Chapter 68: The Ice Worm (Final)
As mentioned above, Xiao Feng walked around and got lost, and he saw a beam of light before he fell into a coma under extreme oxygen deprivation.
A curtain of light appeared in the sky, which was the aurora borealis that could be seen at night and at dawn. Now that it was getting dark, Xiao Feng lay motionless on the ground, as if he were a dead man. At this point, his fingers moved, and then his arms began to bend, his eyes still closed, and the scene looked like he was about to sleepwalk. His right hand was slightly bent and dug into the dirt, then his arm was bent and pulled his body so that his face down was his head to the left as if the ground was rubbing against him.
The right hand kept straightening and bending, as if the right hand was completely autonomous and not controlled by the brain.
After crawling on the ground for a long time, a small black bottomless hole appeared in front of him. When he climbed to the entrance of the cave, he raised his right hand, grabbed his left leg, and pulled it hard, and with a pop, his whole body rolled in.
The echo of the knock and hula came out of the mouth of the cave, and it stopped after a while, I don't know if it was because the sound was transmitted many times or because the hole was very deep.
The base has become a mess of porridge, Xiao Chen quarreled because of his disagreement with Xiao Chu on saving Xiao Feng, and the driver next to him, Xiao Wei, couldn't interject at all, so he could only drink milk tea silently on the side.
After dark, there is no light outside the cave entrance, and there is silence all around except for darkness. Xiao Feng, who was lying at the bottom of the pit, had been in a coma for a long time, and his heartbeat was only two times a minute. There was the sound of small things squirming out of the soft pit, and the slender silky tentacles reached over and lightly touched the spacesuit, looking for a gap to get into. After a few hours, the outside of Xiao Feng's spacesuit was surrounded by a circle of filaments, fluffy, dense and large.
His right hand, which had been quiet for a long time, began to move again, and he slowly rotated the helmet little by little.
With a pop, a crack appeared in the helmet, and all the high-temperature gases remaining in it escaped under pressure. As if frightened, the enclosed fluff fled one after another. After his right hand took off the helmet and tossed it aside, the fluff came back on.
The temperature at the bottom of the pit is only minus ten degrees, which is much different from the temperature outside the cave entrance, like a hotbed that nourishes unknown life.
The trembling fluff seemed to meet delicious food, and they all stuck to Xiao Feng's face, neck, and some stuck into his ears and nose. The fluff in other places seemed to have received the news, and they crawled towards Xiaofeng's head one after another, in groups, densely packed. Those who got the moon first near the water have already drilled down the neckline to the innermost, and those later fluff can only go deep into the inside when they see that their ears and noses are already blocked. After a while, there were few hairs on the outside.
The soft hotbed slowly loses its vitality due to the loss of fluff and begins to harden.
All roads lead to Rome, and the fluffs enter Xiao Feng's body through various ways and begin to absorb his nutrients.
A thickest fluff ran down its spine and into its brain, where it tasted like it had never tasted.
After several days, Xiao Feng's body has basically been replaced by villi, leaving only basic bones and blood vessels, and only basic functions of the brain are operating, including heartbeat and nerve signaling.
Syllable!
The eyes that had not been opened for several days suddenly opened, and the eyeballs were covered with fluff, like threads. Seeing the bright light coming in, they scattered one after another, vacating the middle position. The arms that turned out also creaked, and then leaned on the ground, lifted the upper body, and the neck that was bent back at 90 degrees slowly straightened. Then his head turned from side to side like a robot, without blinking his eyes. The stiff hands patted his chest, and then his face, probably because he found that the helmet was missing, so he turned his upper body directly ninety degrees, picked up the helmet from the ground, buckled it on his head, and then turned it and put it on.
Controlling this series of movements is the meter-long fluff hidden in the brain, which extracts the action of wearing a helmet from Xiao Feng's memory, and not only that, but there are other things.
"Xiao Feng", who put on a helmet, stood up and took the first step in life. However, just as he took the second step, he didn't grasp the center of gravity properly, and he fell forward all at once, and with a bang, the helmet hit the ground. After stopping for a few seconds, he climbed up with his hands on his upper body. This time, instead of trying to stand up and walk, he slowly crawled towards the hole in the distance on all fours.
In the past few days, Xiao Chen and the others have given up looking for Xiao Feng, during which Xiao Chu and Xiao Wei have both gone out to look for them.
This day is on the last day of the research station, and in a few hours, it will be dismantled and then leave. Xiao Chen, who had already packed his luggage, glanced back at the room where Xiao Feng had lived, closed the door lightly and left.
