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

Lin Dezhu's glasses were shaken so badly they were askew, but he didn't bother to fix them; his face instantly broke into a wide grin.

"I heard it! I heard it!"

Lin Dezhu was so excited his hands were trembling: "Oh my! This is wonderful news!"

Wang Guifen released Lin Dezhu and began pacing around the living room, muttering to herself as she did so:

"No, I need to check the almanac. We need to get ready."

Wang Guifen pointed towards the balcony:

"I've been saving those cotton quilts for years, I just couldn't bear to use them. No, I need to use good stuff, I'm going to buy down comforters tomorrow!"

"Also, old man, go to the bank tomorrow and withdraw that fixed deposit."

"Let's skip the three gold pieces and go for five. We can't do without them. These days, young girls all like that old-fashioned gold style; we need to buy a large one! We can't let Xiaoqing think we're stingy!"

Lin Dezhu nodded repeatedly and turned to walk towards the bedroom:

"I'll go find the bankbook right now! And also... I have two bottles of Moutai that I've stored for five years. Remember to bring them when you meet my in-laws!"

……

Seeing the elderly couple's eagerness to move the Civil Affairs Bureau into their home the very next day, Lin Mo felt a throbbing pain in his temples.

"Dad! Mom!"

Lin Mo had to raise his voice:

"Can you guys calm down? This is nothing! We just started dating, it's barely begun!"

Wang Guifen stopped and turned around to glare at Lin Mo:

"What do you know! This is called being prepared! Opportunity favors the prepared mind!"

Lin Mo let out a long breath. Although all of this felt unreal to him.

But seeing my parents so happy, the weight on my heart seemed to lighten a bit.

……

Two days later, at the Great Wall base.

The air conditioning in the central command room was on full blast, and a huge holographic tactical map floated in the center of the round table, emitting a faint blue light.

Zhao Zhenguo sat at the head of the table, holding a fountain pen in his hand, the nib tapping lightly on the table, making a rhythmic "tap-tap" sound.

On the left side of the round table sat Professor Sun Dehai and several researchers wearing white lab coats.

On the right are Long Fei, Lin Mo, and Wu Qian, the leader of the tactical analysis group.

"There has been a breakthrough in the work on deciphering otherworldly languages."

Sun Dehai was the first to break the silence.

He stood up, his eyes were dark-rimmed, clearly he hadn't slept much in the past two days, but he was unusually excited.

Sun Dehai pressed the remote control in his hand.

A series of complex waveforms and corresponding phonetic symbols appeared on the holographic screen.

"Thanks to the photographic equipment brought back from the last mission, as well as Comrade Lin Mo's contact records with the villagers of Fernwall Village."

Sun Dehai pointed to the data on the screen:

"We urgently mobilized twelve experts in ancient linguistics, phonology, and cryptography from across the country, and with the computing power of the Tianhe supercomputer, we carried out brute-force cracking and logical reconstruction of the audio."

"Currently, we have established a database containing three hundred basic words."

Sun Dehai's voice rose a few decibels:

"For simple greetings, transactions, and some expressions about directions and numbers, the AI ​​translation system can already translate in real time with an accuracy rate of over 85%."

A low murmur arose in the conference room.

Long Fei nodded slightly, his fingers tracing patterns on the table: "This is very beneficial for tactical execution."

Zhao Zhenguo put down his pen and glanced at everyone.

"The basic language problem has been solved, which is a good thing. The next step is to strive for barrier-free communication. But! Today, there is an even more important issue."

Zhao Zhenguo looked at Wu Qian, who was sitting at the end:

"Tactical Analysis Team, what are your conclusions regarding the logistical support plan for the second phase of Project Tianmen?"

Wu Qian stood up.

This is a man in his early thirties, wearing frameless glasses, with his hair neatly combed.

He walked up to the holographic map and pointed his finger at the void.

The map instantly switched to a topographical map of the otherworldly Eresos—a partial map drawn based on the recorder worn by Lin Mo and his team during the last mission.

"Commander, sir."

Wu Qian's voice was very calm, without any emotional fluctuation:

"After the operations department reviewed the first mission and conducted an in-depth study of the portal mechanism, we recommend establishing an outpost and logistics base in the other world."

Upon hearing this, everyone present felt a jolt of unease.

Wu Qian seemed to have anticipated the crowd's reaction; without pausing, he continued:

There are three reasons.

He held up one finger:

"First, the contradiction between load and efficiency."

"The portal only lasts for two minutes, although it can be upgraded later. However, the special forces team carried a large amount of ammunition, batteries, spare barrels, and survival supplies during the last mission."

Wu Qian pulled up a data chart:

"These supplies account for 60 percent of a soldier's load. This significantly reduces our mobility when facing emergencies."

"Furthermore, during the evacuation, in order to bring back more valuable otherworldly samples, although the battle consumed ammunition, the samples brought back also took up space and were substantial!"

Long Fei nodded and said in a deep voice:

"Indeed. Once the mechanical dog runs out of power, it's just a dead lump of metal. If it weren't for bringing back that ore, we wouldn't have left those two boxes of compressed dry rations there."

Wu Qian then raised his second finger:

"Second, the anchor point mechanism of the portal."

He drew two lines on the holographic screen:

"We've already verified it. Entering from the training grounds on Blue Star will inevitably lead to the edge of the swamp where Lin Mo left the other world last time."

"And returning from the other world will inevitably mean returning to the training ground where we entered Earth this time."

"This means that the coordinates are locked with memory."

Wu Qian's gaze sharpened:

"Now that the coordinates are locked, we can deploy heavy equipment, spare ammunition, generator sets, and even heavy machine gun positions directly near the teleportation point in the other world."

"When the next mission begins, soldiers only need to bring necessary weapons, supplies, and maintenance equipment. After landing, they can obtain heavy firepower supplies directly from the logistics station."

"In this way, we can free up precious weight and space to transport more resources from other worlds back."

"The interdimensional logistics station can also expand as the supplies increase with each entry!"

Lin Mo nodded secretly in agreement; the logic was impeccable.

"third."

Wu Qian tapped a point on the map heavily with his finger:

"We need a safe house."

"The last mission only lasted seven days, which everyone could manage. But future missions may take ten days, half a month, or even longer."

"Without a solid logistical station with fortifications and medical facilities."

"If the wounded cannot receive effective treatment and the soldiers cannot get deep rest, the risk of non-combat casualties will increase exponentially."

After speaking, Wu Qian lowered his hand and looked at Zhao Zhenguo:

"Therefore, establishing an interdimensional logistics station is the only way to maximize the benefits and minimize casualties of the Tianmen Project."

A brief silence fell over the meeting room.

"The plan is a good plan."

Professor Sun Dehai, who had been silent until now, suddenly spoke up.

"But……"

Sun Dehai's voice turned somber.

"Equipment needs maintenance. Generators need to be watched over, fortifications need to be repaired, and ammunition depots need to be protected from moisture."

Sun Dehai placed his hands on the table and leaned forward: "Team Leader Wu, does your plan mean... someone has to stay in the other world?"

The moment those words were spoken, the entire command room fell into a deathly silence.

All eyes were on Wu Qian.

Wu Qian neither evaded nor defended himself.

"Yes."

His voice remained calm, yet it sounded like a boulder crashing into a deep pool.

"According to the deduction, there must be a 'Night Watchman'."