Study Monster Cultivation System-Chapter 312: It’s not my responsibility anymore!

At the tail end of the Eleventh Holiday, while most people were still enjoying their last moments of leisure, the leadership teams of Institute 1 and Institute 6 each held their own closed-door meetings.

The Yellow River-2 Project was like a race car that perpetually floored the accelerator, never easing up even when it scratched.

In such high-speed motion, slamming the brakes suddenly would cause a crash.

All they could do was subtly lift off the accelerator, gradually transferring fuel to project 927.

This change of the helm, while not secret, was nonetheless meant to be kept low-key, to exert effort behind the scenes without affecting public opinion and the system’s reputation, until the 927 rocket successfully launched.

Even the provisional name "927" was merely a number. Although some preliminary preparations had been made, there wasn’t even a definitive naming convention established yet.

The awkward part was that the Yellow River series of carrier rockets had long-term plans—up to Yellow River-7 had already been allocated. If 927 were to enter this sequence, it would have to either replace an existing Yellow River mission or jump directly to number 8, both of which were inappropriate choices.

If they were to start anew, creating a new series, the implications would be akin to a seismic event in aerospace, signifying the indefinite shelving of the Yellow River project.

Although some had already lost confidence and patience with Yellow 2, such a decision was no longer about cutting off an ailing limb but about leaving offspring before leaping off a cliff.

It could be said that its loss would even surpass that of a super-collider.

After weighing various factors, the organization decided to adopt a compromise solution.

They would gradually shift most resources to the 927 rocket, striving to replace Yellow River-2 as soon as possible and to catch up with the launch plans continuing until 2025, without dragging down the country’s macrostrategic initiatives.

Simultaneously, they would preserve the spark of Yellow 2, appropriately transfusing the YF-87 engine team on the brink of collapse, allowing them more time to overcome the difficulties, and preparing for a complete overhaul and long-term battle.

The most conservative plan was to develop a battle-worthy hydrogen-oxygen engine by 2025 that could take on large payload, long-distance launch tasks.

Of course, if the YF-87 team could reset quickly after losing the chief engineer and with the team on the verge of collapse, and prove their reliability before 927 was ready to be assembled, then the Yellow River series would still have the most promising technological trajectory. It would return to its original position, ready to carry the burden that was rightfully its own.

Yellow 2 was like a young soccer star with great potential, whom the team had invested heavily in for many years only for him to suddenly suffer a severe injury, causing the coach to reluctantly use an old, steady player in his place just to compete in the upcoming league.

If this injured star could quickly heal and regain his form, the coach would surely bring him back.

But as a coach, one also had to prepare for the possibility that he might not play again for years, which was indeed heartbreaking, yet the league must go on, and the coach had to make his decision.

After all, the match date had been postponed time and again. If the coach continued to wait eagerly for the star’s recovery, it’s likely the board would consider replacing the coach.

And Zhao Zhenhua’s role was certainly not that of the head coach, at best he could be considered a youth coach. He had been holding on for too long, and this time he really couldn’t hold on any longer.

Yet even so, in the meeting room, he was still trying his best to secure more opportunities for Yellow 2, the injured player.

"Chen Wei cannot be moved," Zhao Zhenhua waved his hand, "we need to retain the capability to assemble Yellow 2 at any time."

Opposite him was the newly appointed chief designer of 927, a 57-year-old academician of the Engineering Academy, Liang Xinping.

One reason for his selection was that his credentials were fully capable of challenging Zhao Zhenhua.

Liang Xinping looked at Zhao Zhenhua, who had the appearance of an old rascal, and sighed helplessly.

"Secretary Zhao, from the big list of 37 people we proposed, you only agreed to two."

"I gave you Shen Tinglan; she alone is worth a hundred," Zhao Zhenhua glowered, "get it straight, Old Liang, the leadership didn’t say to shelve Yellow 2, only to cooperate with your 927 on the side. I need to keep things balanced."

"Secretary Zhao, over all these years, have you ever kept it balanced?" urged Liang Xinping, staring at Zhao Zhenhua, "You’re a leader of the institute, and especially at times like this, you need to implement the spirit. If you keep showing favoritism, I can only report to the group leadership."

Even though it was a closed meeting, no one expected Liang Xinping to openly threaten like this.

