Study Monster Cultivation System-Chapter 311 - 310 I wanted to recite but forgot the poem

Actually, on this night, Li Zheng’s loss of control was nothing compared to the chaos at The Sixth Institute.

If the failure of the 8.8 launch was a heavy blow, then today’s shutdown was the final straw that crushed them completely.

For the past two months, everyone involved with YF-87 at The Sixth Institute had nearly lost the ability to distinguish between day and night.

In the computer room, they tested around the clock; in the design institute, they revised drawings at all hours; in the factory, they rushed production day and night; even the heavy transport drivers were on the road at all times.

They didn’t know where the end was, or if there was light ahead.

It felt as if there was a knife at their backs, chasing them relentlessly, ready to pierce them if they stopped to catch their breath.

In this endless race, everyone’s mental, physical, and willpower were squeezed to the limit.

After a successful 1500-second test run during the day, many had just hurried home, hoping to get a full night’s sleep.

But before they could even finish their showers, the phone calls started coming in.

Some cried on the spot, some threw their phones and just sat there, while others completely broke down, screaming and shouting into the phone.

Perhaps on the night of 8.8, desperate soldiers could still prevail.

But at this moment, the disaster came like a flood, and they were utterly defeated.

The shutdown occurred at 8:35 PM, just 57 seconds into extreme conditions testing; it took only two seconds for the oxygen pump shaft system to crack and then break apart.

This outcome was even more devastating than the failure on the evening of 8.8.

At 9:27 PM, when Chen Hongbing drove back to the testing center, he just missed an ambulance passing by.

He floored the accelerator and stopped right in front of the center’s entrance, only to see a group of young men in work clothes sitting on the steps, weeping bitterly.

"It’s just a failure!" Chen Hongbing got out of the car angrily and slammed the door shut, "Is this all The Sixth Institute has to show for itself?"

However, his scolding did not alleviate their grief; instead, the young men’s crying grew louder.

"Director Chen..." An older engineer struggled to stand up leaning on the stairs, "Chief Engineer Zhang... he... collapsed..."

Chen Hongbing was instantly struck with shock.

Why him, of all people!

"What happened?" Chen Hongbing reached out and asked, "He’s had high blood pressure for more than a day or two..."

"The emergency doctor said... it might be a cerebral hemorrhage..." The engineer said, covering his face and collapsing to the ground, unable to utter another word.

"Ah..." Chen Hongbing also staggered, staring blankly into the empty hall, "Is Chief Engineer Zhu here yet? Did he come?"

"He’s on his way..."

"I get it..." Chen Hongbing took a deep breath and forcibly lifted a person, "Go inside to cry... Don’t sit out here, it looks bad."

With Chen Hongbing’s urging, a few people eventually got up and shuffled into the hall.

Chen Hongbing stood alone at the entrance, quietly lighting a cigarette, watching as a small white car sped in and stopped in front of the door.

Shen Tinglan got out of the car in a hurry and rushed over, pointing in the direction of the institute’s gate and asking, "The ambulance, who?"

"Zhang Zhicheng." Chen Hongbing exhaled smoke with a sigh, "If it really is a cerebral hemorrhage... it would be great if he can pull through..."

Shen Tinglan also stood motionless, unsure of what to say or think.

Her first reaction was, with YF-87’s chief engineer down, how could the work proceed? Was there anyone else to step up?

But a deep sense of guilt soon followed.

Who had collapsed was a colleague of many years, a backbone of aerospace; the first thing she should have concerned herself with was his safety... To think first of the implications for the job was simply too cold-hearted.

"We’ll visit the hospital after the meeting. There’s not much we can do now," Chen Hongbing said as he lifted his right leg, "To tell you the truth, my gout is killing me too. It’s hard to even walk; at home, I’m getting around on crutches."

Shen Tinglan looked at Chen Hongbing’s old knees and sighed, "Zhu Mingyue seems to be going through a divorce too... Lately, I’ve often seen him taking some sort of psychiatric medication."

"Damn, it’s a total collapse..." Chen Hongbing looked up in despair, "If I had a gun right now, I really want to just end it for myself..."

"Alright... Let’s go inside and sit."

