Dead on Mars

Chapter 175 - Sol Two Hundred and Eighty-Four, Before the Comet Arrives
Chapter 175: Sol Two Hundred and Eighty-Four, Before the Comet Arrives

Tang Yue passed through the airlock and left Kunlun Station.

The black desert unfolded before him. The Isidis Planitia was originally a crater caused by the impact of a gigantic projectile. It took form 3.9 billion years ago and had existed for a very long period of time on Mars. But in thirty-plus days more, it would be covered by another huge crater.

As he looked at the distant horizon, Tang Yue once again recalled the time he and Old Wang had set up a fire on the dune during his training. They were discussing the Chinese biochemist and explorer named Peng Jiamu.

The desert at night suddenly had a lethal form of attraction for Tang Yue. He imagined himself like Peng Jiamu walking through the desert, abandoning everything behind him. It was an exploration with no return. Where he went didn’t matter because he knew there was only one end.

Death might not be a wall that obstructed everything, but an endless desert. In a sense, death was akin to one extinguishing the lights in a harsh, cold winter night, opening the door, pulling up one’s collar, and walking into the distant horizon while trembling and puffing out warm air, never to return.

“Tang Yue!”

Tomcat’s voice sounded in the earpiece, disrupting his thoughts.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Tang Yue snapped back to his senses. He suddenly felt worried that he couldn’t control his legs and would ignore everything and walk forward into the desert. This urge was akin to the sudden urge to jump off a cliff—high place phenomenon.

The Eagle lander’s Descent Vehicle was still standing not far away from him. It was like an ancient tower under the starry sky. The other striking object was the Chelomey probe. Tomcat had pulled back the Chelomey a while back and had left it on Kunlun Station. This aged probe was still working. Although it had lost half of its functionality after having its temperature control processor removed, it still assiduously sent its greetings to Earth daily.

Tang Yue took out a long shovel from the garage and circled around the lander and Chelomey. After bidding them farewell, he found the spot where he had previously dug a tomb for himself.

This was a shallow pit, just enough to accommodate Tang Yue if he lay flat. He began shoveling and deepening the pit. Tomcat had said that the impact would generate a massive shockwave that could completely rip him apart; therefore, Tang Yue wanted to ensure that his corpse remained as intact as possible.

He changed his will and saved it in Kunlun Station’s computer. On the day the comet hit, the computer would send an email to Mai Dong and Tomcat.

In his will, Tang Yue wrote:

“Death is the fate that no one can avoid. No matter what kind of person you are—rich or poor, politician or prisoner—you will be equal before death. But this doesn’t mean death isn’t terrifying. If you were to ask me if I fear death, I would answer you without a doubt that I fear death. I’m morbidly afraid of death.

“But I’m unable to get to the source of this fear. Apart from a living creature’s instinctive avoidance of harm, living alone on Mars is actually worse than death, but deep in my heart, I still fear death. I’ve tried my best to survive even though I knew that there wouldn’t be a favorable outcome even if I were to pull through the hardships.

“A long, long time ago, I watched a classic movie, Buried. I’m not sure if you have seen it before, but the movie only had one person in the entire movie. He was a person buried underground who needed to use the limited time and limited tools he had to escape while overcoming his horror and despair.

“In fact, I’m also a person buried alive.

“You can escape the coffin, but I can never escape the Universe.”

Tang Yue diligently dug the grave.

“When I was young, I read Lord of the Rings. J. R. R. Tolkien who explained that ‘I have always been impressed that we are here, surviving, because of the indomitable courage of quite small people against impossible odds.’

“I don’t believe that fear and courage can’t coexist. A person can be weak, timid, cowardly, but he can also be courageous and fearless. In the long history of mankind, there has been no end of countless small, courageous people who advance for lofty ideals. This is the most glorious and greatest part of human civilization. Courage is born out of fear, and it is not that the brave know no fear, but that they had beat fear.

“As the last human on this planet, I would like to ask myself at the final moment of my life: Have I become a courageous person?

“I wish that at that moment, a voice would answer:

“Yes, you are very brave.”

