Chapter 225 Netizens' Counterattack

The day after Smith's article was published, the domestic internet exploded.

The first place it detonated was a popular science forum. A netizen translated the full text of "The Chinese tower of babel" into Chinese and posted it on the "Aerospace" board of the forum. The title read:

"Nobel Laureate Smith: The Chinese space elevator is a 'modern tower of babel,' harder than ascending to heaven."

Less than an hour after the post was made, the view count exceeded 100,000, and the number of comments broke a thousand.

Li Xiao held her phone, scrolling down line by line, the corners of her mouth unable to stop curling upward.

"Senior, look at these comments!"

Lin Mo took the phone and scanned it—

@StarrySea123: "It's this Smith again! Back when it was Nuclear Fusion, he said the 'data is worth verifying,' and what happened? Did his face get swollen or not?"

@ScienceGuyWang: "As a Ph.D. in materials science, I must say: Carbon Nanotubes from 100 meters to 36,000 kilometers is indeed an astronomical figure. But four years ago, 0 to 100 meters was also an astronomical figure. Let's just take it one step at a time."

@MelonEatingRabbit: "Hilarious, the people saying Nuclear Fusion was impossible back then were also this group of Western experts. Now they're saying the space elevator is impossible. Do they only know how to say 'impossible'?"

@BeijingAuntieLovesLife: "I don't understand these things, but I trust our scientists! Lin Mo's team even lit up the Artificial Sun, so why be afraid of an elevator?"

@OverseasTravelerHeart: "Studying in Germany, I was so angry seeing this article. But thinking about it, the more they mock, the more it shows we've hit their sore spot. Keep going!"

@ProgrammerXiaoLiu: "Smith's title, 'Modern tower of babel'? The tower of babel wasn't completed because God messed with it. We don't have God messing with us, only a bunch of experts spouting nonsense."

@WindOnTheGobiDesert: "I'm a soldier stationed near the base, and I watched the tokamak-3 device get built with my own eyes. We've long been tired of hearing those experts say 'impossible.' When the elevator is built, let's see what they say."

Lin Mo finished reading, returned the phone to Li Xiao, and his face was expressionless.

Li Xiao was a bit disappointed: "Senior, is that your only reaction?"

Lin Mo looked at her: "What else?"

Li Xiao said: "You... aren't you happy? So many netizens are supporting us!"

Lin Mo smiled:

"Happy. But not because people are supporting us, but because people care."

Li Xiao was stunned.

Lin Mo continued: "Four years ago, when Room-Temperature Superconductivity first came out, no one knew, and no one cared. Now, an article by a foreign expert can make so many people discuss, repost, and comment. What does this mean?"

Li Xiao thought about it: "It means... someone cares about what we're doing?"

Lin Mo nodded: "Right. If someone cares, it's worth being happy about."

In the afternoon, the atmosphere in the Canteen was noticeably more lively than in previous days.

People held their trays, gathering in twos and threes, discussing the comments online.

"Did you guys see that 'WindOnTheGobiDesert'? They said they're near our base!"

"Saw it! He even said he watched the tokamak-3 device get built with his own eyes!"

"When did we get a soldier netizen here?"

Zhao Gang walked over with his tray, and upon hearing this, gave a light cough:

"That 'WindOnTheGobiDesert' is one of my men."

Everyone was stunned.

Zhao Gang kept a straight face: "What? Soldiers can't go online?"

Everyone roared with laughter.

Li Xiao leaned in: "Brother Zhao, you have such talented people under you?"

Zhao Gang said: "Yes. That kid has a good way with words; he even helped the company write press releases before."

Li Xiao's eyes lit up: "Then let him write more! Write about our base's affairs!"

Zhao Gang shook his head: "Can't. Confidentiality regulations."

Li Xiao sighed, but soon smiled again: "It's fine, just for that comment, I'm going to give him an extra chicken leg!"

Zhao Gang glared at her: "What extra chicken leg are you giving? That's my soldier."

"Your soldier is one of our own people too!"

The two bickered, and the atmosphere in the Canteen grew warmer.

In the evening, Chen Xueming made a video call.

"Old Lin, have you seen the comments online?"

