Chapter 40 Review Motion
Three days after the success, Fang Lin called Lin Mo to her office.
When Lin Mo entered, he found her standing by the window, looking out at the mountains.
Sunlight streamed in from outside, casting a golden glow over her.
"Director Fang." Lin Mo walked over.
Fang Lin turned around and gestured for him to sit.
"Lin Mo," she said, "I have reviewed the data for the Lithium-Sulfur Battery. 1450, it is very impressive."
Lin Mo nodded, waiting for her to continue.
Fang Lin sat down opposite him and looked at him: "What are your thoughts?"
Lin Mo thought for a moment: "The next step is to optimize the cycle life and safety, and then..."
"And then?" Director Fang interrupted him.
Lin Mo was taken aback.
Fang Lin looked at him, her eyes holding a complex emotion—it was both appreciation and a test.
"Lin Mo," she said, "do you know what the hardest step is for a scientific achievement to go from the laboratory to real-world application?"
Lin Mo thought for a moment: "Mass production?"
Fang Lin shook her head.
"Process optimization?"
Fang Lin shook her head again.
"Then what is it?"
Fang Lin stood up, walked to the window, and turned her back to him.
"It is making people believe."
Lin Mo was stunned.
Fang Lin turned around and looked at him: "Your Room-Temperature Superconductivity material had a successful Pilot-scale production and passed sample testing, and the state attaches great importance to it. Why? Because Academician Chen Qingshan personally verified it, and Director Zhou Jianguo personally tested it. People believed it."
She walked back to the table and sat down: "Now the Lithium-Sulfur Battery has also been developed, 1450, which is double that of the Germans. But apart from you, me, Zhao Gang, and those few people on your team, who else knows?"
Lin Mo fell silent.
"No one knows." Fang Lin said it for him, "Outsiders don't know, peers don't know, and the international community knows even less. No matter how beautiful your data is, if no one sees it, it is just numbers on paper."
Lin Mo slowly understood what she meant.
"Director Fang, are you saying..."
Fang Lin nodded: "I want to invite external experts to conduct a formal review of your achievements."
Lin Mo felt a stir in his heart.
"External experts?"
"Yes," Fang Lin said, "the top experts in the domestic battery field. Invite them to come, to test, to verify. If they also approve, then this achievement will truly be established."
She looked into Lin Mo's eyes: "Lin Mo, this step must be taken. It is not for the sake of face, but to make more people believe, to allow more resources to be invested, and to let this technology truly go out into the world."
Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds, then asked: "When?"
Fang Lin smiled: "You agree?"
Lin Mo nodded: "You are right. No matter how beautiful the data is, it is useless if no one sees it."
Fang Lin nodded with satisfaction: "Good. Then I will start looking for candidates."
She paused, then added: "However, you need to be mentally prepared for one thing—these experts are not here to flatter you. They will look at your data with the most critical eyes and test your samples with the most rigorous standards. When the time comes, there may be all kinds of doubts and questions."
Lin Mo looked at her and said calmly: "Let them come."
Fang Lin was taken aback, then smiled.
"Alright," she said, "that is exactly what I was waiting for you to say."
In the afternoon, Lin Mo returned to the laboratory.
Li Xiao was typing code at the computer. Seeing him enter, she looked up: "Teacher Lin, what did Director Fang want with you?"
Lin Mo sat down next to her and explained the review matter.
After listening, Li Xiao's eyes widened: "External experts? Coming to review us?"
Lin Mo nodded.
"Isn't... isn't that a lot of pressure?"
Lin Mo smiled: "Are you scared?"
Li Xiao thought for a moment, then shook her head: "Not scared. Our data is real, what is there to be scared of?"
Lin Mo looked at her, feeling a sense of gratification.
This girl had truly grown up.
In the evening, Lin Mo went to the security control room to find Zhao Gang.
Zhao Gang was the same as always, sitting inside with that book, "Introduction to Physics," spread out in front of him. Seeing Lin Mo enter, he looked up.
"Dr. Lin?"
Lin Mo sat down next to him and also explained the review matter to him.
After listening, Zhao Gang was silent for a few seconds, then asked: "Are those experts reliable?"
Lin Mo thought for a moment: "The people Director Fang picks should be reliable."
Zhao Gang nodded and said nothing more.
But a look flashed in his eyes that Lin Mo could not understand.
The next morning, Fang Lin came to the laboratory with a list.
"I have initially screened seven people." She handed the list to Lin Mo, "Take a look."
Lin Mo took the list and read it from top to bottom.
The seven names were all prominent figures in the domestic battery field. Some were professors at top universities, some were Chiefs at national research institutes, and some were technical directors in companies. Any one of them could fill a whole page with their resume.
"They are all big shots." Lin Mo said.
Fang Lin nodded: "That is why I said they will look at your data with the most critical eyes."
Lin Mo continued reading, then suddenly stopped.
The second to last name on the list: Chen Xueming, Professor at the School of Materials Science at Jianghuai University, Ph.D. Student advisor, recipient of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars.
"This Chen Xueming," Lin Mo pointed at the name, "I have heard of him."
Fang Lin looked at him: "What have you heard?"
Lin Mo thought for a moment: "I heard his temper isn't very good, he is particularly pedantic, and during meetings, he often puts the people giving reports on the spot."
Fang Lin smiled: "Yes, that's him."
Lin Mo looked up: "Did you do that on purpose?"
Fang Lin did not deny it, only saying: "I need someone to play the bad guy."
Lin Mo was silent for a few seconds, then nodded: "Alright."
Fang Lin looked at him, her eyes showing some appreciation.
"Lin Mo," she said, "you are steadier than I imagined."
Lin Mo was taken aback: "What do you mean?"
Fang Lin stood up and patted his shoulder: "If it were someone else, they might panic after seeing this list. But you, you are not afraid at all."
Lin Mo smiled: "What is there to be afraid of? The data is real."
Fang Lin looked at him, nodded with satisfaction, and turned to leave.
In the afternoon, Lin Mo showed the list to the team.
After Li Xiao finished reading, she gasped: "Teacher Lin, these... these are all big shots!"
Zhang Zhe took the list, glanced at it, and frowned slightly.
"This Chen Xueming," he said, "I know him."
Lin Mo looked at him.
Zhang Zhe paused, then said: "When I applied for the Distinguished Young Scholar fund, he was one of the judges. He asked me three questions, and I couldn't answer any of them."
The laboratory was quiet for a moment.
Li Xiao asked in a low voice: "And then?"
Zhang Zhe said expressionlessly: "And then I didn't pass."
Lin Mo looked at Zhang Zhe and suddenly smiled.
"So," he said, "we've encountered an old acquaintance this time."
Zhang Zhe rarely showed a helpless expression.
"Chief Lin," he said, "are you not nervous at all?"
Lin Mo shook his head: "The data is real, what is there to be afraid of?"
Zhang Zhe stared at him for a few seconds, then also smiled.
"Alright," he said, "then I will wait to see what he can ask this time."
At night, Lin Mo sat alone in the laboratory.
The night outside was deep, and the mountains undulated under the moonlight.
He remembered Fang Lin's words—"Making people believe is harder than achieving the results."
He remembered the story Zhang Zhe told—three questions, none of which he could answer.
He remembered Chen Xueming's name, and remembered those rumors.
Then he lowered his head and continued to look at the data.
Once, twice, three times.
He knew every number by heart. He could draw the shape of every curve. He had experimental support for every conclusion.
Outside the window, the night deepened.
But in his heart, it was bright and clear.