This is normal for people, but Xia Yu isn't normal!
"Sherlock, if you really want it, the verification machine No. 003 is in Suoqian. I'll get it for you."
Alexei didn't think much of it and continued.
After all, they are partners who help solve funding problems, so it's best to try to meet their requirements as much as possible.
Compared to the Little Bird, which has historical issues, there are no domestic drones that can't be sold as long as the price is right.
If it's for an exhibition, something that looks nice, even a model machine, will do. But Xia Yu requires practicality.
The demonstrator aircraft can only fly within the atmosphere.
To enter space, it must be a mass-produced machine.
After the first unit, Buran, died in an accident, and the third unit, Lake Baikal, was only 30% to 50% complete, the Kotori, which was 95% to 97% complete, became his only option.
While others buy space shuttles for show, Xia Yu's purchase means he actually has a chance to fly.
Despite his fears of a potential third world war and the imminent arrival of nuclear winter, he enthusiastically devised plans to build underground fortresses and nuclear bunkers.
However, this is downwards, so can Xia Yu go upwards?
In the many science fiction works he has read, many of them feature the destruction of Earth and the survival of personnel at near-Earth space stations, lunar outposts, and Martian colonies.
Even if you say this isn't real, just a figment of human imagination, it's not a bad thing to make more preparations if your capabilities allow.
Xia Yu may not know about others, but he himself is aware that the system will prepare the space shuttle to a usable state, hand over the control to the auxiliary pilot module, and then integrate it with the launch system. If human civilization reaches its worst point, he can still take his whole family into space for refuge.
Of course, he also hoped that the Little Bird would never be needed. Who would willingly leave their home planet and become an interstellar wanderer unless faced with a life-or-death crisis?
"I still want the Little Bird."
Xia Yu reiterated her clear intentions.
It's not that he's asking too much; if Alexei can't do it, he hopes the other party can give him some advice.
In addition, Xia Yu's goal is not only to acquire the former Soviet Union's space shuttle, but also to learn from the technology of the Americans!
They built five ships and destroyed two, but in the 30 years from their maiden voyage to the end, they carried out a total of 135 flight missions. In terms of astronaut life support, they have more say than the Soyuz.
"I see. In that case, only Mosike can speak up. It's easy in some ways, and difficult in others. I'm sorry, I can't help you. But you can try to find a way through Mr. Yevgeny. You know about his relationship with that person."
Alexei pondered for more than ten seconds before finally speaking.
Without some connections, he couldn't have started his business in Afica at all. But there are other arms dealers like him in the country, so he couldn't handle this matter.
But if it were Old Yev, the cook, the situation would be different. The other party could reach the highest levels of government directly, and his words carried much more weight than Yev's.
The question now is whether Xia Yu has any connections with them.
Of course he does; Sherlock's favorite thing is making friends with others.
During that exchange in Germany, Xia Yu and Lao Yefu had a very pleasant conversation. One was a newcomer to the PMC industry, and the other was a newcomer to the catering industry. Both of them were very open and frank.
Even though they never saw each other again after parting ways, they kept in touch and communicated by phone about the situation in Afica and the Middle East.
If we entrust this matter to Old Yev, it might actually work.
"Thank you, Alexeyek. I'll call Mr. Yevgeny right away."
"Beep beep"
Hearing the dial tone after the call ended, Alexei was a little puzzled. He and Yevgeny were just ordinary business partners who occasionally helped each other out. Why did Xia Yu, this Chinese man, have such a good relationship with the other party?
Well, sincerity is always the ultimate weapon. Plus, Old Ye isn't a particularly cunning person. Xia Yu, a small PMC company boss who's on the front lines, is indeed more likely to win over the other party than an arms dealer hiding behind the scenes.
Of course, old Yev himself didn't go to the front lines, but that didn't stop him from appreciating such a strong person.
"Sherlock, you haven't called me in ages. Is business in Afica busy?"
Old Yev's signature voice came from the other end of the satellite phone.
"Both the Americans and the Americans had some issues, but thankfully the problems have been resolved and we finally have some free time."
Xia Yu didn't say it explicitly, but the whole world knew about it.
"Oh, it's you guys. I was wondering. But we're busy here. Those damn terrorists have concentrated their forces and taken Balmira again!"
