Chapter 39 A Glimmer of Hope
Three days later, at 2:17 PM.
Lin Mo stood in front of the testing instrument, his palms dripping with sweat.
This was the seventh batch of samples he had prepared according to the system's simulation results.
The previous six batches had all failed due to various minor issues—temperature control deviations, insufficient material purity, or incorrect soaking times.
Every time he failed, he had to adjust the parameters from scratch and prepare it again.
But this time, he had a hunch.
It would succeed.
Zhang Zhe sat in front of the control console, his finger hovering over the start button.
Li Xiao squeezed in behind him, her eyes fixed intently on the screen.
Even Academician and Su Qing set aside their work and crowded over to watch.
"Start it," Lin Mo said.
Zhang Zhe pressed the button.
Data began to flicker on the screen.
Voltage, current, capacity, energy density...
Everyone held their breath, watching those numbers climb bit by bit.
100, 200, 300, 400...
The numbers skipped past 420—that was their result from the previous round.
They continued to climb.
500, 600, 700, 800...
A stifled exclamation rang out in the laboratory.
800, it had already exceeded the Germany team's 780.
But the numbers were still rising.
900, 1000, 1100...
Li Xiao covered her mouth, her eyes wide open.
1200, 1300, 1400...
Zhang Zhe's fingers were trembling slightly.
1450.
The numbers stopped at 1450.
The laboratory was silent.
Then, Zhang Zhe turned his head, looked at Lin Mo, and said in a hoarse voice, "1450."
Lin Mo stared at that number, motionless.
1450 watt-hours per kilogram.
55% of the theoretical value.
Twice as high as the best result from the Germany team.
Five times that of the lithium batteries on the market.
It succeeded.
"Ah—!"
Li Xiao was the first to scream, grabbing Su Qing next to her; the two of them jumped and shouted.
Academician stood to the side, grinning so widely he couldn't close his mouth, not even noticing his glasses had slid down to the tip of his nose.
Even Zhang Zhe had a rare smile on his face.
He looked at Lin Mo and nodded, saying nothing, but that look said everything.
Lin Mo stood where he was, watching the cheering people, a massive wave of emotion surging in his heart.
It was joy, relief, and also disbelief.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
The system was right.
That compound B really was the key.
"Teacher Lin!"
Li Xiao let go of Su Qing, ran over, and grabbed his arm, "You're amazing! 1450! Do you know what this means?!"
Lin Mo was swayed back and forth by her, unable to help but laugh, "I know, I know, let go first."
Li Xiao didn't let go, continuing to shake him, "No way! I want to celebrate! We must celebrate tonight!"
Lin Mo looked at her helplessly, "How do we celebrate?"
Li Xiao blinked, thought for a moment, "Hotpot! I want to eat hotpot! The spiciest kind!"
Lin Mo remembered what he had promised her before and nodded with a smile, "Fine, hotpot."
Li Xiao cheered and ran back to hug Su Qing and continue jumping.
Lin Mo walked to the window and looked at the mountains outside.
The sunlight was nice, shining on those golden leaves, looking like a layer of gold dust had been sprinkled on them.
He suddenly remembered what Teacher Wang had said— "Scientific research is constant trial and error, don't rush."
He took out his phone and sent a message to Wang Zhenguo: "Teacher Wang, 1450."
Three seconds later, the reply came: "!!!"
Only three exclamation marks, but Lin Mo could imagine the expression on Wang Zhenguo's face when he saw the message.
He smiled and put away his phone.
7:00 PM, base canteen.
Li Xiao really had managed to get a hotpot.
He didn't know where she had gotten the induction cooker and the pot, nor the big bag of ingredients—lamb rolls, beef slices, tripe, aorta, and various vegetables, piling up a whole table.
"Come, come, come, sit, sit, sit!" Li Xiao greeted everyone, "Teacher Lin, sit in the middle! Dr. Zhang, sit here! Academician, Su Qing, you two sit opposite!"
Lin Mo looked at the table full of food, a bit worried, "This... where did it come from?"
Li Xiao blinked, "Secret."
"You didn't steal this from the canteen, did you?"