"No, just like this, rising with bent legs will hurt even more." Chen Hongbing stood there stiffly. Although he still held himself upright, from any perspective, he looked more like a valiant general in decline, facing the twilight of his career, "Ting Lan... this time... it might really be the end..."

"..."

"Yellow 2, it’s the end."

Shen Tinglan covered her face and turned to the side, tears streaming down.

...

At 10:30, Li Zheng, who was lying flat meditating, was awakened by the doorbell.

Upon opening the door, Du Songtao came in carrying a dozen beers.

"You really owe me one," Du Songtao said as he pulled out two bottles, stuffed the rest into the mini-fridge, then popped the caps off and handed one to Li Zheng, "Those eaglets are far from easy to feed."

Li Zheng hesitated, but accepted the bottle: "I can’t really hold my liquor..."

"Can beer even get you drunk?" Du Songtao took a big gulp, then flopped onto a chair, "Ah, that hits the spot..."

Li Zheng also pulled up a chair to sit, clinked his bottle with Du Songtao’s through the air, "Thanks, anyway. I really wasn’t in the right state to lecture."

"Thanks don’t pay the bills. I can make an easy 5000 just for attending a meeting and speaking my mind," said Du Songtao with a smile, "You owe me one."

"So should I transfer to you..." Li Zheng reached for his phone.

"No, no, no, I want a favor, not money," Du Songtao took another swig, smacking his lips before asking, "How’s the situation?"

"Not good," Li Zheng replied with his head down, "Half of the engine technology team has collapsed. The chief engineer suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, the deputy chief engineer is forcing himself to continue meetings and analysis. A few core members can’t stand the strain anymore and are in the hospital for tests. I’ve heard there are also two going through a divorce, seven with depression, two with bipolar disorder..."

Upon hearing this, Du Songtao straightened up: "Zhang Zhicheng had a cerebral hemorrhage?"

"Yeah."

"Then it’s over..."

"What’s over?"

"Yellow 2 is over."

"It can’t be that bad... It’s a very mature project after all."

"You really don’t get it, do you?" Du Songtao gestured vividly.

"There has always been a struggle over the direction to take within the aerospace system. Based on different paths, factions naturally arise."

"The most notable are the ’Technological Innovation’ faction and the ’Conservative Progress’ faction, although these names are just something I came up with."

"Shen Tinglan, Chen Hongbing, Zhao Zhenhua, the whole Yellow 2 Team including you are on the technology side, hoping to make a name for yourselves with an extraordinary rocket and use it as the basis for a comprehensive technological innovation."

"On the other side is the conservative faction, who wish to continue developing space rockets around more mature results."

"Simply put, just make the kerosene engines bigger, then strap dozens of them together on a rocket, simple and crude."

"Have you heard of the 927 project?"

"Looking at your dumb face, I bet you haven’t."

"When Yellow 2 was initiated, the group had considered a complete failure of the project and thus had prepared a backup project numbered 927 – simply put, a colossal kerosene rocket with three and a half stages and 27 of the largest kerosene engines."

"Sounds stupid, right? This direction indeed has a lower ceiling, but it is straightforward and functional, its carrying capacity is no worse than Yellow 2’s, though it can’t compare with the planned Yellow 7."

"Over the years, 927 has been in the planning stages without actually being executed."

"However, since the beginning of the year, there’s been a sudden increase in support within the system for 927. Guess why?"

Without much thought, Li Zheng responded, "SpaceI?"

Du Songtao smiled and nodded.

"Correct, their Eagle rockets follow the same technical path as 927, simple and brutal."

"After the 8.8 setback, with the rising doubts about Yellow 2, support for 927 grew even more. After all, 927 could accomplish all the future tasks of Yellow 2, albeit in a somewhat unintelligent manner."

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"I haven’t crunched the exact numbers, but Yellow 2 must have burned through tens of billions by now, right? It would be painful to put it on hold, but now that the engine research team has collapsed... It’s hard to say whether they can regroup within a year or two."

"On the other hand, 927 is all mature technology, just pile on the engines and you’re good to go. With the work intensity and resources allocated to Yellow 2, such a dumb giant could be ready for a test within half a year... and it’s probably cheaper too."

