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

However, as time ticked by, Song Xingye stopped moving.

It was as if he had given up on making a choice; he simply stood at the control panel, staring at the large screen, silently counting down.

The pre-recorded electronic sounds in the headset, like sharp knives, create an even more critical and urgent atmosphere.

"What are you still hesitating for? Jiayuguan is a major town in the Northwest. Can you guarantee that this rocket won't go off course?"

"If the rocket goes out of control, the debris will cover the heads of tens of thousands of people!"

"Warning: 15 seconds left to leave the desert area!"

"If you really fall into Jiayuguan, can you take responsibility?"

"It's too late, if we don't blow it up soon..."

The countdown is now in its final 5 seconds.

Veins bulged on Song Xingye's forehead, and his finger hovering above the red button trembled slightly, as if he was about to slam it down and activate the pre-separation procedure for the second and third stages of the rocket.

But then, a truly miraculous scene unfolded.

The telemetry data on the large screen was refreshed again, and a series of new numbers scrolled out.

Temperature sensors, pressure sensors, smoke sensors, etc., instantly returned to normal.

All the warning lights turned from red to green, as if the malfunction had never occurred.

Song Xingye slowly withdrew his hand, which was hovering in mid-air and about to give the order.

Behind them, the three senior experts in charge of scoring exchanged glances, a glint of interest flashing in their eyes, before quickly sketching on the forms.

A moment later, a mechanical, electronic female voice announced throughout the hall:

The second and third stages of the rocket separated successfully as planned.

The third-stage rocket ignited successfully.

[Satellite in orbit, deployment complete!]

This simulated launch mission has come to a close.

Song Xingye finally breathed a sigh of relief and slumped into the chair of the chief dispatcher.

He looked up at the starlight streaming through the ceiling, drenched in sweat as if he had been pulled out of the water.

Before he could catch his breath, three shadows loomed overhead.

The elderly expert with the deep, resonant voice spoke first, his tone unreadable, "What choice did you make at the last moment?"

Song Xingye sat up straight and answered seriously, "I didn't intend to separate the arrow prematurely, nor did I intend to let it self-destruct. I just wanted to test... how far it would develop if we ignored it and let the fire spread freely..."

A stern-faced old man beside him frowned and spoke in a harsh tone:

"Do you know what you're doing? Are you gambling with Jiayuguan Pass? Do you know the unimaginable consequences if a burning rocket goes out of control and crashes there?!"

The third old man sighed as well. "It's good that young people want to win, but sometimes you have to admit defeat. Whether it was an early separation or a self-destruction in mid-air, although the satellite was lost, at least the city was saved. That's a matter of principle..."

Faced with questions from the three veteran experts, Song Xingye shook his head, his tone sincere yet firm:

"It's not that I'm unwilling to face failure, it's just that... perhaps this burning rocket isn't beyond saving yet!"

The old men said, "Wow...you little rascal, you can actually perform miracles and put out fires from a distance, can you?"

"Of course I can't do it, but I believe in physics and I believe science can."

Song Xingye pointed to the sky, "I've carefully observed all the telemetry data from the second-stage rocket, and I can basically conclude that its fire can be extinguished automatically. All I have to do is let it fly a little longer!"

"Are you crazy? What if you bet wrong?"

"This isn't gambling; it's probability calculation."

Song Xingye said in a deep voice, "The data shows that the rocket's attitude is still under control and there are no signs of yaw. To be on the safe side, I've set a bottom line for myself—I will wait until we are 15 kilometers away from Jiayuguan, and if the fire is still burning there, I will press the separation button without hesitation!"

The old expert stroked his stubble and muttered to himself, "15 kilometers... even if there's a veer, the buffer distance is barely enough. But that's a two-stage rocket, traveling at nearly 10800 kilometers per hour. You only have less than 5 seconds to react. You've got some nerve, kid."

Five seconds, which is the time it takes to blink a few times.

Song Xingye nodded confidently, "In any case, I will do my best to ensure the rocket debris lands outside Jiayuguan, provided that the launch is successful."

Another old man pressed, "Are you so sure the fire will go out on its own?"