Past times aside, if anyone dared talk to Zhao Zhenhua like this, Old Zhao would definitely have flipped the table in anger right then and there.

But now, Zhao Zhenhua just showed his dilemma.

"Then keep Chen Wei for you... Jiang Ning stays," he said, "he’s the most familiar with the rocket structure, and in case of emergency test runs, we must have him."

"Ah..." Liang Xinping frowned and looked at him, "Are we really going to haggle over every single person?"

"You have to leave me a full team," Zhao Zhenhua said, turning to Chen Hongbing next to him, "Come on, suggest someone to replace Jiang Bo and lend him to 927. Old Liang never likes to be on the losing end; we have to give him at least a dozen people."

Chen Hongbing immediately replied, "How about Wang Rui? He has seniority over Jiang Ning."

"Are you trying to get rid of someone begging for food?" Liang Xinping was half amused, half frustrated, "Don’t you think I know who can work and who’s just passing time?"

"Don’t jump to conclusions, Old Zhao," Zhao Zhenhua raised his hand, "Wang Rui is also someone’s son-in-law."

"Zhao Zhenhua!" Liang Xinping finally lost his patience, grabbed the list in his hand, and yelled at Zhao Zhenhua.

"Get it clear, the top leader of the group gave me this order."

"His exact words were, ’whatever authority he has, I have too.’"

"I can submit this transfer list directly to the group, and I guarantee that within an hour, the order will be slapped on your desk."

"Zhao Zhenhua, be clear, I am not your enemy!"

"The only reason I discuss and hold meetings with you is that—"

"I’m afraid of really stripping Yellow 2 of its muscles, breaking its bones!"

"The true core, the real backbone, I’m keeping for you, to ensure that as soon as the engine passes the test, Yellow 2 can be assembled at any time!"

"Can’t you just cooperate a little to let our 927 get off the ground quickly?"

"Don’t force me to do something drastic for the future of aerospace!"

After Liang Xinping’s furious outburst, Zhao Zhenhua slowly lowered his head and fell silent.

After a momentary pause, he nodded towards Chen Hongbing, "You decide who to keep."

Chen Hongbing nodded, picking up the list of 37 people.

Since the project needed immediate action and 927 shared many similarities with Yellow 2, pulling people from Yellow 2 was essentially the only choice.

Moreover, they were still the elite of the elite; the only weakness was in the engine, but their work was still impeccable.

At this moment, as Chen Hongbing looked down the row of names, it was as if he was inspecting his most capable troops, most of whom had been with him since the project’s inception, akin to family who had been through life and death with him.

But he also knew that now was not the time for personal sentiments and small group interests.

Eventually, he selected five names and let everyone else go.

Liang Xinping’s expression finally eased a bit as he looked at the list and asked, "Can’t Zhou Liang be let go?"

"He needs to handle communications with several factories," replied Chen Hongbing, nodding, "Training someone familiar with all assembly processes takes a long time."

"That’s the point, we need him too," frowned Liang Xinping, "Can’t he handle both? You don’t have any assembly work coming up soon anyway."

Chen Hongbing looked towards Zhao Zhenhua.

After much hesitation, Zhao Zhenhua sternly said, "No one can replace Zhou Liang. Pick another from the list, anyone you want from department one."

Liang Xinping shook his head and then picked up the list for department one, flipped through a few pages and said, "Two then."

"Are you bargaining here?" Zhao Zhenhua said annoyed, "Two full-time won’t work, interns would do."

"Hmm... then supplement my weak spots," Liang Xinping browsed the list and asked, "How come Li Zheng and Lin Yujing are not on the list? Their technical skills in computing and testing are still valuable."

Zhao Zhenhua and Chen Hongbing were both startled.

"You’re thinking of them too?" Zhao Zhenhua looked at him as if he were a cunning old villain.

"It’s just adding layers; one more diagnostic measure, one more safety net," Liang Xinping put down the list and smiled, "It’s just a small add-on."

For some reason, Zhao Zhenhua felt like he was dealing with someone who haggles over antiques.

It’s like ostensibly paying a high price for a big item, appearing to be at a loss, then asking for a small item to compensate, but in reality, the small item is the valuable one…

"Ah, Old Liang, I really can’t help with this," Zhao Zhenhua spread his hands, a sly smile appearing on his weathered face, "Hehe, I don’t manage them anymore~"

…

Meanwhile, at the Southern Suburb training center, Li Zheng’s lecture on "The New Generation of Aerospace Engineering" had reached its sixth section.

