Study Monster Cultivation System-Chapter 278 - 277 Go Against the Sky

After a satisfying meal, Li Zheng and Lin Yujing had no intention of going home, so they simply strolled to the beach, treading under the starlight and chatting leisurely with the sea breeze as their companion.

Even here, one could still see the brightly lit launch tower five kilometers away.

Lin Yujing, a bit tipsy from alcohol, couldn’t help herself and began to enthusiastically gesture as she stood on the beach, instructing and explaining, for no one knew rockets better than her.

To the layperson, the launch of Yellow River-2 was no different from any previous rocket launch.

But for Lin Yujing, who had been immersed in the Aerospace Research Institute since she was in her mother’s womb, this moment was full of historical significance.

If the launch were successful, Yellow River-2 would become one of the top five most capable rockets in history and the top three in active service, marking an important milestone in the history of China Aerospace’s development.

With Lin Yujing’s guidance, a picture of the history of human space exploration unfolded before Li Zheng.

The theme of this history was only one—

Send heavier objects into space.

There are usually two metrics to evaluate the carrying capacity of a rocket.

One is Low Earth Orbit (LEO) capability.

The other is Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO) capability.

The former involves sending objects to an orbit altitude generally within 2,000 kilometers, while the latter requires sending satellites into deep space at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers, hence GTO capability is typically less than half of LEO.

Taking GTO as a reference, the highest record in history has been held by Magnesium Country’s Saturn V for half a century.

48.6 tons—that is the historical limit of a rocket’s payload capacity.

It is also the heaviest rocket in history, with a lift-off mass of 3,038.5 tons.

This rocket, bearing humanity’s limits, truly defied the heavens.

Carrying thousands of tons of chemical fuel, it unleashed a savage power, all to deliver a satellite—just 1.6% of its own weight—into deep space.

In response, the Former Soviet Union urgently developed the similarly famous N1 launch vehicle, but all four test flights ended in failure.

Even if it had succeeded, its GTO capability would not have exceeded 23.5 tons.

Subsequently, with the cooling of the Cold War, the intense space race between the superpowers came to an end.

The defy-the-heavens kind, from then on, lost their purpose.

In 1973, after completing its final mission, Saturn V was retired.

The next big thing from the Former Soviet Union, Energy Number, didn’t successfully launch until 1987, achieving a GTO capability of 22 tons.

These records remain unbroken to this day.

Today, although Yellow River-2’s 14 tons cannot yet surpass this record, it now has the qualifications to challenge it.

This launch will epochally triple the payload limit of China’s rockets.

There will always be those who defy the heavens.

"This was my mother’s task," Lin Yujing gazed at the brightly lit launch tower across the bay, tenderly cupping the air with her hands, "to send heavier objects into space."

Li Zheng reflected on this history, imagining the moment the rocket would ascend.

At that time, all he wanted to say was—

Your mom is awesome.

But he held back.

To avoid lagging too far behind Lin Yujing’s family, he had no choice but to firmly uphold the persona of Old Li.

"My dad, too, has his mission," Li Zheng stood on the rocks, hands clasped behind him, "which is to remove more tumors, and of course, to minimize damage to the patient’s nerves as much as possible."

"..."

"Ah, they are both such great people," Li Zheng exclaimed, then suddenly remembered something, "But I recall you saying that instead of putting your life on such a mission, it’s better to look at more stars, which is why you chose the astronomy department."

"Mmm..." Lin Yujing’s head gradually lowered, "Even if Mom could work until she’s 70... even if we could triple the capability, and then triple it again... what then? Not to mention her, even the greatest limit I dare to imagine in my lifetime could only be a manned Mars landing..."

Li Zheng turned his head, asking with a bit of a dilemma, "But you still cry when you see the Yellow River-2, don’t you?"

"Yes... but I also know... that I won’t be able to fly very far in a lifetime..." Lin Yujing clenched her fist, looking down at the waves at her feet, "You’re probably going to say something critical about people again, right?"

"No, no, no... I’ve come to understand something, nobody is qualified to judge another’s life," Li Zheng sighed, hopping down from the rock, "You’re just too smart, like solving problems, you directly think of the extreme outcomes; looking at aerospace from your perspective, you can immediately see through its struggles and despair... but you still love it..."

