Chapter 9 The Mentor's Shock

Wang Zhenguo said nothing more. He stood up and walked toward the study.

Lin Mo sat on the sofa, listening to the sound of rummaging coming from the study. Outside the window, the sound of rain gradually diminished, turning into a pitter-patter of droplets. He looked down at the piece of blue material on the coffee table; in the halo of the desk lamp, it sat as quietly as an ordinary piece of ceramic shard.

A few minutes later, Wang Zhenguo emerged carrying an old suitcase. He placed the case on the coffee table and opened it to reveal a portable four-probe tester.

"I used this when I was young," Wang Zhenguo said. "Later, the laboratory got new ones, so I kept this one at home as a memento. I didn't expect there would be a time to use it again."

He plugged it in and calibrated it for a while. The instrument emitted a faint hum, and the display screen lit up.

"Give me the material."

Lin Mo handed over the sealed bag. Wang Zhenguo took out the thin blue flake and placed it carefully on the testing platform. His movements were slow and steady, as if he were handling some fragile treasure.

The probes pressed down, making contact with the material's surface. Wang Zhenguo began to lower the temperature—he was using a small canister of liquid nitrogen, and it was unclear how long it had been sitting in his house.

The temperature display began to drop from room temperature. 20°C, 10°C, 0°C, -10°C...

Wang Zhenguo stared at the display without saying a word. Lin Mo held his breath, watching the row of numbers.

-20°C.

The resistance value on the display flickered once, then dropped to zero.

Wang Zhenguo's hand froze right there, motionless. He stared at that "0.0000" for a very, very long time.

Then, he recalibrated the instrument and tested again. The result was the same.

He switched to another test point and measured again. Still 0.

Wang Zhenguo slowly straightened up, took off his reading glasses, and rubbed his eyes. He turned around and looked at Lin Mo. In those eyes, there was shock, confusion, and something Lin Mo had never seen before—it was excitement, disbelief, and a certain emotion that had been suppressed for forty years.

"Do it one more time," Wang Zhenguo's voice was somewhat hoarse.

He changed the testing method, using a simple magnetic levitation experiment—he placed the material in liquid nitrogen and brought a small magnet close to it. When that thin blue flake levitated slightly in the magnetic field, Wang Zhenguo's hands began to shake.

The Meissner effect. perfect diamagnetism. The hallmark of a superconductor.

Wang Zhenguo put down the magnet, took two steps back, and slumped back onto the sofa. He looked at the piece of material on the coffee table, at the old four-probe tester, and then at Lin Mo. His lips moved, but he couldn't say anything.

Lin Mo had never seen his mentor like this.

"Mentor..."

Wang Zhenguo raised his hand, signaling him not to speak. He closed his eyes, leaned against the back of the sofa, and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, his gaze had regained its usual clarity.

"Xiao Lin," his voice was very soft, "do you know what you've created?"

"I know."

"No, you don't know." Wang Zhenguo shook his head. "You don't know what this means. Room-Temperature Superconductivity at minus twenty degrees. This means no need for liquid helium, no need for complex cooling equipment; any ordinary laboratory could replicate this. This means—"

He paused, as if organizing his words.

"This means the entire civilization is going to be rewritten. Power transmission, magnetic levitation, quantum computing, Nuclear Fusion... every technology that relies on superconductivity will face a revolution. This piece of stuff in your hand is ten thousand times more valuable than gold."

Lin Mo listened, but there wasn't much joy in his heart. He knew all this, but he knew even better that what this discovery brought was not just glory.

"Mentor, I..."

"You did the right thing," Wang Zhenguo interrupted him. "Coming to find me was the right thing. This thing cannot be made public casually. You can't tell anyone just like that. Even—" He glanced out the window, "even be careful if anyone is watching you."

Lin Mo's heart tightened. George's face surfaced in his mind again.

"Mentor, recently there's a visiting scholar named George..."

"I know," Wang Zhenguo nodded. "He asked you out for coffee, to attend seminars, and asked a lot of questions. Right?"

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

Wang Zhenguo didn't answer, only saying: "Someone is already asking around. So from now on, you must be even more careful."

He stood up, walked to the window, pulled back a corner of the curtain, and looked out. The rain had stopped, and it was silent outside; the wet ground reflected the streetlights.

"I'll keep this thing here with me tonight." Wang Zhenguo walked back, picked up the piece of material, and carefully put it back into the sealed bag. "Your experimental records stay with me too. Tomorrow, I'll take you to meet a few people."

"Meet who?"

"Two old friends, both are Academicians of the Academy of Sciences. One is in materials, the other in physics. Highly respected and trustworthy." Wang Zhenguo looked at him. "Don't worry, they won't talk loosely. But this matter needs more authorities to verify and endorse it. Otherwise, you won't be able to handle it alone."

Lin Mo nodded. He knew his mentor was right.

"Now, go back and sleep," Wang Zhenguo said. "Don't think about anything, just get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow afternoon, I'll come find you."

Lin Mo stood up and walked to the door. He looked back and saw Wang Zhenguo standing by the coffee table, staring at that piece of blue material, the expression on his face indescribably complex.

"Mentor," he said, "thank you."

Wang Zhenguo looked up at him, a trace of a smile appearing at the corners of his mouth.

"What are you thanking me for? You're my student."

Lin Mo walked out the door and down the stairs. The night air after the rain was fresh, carrying the scent of earth and grass. He walked on the way home, his steps much lighter than when he arrived.

He didn't know what would happen tomorrow. He didn't know how those two Academicians would react. He didn't know if George would appear again. He didn't know where all of this would eventually lead.

But at least, he didn't have to carry it alone anymore.

Lin Mo looked up at the night sky. The clouds had dispersed, revealing a few stars. They were distant and bright, like countless eyes watching everything on this blue planet.

He quickened his pace and headed toward the dormitory.