As he entered the classroom, he sensed something was off.

Unlike the usual anticipation or tiredness from previous classes, the students’ eyes were filled with sadness and sympathy, mixed with some schadenfreude.

Had the news of the test failure spread?

But that didn’t make sense. What was with those malicious smiles of schadenfreude?

Just then, Yin Hang returned from the restroom. It was the break, and rather than hurrying to his seat, he approached Li Zheng and nodded solemnly.

"Teacher Li, keep your spirits up. There’s always more fish in the sea."

"????"

Suddenly, the group’s Big Beard came over, "Hey, if it weren’t for Teacher Du stepping in last night, we would have had a few drinks with you."

"You... knew?" Li Zheng asked, puzzled.

Normally, whether it was a test failure or a project being partially shelved, it wouldn’t be publicized, internally or externally. Could it have been Du Songtao’s big mouth?

Big Beard nodded in agreement.

"Teacher Du told us. Don’t worry, after the storm comes the calm," said Big Beard, waving his fist.

Li Zheng could only sigh, "I’m fine now. I felt completely overwhelmed and heartbroken at the time, but I’ve recovered and am ready to move on to the next goal."

"Oh?" Yin Hang said, astonished, "That fast... you have a next goal already?"

"What else to do, cry in place for two days?" Li Zheng chuckled, "Though I don’t know if I can succeed this time, it’s a bit challenging, but I’ll do my best."

"What are you talking about! You will succeed," Big Beard said as he looked around, "Where’s the goal? We’ll help you."

"Where else would it be, right in front of us," Li Zheng glared at Big Beard and swept his arm in a gesture.

"?" Yin Hang fell silent.

"!" Big Beard blushed.

Fortunately, the bell rang, and they hurried back to their seats.

This class, they were both very distracted.

Yin Hang: "What did Li Zheng mean by that?"

Big Beard: "Shut up."

Yin Hang: "Maybe it’s because he was heartbroken... cursing ’All women are no good’ in his heart, so he wanted to try it with a man?"

Big Beard: "I told you to shut up!"

Yin Hang: "Speaking of which, your looks, aren’t they quite popular with men?"

Big Beard: "Having a lot of beard isn’t my fault."

Yin Hang: "Let me touch it."

Big Beard: "Scram!"

A class period passed by quite passionately.

As the bell rang for class dismissal, a teacher came into the classroom to get the attendance sheet from Yin Hang.

While Li Zheng was packing up his computer, he also happened to look up towards this direction. His expression, which was one of puzzled thought, was mistaken for being scheming.

Big Beard had a sudden realization, pulling Yin Hang toward the teacher and gestured with his mouth, "Does this mean that?"

Yin Hang looked at the young female teacher, who was in her twenties, and widened his eyes, "That’s right..."

After exchanging looks, Yin Hang handed over the attendance sheet, muttering, "About this... Teacher Li’s teaching state today... wasn’t so great."

"Huh?" The teacher took the attendance sheet, glanced at Li Zheng, "He looked quite fine to me?"

"You don’t know the half of it." Big Beard lamented like a sage, "He was heartbroken last night..."

"Ah?" The teacher was startled.

She had already felt there was no hope.

But people are afraid of being tempted.

Just when they’ve given up, a little temptation can make things clear again.

And then she became overjoyed.

The teacher cheerfully said, "Heartbroken? That’s so pitiful~"

"Ah." Yin Hang pressed his lips together and nodded, "Why don’t you go and comfort him?"

The teacher covered her face and waved her hands, "Oh, that’s a private matter, I’m not close with him~"

In the midst of her refusal and welcoming, Li Zheng approached and offered himself up.

"What are you all talking about, always looking at me?"

"Ah, it’s about your matter, about the target and so on." Big Beard laughed and pulled Yin Hang out, "We’re going to eat first."

The two of them ran off together and slipped out the door.

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Then they turned around, one above and the other below, stacked two in a row, peeping.

Inside the classroom, there were hardly any people left, a good time for whispering.

"So..." the teacher slowly sorted the papers in her hand, whispering, "I heard you’re a bit down?"

"It was just last night, I’m fine now." Li Zheng packed his laptop bag securely and nodded firmly, "I’m leaving now."

