233: Chapter 233 Lin Mo's Prestige: The Undisputed Leader
On the day the "White Paper on Technological Ethics and Development Paths" was passed unanimously by the GDA Supreme Council, there was no applause or cheering in the Ark's council chamber.
There was only silence.
A silence heavier than any clamor, carrying the weight of countless sacrifices and lessons.
Old Chen sat in his council seat, looking at the principles on the projection that had been stained red with blood, his aged face filled with a complex expression. He slowly stood up and turned toward Lin Mo, who sat in the primary seat.
"Consultant Lin," his voice was somewhat raspy, yet it reached the ears of everyone present clearly, "you led the drafting of this white paper. Those principles were earned through the tide-turning decisions you made time and again. I believe that before it is formally promulgated, you should say something to all of humanity."
Lin Mo looked up at Old Chen. Then he looked at all the councilors, generals, scientists, and representatives present—on every face, there was no scrutiny or doubt, only a shared, heartfelt expectation.
He stood up and walked to the podium.
Silence reigned for a few seconds.
He spoke, his voice as calm as if he were stating a most ordinary fact:
"I don't need to say anything."
Everyone was stunned.
Lin Mo's gaze swept across the council chamber, past the countless eyes watching through the live broadcast, and finally landed on the quietly projected white paper.
"This white paper wasn't written by me. It was written with the lives of the soldiers who sacrificed themselves on the 'soaring heavens.' It was written with the sweat of the engineers who fought to protect the last piece of equipment at the contaminated refining stations near the Moon Base. It was written with the tears of the penitents who tremblingly said 'I am willing to atone' at the Truth and Reconciliation Committee hearings."
He paused, his voice becoming deeper:
"My duty has never been to stand on high and tell everyone what to do. My duty is to point out the path most likely to lead to survival when everyone is lost; to guard the last glimmer of hope when everyone is in despair; to be the first to stand up and say 'follow me' when everyone wants to give up."
He turned to face the massive viewing window. Outside, the dark core of the fourth 'Scavenger' floated silently in the starry sky, like a silent, ever-open eye.
"And now," his voice was soft, yet it seemed to pierce through everything, "the path has been pointed out. The glimmer of hope has been guarded. Those who followed me have already paved the way for the future with their own sacrifices."
"So, I don't need to say anything. Because everyone already knows—what we must do next."
The council chamber remained silent.
But that silence was no longer heavy; it was the tranquility before a storm, condensed from countless strengths.
Earth, the former North American Affiliated Zone, a community square on the edge of the New York ruins.
The massive holographic screen was broadcasting the scene from the Ark's council chamber. The moment Lin Mo finished speaking and turned to look at the stars, thousands of citizens in the square rebuilding their homes stopped their work in unison.
Old John put down his coffee bucket and looked up at the figure on the screen, who was impossibly young yet as steady as a thousand-year-old pine. His granddaughter, Little Amelia, stood beside him, looking up with eyes full of adoration.
"Grandpa, is that Lin Mo?" the little girl asked softly.
Old John nodded, his voice choking up slightly: "Yes, that's Lin Mo. The one... who saved us."
Little Amelia tilted her head, thought for a moment, and suddenly said, "Grandpa, when I grow up, I want to be just like him."
Old John looked down at his granddaughter and smiled. In that smile, there was relief, pride, and infinite expectation for the future.
"Good," he gently stroked his granddaughter's hair, "then study hard and grow up well. One day, you too will be able to do something for this world."
No one spoke in the square. But everyone, in their hearts, silently said the same thing.
The Moon, "Guanghan Palace" base, biomaterial cultivation factory.
Wang Lei stood under the dome, looking through the transparent protective layer at the Ark floating in the starry sky. Beside him stood several young engineers who had just rotated in from Earth.
"Commander Wang," a young engineer couldn't help but ask, "you've fought alongside Consultant Lin so many times, what... what kind of person is he exactly?"
Wang Lei was silent for a moment and smiled. In that smile, there was bitterness, nostalgia, and an inexpressible pride.
"Him?" Wang Lei spoke slowly, "He's a madman."
The young engineers were stunned.
"The coolest-headed madman," Wang Lei added. "When the 'soaring heavens' was ambushed by 'Hades,' everyone thought it was over. The shields were failing, the hull was falling apart, and General Long was prepared to go down with the ship. Only he was still looking at data, still calculating, still searching for the enemy's weakness. He found it. Using a remnant fleet and a handful of nearly depleted cannons, he forced the enemy's attack back onto themselves."
He turned to look at those young, adoration-filled faces:
"I asked him later if he was scared. He said, yes. Scared to death. But what use is fear? Will the enemy let you go because you're scared? Will those who sacrificed themselves come back to life? Only by living, only by continuing to walk forward, can you be worthy of those who died for you."
