Reborn in 2011, I am the chief designer of aerospace.

Inside the Nanyuan assembly plant, machines roared and people moved about.

Busy workers can be seen everywhere.

Hundreds of thousands of precision parts from all over the country are transported here for assembly and testing, and then transferred to the satellite launch base thousands of kilometers away.

After giving a brief explanation of some important points, instructor Li Ang waved his hand and announced that everyone was free to do as they pleased.

It seems this trip was really just for sightseeing, to relax after three days of tension.

However, the area for free movement is not large, and some core classified offices are still closed to the public.

The students could only peer longingly inside through the thick, blast-proof glass.

Engineers and technicians, always in a hurry, brushed past me from time to time.

Chang Jian followed Song Xingye around for a while, then said somewhat listlessly:

"Is Instructor Li just abandoning us? Are we just going to let him run wild? I seriously suspect he has a mistress at the factory, using this business trip as an excuse to meet his girlfriend in secret..."

Song Xingye crossed his arms and glanced at him with a half-smile:

"You'd better watch your mouth. These kinds of classified units are full of wiretapping and surveillance. You might just say something and it will reach your instructor's ears."

Chang Jian's expression changed, and he immediately covered his mouth, looking around in panic, muttering indistinctly, "It can't be that bad, can it?"

Li Ang didn't really abandon the matter.

Not long after, he invited several engineers who had just come off the final assembly line from the factory office to lead the students on a tour of the various workshops.

After all, this is the final assembly plant's territory, and as a clerical staff member of the group headquarters, it is inconvenient for him to overstep his bounds.

The students naturally dispersed, forming small groups and following different engineers.

The Nanyuan Assembly Plant has a large internal structure, divided into several business units, each with its own responsibilities, including the assembly and integration of spacecraft such as launch vehicles, satellites, manned spacecraft, and probes.

Of course, in addition to spacecraft, there is another business unit dedicated to the final assembly of intercontinental ballistic missiles, which is the most classified part of the factory.

Even the engineers who were leading the tour would consciously take a detour when they were nearby.

"I guess the DF-5C was born here..."

Song Xingye gazed at the few unmarked gray factory buildings, his eyes slightly brightening.

Thinking of this, he became excited.

Having spent his entire life working on launch vehicles, occasionally venturing into the military industry seems like a pretty good challenge!

In any case, rockets and missiles are essentially the same in origin but different in design. Sending satellites into space with one hand and delivering packages to homes with the other hand are not contradictory.

Consider it an opportunity to expand my business skills...

Chang Jian, who was standing next to him, quietly nudged his arm: "What are you grinning about, Hoshino? You're practically drooling."

Song Xingye snapped out of his reverie, his smile fading. "It's nothing, I just think it would be quite fulfilling to build missiles."

"Hehe, of course, it's a national strategic asset! But currently, Dongfang Group is more skilled in intercontinental ballistic missiles, and Dongyu Group seems to be lacking in expertise."

"That's just for now. Who knows what will happen in a few years..."

"You talk like you know everything. Dongfang Group has developed so many models of DF, while Dongyu has only developed a few. The difference is obvious."

"There is a gap, but you need to clearly understand where our group's core strength lies—it's in liquid processing!"

Song Xingye launched into a science popularization session with great interest, his tone assertive:

"The small DF missiles that Dongfang is developing are at best assassin-type missiles, surgical scalpels that precisely cut the enemy's vitals. If you really want something that can last as long as heaven and earth, you need liquid-fueled missiles that can carry a large number of warheads. If the military wants to develop such a missile, they will definitely place orders with us first."

"Young man, you seem to know quite a lot?"

The two were whispering to each other when the engineer leading the tour overheard them.

The other party chuckled and chimed in, "That's right. When it comes to liquid metal processing, our Dongyu Group is absolutely second to none. Even if those scientists from Dongfang studied for another ten years, they still wouldn't be able to catch up, haha!"

Song Xingye and Chang Jian exchanged a glance, then awkwardly but politely followed suit with smiles.

After this little incident, the group, led by the engineer, entered a huge workshop.

In addition to the business units just listed by the engineer, each business unit is further divided into more than a dozen workshops, each responsible for different tasks.

For example, propulsion, rocket structure, avionics system, ground testing, etc.

