Die on Mars

Tang Yue thrust the shovel into the soil at the head of the pit. The long handle looked like a tombstone.

Although he said he was going out for his daily routine, Tang Yue actually started digging a hole with a shovel after moving the battery panels.

He picked a geomantic omen, not far from the Eagle spacecraft. The terrain was flat, with a shallow ditch in front and a hillside in the back. In geomancy, this was called "a light in front and a back in the back". It was a suitable place for burial. . Guo Pu, a Feng Shui master of the Jin Dynasty, said in "The Book of Burial" that "the best method of Feng Shui is to obtain water." I don't know if this method will work on Mars. This damn place has been out of water for tens of millions of years. .

Tang Yue dug a shallow pit. He measured it using the length of his steps. It was about two meters long and half a meter deep. It was more than enough for a person to lie down in.

This was the grave he prepared for himself. If one day Tang Yue really became paralyzed and fell to the ground, he would crawl into this pit and lie down, then cut off the oxygen and electricity of the Mingguang Armor, and die quietly without anyone knowing.

Tang Yue sat down and looked around. He felt that he had a good view from this place. Not far away was the Eagle spacecraft on the left and Kunlun Station on the right. The three old guys were not far from each other and could still look after each other. It is conceivable that after Tang Yue's death, his body should be preserved for a long time in low-temperature drying. If the extravehicular suit is opened, Tang Yue's body will dry like wood in a short time.

As for the epitaph, there is no need to write it, no one will see it anyway. From the moment the earth disappeared, it no longer mattered what Tang Yue's name was. He was the only earth creature on the planet. Tang Yue no longer needed a name as a code name to distinguish himself from others. He himself Just unique.

Tang Yue got up and returned to Kunlun Station without taking out the shovel. He left the shovel here as a mark so that it would not be difficult to find in the future.

What kind of person would use a shovel as his tombstone?

That was probably the last person in the world.

When Tang Yue returned to Kunlun Station, Ophiopogon japonicus was already scanning pictures. The number of satellite photos had increased from 4,000 to 4,500. Searching for traces of the old cat had become Ophiopogon japonicus's daily routine.

"Good morning Tang Yue, is it so early today?" Maidong's eyes left the screen, "Have you finished your work today?"

"Good morning." Tang Yue nodded and paused for a few seconds, "Ophiopogon japonicus, I may not live long."

The girl's hand shook.

"You...what are you talking about?"

"After the earth disappeared, I lived in a state of confusion for a long time, living like a zombie."

Tang Yue took off his Mingguang Armor, sat down on the chair, and rubbed his hands to keep warm.

"I don't know where I am, nor what I am doing, nor what the meaning of my life in this world is... Anyway, the earth has disappeared, and seven billion people are gone. One more or less What difference does it make between being alone?”

"I dare not think about the earth or the people on the earth. I can only numb myself in the repetitive work day after day because I am afraid that I will collapse." Tang Yue whispered, "Can you feel that Is there a feeling of hopelessness in life? I used to think that God allowed me to survive, and maybe there was some important responsibility that fell on my shoulders. But then I thought that I might be just a pile of kitchen waste, forgotten in the corner of the universe. .”

"Tang Yue... don't think so. As long as we are alive, there is still hope."

"There's not much hope. My physical condition is very bad." Tang Yue shook his head, rolled up his sleeves, and showed Maidong the bruises and blood spots on his hands. "I'm bleeding all over my skin now. This is bad." There are signs of hemorrhage, and I will be paralyzed in another six months. Once I lose the ability to move, life will definitely be worse than death. If that day comes, I will take the initiative to end my life...I have already dug my grave."

Maidong widened his eyes and covered his mouth.

"I picked a Feng Shui treasure land, with a green dragon on the left and a white tiger on the right, gathering the essence of heaven and earth. If my body does not rot for a thousand years, maybe it can be turned into a big rice dumpling." Tang Yue smiled, "Then crawl out of the grave. , bouncing around on Mars.”

"This joke is not funny at all!"

Tang Yue gradually stopped smiling, put his palms together against the tip of his nose, and sighed deeply.

"Sometimes I lie in bed and look at the roof, unable to sleep for a long time. I wonder when will these days end? What's the difference between dying one day earlier and one day later? What's the difference between dying in two years and dying tomorrow? "

Maidong slowly lowered her head. She didn't know how to answer Tang Yue. Her own situation was exactly the same as Tang Yue's. For this young girl, when would such days end?

"But I can't die yet. If I die, what will you do? What will happen to that damn cat?" Tang Yue smiled, "How can I leave you alone?"

Maidong bit his lip and nodded.

"So I have to save myself." Tang Yue raised his head and said through gritted teeth, "No matter whether the old cat can come back or not, whether the temperature control system can be repaired or not, I have to save myself!"

He decided not to wait for the old cat anymore. It was still unknown whether the old cat could come back.

He must make his last effort to save himself!

Scurvy is currently the biggest threat. The only thing that can alleviate and cure scurvy is vitamin C. This is very common on Earth and is abundant in almost all vegetables and fruits, but it is extremely rare on Mars. You can only rely on vitamin C. External supplies.

External supplies have long been cut off, and the multivitamin tablets at Kunlun Station have been eaten. At present, the most feasible and sustainable source of vitamin C is fruits and vegetables.

Ophiopogon japonicus left a sufficient number of tomato seeds in Kunlun Station. If Tang Yue can successfully plant them and wait for them to survive, sprout, bloom and bear fruit, then the lack of vitamin C can be alleviated, and Tang Yue's scurvy can also be cured. Cured - However, the temperature control system was damaged, causing the room temperature at Kunlun Station to drop significantly. This is the biggest problem faced when growing tomatoes.

"Tang Yue, do you have any way to maintain the temperature?" Maidong asked.

"No." Tang Yue shook his head, "But now I don't care about that much anymore. Just take it one step at a time. Let's treat a dead horse as a living horse... right? The minimum temperature must be 20 degrees Celsius, right?"

Ophiopogon japonicus nodded, "Tomatoes are temperature-loving vegetables. The optimal growth temperature is 20 to 25 degrees Celsius. However, it doesn't matter if it is a little lower, but the growth and fruiting speed will be slower."

"I'll try my best to give them an ambient temperature of 20 degrees." Tang Yue took a deep breath and glanced at everything in Kunlun Station. Use whatever you have at this time, and you can't waste resources so much. At worst, there will be less in the future. Drink some water and use less electricity.

"But Tang Yue, it will take at least two months for tomatoes to bear fruit from planting." Ophiopogon japonicus reminded, "What should you do in these two months? If you don't supplement vitamin C in time, your physical condition will continue to deteriorate."

"Yes, tomatoes still need time to grow, so I have to find a temporary source of emergency vitamin supplements."

"Emergency source of replenishment?"

Tang Yue nodded, took out a pack of compressed biscuits from the cabinet, and shook it at the camera, "This is it."