Chapter 98 Zhao Gang's Reflections
At 11:00 PM, Zhao Gang was patrolling the base as usual.
This was a habit he had kept for two years—no matter how tired he was during the day, he had to walk through every corner before bed. The reactor, separation tower, control room, photovoltaic array, and turbine bases—not a single one was missed.
The night in the Gobi Desert was quiet, save for the low hum of the equipment running. Moonlight turned the sandy ground pale white, and the dunes in the distance looked like sleeping giants.
Zhao Gang walked slowly, shining his flashlight.
Passing by the Prefabricated Building for the "tritium road" project, he stopped.
The lights were still on.
He leaned over to the window and took a look—Chen Xueming had fallen asleep on the table, with blueprints spread out beside him. Li Xiao was leaning back in her chair, head tilted, the computer screen still bright with lines of dense code. Zhang Zhe had somehow found a military overcoat to cover himself and was curled up on a cot in the corner.
Zhao Gang watched for a few seconds, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
He tapped lightly on the window.
Li Xiao woke up with a start, looking around blankly. Zhao Gang waved his hand at her, pointed at Chen Xueming, and made a "sleep" gesture.
Li Xiao nodded and gently nudged Chen Xueming.
Chen Xueming lifted his head groggily, saw Zhao Gang outside the window, paused for a moment, and then nodded as well.
Zhao Gang turned and continued his patrol.
When he reached the reactor, he saw Lin Mo standing there alone, head tilted back, looking at the starry sky.
"Professor Lin, not asleep yet?"
Lin Mo turned his head and smiled: "Captain Zhao, you aren't asleep either."
Zhao Gang walked over to his side and stood next to him.
"I'm used to it; I have to do a round before bed," he said. "If I don't, I can't fall asleep."
Lin Mo nodded and continued looking at the starry sky.
Zhao Gang also looked up.
The night sky of the Gobi Desert had no light pollution; the stars were densely packed, and the Milky Way stretched across the horizon like a glowing ribbon.
"It's beautiful," Zhao Gang said.
Lin Mo gave a hum of agreement.
The two stood in silence for a while.
Zhao Gang suddenly spoke: "Professor Lin, I want to tell you something."
Lin Mo turned to look at him.
Zhao Gang didn't look at him, his gaze still fixed on the equipment in the distance.
"I've been a soldier for twenty-three years," he said. "I've stood guard at border stations, gone on missions with peacekeeping forces, and led troops in special operations units. I've seen many situations and met many people."
Lin Mo waited for him to continue.
"To be honest, when I first came here, I looked down on you researchers a bit," Zhao Gang smiled. "I thought you were just a bunch of nerds, staring at computers and test tubes all day, speaking in bookish language, and being afraid to even step on an ant while walking."
Lin Mo laughed too.
"And now?" he asked.
Zhao Gang turned his head and looked at him.
"Now I know—you are the real warriors."
Lin Mo was stunned for a moment.
Zhao Gang reached out and pointed at the equipment.
"This thing is more powerful than guns and artillery," he said. "Guns can hold a piece of land, but this thing ensures the country won't be held back by others. Guns kill enemies; this thing kills the hands that enemies want to use to choke us."
He paused.
"I've been here for two years, watching you build things from scratch, one by one: Room-Temperature Superconductivity, Lithium-Sulfur Battery, and Lithium Extraction from Seawater. I've seen Professor Chen go from a grumpy thorn in everyone's side to an old man who stays up all night and still laughs happily. I've seen Li Xiao go from a girl running errands to a data expert who can write her own models. I've seen Zhang Zhe go from a clueless fresh graduate to an equipment expert who can haggle with manufacturers."
He took a deep breath.
"Professor Lin, you are the country's treasure."
Lin Mo looked at him, silent for a few seconds.
Then he reached out and patted Zhao Gang on the shoulder.
"Captain Zhao."
"Hmm?"
"You are our treasure, too."
Zhao Gang was stunned.
Lin Mo pointed to the security guard posts in the distance, and to the soldiers patrolling in the night.
"Without you, we couldn't do anything," he said. "Teacher Chen can draw blueprints in the Prefabricated Building with peace of mind because he knows you are guarding outside. Li Xiao dares to stay up late writing code because she knows you are here and bad guys can't get in. I dare to stand here and watch the stars because I know that with you here, this base is the safest place."
Zhao Gang opened his mouth but couldn't say anything.
Lin Mo smiled.
"When you first came, we were nerds. Now two years have passed, and you are one of us too."
Zhao Gang looked at him, his eyes feeling a bit hot.
He remembered the first time he met Lin Mo two years ago, when he thought this young man was too green and didn't deserve his protection.
And now?
He would give his life to protect him.
"Alright," Zhao Gang waved his hand, pretending to rub his eyes, "the sand and wind is strong, it got in my eyes."
Lin Mo didn't call him out, just smiled.
In the distance, Li Xiao's voice came: "Teacher Lin! Captain Zhao! What are you doing over there?"
The two turned back and saw Li Xiao running over, wrapped in a military overcoat.
"Teacher Chen told me to call you back, said the late-night snack is here." She ran up, looked at Lin Mo, then at Zhao Gang, "What's wrong with you two? Standing here blowing in the wind?"
Zhao Gang put on a straight face: "Patrolling, understand?"
Li Xiao stuck out her tongue: "Understood, understood, Captain Zhao is the hardest working."
Zhao Gang glared at her, but his eyes were full of smiles.
The three walked back.
Passing by the "tritium road" Prefabricated Building, Chen Xueming was already standing at the door, holding a bowl of instant noodles.
"Hurry up, it'll get cold if you don't come."
Inside the Prefabricated Building, Zhang Zhe had already packed up the cot, and there were several bowls of instant noodles, some ham sausages, and a pack of pickled mustard on the table.
A standard late-night overtime meal.
Zhao Gang looked at this scene and suddenly smiled.
"When I was on guard duty at the border, I ate instant noodles when I was hungry at night. Twenty years later, it's still the same taste."
Chen Xueming handed him a bowl: "Then that's perfect, reminisce about your youth."
Zhao Gang took it and began to eat heartily.
Li Xiao whispered from the side: "Captain Zhao, what were you just talking to Teacher Lin about?"
Zhao Gang didn't even lift his head: "Nothing, talking about stars."
Li Xiao pouted: "Liar, I saw you rubbing your eyes."
Zhao Gang choked slightly.
Chen Xueming laughed out loud.
Lin Mo laughed too.
Inside the Prefabricated Building, laughter mixed with the aroma of instant noodles drifted out the window and into the night of the Gobi Desert.
In the distance, the equipment was still running, its indicator lights blinking like a gentle eye.
Watching over this group of people, watching over this home.