Study Monster Cultivation System-Chapter 323 - 322 A Majestic Journey of the Heart

The success of the test was like the final charge, amid tears and shouts, everyone’s eyes focused only on the ultimate goal.

As an old gambling freak, Zhao Zhenhua’s back instantly straightened and hardened. All work involuntarily returned to the state before the accident and even intensified.

For bolts that would typically take three months to manufacture under standard time, he demanded them in three days.

And indeed, the critical point had arrived.

He hoarded half of the system’s logistical resources to himself.

It really started to mobilize, whereas before parts had to wait for vehicles, now ready vehicles were waiting for parts fresh off the factory.

More than a dozen assembly plants ran three shifts throughout the night.

They actually squeezed out the schedule, compressing it from the planned 12 weeks to nine weeks, and then to seven weeks.

This caused Liang Xinping, no matter where he went or what he did, to only be able to schedule things for later.

This is the difference between an old academician and an old gambling freak; technical ability doesn’t represent execution power. Even if both have execution power, the more ruthless one often takes the lead.

During this process, Li Zheng also learned quite a few societal skills on how to "cooperate and work."

Meanwhile, the entire Yellow 2 Team, except for a few core designers, turned into supervisors. They rushed across the country, from factory assembly to launch site preparation, achieving dedicated oversight for each critical link, recording coordination times by the hour, not allowing phrases like "Let’s do it tomorrow" or "We’ll talk over the weekend"—it was always about whether something would be completed in the morning or the afternoon, specifying the exact minute of arrival.

With several new engines undergoing successful testing for up to 3000 seconds, the second reset announced its triumph.

If Yellow 2 was a challenging and tortuous long race, it had now entered the final 200-meter sprint.

On February 3, the modified engine series +1, the first official YF-88, was successfully assembled into Core Stage One in a "vertical rocket" method within 39 hours.

On February 9, the second YF-88 for the rocket body was fully assembled.

On February 13, the testing of Core Stage One body was completed.

On February 14, the rocket body was returned to its transport state and arrived at Tianjin Port.

On February 17, the shipment was completed, setting off for Wenhai!

On February 22, the Yellow 2 Team met with the rocket body in Wenhai.

From February 23 to March 17, final assembly testing was conducted, preparing for launch.

On March 18, Yellow River-2 and Jianxing-6 test satellite left the vertical test building, traveling smoothly for 2.5 hours and relocating to the launch area for the final safety test procedure.

On March 19, 222 days after the unsuccessful launch of Yellow River-2, fuel was re-injected into the rocket body.

Eight months later, Li Zheng stood by the office window at Wenhai Launch Site, gazing from afar at the white mist produced by the low-temperature fuel on both sides of the rocket on the launch tower, no longer just a spectator.

Under the bright sunlight, he could clearly see the white mist produced by the low-temperature fuel on both sides of the rocket body on the tower.

Having lived through his darkest moment, he found the bright sunlight and beach before him somewhat surreal.

One failure, two resets.

Changing courses, vibrations enigmatic and elusive.

Though he couldn’t see the distant road clearly, what’s right in front of him remained clear.

As long as this launch succeeded, Mars exploration, space stations, space telescopes, and moon landings would merely be questions of time.

This time wouldn’t be too long: at least five years, at most seven years.

Personally, during the past period, he had missed his birthday, New Year’s Day, the Spring Festival, not to mention things like Christmas and Valentine’s Day.

Usually, a person not accompanying their family would be complained about.

But isn’t this unfortunate, all our family are in this together.

Are Aunt Shen’s dumplings at the Space Center not delicious?

Lost in thought, the characteristic voice of Chen Hongbing came from behind.

"Over here, over here, the typical young space cadet is right here."

Turning around, Chen Hongbing was leading a standard CCTV female reporter and male cameraman combination, quickly approaching.

Before Li Zheng could say anything, Chen Wei, who was sitting beside him, suddenly widened his eyes and harshly stood up, adjusting his collar.

"Oh, speaking of the devil…" Chen Wei hastily groomed his buzz cut as he looked towards Li Zheng, "The leaders mentioned earlier that CCTV wanted to follow a few typical cases, do you think I’ll look good on camera?"