While speaking, Li Zheng placed a hand on Lin Yujing’s shoulder.

"During the heart-to-heart at the basketball court, you said your trouble was the ’scale of space and time’."

"Now, I think I finally really understand," he said.

Lin Yujing’s body shuddered, and she raised her hand to push him away, but slowed her hand midair.

However, Li Zheng was already retreating his hand, reverting to the hands-clasped-behind-him posture.

"Scum Chap..." Lin Yujing muttered under her breath, then retorted, "I remember you saying at that time that your trouble was having too little time and too much knowledge, right?"

"Is that so? I’ve forgotten," Li Zheng laughed with his hands behind him, "Saying such things, that really was the arrogance of youth."

"Um..." Lin Yujing kicked at the sand and said, "I’m starting to understand what Scum Chap said as well."

"Heh," Li Zheng chuckled, "I don’t believe you."

Lin Yujing ignored him and just stood there, watching the waves roll in, letting her shoes sink deeper and deeper into the sandy grains.

"If there were many paths..."

"I would see the end at a glance."

"And then choose the most satisfying path."

"But you, once you choose a path, you’ll just keep plodding along."

"You can’t see the end at all, and you don’t care about it either."

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"Wherever you can go, that place becomes your destination."

This last sentence instantly gave Li Zheng goosebumps all over.

Is this... the gap between a 55 on an essay and a perfect score...

"I... I believe it..." Li Zheng said with a trembling voice, "Others may know more about rockets than you, but no one understands me better than you."

In the moonlight, Li Zheng couldn’t make out Lin Yujing’s expression, but he knew she turned and skedaddled, "Who wants to understand you, get out of the way!"

"Haha," Li Zheng laughed and chased after her, "I won’t, I’ll just snuggle up."

"Disgusting, I only snuggle with Xiaoke and Mengxi."

"But Xiaoke snuggles with me too."

"Scum dog, I won’t snuggle with her anymore."

...

When they got back home, after saying goodnight, Li Zheng helped Lin Yujing close the bedroom door.

Then they each took showers, each went to bed, and each fell asleep.

Everything happened naturally, imbued with integrity, without the slightest trace of awkwardness.

However, the other two were caught up in a dilemma after finishing a day’s work.

[Li Yi: Are they asleep yet?]

[Shen Tinglan: I didn’t ask.]

[Li Yi: I didn’t either.]

[Shen Tinglan: Why don’t you ask?]

[Li Yi: No, you ask.]

[Shen Tinglan: I don’t think it’s appropriate for me to ask.]

[Li Yi: I... fine, I’ll ask.]

...

[Li Yi: No reply, they must be asleep.]

[Shen Tinglan: Jingjing replied to me, she’s not asleep yet.]

[Li Yi: So that means... ah...]

[Shen Tinglan: Teacher Li, why the sigh?]

[Li Yi: I... just thought of a tumor, straddling the spine and the chest cavity.]

[Shen Tinglan: The scale of doctors’ conversations is truly terrifying (surprised face)]

[Li Yi: Alright, alright, you should also rest, let’s notify each other if there’s any news tomorrow.]

[Shen Tinglan: OK, take good care of them tomorrow, Teacher Li. Now I feel guilty just opening WeChat. I need to be on-site all the time to keep the comrades’ morale stable.]

[Li Yi: Understood, understood, looking forward to the good news!]

[Shen Tinglan: (Goodnight)]

...

The next morning,

Lin Yujing woke up, and the first thing she did was to pull open the curtains and stagger onto the adjoining balcony, yawning as she looked toward the launch tower.

She made sure it was intact and that there was no rocket set up.

As if it would disappear if she didn’t keep an eye on it.

But Li Zheng was already sitting in the living room, catching a glimpse of Lin Yujing through the floor-to-ceiling windows and chuckling, "Are you a cat or something? Need to check your territory."

Lin Yujing turned to retort but instead exclaimed, "Wow!"

On the table, there were several plates, and even coffee!

