Chapter 123 Communication

When Gao Yuan caught up with Xinghe and Xiang Weiguo's group, they hadn't gone too far.

Everyone was startled upon seeing the blood-covered Gao Yuan, who looked like he had just been fished out of a pool of blood, drenched from head to toe, emitting an extremely strong stench of blood.

Gesturing for the others not to come near him, Gao Yuan walked over to Xinghe's side.

"Can you detect zombies in advance now?"

Gao Yuan's question was casual, but he genuinely wanted to know something.

If Xinghe could detect scattered zombies in advance, then why hadn't he said anything.

Xinghe replied calmly, "No, I have now turned off the observation function, only leaving the most basic life-support functions."

Gao Yuan felt regretful, but he did not doubt any longer.

"You should have told us earlier because you used to be able to detect zombies from a great distance, so we thought you could still do it now. That kind of assumption can lead to misjudgments."

"But you can't do anything for me, so it's meaningless even if I did tell you."

It seems communication isn't just about being able to talk.

Turning to glance at Xinghe, Gao Yuan said, "It matters. If I had known earlier that you couldn't detect zombies in time, I would have searched more carefully when I drew those zombies away. You should have informed us about your situation and abilities in time so that we could make better plans. I'm not criticizing you, I just want to tell you how to be more helpful to us."

Xinghe fell silent for a moment, then nodded, "I understand now. It seems my habits aren't very good, I haven't adapted to treating you as equals in communication."

At first, Xinghe's words sounded a bit awkward, but after some thought, they made sense.

Just like humans wouldn't explain things to animals because subconsciously they don't consider animals as beings capable of communication, such as Jia Weidong refusing to abandon his hunting dog, but obviously, he wouldn't explain his reasons to the dog.

A high-level civilization indeed does not have the habit of actively communicating with lower-level civilizations.

Gao Yuan let out a sigh and asked Xinghe, "So what functions does your mecha still have now?"

"Some basic recording, life support, and communication functions. All other functions have been discontinued, otherwise, I would not be able to hold out until the Earth's atmosphere is suitable for me."

Gao Yuan thought for a moment and asked, "Then what do you eat?"

"Eat? Consumption of food is a rather primitive way of obtaining energy. At present, I rely on the mecha's life-support system to obtain the energy I need for my body."

"You've always been inside the mecha, how do you deal with excretion?"

"That question is a bit too private."

"Uh, it is a bit, then just forget I asked."

"But you have already asked. The answer is, while using an external life support system, there is basically no need to excrete."

Gao Yuan could not discern any change in Xinghe's tone, so he asked in a low voice, "Then how much longer can your mecha last?"

"Based on the current level of energy consumption, it can last for another two hundred hours, but if I activate the scouting function, it's three hours, with Visual Deception, it's one hour and twenty minutes, and with rapid movement, it can be used for two hours. If all these functions are activated simultaneously, it can last for one minute and forty seconds."

"Scouting consumes more energy than rapid movement?" Gao Yuan asked, puzzled.

"Yes."

After thinking for a while, Gao Yuan said, "I see. So how fast can you move quickly?"

"On Earth, the speed is a hundred and sixty kilometers per hour."

"Can you fly?"

"With the main energy supply, I can fly short distances, as an auxiliary mode of movement. Without the main energy supply, I cannot fly because the level of energy supply is not sufficient for flight requirements."

"Alright, um, I have one more question."

"Ask."

"How big is the universe? Does the universe have an edge?"

Xinghe was silent for a while, then said, "I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"We have not found the edge of the universe, so I cannot accurately answer your question."

"Okay, then I have no more questions for now."

Gao Yuan had asked the question he most wanted to ask—how big the universe is—but as expected, he received no answer.

Xiang Weiguo was nearby, several meters away from Gao Yuan, so he heard Xinghe's words very clearly.

Gao Yuan said to Xiang Weiguo, "I'm going ahead to scout the path."

"You don't need to scout. King Kong can detect zombies from a kilometer away. There's not much significance in you going ahead to scout. Stay by Xinghe's side, and if something happens, you protect him and leave together."

They had already left the area densest with zombies; what they needed to do now was to slowly move forward while avoiding zombies.

Gao Yuan felt that going ahead to scout really wasn't that important anymore, and of course, the most crucial task was to protect Xinghe.

Letting out a sigh, Gao Yuan said to Xiang Weiguo in a low voice, "How many died?"

"Three."

Three more people had died, two of them right in front of Gao Yuan.

That feeling of powerlessness returned, and Gao Yuan sighed softly.

Even a superhero cannot do everything, after all. Gao Yuan was just one person—he might be strong, but he was only one person.

Gao Yuan sighed again, and Xiang Weiguo, seeming to understand Gao Yuan's distress, said softly, "You have to remember, you've done very well. Without you, we wouldn't have had the chance to leave like this, and the idea of sacrificing three people to get here wouldn't even exist."

"But people weren't supposed to die."

Xiang Weiguo looked at Gao Yuan and said, "Don't think of yourself as God, Xiao Yuan. You just have greater strength and speed than ordinary people, but you are not God. Like everyone else, you should plan as carefully as possible before beginning anything. Once action starts, you must face all sorts of unexpected events. What you need to do is to handle these surprises."

Although Gao Yuan felt somewhat guilty and Xiang Weiguo tried to comfort him, he still felt some self-reproach.

Since Gao Yuan was covered in zombie blood, Xiang Weiguo did not approach too closely, but as a special forces instructor, he was very perceptive of Gao Yuan's psychological changes.

"Xiao Yuan, you've done enough and well. It's good to strive for perfection, but nobody can truly achieve it. Just do your best."

Gao Yuan thought about it and nodded, "Yeah, do my best."

Asking himself if he had really done his best, Gao Yuan's answer was that he had indeed done his best. So, since he had done his best, it was okay to feel sad or angry, but there was no need for self-reproach.

With this in mind, Gao Yuan finally felt a little lighter.