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

It was just dawn.

Lin Mo walked out of the building under the escort of a team of agents. The morning wind was cold, making him shiver.

A black SUV was parked at the entrance, its engine humming softly.

The car door opened, and Zhou Yan stood beside the car.

"Get in the car."

Zhou Yan's tone was indifferent. He didn't get in the car, but watched Lin Mo get in before closing the car door.

The car didn't head towards the city center, but instead went to a military airport in the suburbs.

As dawn broke, the SUV came to a stop beneath an unmarked gray military transport plane.

The massive fuselage cast a shadow, and even before the propellers started turning, a sense of pressure was palpable.

Lin Mo was led out of the car and towards the plane.

A man was already waiting at the bottom of the gangway.

He was very tall, dressed in a dark green combat uniform, with a sharply defined face and piercing eyes. Even just standing there, he exuded the aura of a soldier.

He watched Lin Mo approach and extended his hand. The palm was wide and covered with thick calluses.

"Long Fei, captain of the 'Pangu No. 1' action team."

The man's voice was deep and powerful, and every word was clear.

"From now on, I'll be responsible for your safety."

Lin Mo looked at the hand, then at the man's calm eyes, and felt much more at ease.

He nervously reached out and shook hands with her.

That strong, large hand tightly enveloped his palm, conveying a firm yet warm sensation.

"Lin Mo".

Long Fei nodded, released his grip, and stepped aside to make way.

"Boarding."

The interior of the transport plane was not what Lin Mo had imagined.

There were no comfortable seats, only two rows of cold metal benches, and various wires and pipes were exposed on the walls. There was a smell of engine oil in the air.

At Long Fei's signal, Lin Mo sat down and fastened the four-point seatbelt, which was much more complicated than that used on commercial airliners.

"boom--"

The engine started running, and a tremendous sound instantly filled the entire cabin.

The fuselage began to shake violently, and Lin Mo's body swayed from side to side as the plane taxied on the runway.

A feeling of weightlessness came over me, and the plane took off.

Lin Mo instinctively gripped the seatbelt beside him, his knuckles turning white from the force.

He turned his head and looked out through the porthole.

Skyscrapers slowly turned into matchboxes, and streets became fine lines.

Finally, the entire city was swallowed by the clouds.

After flying for several hours, the fuselage suddenly shook and began to descend.

Lin Mo woke up with a start from his drowsy state and looked out the window.

Below was neither a city nor a field, but an endless expanse of Gobi Desert.

The plane eventually landed on an inconspicuous open space, surrounded by several low buildings with signs that read "Northwest Geological Exploration Team No. 7".

The hatch opened, and a dry, cold wind rushed in.

"Disembark."

Long Fei's voice rang out; he had already unbuckled his seatbelt and stood up.

Lin Mo followed him off the plane and was immediately surrounded by several fully armed soldiers.

He was led into a building, passed through several alloy doors requiring both iris and fingerprint verification, and stopped in front of a huge freight elevator.

The elevator doors opened, revealing two armed guards standing inside.

After everyone entered, the elevator descended rapidly at a speed that made Lin Mo's eardrums bulge.

The descent lasted for one minute.

"bite--"

The elevator doors slid open silently.

The sight before him made Lin Mo pause in his breath.

A wide passageway, large enough for four trucks to drive side by side, appeared before him.

The corridor has a very high ceiling, and every hundred meters there is a huge shadowless lamp that illuminates the entire space as if it were daytime.

On both sides of the passageway are huge glass curtain walls.

Long Fei walked beside Lin Mo, looking at the undisguised shock on his face, his tone calm but carrying a hint of barely perceptible pride.

"This is the Great Wall Base, one of the nation's top military research centers."

"Now, it has only one mission: to serve the 'Tianmen Project'."

They passed a garage filled with all sorts of military vehicles, including several exoskeletons that Lin Mo had only ever seen in movies.

They passed a workshop with a sign that read "Weapon Upgrade and Modification Laboratory," where sparks flew and a man was gesturing wildly at a strangely shaped piece of metal.

As Lin Mo passed a laboratory with a sign that read "Department of Otherworldly Materials Applications," he subconsciously slowed his pace.

His gaze was drawn to the figure of a woman in a white coat behind the glass curtain wall.

She was facing away from the passageway, intently operating a complex instrument, her black hair neatly tied back.

Her profile, illuminated by the light, appeared very focused.

"Wow, the DNA of this infrastructure powerhouse is kicking in again, instantly boosting my sense of security."

Long Fei heard his mutterings, and the corners of his mouth seemed to turn up slightly, but he quickly regained his cold expression.

Finally, Long Fei led him to the outside of the base's central command hall.

This is a huge circular viewing platform.

Long Fei didn't disturb him, but just stood quietly to the side, waiting for him to calm down.

After a long while, Lin Mo finally let out a long breath.

He turned around and nodded to Long Fei.

"Let's go."

His eyes looked completely different from when he first got off the plane.

Long Fei led him toward a massive alloy door behind the viewing platform.

There were no markings on the gate, only two armed sentries standing like statues on either side.

Long Fei stopped in front of the door and verified his identity using a recognition device.

The heavy alloy door slid open to both sides with a low, mechanical hum.

Inside the room stood an elderly man wearing a Zhongshan suit without military rank, with gray hair but still standing upright.

He had no general's star on his shoulder, but his aura was stronger than anyone Lin Mo had ever seen.

The old man's sharp gaze pierced through the open door and landed on Lin Mo.

His gaze lingered on Lin Mo for two seconds before turning into a gentle smile.

He took two steps forward and extended his hand to Lin Mo.

"You must be Comrade Lin Mo? I am Zhao Zhenguo."

The old man looked into Lin Mo's eyes, his voice steady and powerful.

"Welcome to...the forefront of human civilization."