She then tiptoed into the living room, sniffing.

It was fried fish fillet!

There were also sausages, lettuce, and oatmeal porridge with milk.

"You... you..." Lin Yujing, trembling, took her seat and picked up the chopsticks aiming at the snowy white fish fillet, "Scum Chap, you actually have this skill."

Li Zheng closed the book and sneered, "I could have made some conditions before letting you eat this, but I am generous and open-minded, so hurry up and eat it while it’s hot."

Lin Yujing didn’t need him to say it; she already picked up a piece.

The first chopstick.

It broke!

The second chopstick.

It broke even more!

She panicked.

She picked up the plate and started eating with her hands.

Lin Yujing chewed on the fish fillet, her spirits instantly lifted, "Where did you buy this from, at the little supermarket outside?"

"The supermarket doesn’t have it, but the local market does." Li Zheng hummed lightly and smiled, showing Lin Yujing a handwritten guidebook.

"I had already confirmed it before coming."

"Buying local food mainly depends on the morning and evening markets."

"The opening hours are from 6 to 8 in the morning, and from 3 to 5 in the afternoon, only during these times will there be excellent ingredients available."

"If you want to eat fish, you have to get to the morning market at 5 in the morning to buy the freshest and fattest one."

Lin Yujing was so surprised that she dropped her piece of fish, "You got up at 6?"

Li Zheng grinned and raised a hand to his brow.

"No, 5 o’clock."

"What just now, was just the surface strategy."

"There’s a deeper strategy."

"The real hardcore foodies buy directly from the fishermen."

"Around 5:30 am, the fishing boats that have been catching fish at night and in the early morning will gradually return to the port."

"Buying directly from them is the only way to get the best, freshest, and fattest seafood."

"By the way, the oysters for lunch have been soaking in the kitchen."

"Get it? This is what’s called a foolproof travel plan."

Lin Yujing was shocked by Li Zheng’s series of strategies.

"Do you do this at home... too?"

"..." Li Zheng swallowed, "At home I’d order takeout, maybe cook porridge at most ..."

"Giggle ..." Lin Yujing chuckled and then fell silent, just bowing her head and continuing to eat voraciously.

"Don’t get me wrong, it’s nothing to do with you." Li Zheng explained with a trembling face, "I just have to make sure the travel plans are perfect."

"Mhm mhm mhm."

"Don’t flatter yourself."

"Oh oh oh."

"I’m going to study... remember to wash the dishes."

"No no no."

"You have to do something, don’t you? At this rate, you’ll turn into a pig."

"Lur lur lur."

"Ah... how am I going to explain this to Aunt Shen..."

"Alright, wash wash wash." Lin Yujing scooped up some oatmeal porridge and laughed, "Wait a bit, let’s go out and buy some furniture together, I want to put a lounge chair and hammock on the balcony."

"Good, I’ll sleep on the hammock."

"I’m sleeping on it."

"Think about who got all this food?"

"Fisherman uncle!"

"..."

...

Thus, furnishing the home naturally became the theme of the morning.

Because there were new buildings nearby, there were quite a few home furnishing stores in the town.

In the span of half a morning, Li Zheng had only managed to get an office chair and desk for studying.

Lin Yujing, on the other hand, purchased items like a lounge chair, hammock, cartoon bedding, barbecue grill, clothes rack, stuffed toys, wall hangings, and so on...

Around one in the afternoon, after these items were all set up, Lin Yujing, too tired, collapsed on the couch.

But when Li Zheng appeared with garlic oysters, she suddenly sprang up and pounced on them.

After the feast came the tidying up of the table, followed by lying down on the balcony.

Luckily it was a cloudy day, not sunny, and there was a gentle breeze.

One on a wicker lounge chair and the other on a hammock, they both fell sound asleep after just a few words of chatter.

Before three o’clock, Li Zheng woke up first. He got up to check the launch tower to make sure there were no changes, and then turned his gaze to Lin Yujing.

That girl, even when sleeping on a hammock, had to sleep on her stomach, hugging a large-sized Stitch...

Li Zheng couldn’t be bothered with her and went inside to boil water, steeping a pot of local cool tea; then he sat at the newly acquired desk in the living room and began to study.

