Die on Mars

The old cat was stunned.

But it immediately understood what Tang Yue meant.

The distance between the impact point of the Tomcat-Tang-Mai comet and the Kunlun Station is no more than 1,400 kilometers. Tang Yue will undoubtedly die, but the old cat may survive.

The old cat does not need a life support system, does not need oxygen, and does not need food or fresh water. It can travel lightly, bring solar panels or isotope thermoelectric generators, and leave Kunlun Station in a Mars stray dog. If the comet falls to the east of Kunlun Station, then the old cat will go west and run thirty kilometers a day. In a month, it will be able to run a thousand kilometers.

"You come with me!" Old Mao grabbed Tang Yue's hand.

Tang Yue smiled bitterly and shook his head, "It's impossible."

Tang Yue knew very well that if the old cat took him with him, it would have to spend a lot of time to modify the Mars stray dog, install a life support system on the Mars rover, dismantle the OGS cabinet, and carry a large amount of materials and supplies. The more than 1,000 liters of fresh water at Kunlun Station weighs more than a ton - on Mars it is 400 kilograms, which cannot be transported over long distances.

Driving alone, the old cat might still be able to escape from the circle of punishment before the comet falls.

If two people leave together, then neither of them can leave.

Tang Yue was destined to be unable to stay away from Kunlun Station. He did not have the ability to move outdoors for a long time. This was a biological limitation of humans on earth.

"Take everything you need and leave here." Tang Yue said, "Old man, you have tried your best, but you can't save me or Ophiopogon japonicus."

Tang Yue touched the top of the old cat's head and rubbed its ears. To be honest, pinching the cat's ears was very relaxing, but there wouldn't be many opportunities to pinch the cat's ears in the future.

"Let me think of another way...let me think of another way."

Old Mao leaned his forehead against Tang Yue's body, lowered his eyes and whispered.

Tang Yue didn't speak. He put his hand on the old cat's shoulder. The latter's voice slowly lowered. The old cat was thinking. It had been thinking. From the moment the computer at Kunlun Station got the result, the old cat It was desperately trying to think of a solution, but every plan it came up with was subsequently overturned by itself. All the preparations that humans can make are a joke in the face of the huge energy level of the comet impact. How can a small ant nest built by ants withstand the impact of a tsunami?

The old cat who has always had Plan B has nothing to do this time. In front of a huge celestial body with a diameter of thirty kilometers, the old cat has nothing to do. This is a feeling of powerlessness as you watch the whole world capsize towards you.

No more PlanB this time.

"You're right." The old cat closed his eyes, "I can't save you, and I can't save Miss Maidong."

Tang Yue smiled, squatted down, and put his hands on the old cat's shoulders.

"But you have saved me and Ophiopogon japonicus." Tang Yue said, "Mr. Stationmaster."

Since the disappearance of the earth, Tang Yue has thought about his own death more than once. He thought that he would die without food, clothing or ammunition at some point in the future, but when that would happen and what it would look like, Tang Yue could not You know, death is a vague thing to him. Every night when Tang Yue went to bed, he slept with the God of Death. He and the God of Death were face to face, but they couldn't see clearly what the other person looked like.

At this moment he finally saw clearly what death looked like.

Tang Yue has thirty-seven days left to live.

The old cat stepped back and sat dejectedly on the chair, his paws resting on his knees.

Tang Yue looked very relieved. He sat a few meters away from the old cat and stretched his limbs vigorously.

"Let's go, you are the last witness of human civilization. If you are lucky enough to see other intelligent creatures in this universe in the future, please tell them..."

Tang Yue turned to look out the window.

"There once existed a race here. They possessed all the good qualities in the universe. They loved life, freedom, and peace. They were morally high, full of curiosity and empathy, and were willing to dedicate themselves to a higher goal. Throughout their lives, there will be geniuses, great men, saints, and heroes among them.”

Tang Yue's voice was very soft and long, as if he was reciting poetry.

"There once existed a race here. They had all the bad shortcomings in the universe. They discriminated against each other, fought among themselves, and despised the value of life. They were morally corrupt, short-sighted, full of deceit, their hands were stained with blood, and they did not hesitate to do harm for their own selfish desires. For the interests of others, among them there are fools, demons, criminals, and cowards." Tang Yue continued.

"They're complex and great."

The old cat was silent for a moment.

"It's too long, I can't remember it."

"Then let's put it this way: Alien bastards, this was once the territory of humans!"

"What if I didn't touch it?"

"Then tell the universe."

Tang Yue sat on a chair, looked up at the sky, and stretched his limbs vigorously.

"Only now do I realize why the first Homo sapiens walked out of the African continent on a warm and starry night more than 200,000 years ago."

"Why?"

"Because it wants to tell the universe that we have been here before." Tang Yue replied, "The development of all civilizations is ultimately to leave their own footprints in the long river of time, to prove their existence, and perhaps become all civilizations. The ultimate proposition faced in the end.”

"How do you know the first Homo sapiens walked out of Africa on a starry night?"

"Because I saw it." Tang Yue closed his eyes with a faint smile on his lips, "It jumped over a shallow river, and its eyes were as bright as the stars in the sky."

Old Mao didn't believe that Tang Yue could really see Homo sapiens from more than 200,000 years ago. As for jumping over a shallow river, this was probably Tang Yue's own imagination.

"You know, old cat, it has been two hundred thousand years... Compared with me, everything about it is different. It eats hair and drinks blood, wears animal skins, carries sticks, and lives in grasslands and jungles. And I am wearing a spacesuit, with a computer beside me, sitting in a scientific research station on Mars... But there is still one last part that is exactly the same between us." Tang Yue said, "That is the eyes."

The old cat was startled.

What Tang Yue said made him a little surprised.

Across two hundred thousand years, human eyes have never changed.

"Despite the twists and turns and hardships along the way, we are always looking forward." Tang Yue said to himself, "We are always full of hope and light, as well as endless curiosity about the world."

The old cat followed Tang Yue's train of thought and thought, if more than 200,000 years ago, the first Homo sapiens to step out of Africa really jumped over a shallow bend on a quiet, warm, starry night. The shallow river rushes towards the vast world, so when it leaps into the future, will it see another pair of eyes at the end of time, 100 million kilometers away?

The old cat raised his head.

"What are you going to do in the next thirty days?"

"Hurry up and finish the unfinished work." Tang Yue opened his eyes, "Before the comet hits, I must at least write the history of mankind to the space era, so that even if some creature receives our radio Broadcast, if you see our history, you won’t think that we are a group of barbarians who have never even set foot on our home planet.”

Lao Mao and Tang Yue were sitting in the hall of Kunlun Station, waiting for the night to pass and the sun to rise.

"Tang Yue, Mr. Cat? Good morning." Maidong came online, "You guys are so early today."