"From then on, I knew that following him wouldn't be a mistake."
The young engineers fell silent. They looked up at the Ark floating in the starry sky, at the figure they had never met but who had already left a deep imprint on their hearts.
Mars, Lovo Base, Kelson's laboratory.
Kelson stared at the live broadcast on the screen, at the young figure standing at the podium. His fingers trembled slightly, not from fear, but from a complex emotion he couldn't even define.
"Kelson, what do you think?" a voice came from behind him; it was the research supervisor responsible for overseeing him.
Kelson didn't turn around. He just stared intently at the calm face on the screen for a long time before slowly speaking:
"I once thought I was right. I thought power was everything, that one could disregard everything for the sake of power. I thought his cautious approach, asking 'why' at every step, was cowardice and pedantry."
He paused, his voice becoming even raspier:
"But later, when I saw the 'avengers' killing each other, when I learned that 'Hades' was a bomb that would blow itself up from the start, and when I finished reading that 'White Paper on Technological Ethics'... only then did I understand that the truly strong are not those who dare to destroy. It is those who dare to choose restraint when everyone else wants to destroy."
He slowly stood up and bowed deeply toward the screen.
It wasn't for anyone to see. It was his own way of settling accounts with his past.
Earth, former Europa, Berlin site, GDA European Headquarters Building.
A closed-door meeting had just ended. The attendees were senior representatives and military generals from major European regions. The meeting had only one theme—how to further strengthen coordination with the central authority under the framework of the newly revised gdc charter.
As he walked out of the meeting room, a silver-haired senior representative was surrounded by a group of young reporters.
"Excellency, you were once one of the people most wary of 'centralization.' Now, how do you view Lin Mo's power and prestige?"
The old representative stopped, looked at those young, curious eyes, and was silent for a few seconds.
He smiled. In that smile, there was no embarrassment or evasion, only a sense of relief after having experienced the vicissitudes of life.
"Young man," he spoke slowly, "I have lived for over eighty years and seen countless leaders. Some relied on power, some on wealth, and some on lies. Their ultimate ends were either being consumed by power, corrupted by wealth, or drowned by lies."
He paused and looked at the massive holographic screen in the distance—on the screen, Lin Mo's figure still stood there quietly, like an eternal statue.
"But Lin Mo is different. He doesn't rely on power, but on trust. He doesn't rely on wealth, but on sacrifice. He doesn't rely on lies, but on truth. Every time he stands up, he places the harshest reality before everyone and says: 'This is what we have to face. Scared? Yes. But we must walk on even if we're scared.'"
"Such a person is not a leader. He is... family."
The old representative finished speaking and turned to leave, leaving the group of young reporters standing there in silence for a very long time.
Ark City, Lin Mo's office.
After the broadcast ended, Su Xiaowan pushed the door open and entered. She held a newly compiled set of data in her hand, a faint smile on her face.
"Guess what your 'trust index' among the global populace is?"
Lin Mo looked up at her but didn't answer.
Su Xiaowan projected the data in front of him:
[Lin Mo's Personal Trust Index: 99.6%. A record high. Among them, the former North American Affiliated Zone saw the largest increase, reaching a staggering +47%. The former Europa followed with +38%.]
["If Lin Mo proposed to extend the term of the 'Wartime Swordholder,' would you support it?" — Approval Rating: 96.8%.]
["If Lin Mo ran for the GDA's first elected 'guardian of civilization,' would you vote for him?" — Approval Rating: 98.1%.]
Lin Mo looked at those numbers and was silent for a long time.
He shook his head gently: "These numbers don't mean much."
Su Xiaowan was stunned: "Why?"
Lin Mo stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the endless starry sky. The fourth 'Scavenger' still floated there silently, its dark core appearing brighter now than ever before.
"Because true trust isn't measured in numbers," he said softly. "It's on the battlefield, where someone is willing to take a bullet for you; it's in the ruins, where someone is willing to follow you to rebuild their home; it's when everyone is lost, and someone is willing to believe in the direction you point."
He turned to look at Su Xiaowan:
"Those who sacrificed themselves gave me their lives. Those who are living gave me their hope. Those who once stood on the opposite side gave me—a second chance."
"These things cannot be summarized by numbers."
Su Xiaowan fell silent. She walked to Lin Mo's side and gently took his hand.
"Then what do you plan to do?" she asked.
Lin Mo looked out the window at the blue planet, at the fourth 'Scavenger' floating in the stars, and at the endless sea of stars filled with the unknown.
"Keep walking," he said. "Carrying the trust they gave me, carrying the strength they gave me, keep walking. Until the day I can walk no more."