr. Lin, let me ask a question."

Lin Mo looked at him: "Go ahead."

Zhao Gang stood up, walked to the window, pushed it open, and pointed outside:

"Where are all these things you're talking about going to be built? On the ground, or in space?"

Lin Mo said: "Both. The Carbon Nanotubes factory will be on the ground, and the starting point of the space elevator will also be on the Equator's sea surface, but most of it will be in space."

Zhao Gang nodded and asked again: "Then, will it need people to protect it?"

Lin Mo was taken aback.

Zhao Gang looked at him seriously:

"On the ground, I can protect you. In space, can I go?"

The conference room was quiet for two seconds.

Li Xiao suddenly felt her eyes grow warm.

Chen Xueming also put away his joking expression.

Lin Mo was silent for a while, then said:

"Brother Zhao, you can't go."

Zhao Gang's eyes dimmed for a moment.

"But you can send us there," Lin Mo continued. "You can protect us at the launch site, you can protect our families at the control center, and you can ensure that every key node is foolproof. Someone has to do these things on the ground."

Zhao Gang looked at Lin Mo, and after a long time, he nodded.

"Alright," he said. "You guys go to space; I'll watch the house."

The discussion continued.

Chen Xueming began to draw a schematic on the whiteboard—the space elevator from Earth to synchronous orbit, the Anchoring Platform, Cables, Climbers, and Counterweights, drawing them one by one, and they actually looked quite decent.

"I saw this online," he said while drawing. "NASA researched it before but shelved it because they thought the materials weren't good enough. Now that we have Carbon Nanotubess, we can pick it up again."

Li Xiao leaned in to look: "How thick does this Cable have to be?"

Chen Xueming thought for a moment: "Theoretically, a diameter of a few centimeters is enough. But it depends on the strength; if we can make a fiber of 80 GPa, a few centimeters is indeed enough."

"80 GPa?" Li Xiao's eyes widened. "Currently, the most advanced laboratories in the world have only achieved 30 GPa, and that's only for a small section. Can we do it?"

Chen Xueming looked at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo nodded: "We can. The mass production plan for Carbon Nanotubess is already ready."

Li Xiao took a breath and stopped asking.

Chen Xueming continued to draw: "This is the Anchoring Platform, which must be built on the Equator, preferably a floating platform at sea to avoid typhoons and earthquake zones. This is the Climber, driven by electromagnetism, using Room-Temperature Superconductivity for the coils; the efficiency can reach over 90%. This is the Counterweight, outside the synchronous orbit, keeping the Cable taut—"

He was engrossed in his drawing, gesturing as he spoke, completely immersed.

Li Xiao suddenly felt that this man was completely different from when he first arrived four years ago.

Back then, Chen Xueming was arrogant, aloof, and found everyone unpleasant. Now, Chen Xueming would actively share his ideas, patiently explain principles, and get as excited as a child while drawing.

She looked at Lin Mo.

Lin Mo was watching Chen Xueming draw, with a faint, almost imperceptible smile on his lips.

This man had turned a troublemaker into a backbone of the team.

After finishing the drawing, Chen Xueming put down the pen and breathed a long sigh of relief:

"That's roughly it. Of course, the details are terrifyingly numerous—how to weave the Cable, how to power the Climber, what to do if it breaks—all of these are problems."

Lin Mo nodded: "So we have to start with Carbon Nanotubess. Without the material, everything is empty talk."

He walked to the whiteboard and drew a circle under "Carbon Nanotubes":

"First step, pilot production line. Within three months, build an experimental line with an annual output of ten tons to verify the stability of the process."

Chen Xueming immediately raised his hand: "I'll do it!"

Lin Mo glanced at him: "You are responsible for the Guangdong power station."

Chen Xueming's hand froze in mid-air, and the expression on his face instantly collapsed: "Oh, right... I almost forgot."

Li Xiao chuckled beside him.

Lin Mo continued: "I will personally oversee the Carbon Nanotubes side. Li Xiao will assist, and Brother Zhao will be responsible for site security. In three months, if the pilot production is successful, we will start the construction of a thousand-ton production line."

Li Xiao nodded: "Understood."

Zhao Gang also nodded.

Chen Xueming said with a bitter face: "What about me? I just watch you guys work?"

Lin Mo looked at him: "You're responsible for the Guangdong power station; that's an even bigger matter. A single power station affects the electricity safety of tens of millions of people. You think that's smaller than Carbon Nanotubess?"

