Chapter 4

Liu Jianwang, who was actually paying close attention to him, couldn't help but smile when he saw that this time the answer came even faster: "That student answers this kind of question quite confidently."

"Hehe, normal," the old professor also shook his head helplessly, "Not talking about professional knowledge, in terms of theoretical discussions, Zhang Yifu wouldn't lose."

"Professor Chen, theoretical discussions are also a skill. Nowadays, with large-scale engineering projects, designs often take a year or half before construction begins."

"But technical skills are essential, right? Which parameter isn't calculated with great effort?"

"Yes, yes. But before addressing technical issues, the correct planning direction must be determined first."

"Without a technical foundation, it's hard to propose the correct direction."

"Professor Chen is right, technical skills are more important." Liu Jianwang, seeing the old professor's stubborn look, didn't want to argue further. Although he held a high position in the ministry, in terms of academic knowledge and foundation, the old professor was still superior. Many of the students he had taught were now on par with him, and while it might be an exaggeration to say that Professor Chen's students were everywhere, they were certainly widespread within the system.

Liu Jianwang, clearly not a very patient person, announced the next question a few minutes later.

"The last question is simple—please speculate on the overview of the power system 20 years from now. If possible, you can list some data. Just let your imagination run wild, think freely, and don't feel pressured."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this question. It was simple, a subjective question, so they could just answer and think freely.

But for Zhang Yifu, it was truly awkward... This wasn't cheating anymore... He himself was the authority on this question. He looked up at the ceiling, his mind began to race, recalling the number of power plants and power generation in that era... Although he had a good intuitive understanding, those data points were not something a mere shift worker could memorize. He had definitely seen them, but just seen them, not memorized them.

At that moment, his brain tingled, and he felt a familiar sensation.

He knew this feeling all too well; it was the experience of being electrocuted by 500,000 volts. However, this time, the high voltage seemed gentler and was limited to his brain. To Zhang Yifu's surprise, he actually found it comfortable and realized he was still alive.

Before he could fully process this, his mind connected to something like a "power database," containing all kinds of technical documents and details of electrical machinery. Zhang Yifu felt like an electron, free to wander through connected wires. If he wanted, he could even enter the reactor of a nuclear power plant.

It was a truly magical experience! Even though he was in 1990, his thoughts could wander through the 21st century. The only drawback was that this wandering was strictly limited to the scope of the power system. The good news was that he was essentially equipped with a "21st Century Power Encyclopedia."

The supernatural high voltage had brought supernatural abilities.

"Turns out I almost became the Flash..." Zhang Yifu mumbled, drooling.

Xia Xue turned her head, looking at this strange man, and whispered in surprise, "You know the Flash?"

Zhang Yifu was instantly pulled back to reality and shook his head, "It's normal for me to know, why do you know?"

"My sister often sends American magazines back," Xia Xue noticed that Zhang Yifu's expression had changed. These knowledge and interests were something she couldn't share with anyone at school, and she didn't expect this seemingly rough guy to know the Flash.

At that moment, the old professor on the podium coughed, and Xia Xue quickly composed herself and stopped talking.

Zhang Yifu also knew he needed to focus on the current problem and put aside his endless exploration, prioritizing the retrieval of data from the next century and began to think about how to answer the question.

After reviewing the professional foundation and common knowledge, the last question was undoubtedly testing vision and imagination. These long-term planning concepts were only accessible to high-level leaders in the ministry and leading experts in the field. As ordinary students, they couldn't possibly study this, and it wouldn't be in the textbooks.

In short, this question was testing whether you dared to imagine and guess, and how accurate your guesses were.

Indeed, as a person from 1990, it was difficult to imagine what the country would be like 20 years later. They wouldn't have thought that 20 years later, their country would not be inferior to the United States at that time and would be rapidly closing the gap. In this process, the power industry played a significant role, if not the most significant.

