Dead on Mars

After the safety tether had successfully held back the Eagle, the latter’s speed was reduced to zero before the rope reached its limits. The arm slowly brought back the lander before docking with the United Space Station.

“Docking complete, Mr. Cat.”

Tomcat let out a sigh of relief as it collapsed into its chair. Only then did it really feel at ease. Only when the docking mechanisms were in place did it mean that the Eagle had successfully berthed and that there wouldn’t be any further problems.

The Orion commanded the Orion II to initiate its engines to accelerate the United Space Station up to a higher height, returning to an orbit of three hundred plus kilometers.

There was still plenty of propellant in the Orion’s engine, so it could complete the task.

Only then did the resupply mission come to a successful conclusion.

Tomcat and Tang Yue had risked their lives over the last five days, overcoming all kinds of difficulties as they faced ups and downs. They had finally sent the package to the destination after innumerable trials and tribulations. Perhaps there hadn’t been a delivery this difficult apart from Tripitaka’s journey to the west for Buddhist scriptures.

Mai Dong had received half of the Kunlun Station’s supplies, and these goods were enough to last her two years. The pressing problem of a food shortage had been eased.

As for what would happen two years later… Leave it to two years later.

Perhaps they might not even live beyond two years.

Everyone had to live each day as it came. There was a possibility of dying the very next day, so who would think that far? Now, the entire Universe only had two humans left. Surviving today was being responsible for half of humanity.

“The United Space Station and the lander have been connected. Systems operational. The hatch can be opened,” Mai Dong reported.

“Roger that.” Tomcat nodded.

Tomcat turned to look out the window. It was still pitch-black outside. The sandstorm was still raging on, and Mai Dong was safe and sound. However, it and Tang Yue had to face the challenge of the sandstorm.

Thankfully, the wind speed indicator showed signs of the sandstorm weakening. The cyclone above their heads was beginning to leave Kunlun Station.

Due to a lack of monitoring means, Tomcat still didn’t know how big the cyclone was. From the looks of it, it was likely only a small one that hadn’t covered the entire Isidis Planitia.

Tomcat was previously worried that the hurricane would last for months. That way, the Kunlun Station would fail to receive its much-needed electricity, dooming it and Tang Yue. From the looks of it, they were still rather lucky.

As long as the wind speeds fell, the sandstorm’s intensity would lower to the point of seeing sunlight. That way, the solar panels would be able to generate electricity, allowing the Kunlun Station to continue operating. Upon thinking about the solar panels, Tomcat realized that they were still outside. They had been busy all day and hadn’t had the chance to bring them indoors.

The low temperatures and sandstorm could damage the solar panels. The latter was the power source that the Kunlun Station relied on survival. Furthermore, there was no way for any replenishments; therefore, it still had to head out to store the solar panels away.

“Tang Yue, Tang Yue, can you hear me? We succeeded… The Eagle has successfully docked. Miss Mai Dong is saved,” Tomcat said. “How’s the situation on your side?”

“We succeeded?”

“Yes.” Tomcat nodded.

Tang Yue didn’t say another word. Upon hearing that it was a success, his strung-up nerves relaxed as his head drooped into immediate unconsciousness.

Tang Yue was even more enervated than Mai Dong. In the final hour, he had held on just by sheer willpower. He had been standing in the pitch-black sandstorm for almost four hours, and he was caked in sand. The Radiant Armor’s battery was reaching the red line, and the temperature outside was –90°C. It was all thanks to the Radiant Armor’s life support system that Tang Yue was still alive.

If the surface of the Radiant Armor was damaged in any way, the EVA suit’s pressure and temperature would drop rapidly, suffocating Tang Yue in minutes.

Humans were, after all, frail creatures. They couldn’t put up a resistance in harsh environments. If the temperature exceeded 90°C, a normal person could only last twenty minutes. Below 0°C, it was enough to freeze an adult. This tiny range of less than a hundred degrees was the survival limit for humanity.

In the Universe where the temperature ranged from –273°C to tens of thousands of degrees Celsius, humanity’s narrow tolerance range was practically negligible. This might also imply that life itself was a miracle that survived in between the cracks.

“Miss Mai Dong, carefully take stock of the goods. We will be immediately ceasing transmissions.” Tomcat sighed as it pushed the keyboard, turned around and donned an IVA suit. “I’ll have to get Tang Yue back.”

“Is Mr. Tang Yue alright?”

“He isn’t dead. That punk is hardy,” Tomcat replied. “But he’s not too far from being dead.”

It wore the helmet, stood in Kunlun Station’s Hab for a few seconds before opening the airlock’s hatch.

The long day was finally about to pass.

However, Tomcat could foresee that this was only the beginning of the difficulties and challenges they would face. The road ahead was a blur, with no destination in sight.

But so what if there was plenty of hardship? The Universe’s entropy increased without end, and time only flowed forward. There was nothing in the world that could stay in its spot. Even if you didn’t head forward, time would push you forward. This was akin to Tripitaka’s journey to the west. He left Chang’an and was told by Bodhisattva Guan Yin that the journey was long and that he would face a series of 81 tribulations. They met bandits and demons—none of which were a breeze.

All you could do seeing the difficulties ahead was to bite the bullet and take them as they came. Could you ride on the white horse with your luggage back to the capital to tell your emperor brother that you didn’t wish to do the job?

If this was a role-playing game, there was no means of retreat once you stepped out of the beginning village. No matter how you ran back, you would be stuck at the boundary of the screen, walking in the same spot.

Tomcat stepped out of the airlock and closed the hatch behind it.

“Tang Yue? Tang Yue, are you still alive? Make a sound if you aren’t dead.”

There was no response. From the looks of it, he had fainted.

Tomcat shrugged. Although Tang Yue had said that he was more hardy than cockroaches, they wouldn’t survive five minutes if they were placed outside.

It had to pull Tang Yue back, and it had to store the solar panels away.

It also had to check Kunlun Station’s situation, the inventory of the remaining goods, and the remnant battery levels. It had to do all kinds of checks, no matter how trivial they were.

Be it on Earth or Mars, there was no end to the trivialities. Life was forever made up of these trivialities. Tomcat suddenly felt as if it was a butler.

Or an old housemaid.

Although it was a cat, it had a gossipy heart.

Whether the Earth was destroyed or not, or whether it was the apocalypse, life still had to go on. Although a change in dynasties appeared to be a grand spectacle, the daily necessities still reigned in importance. The greatest adventure in life was ultimately to live.

Even if the sky were to fall before you, one still had to eat.

There were still plenty of days ahead.