Chapter 42 Chapter 40: The Peak Mountain at Midnight

It's hard, Poole thought, to imagine a more serene landscape, especially after the trauma of the previous few weeks.The nearly full earth illuminates every corner of the Anhydrous Imbrium instead of obliterating those scenes like the incandescent rays of the sun.A hundred meters away from the entrance of the inconspicuous secret room on Jianfeng Mountain, the lunar rover team formed a semicircle.From this vantage point, Poole could see that the mountain didn't live up to its name. Early astronomers took this name because they were misled by its prominent shadow, but in fact it is not a steep mountain, but a round hillock.He also believes that one of the local pastimes is cycling to the summit.

Until now, these athletic men and women hadn't figured out what was hiding under the wheel, and he hoped the horrifying truth wouldn't spoil their fitness routines. An hour earlier, with a mixture of sadness and triumph, he had handed over the light sheet that had been taken from Ganymede directly to the moon and never left his sight. "Farewell, two old friends," he murmured. "You have behaved well. Perhaps some future generation will wake you up, but honestly, I'd rather not." He could very clearly imagine a serious reason for needing Harman's knowledge again.Now, of course, the news that the "servant" on Europa is no more is heading towards the unknown control center.As long as the luck is not too bad, in about 950 years, the response should come.

Poole, who used to curse Einstein, is now singing his praises.Not even the power behind the Tablet (its existence is now established) could spread its influence faster than the speed of light.So humanity should have a full 1,000 years to prepare for the next contact—if there is one.Perhaps by that time, mankind will be better prepared. Something emerged from the tunnel. It was the half-humanoid robot on the track that had entered the chamber with the light sheet just now. Seeing a machine wrapped in some kind of isolation suit designed to protect against deadly germs seemed a little ludicrous—and on an airless moon!

But no matter how impossible it seems, no one dares to take chances.After all, the robot used to move alongside carefully isolated demons, and while surveillance cameras showed that everything was fine, there was always the possibility that a glass bottle might have leaked, or a jar might have loosened its seal.The Moon is a very stable environment, but moonquakes and meteor strikes have been recorded here over the centuries. The robot stopped 50 meters outside the tunnel.The huge cover slowly moved back into place and began to twist along the threads, like a huge bolt being screwed into the mountain.

"People without sunglasses, please close your eyes or look away!" An urgent voice came over the rover's radio.Poole looked away from his seat just in time to see a glare on the roof of the lunar rover.When he turned back to look at Pinnacle Mountain, all that was left of the robot was a glowing pile of slag.Even for someone who has lived in a vacuum most of his life, the absence of rising wisps of smoke seems very wrong. "Disinfection is complete!" A voice came from the mission control room, "Thank you everyone. Now please return to Plato City." How ironic!It is the product of human madness that saves mankind!Poole thought, what can we learn from this?

He looked back at the beautiful blue earth, she was hiding under the clouds, separated from the cold space by a patch of snow-white blanket.There, in a few weeks' time, he hopes to hug his first grandchild. Whatever godlike power and sovereignty lurked behind the stars, Poole reminded himself, there were only two things that mattered to the common man, and that was love and death. His body is not yet 100 years old, and he still has plenty of time to face both. "Their small universe is still very young, and their god is just a child. It's too early to judge them now. When 'we' go back in 'Doomsday', we will decide who should be saved."