Dead on Mars

Chapter 221 - Sol Three Hundred and Thirty-Two, Hope Or Death
Chapter 221: Sol Three Hundred and Thirty-Two, Hope Or Death

Tang Yue looked at the letter in Tomcat’s paws in a daze before he suddenly shook his head and sneered.

“Why is it only appearing now? What is it telling me? That Earth’s disappearance is just a trivial accident? Whether we live or die is simply based on their whims? That we are puny ants? That our existence actually has no meaning?”

Tomcat stared at him.

Tang Yue flared up in anger. He grabbed the letter from Tomcat’s paws, scrunched it up and threw it to the ground. “Compensate me the Earth? Compensate me seven billion people? There were so many lives on Earth, and to them they were no different from toys? Human civilization is nothing worth mentioning? They’ll just compensate me for spoiling it?”

From Tang Yue’s point of view, the letter was filled with contempt and scorn.

Look at those words and tone. Earth’s disappearance was only an operational accident. There were five hundred million planets that were vaporized along with Earth. What’s the big deal? We’ll just compensate one to you.

“Then what am I? What is Mai Dong? What about all the suffering we endured…” Tang Yue slowly crouched down, covering his face as his voice choked. “We worked so hard to live on. What was it for? Was there any meaning to that…”

“No.” Tomcat walked over and stood in front of Tang Yue, held up his cheeks, and collided its forehead with his. “Tang Yue, that’s not how it is. That’s not how it is.”

Tang Yue looked up.

“There’s meaning.” Tomcat’s eyes were shining amidst the shadows.

“Meaning?”

“That’s right.” Tomcat stuffed Tang Yue’s head into its chest. “If you hadn’t held on to live to this day, that letter would undoubtedly be worth nothing. Regardless of where it comes from, it’s because you’ve seen it that gives it meaning. Its appearance isn’t to tell you that they are some advanced civilization in the Universe, nor is it telling you that they are far more advanced and powerful than us, much less are they saying that Earth and humanity is completely meaningless.”

Tang Yue leaned his head against Tomcat’s chest and whispered, “Then what is it saying?”

“It’s telling us…” Tomcat hugged Tang Yue tight, putting its cheek against his forehead. “Be it you, or Miss Mai Dong, your existence, your perseverance, your struggles, your hard work… have meaning. Tang Yue, all of this is meaningful. We have worked so hard, struggling so long to live to this point. We overcame many difficulties and experienced so many disaster and sorrow, and now, all of that has borne fruit to pay us back.

“It’s not denying the value to our existence. It’s because you are still alive that there’s still hope for the future,” Tomcat whispered. “That’s what the letter is saying.”

Tang Yue turned agape.

“Is there meaning to my life?”

“Yes.”

“Was there meaning to Mai Dong’s life as well?”

“Yes.”

Tang Yue’s body trembled as he buried his head in the cat’s fur, placing all his weight on its shoulders as he gritted his teeth to stop himself from crying.

“We… We aren’t weeds of no value? We aren’t space trash that has been lingering on our last breaths? Our… Our existence has meaning?”

“Yes, Tang Yue, Miss Mai Dong…” Tomcat slowly patted Tang Yue on the back and whispered. “Our hard work, our cries… have been heard by this world.”

…

On the cold night just before he fell into utter despair, Tang Yue broke down and cried.

This cold and emotionless Universe had ultimately bent down to huge this man, kissing him on the forehead and telling him, You haven’t been forgotten by the world.

…

“88.2°E, 17.6°N.”

“This location is within the Isidis Planitia. It’s very, very close to us.” Tomcat found the coordinates on the map. It began measuring the distance. “It’s almost at our doorstep. It’s northeast of Kunlun Station, in the direction of the Utopia Planitia.”

Tomcat turned and found northeast as it extended its claw to point.

“In that direction.”

“How far is it from us?”

“A straight line distance of about…” Tomcat did the math. “280 kilometers.”

“Be more precise.”

“I’m using the Isidis Planitia three-dimensional map left behind by Old Zheng. Thankfully, Isidis Planitia doesn’t have much topographic relief. The calculation won’t be too off… The exact distance is 283.1 kilometers.” Tomcat quickly gave an accurate figure. “If we want to reach this location, it will take at least nine sols on Mars Wanderer, considering how it can move a maximum of 30 kilometers a sol.”

“Let’s set off tomorrow.” Tang Yue didn’t wish to wait a sol longer.

“It won’t do tomorrow.” Tomcat shook its head. “We need a sol to prepare. We need to inspect and repair Mars Wanderer, remove the experiment module, bring enough food supplies and enough water. We need to bring the solar panels and finally bid farewell to Kunlun Station.”

What Tomcat said made sense. Tang Yue was being too eager. A distance of 280 kilometers was indeed akin to being on their doorstep when it came to astronomical scales. But to them, it was an unprecedented trip. With Mars Wanderer’s turtle crawl, it needed nine sols to reach its destination. There wouldn’t be any assistance along the way, and any accidents had to be resolved by themselves. Furthermore, Tang Yue had to go along this time. It was imperative that they made ample preparations.

Tang Yue held his palm against the Hab’s inner wall and exhaled lightly.

He and Tomcat knew very well deep down. It was almost impossible for them to return once they set off. It was destined to be a one-way trip.

Kunlun Station had a total of six units of emergency oxygen equipment. On average, each oxygen candle lasted forty hours. Six of them provided 240 hours, less than ten sols. This also meant that Tang Yue’s oxygen reserves were severely lacking. They were barely enough for him to reach his destination, but there wouldn’t be any excess oxygen for him to return to Kunlun Station.

He and Tomcat didn’t know what to expect at the coordinates. Would there be a spacecraft waiting there? Or would there be an office with a signboard? Or would it be a barren piece of desert with the letter simply a hoax? It was a risk that they couldn’t turn back once they set off.

Tang Yue got Tomcat to bring a shovel. If they were unlucky enough to get lost, missing their destination or if there wasn’t anything at the coordinates, Tomcat could dig a pit to bury Tang Yue inside.

Regardless of the outcome, this was the final stretch Tang Yue would take his life. He was heading out into the complete unknown, with a one-way ticket in hand, walking towards an unknown destination.

No one knew what was waiting for him there.

Hope.

Or death.