257: Kirov Airship

In just a few hours, those two steel behemoths, which had been dormant inside the Main Assembly Hangar, were fully awakened.

Under the gaze of Jiang Xin and his group, a kirov airship's Anti-Gravity Engine Array, located beneath its hull, emitted a low hum.

The massive hull, as if gently lifted by an unseen giant hand, began to slowly and steadily detach from the ground. Its hundreds-of-meters-long shadow, like a moving mountain, instantly obscured large swaths of sunlight, casting an ever-expanding dark area on the ground, while light outlined its cold contours along the sharp edges of the hull.

When the airship stabilized, hovering about fifty meters above the ground, a massive, seamlessly fitted armored plate at the rear of its wide hull silently slid open to both sides, revealing the bright lights inside. Immediately afterward, an alloy ramp, more than ten meters wide and flashing with blue marker lights along its edges, smoothly descended, settling firmly on the ground, like a steel bridge connecting earth and sky.

A squad of Red Alert Soldiers quickly descended the ramp. They wore dark blue, specialized Aviator Combat Suits, distinct from those of the army and air force. The material had a special metallic sheen, offering both protection and regulation, allowing them to move swiftly and silently.

The person leading them was strong and robust, with steady steps. His name tag indicated his rank as Captain. His face was resolute, and his eyes were sharp as an eagle's.

He walked directly up to Jiang Xin, stood at attention, and saluted with clean, crisp movements, his voice booming: "Reporting, Commander! kirov airship, First Vessel, Captain Li Xinghua, reporting for duty with the crew! Awaiting orders!" The soldiers behind him also stood rigidly and saluted, demonstrating strict discipline and high morale.

"Captain Li, hello! Thank you for your hard work!" Jiang Xin extended his hand and shook Li Xinghua's firmly, feeling the strength and steadiness radiating from the other man's palm. He looked up at the aerial fortress so close at hand, his eyes shimmering with uncontrollable excitement and curiosity. "We can't wait to see what the inside of this 'Moving City in the Sky' looks like with our own eyes!"

"It is my honor, Commander, esteemed officers, please follow me!" Li Xinghua displayed a confident and composed smile, turned slightly to gesture an invitation, and then led Jiang Xin, Zhang Lei, Tanya, and Jiang Feifei onto the steel ramp leading to the sky.

Stepping inside the hull, they first arrived at the Storage and Logistics Area. The space here was unexpectedly "vast," lined on both sides with neat, square hatch doors that shimmered with a cold metallic light. The doors were equipped with precise electronic locks and status indicators.

"Commander, this is the core material reserve area of the airship, utilizing Dimensional Space Folding Technology, which is derived from the same source as the Super Base Production Area." Li Xinghua walked up to a hatch door and tapped the control panel beside it a few times.

"Hiss—" With a slight sound of rushing air, the hatch door slid upward like an elaborate vault door. The sight that greeted them was quite strange: inside the hatch frame was not the expected spacious warehouse, but a dimensional space barrier, like a surface of calm mercury, gently rippling with a milky white glow, completely obscuring the interior.

Li Xinghua explained, "This light film is the spatial interface. The effective internal storage volume of each standard containment bay is 25 times its external four-dimensional physical volume. This means we can carry ammunition, fuel, spare parts, food, water, and other supplies far exceeding the conventional limits of naval vessels."

Li Xinghua gestured for everyone to look at the holographic list flashing on the control panel: "Through the intelligent regulation of the Red Alert AI Central Hub, we can precisely manage the stacking, classification, and extraction sequence of materials within each dimension, achieving extremely high efficiency. Of course, due to spatial laws, only non-living entities and items without complex consciousness can be safely stored and retrieved; living organisms cannot enter."

Jiang Xin carefully observed the light film that seemed to connect to another dimension, nodded, and exclaimed, "Incredible... This is like compressing a large logistics base into these 'small boxes.' One of the biggest bottlenecks for long-haul sustained operations has just been solved."

Passing through the storage area, they entered the Central Multi-functional Living Section. The atmosphere here was completely different from the cold storage area; the design was full of human-centric considerations, yet extremely simple and efficient.

Dormancy and Rest Area: Thirty streamlined, light-blue dormancy pods were arranged in rows and columns, each about 1 meter wide and 2 meters long, with surfaces as smooth as mirrors. Li Xinghua introduced, "These are Brainwave-Induced Deep Dormancy Pods, combined with Ultra-Low Temperature Cryogenic Sleep Technology. Once crew members enter, they can be guided into the deepest restorative sleep in a very short time, greatly alleviating the physical and mental fatigue caused by long-term voyages, and the wake-up time can be precisely controlled."

