Chapter 23 Zhao Gang's Transformation

At one in the morning, Zhao Gang walked through the corridor of the third basement level once again.

This was his fourth patrol tonight. According to the rules, a night patrol every two hours was enough, but he couldn't sleep, so he decided to make a few extra rounds.

The corridor was very quiet, with only the sound of his own footsteps. The fluorescent lights overhead emitted a slight hum, which sounded exceptionally clear in the silent underground space.

As he passed the Materials Science Division laboratory, he stopped in his tracks.

The lights were on.

Through the glass window, he saw Lin Mo sitting at the console, eyes fixed on the screen, holding a pen and writing something in a notebook beside him. On the table sat a cup of coffee that had already gone cold, along with a half-eaten bun.

Zhao Gang checked his watch: 1:17 AM.

He did the math in his head: at seven tonight, he had seen Lin Mo eating dinner in the cafeteria. At eight, Lin Mo returned to the laboratory. Now it was one in the morning—it had been five hours.

He stood outside the window and watched for a full two minutes. Lin Mo never once looked up, completely immersed in the data on the screen.

Zhao Gang turned and left to continue his patrol. But that image kept revolving in his mind.

At two in the morning, he passed the laboratory for the fourth time.

The lights were still on. Lin Mo was in the same posture, except the pen in his hand had been replaced by a cell phone; he was making a call. Zhao Gang couldn't hear what he was saying, but he could see his expression—brows slightly furrowed, focused and serious.

At three in the morning, Zhao Gang passed for the fifth time.

The lights were out.

He froze for a moment, took a few steps closer, and looked inside through the glass. The laboratory was empty, with only the instruments still humming. The coffee cup and bun from that spot were gone, presumably cleared away.

Zhao Gang stood there, looking at the empty laboratory, suddenly remembering what he had said to Fang Lin when he first arrived at the base.

"You want me to protect a bunch of researchers?" he had said. "They're cooped up in a room all day, what danger could there be?"

At that time, he felt that scientists were a group of well-protected greenhouse flowers. They didn't need to face a hail of bullets or struggle on the edge of life and death; they only needed to sit in comfortable laboratories and fiddle with expensive instruments.

But now, looking at this laboratory where the lights hadn't gone out until three in the morning, he was suddenly unsure.

The next night, Zhao Gang appeared on the third basement level again.

It wasn't a patrol; he had come on purpose.

He stood at the corner of the corridor, looking toward the laboratory. The lights were on, and several figures could be seen through the glass—Lin Mo was at the console, Zhang Zhe was standing beside him, and the two were pointing at the screen. Li Xiao was slumped over a nearby table, already asleep, with a jacket draped over her.

At ten, Zhang Zhe left. At eleven, Su Qing and Academician also departed. Only Lin Mo remained sitting there, continuing to stare at the screen.

At twelve, Li Xiao woke up, rubbed her eyes, walked over, and said a few words to Lin Mo. Lin Mo shook his head and pointed toward the door. Li Xiao hesitated for a moment but left anyway.

Lin Mo was the only one left in the laboratory.

At one in the morning, Zhao Gang walked into the laboratory.

Lin Mo heard footsteps and looked up. Seeing it was him, he was startled for a moment: "Captain Zhao?"

Zhao Gang walked over and stood beside him, looking at the pile of unintelligible curves on the screen: "Is it like this every day?"

Lin Mo rubbed his eyes and smiled: "Not exactly, it's just a critical period recently."

"What critical period?"

"The Pilot-scale production was just successful, but continuous stable output isn't enough yet." Lin Mo pointed at the screen. "I have to monitor this data to find the most stable parameter range. Only once we find it can we move into mass production."

Zhao Gang looked at the dense clusters of numbers, his brow slightly furrowed: "What can you even see by staring at this stuff all day?"

Lin Mo thought for a moment and pointed to a spot on the screen: "Look at this curve. From here to here, the fluctuation is a bit large. Under normal circumstances, it should be smoother. This indicates that the equipment's temperature control might have a tiny deviation during this time period and needs adjustment."

Zhao Gang stared at that spot for a long time but couldn't see anything.

"You people," he said, "are your eyes made of rulers?"

Lin Mo laughed: "It's not that our eyes are amazing, it's just that we've seen it so much. It's just like you soldiers—after handling a gun for a long time, you can strip and reassemble it with your eyes closed."

Zhao Gang was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly said: "I used to think that you researchers just sat in a room and used your brains, shielded from the wind and rain, quite comfortable."

Lin Mo turned to look at him.

"But now," Zhao Gang continued, his gaze falling on the screen, "I've realized that your work isn't any easier than ours."

Lin Mo was silent for a while, then said: "Captain Zhao, do you know why we're pushing ourselves so hard?"

Zhao Gang didn't speak.

