As the research and development of the Dangui electric submarine progressed, Meng Hao continuously revised and overturned his design concepts.
Initially, he only intended to build a submarine shaped like a vehicle, about the same size as an ordinary new energy car.
However, as the work advanced and his understanding of the surrounding ocean currents deepened, Meng Hao realized that a single-person electric submarine the size of a sedan would be insufficient to complete the escape mission.
After all, Meng Hao's bi-weekly gambling boat trips with William were not just about satisfying his physiological needs with Zhang Xijin, Luna, and the women on the boat.
With a deeper understanding of the research center's military base, Meng Hao, using the portable water current and radar observer he developed at the research center, gained some initial understanding of his surroundings.
This massive military base was much more than just a research facility. Based on Meng Hao's reconnaissance, he found at least 10 fleets covering the entire area of land and sea within a hundred-kilometer radius centered on the research base.
Furthermore, the base was even equipped with a helicopter carrier. Although the combat effectiveness of a helicopter carrier fleet was significantly weaker than that of a conventional fixed-wing aircraft carrier fleet, it could still achieve absolute coverage within a diameter of hundreds of kilometers and tracking strikes within hundreds of kilometers.
If he only developed and built a single-person submersible the size of a car, Meng Hao would have no chance of escaping this hellhole.
Perhaps, with the Dangui equipped with Meng Hao's latest anti-detection radar, it could remain undetected.
However, electric submarines still needed to surface for air. Moreover, the confined space could not carry enough food. If he couldn't escape the US military base's sphere of influence in one go, Meng Hao still wouldn't be able to escape.
Therefore, the Dangui needed an upgrade. Meng Hao had even considered equipping the Dangui with a small nuclear power engine.
Of course, this idea was immediately nipped in the bud. Not to mention the long time required to redevelop a small nuclear power engine—long enough to be measured in years—Meng Hao did not want to stay under American surveillance for one or two years. More importantly, he was currently within the surveillance sphere of influence of the United States. Meng Hao did not want his painstakingly developed small nuclear submarine to become an American scientific achievement.
So, the only option was to increase the scale of the Dangui submarine.
After all, to achieve an escape within a range of hundreds of kilometers, the required travel distance could be two thousand kilometers or even longer. This was quite easy to understand. It was like driving to a city on land. If the straight-line distance was two hundred kilometers, the actual journey could be as long as three to four hundred kilometers even on the most convenient highway.
The underwater water current environment was much harsher than on land. Obstacles like reefs and treacherous currents were unavoidable and had to be circumvented. Meng Hao's target was to achieve a range of about three thousand kilometers. This range not only covered the engine's power output but also included high-power-consuming modules such as internal lighting systems, stealth anti-detection systems, and ocean sonar systems.
Ultimately, the finalized new energy battery weighed several tons. Its exterior alone was comparable to a car.
With the energy system settled, the next step was the engine system. Meng Hao's desk was covered with sketches of no less than five engine designs. This was a matter of going home for Meng Hao. For thousands of kilometers of underwater travel, Meng Hao would not be able to perform temporary repairs or upgrades to the Dangui submarine mid-journey. Therefore, Meng Hao had to do all the work beforehand. Before deciding to leave, the Dangui submarine had to be designed flawlessly.
After several days of consideration, Meng Hao finally finalized one of the engine designs, which he named the SW-12 engine. This engine had 12 individual stroking units. This meant that when operating at full capacity, the 12 sub-units could generate immense thrust. However, if an uncontrollable situation arose and some of the 12 sub-units were damaged, the other unit modules could still function independently. Even in the worst-case scenario, if 11 out of the 12 sub-units failed, the remaining one could still propel the submarine forward at an extremely slow pace. As long as the power was not completely lost, even moving as slowly as a turtle would eventually allow him to leave the US control zone. Besides, Meng Hao believed it was impossible for him to be so unlucky as to have all 12 sub-units fail.
With the power and energy systems sorted out, the next step was the survival supply module. This was not difficult. For food, Meng Hao had been discreetly bringing back various canned goods from the cafeteria. Although these canned vegetables and meats did not taste great, they were sufficient to provide food and vitamin supplies for one to two months. As for oxygen, it was even easier to solve. A small electrolyte separator could separate seawater into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen could be used as clean combustible energy for heating food and the submarine cabin, while the oxygen could be used for breathing. The combustion of oxygen and hydrogen would regenerate distilled water, which was the purest water source. This meant that even if Meng Hao's carried water supply was insufficient, he could supplement it with pure water generated by hydrogen-oxygen combustion. If plans changed and he had to leave early, the hydrogen could also be used as combustion energy to cook seafood caught by the submarine's fishing system, supplementing the food source. With the electrolyte separator—hydrogen heating device—oxygen breathing device as the core of the life support system, Meng Hao had actually built four sets. If one failed, there was another. If another failed, there were two more. Being cautious in his actions, Meng Hao absolutely would not tolerate any carelessness or oversight.
The energy propulsion system and the life support system together were already about the size of a large bus. Add to that over a month's supply of food, fresh water, canned goods, and other provisions. Although Meng Hao's Dangui was not yet fully complete, it was already taking shape.
Of course, besides developing the Dangui, Meng Hao also had to pretend to be busy researching and manufacturing new energy vehicles for Testor Company every day. This was mainly to appease William and allow William to smoothly request various resources and parts from the US side.
Soon, another problem arose for Meng Hao. New energy vehicles were land-based machines. What excuse or reason could he find to have the Dangui electric submarine, which was already the size of a bus, placed underwater?