Dead on Mars

Chapter 171 - Sol Two Hundred and Eighty-Three, Our Eyes
Chapter 171: Sol Two Hundred and Eighty-Three, Our Eyes

Tomcat was stunned.

However, it immediately understood what Tang Yue meant.

The location of Comet Tomcat-Tang-Mai I’s impact was at most 1,400 kilometers from Kunlun Station. Tang Yue was doomed, but Tomcat still had a chance of survival.

Tomcat didn’t need a life support system or oxygen, neither did it need food or water. It could travel light, taking along with it solar panels and the RTG as it drove away from Kunlun Station. The comet would land east of Kunlun Station, and if Tomcat were to drive west and travel thirty kilometers a day, it would be a thousand kilometers away within a month.

“Leave with me!” Tomcat grabbed Tang Yue’s hand.

Tang Yue shook his head with a wry smile. “It’s impossible.”

Tang Yue knew very well that if Tomcat took him with it, it would have to waste time modifying the Mars Wanderer, adding a life support system to it. To do so meant dismantling the OGS and taking along large amounts of resources and replenishments. Just the thousand plus liters of water in Kunlun Station had a mass of a ton. It was impossible to move it long distances.

By driving alone, Tomcat still had a chance of escaping the calamity circle before the comet hit.

If the two were to leave together, neither of them could survive.

Tang Yue was destined never to be able to leave Kunlun Station. He didn’t have the ability to survive outside—a limitation of Earthlings.

“Take all you need and leave,” Tang Yue said. “Buddy ol’ Pal, you’ve already tried your best. You can’t save me or Mai Dong.”

Tang Yue stroked Tomcat’s head, ruffling its ears. To be honest, ruffling a cat’s ears was rather stress-relieving. However, there wasn’t much chance of doing that in the future.

“Let me think of another solution… Let me think of another solution.”

Tomcat leaned its forehead on Tang Yue’s body as it closed its eyes and whispered.

Tang Yue didn’t say a word as he placed his hand on Tomcat’s shoulders. The latter’s voice slowly softened. It was thinking—it had been constantly thinking. From the moment Kunlun Station’s computer produced the outcome, Tomcat had been desperately thinking of solutions, but all the ideas it had come up with were dismissed by it. All of the preparations capable by humanity were nothing but a joke in front of the level of energy released for such a huge comet’s impact. How could a nest built by ants be able to withstand the thrashing of a tsunami?

Tomcat, who always had a Plan B, was out of ideas. In front of that massive celestial body spanning thirty kilometers across, Tomcat could do nothing. There was a sense of helplessness about watching the world crumble before you.

There wasn’t any Plan B this time.

“You’re right.” Tomcat closed its eyes. “I can’t save you, nor can I save Miss Mai Dong.”

Tang Yue smiled as he crouched down and pressed his hands on Tomcat’s shoulders.

“You have already saved me, as well as Mai Dong,” Tang Yue said, “Mr. Station Commander.”

Ever since Earth disappeared, Tang Yue had entertained thoughts of the way he would die. He believed that he would die at some point in time due to the lack of food, but Tang Yue had no idea when that would happen. To him, death was a fuzzy concept. Every night, Tang Yue’s sleeping was like sleeping with Death. He had his face plastered against Death, but he was unable to make out Death.

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

Tang Yue still had 37 days left to live.

Tomcat took a step back and gloomily sat in its chair. It placed its paws on its hind knees.

Tang Yue appeared quite at ease. He sat a few meters in front of Tomcat and stretched his limbs.

“Leave. You are the final witness of human civilization. If you have the chance of meeting other intelligent life forms in this Universe, please tell them…”

Tang Yue turned his head to look out.

“That there once existed such a species. They had all the best qualities in the Universe. They loved life, freedom, and peace. They were moral people, rich with curiosity and empathy. They were willing to sacrifice their lives for more sublime goals. Among them were geniuses, great people, believers, and heroes.”

Tang Yue’s voice turned soft and ethereal as though he was reciting a poetic song.

“Such a species once existed as well. They had all the worst qualities in the Universe. They ostracized one another, engaged in civil wars, and belittled the value of life. They were immoral people, short-sighted and filled with lies. Their hands were covered with blood and would harm others for their own interests. Among them were idiots, devils, criminals, and cowards,” Tang Yue continued.

“They were very complex, very great.”

Tomcat fell silent.

“It’s too long. I can’t remember that.”

“Then tell them: ET scum, this was once human territory!”

“What if I don’t bump into them?”

“Then tell it to the Universe.”

Tang Yue sat in his chair, looking up as he stretched his limbs.

“Only now do I realize why the first homo sapien walked out of the African continent on a warm, starlit night two hundred thousand years ago.”

“Why?”

“Because it wished to tell the Universe that we were once here,” Tang Yue replied. “All development of civilization ultimately wishes to leave their footprints in this river of time, to prove that they once existed. Perhaps it would become the final question that all civilizations have to face near the end.”

“How do you know that the first homo sapien walked out of Africa on a warm, starlit night?”

“Because I see it.” Tang Yue closed his eyes as his lips pursed into a faint smile. “It jumped across shallow rivers, its eyes as resplendent as the stars in the sky.”

Tomcat didn’t believe that Tang Yue really could see homo sapiens from two hundred thousand years ago. As for jumping across shallow rivers, that was probably Tang Yue’s own imagination.

“Do you know, Tomcat? In these two hundred thousand years… Compared to the homo sapien, there are many things about me that are different from it. It ate raw meat and drank blood, draped itself in animal hide, holding wooden clubs, and living in the savanna or forests. As for me, I’m wearing a spacesuit with a computer beside me, sitting in a scientific research station on Mars… But there is still one thing that’s identical,” Tang Yue said. “That’s our eyes.”

Tomcat was taken aback.

Tang Yue’s words had shocked it.

After two hundred thousand long years, the eyes of humans had never experienced any changes.

“Even though the path was filled with twists and turns, with obstacles in the way, we are forever looking forward.” Tang Yue kept speaking. “It’s forever filled with hope and brightness, as well as an infinite curiosity towards this world.”

Tomcat followed Tang Yue’s train of thought. If that first homo sapien who had stepped out of Africa really jumped over shallow rivers on a dark, star-filled night, running towards the vast and endless world two hundred thousand years ago, then would it see another pair of eyes a hundred million kilometers away at the end of time when it did its jump towards the future?

Tomcat looked up.

“What do you plan on doing in the next thirty days?”

“Make every second count and finish all the unfinished work.” Tang Yue opened his eyes and said, “Before the comet hits, I want to finish the history of humans entering the space age. That way, if some creatures were to receive our radio transmissions, they will be able to see our history and not think of us as savages that didn’t even manage to step off our home planet.”

Tang Yue and Tomcat sat in the Hab, waiting for the night to pass and for the sun to rise.

“Tang Yue, Mr. Cat? Good morning.” Mai Dong had come online. “You are up early today.”