Tang Zong had no choice but to move out the supplies he had packed and open all the packed boxes again. Whether Earth was permanently missing or temporarily missing, he must first survive on this barren planet.
He wanted to live on alone.
This was also the training Tang Yue received when he was in a desperate situation and lost contact. Persevere in survival and wait for reinforcements!
"Check oxygen and fresh water first."
Old Cat instructed, "Then count food, medicine, electricity, fuel, energy, redundant spare parts …"
"Mr. Tang Yue!
Mr. Tang Yue! "Mai Dong shouted anxiously in the channel." Can … Can I land?
Go to your side? "
Tang Yue glanced at Old Cat.
Old Cat slowly fell silent.
.
.
.
Both Tang Yue and Old Cat knew this.
Mai Dong could not land.
Currently, the only lander was standing on the sand outside Kunlun Station. This lander was called the "Eagle" by Tang Yue.
The "Eagle" spacecraft was the only vehicle in Tang Yue's possession that had the ability to escape the gravity of Mars and enter orbit to dock with the Joint Space Station.
If there were no accidents, Tang Yue would take this lander to leave Kunlun Station after completing all his work, go to the Joint Space Station, and then take the Orion II spacecraft back to Earth.
However, this thing was a one-off. It was divided into two parts: the upper upgrade and the lower upgrade. Only the upper upgrade, which was the upper half of the lander, would really leave Mars, while the lower half would stay on the surface of Mars.
The upper upgrade of the lander was responsible for sending Tang Yue to the Joint Space Station. This was its only function and mission. After the mission was completed, it would be abandoned and would no longer have the ability to re-enter the atmosphere. In other words, Tang Yue had the ability to re-enter the Joint Space Station, but once he went up, he would never be able to come down again.
Mai Dong's space station did not even have a lander. The next lander was originally supposed to be brought by the Orion spacecraft two years later, but now that Earth had disappeared, the next expedition team to Mars could no longer depart.
There was an Orion II spacecraft on the space station, but Orion was only a space shuttle, responsible for going back and forth between Earth and Mars. It would immediately disintegrate and burn to ashes upon entering the atmosphere.
"I understand."
The girl's expression slowly dimmed.
She could only stay on the space station.
Fate had played a cruel joke on them. They were clearly the last two people in the world. Fortunately, they had escaped death, but they could not cross the short distance of 400 kilometers.
On the scale of the universe, which was easily measured in light years and astronomical units, compared to the distance of 55 million kilometers, this insignificant distance of 400 kilometers was negligible. It was as thin as the layer of glass on a computer screen. It was as if Tang Yue could pierce through this layer of glass and reach her.
If someone were to draw a map of the solar system, then on the map, Tang Yue and Mai Dong would be stuck closely together. They would not even fill up a single pixel.
But for a person who was 1.7 meters tall, 400 kilometers was still too far. It was so far away that they might not be able to see each other for the rest of their lives.
The difference of a millimeter was like heaven and earth.
"Girl, don't be discouraged. Let us think of a way."
Old Cat comforted her. "There's a saying, where there's life, there's hope. As long as you're safe, there's definitely a way … Heaven never bars one's way."
"Yes, yes, yes, yes, Miss Mai Dong. We will definitely think of a way to take you down!" Tang Yue nodded. "You have to believe in us!
I have Old Cat here. Old Cat is an expert!
He will find a way!
Isn't that right, Old Cat? "
Old Cat was stunned.
Tang Yue kicked Old Cat at a place where Mai Dong could not see.
Old Cat quickly nodded. "Yes, yes, yes, yes. I will definitely think of a way!"
Mai Dong bit her lip and nodded.
Tang Yue was really worried that this girl would take things too hard and do something stupid.
He was careless and carefree, but this girl was not necessarily as careless as him.
After all, the disappearance of Earth was such a big blow that most people would have a nervous breakdown.
"Now, each of you should check all the necessities for survival. Oxygen, electricity, food, fresh water, medicine, and spare parts." Old Cat urged. "Remember to be careful. Don't leave anything out."
Tang Yue began to check the supplies.
When he tidied up Kunlun Station, he had already tidied up the place. Everything was boxed up and placed in categories.
However, when he was packing, he did not think that he would need to rely on these things to survive. He only thought that he was cleaning up the mess of the expedition team. His mind was filled with thoughts of quickly returning to Earth.
Now, these boxes were all Tang Yue had. They directly determined how long he could survive.
First, there was oxygen.
Oxygen was the most critical. Three minutes of lack of oxygen could kill Tang Yue.
Kunlun Station had two sets of life support systems.
One was the commonly used regenerative oxygen system. It used the electrolysis of water to produce oxygen. As long as there was electricity and a water source, the system could continuously produce oxygen.
Under normal circumstances, the oxygen in Kunlun Station was provided by this system.
This thing's official name was the "Oxygen Generation System." The abbreviation was "OGS."
It looked like a refrigerator or an air conditioner. It was a white cabinet that stood in the corner and had a high degree of integration.
Back in the day, the OGS system on the American space shuttle was a behemoth that weighed a few hundred kilograms.
Although it did not look very conspicuous, the OGS cabinet was the core of Kunlun Station's life support system. It was also the most complicated part. If there was a problem with it, Tang Yue would not live for more than five minutes.
The other was a non-regenerative oxygen system that was used in emergency situations. It used solid perchlorate to produce oxygen.
However, perchlorate was a consumable. It could not be replenished. Therefore, it was not used in non-emergency situations. It was usually stored in the first aid kit.
Tang Yue opened the lid of the OGS cabinet. The green indicator light showed that everything was working normally. There was a slight buzzing sound coming from inside the cabinet. It was the sound of water being electrolyzed.
"How long can this thing work?" Tang Yue asked. "Is my lifespan as long as its lifespan?
If it dies, I'm dead too, right? "
Old Cat shook its head.
"Not necessarily. You may not live as long as it."
Old Cat said, "The OGS is designed to last fifteen years. This system was only changed last year. It has at least ten years left … but you may not live for more than ten years."
"Don't worry. I will take it with me before I die."
Tang Yue opened the maintenance manual and glanced at the buttons and indicator lights on the control panel. The OGS cabinet could produce up to five kilograms of oxygen per day. It could provide enough oxygen for six people at the same time. Now that Tang Yue was the only one left in Kunlun Station, he lowered the power of the cabinet.
When Earth was still around, Tang Yue thought that it would be a waste not to use the OGS. He used the OGS as an air conditioner. Now that he thought about it, he really wanted to strangle himself.
He wanted to live a little longer, so he lowered the power as much as possible to extend the lifespan of the OGS.
"When one person uses it, 0.8 kilograms of oxygen per day is enough," Old Cat said.
Tang Yue lowered the power by more than half.
"What's the maximum time this thing can be used under low power operation?"
Old Cat did some calculations.
"If there are no accidents and there is enough power, it will not be a problem to die of old age … fifteen years."