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

So, amidst the three old men's longing and mournful expressions, Song Xingye quickly fled the simulated launch hall.

When we got back to the bus, there were already quite a few students sitting there. They all looked like wilted eggplants, slumped in their seats, staring blankly out the window.

"Here, here!" Chang Jian poked his head out from the back row and waved frantically.

Song Xingye sat down and twisted his neck.

"How did the exam go? Were you completely confused at the end?"

Chang Jian leaned closer with a smug look on his face. "That kind of on-the-spot reaction, who could react in time? From the second stage ignition to shutdown, it was only two or three minutes. The headset was constantly chattering, urging me to make a decision. My mind went blank, and the rocket exploded in the desert."

"Oh, you're quite decisive, that saves you trouble."

"What's the point of saving trouble? I bet the old guys will give me a low score. What about you? You chose early separation?"

"The rocket flew normally, and the satellite was successfully deployed." Song Xingye grinned. "Those old experts just now even wanted to recruit me into the Space Force."

"Holy crap?!"

Chang Jian looked surprised, but considering the top student's track record so far, he felt it made sense and hurriedly asked, "So you agreed?"

"without."

"That's the Space Force! A golden job with guaranteed employment, how could you turn that down?"

"That old bastard Li Ang suddenly popped up and caused trouble, leaving the three old men speechless."

Song Xingye smiled. "However, I'm really not interested in the Space Force. I'm more passionate about research and development, like rockets, spacecraft, and probes. What could I do in the military? Practice launch commands every day?"

"Alright, anyway, someone like you is destined to be a leader wherever you go."

Chang Jian muttered something sourly, then slumped back into his seat like a salted fish.

After the last student finished his assessment, Li Ang led him back to the bus. He first glanced at Song Xingye in the back row without making a sound, and when he saw that Song Xingye was still there, he seemed to breathe a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

Then, he cleared his throat and said:

"Thank you all for your hard work today. Get some rest tonight. We have a half-day off tomorrow morning. Meet at 1 PM in the multi-functional conference room on the eighth floor!"

After saying that, he patted the bus driver on the shoulder, and the group set off on their way back.

The next morning, Song Xingye slept in late, a rare occurrence for him, and didn't get up until after 10 a.m.

After washing up, I went downstairs and strolled around the family compound with Chang Jian and the others before heading to the company cafeteria for lunch.

After lunch, everyone arrived at the conference hall ahead of time to wait.

Song Xingye, holding his Motorola candybar phone, chatted with Qin Rui and Chen Xin on QQ for a while, and also gave some pointers to his juniors on how to replicate his experimental data.

At exactly one o'clock, Li Ang walked in alone, carrying a document.

However, his expression wasn't as relaxed and carefree as yesterday; instead, he seemed preoccupied.

"Dear students, thank you for waiting. Let's get straight to the point and announce the results of yesterday's fifth round of assessments."

"Due to time constraints, the list will be published directly. As usual, the seven students ranked last overall can go home to their respective colleges to pack their belongings after the meeting."

As he spoke, Li Ang turned on the multimedia system and projected a brand new list onto it.

After adjusting the focus, all 52 names were clearly displayed from beginning to end.

Song Xingye saw his score—48 points.

He ranked first in the fifth round of assessments.

Following closely behind were Xu Zhe and Guo Yanyang.

Song Xingye didn't know what the maximum score was for this round of assessment, but he had the highest score... so he guessed it probably wouldn't exceed 50 points.

In the overall rankings, Song Xingye unsurprisingly retained his first place with a fuel value of 255 points, leading Guo Yanyang in second place by a significant margin of 25.5 points.

As for the third and fourth place, there were no changes from the previous round; it was still Cao Que and Xu Zhe.

However, at this point, the score difference between the two had narrowed to 0.5 points.

Chang Jian patted Song Xingye excitedly: "You're getting ahead more and more! Keep it up, and maybe you can still stay in first place even if you submit a blank paper in the final assessment!"

Song Xingye chuckled lightly: "Old Chang, stop worrying about things that aren't your business. You're already in dire straits yourself; look how far you've fallen!"

Upon hearing this, Chang Jian immediately fell silent.

35th place.