"Speaking of which, there are so many institutes."

"Our country’s space program, from our pursuit of knowledge, to the moon landing, and then to the space station..."

"We can’t possibly all be stuck here, can we?"

Li Zheng sighed and asked, "So you also support 927 replacing Yellow 2?"

"I just work on satellites, I don’t deal with that." Du Songtao walked to the fridge and grabbed two more beers, "Whatever the technology, whoever sends my satellite up is the good rocket."

Li Zheng took the beer and said, lowly, "It seems that this is really the darkest hour."

"Don’t be so pessimistic. Even if Yellow 2 is really shelved, the existing technology is still here, and there will come a day when it’s brought up again." Du Songtao patted Li Zheng, "The people in the technological sequence still have their uses, but Chen Hongbing is definitely done for, Zhao Zhenhua will lose half his life, let alone the billions spent and the time wasted."

"Ugh..." Li Zheng clutched his chest, "It hurts."

"Isn’t this what space exploration is about?" Du Songtao laughed while drinking, "Our Qiuzhi-1 was also a huge gamble, and even if you guys successfully get us to Mars orbit, we still have to orbit, survey, land and whatnot. If something goes wrong, I’m done for, and then I’d have to thank you guys for dragging it out so long... Speaking of which, if this were in Sulian, Old Chen and your mother-in-law would probably already be mining coal in Siberia..."

Having said that, he raised his glass to Li Zheng, "You better start preparing early too. Projects like 927 are meaningless. I could apply for an assistant intern, wanna learn how to drive on Mars?"

"Thanks," Li Zheng also raised his glass, "I don’t understand big plans, but I’m quite energetic. If I get a chance, I’d like to give it another shot."

"It’s not about whether you work hard or not, it’s about The Sixth Institute..." as Du Songtao spoke, he suddenly opened his mouth in shock, "No way, you... The Sixth Institute is a living hell right now... It’s as if they’ve lost half their lives, nearly all divorced from their wives and estranged from their kids..."

Li Zheng stood up, looking out at the starry sky through the window, standing with his hands behind his back.

His heart was full of patriotic passion, but he couldn’t find the right poem to express it.

After struggling for a long time, he finally managed to eke out a few words.

"I... I’ll just do it."

...

At one in the morning, Chen Hongbing and Shen Tinglan were called into Zhao Zhenhua’s office.

This time, even Zhao Zhenhua’s temples had gone white.

In just these few hours, they had gone through 5 emergency meetings.

Though the follow-up arrangements were not finalized, the tone was already set and could not be changed.

In the office, the three of them bowed their heads in silence for half a minute before Zhao Zhenhua, twirling his cup, said slowly.

"The group leaders think that continuing like this, Yellow 2 will drag down half the system."

"Not just in terms of manpower and financial resources, but also subsequent plans."

"We can’t waste any more time, Qiuzhi must launch within a year, moon landing in three, space station in five."

"If we continue to be stuck here, not just me, but even the head of the group might be replaced."

Zhao Zhenhua continued, slowly raising his head.

The general, known for his bad temper and boldness in scolding others, for the first time showed a look of helplessness and sadness.

"Hongbing, Tinglan."

"I’ve done my best."

"I’m sorry."

Shen Tinglan nodded with tears in her eyes.

Chen Hongbing, as if he had accepted this outcome a long time ago, didn’t react much.

Zhao Zhenhua sighed and continued.

"For now, there won’t be any major moves, nor will we announce any adjustments, but internally in our institute, we have to start turning the rudder."

"Tinglan, you report to the 927 project team tomorrow and start preparing for the project."

"The organization acknowledges your abilities and contributions and hopes you continue to shine in the new project. For now, you will serve as the deputy chief designer and you might be promoted when the opportunity arises."

"Hongbing, you stay put for now, no new tasks will be assigned to you."

"Drink less during this period and take care of your health. I see you can barely walk steadily, watch out for the gout."

Zhao Zhenhua, though he didn’t make it very clear, Chen Hongbing was well aware that Yellow 2 had already entered a semi-shelved state, and a large amount of resources would be redirected to the 927 project. This project would not possibly be led by Chen Hongbing, and even Zhao Zhenhua would have difficulty getting involved.

