The Firmament's Test Flight
The interior of the Firmament was not as complex as the military aircraft in Yi Xuan's previous life.
It's even a bit too simplistic.
There is only one driver's seat, one front passenger seat, and eight passenger seats in the back. The driver's seat and the front passenger seat each have two screens facing the driver.
The pilots of the Firmament hardly need to perform any manual operations; all the aircraft's functions can be controlled entirely by the artificial intelligence installed on the aircraft's internal computer.
Of course, as a former STEM student, Yi Xuan was well aware of the potential risks in terms of control. Therefore, just to be on the safe side, a purely mechanical operating system was installed inside the aircraft. In case the Firmament's control malfunctioned, it could be switched to mechanical control to avoid a tragedy.
"Firmament!"
After Yi Xuan boarded the Firmament with the three Pangu, he made a call to it.
"Hello, boss! Welcome to the Firmament!"
Upon hearing the voice of the Firmament's built-in artificial intelligence, Yi Xuan nodded.
The Firmament's artificial intelligence is of the same level as the Primordial No. 01, which can be said to be the highest level of intelligent program in Yi Xuan's hands.
The reason for applying this artificial intelligence capable of controlling the entire base to the Firmament was entirely due to Yi Xuan's fear of the sky as a human being.
It should be noted that Yi Xuan, as a Qi Refining Realm cultivator, does not possess the ability to fly. In his previous life, even with such advanced technology, plane crashes still occurred frequently.
Yi Xuan knew that the chances of a plane crash were far lower than the chances of a train or car crash in his previous life, but even if it was a one in ten million chance, Yi Xuan didn't want to gamble with his life.
In other words, the artificial intelligence on the Firmament is indeed somewhat redundant at this stage, but Yi Xuan doesn't think it's a waste; it might just save his life in a critical moment.
He instructed the three Pangu to sit in the crew seats, while Yi Xuan sat in the pilot's seat of the Firmament.
Without Yi Xuan's command, AI No. 07 at No. 2 Base proactively opened the passage above the Firmament, revealing a steel passage about 500 meters long leading directly to the Firmament.
Looking out from the valley, one can see that a square gap has suddenly appeared in the center of what was once a lush and verdant valley.
"Firmament! Leave No. 2 Base. Do not fly out of the valley above the base; hover within the valley!"
"Receive!"
The two engine nozzles of the Firmament, which were originally facing backward, quickly rotated ninety degrees, turning downward.
Blue gas spewed from the nozzles, gradually lifting the Firmament off the ground. The massive Firmament managed to hover at a height of less than ten meters.
The Firmament did not maintain this posture for long; after only a second or two, the Firmament's tail nozzles, which were hovering in the air, suddenly increased their displacement.
At the same time, the nozzle itself began to slowly rotate, pushing the Firmament into the steel tunnel above while turning back to the rear.
At this moment, the Firmament, at a ninety-degree angle to the ground, quickly passed through the steel tunnel and arrived in the valley above.
As the Firmament was about to fly out of the valley, the two exhaust nozzles at the rear of the fuselage adjusted their angles again, and the Firmament returned to its hovering state.
Although this series of actions changed very quickly, only Yi Xuan in this world knew just how complex the control and calculation of these actions were.
Even the slightest deviation could result in a crash and loss of life.
Fortunately, the Firmament successfully completed its previous series of maneuvers, which already demonstrates its formidable performance.
Yi Xuan stood up from the driver's seat, pointed to one of the three Pangu sitting upright behind him, and said, "Come here!"
Upon hearing Yi Xuan's order, Pangu immediately unbuckled its seatbelt, approached Yi Xuan, and said, "Boss, what are your orders? No. 08 is at your command!"
Yi Xuan pointed to the driver's seat behind him and said, "No. 01 already uploaded the Firmament's operating manual to your database, right? From now on, you'll be in charge of operating the Firmament!"
"Yes, boss!"
No. 01 nodded and sat down in the pilot's seat of the Firmament.
"Boss? Where are we headed?"
Yi Xuan shook his head and said, "We have no destination. Our purpose this time is to test the performance of the Firmament! However, during the test, we must maintain my usual low profile and try our best not to be discovered!"
Upon receiving Yi Xuan's instructions, No. 01 immediately accepted control of the Firmament.
Unlike Yi Xuan's operation of the Firmament, Pangu's control of the Firmament is more like the interconnection of smart home appliances in Yi Xuan's previous life. The two establish a signal connection channel, and then Pangu can directly transmit its commands to the Firmament's built-in artificial intelligence without even having to speak.
The artificial intelligence of the Firmament can also inform the Pangu in real time about various data of the Firmament and the situation outside the Firmament, so that the Pangu can make a timely decision on the current situation.
In fact, the Firmament's artificial intelligence has its own decision-making capabilities, and under normal circumstances, it does not require the participation of the pilot. However, according to Yi Xuan's settings, as long as there is a pilot, the pilot's decision will be the first priority.
Only when the driver sets the Firmament to intelligent driving will the Firmament make decisions on its own.
The handling of No. 08 was excellent. The speed of the Firmament continued to increase, but the inside of the aircraft remained very stable. Yi Xuan did not even sit in his seat, but walked back and forth in the cabin.
As Yi Xuan approached the driver's seat, he couldn't help but glance at the data on the screen, which showed that the speed of the Firmament had increased to Mach 4.
Yi Xuan, however, felt no discomfort whatsoever. Seeing the Pangu from the driver's seat, Yi Xuan nodded to himself. It seemed that both the Pangu and the Firmament ships had met his expectations in terms of performance.
"No. 08, test the Firmament's maximum speed, you two!"
Yi Xuan pointed to the other two Pangu and instructed, "Patrol the cabins, closely observe the situation in all areas, and notify me immediately if any problems arise!"
As the order was given, Yi Xuan could clearly feel the Firmament accelerating, and as the speed increased, Yi Xuan could no longer move around in the cabin.
So, he had no choice but to sit in the passenger seat and fasten his seatbelt.
Looking back, the other two Pangu seemed oblivious, moving steadily back and forth in the cabin.
Glancing at the speed displayed on the screen, which had now reached Mach 9, Yi Xuan was once again frustrated by his own meager strength.
"If it were a Foundation Establishment Realm cultivator, it shouldn't have any impact," Yi Xuan thought to himself.