76: Boss, let me tell you about an airplane.

After the workshop explosion, Tian Ming built bathrooms for everyone, and a small economy also circulated within the Shelter. However, this bathroom was bought with the lives of over a dozen people.

Since the implementation of the contracting system, the construction progress of the city wall has suddenly increased significantly. It truly proves the saying, 'money makes the mare go.' In the words of the Shelter, it means 'tickets make people work.'

The weather grew colder and colder, and winter had officially arrived. The consumption of various fuels throughout the Shelter was rising sharply. The outer perimeter of the Shelter was completely engulfed by snow.

The thick snow on the outer perimeter had reached over three meters. But the temperature was still acceptable, around minus twenty degrees Celsius. Days of snowfall had also made the air in the south as dry as in the north.

Tian Ming directly created a hydrogen storage tank with a diameter of 20 meters and a height of 10 meters. Once filled, it was connected by pipes to the areas in the Shelter that required fuel. One refill would last for two months. (Hydrogen gas to liquid hydrogen is approximately 1:0.0127, with a caloric value of 127 kilojoules per gram. Those who like to be precise can calculate it themselves; it's a simple math problem, not difficult, to see if it can last two months.)

In the past few days, Qiu Qian had come looking for Tian Ming, but he ignored her. Instead, he assigned her to collect tickets in the women's bathroom. Since that incident, Qiu Qian's second consciousness had not re-emerged, but even so, her gaze towards Tian Ming was still full of affection.

“Boss, boss, calling boss.” Shen Yuan, who had been quiet for several days, started calling on the intercom channel again.

“What's the call about? Spit it out if you have something to say.”

Shen Yuan chuckled, “Boss, you are so vulgar. I have nothing to say, just that the data we got from the Flying Research Institute last time has been decrypted by me.”

“Why did it take so long to decrypt?” Tian Ming didn't praise her, and his tone carried a hint of complaint.

“Boss, why do you always speak without considering the difficulty? Our server's computing power is limited. Do you think it's that easy to decrypt? The data inside the Flying Research Institute is all protected,” Shen Yuan explained, feeling wronged, on the channel.

Listening to the aggrieved voice on the intercom, Tian Ming couldn't help but smile, “You're in the Laboratory, right? I'll be right over.”

When Tian Ming arrived at the Laboratory entrance, Shen Yuan was already standing outside. Seeing Tian Ming, she eagerly rushed over.

“Boss, when are you going to get me a supercomputer room?”

Tian Ming rolled his eyes and said, “What do you need a supercomputer room for? Good enough is good enough. Those who know would think you're simulating the Shelter; those who don't might think you're researching atomic bombs.”

“Sigh, always so stingy, making it difficult for us scientific researchers. If I had a supercomputer room, after the city wall is built, I could directly control the autocannons on the city wall through Zhang Mengqi's communication technology. An automatic defense, an impregnable fortress, wouldn't that be great?”

“It would be great, but it would be hard on me. Don't you know that I'm currently providing all the energy for the Shelter? You're trying to work me to death, aren't you? If you want to set up a computer room, first solve the problem of the Shelter's energy self-sufficiency for me,” Tian Ming said displeased.

Shen Yuan paused, sniffed, and said, “Alright, I forgot about that. Let's go, I'll show you the aircraft blueprints. Besides the blueprints, I've also decrypted the complete code for the flight control system.”

Upon hearing about the flight control system, Tian Ming immediately became happy. This meant that any aircraft built could fly directly. However, the biggest difficulty at present was the lack of pilots.

“Let's go, show me the results of your hard work during this time.”

Shen Yuan nodded, “Yes, Boss.”

Tian Ming entered the Laboratory, and Shen Yuan opened the data she had decrypted. The screen displayed a blueprint of an aircraft. On the blueprint, all parts of the aircraft were clearly visible—wings, fuselage, engines, and so on—making it clear at a glance.

Shen Yuan flipped through the index and said, “Currently, the most mature technology suitable for cargo transport and capable of vertical takeoff and landing is undoubtedly the rotor drone.”

Tian Ming looked at the rotor drone on the screen and said, “Isn't this just a remote-controlled toy?”

Shen Yuan couldn't help but roll her eyes and said, “Boss, this is specifically for logistics. The technology is mature. It used to use satellites for navigation, but now that no one is managing the Aerospace Administration, I estimate that the timing service should be Wasted, and satellite navigation is no longer reliable.”

“What is a timing service?” Tian Ming asked very seriously.

“The time on satellites needs to be extremely precise to provide accurate location information. Timing, simply put, is calibrating the time, which allows for automatic precise flight and landing,” Shen Yuan explained seriously.

Tian Ming nodded, thoughtfully saying, “You and your brother, you're both full of brains, how do you know everything?”

Shen Yuan said rather proudly, “That's right, but although satellite navigation can't be used, we can still use lasers for guidance. This type of cargo drone has many navigation methods, besides satellites, there's also terrain matching and laser guidance.”

Tian Ming smiled slightly, “You handle it as you see fit. I just need it to work.”

Shen Yuan said, “Boss, my idea is this: if we're going to build planes, we should build two types. One is a manned armed helicopter for transporting personnel, specifically for members of the Materials Group. The other is a cargo drone.”

“Wouldn't it be better to transport them together?” Tian Ming asked.

“Boss, what if our people are attacked by zombies as soon as they land? What if the zombies damage the plane? Wouldn't everything be lost? First, send the armed manned aircraft to clear a safe zone and gather the collected supplies. Then, the unmanned cargo rotorcraft comes in, loads the cargo, and flies straight back. Reducing the time the aircraft spends on the ground will greatly reduce the occurrence of accidents, don't you agree?”

Tian Ming was stunned and said, “How are you so smart?”

Shen Yuan paused, “Boss, are you complimenting me?”

“Of course, I'm complimenting you. Is the way I praise people not sincere enough?”

Shen Yuan's face flushed slightly, and she said, “Alright, even complimenting someone sounds a bit sarcastic. Boss, you agree with my opinion, right?”

Tian Ming nodded and said, “Yes, I completely agree. Your idea is much more rigorous than mine. But I still have one question: what is the cargo capacity of this unmanned rotorcraft?”

Shen Yuan took a look and said, “About one ton. We also need to build a communication tower, the higher the better. This way, it can guide the drones or be used for remote control via data link. Even without base station and satellite support, the control range can reach over a hundred kilometers.”

Tian Ming nodded with satisfaction and said, “Now, I feel that the talent in my Shelter is not enough. I still need to find a pilot, and even a computer expert.”

Shen Yuan chuckled, “Boss, if you can get me a supercomputer, then the drone operators can be eliminated.”