Lin Mo stood up, walked to the window, and looked out at the pitch-black corridor: "Humanity has been chasing Room-Temperature Superconductivity for a hundred years. In those hundred years, countless scientists poured their life's work into it and ultimately caught nothing. Now, we are standing at the point closest to the finish line."

He turned around and looked at Zhao Gang: "If we succeed, energy problems will be solved, transportation will be revolutionized, space travel costs will drop... the entire country, the entire human race, will change because of it. Tell me, do we dare not push ourselves?"

Zhao Gang looked at him, a complex emotion in his eyes.

"Aren't you afraid of failure?"

"I am," Lin Mo said. "But what I fear more is having a clear opportunity and not giving it my all."

Zhao Gang was silent for a long time.

He thought of his comrades who had fallen in the line of duty. Before their missions, they had said similar things—they were afraid of death, but they were even more afraid of failing the mission and betraying the trust placed in them.

"You people," he suddenly said, "are a bit like us."

Lin Mo was taken aback.

Zhao Gang looked at him, his lips twitching slightly as if he wanted to smile but couldn't quite manage it: "We're both putting our lives on the line. It's just that we're fighting for the lives of the present, while you're fighting for the lives of the future."

He turned to walk out, but stopped at the door and said without looking back: "Don't stay up so late alone in the future. Have that girl with the surname Li stay with you. She's willing."

Lin Mo watched his back disappear through the doorway and suddenly smiled.

The third night, in the cafeteria.

Lin Mo found a seat with his tray and had just taken a couple of bites when Zhao Gang came over with his own tray and sat down opposite him.

Lin Mo was stunned.

This was the first time Zhao Gang had taken the initiative to sit across from him for a meal.

"Captain Zhao?"

Zhao Gang didn't speak, lowering his head to eat. After a few bites, he suddenly asked: "That material of yours, can it really go into space?"

Lin Mo realized what he meant: "You mean... aerospace?"

"I heard Fang Lin say that if this thing works, you can build a space elevator." Zhao Gang looked up, a hint of curiosity in his eyes. "Is that for real?"

Lin Mo smiled: "A space elevator is still a long way off, but using it for cables in spacecraft to reduce weight and increase efficiency is completely achievable."

Zhao Gang nodded thoughtfully and continued eating.

After a few more bites, he asked again: "Can it build mecha?"

Lin Mo nearly choked.

"You... also watch that kind of stuff?"

A flash of awkwardness crossed Zhao Gang's face, but he quickly returned to normal: "My son likes them. He pesters me every day, asking, 'Dad, is your base researching mecha?'"

Lin Mo couldn't help but smile: "You have a son?"

"Eight years old," Zhao Gang said, his tone carrying a rare hint of softness. "He's a little rascal, always wanting to see me wearing mecha to fight in a war."

Lin Mo laughed uncontrollably, and only after he finished did he say: "Mecha are still a long way off, but they're possible in the future. Once technologies like Plasma Engines, high-strength materials, and energy miniaturization mature... mecha won't just be a dream."

Zhao Gang nodded and continued eating.

The two finished their meal in silence. As he put down his chopsticks, Zhao Gang suddenly said: "I used to have a prejudice against you all."

Lin Mo looked at him.

"I thought you were just a bunch of nerds, thinking about impractical things all day." Zhao Gang's voice wasn't loud, but it was very serious. "But these past few days, I've seen clearly. You aren't nerds, you are... how should I put it..."

He paused, as if searching for the right words.

"People who dare to dream and dare to act," Lin Mo finished for him.

Zhao Gang glanced at him and nodded: "Yes. Dare to dream and dare to act. Just like us."

He stood up and picked up his tray: "If you need anything in the future, just come find me. Don't be a stranger."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Lin Mo sat in his seat, watching his back disappear through the cafeteria door, suddenly feeling that this cold and hard security chief wasn't actually that difficult to understand.

That night, Lin Mo returned to the laboratory.

Li Xiao leaned in and asked mysteriously: "Teacher Lin, I heard Captain Zhao took the initiative to eat with you today?"

Lin Mo glanced at her: "How did you know?"

"Su Qing saw it!" Li Xiao's eyes were sparkling. "She said the two of you had a pretty good chat, and Captain Zhao even smiled!"

Lin Mo thought about it: "He didn't smile."

"Then his expression softened!" Li Xiao said excitedly. "When Captain Zhao's expression softens, it counts as a smile! This is a major breakthrough!"

Lin Mo didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he was also clear in his heart that the change in Zhao Gang's attitude was indeed good news.

In this isolated base, every person's trust was precious.

Outside the window, the night grew deeper.

In the laboratory, the instruments were still humming. Lin Mo sat at the console, continuing to stare at those data curves.

But in his heart, there was an extra sense of reassurance.