"Wait a moment, I need you to sign a few things for attendance here..." The teacher quickly unfolded a sheet of paper, seizing the opportunity to ask, "What happened? Something that could make Teacher Li so down."

"Well..." Li Zheng took the pen, searching for a spot to sign, hesitating as he spoke, "This... it’s not really convenient to talk about... I shouldn’t be talking about it either, it’s all Du Songtao spreading rumors recklessly..."

"Hey... It’s just a few usual reasons, like incompatible personalities." Although the teacher kept a straight face, she could barely suppress a schadenfreude smile.

"..." Li Zheng was stunned.

This was already the third time he had seen that kind of smile and heard such strange conversations.

There must have been some misunderstanding...

At the door, Yin Hang and Big Beard were sticking their heads out, the more they watched, the more interesting it got.

"What’s the age difference, five years?"

"It’s got to be at least seven years..."

"Do you think there’s any possibility between them?"

"Honestly, they don’t seem to be a good match..."

"Indeed, he looked more fitting in the photo where he was receiving an award with Quiet God..."

"How could they just break up like that..."

While they were discussing, a strange noise came from the other side of the door frame.

"Hmm..."

It turned out that they weren’t the only ones peeking.

Both of them turned their heads and saw a long-haired girl in a thin windbreaker, carrying a cute rocket backpack, but with a cold expression, humming quietly like an ancient deity.

"Ah..." Yin Hang groaned, "Lin... Lin..."

"You... you are..." Big Beard’s eyes widened, "Quiet God?"

"Mmm... shush..." Lin Yujing also turned around, made a serious gesture to keep quiet, then tightened the straps of her backpack and furrowed her brows as she continued to peer into the classroom, observing the two people whispering inside, sensing that things were not simple.

In their human pyramid pose, Yin Hang and Big Beard exchanged a look again.

This is bad...

They hadn’t really broken up.

Quiet God is coming from miles away to get back together.

Disaster!

This Quiet God...

Quiet God...

Quiet God is too cute...

At that, they lost their ability to think, the remnants of their rationality insufficient to help Li Zheng put out this fire.

Inside the classroom, Li Zheng, having signed his name, couldn’t help but ask, "Teacher, do you know about that thing?"

The administrative teacher shyly nodded, "Um..."

Something’s not right...

Li Zheng, who had his share of experiences, questioned the reaction to a failed new engine trial—it shouldn’t evoke this kind of expression...

"I dare to ask..." Li Zheng said hesitantly, "how much do you know?"

"Basically... I know everything..."

"Then please keep it to yourself, the YF-87 is still under improvement."

"What???" The administrative teacher’s expression finally returned to normal.

"I knew something was off..." Li Zheng asked, "what exactly did you hear?"

"You...didn’t you have a breakup?"

"???" Li Zheng was dumbfounded, "Who the hell said that???"

The administrative teacher instinctively looked towards the door.

Lin Yujing had already retreated early.

Yin Hang and Big Beard, however, still remained in a dazed state.

"It was those two..." the administrative teacher pointed at them.

"I see..." Li Zheng picked up his laptop bag and marched out, "It must be Du Songtao... so unreliable..."

As he walked, he cursed, "You two trust what Du Songtao says?!"

Yin Hang snapped back to reality and immediately pointed towards Quiet God.

"Huh?" Li Zheng looked out from the classroom door but only saw the empty corridor, "There’s nothing there?"

"Ah, she was just here." Big Beard grabbed Li Zheng’s arm, "Hurry and chase her!"

"You’re crazy..." Li Zheng looked at the corridor again.

This time was different, a pair of eyes suddenly peeked out of a nearby classroom door and then quickly retreated.

"!!!" Li Zheng didn’t think twice, he ran towards the classroom with his backpack slung over.

When the administrative teacher came out, Li Zheng had already entered the next classroom.

At this moment.

The administrative teacher was in a very bad mood.

"You two..." she glared at them, "There’s a limit to joking..."

"Ah, this..."

"We meant well..."

"Both of you, I’ve noted your names." The administrative teacher glared deathly at them for a moment before stomping away.

Yin Hang looked at Big Beard.

Big Beard looked at Yin Hang.

Soon, they nodded in unison, harboring wicked expectations, and stacked up like acrobats in front of the next classroom door...