Entertainment and Recreation Area: Composed of several compact compartments, including a card and chess room furnished with physical boards and tables, a game room equipped with immersive holographic gaming devices, and a viewing cabin featuring a large curved screen. Li Xinghua smiled apologetically: "Space is limited, so the recreational facilities are basic, but they are sufficient to allow resting crew members to relax and maintain morale."

Dining Area: Relatively spacious and bright, divided into an Automated Meal Preparation Area and a tidy Dining Area. Li Xinghua pointed to several complex devices in the preparation area that were constantly flashing indicator lights and said, "Daily meals primarily rely on these Fully Automated Food Synthesis and Reheating Systems, which can quickly convert stored concentrated nutrients into hot meals of various flavors. We also carry a small amount of specially treated fresh fruit and pre-cooked food for special circumstances or to improve quality of life."

Equipment Area: The walls and racks were lined with rows of exquisitely designed, high-tech individual soldier equipment. There were standard-issue Electromagnetic Kinetic Rifles, whose sci-fi bodies had sharp lines and visible charging ports, as well as more powerful Shoulder-Fired Electromagnetic Cannons, High-Explosive/EMP Grenades, Lightweight Exoskeletons, and Fully Sealed Combat Suits designed for space/high and low-temperature environments. Zhang Lei picked up an electromagnetic rifle with great interest, weighed it, and then looked at the gear clearly designed for extreme environments, his eyes showing appreciation for the powerful firepower and professional equipment.

Crew Area: A relatively open space furnished with hundreds of ergonomic, side-by-side fixed seats, equipped with seatbelts and simple personal storage compartments. Li Xinghua added, "This area is used for mission briefings, large-scale personnel assembly, or emergencies. Theoretically, the airship can safely transport over 500 fully armed combat personnel in a single trip."

Finally, Li Xinghua led everyone to the airship's "brain"—the Bridge Command and Core Working Area. The scene here fully satisfied everyone's ultimate imagination of a "starship control center."

Beneath the high dome was a massive, tiered, circular space. Dozens of integrated workstations were arranged in an arc, and every bridge officer was engrossed in their personal operating environment, composed of high-resolution holographic projections and touch screens with variable transparency.

Pale blue light, constantly flowing data streams, three-dimensional star maps, hull status models, external environment simulation images... filled their vision.

The calm, clear synthetic voice of the Red Alert AI sounded at various workstations, reporting parameters or confirming commands.

Officers and technicians in dark blue uniforms were either conversing quietly or operating equipment intently. Everything was busy yet orderly, imbued with a calm, efficient aesthetic of future warfare.

"Commander, this is the command center of the kirov airship." Li Xinghua's voice held pride. "We monitor the entire vessel's status, plan routes, control weapon systems, and command the onboard air assets here."

He walked up to the largest central holographic star map, swiped his hand, and brought up the airship's weapon simulation demonstration and hangar schematic.

"The kirov airship itself possesses powerful offensive and defensive capabilities: the High-Energy Laser Matrix Cannon beneath the bow can execute precise targeting or area clearance; the 'Meteor' High-Speed Proton Stream Cannons on the sides of the hull specialize in dealing with heavy targets and fortifications. Their power is sufficient to destroy small to medium-sized mountains in a short time."

He switched the image, showing the hangar and the fighter parking bays: "Furthermore, we possess comprehensive aviation support capabilities. The hangar bays can accommodate, fully maintain, and resupply up to 10 apollo aerospace fighters. They will serve as the airship's extended reach for long-range reconnaissance, rapid response, and tactical strikes."

Finally, Li Xinghua pointed to the simulated orbit representing the Solar System on the star map. "Commander, the kirov airship's most fundamental capability is interstellar navigation. Relying on the anti-gravity device, we can relatively easily break free from planetary gravity and enter low Earth orbit. Afterward, relying on the Particle Propulsion Array, we can maneuver within the stellar system. If... calculated based on the ideal orbital positions of Earth and Mars, at full speed, the kirov airship has the ability to complete a round trip in approximately 24 hours."

A round trip between Earth and Mars in one day?!

Although they were mentally prepared, when this specific and shocking figure came out of Li Xinghua's mouth, Jiang Xin, Zhang Lei, Tanya, and Jiang Feifei still felt a scalp-tingling shock.

This was no longer a fantasy from science fiction novels, but a tangible reality existing right before their eyes, within reach!

Jiang Xin gazed at the dazzling star map that seemed close enough to touch, listened to the steady reports from the AI in his ear, and felt the almost imperceptible, steady pulse of the steel behemoth beneath his feet, originating from its powerful core. He was ecstatic!