Of course, this didn’t entirely mean giving up on Yellow 2. If that were made clear, it would inevitably lead to very negative social implications, causing loss of confidence internally, and our neighbors to the north would be only too eager to celebrate publicly, not to mention the private space flight industry overseas going strong. All these factors combined could create a mudslide of events, the impact of which was anybody’s guess.

Therefore, the best plan was obviously to keep silent about a new project, and once 927 successfully launched, to loudly promote its carriage capacity and historical significance. With that, the impact of Yellow 2 would just fade away.

"I accept the organization’s arrangement," said Chen Hongbing with a nod before asking, "What about The Sixth Institute? Any changes to the YF-87 team?"

"No changes. They’ve already collapsed by half. Let them recover some vitality first," Zhao Zhenhua shook his head, "They’ve got it tougher than us. The leadership at The Sixth Institute thinks they’ve already done so much, it’s not right to just abandon it now. The original team will continue to work on improvements, but we don’t need to give them so much in the way of resources anymore. We can also lower the intensity. If we keep going like this, people will be driven to death before the engine is even ready."

"Yeah... The brothers at The Sixth Institute have it tougher than us..." said Chen Hongbing as he got up, "I’m off to the hospital, at least to offer my condolences to Chief Engineer Zhang’s family."

"How’s Zhang Zhicheng doing?"

"Still in ICU, uncertain what will follow."

"Sigh..." Zhao Zhenhua nodded, "Also extend my regards, and be careful. In this situation... the family might be unstable."

Chen Hongbing cracked a smile, "Don’t worry Secretary, I can take a hit. A couple of punches from his family might even ease my conscience a bit."

"I’ll go have a look too," Shen Tinglan stood up as well, "Old Zhang’s blood pressure hasn’t been good for a day or two... if something really happens..."

As she spoke, she choked up again.

At that moment, Chen Hongbing’s phone rang.

He pulled it out and couldn’t help but smile.

"Is Zhang Zhicheng safe?" Zhao Zhenhua asked, eyes wide.

"Something else..." Chen Hongbing said as he looked at his phone, shaking his head. He tried to laugh a few times but coughed instead, and eventually, he pushed the phone to Zhao Zhenhua, "You take a look, Secretary. It’s your call."

Zhao Zhenhua looked and couldn’t help but show a hint of a smile.

[Director Chen:]

[When I joined, you said that Department One of Institute One was the elite among elites, taking on the toughest challenges.]

[But in the month I’ve been interning, I haven’t faced any challenges.]

[Until now, my aspirations remain unfulfilled, my wounds unhealed.]

[I have also made a promise that I wouldn’t leave unless Yellow 2 succeeded.]

[Here, I volunteer to support The Sixth Institute.]

[I won’t leave until Yellow 2 succeeds.]

[Li Zheng]

"This damn kid..." Zhao Zhenhua smiled as he wiped his eyes at the end, "Arrogant... but a good kind of arrogant..."

Shen Tinglan grabbed the phone, and as she read, her eyes, which had just cleared up a bit, reddened again, "Why... didn’t you discuss it with me first..."

"Hey, discuss it and it becomes a family affair?" Chen Hongbing laughed, "Who volunteers for battle with their mother-in-law?"

"Alright..." Zhao Zhenhua regained his composure and handed the phone back to Chen Hongbing, "I have no comments on this matter. You decide. Whatever you decide, I agree."

Chen Hongbing was taken aback, "...You mean to say... you agree to let him go?"

"He’s written it like that!" Zhao Zhenhua tapped the table, "I certainly can’t keep him. If you want to keep him, then you keep him."

"As for me..." Chen Hongbing mumbled, "I’m just a figurehead... keeping him is of no use to me..."

He turned to look at Shen Tinglan, "Better you and your family decide."

Shen Tinglan took a deep breath and nodded firmly.

"Let him go."

"Although it’s somewhat absurd, somewhat unbelievable."

"But I believe."

"Li Zheng might be Yellow 2’s last, very last, ultimate hope."