"That's over 4,000 men, and they're equipped with tanks. Those useless Americans who support them can't even take down Raqqa."
Old Ye complained to Xia Yu on the phone.
The strongholds of those extremist groups are in the Raqqa region. They not only held off the Kurds, but also had the resources to take Barmila. How could he not be angry?
"Oh, are they really that weak in combat?"
Xia Yu sounds like a big business opportunity, and it's very suitable for concentrated fire defense.
"It's worse than you think. In the end, we'll have to clean up the mess. But the other side has gone all out. Even though we've expanded to 3,500 people, we still don't have enough manpower."
Old Yef continued.
Xia Yu thought to himself, "So fast! At the beginning of the year, there were only 1,000 people, but in just one year, the number of soldiers has increased to 2,500, making the scale 100 times that of Jihuo Defense."
This is the Middle East theater of war, where only by achieving a numerical advantage can one afford to engage in attrition warfare.
However, the equipment used by Gna, whether it was the BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle or the BTR-80 armored personnel carrier, was too vulnerable in urban warfare, resulting in a considerable number of casualties.
This gave old Yev the idea of focusing firepower on defense.
Their equipment was superior; the terrorists' weapons couldn't penetrate it at all.
“Sherlock, if Afica isn’t busy, he can come to Sulliya. As long as the oil and gas fields are still producing, he can afford to pay your fees.”
Yevgeny extended an invitation to Xia Yu.
They were hired by the government forces because of the continuous production from the oil and gas fields. After a year of turmoil in the crude oil market, prices finally came up.
“Mr. Yevgeny, I will seriously consider what you have said, but I have to go back to my country for a while, so I will not be able to give you a definite answer until the end of February at the latest.”
Xia Yu said after careful consideration.
Leaving Afica and heading to the Middle East for combat operations may seem a bit sudden for Focused Firepower, but the high-intensity combat will help hone the company's fighting capabilities.
Leaving aside the US military, air force, and navy, their army is showing signs of being crippled by counterinsurgency operations.
Besides lacking advantages in manpower and scale, Jihuo Defense can only undertake a large number of cases where the enemy is completely overwhelmed. Even if the target is equipped with anti-aircraft missiles, it is impossible to penetrate their defenses.
If you want to improve further in this situation, it's really necessary to challenge yourself with higher intensity levels.
"I'll wait for you. It's still early. I also wish you a Happy New Year in advance."
Old Ye knew that Chinese people celebrate the Spring Festival, but the date seemed to vary from year to year, and he couldn't figure it out himself, but he still wished them well in advance.
"Thank you, but Mr. Yevgeny, I would prefer a New Year's gift from you."
Xia Yu seized the opportunity and revealed the purpose of his phone call that day.
"I'm currently in Kazakhstan, where I'm with Alexei acquiring a batch of their fighter jets. However, when I came to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, I saw how badly the Little Bird space shuttle had been damaged, so I thought about buying it to give it a new home. But they said they needed Mosuke's consent before they could sell it."
"Mr. Yevgeny, can you help me?"
Old Yev scratched his bald head. Why did this little brother suddenly think of buying a space shuttle? He might have been a bit sensitive about it before, but now that Americans don't use those things anymore, he should be able to sell it!
"I can only give it a try; whether it works or not is not up to me."
He decided to facilitate the deal, after all, he was hoping that Xia Yu could help him tackle the tough issue, and now he had to help out both morally and logically.
“That’s great, thank you, Mr. Yevgeny.”
Xia Yu said happily.
That was enough. As for going to Syria, he already had the idea of developing the Middle Eastern market, and this short-term deployment was just a trial run.
Long-term development is not possible. Afica is the base of Jihuo Defense. In the next 5 to 10 years, Xiayu will prioritize the development of projects here, and will generally not leave the area unless there are special circumstances.
In special circumstances, concentrated fire defenses can also be deployed tactically.
In particular, the company will now operate its first military transport aircraft, giving it initial intercontinental operational capabilities.
Xia Yu was satisfied with his performance, having achieved this level in just two years. Despite the speed at which Genna could rapidly mass produce troops, it was due to the special circumstances of the enemy. Concentrated fire defenses do not follow this approach.
