Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
Tang Yue dragged a power cable and climbed up a hill. Standing at a striking spot under the setting sun, the horizon connected to the light brown sky was completely flat. Tomcat said that the Isidis Planitia was originally a meteorite crater, having been hit by a huge meteorite 3.9 billion years ago. Its diameter exceeded 1,500 kilometers, and there were hundreds of thousands of craters of varying sizes on Mars.
“What are you looking for?”
“I’m looking for anything suspicious.” Tang Yue extended his arm and pointed ahead. “Our destination is in that direction, right?”
“Yes.” Tomcat took a glance ahead. “But it’s still a hundred kilometers from us. What do you expect to discover? The distance has long exceeded the limits of a human’s naked eye.”
“What about you?”
“Mars is a sphere. Even if a Burj Khalifa stood at the given coordinates, it would be below the horizon. We wouldn’t be able to see anything that far even if we had the Hale Telescope.” Tomcat shrugged.
Tang Yue was somewhat disappointed. Despite traveling in the desert for so long, there was only an unchanging sea of dunes and desert ahead; there wasn’t anything that could garner any excitement.
A building like the Burj Khalifa naturally didn’t exist on Mars. If it really existed, it would have long been discovered by humans. In the past few decades, humanity had sent numerous probes. Perhaps even humanity didn’t realize that the satellites that the Mars Landing Project took with it could be counted in sacks. Back then, sack after sack of space trash was thrown out of Orion in Martian near-orbit, with the fate of each probe tied to the graduation theses of thousands of postgraduate students.
“Aren’t we going to be fighting a lawsuit with them?” Tang Yue asked. “Could our destination be a court?”
It was impossible to have such lofty courts on Earth, so Tang Yue was more of the opinion that it was a roving court.
In this present day and age, a roving court was something rather rare. But in the remote and distant western mountainous areas, taking into consideration the inconvenience when it came to traveling for the commoners, the magistrates would cross difficult terrain under the banner of the nation’s emblem. They would set up two tables and set up a simple alfresco court. It would then determine how many livestock or land would belong to which party.
Tang Yue imagined that when they arrived at the coordinates, awaiting him and Tomcat was such a roving court—a strangely-shaped flying vessel would descend from the sky as a hatch slowly opened. Grunting, short-limbed little green men would walk down the stairs carrying tables and set them up on the desert. Then, everyone would take their seats. Sitting in the middle, the entity would slam a hammer and shout: Prosecution, declare the case you are bringing before me.
“It might also be a spacecraft,” Tomcat said. “Who knows? This might be the only problem we will face in our lives that has no precedent.”
Tang Yue stood high above as he lumbered down the steep slope. There was a shallow gully at the bottom of the hill which was probably signs of past water flow. Perhaps in a particular season and time, water would flow here. The rocks would be weathered smooth by the water over long periods of time.
With the sun about to set, Tomcat returned to clean the solar panels. After all, there were only a few days left, so there wasn’t any need to put them away at night. They could then continue charging once the sun rose, saving them the trouble of setting them up and putting them away every day.
Tang Yue sat cross-legged wishing to prop up his head, but realized that the Radiant Armor didn’t allow for such a pose. Giving up, he placed his hands on his knees and imagined the roving court run by little green men… As a man that studied the sciences, the only courts he saw were on television. In fact, Tang Yue didn’t even know the exact procedure of a lawsuit. Tang Yue’s impression of a judge was probably overlapped with an auctioneer. This was because they both held a tiny hammer.
Tomcat’s voice suddenly sounded over the earpiece.
“Tang Yue, come over and give me a hand.”
“What’s wrong?”
Tang Yue turned his head and saw Tomcat crouching beside a solar panel. Its back was facing him as it remained motionless.
“Come over.”
Tomcat’s voice was deep and solemn.
Tang Yue got up and walked over. Tomcat was still crouching, its eyes staring intently at the solar panel. Its right paw that was holding onto a brush seemed as stiff as a statue.
“Tomcat?” Tang Yue was surprised.
“Don’t touch me.”
Tang Yue shrank back his extending arm as it paused in midair.
“Left arm,” Tomcat said. “Hold onto my left arm. The spot beneath my shoulder. Using two hands.”
“What’s wrong? Did something happen? You can’t move?” Tang Yue crouched down beside it as he clasped Tomcat’s upper arm with both hands.
“Use some force,” Tomcat whispered. “Now, listen to my instructions. Rotate it counterclockwise slowly. Don’t do it too quickly. Stop when I tell you to stop.”
“Like this?” Tang Yue nodded as he slowly rotated Tomcat’s left arm. He immediately sensed that something wasn’t right. Tomcat’s arm felt rusty for the rotation felt like coarse metals rubbing against each other. Following that, he felt something suddenly crack. It felt like a steel wire had been pulled to its limits. Tomcat’s body shook suddenly as it squeezed a word through gritted teeth. “Stop!”
Tang Yue stopped, not daring to move it again.
“Let go of me.”
Tang Yue stared at it in a daze.
“You can let go of me.” Tomcat heaved a sigh of relief. “I’m fine. It’s just a chronic problem relapsing.”
“Chronic problem? When did you have a chronic problem?” Tang Yue released Tomcat’s arm, feeling extremely astonished.
“Didn’t I break my arm back when I headed out to find the Chelomey? Kunlun Station just lacked the conditions for me to be fully repaired.” Tomcat grabbed its left arm and, like an orthopedic doctor, pulled its arm and produced a cracking sound. “This arm goes on strike from time to time. It’s like a spasm. Worst of all, the other limbs are beginning to exhibit problems. When one goes on strike, the others also go on strike. I’m really getting old.”
“Is there a way for you to be repaired?” Tang Yue asked. “Teach me. I can fix you. I’m skilled at fixing appliances.”
“You are only skilled when it comes to tractors and refrigerators. This isn’t in your domain. Mars doesn’t have the key components. There’s no way of fixing it without returning to the factory.” Tomcat tried moving its forearm. “I’m fine. Don’t worry… Look, this arm is now as good as new.”
Tang Yue still felt worried.
“I’m really fine.”
“I’m an uneducated man, so don’t you try to fool me,” Tang Yue said. “Are you really fine?”
“I’m fine.” Tomcat threw the brush into midair and grabbed it accurately with its left paw. “See, isn’t that as nimble as before?”
“Leave the rest of the work to me. Have some rest.” Tang Yue took the brush from Tomcat’s paw.
Tomcat looked at him, its ears standing up.
“Go back! Return to the vehicle! You are already crippled. Why are you being stubborn? You crippled, old cat!”
Tomcat looked around before wearing a look of contempt unique to cats. It let out a mew as it got up and walked towards the Mars Wanderer.
Tang Yue crouched beside the solar panels and was about to clean the solar panels when he felt a massive tug that nearly pulled him down to the ground. A shocked Tang Yue hurriedly looked back and saw that the power cable connected to the Radiant Armor had been pulled out. Tomcat had tripped on it and was on the ground, motionless. Its left arm had fallen off and was about a meter in front of it.
