I started with a portal, then turned around and handed it over to the nation.

Lin Mo's body tensed up instantly.

His hand, which was resting on his knee, unconsciously clenched slightly.

Those seven days spent in the Crimson Forest were memories he never wanted to recall.

The stench of goblin saliva, the sound of claws tearing through the air, and the warm, sticky sensation of smashing the first monster's head with a stone...

These images flashed by so quickly that his face paled for a moment.

Ye Qing didn't urge him, but just looked at him quietly, her gaze focused and reassuring.

"You can choose any segment you want to say."

Her voice was very gentle.

"For example, when you're facing those...creatures alone, what's the first thing that comes to mind?"

Lin Mo remained silent for a moment.

He avoided Ye Qing's gaze and looked at a pen on the desk.

"Live on."

His voice was somewhat hoarse.

"Then……"

He paused for a moment, and the image of his grandfather's wrinkled but always energetic face came to mind.

"It's my maternal grandfather. He used to be a soldier and participated in wars to defend our country. He always said that a soldier's duty is to protect."

Ye Qing's eyes lit up as she grasped this crucial information.

She leaned forward slightly, her tone still gentle, yet very serious.

"So you handed over the fragments because you wanted to protect something, right?"

Lin Mo raised his head and met Ye Qing's eyes.

Those eyes were so clear and clean that he had nowhere to hide.

He opened his mouth, but found himself unable to refute it.

Yes.

When he realized that the staff fragments he brought back were enough to change the world, his first thought was...

What would happen if this thing fell into the hands of hostile forces?

What would happen if that door were located in a bustling downtown area of ​​China?

He nodded, very lightly, but with great force.

Ye Qing's smile deepened, tinged with a sense of relief.

She took a document from her folder, placed it on the table, and pushed it in front of Lin Mo.

"Lin Mo, let me formally introduce myself."

"My name is Ye Qing, a military psychology expert and the chief psychological counselor for Project Tianmen."

Lin Mo stared in disbelief at the bright red seal and appointment letter on the document.

Psychological counselor?

"Your safety is important, but your mental state is also our biggest concern."

Ye Qing's voice became serious.

"From the time you first completed the mission until now, you have endured tremendous mental pressure all by yourself."

"Fear, killing, confusion... if these things are not addressed in time, they can cause permanent damage to your mental health."

"If you have any psychological burdens or troubles in the future, you can come to me. This is my contact information and my office address."

Looking at her, Lin Mo's fleeting romantic feelings, stemming from being approached by a strange girl, vanished without a trace.

What replaces it is a sense of security.

It turns out that the country not only provided him with a safe place to live and top-notch material support, but also prepared a safety net for his mind.

He always thought he had hidden it well, but little did he know that all his unease and fear had already been seen through.

Lin Mo's tense shoulders finally relaxed.

He leaned back in his chair and let out a long sigh.

"Thanks."

He said it from the bottom of his heart.

After the psychological assessment, Lin Mo felt much more relaxed.

Ye Qing didn't ask any more pointed questions. Instead, she chatted with him like a friend about life at the base and how his parents were adjusting.

"Let me take you home."

Lin Mo stood up and opened the study door.

"Okay." Ye Qing did not refuse.

The two walked out of the villa, where a black Hongqi electric car was already quietly waiting at the door.

The driver was a bodyguard dressed in plain clothes but with a very upright posture.

The car glided silently along the base's wide road.

Neat rows of poplar trees lined both sides of the road, and in the distance stretched a range of mountains, all covered with camouflage netting. The air was fresh, carrying a hint of the dryness characteristic of Northwest China.

Just as the car passed a fork in the road, a series of loud slogans and the clanging of metal came from a semi-open training ground in the distance.

"Speed! One tenth of a second faster!"

"Zhang Yi! Your cover module is deploying too slowly! Do you want your teammates to be your shields?!"

Long Fei's signature, emotionless roar was extremely penetrating.

Lin Mo subconsciously looked in that direction.

His pupils contracted sharply after just one glance.

In the center of the training field, a metal door frame, one meter wide and two meters high, is welded.

In front of the doorway, dozens of fully armed special forces soldiers were repeatedly conducting extreme crossing training.

Lin Mo witnessed Li Na, the cheerful medic, carrying a medical bag wider than herself, use an unbelievable tactical roll to squeeze through the narrow doorway.

The moment she landed, she didn't even have time to catch her breath. She rolled to the side, raised her rifle, and pointed it in the direction of the simulated threat. The whole movement was smooth and fluid, without a single unnecessary movement.

He saw that the team led by engineer Zhang Yi, after passing through the doorway, used an almost acrobatic coordination to unfold several folded metal modules in just three seconds, forming a simple bulletproof shelter that could withstand rifle fire.

He saw Wang Hao from the data analysis team staring intently at the screens in front of him with a serious expression.

On the screen, a metal mechanical dog and several miniature drones are repeatedly simulating reconnaissance routes to rush through the gate from various tricky angles.

Everyone's face showed signs of exhaustion.

Their combat uniforms were soaked with sweat, clinging tightly to their bodies and outlining their bulging muscles.

They sprinted, rolled, and set up, putting all their strength into every movement.

The car slowly drove by.

Lin Mo remained motionless, his gaze fixed on the training ground, on the soldiers sweating profusely.

The ease on his face vanished.

Instead, a complex look appeared in their eyes, a mixture of admiration, shock, and a hint of guilt.

His hands unconsciously clenched into fists at his sides.

Ye Qing didn't look at the training field; her gaze remained fixed on Lin Mo's face.

She clearly saw every subtle change in his face.

The car drove past the training ground, and the surroundings returned to silence.

But Lin Mo remained in that position, not speaking for a long time.

"In peacetime, there are very few opportunities to see blood."

Ye Qing's soft voice broke the silence in the carriage.

"Many professional soldiers may experience post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, after their first combat mission. We don't want you to bear all of this alone."

Lin Mo slowly turned his head, his voice a little hoarse.

"I see……"

He looked at his hands.

"I thought that by clinging to the country, everything would be fine. But in reality, it was them... it was them risking their lives to pave the way for me."

"Every breath I take, every heartbeat I have, is built upon their sweat, and even their future blood."

His breathing became rapid, and his chest rose and fell.

He took a deep breath, and something in his eyes was different.

He raised his head, his gaze passing through the car window towards the training ground, his eyes hardening.

"This immense responsibility has ultimately fallen on the shoulders of all of us. I cannot simply be the 'door' that is being protected."

He abruptly turned to look at Ye Qing, his gaze intense and resolute.

"Ye Qing, can I... train with them?"

"I don't want any of them to suffer because of my mistake or hesitation..."

He didn't say the word aloud, but the meaning was clear.

"...I can't come back."

Ye Qing looked at Lin Mo.

The man before me was a completely different person from the uneasy "I-person" in the study just half an hour ago.

His back was straight, and his eyes no longer held confusion or fear, but rather a firm resolve to shoulder responsibility.

A relieved smile appeared on Ye Qing's face.

She spoke softly to the driver in the front seat.

"Turn around and head to the training ground."