Chapter 1025: Chapter 1018: The Russians’ Wishful Thinking

In fact, the Peter the Great did not disobey orders as the Russians thought.

Although she carries a strong Soviet flavor, even her attire retains the old naval coat symbolizing the Soviet Red Navy. However, she also possesses all the memories of a warship, clearly knowing her identity as the flagship of the Russian Northern Fleet.

For the Russians, this old ship from the Former Soviet era is one of the few large surface vessels in the Russian Navy that can take on major roles. Losing this solitary nuclear-powered cruiser would be a significant blow to Russia’s maritime military strength.

Russia today is no longer the superpower that competed with the United States in a bipolar world. The Red Navy, which could face off with the United States Navy on four oceans simultaneously, has long dwindled beyond recognition.

In the nearly thirty years since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Russian Navy has not built any large warships over ten thousand tons for a full thirty years. The Peter the Great, commissioned in 1998, was constructed during the Soviet era, and despite having been 80% complete, the Russians spent seven years to formally commission her.

The Russian Navy, which once boasted over seventy nuclear submarines, is now unable to maintain its former glory; numerous Soviet-era ships have either been retired and stored due to budget constraints or dismantled due to aging.

Nowadays, apart from a battered aircraft carrier, the Russian Navy only has four Kirov-rank ships over ten thousand tons left.

But of the four Kirov-rank ships, the leading ship, The Kirov, was taken by Chen Yu to summon a Ship-girl. Among the remaining two, the second ship, The Fulongzhi, has been confirmed by the Russian government for disassembly owing to its poor condition.

The third ship, The Kalinin, was supposed to undergo modernization along with the second ship, The Fulongzhi, but has yet to start due to lack of funds.

Though the sole remaining Peter the Great is in slightly better condition, she has remained docked as the flagship of the Northern Fleet to reduce consumption.

The current Russian Navy, much like these four old ships that once symbolized the mighty Soviet Red Navy, is worn out and hard to use, unable to keep up its former glory.

It can even be said that if something should happen to the Peter the Great, the Russian Navy would lose the cruiser category entirely.

Thus, the Russians are incredibly focused on the Peter the Great. After finally obtaining a quota to summon Ship-girls from Chen Yu, they chose not to use the Aurora, hoping that after becoming a Ship-girl, the Peter the Great would revitalize and inject fresh energy into the declining Russian Navy.

It must be said that, without considering the absolute loyalty of all summoned Ship-girls to Chen Yu, the Russians’ plan was actually quite successful.

Despite having a strong Soviet flavor, the Peter the Great is not a Ship-girl longing to revive the Soviet Union. She also remembers her duty as the flagship of the Russian Northern Fleet.

Successfully summoned as a Ship-girl, the Peter the Great released a warship that originally required large amounts of funds for maintenance and was not dared to be used liberally due to budget constraints.

The saved funds could be completely utilized to complete the modern refurbishment of the third Kirov-rank ship, renamed the Admiral Nakhimov, bringing it back into service.

This effectively restored the two strongest ships in the Russian Navy to a state capable of providing military deterrence and added a powerful and well-conditioned New Demigod to Russia.

It was truly a clever move, not only reversing the declining state of the Russian Navy but greatly enhancing Russia’s Transcendent combat power.

The only issue here is that the Peter the Great, as a Ship-girl, is wholly loyal to Chen Yu. If Chen Yu were unscrupulous and wanted to play some underhanded tricks, Russia would be in dire straits.

However, Chen Yu did not act in such an unethical manner, only explaining the current situation to the Peter the Great, asking her to stay in Russia temporarily and continue serving, similar to Britain’s HMS Victory.

As for how long this service term would be, it depended on whether the Russians would act appropriately and when the Kirov-rank would be decommissioned.

————————————————

“Chen Yu, may I ask if you’re interested in the Fulongzhi?” After the summoning, Chen Yu returned to the hotel. However, he hadn’t been seated for long before the Russians directly approached him.

Listening to the Russians’ inquiry, Chen Yu displayed a smile but shook his head, replying, “The Fulongzhi’s hull is worn out, left in the cold northern waters for twenty years. It’s almost been forgotten by history. Even if I can summon her, due to her poor condition, the Demigod born would be in poor health. She’s not suitable as summoning material.”

Upon hearing Chen Yu’s words, the Russians seemed to have gained confidence and presented their proposal: “Mr. Chen Yu, our government wants to offer the Fulongzhi to you in exchange for another summoning of a Demigod. What do you think? If you agree, we wish to further negotiate exchanging the Aurora for the incarnations of the Kirov and the Fulongzhi as Demigods to work for our government…”

“Exchanging two ships for four Demigods, your calculations are indeed impressive!” Chen Yu couldn’t help but laugh as he looked at the Russian official negotiating with him.

The Russians’ calculations were certainly well-thought-out; the Peter the Great had freed a main warship and provided a Demigod for the Russian Navy. So for them, exchanging one ship that’s about to be dismantled for another Demigod and the release of a main ship was a bargain.

If they could use the Aurora to further exchange for the other two Kirov-rank summoned Demigods to serve Russia, even if only temporarily, it would greatly enhance their combat power.

After all, in this way, Russia’s Demigod count would exceed that of the United States, altering the originally disadvantageous situation between the two nations to an equal or even advantageous position.

Moreover, by freeing up two large surface main warships, the Russian Navy could save substantial maintenance funds, which could then be used for building new ships or upgrading these two vessels, conducting modernization, significantly boosting the Russian Navy’s combat capabilities, and changing Russia’s current state.

However, all these calculations by the Russians relied on Chen Yu agreeing to the deal.