"First, the combustion chamber pressure and jet velocity of the second-stage rocket are normal according to telemetry data, which means that the fire did not occur in the internal propellant column and was not an implosion."

When discussing his professional field, the weariness in Song Xingye's eyes vanished, and he spoke clearly and logically.

"If it wasn't an internal propellant rupture, then it was probably caused by friction between low-altitude air and the insulation layer igniting, or by a small amount of leaked hydraulic oil burning with oxygen in the atmosphere."

"You see, the reason why rockets fly higher than fighter jets is that they don't need oxygen from the air to fuel combustion; they must carry a large amount of oxidizer on their own to continuously propel themselves forward."

In other words, the rocket's internal combustion relies on its own fuel, while the external heat shield and leaking fuel ignition depend on oxygen from the atmosphere!

"The second-stage rocket has just accelerated to a speed of nearly 6000 km/h, close to Mach 5, and its flight altitude is approximately 50 kilometers..."

At this point, Song Xingye shrugged, his tone becoming more relaxed:

"I think there are only two possible outcomes."

"First, the fire burns through the outer skin and detonates the solid propellant charge inside. If that happens, I will separate the fuselage in the last 15 kilometers of the buffer zone."

"Secondly, as the rocket ascends, the atmospheric density drops sharply. When the altitude exceeds a certain distance, the air becomes so thin that it can no longer support the combustion of an external fire. Without oxygen, the external fire will naturally suffocate."

"If that's the case, then I'll just wait and see."

After explaining all this, Song Xingye searched his memory again and, finding nothing more to add, concluded.

"In short, I believe physics doesn't lie. At an altitude of 5 meters, the probability of this fire being allowed to spread is, in my opinion, much smaller than the probability of a rocket veering off course."

After listening to this flawless deduction, the three veteran experts exchanged glances again.

This time, they no longer hid the approval in their eyes.

"Didn't you ever consider just destroying yourself and ending it all?" the old man with the deep voice asked with a smile.

Song Xingye frankly stated, "I've thought about it, but I feel that even if we have to power up the satellite ahead of schedule and lose a few years of its lifespan, it's better than destroying it outright. After all, it's a launch mission worth billions; even a 50% success rate would mitigate some of the losses. Besides..."

At this point, he grinned at the three old men, revealing a set of white teeth, "Of course, I'm not a professional either. I can only analyze the value of self-destruction from my own perspective, using scientific and rational thinking."

Perhaps the security engineer who actually controls the self-destruct interface wouldn't consider so many things.

The three old men nodded, and one of them, with a deep, resonant voice, said with a smile, "Young man, you've done very well!"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

The old man with the deep, resonant voice laughed heartily, abandoning his rigid and serious scrutinizing demeanor, and instantly transformed into a kind and gentle old man next door.

"So many students have come in today, most of them are either flustered or simply choose to self-destruct in the safe zone."

"You're one of a kind right now, capable of calmly weighing the pros and cons and doing it to your extent!"

"You did very well. This round of assessment was secondary in terms of what you've learned in the past few days. What we really tested was your ability to react on the spot and your resilience under pressure. Congratulations on passing."

As he spoke, the old man suddenly took a few steps closer, smiling as he asked, "Um...would you be interested in trying your luck at the Jingzhou Aerospace Control Center? The stage here is much wider..."

"No, no, absolutely not!"

Before Song Xingye could even process what was happening, Li Ang had already rushed in, protectively shielding him behind his back. "President Liang was absolutely right. I knew you guys were trying to poach our students, so I was specifically asked to keep an eye on the top students. Hehe, I caught you red-handed, didn't I?"

Song Xingye was startled, not knowing when Li Ang had been eavesdropping outside.

The three senior experts awkwardly touched their noses and could only explain sheepishly, "We were just chatting casually, look at you, you actually took it seriously."

"If I hadn't come, we might have slept together tonight and you would have taken him directly to the military base."

Li Ang snorted and said something, then turned around and patted Song Xingye's shoulder hard, his eyes full of smugness:

"Well done! Go back to the bus and wait, the assessment will be over soon..."