13: Chapter 013 Long Zhantian's Judgment: A Peerless Hero
The cheers and excitement in the laboratory did not cause Long Zhantian to relax in the slightest. He stood at the entrance of the command center like a reef, his expression even colder and harder than before. His hawk-like eyes swept across every face that had become slightly lax due to excitement, and his invisible deterrent force caused the atmosphere to settle once more.
Through an encrypted internal line, he quickly and concisely sent the news of the experiment's success and the preliminary assessment report to the Chasing Light Project Supreme Command Headquarters. Only after completing this did he turn his gaze toward Elder Chen, who was still trembling slightly.
“Elder Chen, congratulations. This is a milestone step.” Long Zhantian's voice remained steady, devoid of much emotion.
Elder Chen took several deep breaths, struggling to calm his racing heart, and looked at Long Zhantian: “General Long, now you should finally understand what ‘Patriot X’ means to us, and to the Dragon Kingdom, right?”
Long Zhantian did not answer directly. Instead, he stepped to the main control console and pulled up an independent encrypted file interface. Displayed on it was Lin Mo's complete profile from birth to the present, along with an analysis of all recently captured behavioral trajectories.
“Lin Mo, twenty-two years old, a recent graduate in Aerospace Engineering. His parents are ordinary engineers at a local state-owned enterprise; his background is clean. He has excellent academic records, an introverted and resilient personality, and is noted for strong patriotic sentiments (having participated in multiple on-campus patriotic activities, with clean online speech records and no negative tendencies).” He read in a low voice, his finger sliding across the screen before stopping on several recently updated pieces of information:
“Recent status: Repeatedly hit walls during his job search; in a dire economic situation. Behavioral anomaly one: On the 15th of this month, he purchased a batch of discarded electronic components and special metal scraps at the South City Second-hand Market for unknown purposes. Behavioral anomaly two: Three days ago, in the urban village alley where he rents a room, he was robbed by two local thugs. Lin Mo subdued both men single-handedly in an extremely short time. The reaction speed and force application shown in his fighting techniques are severely inconsistent with his identity as an ordinary college student recorded in the files, suggesting high-intensity, highly concealed professional training.”
Su Xiaowan had walked over at some point. Looking at the information on the screen, her delicate brows furrowed slightly: “These anomalies all occurred after that ‘ghost email’ appeared. Buying electronic components and metal could be explained as him conducting some kind of... personal research or experiment we aren't yet aware of. But this sudden display of combat skill...”
“There are two possibilities.” Long Zhantian interrupted her, his gaze sharp. “One, there is an extremely tight-knit organization behind him that not only provided the technology but also gave him crash-course combat training to push him to the forefront and muddy the waters. Two,” he paused, his tone carrying a gravity that was almost absurd yet had to be considered, “these changes are all directly related to him personally. They are natural changes that occurred after he obtained some kind of... ‘ability’ or ‘knowledge’ that we cannot understand.”
Elder Chen immediately countered: “It’s impossible for such an organization to exist! Why would an organization capable of producing technology of this level go through the trouble of finding a clean-background youth? They would have many more, much more discreet ways to contact the upper echelons, or directly use this technology to reap massive profits, rather than using this method of nearly ‘offering a treasure’ while hiding themselves!”
Long Zhantian was silent for a moment before slowly nodding: “I am inclined to agree with your judgment, Elder Chen. The first possibility is extremely low. That leaves only the second.”
He closed the file and turned to face Elder Chen and Su Xiaowan, his eyes like unsheathed swords: “A college student who just graduated and was on the brink of desperation, in an extremely short period, not only obtained advanced scientific knowledge capable of changing the nation's fate but may also have simultaneously mastered related practical abilities, and even personal combat skills beyond ordinary people...”
He took a deep breath and drew his conclusion word by word: “This has already exceeded the scope of an ordinary ‘genius’ or ‘tech provider.’ No matter what he has experienced, he himself is a walking, living, and constantly growing ‘national-level strategic treasure house.’”
“His value can no longer be measured by any existing standard. His goodwill and contribution to the Dragon Kingdom are already beyond doubt.” Long Zhantian’s voice was low and powerful. “Finding him is no longer just about obtaining more technology, but about protecting this unique ‘human monument’ that concerns the future of civilization.”
“I propose that Lin Mo's security level be raised to ‘national scholar’ rank. Code name: ‘Torch Dragon’.” Long Zhantian stated his well-considered judgment. “From now on, our primary mission shifts from ‘finding and verifying Patriot X’ to ‘ensuring Lin Mo's absolute safety and voluntary cooperation.’ Until he appears voluntarily or we have no other choice, we will not disturb him. We will only weave a net in the shadows to eliminate all factors that might threaten him.”
“A scholar peerless in all the land... he is worthy of such an evaluation.” Elder Chen nodded heavily, his eyes full of approval.
Su Xiaowan looked at Lin Mo's slightly youthful ID photo on the screen, then thought of those two world-shaking technical documents, her heart surging with waves of emotion. What kind of secrets were hidden within this mysterious junior fellow student?
Long Zhantian's judgment set a new tone for the Chasing Light Project. Lin Mo, originally an ordinary unemployed youth, had become the most precious “national scholar” whose fate was tied to the nation in the heart of the Dragon Kingdom's top security official. An invisible but incredibly sturdy protective net began to quietly weave itself around Lin Mo.