Chapter 273 Heroes' Triumph

February 1, 2040.

Beijing, Great Hall of the People.

The morning sunlight bathed the golden hall, and the massive national emblem shimmered under the sun. On the square, red flags fluttered in the wind, and fresh flowers were arranged to spell out "Welcome Home, Aerospace Heroes." Thousands of people gathered here spontaneously, waving the national flags in their hands, waiting for that moment to arrive.

At nine o'clock in the morning, three convertibles slowly drove into the square.

Zhang Pengfei, Engineer Li Wei, and Medical Monitor Wang Yanan stood in the vehicles, wearing their spacesuits and adorned with large red flowers on their chests. They waved to the crowd with bright smiles on their faces.

"Heroes! Heroes! Heroes!"

Cheers surged like a tide. People waved national flags and shouted their names. Some shed tears of excitement, some held up their phones to take photos frantically, and others hoisted children onto their shoulders so they could see more clearly.

Zhang Pengfei's eyes were slightly red. He looked at those unfamiliar faces, those waving arms, and those sincere smiles, feeling as if something were blocking his throat.

Beside him, Engineer Li Wei whispered, "Brother Zhang, I feel like crying."

Zhang Pengfei smiled. "Then cry if you want to."

Engineer Li Wei actually started to cry. He was crying, yet he was still smiling and waving to the crowd.

Medical Monitor Wang Yanan stood between them, her eyes also red. However, she kept smiling and waving her hand.

The three vehicles slowly drove across the square toward the gates of the Great Hall of the People.

At ten o'clock in the morning, the commendation ceremony officially began.

Inside the Great Hall of the People, every seat was filled. Representatives from all over the country, scientists, engineers, aerospace workers, and the families of the three astronauts gathered together.

On the rostrum, the leader personally presented the "Aerospace Hero" medals to the three of them.

Zhang Pengfei was the first to step forward, salute, and receive his medal. His hands shook slightly, but he stood very straight.

The leader shook his hand and said, "You are the pioneers of humanity's exploration of space and the pride of the nation. Thank you."

Zhang Pengfei opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out. He simply nodded vigorously.

Engineer Li Wei was the second to step forward. When he received his medal, his eyes were still red. The leader patted his shoulder. "I heard you wanted to eat braised pork in space? I'll have Master Liu make some more for you later."

Engineer Li Wei was stunned for a moment, then he laughed, and as he laughed, he started crying again.

Medical Monitor Wang Yanan was the third to step forward. She received the medal, saluted, and then said softly, "Thank you, Motherland."

The leader nodded. "You deserve it."

Below the stage, the applause was thunderous.

Lin Mo sat in the crowd, watching the three people on stage.

Beside him sat Chen Xueming, Li Xiao, and Zhao Gang. A bit further away were Section Chief Wu, Liu Jianguo, Wang Lei, and Xiao Zhou. There were even more faces whose names he couldn't call out—the workers, technicians, engineers, and security personnel who had participated in the sky ladder project.

Pride was written on everyone's face.

Lin Mo's gaze fell on the stage. Zhang Pengfei was speaking, his voice echoing throughout the hall through the speakers:

"Some say we are heroes. But I want to say, the true heroes aren't just the three of us."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the audience.

"It's the workers who braved typhoons on the platform to reinforce equipment, the scientists who spent countless nights in labs, the warriors who risked their lives in the deep sea to catch spies, and the ordinary people who brought us food every day and supported our lives."

His voice choked up slightly.

"Without them, we wouldn't have gone up, and we wouldn't have come back."

In the audience, many people's eyes turned red.

Lin Mo lowered his head and quietly wiped the corner of his eye.

Beside him, Chen Xueming whispered, "Old Lin, he's talking about us."

Lin Mo nodded without saying a word.

At two o'clock in the afternoon, after the commendation ceremony ended, Lin Mo was surrounded by a group of reporters.

"Chief Designer Lin, as the chief designer of the sky ladder project, how do you feel at this moment?"

Lin Mo thought for a moment and said, "Proud."

"Proud of whom?"

Lin Mo pointed toward the stage. "Of them. And of everyone."

A reporter pressed further, "When you say 'everyone,' whom does that include?"

Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds and then said, "It includes the workers who reinforced equipment on the platform during typhoons, the scientists who stayed up for countless nights in the lab, the warriors who caught spies in the deep sea, the masters who brought us food every day, and those who signed up as volunteers—even those who weren't selected but still supported us."

He paused and looked into the camera.

"This is a victory that belongs to everyone."

At four o'clock in the afternoon, Lin Mo finally found a quiet corner.

He sat by the window in a side hall of the Great Hall of the People, looking out at the square. The crowd had not yet dispersed, still waving national flags and cheering.

The sound of footsteps approached.

He turned around and saw the three astronauts walking toward him. They had already changed out of their spacesuits into casual clothes, looking like three ordinary people.

"Chief Designer Lin!" Zhang Pengfei said with a smile as he walked over. "So this is where you're hiding?"

Lin Mo smiled. "Hiding for some peace and quiet."

The three of them sat down beside him. Engineer Li Wei pulled out a bag of snacks and shared them with everyone. Medical Monitor Wang Yanan took a bag and ate slowly.

The sunlight from the window shone in, feeling warm.

After a moment of silence, Zhang Pengfei suddenly said, "Chief Designer Lin, thank you."

Lin Mo looked at him. "Thank me for what?"

"Thank you for letting us go up." Zhang Pengfei looked out the window. "This life... it's been worth it."

Lin Mo shook his head. "I didn't let you. You earned it yourselves."

Engineer Li Wei chimed in from the side, "Chief Designer Lin, you're too modest. Without you, how could there be a sky ladder? Without the sky ladder, where would we go?"

Lin Mo was amused by him.

Medical Monitor Wang Yanan said softly, "Chief Designer Lin, what we actually want to thank you for most isn't letting us go up."

Lin Mo looked at her. "Then what is it?"

Medical Monitor Wang Yanan thought for a moment and said, "It's for making us feel that what we do is meaningful."

Lin Mo fell silent.

After a long time, he said, "What you do was always meaningful."

The four of them sat by the window, watching the sunlight outside.

In the distance, the crowd was still cheering.

At seven o'clock in the evening, the celebration banquet was held in the banquet hall of the Great Hall of the People.

Master Liu personally led the team to prepare a hundred tables of food. braised pork, sweet and sour spare ribs, steamed fish, oil-braised prawns, roast duck, dumplings... every dish was an authentic Chinese flavor.

Chen Xueming held a wine glass and went from table to table to offer toasts. When he reached Lin Mo's table, he stopped.

"Old Lin," he said, "I toast you."

Lin Mo stood up and clinked glasses with him.

After drinking, Chen Xueming looked at him, his eyes slightly red.

"Old Lin, thank you."

Lin Mo smiled. "You've already thanked me today."

Chen Xueming shook his head. "That was on behalf of others. This is for myself."

He looked at Lin Mo and said word for word, "Thank you for letting me work with you."

Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds and then said, "Thank you for always working with me."

The two looked at each other and both laughed.

As they laughed, Chen Xueming's tears slid down.

Li Xiao watched from the side and cried as well. Zhao Gang handed her a tissue, which she took and used to wipe her eyes.

Wang Lei ran over, holding up a wine glass. "Chief Chen! I toast you!"

Chen Xueming wiped away his tears and smiled as he clinked glasses with him.

The banquet hall was extraordinarily lively.

This was a night that belonged to everyone.

Late at night, Lin Mo stood alone by the window of his hotel room.

Outside, the night view of Beijing was brilliant. Traffic flowed endlessly on Changan Avenue, and Tiananmen Square in the distance was brightly lit.

His phone rang. It was a message from Wang Zhenguo:

"Saw the TV. The kids were great. You too."

Lin Mo looked at the message and smiled.

He replied:

"Teacher, when are you coming back? We miss you."

Wang Zhenguo replied quickly:

"Soon. Once my health is a bit better, I'll go back to see you all."

Lin Mo looked at that message and remained silent for a long time.

Outside the window, stars twinkled in the night sky.

Thirty-six thousand kilometers above, that cable was still there.

The bridge to the stars was now open.

And for them, it was just the beginning.