"Your face is too square."

"Hahaha, you’re just jealous!" Chen Wei said with a raised eyebrow, smiling at Li Zheng, "The leaders didn’t clue you in, did they?"

"Director Chen mentioned it to me," Li Zheng replied with a smile. "My identity is just too special; a high school student in an aerospace team is a bit beyond regular understanding and could cause unnecessary trouble, so it’s better left to you, brother Wei."

"Hey, that’s just how it is," Chen Wei said, scratching his head. "When the time comes, I’ll bring the journalists over to your side more so you can get on camera too, hahaha."

"No need, you handle it on your own," Li Zheng turned back to his workstation and started studying his geography textbook.

It wasn’t that he had nothing else to learn and started doing geography; it was mostly work-related.

At this very moment, Typhoon Bapon had just made landfall in the Philippines. The location and timing made him feel uneasy, necessitating some geography studies to ease the anxiety.

Chen Hongbing led the reporters over and helplessly nodded at Li Zheng, then walked up to Chen Wei to introduce him.

"Chen Wei, one of our key young members, primarily responsible for trajectory design, familiar with the entire launch process."

"Director is too kind," Chen Wei said, desperately trying to look pleased as he greeted the reporters, "Nice to meet you, reporter ma’am, and cameraman sir…"

The female reporter hesitated during the handshake and asked in a standard broadcaster’s tone, "This… Director Chen, our team is responsible for interviewing young talents, and we need someone… younger and more vibrant, preferably under 25… if they are over 30, our subjects would overlap with the other teams."

Chen Wei’s eyes widened as he pointed to his big cheeks, "I’m only 24!"

"Oh..." the female reporter covered her mouth in surprise, "I’m sorry, I’m sorry… but still… we are hoping for someone… whose age is more visually apparent."

That really put Chen Hongbing in a tough spot: "In our line of work, everyone looks older… Chen Wei is already the youngest-looking one we have..."

"It’s not too bad," the reporter said with a smile. "Director, you also look just over 40, not that much older than Chen Wei."

"Ah, really?" Chen Hongbing touched his face somewhat shyly, "Maybe it has to do with maintaining the exercise habits from my military days… unlike the young people today, all soft and flabby."

"So, Director…" the reporter looked around, "Is there maybe…"

She was cut off mid-sentence when the cameraman tapped her and then gestured with his lips towards a low-key corner.

It was quite obvious then.

A low-key, refined, handsome, young man was quietly sitting there, looking at the latest Pacific Ocean meteorological map.

Because the comparison with Chen Wei was so stark, the reporter, after her initial surprise, felt somewhat deceived and just spread her hands at Chen Hongbing; the implication was clear...

Why invite me to eat plain buns when you’re hiding hotpot at home?

Chen Wei pouted, feeling a bit aggrieved.

Chen Hongbing glanced at the earnest Li Zheng and also looked helpless, "Sister, that person really isn’t suitable…"

The reporter, seeing Chen Hongbing’s expression, also sighed, "Seeing how young he seems, he must be on the periphery of the work… I understand, I understand."

Chen Wei’s mouth quirked up, excitedly.

However, Chen Hongbing shook his head and said towards Li Zheng’s direction, "No, that’s not the reason. He is more central than Chen Wei, played a key role twice. It’s safe to say that without him, Yellow 2’s next launch would have been postponed by at least half a year."

Chen Wei’s entire face slumped.

Chen Hongbing then pulled the reporters back a few steps and quietly explained, "Here is the thing... that person is perfect in all aspects, the only drawback is... he is still a high school student."

"??!" The reporter’s eyes widened enormously.

The cameraman was also shivering.

Chen Hongbing continued, "But he is probably the most outstanding high school student in the country, a national champion in three competitions, has already been exceptionally admitted to Ji University, and came to intern here in his senior year because he had nothing else to do, making good use of his knowledge, especially his informatics expertise to solve critical issues. He has a very good reputation within the industry... But no matter how you put it, he is technically a high school student and if this gets aired, I’m afraid the audience might not accept it easily, and it might cause a lot of trouble."