Chen Xueming was stunned and scratched his head: "It seems... not small."

"It's not just 'not small,' it's bigger," Lin Mo said. "Xueming, you're not going to Guangdong to enjoy yourself. That's the first large-scale application of our Nuclear Fusion technology; only success is allowed, not failure."

Chen Xueming was silent for a few seconds, then nodded heavily:

"Understood. Old Lin, don't worry, I will definitely do a good job with the Guangdong power station."

The discussion continued until noon.

Master Liu came to knock on the door three times, and on the third time, he finally couldn't help but peek his head in:

"Leaders, the food is ready. Can we eat first before continuing the meeting?"

Li Xiao burst out laughing: "Master Liu, we aren't leaders; we're just workers."

"Workers have to eat too!" Master Liu glared. "If you don't come now, the food will get cold!"

Only then did the four of them pack up their things and head to the Canteen.

On the way, Chen Xueming suddenly asked:

"Old Lin, if a space elevator really is to be built, how many years would it take?"

Lin Mo thought for a moment: "The system says fifteen to twenty years."

"Then how old will I be by then?"

"You're thirty-four this year; in twenty years, you'll be fifty-four."

Chen Xueming nodded and suddenly smiled:

"Fifty-four, that's fine. I'll still be able to climb the elevator."

Li Xiao chimed in: "Climb what? You'll be taking a Climber up, not actually climbing."

"I don't care," Chen Xueming waved his hand, "anyway, I want to go up and see. What does it feel like to look at the Earth from space?"

Li Xiao thought for a moment: "It should be... very beautiful, right?"

Zhao Gang suddenly spoke: "I've seen it from a plane; when it's very high, you can see that the Earth is curved. Space should be even more curved."

Chen Xueming laughed: "Brother Zhao, the way you say it... the Earth is round to begin with."

"I know," Zhao Gang said seriously, "but seeing it with your own eyes and just knowing it are two different things."

Lin Mo listened to them talk without interrupting.

But he knew Zhao Gang was right.

Seeing it with your own eyes and just knowing it are two different things.

Just like seeing Nuclear Fusion ignition with your own eyes and knowing it can be ignited are two different things.

One day, he would take these people to see with their own eyes the way the Earth rises from space.

In the afternoon, Chen Xueming packed his luggage, preparing to go to Guangdong.

Li Xiao helped him organize his materials, nagging as she did:

"When you get there, don't always stay up late, and remember to eat on time. The humidity there is high; as a northerner, you might not be used to it, so drink plenty of water. Also, if you run into problems, don't carry them alone; call anytime—"

"Alright, alright," Chen Xueming interrupted her, "you're more long-winded than my mom."

Li Xiao glared at him: "I'm doing this because I care about you!"

"I know, I know," Chen Xueming smiled, "thanks."

Zhao Gang stood at the door and handed him an envelope: "This is the phone number of an old comrade-in-arms of mine in the Guangzhou Military Region; if anything happens, look him up."

Chen Xueming took it and put it away solemnly: "Thanks, Brother Zhao."

Finally, it was Lin Mo.

The two of them stood at the entrance of the base, with Chen Xueming's car already waiting nearby.

"Old Lin," Chen Xueming said, "I'm leaving."

Lin Mo nodded: "Take care."

"If anything happens over there, I'll report to you anytime."

"Okay."

Chen Xueming opened his mouth as if to say something but didn't.

Lin Mo looked at him and suddenly reached out his hand.

Chen Xueming was stunned for a moment, then gripped it tightly.

"Xueming," Lin Mo said, "I believe in you."

Chen Xueming's eyes grew warm, and he quickly turned his head away.

"Alright, alright," he let go of the hand and turned to pull open the car door, "I'm off, don't see me out."

The car started and drove into the distance.

Lin Mo stood in place, watching the car grow smaller and smaller until it finally disappeared at the end of the Gobi Desert highway.

Li Xiao stood beside him and said softly, "Senior, Chen Xueming has really changed."

Lin Mo nodded.

"It's all because of you," Li Xiao said.

Lin Mo shook his head: "It's because of himself."

Li Xiao smiled and didn't say anything more.

The two turned and walked back to the base.

Behind them, the wind on the Gobi Desert continued to blow.

Ahead, a new journey was unfolding.