In the apocalypse, I hoarded goods and handed over my storage space to the government.

"Academician Zhang."

Su Ran quickly stepped forward and bowed slightly, "You should be lying in the hospital."

"I can't lie still."

Academician Zhang looked at his excessively young savior, his hands trembling slightly. "You said the end of the world was coming, that humanity was going to perish. All the things I've created in my life, I originally thought would be sealed in a museum as a joke. If they can be put to use now, I can die in peace."

Academician Zhang waved away the nurses who wanted to help him, turned his wheelchair around, and faced the huge gate behind him that was at least twenty meters high.

"Comrade Su Ran, are you familiar with the 'South Heavenly Gate Project'?"

I know a little bit about it.

Su Ran said softly, "The space carrier 'Luan Niao,' the high-mobility fighter 'Xuan Nu,' and the tactical mech 'Cheng Ying.' Each one is a national treasure."

Lu Yuan, who was standing next to him, suddenly looked up, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets.

Aren't these just jokes from the internet?

Is it true?

Academician Zhang smiled wryly: "That's just netizens' romantic imagination. The reality is, with current materials science and energy technology, it will take at least another fifty years to build such a thing."

"But we people of Great Xia have an indomitable spirit in our bones."

The elderly man pressed the palm print recognition device.

Rumble—!

A dull hydraulic hum resounded, like the low growl of a giant beast. The gate separating reality from science fiction slowly rose.

The bright light was blinding.

Once everyone's eyesight adjusted to the light, Lu Yuan's knees buckled, and he knelt down on the ground with a "thud."

"I...my mom..."

Even Li Guodong, who was used to seeing big scenes, was speechless with his mouth agape.

What lay before them was a huge, hollowed-out underground cavern.

Under the spotlight of countless high-powered searchlights, a massive, suffocating steel skeleton lies silently in the abyss.

It's too big.

It has an extremely radical blended wing-body layout, is over 600 meters long, and is covered with a dark radar-absorbing coating.

Beneath the not-yet-fully-sealed skin, a dense array of wiring and a complex mechanical structure are exposed.

The "Luan Bird" is a strategic aerospace carrier platform.

The prototype of the aerospace carrier, which the Great Xia Dynasty built secretly over twenty years with the full power of the nation, is, in other words, a giant egg that has not yet been hatched.

"This...this is..."

Lu Yuan scrambled to his feet, wanting to rush over, but he didn't dare; his whole body trembled like a leaf.

"Is this a reserved space for a dual-cycle nuclear fusion engine? Is this a mounting point for an electromagnetic railgun? My God... My God! This structural design... This is completely designed for space warfare!"

crazy.

This mechanical genius has gone completely mad.

It's like a kid who's spent his whole life building Lego and suddenly sees a real Star Destroyer parked in his backyard.

"Unfortunately, it can't fly."

Looking at the magnificent skeleton, Academician Zhang's eyes were filled with sorrow. "It is the swan song of our generation. Because the engine technology could not be improved and the energy transmission loss was too great, it has become a dead object with only a skeleton."

The "Mysterious Maiden" high-maneuverability fighter jet never even underwent live-fire testing. Originally, it was intended to be mothballed, awaiting a technological breakthrough fifty years later.

"We can't wait fifty years."

Su Ran walked to the very edge of the observation deck, placed her hand on the cold railing, and stared intently at the steel skeleton.

In a previous life, during the later stages of the apocalypse, mutated birds blotted out the sky.

Flocks of zombie birds can easily engulf fighter jet engines, and giant zombie vultures can crush the tops of tanks.

Having lost air superiority, humanity can only hide underground like rats.

To launch a counterattack, we must reclaim the skies!

And the "Luan Bird" is the only platform on this planet that can build a mobile aerial fortress!

"Academician Zhang, you said it lacks an engine, energy, and a system."

Su Ran turned to look at the old man, her tone calm yet resolute, "What if I could give it all of this?"

Academician Zhang was taken aback, then his breathing became rapid: "You mean..."

"One month later, the rules of the world will be rewritten. Technological bottlenecks that were once impossible will be broken by the new 'Crystal Core Technology'."

Su Ran pointed to Lu Yuan, who was still frantically recording data, "With this genius on the side, I'm confident I can make it take off."

"But on the condition that I take them all with me."

"Can I take it with me?"

Academician Zhang's voice trembled.

He was asking about science, and he was also asking about fate.

"Even if we can't take it with us, we have to take it with us."

Su Ran gulped down the remaining half-tube of glucose and tossed the empty tube aside.

