Due to the thorough preparation of various procedures for Wu Hao's cargo ship, he encountered no abnormalities from controlling the ship's departure from the dock to sailing dozens of nautical miles away from the port, such as inspections.
As long as Wu Hao could safely navigate the ship out of the territorial waters of Huaxia and enter the international waters, he had nothing to worry about.
While sea travel might be tedious for ordinary people, it was remarkably easy for Wu Hao. After steering the cargo ship out of the harbor and into the expansive sea at the outset, he left the cockpit and set a course for automatic navigation.
Although the ship was equipped with an autopilot system, achieving complete autonomous navigation was impossible without Wu Hao's telekinetic abilities. His telekinetic range covered a significant area of 1000 meters, meaning he could control the ship safely from anywhere on board.
Since he didn't have to stay in the cockpit all the time, Wu Hao could start modifying the cargo ship during this dull sea voyage. Once he completed some basic modifications, precisely located the ship, he could freely shuttle between the cargo ship and the base, transporting the high-precision components and equipment he had prepared earlier.
The basic materials for modifying the cargo ship were already inside the ship's hold. These materials were various types of steel, including beams, plates, pipes, and others, all of the highest quality available in the market. The total weight of these steel materials was an impressive 11,000 tons.
Apart from the steel, there were other metal materials such as aluminum, copper, and various auxiliary materials like large cables. The combined weight of all these goods was approximately 22,000 tons. According to Wu Hao's modification plan, after completing the modifications, the fully loaded 65,000-ton cargo ship could carry a maximum of 20,000 tons of cargo.
However, once the interior space of the cargo hold was completely modified, there would be no extra space for loading goods. Therefore, this issue could be completely ignored.
Inside the cargo hold, Wu Hao worked efficiently. Tools and equipment, under the control of his telekinetic abilities, seemed to come to life, performing their tasks in a seemingly chaotic yet highly organized manner—cutting and welding in a rhythmic fashion.
At the current pace, it will take at least half a month, and if there are any delays, it will be approximately a month for the complete modification of this cargo ship." Once the cargo ship sailed out of the territorial waters of Huaxia and entered the vast international waters, Wu Hao instructed the ship to proceed at a slow speed. During the modification period, he didn't intend to take the ship too far from Huaxia.
Of course, he couldn't allow the ship to come to a halt either. So, Wu Hao's chosen route had no particular pattern; the only requirement was to ensure the cargo ship was heading toward a certain destination.
Two days later, after Wu Hao's extensive modifications to the cargo hold, the fusion reactor compartment of the cargo ship was finally complete. Simultaneously, assembly of the fusion reactor and related equipment had begun.
However, before this, Wu Hao had to pilot the spacecraft back to the base several times because various components of the fusion reactor were still at the base. Some of these components were quite heavy, but fortunately, they were within the range of Wu Hao's telekinetic control.
After about three more days, Wu Hao finally completed the assembly of the cargo ship's fusion reactor. In reality, he spent only one day on actual assembly during these three days; the other two days were spent shuttling between the cargo ship and the Qinling base.
After almost two days of round-trip transportation, all the components prepared at the base were successfully transferred to the cargo ship.
"Now that the fusion reactor is assembled, the original engines of the cargo ship can be dismantled." The reactor Wu Hao assembled on the cargo ship was similar in size to the one at the Qinling base. However, the role of this reactor on the cargo ship was not just for power generation; a portion of its power was used to propel the ship.
In other words, once Wu Hao dismantled the original engines and replaced them with the fusion reactor as the power source, the cargo ship would become a nuclear-powered vessel.
If Wu Hao decided to modify the deck of the cargo ship, it could function as a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Of course, the deck of this cargo ship was much smaller in length and width compared to a real aircraft carrier because the structures of cargo ships and carriers differed significantly.
An aircraft carrier's deck is considerably wider than that of a typical cargo ship. Additionally, carriers, like warships, prioritize speed, while cargo ships require sufficient internal space and stability for navigation. Therefore, even though Wu Hao's cargo ship was equipped with nuclear power, it couldn't compete with a real aircraft carrier due to the significant structural differences between the two.
However, Wu Hao's cargo ship had completely replaced its original diesel engines with turbine-driven ones similar to those used in warships. Once at full speed, while not comparable to a genuine warship, it would certainly be faster than other cargo ships.
Moreover, with the fusion reactor now onboard, the cargo ship had become akin to a perpetual motion machine. Unless there was a structural issue with the ship's hull, it wouldn't need to return to any port for resupply.
While Wu Hao was dismantling the ship's engines, the cargo ship temporarily stopped sailing and drifted freely on the sea. However, this process did not last long; in just half a day, the cargo ship regained power, and this time, its propulsion was even more robust.
The compartment where the fusion reactor was assembled was adjacent to the original power compartment of the cargo ship. Now, after Wu Hao dismantled the enormous diesel engine, this power compartment appeared empty.