The wide variety of workshop types left everyone completely bewildered.

"This place is the Shenzhou spacecraft assembly division. This is the structural shell assembly workshop, and that's the avionics system assembly workshop... Currently, this division is carrying out the final assembly of Shenzhou-8..."

As the engineer explained, Song Xingye suddenly understood.

This is a super factory covering an area of ​​50,000 square meters.

Underfoot is a smooth, mirror-like epoxy resin floor, and above is a silver-gray high-grade galvanized steel keel ceiling. The high ceiling, tens of meters high, makes one feel as small as an ant.

There are many workers and machines here, and the production line has already taken the initial shape of automation. A 1:1 model of the Shenzhou spacecraft hangs on the ceiling near the entrance.

Song Xingye had little experience with spaceship projects in his previous life, so he couldn't tell which Shenzhou model it was, or whether it was a real backup spaceship.

Chang Jian couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow...it's truly magnificent! I never imagined that the Shenzhou spacecraft was built here!"

Song Xingye looked to his right, where the avionics system workshop the engineer had mentioned was located.

In the large and open-plan office area, hundreds of technicians wearing anti-static suits were typing away on their keyboards.

Any one of these people would be a highly sought-after senior programmer or software developer at a major internet company, but now they are willingly staying in their small workstations.

After passing through the spacecraft division, the group entered the even larger launch vehicle assembly workshop.

This area is large enough to fit four or five spacecraft divisions!

The 'prepared payload experts' looked at it with awe.

Not far away, several painted launch vehicles were lined up in order, waiting to be transported away.

Song Xingye recognized it immediately as the second-grade student.

The crowd moved around the workshop with the same devotion of devout believers gazing upon a sacred and magnificent palace.

His eyes were filled with awe and longing, yet also concealed an undisguised eagerness.

Seeing this, the leading engineer smiled and asked, "So, how about it? Want to try it out yourself?"

One student exclaimed in surprise, "Really?"

The engineer readily agreed, "Of course, but I can only do some basic work."

Next, he actually allowed the students to operate it themselves.

Of course, the so-called "getting started" was just helping to hand over a wrench, check the number, or do simple cleaning in non-core areas; they were treated like apprentices.

Once the novelty wears off, most people gradually lose interest and stand there listlessly, lost in thought.

Song Xingye watched patiently, even tried out a few tools, and asked some questions, all of which were answered.

After a day like this, everyone really only took a stroll around the Nanyuan assembly plant.

It wasn't until the afternoon that Li Ang, the instructor who had been missing for a long time, came out rubbing his eyes, apparently having slept all day in an office in the factory.

After regaining his composure, he asked with a smile, "Finished the tour? How was it?"

The students looked at each other, unable to come up with any new words besides "huge" and "shocking".

Li Ang didn't mind. He glanced at his watch and waved his hand dismissively, "Alright, it's about time. Get in the car and head back to headquarters!"

Upon hearing this, the previously laughing and joking crowd instantly fell silent.

Everyone knows that it's time to go back and announce the results of the first round of assessments.

Throughout the journey, Chang Jian was extremely nervous, muttering to himself, praying to this deity or that bodhisattva for protection.

Song Xingye found it amusing: "You can't just keep worshipping different gods all the time. You have to be more focused for your efforts to be effective."

"We can't worry about that now. Let's just pray to them all. What if a god has a soft heart?" Chang Jian said righteously.

"hehe……"

Song Xingye shook his head helplessly.

Back at the company headquarters, we went up to the multi-functional conference hall on the eighth floor and took our seats. Soon, General Manager Liang led Engineer Lei, Engineer Lin, and Engineer Chen into the room one by one.

Several staff members were adjusting the projector, while Li Ang, the instructor, received the report card from General Manager Liang.

He didn't rush to read it aloud, but slowly raised his head and scanned the audience.

Song Xingye felt that the other person's gaze seemed to linger on him for half a second.

Chang Jian was scratching his head, wishing he could rush up to the stage and snatch the report card to see it. "Ugh, give me a straight answer, I'm so anxious!"

"Please calm down..."

Song Xingye offered words of comfort while glancing at the others.

The four top students in the dormitory seemed to be in relatively stable condition, while Jiang Mian, the only familiar girl not far away, had her lively little face tense up, waiting for her fate to be decided.