Chapter 59: A Thousand Troops Are Easy to Get, But a General Is Hard to Find
They truly couldn't understand how Liu Shang, who had just started his freshman year, could possess such a deep technical foundation and level of skill.
This was real oilfield technology; it wasn't something you could fake!
At that moment, if someone had told them that the person moving with swift confidence before the series of drawings, rattling off data as if from an assembly line, was not a freshman but a veteran oilfield expert who had worked his entire life, they would have all believed it.
In fact, the technical difficulty of these tasks wasn't great; it was just a relatively cumbersome process of sorting, classifying, and statistically analyzing data.
But these people were used to the idle and undisciplined pace of the oilfield. Their work efficiency was low, which made tackling these jobs a bit difficult for them.
Liu Shang, however, was different. In his last life, he had been the top assistant to one of the world's foremost oil and chemical experts, and his work efficiency was incredibly high and astonishing to witness.
As time passed, a clearer and clearer three-dimensional prototype of the detailed data for the oil and water wells in the area was built.
From start to finish, Liu Shang spent less than an hour.
Based on the work efficiency of the others, it was doubtful they could have achieved the same result in a day or two.
At this point, those who had questioned Liu Shang before found themselves subconsciously nodding in approval, a surreal, dreamlike feeling washing over them.
Zhang Zhengmao and Pan Qingfeng looked at each other subconsciously.
They could see in each other's eyes a shock that went bone-deep.
"Director Pan, Chief Zhang, now that the foundation has been laid, the follow-up work will be easier to carry out."
"I estimate this will still take a few more days, so I'll head back for today."
Zhang Zhengmao smiled and nodded kindly. Pan Qingfeng also stood up and patted Liu Shang on the shoulder encouragingly.
"Liu Shang, good job. You're a really good kid."
"By the way, what are your thoughts on the subsequent construction of this well?"
"How many cubic meters of plugging agent should be injected, and how long will the construction take?"
Liu Shang nodded. "Since we plan to use this well as a model for technical research and a report, it's natural to seek the best possible results."
"So, as long as the pressure allows, I plan to continue injecting into this well to pursue the maximum increase in oil production."
"However, in that case, the construction cost of this well, the cost of the chemicals, and so on, will inevitably go over budget."
"I'm only in charge of the technical side, so you'll have to communicate with your boss, Mr. Song, about this, Director Pan."
Upon hearing Liu Shang's words, Pan Qingfeng laughed loudly. "No problem, no problem at all. Your boss, Mr. Song, has told me many times, especially with this well, that they'll spare no expense to see it through. Just do a good job!"
Afterward, Pan Qingfeng arranged for his own car to take Liu Shang back.
He and Zhang Zhengmao personally walked Liu Shang to the door of the conference room.
After Liu Shang's figure disappeared, Zhang Zhengmao stood before Pan Qingfeng, his voice trembling with a little excitement.
"Director Pan, what else is there to say?"
"A thousand troops are easy to get, but a general is hard to find!"
"You just saw it with your own eyes—this kid is worth ten people!"
"I remember our oilfield has a cooperation program with the University of Petroleum and a policy for students to come here for internships, right?"
"Can we bring this kid over to our side?"
At this, Pan Qingfeng offered Zhang Zhengmao a cigarette and lit one for himself.
"Sigh, Chief Zhang, do you think I don't want Liu Shang?"
"To tell you the truth, ever since I first met him, I thought this kid had a certain spark. I liked the look of him."
"And now, it's been proven that my judgment was spot on!"
"If it were really possible, I'd want to get Liu Shang over here too, but I wouldn't give him to your geology or engineering departments. I would definitely make him my assistant."
"This kid does things simply, concisely, and efficiently. He'd make my life a lot easier."
"However, look at Xu Tiande over there, and especially how much Mr. Zhong values and trains Liu Shang. They will never let him go."
"And think about it from an unselfish perspective. Staying with Xu Tiande and Mr. Zhong is actually the best choice for Liu Shang."
"We can't hold back such a promising talent because of our own selfish interests, can we?"
"Still, there's one thing I can't figure out no matter how I think about it. Why do the college graduates we recruit and a student like Liu Shang seem like two different species?"
"It's totally, totally different!"
***
Over the next two days, all work proceeded in an orderly manner.
Han Ping, the captain of the fifth oil production team, also kept his word. He dragged Liu Shang over twice for good wine and good food.
Food in the wilderness was still scarce, so Liu Shang wasn't polite. He joined Han Ping and the other core members of the team, eating meat and drinking heavily, having a great time.
His relationship with the oil production team grew closer as a result.
During the day on the second day, Mr. Zhong happened to come to inspect the site, and Liu Shang hitched a ride back to school.
The leave he had requested had expired. If he didn't go back, he would be in trouble.
Mr. Zhong, for his part, didn't even ask Song Guangyuan for permission. He directly informed the company's production and operations department to arrange a dedicated car for Liu Shang.
24 hours a day, no matter the time, as long as Liu Shang needed to get to the site, he could directly call the dispatcher, and the team would immediately send a car for him, no questions asked.
***
When Liu Shang got back to school, it was already noon.
He rushed to take a shower and change his clothes, then sent a text message to Jiang Ruolin.
Afterward, he went to the counselor to report the end of his leave. He was also given a gentle warning, telling him not to miss any more classes, as many of his current professors were already dissatisfied.
After leaving the counselor's office, he saw it was time for the first big class of the afternoon: physical education.
So Liu Shang rode his bicycle and rushed to the school's newly built, large, and luxurious stadium.
After all, even if it was just P.E., he couldn't fail it, could he?
"Liu Shang?!"
"What's with you, kid? You really think I wouldn't dare fail you in my P.E. class, do you?"
Seeing Liu Shang's figure, the physical education teacher immediately called him over with a bluff.
The P.E. program Liu Shang had signed up for was his favorite, soccer, and the teacher for this class was a graduate of the Imperial Sports School.
In his 30s, he didn't carry himself like a teacher at all. Instead, he seemed more like an unconventional older brother, the type who might have skipped classes, drank, and gotten into fights.
In a previous class, Liu Shang's good physical fitness and excellent soccer skills, especially his dribbling, had left a deep and positive impression on the P.E. teacher.
"Teacher, I'm really sorry, so sorry! Please don't scare me like that, don't fail me!"
Standing under the bright sunshine, Liu Shang, who had just returned from the site and was feeling a little tired, couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"Sigh, Teacher, to be honest, I really cherish this precious time in college, especially our soccer class. It's such a rare chance to play a full-court game with my classmates."
"But I really can't help it. There are things... unspeakable things..."
Somehow, the P.E. teacher seemed to understand Liu Shang's mood at that moment.
He patted him hard on the shoulder. "It's alright. For men, all kinds of pressure will come sooner or later."
"You don't have to worry about me. It's fine."
"Go on, you finally have a chance. Let's play some soccer!"
---
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