Chapter 125: Purchase of Bulk Cargo Ships
Chapter 125: Purchase of Bulk Cargo Ships
"It seems that the plan to directly excavate underground space to establish a sub-base is not feasible. Since that's the case, maybe I can change my approach." After a moment of contemplation, Wu Hao began to calculate other viable options in his mind.
After some calculations, Wu Hao quickly found the most suitable and fastest feasible solution.
"Zero, check for large ocean-going cargo ships currently listed for sale worldwide." This feasible solution Wu Hao thought of was actually quite simple. He could directly purchase a large ocean-going cargo ship. Ships of this type typically have lengths ranging from 150 meters to 300 meters, with some of the largest in the world approaching 400 meters, even larger than the largest aircraft carriers.
Of course, Wu Hao wouldn't choose an excessively large ship to serve as a sub-base. Those exceeding 300 meters in length were scarce globally, and each one was quite famous. Moreover, these ships weren't readily available for Wu Hao to buy. Even if he managed to purchase one, it wouldn't meet his requirement of transforming the entire ship into a sub-base.
Therefore, Wu Hao would, at most, purchase a cargo ship with a length of around 200 meters. A ship of this size would fully meet Wu Hao's requirements, as anything larger might pose challenges.
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"Boss, the information you requested has been obtained." The intelligent program worked swiftly. In less than 30 seconds after receiving Wu Hao's command, it presented all the large cargo ships currently listed for sale or transfer worldwide through the network.
Looking at the densely packed images and corresponding specifications, Wu Hao quickly selected a target. The ship he chose was a 230-meter bulk cargo ship.
The reason Wu Hao selected this particular ship was mainly because it was a newly built ship completed only a few years ago. As for why a ship launched just a few years ago was up for sale, Wu Hao had no interest in finding out. All he needed to know was that, in terms of size, tonnage, and condition (newness), it was the most suitable choice compared to other ships. Although it was relatively more expensive than other ships, it wasn't exorbitant, with a total price of only 50 million US dollars.
The main reason Wu Hao chose a bulk cargo ship was because, compared to container ships and oil tankers, bulk cargo ships were much more convenient for modification into a sub-base. After all, bulk cargo ships were originally designed to load various goods, and the internal structure of their holds was completely different from that of container ships and oil tankers.
After selecting the target, Wu Hao quickly contacted the sales company that had listed the ship for sale. After a series of communications and arrangements, Wu Hao directly purchased the ship in the name of the 'Eastern Galaxy Investment Company.' He also entrusted the ship sales company to transport this cargo ship, located in the United States, to a freight port in Shanghai, China.
After completing these tasks, it meant that in just a few days, Wu Hao would be able to see his ship in Shanghai. Although Wu Hao had the shipping company send the cargo ship to Shanghai, the registration information for the ship did not change. Only the owner was listed as the 'Eastern Galaxy Investment Company.'
Once the ship arrived at the port in Shanghai and all the materials and machinery prepared by Wu Hao for modification were loaded onto the ship, it would no longer dock at any ports. Once Wu Hao completed the modification of the cargo ship, aside from its unchanged exterior, its internal power systems and various compartments would undergo a complete transformation.
Furthermore, Wu Hao would use satellite networks to make the ship 'disappear' from the world. This 'disappearance' didn't mean it would vanish, but through precise analysis by satellite networks, the ship would completely avoid detection in the vast ocean.
This detection avoidance applied not only to various civilian vessels but even to the radar of military ships and submarines. The ship could navigate effectively beyond the radar range of these vessels. Achieving this was straightforward for Wu Hao. He only needed to equip the ship with more advanced radar and an independent satellite navigation system. If this method wasn't secure enough, Wu Hao could directly modify the appearance of the entire ship, installing stealth materials reflecting light and shadows, similar to those used on aircraft.
However, such an approach would come with high costs and risks. Manufacturing the stealth materials used in aircraft wasn't easy. Therefore, initially, Wu Hao would rely on radar and satellite positioning to make the ship 'disappear' globally.
After settling the matters related to the ship, Wu Hao continued to issue numerous orders through the network. These orders included various raw materials, basic machinery, and a considerable quantity of steel, all obtainable through normal market channels.
In addition to the materials and goods available through regular channels, Wu Hao also had the base produce components for manufacturing machinery and equipment. Some of these components were used for building fusion reactors, while others were for devices extracting deuterium from seawater. Essentially, anything with high technical complexity that couldn't be purchased on the market, Wu Hao had the base produce.
To prepare the various components needed to modify the cargo ship as quickly as possible, Wu Hao also temporarily suspended the previously planned expansion of the base.
Time passed quickly, and a week seemed to fly by. During this week, Wu Hao, aside from purchasing a batch of raw materials from the outside world and transporting them to the base, spent most of his time inside the base arranging the production of various components required for modifying the cargo ship.
"Alright, the materials and equipment for modifying the cargo ship are almost ready. It's time to head to Shanghai. Judging by the current time, the cargo in Shanghai should be almost fully loaded onto the ship!" Wu Hao thought to himself as he checked the time.
Soon, Wu Hao loaded the first batch of prepared components into the spacecraft. After giving a few simple instructions to the base's AI, he activated the spacecraft's stealth function using telekinesis and took off, leaving the base.
This time, Wu Hao didn't carry too many items, only about 3 tons of various components. This 3 tons of components was less than 10% of what he had prepared for modifying the cargo ship. In other words, after dealing with the matters related to the cargo ship, he would need to make at least 10 round trips between the cargo ship and the base.