"Ah," the cameraman suddenly exclaimed, "My sister just took the college entrance exams. When I talked to her, she mentioned a school legend named something Zheng—could it be him?"

"Li Zheng," Chen Hongbing nodded in surprise, "This kid is already that famous, huh?"

"Anyway, it’s quite extraordinary…" the cameraman turned to the reporter, "With all those championship foundations laid out, I think even a high school student could accept it."

At that moment, the reporter also took out his phone and started searching.

"The first news is about him winning the informatics competition…" the reporter read aloud and was shocked, "Then it mentions that he gave up the national team qualification because of work reasons…"

"He also gave up the Physics International Olympiad…" Chen Hongbing immediately nodded in agreement, "With his level, if he had gone, he would have been top three for sure."

"So what are we waiting for?" the reporter put away his phone and looked at Li Zheng, feeling a great sense of anticipation for the first time after mixing around for so long, "Anyway, he’s been recommended, so why don’t we just say he’s an intern from Ji University when we add the subtitles?"

Upon hearing that, Chen Hongbing hesitated for a moment before calling Li Zheng over.

After hearing their proposal, Li Zheng flatly refused.

"Impossible. Even if Director Chen agrees, I personally will not accept." Li Zheng shook his head, "If it really gets reported, they’ll definitely delve into my background and then discover my mother holds a significant position. Various speculations will arise, assuming I’m here just to embellish my resume. This would negatively impact both my family’s and the aerospace system’s reputation."

Chen Hongbing then nodded, "That’s what I was thinking too. Although it feels very unfair, that’s just how public opinion is."

The reporter looked back and forth between the two, feeling both pity and sympathy.

"I understand why Director Chen thinks this way… but Li Zheng, if you’ve really put in so much effort, made such great contributions… to just let it go, don’t you feel even a bit stifled?"

"I came here to learn," Li Zheng nodded with resolve, "Here I’ve already learned the most important things: teamwork and an indomitable will."

After speaking, he pointed toward Chen Wei, "He’s the one who has always been silently contributing. It’s more worth celebrating an ordinary persona like him than someone like me who is overly handsome. What we value in aerospace is the collective spirit. My image and contributions are too conspicuous, not suitable."

The reporter and the cameraman just stared at Li Zheng, having never heard such a refreshingly candid response before.

It was a statement that should be admirable, yet it also made people want to smack him.

In the midst of their stunned silence, a distant "Hmm" sound came from behind.

Following the sound, Lin Yujing walked past the edge of the office area, raised her hand toward the staircase, making a "Howl" sound with her mouth.

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The reporter and cameraman were taken aback again.

Not only hiding hotpot but also barbeque?

Who would still be interested in eating steamed buns now!

Li Zheng then slightly smiled, rubbed his hands, and said, "Then I won’t keep you any longer, I’m going to eat."

"Wait a minute…" the reporter quickly stopped him and proposed to both Li Zheng and Chen Hongbing, "I have a proposal. We can follow both Li Zheng and Chen Wei for filming. Chen Wei’s part as the official announcement, released immediately after a successful launch, and Li Zheng’s part we temporarily archive and save. We’ll also provide backups of the material to the aerospace propaganda department."

"Why go through all this trouble…" Chen Hongbing asked.

"It’s the value of the record!" the reporter nodded emphatically, "A person and events like these definitely have recording value. Perhaps it’s not appropriate to reveal it now, but wouldn’t it be better when Li Zheng officially becomes a university student in half a year? Wouldn’t it be more precious if brought out after he achieves greater success in the future? We’re already here, having seen such people and events, how can we let it just pass by? It’s just about filming a bit longer, me asking a few more questions. I hope you two will support this, let’s not bury valuable people and events."

This made Li Zheng hesitate a bit.

After pondering for a while, Chen Hongbing’s expression also became serious, "Then you must guarantee that, before we permit it, any information about Li Zheng should not appear in any official programs."

"Of course, you would have to review our finished news clips anyway."

"Li Zheng, is that okay?" Chen Hongbing turned to Li Zheng, "The journalists have put it quite compellingly."

"No problem, not broadcasting it within half a year is fine."

