Tang Yue put on his clothes, climbed out of bed, and followed Old Cat into the lobby of Kunlun Station.
His mind was almost completely blank.
The workstation had already given the prediction results. After a few days of continuous observation and calculation, it could already narrow down the falling point of Comet Tomcat-Tang-Mai I to a 600 × 600 kilometer circle. It was much more accurate than the huge ellipse that spanned six thousand kilometers.
Old Cat sat down on a chair and turned the monitor over. The computer screen was still showing the map of Mars that Tang Yue was familiar with. A big red circle enveloped the northern hemisphere near the equator. It looked like a nuclear strike warning.
But this was actually much more serious than a nuclear strike warning.
This circle represented the location where 5.2 trillion nuclear bombs would explode at the same time.
Tang Yue's mouth was dry. He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, turned around, and poured himself a glass of water. He drank all the water in the glass in one go.
In Tang Yue's eyes, this solid red circle was a mark on the map that Death had stamped on it. It meant "you are dead."
"This is the latest prediction result from the computer. The falling point of Comet Tomcat-Tang-Mai I is in this area. It is 800 kilometers away from Kunlun Station at its closest and 1,300 kilometers away at its furthest," Old Cat said. "Unfortunately … the circle of divine retribution has shrunk to the top of our heads."
Tang Yue held his forehead and was speechless.
In the previous prediction, they still had a 50% chance of survival.
This probability was very high, really high. It was much higher than the less than 5% chance when the Eagle successfully docked. It was also much higher than the one in a thousand or even one in ten thousand chance of Orion II landing safely.
But God of Fate did not throw a six again.
According to Tomcat's calculations, the comet's landing point had to be 2,500 kilometers away for Kunlun Station to have any chance of surviving. But now, the computer's prediction was only 800 kilometers. The closest distance was 800 kilometers, and the furthest distance was 1,300 kilometers. At this distance, the calamity brought by the comet wasn't limited to earthquakes. Comet Tomcat-Tang-Mai I was a behemoth with a diameter of 30 kilometers. Its impact would completely change the terrain of Syrtis Major and the Isidis Planitia, wiping the two places off the map.
Dismantling Kunlun Station, breaking it into pieces, using softness to overcome strength, it was meaningless no matter how strong he was while lying on the ground. This was just like how even if you strictly followed the instructions in the 'Safety Education Manual for Primary and Secondary School Students,' you would still die because a nuclear bomb would explode a hundred meters away from you.
At such a close distance, the huge energy of the impact would shatter everything.
"Probability of survival?" Tang Yue asked hoarsely.
"Zero."
It was rare for Tomcat to be so certain. It wasn't "nearly zero," nor was it "about zero." It was just "zero."
"Is there no other way?"
"No." Old Cat shook his head.
Even if the comet fell at the farthest point of the predicted range, which was 1,300 kilometers away from Kunlun Station, there was still 1,200 kilometers to reach safety.
Bright Light Armour's independent working time was only eight hours, and the Mars Wanderer could only run 30 kilometers a day. Tang Yue did not have the ability to leave Kunlun Station for a long journey.
"Then what about digging for cover …" Tang Yue still wanted to struggle.
Old Cat shook his head silently.
Ordinary people could not imagine what kind of disaster would occur when Comet Tomcat-Tang-Mai I hit. In fact, in the face of such an apocalyptic disaster, any human effort was insignificant. The only thing that could save their lives was distance. As long as the distance was far enough, the energy generated by the impact would be offset by Mars itself. Beyond the safe distance, Mars itself was the strongest barrier. Within the safe distance, all human efforts were a joke.
Tang Yue was silent. He put his hands into his hair and pulled at the roots.
"That girl doesn't know, right?"
"She doesn't know." Old Cat shook his head. "I will come to you as soon as the prediction results are out."
Tang Yue looked down at his hands and feet. His feet and fingers could move normally. He was not dreaming.
"Tang Yue …"
Tang Yue raised his hand to signal Old Cat not to speak.
"Let me be quiet for a while. I need to take a break."
Old Cat nodded. It sat on the chair and looked at the young man in front of it. He bent down deeply, held his head, and took deep breaths.
Tang Yue rubbed his temples with his thumbs, hoping to get his brain, which was so stiff that it couldn't think, to work again.
"Don't let her come down," Tang Yue said softly. "Stop the landing plan."
"Okay." Old Cat nodded. "Stop the landing plan."
"Is there any other way to save that girl's life?"
"When designing the landing control system, I also wrote a flight program to break out of Mars orbit. It can allow Orion II to leave Mars orbit and enter orbit around the sun."
Old Cat replied, "Orion II still has enough propellant. This way, it can avoid the impact of the comet impact, but Miss Mai Dong rejected this method."
"If it were me, I would reject it too."
Tang Yue said that if they broke out of Mars orbit and entered the vast solar system, then from now on, Mai Dong would become a lonely wanderer. She might not encounter the next planet for the rest of her life. Eventually, she would die in despair and the endless void. Such a life was worse than being hit by a comet.
"When are you going to tell Miss Mai Dong about this?"
"Tomorrow morning."
Tang Yue sighed and showed a bitter smile that was uglier than crying. "I didn't expect that the human civilization that has lasted for tens of thousands of years will end with me."
"For you, is death a relief?" Old Cat asked.
"Once you accept it from the bottom of your heart and acknowledge its existence, then facing it is not so difficult."
Tang Yue said and reached out to Old Cat. "Since the disappearance of the earth, haven't I been struggling on the edge of death?
For me, it's an old friend … Old man, our cooperation is coming to an end. Thank you for taking care of me all this time. "
Old Cat stepped forward and shook hands with Tang Yue, then hugged him tightly.
"I'm honored to work with you, Tang Yue, and Miss Mai Dong. This was supposed to be said when we returned to Earth … but now we are all going to die."
"No."
Tang Yue touched Old Cat's two fluffy ears. "It's only me who is going to die, not us."
Old Cat was stunned and did not understand what this meant.
Tang Yue pressed on its shoulder and pushed it away. He squatted down and looked directly into Old Cat's eyes.
"Old Cat, you have to leave here!
Take the solar panels, take everything you need, take the Mars Wanderer, and leave here immediately!
Run as fast and as far as you can. The comet still has about forty days to hit Mars. The Mars Wanderer can run thirty kilometers a day. Forty days is enough for you to get away from the comet's impact point!
You still have a chance to survive! "