After hanging up the phone, Xia Yu turned around and went back to the hangar. The person in charge thought he had been turned away after asking around, so he considerately skipped the topic and continued to introduce the Little Bird to him.
So, it has to be transported by an An-225?
Xia Yu suddenly asked this question.
This unprecedented and unparalleled super-large military transport aircraft was designed and manufactured specifically for the Buran.
"Boeing 747s are also acceptable. The US space shuttle was transported by two Boeing 747s."
When empty, the Buran is only a few tons smaller than the Atlantis and falls within the 90-ton payload capacity of the Jumbo jet; the only difference is that the fixed-point plan needs to be changed.
Xia Yu thought about it and felt it was still too troublesome. It would be better to use the An-225 instead, so that the cargo hold space could still be utilized.
Just recently, four F-16s retired by Isabel were bought by a Canadian contractor, whose wings were removed and transported to North America in a single An-124 sortie.
It's not unreasonable for him to use an An-225 to transport eight MiG-29s and one Little Bird in one sortie, is it?
We could fit a few more Su-25s, but there's no need to load them with maximum payload. That would reduce the range to less than 5,000 kilometers, requiring several leaps to reach Konluga, which isn't worth it.
Now that the weight is controlled to around 150 tons, it can be flown directly there, saving a lot of trouble.
It's not cheap, though. A trip like this would definitely cost over a million US dollars. You can't buy a Bugatti Chiron for that price, but a McLaren P1 would be a better option.
But how can a tool for picking up girls compare to a survival tool like a space shuttle, or a productivity tool like a fighter jet!
For the next two days, Xia Yu stayed in Baikonur and paid to experience a week of astronaut training (astronauts usually train at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Center in Russia; to distinguish it from the real world, the parallel world was directly merged into Baikonur).
Even if you can master astronaut skills once you get your hands on the Little Bird spacecraft, who knows when you'll actually experience it? You might as well take this opportunity to really get a feel for it.
"Buzz"
The modified Il-76MDK took off. This special transport aircraft, modified for astronaut weightlessness training, can simulate the space environment.
The pilot in the front cabin climbed from 6,500 meters to 9,500 meters at a 45-degree angle, then reduced the throttle, putting the transport plane into a parabolic trajectory. Xia Yu in the rear cabin was then lifted into the air.
It's called weightlessness, but it's actually low gravity, and it only lasts for 30 seconds. However, it's through 15 to 20 parabolic trajectories in one flight that the astronauts gradually became familiar with how to live in space and how to perform their missions correctly.
Well, it was definitely worth the experience. The trainer in charge of Xia Yu was surprised by his ease and skill; was this guy a former astronaut?
No, that's not true. He's just an ace pilot, tank commander, and PMC company owner. This is really the first time he's come into contact with astronauts.
"Buzz"
After completing a flight, the pilots began their return journey with the little fuel remaining.
As soon as Xia Yu landed on the airport runway, before he even got off the plane, the Russian and Kazakh officials at the launch site were already there waiting for him.
The museum director who had received him a few days earlier stood at the back of the crowd, his face filled with disbelief.
The Little Bird was indeed sold to this Chinese man.
And it only costs $15 million. Germans paid 10 million euros for a third-hand verification machine they bought years ago. This is a really good price.
It has to be said that old Yev has a lot of influence. He can do things that Alexei can't, so it seems he has no choice but to go to Syria.
After reviewing all the terms, Xia Yu readily signed his name on the contract, and immediately transferred the money to the account designated by Kazakhstani Railway.
After returning Yevgeny's call to express his gratitude, Xia Yu immediately contacted Antonov Airlines to inquire whether An-225 was currently at Gostomeli Airport.
The result is that it's not available, and the slot won't be available for another week.
It's alright. Alexei should have the results in about a week, so I booked the appointment and transferred the prepayment.
After continuing her astronaut training, Xia Yu went to the Aral Sea.
Because Kazakhstan built the Kokaral Dam, separating the North and South Aral Seas, the North Aral Sea still has water even during the dry season in winter, thanks to the Syr Darya River's water supply.
"Click"
Taking photos on a small boat on the North Ham Sea felt like nothing special. Just when he thought he should go further west to the Caspian Sea, Xia Yu's satellite phone suddenly rang.
It seems the telegraph shows Alexei; does that mean he's already negotiated the price?
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