The steps during dismantling are just the opposite of the steps during installation, which is simple and not time-consuming and laborious, and can be easily disassembled by only Xiao Chu and Xiao Wei. In less than two hours, the former research station is now reduced to a floor.
At this time, a dark shadow appeared not far away.
Xiao Wei just stopped and looked around casually, and noticed a shadow in the distance.
Hey! Look!
Xiao Wei pointed to the distance in shock, and Xiao Chu next to him also stood up and looked there.
Is that...... Could it be that way!
It seems to be true! Let's go, go and see!
Xiao Chu looked back at Xiao Wei, a little incredulous, and walked behind Xiao Wei.
When I got closer, I saw a man in a spacesuit limping over.
Xiao Feng? Is that you?
Does this need to be asked? Who else would he be!
Xiao Chu hurriedly ran over to help him.
Because Xiao Feng's helmet was covered with mud, he couldn't see the inside clearly from the outside, and all Xiao Chu and the two didn't notice anything abnormal. The two of them carried Xiao Feng left and right and rushed back to the rover.
Xiao Chen, who was recording the types and quantities of building materials next to the rover, heard Xiao Chu ask her to come over to help, she turned around and saw Xiao Chu walking over with another one.
This is...... Xiao Feng? Oh, my God! He's alive? Hurry up, hurry up!
Xiao Chen opened the car door in front and asked Xiao Chu to put Xiao Feng away, and just when Xiao Chen wanted to take off Xiao Feng's helmet, a pair of hands grabbed her.
Okay, if you don't pick it, you won't pick it, anyway, where have you been these days, we've been looking for you for a long time and haven't found you!
Originally, I wanted to make Xiao Feng a cup of hot milk tea, but seeing that he was unwilling to take off the helmet, he forgot it, sat opposite Xiao Feng, and looked at the blurred appearance inside the helmet.
Well.
Xiao Feng held back for a long time, and then he made a humming sound, I don't know if it came from his mouth or his nose.
Listening to this tone, I'm a little tired, so let's take a good rest for a while, and come over when we're done, okay.
Xiao Chen saw that Xiao Feng was reluctant to speak, so he glanced at Xiao Chu next to him, and then got up and left.
Seeing the three of them get out of the car, Xiao Feng's head began to move in all directions again, observing the layout in the car.
Among the three people who got out of the car, Xiao Chen was the first to speak.
Where did you find him?
It wasn't us who found him, it was he who came by himself.
Oh? Then I ask you, can you survive on Mars without oxygen for five or six days without food or drink and wearing only a spacesuit?
This...... I'm sure I'm choking enough, and I don't know how to fix it just by urinating.
To be serious, I think oxygen alone is enough to face the situation in front of me. Think about it, you should know how much oxygen is in the spacesuit, right? Holy, don't know? Okay, so let's put it this way, how many days do you think it will last? One day? Two days?
Xiao Chen looked at the two of them and shook his head at the same time, a little speechless, so he explained with a few examples.
One day should be fine, right? I don't think it's possible.
Xiao Chu thought for a moment and replied.
Okay, it's impossible to do it for two days according to what you said, so how did Xiao Feng, who disappeared for five days, survive? Could it be that he found oxygen on Mars?
Xiao Chen's words also amused Xiao Chu and the others.
What the three people outside the car were saying, Xiao Feng in the car couldn't hear it, he slowly rotated the helmet and took it off, except for his pale face and messy hair, he was no different from the original Xiao Feng, but he became more taciturn. Taking a light breath, feeling the composition and temperature of the air in the car, feeling very comfortable, Xiao Chen left his seat and began to familiarize himself with the layout of the car. For Xiao Feng now, everything is new, strange things that he has never seen, and he has never even seen the spacesuit on him.
Damn, according to you, aren't we luring the wolf into the house?
Xiao Wei listened to Xiao Chen's words so serious, what kind of bacterial infection, alien invasion, it sounds very scary.
There is no evidence of all this, and when we return to the base, we will not be able to draw conclusions until we have examined it.
Xiao Chen looked into the car, waved his hand, and asked the two of them to continue working.
After working for more than half an hour, Xiao Chu was the first to open the door and walk into the car. At first glance, I saw Xiao Feng sitting in his seat reading a book.
Seeing that Xiao Feng's face was a little pale and felt like he was sick, Xiao Chen sat over with a little worry, Xiao Wei sat back in his driver's seat, and Xiao Chu sat not far away and looked here.
How are you feeling and what is wrong with you?
Xiao Chen looked at Xiao Feng and carefully observed Xiao Feng's reaction.
The corners of Xiao Feng's mouth twitched and shook his head.