After eliminating 7 students in this round, there are 45 students left.

Therefore, Chang Jian has already entered the bottom ten.

If he makes a mistake in the next round, or if the person behind him performs exceptionally well, he will immediately be fired.

Zhao Yuehe is also in a precarious situation, having also come in eighth from the bottom.

Jiang Mian is doing a bit better; although she dropped out of the top 20, she is still hovering around the top 30.

This surprised Song Xingye.

I thought that Jiang Mian, with her gentle and soft nature, would be thrown into disarray by yesterday's sudden fire, but I didn't expect her to be so calm and composed.

Before Song Xingye could think further, Li Ang had already started calling out names and urging people to leave, according to the list.

A few minutes later, the conference hall became empty and deserted again.

Li Ang stood on the stage with a tense expression, pacing back and forth as he spoke:

"Now, let's get down to business. There's been a bit of an unexpected situation recently, and General Manager Liang, Engineer Lei, and Engineer Lin all need to rush back to handle the project ahead of schedule."

"In particular, the docking of Shenzhou-8 and Tiangong-1, as well as the launch of the Mars probe, are the group's top priorities this year. To accommodate the experts' schedules, we have to sacrifice everyone's summer camp time..."

Chang Jian muttered to himself, "Launching a Mars probe this year? I thought it was just approved!"

Song Xingye was also somewhat confused.

He remembered that Tianwen-1 was supposed to launch to Mars in 2020, so why is it so many years earlier? Isn't this butterfly effect a bit too strong?

Li Ang continued:

"To meet the deadline, the expert panel unanimously decided to accelerate all remaining assessments!"

"The sixth, seventh, and eighth rounds of assessments will have simplified procedures and be combined into one; these three rounds of assessments are referred to as 'Triple Success'!"

"After the assessment, the bottom 21 students will be eliminated in one go, and then they will enter the final nine and ten rounds of assessment!"

The words are not surprising and die endlessly.

Li Ang unleashed a powerful move as soon as he opened his mouth, stunning the whispering crowd.

Chang Jian stammered, "Damn it... I thought sacrificing some time meant reducing the number of exam rounds, but I didn't expect them to be merged into one! This intensity is going to kill us..."

Song Xingye gave him a sympathetic look. "Three rounds of tests, and nearly half of the people will be eliminated at once. Lao Chang, I think you should start packing your bags now."

"You're so heartless, so cold-blooded. How can someone with a 37-degree mouth utter such icy words?"

Chang Jian was somewhat injured.

"It's okay, I'll see you off at the station when you leave with your suitcase... Oh wait, Beijing Institute of Technology is less than ten kilometers from here, so you can just take a taxi back yourself."

Once he got to know Chang Jian well, Song Xingye didn't hold back when it came to delivering the final blow.

"Damn, heartless, cold-blooded!"

Li Ang stood quietly on the stage for a while, giving the students some time to process their shock, before gently reassuring them:

"Don't panic, everyone. Considering the pressure you've all been under lately, the next three rounds of tests won't be too difficult. They will mainly test your problem-solving strategies, and the format will primarily be oral presentations."

Upon hearing the word "oral narration," the group's breath caught in their throats again.

Describing something verbally... isn't that much simpler than doing it in person, is it?

This requires a high degree of logical coherence in thinking. If your mind goes blank or you are left speechless by the experts' probing questions, you will lose face big time.

Then, Li Ang read out the names from the ranking list:

"Song Xingye!"

Song Xingye, somewhat bewildered, stood up from the audience and pointed to himself: "Me, first?"

Li Ang smiled, "That's right, it's you. The top spot needs to set an example. President Liang and Engineer Lei are waiting in the small conference room next door. Just turn left and walk to the end. Go on, and do your best!"

After saying that, she gave him a look that said, "I believe in you."

Song Xingye thought to himself, "Why did the ranking list change so quickly? Are they using me as a scapegoat?"

He took a deep breath, composed himself, and, under the sympathetic gazes of his classmates, got up and left the multi-functional conference hall.

Stepping onto the carpet in the corridor, Song Xingye stood in front of the reception room and gently knocked three times on the door.

"Enter!"

A familiar, warm voice came from inside.