Chapter 26 Zhao Gang's Apology

For three consecutive days, Zhao Gang did not appear in the cafeteria.

At first, Lin Mo didn't pay much attention—the head of security was busy, and it was normal for him to be absent occasionally.

But on the evening of the third day, as he passed the security control room, he glanced inside unintentionally and found Zhao Gang sitting there, motionless, facing the surveillance screens on the wall.

That back profile was indescribably oppressive.

Lin Mo stood at the door, hesitated for a moment, and then knocked.

"Come in." Zhao Gang's voice sounded a bit hoarse.

Lin Mo pushed the door open and entered.

Zhao Gang was the only one in the control room, with a cup of cold tea on the table and an ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts.

"Captain Zhao." Lin Mo walked over. "Have you not eaten for three days?"

Zhao Gang didn't turn his head, his eyes still fixed on the screen: "I ate."

"I haven't seen you in the cafeteria."

"I had someone bring it."

Lin Mo stood beside him and followed his gaze to the screen.

It was the surveillance footage of the cafeteria's back kitchen corridor, the very place where the cook, Zhang Jianguo, delivered the letters every day.

"Still thinking about that matter?" Lin Mo asked.

Zhao Gang was silent for a few seconds, then said: "That person was operating right under my nose for a month. A whole month."

His voice was very low, but every word felt as heavy as stone.

"He walked past me every day and nodded to greet me. I watched him and never suspected a thing." Zhao Gang finally turned his head to look at Lin Mo. "Dr. Lin, do you know what that feels like?"

Lin Mo didn't speak.

Zhao Gang stood up, walked to the window, and turned his back to him: "I've worked in security for fifteen years, protected over a hundred targets, and never had an incident. Yet here, in my own home, I let a cook slip through the cracks."

His fists clenched and then relaxed.

"If that girl surnamed Li hadn't noticed the anomaly, what would the consequences be now? All your data, those parameters, those formulas—they would have all been sent out. And here I was, wandering in front of you every day, thinking I was being so responsible."

Lin Mo looked at his back and suddenly understood what this cold, hard man was enduring.

It wasn't criticism from his superiors or accountability from the organization—he could handle those.

What he couldn't handle was his own conscience.

"Captain Zhao," Lin Mo began, his voice calm, "do you remember the day I first arrived?"

Zhao Gang didn't turn around.

"That day in the cafeteria, you looked at me like I was a suspect." Lin Mo said. "To be honest, I felt quite uncomfortable at the time. But later I realized it wasn't directed at me; that's just how you are with everyone."

He paused: "Because what you see in your eyes isn't people, but risks."

Zhao Gang's back shifted slightly.

"This past month, you appeared around the laboratory every day—not to monitor, but to protect. When you warned me not to go to the cafeteria alone at night, it wasn't to scare me, it was a warning. You had your eye on the cook all along; it just wasn't time to close the net yet."

Lin Mo walked to his side and looked out at the night scene with him.

"He wasn't operating right under your nose for a month. It was you who kept your eyes on him, watching until he slipped up, watching until there was solid evidence, watching until you could bring him to justice."

Zhao Gang turned his head and looked at him.

Lin Mo also looked at him: "Captain Zhao, you aren't just protecting one person; you are protecting a base. You can't arrest people based on feelings; you have to rely on evidence. The cook was caught, and George escaped, but not a single piece of intelligence was sent out. This isn't dereliction of duty; this is completing your mission."

Zhao Gang was silent for a long time.

Then, he suddenly laughed. Not a lighthearted laugh, but a complex one, filled with bitterness and relief.

"Dr. Lin," he said, "do you know what the most impressive thing about you research people is?"

Lin Mo shook his head.

"It's that you can analyze anything clearly." Zhao Gang said. "Even my little thoughts were seen through by you."

He turned around, facing Lin Mo, his expression becoming serious.

"Dr. Lin, I came to find you today because I wanted to apologize to you."

Lin Mo was stunned.

Zhao Gang looked at him and said, word by word: "The first day you came to the base, I had prejudices against you. I thought you were just a bookworm who needed protection but wasn't worth much of my effort. This past month, I misjudged you."

His voice wasn't loud, but it was heavy: "You come in the earliest and leave the latest every day. When experiments fail, you restart; when parameters are wrong, you adjust. You never complain, and you never give up. Even with that guy surnamed George causing trouble outside, you just kept doing what you were doing, completely unaffected."

He looked into Lin Mo's eyes: "You are not a bookworm. You are a warrior."

Lin Mo felt a bit embarrassed by what he said. He opened his mouth to say something, but Zhao Gang raised his hand to stop him.

"Let me finish." Zhao Gang said. "This matter with the cook is something I owe you. I should have discovered it sooner, closed the net sooner, and not let you take this risk."

He took a deep breath and then said: "Dr. Lin, from now on, I will protect you with my life."

