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

This caught Song Xingye off guard. He found it hard to believe that the young man who had been laughing and joking with him just a few days ago would do such a thing.

It seems that the harmonious coexistence of the past was just a wishful dream of young people.

However, reality is just that magical.

First, Guo Yanyang from Beihang University was eliminated because his score was canceled due to "cheating".

Then there was Tao Shuo, who suffered an undeserved misfortune.

His score advantage was already small, and after the 250 fuel points he received in the fourth round were converted into 100 fuel points, it was as if he had lost more than ten points for nothing.

In the fiercely competitive Starry Sky Summer Camp, those behind him were neck and neck with the score, and a difference of more than ten points was enough to make him fall from heaven to hell.

And the latest rankings say it all—

Tao Shuo ended up in last place.

He is the last of the remaining 23 "preparatory payload experts".

With only two rounds left in the summer camp, the probability of turning the tide and making it into the top ten from the bottom is mathematically almost zero.

So Tao Shuo is now a 'pre-elimination' contestant. He hung his head dejectedly, his hands tearing at his hair in frustration, silently venting his anger.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was somber; some were happy, while others were sad.

With Guo Yanyang and Tao Shuo failing to pass the exam, it means that those who come after them have a chance to take their place, increasing their chances of success.

The student who was originally ranked 11th suddenly entered the top ten and was overjoyed. As long as he can maintain his ranking in the last two rounds, it is equivalent to having one foot in the Star Project's training list!

Li Ang discreetly observed everyone's expressions, taking in their emotions and reactions, before clearing his throat and saying:

"Alright, that's enough about the cheating report. Everything was handled according to the summer camp rules. If anyone has any objections, please contact me privately afterward."

"Now, I will announce the content of the ninth round of assessment..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the previously noisy conference hall fell silent.

Everyone stared intently at the stage.

Li Ang continued:

"The ninth round of assessment will still test your design skills. However, this time it won't be a paper track design; I need you to build a physical prototype!"

"Rules for this round: Teams can be formed freely, with no limit on the number of players. The reward mechanism remains unchanged—the top three teams will share 300, 250, and 200 fuel points respectively. All other teams, no matter how well they perform, will only receive a minimum of 100 points..."

A buzzing sound immediately rose from the audience.

Having learned from past experiences, everyone instinctively looked at their familiar old teammates.

Li Ang didn't give them much time to think, quickly outlining the specific rules.

"Each team will receive a 'budget' of 30,000 yuan. You will use this money to design and build a simulated launch vehicle."

"Listen carefully, every single part of the rocket, even a single screw, must come from this budget. Any project that cannot provide a source of procurement will be disqualified!"

"After the rocket design is completed, there will be a competition to see which team's rocket flies higher, has a more reliable structure, and costs less. The total score, weighted by the scores of the three categories, will be used as the ranking basis to determine first, second, third, and so on..."

After Li Ang finished speaking in one breath, he slowly took a few sips of mineral water, giving the audience enough time to digest the information.

"Alright, those are the rules. If you have any questions, please ask them now."

Someone raised their hand and asked, "Instructor Li, can he only design launch vehicles?"

"Yes, that's right. For the sake of fairness and rigor in the assessment, rockets are the most direct way to evaluate performance. Besides, even with a budget of 30,000 yuan, you can't really make anything worthwhile designing spacecraft, satellites, or probes, even with simulation models..."

Another question was asked: "What are the weighted averages of the three scores? Which aspect of the rocket's performance is emphasized more in the ninth round of evaluation?"

"Flight altitude accounts for 30%, structural stability for 30%, and cost for 40%. Overall, the weighted differences in the scores for each component are not significant, but lower cost gives you a better chance of winning..."

"..."

One question after another was raised, and Li Ang answered them one by one.

Only after no one raised their hand and the room fell silent did he glance at the time and say:

"Okay, now form your own teams. Meet tomorrow morning to confirm the list and distribute the cash budget."

After saying that, Li Ang picked up the documents, didn't even glance at the crowd, and left with his hands behind his back.

The remaining students immediately sprang into action, heading straight for their favorite teammates.

As soon as Song Xingye looked up, he found that Jiang Mian had already come over on her own initiative, her eyes sparkling as if to say, "Please take me in."

He couldn't help but laugh: "Alright, Corporal Cotton, get back to the ranks!"

Jiang Mian nodded excitedly, and Song Xingye immediately stood up, took long strides, and walked straight through the noisy crowd to another group of people in the corner.

The atmosphere there was eerily quiet.

Fan Xiaoying was anxiously explaining something to Cao Que and Tao Shuo when he saw Song Xingye coming over. He seemed to have grasped a lifeline and hurriedly tried to explain:

"Hoshino, you be the judge! I came here to stay, and I'm just reporting it according to the rules. Does that mean Guo Yanyang is wrong, but people aren't allowed to expose him?"

Song Xingye looked at the person in front of him with mixed feelings, then shook his head.

"Guo Yanyang copied the research proposal, which is indeed unfair. You can report him without any problem."

Upon hearing this, Fan Xiaoying felt a little less guilty and forced a smile as she said to Cao Que and Tao Shuo, "See? Even Xingye said that..."

"but--"

Song Xingye abruptly changed the subject, his gaze sharp as a knife as he stared at Fan Xiaoying, mercilessly tearing away his last veil of pretense:

"Why did you wait until now to reveal the fourth round of things?"

Fan Xiaoying's smile froze on her face.

Song Xingye took a step forward, exuding an overwhelming sense of pressure.

"You've studied the rules very thoroughly. The whistleblower gets 20% of the reported person's score, right? The higher Guo Yanyang's fuel value is when he's reported, the greater your reward will be."

"So you've been hiding it all along, and every time you see Guo Yanyang, the second-place finisher, consistently achieving high scores, you're secretly pleased, aren't you?"

"By the end of the eighth round, you realized your ranking had plummeted to the bottom, and hard work alone wasn't enough to catch up. So, at this critical juncture, you chose to 'harvest' your teammates, right?"

Song Xingye's words made Fan Xiaoying blush with embarrassment. Cao Que and Tao Shuo, who were sitting in the seats, were not stupid either, and naturally understood what he was saying.

Both of them looked at Fan Xiaoying with disappointment.

Fan Xiaoying panicked and tried to explain incoherently, "I... I didn't actually intend to report this at all. I genuinely considered everyone as good friends, but I didn't expect my performance to be so bad, and I was about to be eliminated..."

His tone became urgent, "I turned down several offers for this summer camp. How can I be content to go back empty-handed like this? I just want to win, is that wrong?!"

"Wanting to win is fine, but the way you do it is too ugly."

The hot-tempered Cao Que suddenly stood up, grabbed him by the collar, and glared at him angrily: "Is being eliminated shameful? You'd step on your teammates to get ahead just to win? Get out!"

Fan Xiaoying stumbled as he was pushed. Looking at the cold eyes of the group, he knew that the relationship had completely broken down.

He gritted his teeth, then turned away angrily and disappeared into the crowd, leaving in a sorry state.

Song Xingye didn't look at him again, but turned to Cao Que and the silent Tao Shuo, extending an invitation:

"Come join my team for the ninth round of assessments, if you two haven't found allies yet..."

Cao Que was naturally more than willing and readily agreed.

Tao Shuo hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "I...I won't join."