"Pliers."
Old Cat squatted at the hatch door and frowned. It stretched out its paw like a surgeon.
Nurse Tang squatted beside it and slapped the pliers into Old Cat's paw.
"What … is this?" Tang Yue whispered. "A postcard?
An envelope?
Or an advertising flyer?
Which planet's licensing business is so advanced and arrogant that it can even be done on Mars? "
There were no Martians in the airlock as expected, but there was a flat white card on the floor. It looked like a postcard or an envelope. It lay quietly on the other side of the threshold. In Old Cat's eyes, this thing was as terrible as an atomic bomb.
Obviously, it did not belong to anyone in Kunlun Station.
"It's not necessarily a licensing business. Have you seen a licensing business handing out flyers?
They all print their phone numbers directly on the wall. Judging from the behavior of knocking on the door and running away, it may be a small pornographic advertisement stuffed under the door. "
Old Cat carefully pinched the suspicious card with its pliers and turned it over. There was no eye-catching "licensing" on the other side, nor was there a female green-skinned alien with disheveled clothes. This made Tang Yue and Old Cat feel relieved at the same time. It would be too frightening if a small advertisement was stuffed under the door for the first time of human civilization's contact with the outside world. It would be more logical for a Star Destroyer to descend from space.
"It's an envelope," Tang Yue said.
Tomcat nodded. Upon careful observation, it was indeed an envelope. However, it didn't have any handwriting or stamps. In this era, envelopes were rather rare antiques. This was because no one would use such a primitive method of sending letters to communicate. Only the post office maintained the business of sending letters.
"Specimen bag." Old Cat stretched out its paw again.
Tang Yue handed the plastic specimen bag to it.
Old Cat stuffed the envelope into the specimen bag and sealed it, then put the bag into the box. Old Cat's attitude was quite cautious when dealing with suspicious objects of unknown origin. It put on a spacesuit, but unfortunately, there was no bulletproof vest in Kunlun Station. If there was, Tang Yue believed that it would also wear it.
"Before confirming that it is absolutely safe, no one is allowed to have direct contact with it," Old Cat said. "You must keep a safe distance."
Tang Yue nodded.
Now, there was only one person in Kunlun Station. There was no one else.
Old Cat took the specimen box out and went straight into the garage. It wanted to carefully analyze the origins of the envelope. The instruments in the Mars Wanderer experiment module might come in handy.
Tang Yue also followed. Old Cat originally wanted him to stay as far away as possible because no one knew what the envelope was made of. It could carry a deadly virus, or it could have high radiation. It could even be made of pure antimatter.
An antimatter envelope with a mass of more than ten grams was isolated from the outside world. Once it came into contact with any matter in the universe, its mass would be completely converted into energy. The power of the envelope's explosion would be equivalent to ten Hiroshima's mushroom bombs.
Therefore, Tang Yue did not run away.
There was no point in running away.
If the other civilization really had the ability to seal up antimatter at will and make it stable, then killing him would be as easy as snapping a finger.
Old Cat locked itself in the geology experiment module. Before closing the door, it turned around one last time to warn Tang Yue that the following work might have devastating consequences. If he did not want to die, he should stay as far away as possible. However, Tang Yue could not chase him away. Old Cat finally had no choice but to let him be.
The door of the geology experiment module was closed, and the lights were turned on. Old Cat was fully equipped to work. Tang Yue leaned against the garage and watched the Old Cat's shadow.
Tomcat spent a total of three hours tinkering. From the looks of it, it wasn't any easier than a surgery. Finally, it pushed open the hatch and jumped down. It held the IVA suit's helmet in one paw and the envelope in the other.
Tang Yue sat outside and waited for more than two hours. When he saw Old Cat come out, he quickly went up to it. "How's the situation?"
Old Cat pushed him.
"Let's go back and talk."
·
·
·
Old Cat and Tang Yue each held a flashlight, like two archaeologists studying cultural relics.
The envelope was on a plate, and the sealed specimen box and plastic bag had been removed. It was placed on the table. There was nothing unusual about it. It was ordinary.
"What is it made of?" Tang Yue asked. "What's its origin?"
"Looking at the results of the analysis of the spectrum, its main composition is carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Hydrogen is the most, carbon and oxygen are similar." Old Cat replied. "There are also very small amounts of sodium and sulfur."
"Speak human language."
"Sugar." Old Cat said. "Its main material is sugar, which is a kind of carbohydrate."
"Sugar?" Tang Yue was taken aback. He asked subconsciously, "You mean this thing can be eaten?"
"Eat what?
Why is your head full of food? "
Old Cat squinted his eyes. "This is cellulose, a kind of polysaccharide. It is the main component of the xylem of plants. Would you eat wood shavings or gnaw on tree bark?
In layman's terms … "
Old Cat pulled out a piece of used draft paper from under the table, shook it, and then slapped it on the edge of the envelope.
"The composition of these two things is exactly the same. There is almost no difference. Cellulose is the main component of wood pulp paper … This envelope is the most common and ordinary paper envelope on Earth. There is no virus, no radioactivity, and no antimatter."
Tang Yue was slightly surprised.
He had just experienced the second most bizarre encounter in human history. The most bizarre was, of course, the evaporation of the earth.
Therefore, Tang Yue was mentally prepared. No matter how strange or crazy this thing was, he would not be surprised. However, Old Cat told him that this was just a very ordinary envelope. It was no different from the most common paper envelopes on Earth.
"Exactly the same as the paper envelopes on Earth?"
"Yes." Old Cat nodded.
He was stunned for a moment. Then, he jumped up and didn't even care that he knocked over a chair.
"Tang Yue?"
Tang Yue ignored Old Cat. He opened the airlock hatch and staggered out.
"Tang Yue!
Tang Yue! "Old Cat grabbed the envelope and chased after him.
Tang Yue was wearing the heavy Bright Light Armour. He pushed open the hatch and stood in front of Kunlun Station, panting. He faced the dark wilderness and the bright starry sky on the horizon.
"Hey —!"
Tang Yue took a deep breath and then roared.
"Come out —!
Come out —! "
"I know you are here —!
Come out —!
Damn it, come out —!! "
Tang Yue shouted himself hoarse.
"Come out —!
I have found you!
Don't hide anymore!
Come out —!
I'm begging you … I'm begging you to come out … "
"Please … I beg you … I beg you …"
Old Cat stood in the airlock and looked at the man shouting with all his might. He tried to transmit his voice to the world, but his roar didn't travel far before it dissipated in the thin and cold air. Tang Yue slowly bent down. His face was red, and he gasped for breath. He sat on the threshold of the hatch.
"I beg you, I beg you, please save me …"
Tang Yue muttered to himself as tears streamed down his face.
Old Cat sighed. He walked over from behind, patted his shoulder, and handed the envelope over.
Tang Yue turned his head.
"Open it … There is something in the envelope. It should be for you."