Lin Mo was stunned.

He looked at the man in front of him—fifteen years of security experience, wounded three times, awarded twice, having protected over a hundred targets. Standing before him now, he used the simplest words to make the heaviest promise.

"Captain Zhao..." Lin Mo's voice sounded a bit dry.

"Call me Zhao Gang." Zhao Gang interrupted him. "From today on, we are comrades-in-arms."

He reached out his hand.

Lin Mo looked at that hand—rough, powerful, and full of calluses. It was a hand that had held a gun for fifteen years, a hand that had blocked bullets, a hand that was now reaching out to him, waiting for him to take it.

He reached out his hand and clasped Zhao Gang's hand.

The two hands clasped together and shook firmly.

"Alright." Zhao Gang let go, and a genuine smile finally appeared on his face. "Go back and sleep; you have to work tomorrow. By the way, don't stay up late alone anymore; let that girl surnamed Li keep you company. She's willing, I can tell."

Lin Mo smiled: "How do you know everything?"

Zhao Gang raised an eyebrow: "In this line of work, you have to be able to read people."

Lin Mo walked out of the control room and walked down the corridor back to his dormitory.

The night wind blew in from outside the window, carrying the chill of early autumn. But inside, he felt warm.

He recalled Zhao Gang's words—"From now on, I will protect you with my life."

It wasn't just courtesy, nor was it empty talk; it was a promise made by a veteran using his fifteen-year career.

He looked up at the window at the end of the corridor. Outside were rolling mountains, with moonlight spilling onto the ridges like a layer of silver frost.

In this base, there were people who believed in him, people who had doubted him, and people fighting side-by-side with him.

Now, there was one more person willing to protect him with his life.

The next morning, in the cafeteria.

Li Xiao came running over with her food tray and sat down right opposite Lin Mo, her eyes sparkling: "Teacher Lin, Teacher Lin! I heard Captain Zhao came to talk to you yesterday?"

Lin Mo glanced at her: "How are you so well-informed?"

"Of course!" Li Xiao shook her head triumphantly. "I'm an external monitor now; my information channels are extensive!"

Lin Mo suppressed a smile: "We did. Why?"

Li Xiao leaned in closer and lowered her voice: "Did he apologize to you?"

Lin Mo was stunned: "How did you know?"

Li Xiao blinked: "Guessed it. His state has been off for the past few days; even a fool could tell. And with his personality, he definitely must feel like he didn't do a good job."

Lin Mo looked at her and suddenly felt that this girl was much smarter than he had imagined.

"He did apologize," he said.

Li Xiao's eyes lit up: "And then?"

"And then..." Lin Mo thought for a moment. "Then he said he would protect me with his life from now on."

Li Xiao was stunned, and then the expression on her face became complex—a mix of being moved, envy, and a little something that was hard to describe.

"Captain Zhao," she whispered, "is tough on the outside but soft on the inside. For him to say something like that, he really values you."

Lin Mo nodded and lowered his head to continue eating.

After a few bites, he suddenly asked: "Did you go to the monitoring room yesterday?"

Li Xiao nodded: "I did. I watched it with Liu Yang. There was nothing unusual."

Lin Mo looked at her: "Are you tired?"

Li Xiao was stunned, then smiled: "Not tired! I think it's quite interesting! Before, I just stared at the screen without knowing what to look for, but now I know which areas are key and which times are critical. It feels like playing a game!"

Lin Mo looked at her vibrant face and suddenly remembered when he first started his PhD—he was the same way, finding everything fresh and wanting to learn everything.

"Take care of yourself," he said. "Don't push yourself too hard."

Li Xiao nodded vigorously: "I know, I know! Teacher Lin, don't push yourself too hard either! We all need to be well!"

In the afternoon, Lin Mo was looking at data in the laboratory.

Zhang Zhe walked over and stood beside him.

"I heard you talked with Zhao Gang?" he asked.

Lin Mo looked up: "You know about that too?"

Zhang Zhe pushed up his glasses: "There are no secrets in this base. Especially regarding Zhao Gang."

He paused, then said: "That man is worth trusting."

Lin Mo looked at him.

Zhang Zhe rarely said more than necessary: "I've seen him handle emergencies—professional, calm, and willing to risk his life. With him here, we can focus on our research."

Lin Mo nodded: "I know."

Zhang Zhe didn't say anything else and turned back to his own spot.

Lin Mo continued looking at the data.

But he knew in his heart that from today on, this base had one more layer of meaning for him.

Outside the window, the sunlight was just right.

Zhao Gang stood at the window of the security control room, looking at the laboratory building in the distance.

He knew Lin Mo was inside, knew that the young doctor was fighting day and night for the goal of changing the world.

He took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag.

"Dr. Lin," he said softly, "rest assured and do your work. Leave the things outside to me."