The military's efficiency was surprisingly high. Upon receiving Gong Yiding's plan, they immediately arranged for the lunar base to implement it.
To ensure foolproof results, Gong Yiding discarded all existing equipment and instead requisitioned the heavy 3D printer's working hours to specifically print an oversized antenna.
More accurately, it was a radio telescope, which was then set up in a small crater not far from Luojianshan.
When the parabolic dish pointed in the correct direction, Station Chief Gong gave the order, and the antenna, over a hundred meters in diameter, began operating, sending communication signals to a small celestial body at the edge of the solar system.
The content of the message was simple: "Capabilities are limited, cannot fly over!"
What followed was a patient wait. The military specifically assigned several space telescopes to keep a 24-hour watch on the direction of the small celestial body, fearing they might miss any reply.
Ou Zhanpeng was also filled with anticipation, hoping for a dream prompt from the mysterious entity.
However, all efforts were in vain. The mysterious entity remained completely unresponsive.
Two months later, Ou Zhanpeng finally completed the last blueprint, detailing the internal structure of the Broken Ship.
But the military did not arrange for him to leave the moon. Instead, they bestowed the title of consultant upon young master Ou, to assist in repairing the Broken Ship.
Indeed, no one was more suitable for the position.
Thus, Ou Zhanpeng moved from the drawing room to the Broken Ship. His daily work involved moving around, identifying problems wherever they occurred, and offering reasonable suggestions to the repair team based on his understanding.
As for feasibility and whether the suggestions would ultimately be adopted, that was another matter.
Moreover, this job came with an unexpected bonus. Gong Yiding personally led Ou Zhanpeng into the sub-basement of the Broken Ship and, pointing to the stored supplies, said, "All of this is yours now!"
Ou Zhanpeng took a closer look and exclaimed, "Good heavens, all sorts of alien equipment are here! Some are square and their purpose is unclear; some are exquisite and elaborately decorated; others have complex structures whose functions are unknown."
Gong Yiding was very pleased with his reaction. "We know these are good things and have always wanted to utilize this equipment, but alien technology is beyond our current understanding, so we've just let it sit here collecting dust. Now I'm handing it over to you. Use whatever can be used on the Broken Ship, and whatever can be used on the new warship."
Ou Zhanpeng sighed, "I only recognize some of it."
Gong Yiding looked surprised. "Aren't you very familiar with the Broken Ship? Are there devices you don't recognize?"
Ou Zhanpeng patted an alien device beside him. "Only a small portion of the items here are accessories for the Broken Ship; the rest have nothing to do with it."
"How can that be?" Gong Yiding asked, confused. "Isn't this the spare parts warehouse for the Broken Ship?"
"Of course not. To be precise, this is the warehouse for alien stolen goods!" Ou Zhanpeng briefly explained the situation with the space pirates and then commented, "Creatures like brain-fish are typically insatiably greedy. Their basic modus operandi is to intercept a victim ship, seize its important equipment, but not destroy the ship, thereby transforming the victim ship from a spacecraft capable of arbitrary void travel into an ordinary vessel that can only navigate through conventional means."
He paused for a moment. "If the planet isn't destroyed, the victim ship still has some hope. If the planet has already been destroyed, they can only wait for rescue or traverse interstellar space using conventional methods… lacking food and necessities, chaos would soon erupt, revealing all the baseness of human nature… Space pirates love to witness such collapse of civilization, the regression to barbarism. Brain-fish, though they've learned little else, have mastered this perverse enjoyment to the fullest!"
"I think I understand what brain-fish are!" Gong Yiding nodded thoughtfully. "So, this stuff was all stolen? No wonder the styles vary so much… In that case, you examine them carefully first, pick out what's usable, and we'll deal with the rest later."
"Alright!" Ou Zhanpeng agreed.
Gong Yiding immediately assigned the task, and shortly thereafter, Lu Yu arrived at the sub-basement with a team of assault troops.
Under Ou Zhanpeng's direction, the soldiers carried out the usable equipment one by one. For each piece, Ou Zhanpeng would explain its purpose in detail. A dedicated soldier recorded the information, printed it out, and then affixed it directly to the equipment.
Anything that could be used on the Broken Ship was also explained on the spot and immediately sent to the corresponding compartments. The repair progress of the Broken Ship surged by several percentage points, making Gong Yiding beam with delight.
The only drawback was that too few of the devices could be directly used on the new warship.
For this reason, Gong Yiding specifically sought out Ou Zhanpeng. "Little Ou, look, the Broken Ship is already in such a state. Even if we install those alien devices, they won't be of much use. Why don't we install the equipment on our warship first? What do you think?"
Ou Zhanpeng gave a wry smile. "Station Chief, I also want to install more useful equipment on our warship. For the Broken Ship, it's simply a matter of replacing parts, without other issues. The new warship is different; it's designed according to human conventions, and its logic differs from that of the Broken Ship. While we can install them, we cannot guarantee whether they will work or if problems will arise after installation. For safety's sake, it's better to be cautious."
Gong Yiding said earnestly, "I understand the reasoning, but the new warship is an experimental vessel to begin with. We must do our utmost to enhance its combat capabilities… How about this: you pick out the ones you're more familiar with and have a higher safety margin for the new warship."
Ou Zhanpeng hesitated for a moment before saying, "It's possible, but there are design conflicts between the equipment and the new warship…"
"In that case, we'll experiment first. Install whatever works. If there are conflicts, we'll modify the design. If any part is unsuitable, you point it out directly, and I'll coordinate with the design team!" Gong Yiding declared, patting his chest.
"Alright, with your word, I'm at ease!"
Thus, Ou Zhanpeng gained another title: the one responsible for finding fault with the new warship and finding ways to install alien equipment.
The first step of the modification was to increase the shields. The original power core lacked sufficient power, requiring the addition of two more units. The result was that the power compartment's volume was insufficient, forcing the relocation of nearby compartments and tripling the size of the power compartment to barely accommodate the two additional power cores.
The wireless power transmission system also required several compartments. Gong Yiding almost gave up on it, but wireless power transmission was not only crucial for the normal operation of the shields but also for the installation of the plasma cannons. In the end, he gritted his teeth and installed it.
Ou Zhanpeng also installed an alien life support system onto the new warship. However, everyone lacked confidence in the alien technology, so they had to retain the human life support system as it was, in addition to the new system.
Through all these painstaking efforts, few alien devices were successfully installed on the ship, yet the new warship was rendered almost unrecognizable.