Tang Yue sat cross-legged on the floor of the experiment cabin, holding a can of food in his hand. His body was jolted along with the car, like a migrant worker eating lunch on a train.
The canned beef was canned beef, and the beef was top-grade Qinchuan beef. It was a breed specially cultivated by the Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University for the Mars Landing Project. It was a special food that couldn't be bought in the outside world. The meat was delicious, tender, juicy, and nutritious. Compared to compressed biscuits and tomatoes, it was a heavenly treat. If it were two months ago, Zhang Zian would have sold Old Cat for a canned Tang Yue.
Wait a minute.
It was a loss to trade Old Cat for a can of food.
It was better to change to two.
Tang Yue took off the heavy Bright Light Armour. Every day, he only had a little bit of time to get rid of this impenetrable tortoiseshell. The inside of the Bright Light Armour was covered with a fine mesh of liquid-cooled hoses. Cooling liquid flowed through the hoses to dissipate heat. If this mesh was straightened and connected, the total length could be more than 20 kilometers. Under most circumstances, the inside of the Bright Light Armour was not hot, but even so, it was still stuffy.
The oxygen produced by the emergency oxygen-generating system always carried the smell of burnt plastic. No one knew where it came from, and even lithium hydroxide could not absorb it. The smell gathered in the Bright Light Armour, and Tang Yue was about to suffocate.
It was not known which culinary god had also canned Wagyu. Each packet was only as big as the palm of one's hand. It was supposed to be used as a decoration for the main course. However, Tang Yue did not have the slightest awareness that he was dealing with high-end ingredients. He tore open the packaging and poured it into his mouth. After pouring it out, he began to chew. He chewed in a very imposing manner. It was as if he had put abalone and loach together with tofu and stewed them in a pot.
After dinner, Tang Yue licked his fingers. As he licked, he suddenly remembered that he had just cleaned the urine collection device in Bright Light Armour. He froze, half of his ring finger still in his mouth.
Tang Yue thought for a few seconds.
Only half a finger remained.
To lick or not to lick?
This was a problem.
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Tang Yue drank a large glass of orange juice and burped in satisfaction.
At this moment, the Mars Wanderer swayed and stopped. Tang Yue looked out through the porthole and pressed on his earpiece. "Old Cat?
Why did you stop the car?
Did the wheels get stuck in the pit again? "
"No." Old Cat replied. "Come down and take a look."
Tang Yue put on the Bright Light Armour and put the trash into a plastic bag. He then opened the hatch and threw all the trash out.
Old Cat had already gotten out of the car and was standing by the front of the car with his back facing him. The Mars Wanderer's wheels did not get stuck in the pit. Everything was normal. Tang Yue came forward. "What's wrong?
Why did you stop the car? "
Old Cat raised its paw and pointed to the horizon ahead. "That's our target."
Then it turned and pointed in the direction of the Mars Wanderer. "That's Kunlun Station."
Tang Yue nodded.
"What are you trying to say?"
Old Cat did not speak. It drew a line on the edge of the wheel with its paw. "We are now 140 kilometers away from our destination and 140 kilometers from Kunlun Station."
Tang Yue was shocked and immediately understood what the line meant.
This was a deadline.
A dead line.
This was the deadline for Tang Yue to back out. The line was 140 kilometers away from the target and 140 kilometers from Kunlun Station. It was the midpoint between the starting point and the destination.
"We're here so soon?"
"This shows that our experiment is fruitful. We've traveled a total of 40 kilometers today."
Old Cat gestured at the Mars Wanderer with its mouth. They had hung solar panels on the body of the Mars Wanderer and at the same time, greatly slowed down the car's speed. They charged it as they moved forward to extend the daily distance.
Old Cat and Tang Yue's calculations were accurate. The charging and discharging speed of the Mars Wanderer's batteries had reached a delicate balance. The battery's power consumption rate was significantly reduced. Although the Mars Wanderer's speed was now as slow as a tortoise's crawl, the daily distance traveled was extended.
"Tang Yue … It's not too late to back out now."
Old Cat turned around. "If we turn back here, our remaining supplies and supplies can still support us until we reach Kunlun Station. Once we cross this line, there's no turning back."
This was the midpoint. It was the midpoint of the total journey and also the midpoint of the depletion of supplies. As long as Tang Yue said that he regretted it now and did not want to go, Old Cat would immediately drive the Mars Wanderer back. They would return to Kunlun Station together to eat and drink, no longer caring about the letter or the coordinates. They could all go to hell.
Tang Yue stood beside Old Cat and looked at the shallow gully under his feet.
As long as he took this step, there was no turning back. The remaining supplies would not be able to support him back to Kunlun Station. He could only walk this path to the end.
"Tang Yue, go back. Forget about that damned letter."
Old Cat whispered. "No one will blame you if you don't go. You don't have to be responsible for anyone. Don't wait for Gado anymore. Gado won't be able to wait."
Tang Yue did not say anything.
"We still have enough survival supplies. We have enough food, water, and electricity. You can live very comfortably when you go back. The plants in Kunlun Station are still waiting for you to take care of them …"
Tang Yue clenched his fists and slowly took deep breaths.
"There's no hope if you continue down this path. You can only wait for death in the wasteland. You will die of suffocation due to the lack of oxygen. Do you understand?"
Old Cat saw that Tang Yue seemed to be wavering. It took a step forward and grabbed Tang Yue's hand. "I don't want to see you in so much pain, and I don't want to carry your body back."
"Thank you for your care, Old Cat." Tang Yue pried Old Cat's paw away. "But I'm just a wheel."
Old Cat was stunned.
"Wheel?"
"I'm just a wheel that rolls forward due to inertia. Have you ever seen a wheel that can turn and turn back?"
Tang Yue took a step forward, then another, and crossed the line. Then he walked forward step by step.
"I'm as free as the wind."
As Tang Yue walked, he opened his arms and shouted at the sky, "My soul is as free as the wind."
Old Cat looked at the young man's back that gradually disappeared into the distance. It suddenly understood that perhaps Tang Yue had never cared about the authenticity of the letter, nor did he care about whether he could win the lawsuit or whether Earth could be fully restored. He was only walking step by step, firmly and resolutely toward his own end and death.