Chapter 37 The Mentor's Visit

Lin Mo did not expect to see Wang Zhenguo at the base.

That afternoon, he was in the laboratory, staring blankly at the paper by the Japanese team, when the door was suddenly pushed open. Thinking it was Li Xiao, he said without lifting his head, "Just put the coffee on the table."

"Lin Mo." A familiar voice rang out.

Lin Mo jerked his head up, stunned.

Wang Zhenguo stood at the doorway, wearing a dark gray jacket. His hair was a bit whiter than it had been three months ago, but he was in high spirits, looking at him with a smile.

"Teacher Wang?" Lin Mo stood up, momentarily at a loss for words, "How did you..."

"How did I get here?" Wang Zhenguo walked in with a smile, "Director Fang invited me to visit, and to see you while I was at it."

He stopped in front of Lin Mo, looking up and down at the student he hadn't seen for three months.

"You've lost weight," he said, "but your eyes are brighter than before."

Lin Mo felt a bit embarrassed by his comment and hurriedly pulled over a chair, "Teacher Wang, please sit."

Wang Zhenguo didn't sit, but instead walked over to the laboratory bench, looking at the various bottles, jars, and equipment. His gaze landed on the printed Japanese paper, and he picked it up to take a look.

"Freeze casting?" he asked.

Lin Mo nodded, "Yes. I'm preparing to use this method to create a superconducting 3D framework."

Wang Zhenguo put down the paper and turned to look at him, "Lithium-Sulfur Battery?"

Lin Mo nodded again.

Wang Zhenguo was silent for a few seconds, then smiled.

"Good," he said, "very good."

He patted Lin Mo on the shoulder and finally sat down.

"Lin Mo, do you know why I came?"

Lin Mo shook his head.

Wang Zhenguo looked at him, his eyes filled with a complex emotion—gratification, concern, and the care of a teacher for his student.

"I didn't even get a chance to see you off when you left," he said, "Later, when I heard you had arrived here, I had been wanting to come and see you. But the base has its rules; you can't just come whenever you want."

He paused, "This time, Director Fang specifically arranged it. She said you were doing very well here, but the pressure was high, so she asked me to come and keep you company."

A warmth spread through Lin Mo's heart.

"Teacher Wang, I'm doing quite well," he said.

Wang Zhenguo looked at him without speaking, but his eyes clearly said: Who are you trying to kid?

At five in the afternoon, the two went to the cafeteria together.

The base's cafeteria wasn't large, but it was clean and tidy. Lin Mo got food for Wang Zhenguo and found a seat by the window.

Outside the window, the mountains were gilded by the setting sun, very beautiful.

Wang Zhenguo looked out the window and sighed with emotion, "This place is truly a great place to rejuvenate."

Lin Mo nodded, "It is quite quiet."

"Quiet is good," Wang Zhenguo said, "In scientific research, the thing to fear most is a lack of quiet."

He picked up some food with his chopsticks and suddenly asked, "Lin Mo, have you encountered any difficult problems recently?"

Lin Mo was taken aback for a moment.

Wang Zhenguo looked at him with gentle eyes, "You are a student I mentored; I can tell when you have something on your mind."

Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds, then said, "The Lithium-Sulfur Battery, the first-generation sample has been made, with an energy density of 420."

Wang Zhenguo nodded, "Not bad, quite a bit higher than the best lithium batteries on the market."

"But it's too far from the goal," Lin Mo said, "The theoretical value is 2600, and we haven't even reached one-fifth of that."

Wang Zhenguo put down his chopsticks and looked at him.

"Lin Mo, do you know how many years I've been doing scientific research?"

Lin Mo shook his head.

"Thirty-seven years," Wang Zhenguo said, "In thirty-seven years, the experiments I've failed have been at least eight hundred, if not a thousand."

He picked up his teacup and took a sip, "Every time I failed, I felt like the sky was falling. But every time, I made it through."

He looked into Lin Mo's eyes, "Scientific research is constant trial and error. Without failure, where would success come from?"

Lin Mo didn't speak.

