The Temptation of Neighbors - Chapter 21
“What you’re saying is so strange. Does my death have anything to do with you?” I asked.
“It matters a lot. Without you, we don’t know where to go. Without you, we’ll disappear into the vast universe in an instant,” the captain said sincerely.
“Am I really that important?” I asked him doubtfully.
“Really? You have to be strong. You can’t abandon us and go away. We really need your help,” the female astronaut said, her voice tearful.
“How can I be strong? I can’t even walk anymore.” I glanced at each of them, noticing their shame.
“We have medicine on board. Dr. Irwin knows medicine. He can cure you. Come aboard with us,” the captain invited again.
I glanced at the foreigner named Irwin, and he nodded, as if to give me strength and confidence.
I lowered my head and hesitated for a moment, then raised my head and said with determination, “Okay, I’ll go with you.”
The captain quickly bent down with his back to me, and I climbed onto his back and joined them on the spacecraft.
The spaceship was spacious and comfortable. The captain placed me on a folding bed. Alvin quickly came to the bedside, carrying a medicine box, and examined me. He gave me an injection and a few Western medicine pills, saying I’d be fine after a while of rest.
I slept soundly and woke feeling much better. The captain approached and asked, “
Master, shall we continue toward the center of the galaxy?”
I pondered for a moment. The captain’s question brought back some uncertain memories. I shook my head, then nodded, and finally answered decisively, “Yes, continue forward.”
The captain piloted the spaceship, leading a large crew toward the distant center of the galaxy…
Gigantic stars, planets, and satellites whizzed past the window. Excited, I stood up and walked to the bow, admiring the vast wonders of the universe through the wide windshield.
A pale yellow planet with three satellites hurtled towards us, threatening to engulf us. The spacecraft swiftly passed over its surface, leaving it far behind in the blink of an eye…
It felt like my condition had improved after a few days aboard the spacecraft; my body no longer fluctuated between hot and cold.
I remembered their names, but I still couldn’t believe the connection they claimed to me.
“Life signal!” a voice broke the silence aboard.
Everyone simultaneously stared at the display screen. Sure enough, a number popped up: 23, then 12, then 7.
“The signal is too weak. We need to approach 57 degrees north latitude,” John said.
“Okay.” Lian Zhengyu adjusted the spacecraft’s course and sped toward a dark red planet.
The spacecraft’s speed was astonishing, and in a moment, the outline of the dark red planet’s surface became clear.
Only then did we discover that it had a black satellite orbiting it.
“It looks like the life signal is coming from that black planet. Hurry and follow its trajectory, catch up,” John said decisively.
“Okay.” Lian Zhengyu adjusted his course again, chasing the black planet.
In a flash, the surface of a gleaming black planet filled the entire view from the bow. The number on the life signal display screen suddenly jumped from 25 to 56. All the astronauts on board were thrilled, but I was the only one who couldn’t understand what it was. I stood behind Long Yuhan, staring blankly at the scenery outside the bow.
“Do you want to get closer?” Lian Zhengyu asked John beside him.
“Let’s stop here. Kov, Irwin, and I will take the landing craft down to take a look. You stay on the ship. We’ll notify you immediately if anything happens.”
“I want to go down too,” Long Yuhan pleaded, grabbing John’s hand.
“It’s dangerous down there. You’d better stay on the ship.” John refused.
“I’m well now. I’ll go with you,” I said to John, rushing over to Long Yuhan.
“Master, are you okay? Do you really want to go down?” John asked.
“Yes, I want to see what’s down there,” I said energetically.
“Alright, we can’t change your will. Hurry, change into your spacesuits! We’ll be moving now,” John said calmly.
Ellie pulled a spare spacesuit from a locker for me to wear. I donned my helmet and followed the three of them into the landing craft.
The night sky was clear. Through the landing craft’s protective windows, I watched as the dark red planet shrank, the black planet grew larger.
Suddenly, the landing craft seemed to plummet into a deep, black hole.
I felt swallowed by the darkness, a chill running through my heart.
Suddenly, the landing craft shuddered and stopped.
“We’ve landed, sir. Let’s land,” John said, opening the door. He reached behind his helmet and pressed it, and the searchlight on the front of the helmet blazed brightly.
He reached down to the ground, planted his feet firmly on the ground.
“The ground is solid. Everyone, get down quickly,” he said, extending a large hand toward me. I took his hand and landed smoothly. The ground was pitch black.
As my feet touched the surface of this completely unfamiliar planet, I felt an indescribable surge of excitement and pride.
Had I become a space explorer, too? Haha, that was exciting.
It must have been nighttime on this black planet, pitch black, with only the searchlight overhead illuminating a small area ahead.
Kov walked ahead, holding a miniature life-signal detector in both hands. John followed closely behind, and Irvin and I walked side by side behind them.
After a dozen steps, I began to feel weak, my legs feeling heavy as if they were filled with lead. Seeing the three of them struggling to move, I curiously asked, “Kov, why are my feet so heavy?”
Kov turned and pointed to the detector in his hand. “Master, the gravity on this planet is 18.3 N/kg, twice that of Earth, so walking is incredibly strenuous for us.”
“Master, are you all right?” John asked with concern.
“No problem,” I replied nonchalantly.
After walking for a while, Kov said again: “The life signal is coming from not far ahead. Everyone, hold on a little longer, and we will soon know what it is.”
I was shocked. Is it an alien creature?
If it is a mutant monster, won’t we be in danger? Even if it is not a monster, we may die if we encounter lower animals that are more barbaric than humans. What should we do? Should we continue to take risks with them?
When I was hesitating, we came to a swamp.
The water in the pool is black, just like the soil and rocks of this planet.
“The life signal is coming from this water.” Kov said.
Alvin walked to the edge of the pool, put on long gloves and put his hand into the ink-black water. He touched up a handful of ribbon-shaped algae, which was also black.
Everyone looked at each other, full of questions…