Following Lu Ze's gaze, Lucy's beautiful eyes revealed a hint of surprise.
"I didn't expect you to be interested in this kind of high technology."
She had thought Lu Ze would prefer tanks or fighter jets. Failing that, he should at least like weapons such as cannons or bombers.
After all, what man didn't enjoy the feeling of a fistfight?
Yet Lucy had never expected him to choose an option she hadn't even considered.
Lu Ze stared at the distance in delight and unconsciously walked toward it. "Why is there something like that at the laboratory maintenance center?"
"Isn't that a Boeing 777 airliner?"
Why would a commercial aircraft be here at LLNL Laboratory?
This massive thing had been parked on the runway outside the hangar the entire time, which was why Lu Ze had never noticed it.
Lucy walked beside him, tilting her head as she thought carefully for a moment. "I think Boeing had it towed over and asked our laboratory to conduct a round of validation tests."
Boeing's development of the 787 was currently going extremely poorly. Many key designs had been developed by India, and not only were costs high and progress slow, but several major accidents had also occurred.
That was why Boeing planned to upgrade this 777 model as a precaution for the future.
"Are you interested in this 777?"
"Yes, I think this kind of large aircraft is pretty interesting too."
Lu Ze nodded solemnly.
He thought it over carefully. The technology level of a large civilian airliner like this should not be much lower than that of an F-22 fighter jet.
After all, its research and manufacturing difficulty was no less than that of many strategic weapons. In some respects, civilian airliners could even be said to be more difficult.
There were three countries in the world capable of building Fifth Generation Fighters, yet there were only two commercial aircraft giants worldwide: Airbus and Boeing. Even Airbus was a consortium of major European aviation companies.
Even if Great Xia could build strategic transport aircraft a few years later, its domestically produced large passenger aircraft would still take more than a decade before they were initially developed and made their maiden flight. It would still have a long way to go before it could compare with Airbus and Boeing.
That was mainly because military transport aircraft did not need to consider economic efficiency at all, nor did they need to worry about whether a flight turned a profit or a loss.
Civilian airliners, however, required careful calculations in every aspect and needed a certain profit margin.
That alone determined just how advanced their technology was.
Not only is this technology level high, but it could also be tremendously useful to Great Xia. Lu Ze muttered inwardly.
After all, the Boeing 777 airliner was among the most advanced, economical, and practical civilian airliners.
Great Xia could not only gain a great deal of experience from it and greatly speed up the development of its domestic strategic transport aircraft.
More importantly, Great Xia could also reap enormous profits from civilian airliners. It was simply killing two birds with one stone.
The two slowly walked up to the Boeing 777.
Before this industrial behemoth, over seventy-three meters long, with a sixty-five-meter wingspan and a height of more than eighteen meters, even Lu Ze, at over six feet tall, looked like an ant.
Lucy somehow pulled out a bottle of milk and started drinking it. "Lu Ze, do you want to go inside and take a look?"
"It's just an ordinary passenger aircraft, though. The difference is that this 777 is the 300ER version, with an extended fuselage and fuel tanks."
Lu Ze declined. "There's no need. It's enough for me to get close to it out here."
What was there to see in a civilian airliner? The interior was nothing but the same rows of seats. Even first class was merely a series of small private compartments. It wasn't as if he had never experienced that while flying before.
Besides, he hadn't come here to admire this 777.
Five, four, three.
Lu Ze gently placed his hand beside the wing and silently counted down five numbers.
In an instant, a screen visible only to him appeared before his eyes.
[Current technological item: Boeing 777-300ER.] [Achievement Points value: 8500.] [Please choose whether to replicate.]
Yes. A faint smile rose on Lu Ze's lips as he looked at the Boeing 777.
He hadn't expected it to be worth 8,500 Achievement Points. That alone made it worth replicating.
Not to mention that it could bring enormous benefits to Great Xia. What was there to hesitate over?
Once Great Xia mastered the manufacturing technology for a civilian airliner like the Boeing 777, it would be equivalent to possessing a cash cow.
After all, Airbus alone received orders for over a thousand aircraft every year. How much profit could each one bring?
Airbus and Boeing together generated annual revenues exceeding one hundred billion US Dollars, a figure far more terrifying than Great Xia Tobacco.
The key was that their most profitable business was not selling aircraft, but providing after-sales maintenance services.
Each passenger aircraft required one or two million US Dollars in annual maintenance fees, along with all sorts of miscellaneous charges. They could keep extracting money from major airlines without end.
Why were so many of Great Xia's manufacturing industries unprofitable? Because they were engaged in low-end processing. The money earned from producing a hundred million screws might not even equal the cost of repairing someone else's large aircraft once.
[Current technological item Boeing 777-300ER, replication successful!] [Reward: 8500 Achievement Points, Boeing 777-300ER physical item (stored in inventory), Boeing 777 series aircraft technical design and manufacturing blueprints.]
With the replication complete, there was no need to stay here any longer.
Lu Ze waved at Lucy. "It's too hot. Let's head back and come again next time."
"Sure, it's almost past four anyway."
Lucy raised her wrist to check her watch. "Sorry to disappoint you this time. When the B-2 bomber comes over next time, I'll call you."
She thought Lu Ze had only given the place a quick look before losing interest because he hadn't seen the B-2 bomber.
"It's fine. I just got a little heatstroke and want to go back and rest." Lu Ze waved his hand, then added, "Let's come again next week. I want to see the other things too."
This maintenance center was a treasure trove, containing every kind of high-tech weapon and equipment.
If he still didn't encounter any especially valuable replication targets next week, he would decisively come here and replicate something.
"Let's go. This time, it's my turn to treat you to dinner."
Lucy muttered softly, "Lu Ze, I don't really feel like eating at the cafeteria today."
The cafeteria food might be free, but she couldn't keep eating it all the time, could she? She was sick of it, and her appetite had been poor lately.
"Don't worry. We're having a feast this time. We'll go to that Italian restaurant in town." After saying that, Lu Ze walked straight out of the maintenance center.
He was in a good mood this time, so he would splurge on a nice meal.
Lucy's eyes immediately lit up as she hurried after him. "Wait for me!!"
If they were talking about food like that, then her appetite was just fine.
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