For others, it was a test of vision and imagination, but for Zhang Yifu, it seemed to be a test of language expression... He kept reminding himself to be careful with his wording and not to look down on the 1990s from the perspective of a "future person."

["My Vision of China's Power Industry 20 Years From Now"]

["Power Generation: Power supply and economic development always go hand in hand. The growth rate of power generation will fluctuate around the GDP growth rate. Based on recent statistical data, the annual power generation 20 years from now is expected to be around 5000 billion kilowatt-hours."]

["Power Plants: Large-capacity generators will become the trend, and power plants with capacities of one million kilowatts will be widespread across the country. With the development of technology, coal consumption will continue to decrease. Thermal power will remain the main source of power generation, while hydropower will be developed, and nuclear power, wind power, and solar energy will be emphasized to achieve sustainable development."]

["Power Grid: A nationwide power grid will be formed, and ultra-high voltage and extra-high voltage transmission lines will be widely used. In terms of both quantity and efficiency, it will surpass Europe and America."]

["International Status: As a major power in both power generation and consumption, our country's power technology will be at the international forefront. We will engage in project cooperation with friendly countries and even export power to neighboring countries and Europe, which will no longer be just talk."]

["It is a great honor to be a part of the power industry, to contribute with my own hands and passion to the power system of our country!"]

After writing the last sentence, Zhang Yifu didn't have time to think if it was too sentimental, as the papers were already being collected.

"Phew..." Zhang Yifu leaned back in his chair, still feeling the excitement. He had never felt that exams could be so enjoyable. Was this what it felt like to be a top student?

"Good thing I finished," Hao Shuai, wiping his sweat, turned and asked, "Yifu, how did you do?"

"Managed to fill it up, I guess."

"There's no way, this question is too strange, all about practical work knowledge." Hao Shuai smiled proudly, "Luckily, my dad often talks about these things at home, so I have some ideas."

"Hey, my dad talks about it too," Zhang Yifu replied casually.

Hao Shuai was surprised, "Eh? Isn't your dad in the meter business? Does he talk about this?"

"Right, right..." Zhang Yifu recalled that his father had a rather bumpy career. He was originally a section chief in the power bureau but was transferred to the power supply bureau to install meters due to a serious accident.

"Well, it's just a reference, it shouldn't affect the allocation too much," Hao Shuai consoled himself.

At this moment, Xia Xue, who usually kept her head down reading, couldn't contain her curiosity and asked in a low voice, "How do you know about the Flash?"

Zhang Yifu felt that this cold and beautiful college student was like a little girl in kindergarten. In this era, even knowledge of comic book heroes could be a source of superiority. He replied casually, "I also know Batman, the Hulk, Iron Man, and Captain America."

"I've heard of the others, but what's Iron Man?" Xia Xue became even more curious, "The magazines didn't mention it. What's the English word?"

"It should be... Iron Man."

"Never heard of it..." Xia Xue thought for a moment and suddenly paused, "Your English is so good?"

Zhang Yifu was speechless. This was really the level of English in 21st-century kindergartens. In this era, only higher education institutions offered English courses, and the emphasis was limited. Only those who wanted to go abroad for TOEFL or similar exams would study hard on their own. Zhang Yifu suddenly understood why Xia Xue was so aloof and sharp-tongued—

When someone's level of sophistication is so far ahead that others can't understand her, and she can't understand others, it's hard to communicate. When everyone else was watching "Yearning" and "The Story of the Editorial Department," she was already studying the Justice League superheroes. How could they even talk?

Soon, the department head announced the end of the meeting. The formal submission of preferences would be the next day, the graduation ceremony in three days, and then they could report to their assigned units.

Everyone chatted about the exam as they left their seats. Xia Xue wanted to talk to Zhang Yifu but didn't know how to start, as people were still relatively shy at this time. Zhang Yifu didn't have time to chat about Iron Man either; he needed to go back to the dorm with Hao Shuai to get some answers.

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