Chapter 252 Pause and Waiting

February 18, 2039.

Equatorial Pacific, Space Elevator Platform.

Chen Xueming had been sitting on the Anchoring Base for three hours.

He sat right on the edge of the massive circular platform, legs dangling over the deep blue seawater. The sea breeze was strong, making his clothes flap loudly, but he remained as motionless as a sculpture.

Footsteps came from behind him.

"I knew you'd be here."

Lin Mo's voice came from behind. He sat down next to Chen Xueming, also dangling his legs over the edge, looking out at the endless sea in the distance.

The two sat in silence, letting the sea breeze blow over them.

After a long time, Chen Xueming finally spoke, "Old Lin, do you think I'm particularly useless?"

Lin Mo turned his head to look at him.

"From the typhoon until now, first it was equipment damage, then spy infiltration, and now it's the corrosion problem," Chen Xueming's voice was very low. "Every time I thought we could move forward smoothly, something went wrong. As the person in charge, what exactly have I been doing?"

Lin Mo didn't speak, just continued to look at him.

Chen Xueming continued, "Five thousand kilometers. We laid five thousand kilometers. Over a month of effort, stopped just like that. The workers don't say anything, but I can see it; they all feel terrible inside. I..."

His voice choked up.

Lin Mo patted his shoulder, then pointed at the Special Vessel quietly anchored on the sea in the distance.

"Xueming, look at that ship."

Chen Xueming followed his gaze.

"It's stopped there not because it's broken, but because we are waiting for better cables," Lin Mo's voice was calm. "This isn't failure; it's an adjustment."

Chen Xueming remained silent.

Lin Mo continued, "Do you know how many times we failed during the Nuclear Fusion ignition?"

Chen Xueming shook his head.

"Seven times," Lin Mo said. "Seven ignition failures, seven times starting over from scratch. Once, the plasma control collapsed, and the entire device was nearly scrapped. Academician Zhou said it was the biggest crisis since the 'eastern star'."

He paused, looking at the distant horizon.

"Back then, I also wondered if I wasn't good enough. If I had chosen the wrong path. If success was simply impossible."

Chen Xueming turned his head to look at him.

"Later, Academician Wang said something to me," Lin Mo's gaze softened. "He said, 'Scientific research is just like this: you encounter problems and you solve them. Smooth sailing is for fairy tales. Bumps and setbacks are reality.'"

Chen Xueming listened blankly.

"Since then, I've understood," Lin Mo turned to look at him. "We aren't walking a path that has already been paved; we are walking a path that no one has ever taken before. Encountering problems is normal. Being able to solve them is where true ability lies."

He patted Chen Xueming's shoulder.

"Xueming, you've already done very well. On the day of the typhoon, you saved three lives. On the night of the spy, you held the platform. These five thousand kilometers of cable—you watched over every single meter as they were laid. Without you, I couldn't have done all this."

Chen Xueming's eyes grew a bit red.

"Old Lin..."

"So stop saying you're useless." Lin Mo stood up and reached out his hand. "Get up. There's a whole bunch of people waiting for you down there."

Chen Xueming looked at the hand, was silent for a few seconds, then gripped it and stood up.

The two stood side by side on the Anchoring Base, looking at the azure sea.

The sea breeze was still strong, but Chen Xueming felt as though the weight in his heart had lightened a bit.

At two in the afternoon, Chen Xueming walked into the Canteen.

The originally noisy Canteen suddenly went quiet. More than three hundred pairs of eyes looked at him in unison.

Chen Xueming stood at the door, was silent for a few seconds, and then said:

"I know everyone feels bad. After working hard for so long, to stop just like that—anyone would feel upset."

No one spoke.

"But I want to tell you one thing." His voice rose slightly. "This morning, Chief Designer Lin said something to me. He said, 'Scientific research is just like this: you encounter problems and you solve them. Smooth sailing is for fairy tales. Bumps and setbacks are reality.'"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the people present.

"What we are doing is the largest engineering project in human history. Thirty-six thousand kilometers of cable, stretching from Earth into space. This path has never been walked by anyone before. Encountering problems is normal. Being able to solve them is where true ability lies."

Someone asked quietly, "Director Chen, so what do we do next?"

Chen Xueming looked at him, "Wait."

"Wait for the new cables to be produced, wait for the Repair Robots to be built, wait for everything to be ready. And then, we start again."

The Canteen was silent for a few seconds.

Then a voice rang out, "Director Chen, we believe in you."

It was Wang Lei. That nineteen-year-old young man stood in the crowd, his eyes bright.

Then a second voice followed, "Director Chen, we believe in you too."

A third, a fourth, more and more.

Chen Xueming looked at them, suddenly feeling his throat tighten.

He cleared his throat and said, "Good. Then during this time, everyone should rest well. Eat well, drink well, and keep your spirits up. When the new cables arrive, we'll give it our all again."

A cheer erupted in the Canteen.

In the evening, Master Liu specifically made a large pot of braised pork.

The workers sat together, eating enthusiastically. Some opened a few bottles of beer and toasted each other. Someone started humming a song, which quickly turned into a chorus.

Chen Xueming sat in a corner, eating slowly. Wang Lei brought his bowl and sat next to him, his mouth full.

"Director Chen," Wang Lei said indistinctly, "Please eat more, you've lost so much weight."

Chen Xueming smiled and didn't speak.

Lin Mo walked over and sat down beside him. Li Xiao followed, carrying a bowl of meat.

"Senior Brother," Li Xiao pushed the meat in front of him, "Master Liu specifically saved this for you. He said you've been under a lot of pressure lately and need to nourish yourself."

Chen Xueming looked at the bowl of meat, then at them, and suddenly laughed.

"What's with you all today? One by one, coming to give me warmth."

Li Xiao blinked, "What, is that not allowed?"

Chen Xueming shook his head and picked up a piece of meat, putting it in his mouth.

"It's delicious."

Late at night, Chen Xueming stood at the edge of the platform again.

This time, he was not alone.

Lin Mo stood beside him, also looking at the shimmering sea surface.

"Old Lin," Chen Xueming suddenly said, "How do you think we will remember these days, decades from now?"

Lin Mo thought for a moment, "We'll probably be very nostalgic."

"Nostalgic for what?"

"Nostalgic for the days we carried through together," Lin Mo turned to look at him. "The typhoon, the spies, the corrosion, the pause... these things felt hard at the time, but looking back once they've passed, they're all just stories."

Chen Xueming was silent for a few seconds, then nodded.

"True."

In the distance, the lights of the Special Vessel flickered on the sea, like a star fallen into the ocean. The starry sky overhead was exceptionally clear, the Milky Way spanning from north to south, with countless stars twinkling.

"Old Lin," Chen Xueming looked up at the stars, "Do you think there are really people up there?"

Lin Mo followed his gaze, "I don't know. But one day, we will know."

Chen Xueming smiled.

"Alright, then let's wait for that day."

The two stood side by side at the edge of the platform, looking at the stars and listening to the waves.

Waiting is also a form of strength.