"How can you call it stealing?" Li Xiao said solemnly, "This is called borrowing. We'll return it tomorrow."
Lin Mo didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Zhao Gang appeared at the canteen entrance at some point; seeing the commotion, he paused, then turned to leave.
"Captain Zhao!"
Li Xiao, sharp-eyed, immediately ran over and grabbed him, "Don't go! Come eat with us!"
Zhao Gang looked at her, then at the hotpot over there, and shook his head, "I'm on duty."
"What duty!" Li Xiao wouldn't let go, "Liu Yang will cover for you! Right, Liu Yang?"
Liu Yang, sitting in the corner, paused, then nodded quickly, "Right, right, right, Captain Zhao, I'll cover for you!"
Zhao Gang was pulled over by Li Xiao, walked over helplessly, and sat down next to Lin Mo.
The hotpot bubbled with steam, the spicy aroma filling the entire canteen.
Li Xiao picked up a glass of juice and stood up, "Come! Let's toast Teacher Lin!"
Everyone raised their glasses.
Lin Mo also stood up, holding his glass, looking at these people in front of him—Li Xiao, Dr. Zhang, Academician, Su Qing, and Captain Zhao, who looked uncomfortable but sat straight.
Three months ago, he was still staying up late in that tiny laboratory all by himself.
Now, he had a team, comrades, and people he could celebrate with.
"Thank you, everyone," he said, his voice a bit dry, "This toast, I offer to you."
Everyone drank together.
Halfway through the hotpot, Li Xiao suddenly asked, "Teacher Lin, just how amazing is 1450?"
Lin Mo put down his chopsticks and thought, "Put it this way: the best electric cars now have a range of about 500 kilometers. With our battery, they could run 2,500."
Li Xiao's eyes went wide, "2,500? That means you can drive from Beijing to Shanghai without charging?"
Lin Mo nodded, "More than that. It's enough to drive to Guangzhou."
Li Xiao gasped and turned to look at Captain Zhao, "Captain Zhao, did you understand?"
Zhao Gang was silent for two seconds, then said, "Understood. It's just very impressive."
Li Xiao laughed until she bent over, "Captain Zhao, your 'understood' is a bit too perfunctory, isn't it?"
Zhao Gang had no expression on his face, but the corners of his mouth moved slightly.
Lin Mo looked at him and suddenly asked, "Captain Zhao, how far have you read in that book?"
Zhao Gang paused, then said, "I'm at electricity."
"Electricity?" Li Xiao asked curiously, "What is electricity?"
Zhao Gang thought, and using his not-so-proficient terminology, said, "It's... how electricity is made, how it flows."
Li Xiao blinked, then nodded earnestly, "Captain Zhao, you're making such fast progress!"
Zhao Gang didn't speak, but Lin Mo saw a flash of a smile in his eyes.
They ate hotpot for two hours.
When it ended, Li Xiao dragged Su Qing to clean up the bowls and chopsticks, Academician helped move the tables, and Dr. Zhang unusually said a few more words, discussing the next steps of the experimental plan.
Lin Mo stood at the canteen entrance, watching those busy figures, feeling warm inside.
Zhao Gang stood next to him at some point, took out a cigarette, and lit it.
"Dr. Lin," he said, "Congratulations."
Lin Mo turned his head to look at him.
Zhao Gang also looked at him, his eyes holding something complex—gratification, admiration, and also the acknowledgment of a veteran toward a comrade-in-arms.
"I don't really understand your data," he said, "but I can tell you've accomplished something big."
Lin Mo smiled, "Captain Zhao, your 'don't really understand' is more understanding than many people."
Zhao Gang paused, then smiled too.
The two of them stood at the canteen entrance, watching the night scene in the distance.
The mountains rose and fell in the moonlight, like silent beasts.
But this time, those beasts didn't look so terrifying.
"Go back," Zhao Gang said, "We have to work tomorrow."
Lin Mo nodded and turned to walk toward the dormitory.
After a few steps, he stopped suddenly and looked back, saying, "Captain Zhao, thank you."
Zhao Gang didn't look back, just waved his hand.
Lin Mo smiled and continued walking forward.
In the night, his back looked very tired, but his pace was steady.