Wang Zhenguo continued, "That 420 of yours isn't a failure. It's the first step. Only with the first step can you have the second and the third. What you need to do now isn't to be discouraged, but to find out where the problem lies and then solve it."

He paused and smiled, "When you were learning to walk as a child, how many times did you fall? Aren't you walking just fine now?"

Lin Mo was amused by him.

"Teacher Wang," he said, "this analogy of yours..."

"What's wrong with the analogy?" Wang Zhenguo glared at him, "It may be unpolished, but it's true."

The two were silent for a while, continuing to eat.

Halfway through the meal, Wang Zhenguo suddenly asked, "Where is that girl surnamed Li? Why haven't I seen her?"

Lin Mo said, "She is in the laboratory. She has been working overtime every day for the past few days, so I let her go back to rest this afternoon."

Wang Zhenguo nodded, "That girl is quite good. I heard she has helped you a lot?"

Lin Mo thought of Li Xiao searching for papers in the middle of the night, and a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Yes," he said, "a huge help."

Wang Zhenguo looked at him and also smiled.

"Lin Mo, you are lucky," he said, "to have such a group of people working with you."

Lin Mo nodded, without speaking.

After eating, the two walked out of the cafeteria.

The sky had already darkened, and the outlines of the distant mountains were gradually blurring. The base's lights turned on one by one, like scattered fireflies.

Wang Zhenguo stood at the doorway, looking at those lights, and suddenly said, "Lin Mo, do you know what this place was before?"

Lin Mo shook his head.

"In the sixties, this was a warehouse for war preparations," Wang Zhenguo said, "storing grain, ammunition, and equipment. Back then, people thought that if a war broke out, there had to be a place to hide."

He turned his head and looked at Lin Mo, "And now? What is hidden here is the future."

Lin Mo felt a jolt in his heart.

Wang Zhenguo patted his shoulder, "So don't be anxious. Take it slow. The work you are doing is worth a lifetime of effort."

Lin Mo looked at him, his eyes feeling a bit hot.

"Teacher Wang," he said, "thank you."

Wang Zhenguo waved his hand, "What are you thanking me for? I am your teacher; it's only right."

He looked at his watch, "Alright, I have to go. Director Fang said there is a meeting tonight."

Lin Mo walked him toward the parking lot.

When they reached the car, Wang Zhenguo suddenly stopped, took something out of his pocket, and stuffed it into Lin Mo's hand.

Lin Mo looked down and saw it was a photo.

In the photo, he and Wang Zhenguo were standing at the laboratory entrance, both smiling very happily. It was taken the day before the system activation; he had just finished an experiment, and Wang Zhenguo happened to pass by, so he asked someone to help take this photo.

"I've kept it in my office," Wang Zhenguo said, "thinking about when to bring it to you."

Lin Mo held the photo, momentarily unable to speak.

Wang Zhenguo looked at him, smiled, and opened the car door.

"Work hard," he said, "I'll be waiting for your good news."

The car slowly drove out of the base and disappeared into the night.

Lin Mo stood where he was, watching the direction the car had disappeared, and didn't move for a long time.

At eight in the evening, Lin Mo returned to the laboratory.

Li Xiao was already there, typing code at the computer. Seeing him enter, she looked up, "Teacher Lin, did Teacher Wang leave?"

Lin Mo nodded, walked to his desk, and placed the photo next to the monitor.

Li Xiao leaned over to take a look, her eyes lighting up, "Is this you and Teacher Wang? You look so young!"

Lin Mo smiled, "Taken three months ago."

Li Xiao blinked, "Only three months? It feels like a long time ago."

Lin Mo didn't speak, just looked at the photo.

Three months ago, he was still an ordinary Ph.D. Student, worrying about experimental data every day. Three months later, he was standing in a national secret base, leading a group of people, doing something that could change the world.

He remembered what Wang Zhenguo had said—

"Scientific research is constant trial and error; don't be anxious."

He took a deep breath, sat down, and opened the paper by the Japanese team.

Outside the window, the night was thick.

But in his heart, it was bright and clear.