Another shove suddenly stabbed into the soil in front of Tang Yue. He looked up and found Tomcat holding a shovel as well.

“What are you doing here?” Tang Yue asked.

“Grave digging,” Tomcat replied as it dug out the soil inside the pit. It was widening the boundaries of the grave.

“Why are you digging such a big one for?”

“I can’t lie in it,” Tomcat said. “It’s too much of a squeeze for two.”

“Get lost. Why are you even snatching a grave from me? Can’t you just give me a solo mausoleum? It’s not like you will be lying here. Quickly scram.”

“But I’ll return sooner or later. It’s naturally best I reserve a spot first.” Tomcat didn’t budge an inch as it widened the pit. Then, it threw the shovel and jumped in, lying flat. It even patted the area beside it, gesturing for Tang Yue to lie down with it.

Exasperated that there was no way to chase the cat away, Tang Yue could only stab the shovel into the ground and lie down beside Tomcat.

Lying down with the Radiant Armor on was terribly uncomfortable—the life support system behind him was huge and hard. Tang Yue fidgeted a little to make his position more comfortable.

Humans are truly strange creatures to hope for a little more comfort even before death. Tang Yue mused to himself in silence. This was like a prisoner on death row not wishing for the rope to pull at his hair because it would hurt.

The two stared at the sky.

“Can I see the comet?” Tang Yue asked.

“I can see it,” Tomcat said. “But you won’t be able to because it’s still too far away.”

“What does it look like?”

“A faint speck of light,” Tomcat replied. “It’s very, very small.”

Tang Yue’s body completely relaxed. He had a feeling that he had merged with the land.

He closed his eyes, allowing his thoughts to course freely through time.

He saw homo sapiens who still ate raw flesh and drank blood pursuing their prey on the African savanna. He saw workers using wooden logs to drag massive stone blocks to build the magnificent pyramids in the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt. He saw the soldiers of the Ottoman Empire blast the city walls of Constantinople with cannons. He saw Columbus set sail from Palos de la Frontera on the Santa Maria. He saw Galileo move away from his telescope on a tower as he recorded down the fourth moon of Jupiter.

Human history flashed past his eyes.

Tang Yue opened his eyes and saw Tang Yue’s paws on his visor.

“What are you doing?” Tang Yue turned his head.

“Are you afraid of dying?” Tomcat opened up its arms. “If you’re afraid, I can give you a hug.”

“There’s no need.” Tang Yue pushed away its paws. “I’m not sure if it will hurt when I die. I’m afraid of pain.”

“It’s likely instantaneous,” Tomcat said. “It’s like hugging a nuclear bomb.”

“Wouldn’t that vaporize me?” Tang Yue frowned.

“At this distance, you won’t be directly vaporized,” Tomcat said. “If it falls a few hundred kilometers nearer, you might be vaporized upon impact… So this distance is the best. You might not instantly die if it’s any further. You would die in pain due to suffocation. Now that we’re talking about it, it seems you have quite good luck. If this is a death sentence, you are basically having the VIP spot at the execution.”

Tang Yue nodded.

“Then I should really thank the heavens for reserving such a good spot for me. I should thank all my ancestors.”

“You are calmer than I expected. I thought you would be wailing away.”

“I wanted to, but that lass has already done it for me,” Tang Yue said. “The number of tears I shed in my life can’t even compare to the amount she shed today.”

“We are about to die.”

“That’s right… We are about to die.”

“As a materialistic atheist, shouldn’t you feel regretful at times like this?”

“What should I be regretful of?”

“Feeling regret that there’s no world to go to after death,” Tomcat said. “If you were a Christian, you could probably console yourself that this is a path to Heaven. If you were a Buddhist, you could hope for your next reincarnation. A Daoist would take this opportunity to ascend to Heaven and become immortal. However, what lies before you is just a blank void and darkness.”

Tang Yue thought for a moment before shaking his head.

He didn’t count on religion.

He didn’t hope for the next life.

He had a clear conscience.

He wasn’t afraid of the dark.

The broadmindedness and unconcern when faced with death was probably the last bit of dignity humanity had in this Universe.