He took off his tactical gloves, revealing his long, slender fingers.

Li Guodong noticed that something was wrong with Su Ran; her complexion was terrible.

He quickly stepped forward: "Advisor Su! This is much more difficult than a nuclear power plant. This thing is too big and has a complex structure. Why don't you take a day off..."

"There's no time to rest."

Su Ran strode towards the huge landing gear of the "Luan Bird".

Lu Yuan finally came to his senses, looking at Su Ran's retreating figure, then at the almost miraculous creation, his lips trembling: "This...this is what I was supposed to fix?"

Su Ran took a deep breath, climbed over the railing, and jumped directly onto the maintenance platform extending below.

He walked step by step toward that enormous thing.

With each step he took, his heart beat a fraction faster.

This thing embodies so much effort and has such a meticulous design; the amount of information it contains is terrifying.

Su Ran stood beneath the massive bow of the "Luan Bird".

Compared to this steel behemoth, he was as insignificant as a speck of dust.

"Buzz!"

The moment his palm touched the titanium alloy skeleton, Su Ran's brain felt as if it had been hit hard by a heavy hammer!

[Target locked: 'Luan Bird' space carrier (incomplete version).]

[Weight: 47,000 tons.]

[Structural complexity: Extremely high.]

[Warning: The target size is too large; mental strain is about to exceed the threshold!]

Su Ran's vision instantly turned red, and the tinnitus was so sharp it sounded like fingernails scratching on a blackboard.

This is not just a matter of weight.

This is the culmination of the wisdom of generations of scientists in Daxia, and the result of countless days and nights of blueprints and sweat.

"puff!"

Two streams of blood gushed from Su Ran's nostrils, staining her clothes red.

"Advisor Su!"

Li Guodong was terrified and was about to rush down.

"Don't come any closer!!"

Su Ran let out a loud shout, her voice terribly hoarse.

He clenched his teeth so tightly that the blood seeping from his gums turned them a deep red.

Su Ran roared inwardly.

"No refunds allowed."

If we retreat like this, humanity will truly be left only to wallow in the mud, forever losing the sky.

"Get in...!"

Su Ran's eyes widened suddenly, and her mental energy poured out like a flood bursting its banks, forcefully enveloping the enormous creature.

Space is distorted.

Under the extremely shocked gazes of Academician Zhang, Li Guodong, and Lu Yuan.

The 600-meter-long, towering "Luan Bird" space carrier, along with the surrounding "Mysterious Maiden" fighter jets and mecha production lines, began to appear illusory.

In an instant, the illusion collapsed into a black dot, and then vanished into thin air!

"boom!!"

A deafening roar, seemingly emanating from the depths of the soul, shook the entire underground base violently!

The huge pressure difference instantly created a gale, whipping up dust and blueprints from the ground, sending them flying everywhere.

empty.

The once crowded underground abyss is now eerily empty, with only a few lonely support frames remaining, making it appear particularly desolate.

"Thump."

Su Ran's legs went weak, and she fell backward.

"Advisor Su!"

Li Guodong rushed over like a cheetah and caught Su Ran before he fell to the ground.

At this moment, Su Ran was bleeding from all seven orifices, her face as pale as paper, as if she had just crawled out of a pile of corpses.

"How are you? Are you alright? Medic! Quickly, call a medic!"

Li Guodong's voice cracked from shouting, and his eyes were red.

With trembling hands, Su Ran hastily wiped the blood from her face and barely managed to open her eyes.

"It's nothing... just... a little weak."

He looked at Academician Zhang, who was already in tears.

The old man looked at the empty base, the culmination of his life's work, and felt as if he were watching his own child being taken away.

"Old Zhang."

Su Ran's voice was weak, but it carried an unprecedented firmness: "I'm taking your child with me."

"When that day comes... I will equip it with nuclear fusion engines and particle cannons."

"I will make it fly to the highest heavens and become the Noah's Ark for all the people of Great Xia."

Before she could finish speaking, Su Ran's head lolled to the side, and she completely lost consciousness.

The scene was deathly silent, save for the urgent alarms from the medical equipment.

Academician Zhang stood up shakily, took off his glasses, and wiped his blurry, tear-filled eyes with the corner of his clothes.

With tears streaming down his face, Academician Zhang disregarded the medical staff's attempts to stop him, and shakily stood up from his wheelchair, bowing deeply in the direction where Su Ran had fainted.

Please.

This bow is not to a god.

They are people who bear the burden for humanity.

……