It had been sixty hours since they lost contact with the Old Cat.
Tang Yue stayed up all night once again. He looked haggard, and his eyes were bloodshot.
Tang Yue and Mai Dong used the topographic map of Kunlun Station to expand the search area based on the possible location where the Old Cat might have crashed. However, they still found nothing. Mai Dong's method failed, and they had to continue the arduous task of brute force scanning. Tang Yue threw the images they had searched into a folder. Now, there were more than 3,200 photos in the folder.
No one knew where the Old Cat was. Just like on Earth, it disappeared without a trace. Tang Yue wore headphones and guarded the communication system all day long, not daring to miss a single signal. However, the Old Cat did not even send a comma.
The situation was getting more and more serious. At first, Mai Dong could still comfort Tang Yue, but now, even Mai Dong herself was silent. The two buried their heads in the vast image data. Other than comparing the images, they did not dare to imagine what kind of problem the Old Cat had encountered.
Mai Dong looked at the files on the screen. The most terrible ending might be buried in the thousands of images, but no one dared to mention it. It was as if it would become a reality if it was mentioned.
It was like a scratch-off gambling. When you scratched the ticket in your hand, it might be safe and sound, or it might be the cat that crashed.
Tang Yue curled up in the chair in front of the table. His body was wrapped in a thick blanket, and he was shivering from the cold.
He had been in this position all night, like a statue. Mai Dong could only see Tang Yue's eyes and fingers moving every few seconds. The latter curled up like a koala to reduce heat loss. Kunlun Station's indoor temperature was negative ten degrees Celsius, and the hall was covered with frost.
The RTG stood in the middle of the floor. Other than Tang Yue himself, it was the only heat source in Kunlun Station. The RTG was surrounded by a circle of feces barrels. Tang Yue had no extra energy to take care of the seeds and fertilizers. At this point, the tomato planting plan had to be postponed. He could only leave the RTG there and let the feces ferment on their own.
"3277 … 3277 …" Tang Yue stared intently as he muttered to himself as though he was chanting scriptures.
He clicked the mouse. "3278. Mai Dong, look at this picture. Is it my imagination?
Why do I feel that this picture is not normal? "
"Yes, it is your imagination."
"What about 3279?
My man's intuition tells me that there is something unusual about this picture. "
"My woman's intuition tells me that this picture is ordinary."
"Well, I'll listen to you. Your intuition is more accurate than mine."
To be honest, Tang Yue wanted to try metaphysics when he was at the end of his rope. He wanted to make full use of Mai Dong's woman's intuition and let her poke at the map to see if she could pinpoint the location of Old Cat. However, the probability was too low. Tang Yue's corridor was 190 square kilometers, and the Mars Wanderer only covered an area of 30 square meters. The probability of Mai Dong hitting the Old Cat was only one in 6,333,333.
Mai Dong might not hit the Old Cat for the rest of her life.
Tang Yue continued to chant. "3280 … 3281 …"
"Tang Yue, Tang Yue?
Drink some water and take a rest … "Mai Dong was very worried about Tang Yue's condition. He had not slept for several days. His hair was disheveled and his beard was unshaven. His work and rest were very irregular, and he looked extremely haggard. If this trend continued, Tang Yue might collapse before they could find the Old Cat.
"Oh."
Tang Yue nodded, but he still showed no signs of moving. His eyes stayed on the computer screen. "Mai Dong, what did you find …"
Before he finished speaking, Tang Yue coughed violently, as if he was a patient with tuberculosis. He leaned on the table as if he was going to cough out his lungs.
The continuous violent coughing emptied the air in his lungs. Tang Yue could not even cough in the end. He opened his mouth wide and could not catch his breath. His face was red.
"Sorry, I … I have to drink some water."
Tang Yue's voice was hoarse. He waved his hand and went to pour water with a blanket. The water tank was placed next to the RTG. Without the isotope thermoelectric generator, the fresh water would have frozen.
Tang Yue took a cup, bent down, and carefully scooped a little bit of fresh water. The shallow layer could only cover the bottom of the cup. But before the cup reached his mouth, his frozen fingers slipped, and the cup fell to the floor with a clang. The water spilled all over the floor.
"Damn!
My water! "
Tang Yue quickly bent down and knelt down, sucking up the water spilled on the floor. He picked up the cup and stretched out his tongue to slap the bottom of the cup … He really felt sorry for his water. Tang Yue's daily water allowance was only 1.5 liters. It was not enough to drink, not to mention that he had to brush his teeth, wash his face, and clean his body. Wasting even one milliliter was a great sin.
In the past, the great poet Tao Yuanming did not bend over for five buckets of rice. He was really noble and upright. One milliliter of water could make Tang Yue prostrate himself.
After confirming that he did not waste any fresh water, Tang Yue straightened up with satisfaction. He had an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
"You … Are you okay?" Mai Dong was stunned.
"I drank some water. Now I'm much better. I'm refreshed and full of strength."
Tang Yue took a deep breath, choked by the biting cold air, and coughed violently again.
"Tang Yue, you need to rest!" The girl's face became serious. "You must rest!
Leave the work to me. You!
Now!
Immediately!
Lie down for me! "
"Okay, okay, okay. After I finish looking at this batch of photos, I will immediately rest."
Tang Yue promised. "I know my body's condition the best. Don't worry, I can still hold on."
The sun rose, and it was time for him to go out and move the solar panels.
Tang Yue hung the life support system on the wall, unzipped the Bright Light Armour, and then bent down to get in. Without the help of others, it was a torturous thing to put on the Bright Light Armour alone. Tang Yue felt that his body's joints were stiff from the cold. Not only did he have cervical spondylosis, but his lumbar disc also protruded. He stretched his legs like an old man.
Tang Yue clumsily put on the Bright Light Armour, locked the life support system, and connected all kinds of messy pipes. After checking that there were no problems, the green indicator on his wrist lit up.
After putting on the Bright Light Armour, he felt a lot warmer, and the steam from his breath fogged up the mask.
"Mai Dong, I will go out and move the solar panels. You continue to check." Tang Yue waved his hand. "If you find anything, remember to inform me."
"Are you really okay?" Mai Dong also waved her hand.
"No problem!
I am strong now, and I just want to go out and run for five kilometers! "
Tang Yue smiled and gave her a thumbs up. He turned around and opened the hatch of the airlock. He walked out valiantly, and then he tripped on the edge of the hatch and fell into the airlock.
"Tang Yue!" Mai Dong exclaimed.
She looked at the bloated back that fell into the airlock, motionless, and did not get up again.