The vehicle entered the hangar, and Ouzhanpeng followed Xie Yu into the elevator. It descended for nearly a minute before stopping. The elevator doors opened to reveal a hall of at least several hundred square meters.
Xie Yu proudly announced, "This is 800 meters underground. Above us is a 600-meter thick rock layer. Even a direct hit from a nuclear bomb wouldn't penetrate it."
Ouzhanpeng raised an eyebrow, "What about the Horizon? Can it pierce it?"
The scene of the Broken Ship's cannon piercing the Horizon was still vivid in his mind.
Xie Yu immediately became displeased, "Can we talk nicely?"
Ouzhanpeng patted Xie Yu's shoulder, "Kid, don't be proud, don't be complacent. Our road is still long!"
"Get lost, stop your nagging, let's go!" Xie Yu urged impatiently.
Ouzhanpeng didn't suspect anything and stepped out of the elevator. The moment his left foot crossed the threshold, the floor suddenly gave way, causing him to stumble and lose his balance, nearly falling.
Ouzhanpeng was stunned, turning back to glare at Xie Yu in shock, "Artificial gravity?"
Xie Yu grinned like a sly fox who had just succeeded in stealing. "How is it? Surprised? Unexpected?"
Ouzhanpeng stepped out of the elevator and tried a couple of jumps, his face a picture of astonishment. "How is this possible?"
"You'll have to ask Director Gong about that," Xie Yu said with a chuckle.
Seeing Ouzhanpeng's attire, the others knew he had just arrived at the base and exchanged knowing smiles.
Ouzhanpeng didn't think much of it. Since no rumors had leaked out, this must be a classified piece of equipment. "Let's go, where's the Director?"
"This way!" Xie Yu led the way, escorting Ouzhanpeng into Gong Yiding's office.
Gong Yiding, whose door was open, heard the footsteps and immediately came out, his many wrinkles smoothing out like blooming flowers. "Ah, Xiao Ou, I've been waiting for you, wishing on stars and moons, and you're finally here!"
His tone and expression were akin to a civilian in occupied territory finally seeing the Red Army arrive.
Ouzhanpeng didn't know how to react, a wry smile on his face. "Director Gong, your enthusiasm is making me nervous. Has something happened?"
He was just a minor Major, with no connection to any important figures. For Gong Yiding's position, a simple nod from his office chair would have been a great honor.
Gong Yiding pulled Ouzhanpeng to sit down, his smile unwavering. "It's just that the higher-ups have decided to repair the Broken Ship. No one understands the Broken Ship better than you. Who else would we be waiting for?"
Hearing this, Ouzhanpeng suddenly understood. So that was the reason!
He quickly shook his head, "Director, I do know a bit about the Broken Ship's structure, but when it comes to equipment, I'm afraid I'm powerless."
"Knowing the structure is enough. Equipment problems can be solved slowly!" Gong Yiding declared with great confidence, as if a chorus of extras were about to applaud behind him.
Ouzhanpeng thought for a moment and asked, "Are you planning to complete the front half of the Broken Ship?"
Gong Yiding nodded, "It would be best if it could be completed."
"But won't the warship be too heavy?" Ouzhanpeng asked worriedly. "The Broken Ship is already missing its core system. With our current technology, even keeping the existing part is impossible for flight. If we complete the front, won't it be even less likely to fly?"
Gong Yiding smiled and asked back, "Who said the Broken Ship needs to fly?"
Huh?
Ouzhanpeng was stunned. "Not fly?"
"If it can fly, that's great, but we don't have plans to reuse the Broken Ship. The current situation is very similar to when we had our first aircraft carrier. Do you understand what I mean?"
Hearing this, Ouzhanpeng suddenly understood.
Their first aircraft carrier was almost just a shell, and it took a considerable amount of time to repair it.
However, after the first one was completed, the subsequent aircraft carriers, though not produced en masse like dumplings, were launched at an extremely rapid pace.
Currently, humanity's largest space battleships are the Expedition series, but compared to the Broken Ship, the Expedition series are mere youngsters.
If the Broken Ship could be repaired, it would mean mastering the technology for building large space battleships. To put it officially, it would lay a solid foundation for the future construction of large battleships belonging to humanity!
"I understand!" Ouzhanpeng breathed a sigh of relief and recalled the internal structure of the Broken Ship in detail. "I'll draw the blueprints as soon as possible, but Director, I can only provide a general outline. I can't do anything specific."
Gong Yiding looked confused. "What do you mean by that?"
"It's like this," Ouzhanpeng gestured around his temple several times, tentatively asking, "You know about what happened back then, right?"
Gong Yiding immediately lowered his voice. "You mean dreaming about the Broken Ship? Only Professor Wu and I know about that."
Ouzhanpeng felt instantly relieved. Since they knew, explaining would be easier. "Yes, back then, I only had a clear understanding of those specific pieces of equipment. As for the warship's structure, I only knew about it, but I didn't have specific data. Drawing blueprints is definitely okay, but I'm powerless when it comes to detailed information."
During the Expedition II, he had also considered drawing the warship's blueprints, but the warship was so large, with an endless sea of details. Without even understanding the equipment, how could he possibly understand the warship in detail?
Gong Yiding nodded gently. "I understand what you mean. We don't expect you to draw the entire warship by yourself. Beijing has already organized a professional design team. You just need to draw everything you know, and others will complete the rest of the work."
"Then I have no problem," Ouzhanpeng said.
Gong Yiding chuckled lightly. "The Broken Ship is not suitable for us. It needs to be redesigned based on its original structure to make it more suitable for human use. If it's just you, how long will that take?"
The Broken Ship was designed for the size of the Giant Species. The corridors and cabins were too large, resulting in a severe waste of space for humans. Therefore, redesigning it was perfectly normal.
This was another astronomical amount of work.
Ouzhanpeng was full of vigor. "I'll settle in a bit and start working right away!"
Gong Yiding laughed heartily and waved his hand, saying, "There's no need to rush. You'll follow Xie Yu to see the Broken Ship shortly. For some cabins with unclear functions, your guidance is needed."
"Alright, I'll follow your arrangements... Oh, Director, I have a few more questions. Is it convenient?"
"Go ahead," Gong Yiding nodded readily.
The military's highest secrets were in this young man's mind. What couldn't be asked?
Ouzhanpeng stomped his foot. "Can I ask where this artificial gravity came from? If I remember correctly, the Broken Ship shouldn't have this technology, should it?"
He had recalled it several times in his mind. Alien warships did have artificial gravity, but the equipment wasn't part of the Broken Ship. How could the lunar base have mastered this technology?
Gong Yiding paused for a moment, then smiled. "This is a bit complicated to explain, but since you're asking, it's not impossible to tell... Let me put it this way, the Americans have Area 51. Have you heard of it?"