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

"Could he have... gotten into some kind of terrible trouble?! My heart has been pounding the whole time, I didn't sleep a wink all night!"

Immediately following was the steady voice of the father, Lin Dezhu.

"Hey, look at you, all hair and no brains! Why are you worrying about everything!"

"Don't we know our son? When has he ever caused trouble since he was a child? He must have done something great for the country!"

The father's voice carried a hint of barely suppressed pride.

"Didn't you hear what the commander who picked us up said? He said, 'We raised a fine son, a national hero! The pride of our nation!'"

"A hero? What hero isn't in danger..."

The mother's voice trembled with tears: "I would rather he be safe and sound, even if he were just an ordinary person earning a little money, I would be at peace with that..."

"What do you know!"

The father's voice rose a little:

"The country needs him, that's his honor! Our Lin family's ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke! Let me tell you, when you see your son later, you're not allowed to cry and whine, don't hold him back!"

"I...I was just worried..."

Lin Mo stood quietly outside the door.

Listening to his parents' all-too-familiar conversation, a complex smile slowly appeared on his face.

He is no longer that graduate who felt lost about the future in his rented room.

He is a hero in his parents' eyes and the pride of the nation.

He took a deep breath and straightened his chest a little.

He looked up and glanced at Long Fei beside him.

Long Fei simply stood there quietly, his face expressionless, but his eyes indicated that he should handle it himself.

Lin Mo understood.

He didn't knock on the door, but tried to make his voice sound as steady as usual.

"Dad, Mom."

He called out clearly into the room.

"I'm back!"

In an instant, the argument inside the room ceased.

A deathly silence.

A few seconds later, a flurry of footsteps and the clattering of tables and chairs came from inside.

Long Fei stepped forward and patted Lin Mo's shoulder with considerable force.

"have a good rest."

His voice was deep and carried an unquestionable sense of command.

"My contact information is in your phone, and it's on 24/7. Feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything."

Lin Mo turned his head, looked at the captain who would soon fight alongside him, and nodded heavily.

"Thank you, Captain Long."

"It's my duty."

Long Fei uttered four words and then turned and left without any hesitation.

His tall, upright figure quickly disappeared around the corner of the road.

Lin Mo turned back again, facing the door alone.

He raised his hand and grasped the cold metal doorknob.

Click.

Lin Mo placed his hand on the doorknob, turned it gently, and pushed the door open.

The arguing inside the house stopped.

Lin Mo stood at the door, looking at the two familiar faces inside, faces filled with worry and surprise.

The next second, Wang Guifen rushed over.

"Mo!"

Her voice was choked with sobs as she grabbed Lin Mo's arm, her eyes scanning him up and down, her grip incredibly strong.

"You're finally back! You disappeared without a word, you scared your mother to death! They...they didn't do anything to you, did they? You've lost weight, you've gotten so thin."

His mother's hands kept stroking his face and arms, as if trying to make sure he was missing some part.

Lin Mo's nose suddenly stung, and his eyes instantly welled up with tears. He forced a smile and reached out to grasp his mother's icy hand.

"Mom, I'm fine, I'm perfectly alright. Look, I'm not hurt at all."

He turned around and showed it to his mother.

"The country needs me, that's a good thing."

"Alright."

A loud, forceful cough interrupted the mother and son.

Lin Dezhu stood in the center of the living room, his hands behind his back, his face stern, but his eyes kept scrutinizing his son.

"It's good that you're back! What's with all the crying and wailing? Look at your son's spirits now, he's much better than he was in that small company. He's a real man now."

Although Lin Dezhu's words were stern, the uncontrollable upward curve of his lips betrayed his true thoughts.

Lin Mo felt a warmth in her heart as she looked at her father's feigned sternness.

He took his mother's hand and walked into the house.

A familiar, homey scent, a blend of the aroma of food and the smell of sunshine, wafts towards you.

"Quick, sit down!"

Wang Guifen wiped her eyes and pulled Lin Mo towards the dining table.

"Are you starving? Your dad and I arrived before dawn, so we quickly made you your favorite pork rib soup."

Three sets of bowls and chopsticks, a few simple home-style dishes, and a pot of steaming white rice were already set on the table.

Lin Mo sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and felt their weight in his hands.

Since the day he was bound to the system, he has lost his appetite for every meal, his mind filled only with fear of the next mission and uncertainty about the future.

He hadn't felt this peaceful, everyday atmosphere in a long time.

"Eat up, what are you staring at?"

Wang Guifen served him a large bowl of pork rib soup and then put a large piece of pork rib into his bowl.

"Eat more, you've gotten so thin, there's no fat left in your face."

Lin Dezhu also sat down, served himself a bowl of rice, and cleared his throat.

"Are you settling in well in the military?"

"It's all good, Dad." Lin Mo took a sip of soup, the warmth spreading from his stomach to his limbs. "My comrades are all very good, and my superiors are taking good care of me."

"That's good."

Lin Dezhu nodded and took a bite of rice: "Work hard and don't bring shame to the Lin family."

The family sat around the table, eating their belated breakfast.

A warm atmosphere permeated the small restaurant.

Wang Guifen watched her son wolf down his food, her face full of a loving smile.

She kept piling food onto Lin Mo's plate, and soon, the food in Lin Mo's bowl was piled up into a small mountain.

"My son!"

Wang Guifen's seemingly casual remark broke the tranquility of chewing:

"What about that girl you were talking about before named... Su Wan? Why haven't you mentioned her this time?"

Lin Mo paused for a moment as he ate his rice.

He raised his head, his face expressionless, and calmly uttered two words.

"We broke up."

"They broke up?!"

Wang Guifen's voice suddenly rose, and she almost dropped her chopsticks on the table.

"When did this happen? How did you break up? She was such a great girl, beautiful and with a good job... Sigh, was it because she thought your previous job was unstable? I knew it..."