Lin Mo nodded: "I have."

Chen Xueming was somewhat excited: "The comment section has basically exploded! I even saw some people digging up the news from when we did Nuclear Fusion and comparing it line by line to Smith's remarks. Saying how he questioned it back then, and how he got slapped in the face later."

Lin Mo smiled: "You participated too, right?"

Chen Xueming was stunned for a moment, then chuckled:

"Just... just replied to one. Said 'Welcome Professor Smith to visit again next time.'"

Lin Mo looked at him: "Xueming, do you still remember what I told you last time?"

Chen Xueming's smile slowly faded:

"I remember. You said, the best response is to build it."

Lin Mo nodded: "Right. Those online comments, it's fine to look at them. It's fine to be happy for a moment, to relax. But you can't take them seriously."

He paused, then continued:

"Netizen support is encouragement, not an achievement. The real achievement is on the blueprints, in the laboratory, and on the construction site."

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

"I understand, Old Lin."

After hanging up, Lin Mo stood alone in front of the window.

Outside the window, the night on the Gobi Desert was deep, but the base's lights illuminated the surroundings brightly. At the distant construction site, workers were working overtime, and the roar of machinery could be faintly heard.

His phone rang; it was a message from Fang Lin:

"Lin Mo, did you see what's online?"

Lin Mo replied: "I saw it."

Fang Lin said: "The public opinion monitoring department did some statistics; there are over one million related discussions, with positive evaluations accounting for 87%. This is the highest level of popularity for a science and technology topic in recent years."

Lin Mo said: "High popularity means high pressure."

Fang Lin replied: "Right. So you need to be mentally prepared. There are many people supporting you now, but if you encounter difficulties or setbacks in the future, there will also be many people questioning you."

Lin Mo said: "I know."

Fang Lin was silent for a few seconds, then said:

"Lin Mo, sometimes I feel like you don't seem like a thirty-three-year-old person."

Lin Mo was stunned: "Then what do I seem like?"

Fang Lin said: "Like someone who has experienced a lot."

Lin Mo didn't answer.

Fang Lin said again: "But regardless, remember one thing—you are not carrying this alone. There are people above watching you, and people below following you. Walk steadily."

Lin Mo said: "Thank you, Director Fang."

The next morning, Lin Mo called for a team meeting.

After everyone arrived, he stood up and looked at them:

"Everyone saw the online comments from yesterday, right?"

Everyone nodded.

Lin Mo said: "Happy?"

Some smiled, some nodded.

Lin Mo also smiled:

"It's right to be happy. It means what we are doing, someone cares about, someone supports, and someone is looking forward to."

He paused, then changed the subject:

"However, I want to remind everyone of one thing."

The conference room went quiet.

Lin Mo said: "Netizen support is encouragement, not an achievement. The real achievement is on the blueprints, in the laboratory, and on the construction site. We saw Smith's article, we laughed, and then what? We should go back to doing what we were doing."

He looked at everyone:

"The thousand-ton production line for Carbon Nanotubes must be completed by the end of the year. The module design for the space station must be finished next year. The prototype for the plasma thruster must go up to the sky for verification the year after. Every step is a hard nut to crack, and every step depends on everyone chipping away at it bit by bit."

Li Xiao raised her hand: "Senior, we understand."

Chen Xueming also said from the other end of the video call: "Old Lin, don't worry. We aren't the type to get carried away just by being praised a few times."

Zhao Gang stood up: "Dr. Lin, my security side is no problem."

Section Chief Wu pushed his reading glasses: "As for the equipment, leave it to me."

Lin Mo looked at these people, and a wave of warmth surged in his heart.

He nodded:

"Good. Then let's get back to work."

In the evening, Lin Mo received a text message from an unknown number:

"Dr. Lin, I am a reporter from a domestic media outlet. I would like to interview you about your thoughts on Smith's article. Is it convenient?"

Lin Mo finished reading and deleted it directly.

He opened his computer and continued to look at the module design drawing for the space station.

Outside the window, the starry sky over the Gobi Desert was still dazzling.

He remembered what he said today:

"The best response is to build it."

Indeed.

Once it is built, all doubts will vanish like smoke.