Unlike before, the subject this time was biology.

There weren’t that many books, just about a dozen college textbooks.

After all, he was someone who had self-studied and gnawed his way through chemistry and physics, so reading these textbooks was like reading extracurricular books, akin to leisurely rowing a small boat, relaxed and delightful.

Moreover, there are countless connections between biology and chemistry. Many facts about biology he read, he had mostly understood while studying chemistry, or at times, when his knowledge was only superficial, his current biological perspective deepened his understanding.

Overall, the rules of biology, compared to physical chemistry, seemed simpler and more straightforward, lacking the kind of foundational principles and often just consisting of surface laws summarized from experiments.

For those who study biology alone, many of these rules often require rote memorization.

For instance, the synthesis and decomposition of amino acids and proteins, from a biological perspective, require memorizing a lot of summarized knowledge, yet without understanding why things are the way they are.

But when combined with organic chemistry, you can deeply understand the principles behind them, and you needn’t memorize them intentionally; you can naturally deduce the knowledge.

As for the perennial problem of fruit fly mating...

That’s still more comfortable to model with mathematical formulas.

Overall, the current study of biology was like brain calisthenics, loosening and invigorating the spirit. After studying, it would be just right to brush up on IPHO problems.

After Li Zheng spent a little over half an hour finishing off a few biology books, Lin Yujing also appeared, rubbing her eyes and clinging to the balcony door.

"Ugh... How is it almost four o’clock already..."

"Yeah, and you haven’t studied yet... It’s already four," Li Zheng shook his head and said, "Don’t you feel any sense of guilt..."

"Came out here to play, what’s there to study?" Lin Yujing chuckled, went to the bathroom to wash her face, then came back into the room mumbling, taking out a rectangular small bag, as well as various power cords and TV cables.

Li Zheng glanced at her and ignored her.

Yet he saw her moving behind the TV, mumbling again, and then sitting cross-legged on the couch looking quite pleased with herself.

The TV screen lit up.

A cover of Mario driving a go-kart appeared.

That cheeky voice then came from the TV—

"Mario Kart ——eight!"

Followed by music that children liked.

"Dudu~Dudu~~" Lin Yujing held the steering wheel and started humming along.

"You…" Li Zheng looked at the screen full of Nintendo characters and twitched, "The only luggage you brought... is this thing?"

"There’s more." Lin Yujing patted the black bag, "Mario brothers U, Taiko Drum Master, Just Dance, Animal Crossing, and so many more... Enough to play for a year."

"Damn..." Li Zheng held his head and said, "Keep it down, don’t disturb my studying."

"Oh."

Lin Yujing did keep her voice down.

But Li Zheng was still distracted.

He kept looking up at the TV, watching a bunch of fools racing while throwing stuff at each other.

In the end, Lin Yujing, controlling Bowser, sadly finished in second place.

"Still clumsy," Li Zheng snorted with laughter, "Red Shells can track targets, why throw them randomly? Just keep it till the last lap to take down the one in first place, couldn’t you have won the crown then?"

"You’re the clumsy one!" Lin Yujing bared her teeth and retorted, "If I hadn’t used the Red Shell then, I wouldn’t even have made it into the top three."

Li Zheng waved his hand and said, "Such a simple kids’ game, even without using items I could still make the top three."

"Prove it if you can," Lin Yujing pouted, "All talk, Scum Chap."

"Heh," Li Zheng scoffed, "Sorry, the person who can tempt me to play games hasn’t been born yet."

"Oh, right," said Lin Yujing suddenly, rubbing her chin, "You’re a C2 holder, you’re not qualified to race with me."

"What does C2 have to do with anything..."

"Anyway, women drivers all get C1 nowadays, only... those with a problem in their small brain... or maybe those with life obstacles would go for C2, right?"

"Enough already... I just didn’t have much time... C2 was faster to get."

"Let it be, let it be, just stick to your C2," Lin Yujing waved her fist, "Hang in there, effort, be strong."

This was unbearable.

Li Zheng slapped the desk and stood up.

"Is there an extra steering wheel?"