The Old Cat was stunned.
But it immediately understood what Tang Yue meant.
The distance between the impact point of Comet Tomcat-Tang-Mai I and Kunlun Station was no more than 1,400 kilometers. Tang Yue would definitely die, but the Old Cat might survive.
Tomcat didn't need a life support system or oxygen, much less food or water. It could travel light. It could bring solar panels or the RTG and drive the Mars Wanderer away from Kunlun Station.
If the comet landed on the east side of Kunlun Station, then the Old Cat would head west. If it ran 30 kilometers a day, it would be able to run 1,000 kilometers in a month.
"Come with me!" The Old Cat grabbed Tang Yue's hand.
Tang Yue smiled bitterly and shook his head. "That's impossible."
Tang Yue knew very well that if the Old Cat brought him along, it would have to spend a lot of time modifying the Mars Wanderer. It would have to install a life support system for the Mars Wanderer, dismantle the OGS cabinet, and carry a lot of supplies. The 1,000 liters of fresh water in Kunlun Station alone weighed more than a ton — 400 kilograms on Mars — and it was impossible to carry it over a long distance.
If the Old Cat drove alone, it might be possible to escape the calamity before the comet landed.
If the two of them left together, then neither of them would be able to escape.
Tang Yue was destined to be unable to leave Kunlun Station. He did not have the ability to move around outdoors for a long time. This was the biological limitation of Earthlings.
"Take everything you need and leave here," Tang Yue said. "Old man, you've done your best. You can't save me, and you can't save Mai Dong."
Tang Yue stroked the Old Cat's head and rubbed its ears. To be honest, rubbing cat ears was very stress-relieving, but there would not be many opportunities to do so in the future.
"Let me think of another way … Let me think of another way."
The Old Cat leaned its forehead on Tang Yue's body, lowered its eyes, and whispered.
Tang Yue did not speak. He put his hand on the Old Cat's shoulder, and the latter's voice slowly lowered. The Old Cat was thinking. It had been thinking. From the moment the Kunlun Station's computer came up with the results, the Old Cat had been desperately trying to come up with a solution. However, every plan it came up with was subsequently overturned by itself.
All the preparations that humans could make were a joke in the face of the huge impact. How could a small ant's nest be able to withstand the impact of a tsunami?
Tomcat, who always had a Plan B, was at its wit's end. In front of the massive celestial body that was thirty kilometers in diameter, Tomcat was helpless. This was the feeling of helplessness that came from watching the entire world collapse.
This time, there was no Plan B.
"You're right." The Old Cat closed its eyes. "I can't save you, and I can't save Miss Mai Dong."
Tang Yue smiled, squatted down, and pressed his hands on the Old Cat's shoulders.
"But you've already saved me and Mai Dong," Tang Yue said. "Mr. Station Master."
Ever since the earth disappeared, Tang Yue had thought about how he would die more than once. He thought that he would die at some point in the future due to lack of food and clothing. However, Tang Yue did not know when and how that would be. Death was a vague thing to him.
Every night, Tang Yue slept with the Grim Reaper. His face was close to the Grim Reaper's, but he could not see what the other party looked like.
At this moment, he finally saw what death looked like.
Tang Yue had 37 days left to live.
The Old Cat retreated and sat on the chair dejectedly. Its two paws rested on its knees.
Tang Yue seemed relieved. He sat a few meters in front of the Old Cat and stretched his limbs.
"Let's go. You're the last witness of human civilization. If you're lucky enough to meet other intelligent creatures in this universe in the future, please tell them …"
Tang Yue looked out the window leisurely.
"There used to be a race here. They had all the good qualities in this universe. They loved life, freedom, and peace. They were virtuous, curious, and empathetic. They were willing to dedicate their lives to a higher goal. Among them were geniuses, great men, saints, and heroes."
Tang Yue's voice was soft and long, as if he was reciting a poem.
"There used to be such a race here. They had all the bad qualities in the universe. They discriminated against each other, had constant infighting, and despised the value of life. They were morally corrupt, short-sighted, full of deceit, and their hands were stained with blood. For their own selfish desires, they did not hesitate to harm the interests of the majority. Among them were idiots, demons, criminals, and cowards." Tang Yue continued.
"They were complicated, but great."
The Old Cat was silent for a moment.
"It's too long. I can't remember."
"Then let's put it this way: Alien bastards, this is the territory of humans!"
"What if I don't meet them?"
"Then tell the universe."
Tang Yue sat on the chair and looked up at the sky.
"I only just realized why the first homo sapiens walked out of Africa on a warm and starry night more than 200,000 years ago."
"Why?"
"Because it wanted to tell the universe that we have been here before."
Tang Yue answered, "The development of all civilizations is ultimately to leave their footprints in the river of time, to prove their existence. Perhaps it will become the ultimate question that all civilizations will face in the end."
"How do you know that the first homo sapiens walked out of Africa on a starry night?"
"Because I saw it."
Tang Yue closed his eyes, and a faint smile appeared on his lips. "It jumped across a shallow river, and its eyes were as bright as the stars in the sky."
The Old Cat did not believe that Tang Yue could really see the homo sapiens from more than 200,000 years ago. As for the jump across a shallow river, it was mostly Tang Yue's own imagination.
"Do you know, Old Cat? Two hundred thousand years have passed. Compared to it, every part of my body is different. It ate raw meat, wore animal skin, carried a wooden stick, and lived in the grasslands and jungles. I wore a spacesuit, had a computer beside me, and sat in a scientific research station on Mars … But there is still one last part that is exactly the same between us," Tang Yue said, "and that is the eyes."
The Old Cat was stunned.
What Tang Yue said surprised it.
Across two hundred thousand years, the eyes of humans had never changed.
"Despite the twists and turns and the hardships we have experienced, we are always looking forward."
Tang Yue said softly, "Always full of hope and light, as well as endless curiosity about the world."
The Old Cat followed Tang Yue's train of thought. If more than 200,000 years ago, the first homo sapiens to step out of Africa really jumped across a shallow river on a quiet, warm, starry night and ran into the vast and boundless world, then at the moment it leaped into the future, would it see another pair of eyes at the end of time, 100 million kilometers away?
The Old Cat raised its head.
"What are you going to do in the next thirty days?"
"Hurry up and finish the unfinished work."
Tang Yue opened his eyes. "Before the comet hits, I have to at least write the history of mankind to the space age. That way, even if some creatures receive our radio broadcast and see our history, they will not think that we are a group of barbarians who have never even stepped out of our home planet."
The Old Cat and Tang Yue sat in the lobby of Kunlun Station, waiting for the night to pass and the sun to rise.
"Tang Yue, Mr. Cat?
Good morning. "Mai Dong came online." You guys are early today. "