"Hmm…" Chen Hongbing smiled and then beckoned to the noisy Lin Yujing waiting in the back, "Come here, let me introduce you to another unairable leading lady."

…

And so, Li Zheng, Lin Yujing, Chen Wei, and the reporter duo sat down at a lunch table together.

This segment, of course, wasn’t filmed, but was just a time to ask some preliminary questions and plan the shooting schedule.

During this process, the more questions the reporters asked, the more intriguing it became.

"Wait… you two are the national champions and runners-up in the physics competition?"

"That’s right." Li Zheng nodded as he ate his rice, "And I’m usually on top of her."

"I thought we agreed not to talk about those things, only work," Lin Yujing turned her head and scolded, "And I might remind you that in ’17, I was on top of you!"

"Hmph, boys just mature later," Li Zheng laughed.

"Exactly, boys mature later," Chen Wei leaned in and said, "Teachers, ask me a few questions too."

"Ah, you, um..." the reporter thought for a moment and then asked, "Have you and your girlfriend ever had any unpleasantness due to work issues?"

Chen Wei’s face immediately drooped again: "I still...still don’t have a girlfriend..."

"No worries, no worries, we’ll just film a few shots of you working alone," the reporter then asked, "Then, is there any particular job you’ve found especially difficult or challenging? Please tell us about that."

"...I...can’t think of anything," Chen Wei looked even more pitiful.

"Then tell us about the work you’re currently responsible for..."

"Filing daily work reports..."

"Ah, um... let’s just leave it at that..." the reporter immediately turned back to Li Zheng with a more animated face, "Come on, tell us why you came here to intern."

"Ask me that," Chen Wei immediately leaned in again, "I love space exploration, have loved it since I was a kid."

"Hmm... a very promising answer," the reporter swallowed and then asked Li Zheng, "And you?"

"Um..." Li Zheng hesitated, "I just wanted to learn some engineering knowledge."

The reporter pressed on, "Anything else? Are there more direct reasons?"

"Um..." as Li Zheng recalled, he said, "On the day of the 8.8 failure, we both were on the nearby hill, watching the rocket go off course. She cried, and it was very distressing for me."

"Ssst!" Lin Yujing’s face turned red instantly, pinching Li Zheng’s arm, "Don’t say everything..."

But the reporter got even more excited: "So all this, is it actually to protect Lin Yujing’s smile?"

"I’m too lazy to protect that thing..." Li Zheng rubbing his arm said, "It was just an impulse at that time... just... it was easy to take advantage of someone in a vulnerable state... But I felt it wasn’t right to exploit someone during such times, so I wanted to do it openly and straightforwardly."

"Stop talking..." Lin Yujing lowered her head forcefully.

However, the reporter’s eyes were already bulging: "Please explain what you mean by ’taking advantage of someone in a vulnerable state.’"

"I’m done..." Unable to stand it any longer, Lin Yujing picked up her tray and was about to run off.

"Alright, alright." The reporter quickly stood up to block her, "Let’s not ask Li Zheng anymore, let’s talk about your story, Lin Yujing."

"..." Lin Yujing reluctantly sat back down and pinched Li Zheng again, "Are you dumb? Why say all that?"

"They were asking about my emotional journey, right?"

"So you tell that to everyone!"

Just as the reporter was about to speak, the broadcast suddenly came on.

[Urgent notice, urgent notice.]

[Due to the typhoon Bapon suddenly changing course, the launch plan has been urgently advanced.]

[All personnel, please take your positions immediately and strive to start the launch process within 12 hours.]

[Urgent notice, urgent notice...]

At this moment, the mindsets of Li Zheng, Lin Yujing, and Chen Wei instantly aligned, they almost simultaneously stood up.

The entire cafeteria also suddenly fell silent, then tense.

The originally scheduled launch date was from the 20th to the 23rd.

Now it seems, at the last moment, destiny still isn’t forgetting to throw a curveball.

"Is the typhoon coming this way?"

"Wasn’t the meteorological agency using supercomputers and said it wouldn’t head north?"

"Stop fucking chatting, eat quickly..."

Without any warning, the final battle had just begun.