"Give away half?" Old Cat was shocked.
"Why?
You think it's too little? "Tang Yue asked." Then how about sixty percent? "
"Are you crazy?" Old Cat said. "If you give away sixty percent of the supplies to others, what are you going to eat?
Do you not want to live anymore? "
Tang Yue sat down, holding a half-meter-long brush in his hand. Wearing the Bright Light Armour EVA suit was very physically taxing. This thing was like a thick and heavy turtle shell, so Tang Yue often worked for a period of time and rested for a period of time.
"I can't explain it clearly. I feel that my thoughts have undergone some kind of change … I don't seem to care much about whether I'm alive or dead."
Tang Yue said, "I feel that my life has become one with the universe, reaching the highest level of unity between man and nature. I'm now beginning to understand the thoughts of Buddha and Jesus back then. Old Cat, do you think I'm really going to become Buddha …"
"Become your ass!"
"Okay, I just think that the supplies should be divided equally."
Tang Yue answered sullenly. "Two people, each getting fifty percent. That's the fairest way. Is there a problem?"
The wide solar panel was placed on the ground and propped up on a shelf. It was about half a meter off the ground. This thing was actually very heavy, and it could not be bumped, so it was not convenient to move. Tang Yue had always used a small cart to move the solar panel into the garage.
"There's no problem with dividing it equally."
Old Cat lowered his voice. "But Tang Yue, have you thought about it? There's only one Eagle spaceship, and it can only be used once."
Tang Yue was stunned. "I know."
There was only one Eagle spaceship and it could only be used once. This meant that Tang Yue only had one chance to deliver the supplies. This four-hundred-kilometer express delivery only had one chance.
After delivering the goods, Tang Yue would lose all ability to leave the surface of Mars. Mai Dong would not be able to receive any more supplies. The space station lacked the ability to sustain itself. In other words, Tang Yue could only postpone the day when the supplies were exhausted. It was impossible to change this outcome. Mai Dong's outcome would still not change.
Old Cat lowered his voice. "That girl's outcome has long been written. No one can change it, but you are different. You are on Mars, and your ability to sustain yourself is much stronger than on the space station. There are more supplies and tools. You might still have a chance of survival."
Tang Yue raised his eyebrows.
"If you give away half of the supplies, you will be cutting off your own path of retreat!"
Old Cat's tone was very serious. "You won't be able to save her by doing this. At most, you will be delaying the girl's death, but you will be digging your own grave!"
"I've already made up my mind. There's no need to persuade me." Tang Yue waved his hand. "I said I'll give away half, so I'll give away half. Not one gram less."
"You …" Old Cat was exasperated. With Tang Yue's stubborn temper, why didn't he listen to advice?
Tang Yue slowly got up, walked to the garage door, and pulled the handle.
With a beep, the green indicator light lit up, and the garage door slowly opened. Tang Yue saw the tall front of the Mars rover again.
The structure of the garage was very simple. It was just a container with the logo of China Xugong Group on it. It was used to contain and protect the rover. Tang Yue had done a comprehensive inspection of the rover when he was tidying up Kunlun Station before parking it in the garage. According to the original plan, the garage door would only open again after two years.
This rover was called the Mars Wanderer. It was the only means of transportation on the surface of Mars for the expedition team. It was ten meters long, four meters wide, and three meters tall. It had six metal wheels and was about the size of a truck.
Compared to the lunar rovers that were the size of tricycles, this rover was really huge. The front of the vehicle was the crew cabin. Including the driver, it could carry four people. Because the cabin was not airtight, the people in the vehicle had to wear spacesuits.
The Mars Wanderer was a mobile laboratory. The back of the vehicle was pulled by hinges. In fact, the cart could be replaced with an experiment module. During the mission, the geologists in the expedition team often drove this vehicle, pulling the drill bit and geologic hammer everywhere. The top speed of the Mars Wanderer could reach 30 kilometers per hour, which was not much faster than a bicycle. Therefore, Tang Yue also called this vehicle the Mars Tractor.
Tang Yue stepped into the garage and glanced at the thermometer hanging on the wall.
It was minus 25 degrees Celsius.
The temperature in the garage was much higher than outside. At this time, the temperature outside was at least minus 40 degrees Celsius. When the sun set, the temperature would drop further to minus 70 degrees Celsius.
The reason why the temperature in the garage was relatively stable was because there was an isotope thermoelectric generator, or the so-called RTG.
From the outside, the isotope thermoelectric generator was a cylinder half a meter tall. The shell was equipped with six spokes. This generator used the radioactive element plutonium 238 as an energy source. It did not require external sunlight. Plutonium 238 would steadily release heat during its decay. The generator used the temperature difference caused by the radioactive source to generate electricity.
Part of the heat would dissipate into the air, so the temperature in the garage was stable.
In addition, the half-life of plutonium 238 was as long as 80 years. In other words, Tang Yue would not be able to use this thing for as long as he lived.
Tang Yue pulled out the small cart and put the solar panels on it.
"Old Cat, do you know how Marx defined human beings?"
"Human beings?"
Tang Yue pulled the cart and nodded. "Marx said that the essence of human beings is the sum of all social relationships. Humans are social animals, after all. They need to huddle together for warmth. A person can't survive in this world alone."
"So you gave half of the supplies to Miss Mai Dong because you were afraid of being alone?"
"Old Cat, you're a robot. I'm afraid you can't understand our feelings."
Tang Yue dragged the small cart into the garage and unloaded the solar panels. He then turned around and continued to move the panels. "I can still talk to you like this now because my brain still can't accept the fact that the earth has disappeared. If one day I figure this out and my brain finally comes around, I might have a nervous breakdown."
Old Cat was silent.
"Fortunately, the earth is too far away. I can't see it or touch it here, so my subconscious can still deceive my brain and say that the earth still exists."
Tang Yue continued, "If the earth disappeared in front of me, I'm afraid I would go crazy on the spot … Surviving alone is more terrifying than dying together."
There was no sound in the channel. Old Cat did not speak.
"Old Cat?"
"Humans are really complicated creatures."
Old Cat shook his head. "Sometimes you don't even prioritize survival. This is a shameful betrayal."
"Betrayal?" Tang Yue asked, "Who did I betray?"
"You betrayed your genes."
Old Cat said, "Genes are selfish. Their purpose is to survive and pass on, and you're going to die before you can pass it on."
"F * ck!
You're implying that I'm single again! "Tang Yue was furious." You don't have a wife either. Why are you so arrogant? "
"I'm a robot." Old Cat was very calm. "I don't need a spouse."
"Then I don't need a spouse either!"
Tang Yue angrily pushed the cart into the garage and then shouted towards the vast and lonely wasteland, "What do you mean by single?
I, Tang Yue, am a lone wolf on Mars! "