Great Power Industry: You're a private company building an aircraft carrier?

The pristine Kamchatka Peninsula will surely be praised by many environmentalists.

However, as our ancestors wisely said, "When people are well-fed and warm, they think of lustful desires."

If basic material needs are not met, who would bother to care about the environment?

During the Red Empire era, although those assigned here were like exiles, they still had a decent income and abundant supplies. While many places in the country were queuing up to buy food, they still had an open supply here.

If the Russian can drink a glass of vodka every day, he feels like he's living the good life!

But now, the Russians left on the island are all listless, often gazing out at the sea, hoping to end this monotonous life where wages are frequently delayed.

This is the scene that Qin Chuan saw.

The guards casually slung their guns behind their backs, their clothes disheveled, their hats askew. Those not on duty lay lazily in their dormitories, where the sound of a television could be heard.

These were specially allocated by the Russians to enrich the cultural life here back then, but due to their poor quality, many of them became unusable after a few years.

Of course, there were a few who were doing quite well, such as Dmitriev's assistant Belikov, who stayed here.

After the plane landed, he ran over to greet him warmly. On the way to the base, Dmitriev drove while excitedly telling Dmitriev about recent events.

"The maintenance funds for the K-284 submarine have been allocated from above. These funds have just arrived in the account of the Northeast Maintenance Center. Everyone thinks that half of them should be used to pay salaries. If they are not paid, no one will have the energy to work."

K-284, the lead ship of the Russian third-generation attack nuclear submarine Project 971, Western designation Akula-class, has a sleek shape, like a great shark underwater, especially the conning tower, which has a smooth transition. It is a new generation of nuclear submarines produced by the Russians in the 1980s.

The lead ship, K-284, officially entered service at the end of 84. Ten years have passed since then, and it's time for a major overhaul!

To facilitate maintenance, the Russians established a Northeast Maintenance Center right next to the Vilyuchinsk submarine base, which was managed by the Pacific Fleet and had its funding under their control.

Although the funds allocated from above were for submarine repairs, the Russians have always been very bold.

Once the funds are in hand, they'll fill the holes first! Especially the soldiers' salaries, which have been in arrears for a long time, so they can easily divert the money to pay their salaries.

Half of the salary goes to the government, but what about the other half?

There are definitely various other clues being kept under wraps, but as for K-284, which is awaiting repairs? Nobody cares!

Anyway, Russia's military budget is so tight that it simply cannot support the size of the Soviet-era navy. It will be kept at the dock of the Northeast Repair Center for now, and will be repaired when it has money, and decommissioned when it doesn't!

Qin Chuan's mind was greatly moved; the Type 971 was the mainstay submarine currently in service with the Russians!

With a submerged displacement of over 9,000 tons, powered by a 200-megawatt nuclear reactor, it can reach a high speed of 35 knots underwater, and it's extremely quiet underwater. If we could bring it back...

Forget it. The excuse I gave was to take one back and dismantle it to use as a nuclear power plant, but I never said I wanted to take one back and operate it. This is my first time doing business, so I have to be honest and trustworthy.

Revealing too much desire might bring unnecessary trouble...

"Young man, do you want this one? If you do, we'll report a production accident and get rid of this submarine."

Dmitriev said to Qin Chuan.

Along the way, Li Jianshe was still wondering, "We're buying a submarine to take back, but what about the Russians? After all, it's something that can't be brought to light, so what reason do we have to report it to our superiors?"

Who would have thought that the Russians would be so bold as to destroy the submarine through a production accident!

"No need," Qin Chuan said. "We just want to get nuclear submarines that still have a few years of nuclear fuel left to use as power plants. We can't get the advanced equipment that's currently in service, and there's no need for that."

Dmitriev nodded: "Then let's get one of the 671s. We have a lot of retired models here, and a few of them are still in pretty good condition. Belikov, take it straight to the dock!"

The submarine dock is long and narrow, seemingly stretching into the depths of the sea. On both sides of the dock, there are large, rusty sharks.

The Type 671 is the second-generation main nuclear submarine of the Russians, NATO designation Victor. It is divided into three types according to the production year. The early production version is only 93 meters long and has an underwater displacement of less than 5,000 tons, while the later production version is 106 meters long and has an underwater displacement of more than 7,000 tons.

From the start of construction of the first submarine in 1963 to the launch of the last one in 1991, this submarine was produced for nearly 30 years, with a total production of 50 vessels!

It's important to know that this number is already more than the total number of nuclear submarines of the other three countries besides the United States!

Moreover, their service life is quite long.

The first submarine, produced in 1963, was not decommissioned until 1991. Subsequent submarines were also decommissioned one after another after the 1990s. Almost all of the early models were decommissioned around 1993.

This is the spectacular sight that can be seen from the dock.

During the era of the Red Empire, the Russians only cared about manufacturing and didn't consider how to dispose of the batteries when they were scrapped. It's just like electric cars in later generations: they're environmentally friendly while driving, but what happens to the batteries when they're scrapped? We'll deal with it when the time comes.

When the Red Empire collapsed and a large number of nuclear submarines were decommissioned, the Russians simply couldn't handle so many submarines. Even if they had the capacity, they wouldn't be able to manage them all; they'd need money!

"The one in the best condition is K517. This submarine can be put into use on the battlefield immediately once it is resealed."

The car stopped at the dock, and Belikov pointed to a submarine nearby and said, "I'll take you inside to have a look. If you like it, then this one is it!"

"No, no, no!"

Qin Chuan quickly waved his hand: "You can use this submarine anytime, but we can't take it. Even though my uncle is the commander, we can't do something that harms our own interests. Let's find something else!"

"Then let's go with K513!"

Belikov said, "The ship next to it entered service in 77, was refueled in 87, sailed for three years, and then stopped here in 91. The nuclear reactor inside can still be used for at least seven more years."

"Okay, this one will do." Qin Chuan nodded. "Could you please remove the weapons and other equipment inside to prevent any leaks?"

"Dismantle it? Do you think it's our turn?" Belikov shook his head. "After we docked here, we welded steel bars and added locks to the outside of the hatch, but two months later, the locks were pried open and a lot of precious metals were stolen from inside."

"Aren't there any sentries?" Li Jianshe couldn't help but ask.

Qin Chuan smiled. Needless to say, it was most likely the sentry who did it!