By the way, are you thirsty? Would you like a glass of water?
Xiao Chen glanced at Xiao Chu, Xiao Chu quickly got up and poured a glass of water, and handed it to Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen took the water cup, felt the temperature, it was not very hot, and handed it to Xiao Feng.
Xiao Feng put down the book in his hand, stretched out his trembling right hand, his bent fingers looked stiff, and carefully grasped the lower part of the water glass.
Seeing that Xiao Feng took the water cup, Xiao Chen let go.
However, Xiao Feng, who had never experienced the weight of the water cup, did not hold the water cup and let the water cup fall to the ground, and the water inside spilled all over the ground. Seeing this, Xiao Feng was stunned for a moment, and was about to bend down to pick up the water cup, but was stopped by Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen glanced at Xiao Chu and Xiao Wei, who turned his head when he heard the voice, saying that his idea had been proven, and Xiao Feng was indeed not the Xiao Feng he was before.
He poured Xiao Feng a glass of water again, and this time he caught it.
Xiao Chen left his seat, walked to Xiao Chu's side, and pulled him aside.
I suggest that we stay away from Xiao Feng, he seems to be very sick, and he can't even do basic grasping movements.
Well, it does.
Later, on the way back to the base, Xiao Chen secretly contacted the base and reported Xiao Feng's situation. At first, the base was excited to find Xiao Feng, but then what Xiao Chen said shocked the people in the base, especially the stationmaster. The stationmaster asked Xiao Chen many times if he had seen it with his own eyes. After the conversation, the base began to be busy, all the doctors were ready, all the instruments and equipment were turned on, and even the stretcher cart was moved out, just waiting for the moment when the rover entered the base.
When he returned to the base, Xiaowei drove about 50 percent faster than when he went to the North Pole.
It took less than five hours for the rover to drive into the base. As soon as the car stopped, the stationmaster walked over quickly at the front, watching Xiao Chu and a few people help Xiao Feng get out of the car.
When Xiao Feng got out of the car, he looked up and saw that many people were looking at him, and he was suddenly a little nervous, and his steps were a little messy, and he almost didn't let Xiao Chu hold him. Seeing this, several doctors hurriedly pushed the cart and ran over, letting Xiao Feng lie down. At first, Xiao Feng was unwilling, but he was forced to the car by several doctors and tied with a few belts.
Looking at Xiao Feng, who was taken away by several doctors, the stationmaster hurriedly walked to Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen, did he say anything along the way?
No, I didn't see him speak except for shaking his head and nodding.
The stationmaster has a lot of questions to ask, but Xiao Chen and the few of them know all of them told him in the previous call, he doesn't know Xiao Chen, they don't know, if you want to know the answer, you can only ask the party Xiao Feng, but now Xiao Feng's state is even a problem to speak, how can this be good?
The stationmaster hurriedly turned around, pacing back and forth outside the operating room.
Stationmaster, I think you should go have a meal first, it's useless for you to be in a hurry here.
It was Xiao Chen who walked over, holding two cups of hot milk tea in his hand, and handed one of them to the stationmaster who had not drunk it.
Thank you, I don't have the appetite to eat now, but you, you still have the heart to eat at this time?
Oh, hahaha, I'm not like you, I can't do it if you're worried about the country and the people like you, besides, you don't know what we eat at the research station, and the comparison with the base is like the comparison between steamed bread and pickles and the Manchu and Han full banquets.
How can it be as serious as you say, I have also eaten the food at the research station.
Well, I'm just exaggerating. By the way, you don't know how good Xiao Feng's appetite was when he was at the research station. That guy, how many did one person eat? Five or six? Such a big steamed bun, my God, how did that stomach hold up, I haven't seen him for five or six days after that.
Xiao Chen's tone became deeper and deeper the more he spoke.
Alas, Xiao Feng is actually very pitiful, he doesn't have many friends, and he usually doesn't like to talk, so the one named Xiao Wang has a better relationship with him.
Yes, he was talking a lot on the day of the research station!
So, he had an anomaly before he went to the station?
This......
The stationmaster's words reminded her at once. Xiao Chen looked at Xiao Feng who was lying in the operating room, said hello to the stationmaster and left.
After a while, Xiao Chen and Xiao Chu proposed to go back now and return to Earth, after all, the investigation was over, so it was better to go back for further testing. The stationmaster didn't see anything, so he gave Xiaowei a few days off and let him go back to Earth with him.
A few months later, when people came to the Mars 3 base again, the entire base was empty, and the dilapidated windows and sloping gates all showed that a disaster had occurred here.
Base 3 was abandoned, and people found a new place to build Base 4.
Finish.