As Lu Wanqing was thinking, the space capsule suddenly vibrated. Holding her child, Lu Wanqing lost her balance and nearly fell in the small spacecraft.
What was happening?
Lu Wanqing said nothing, but a deep sense of unease gnawed at her. She had a premonition that something bad was about to happen.
Lu Wanqing's feeling was not wrong. The next moment, the space capsule, or as Lu Wanqing preferred to call it, the small spacecraft, suddenly began making "click, click" sounds.
"Mommy~" Xiao Mu Lan clearly heard the noise. He was a little scared and instinctively hugged his mother tighter, his voice trembling with fear.
The spaceship was in trouble. They could escape using the space capsule, but what if the space capsule itself malfunctioned?
Lu Wanqing's face turned pale. She held her child tightly, her gaze fixed on the outside through the small window of the space capsule.
"Lan Lan, can the space capsule be controlled? Like, can it fly in a specific direction?" Lu Wanqing asked, lost in thought.
Perhaps there was still a chance to salvage the situation?
The child shook his head blankly, his voice tense. "I don't know."
Lu Wanqing took a deep breath and searched frantically inside the space capsule for any escape tools. But there was nothing. The space capsule, just like its name, was entirely soft on the inside, with nothing else.
"Lan Lan, don't be scared. We're together," Lu Wanqing said, trying to comfort him, but her trembling voice betrayed her anxiety.
"Mhmm, I'm not scared. Mommy shouldn't be scared either~" Xiao Mu Lan snuggled closer into his mother's embrace, offering his own reassurance.
As they spoke, the space capsule suddenly began to spin and plummet downwards, like a deflating balloon.
Lu Wanqing's pupils dilated in an instant. She clutched her child tightly, her face ashen, her eyes squeezed shut in fear.
"Wuwuwu, Mommy..." Xiao Mu Lan finally couldn't hold back his tears and cried out in terror.
Lu Wanqing held her child. The rapid descent of the space capsule forced them to roll forward, pressed tightly against its interior. She could feel the gas-filled cushioning inside the capsule leaking. The once-soft material was slowly deflating. If the gas ran out, they would have nothing to protect them, and falling would surely be fatal.
What if they weren't falling onto land, but were suddenly exposed to the vacuum of space? That would also be death.
At that moment, Lu Wanqing recalled some experiments she had seen in her previous life. It was said that there was no air in space, and humans and animals exposed directly to the vacuum would quickly suffocate and die, eventually turning into desiccated mummies floating in space.
"Mommy, wuwuwu." Xiao Mu Lan hugged her tightly, his cries filled with fear.
"Don't be scared," Lu Wanqing said with all her might, but as the words left her lips, she realized her own voice was trembling with fear.
The space capsule was leaking gas rapidly, and as it leaked, it also descended quickly. They were truly like a deflating balloon, spinning at high speed. Lu Wanqing felt dizzy, nauseated, and about to vomit.
She had no idea what was happening outside. Then, abruptly, the space capsule slammed violently into the ground, or perhaps something on the ground.
They were thrown violently inside. Lu Wanqing felt as if her internal organs had been displaced. She hugged her child tightly, trying to shield him with her own body. The next moment, her vision went black, and she lost consciousness.
They had landed. Mu Lan was well protected by Lu Wanqing's body. Although frightened, he was unharmed. After a few seconds, he seemed to come to his senses. He opened his eyes and looked around blankly.
The next moment, Xiao Mu Lan quickly checked on his mother. To his dismay, he found her face deathly pale. More importantly, her eyes were closed, and she was completely still.
Would Mommy die? This thought suddenly flashed through Mu Lan's mind. At such a young age, he was suddenly overcome with panic.
"Mommy?" Xiao Mu Lan couldn't help but call out to his mother.
Lu Wanqing did not respond. She remained still, her head bowed.
"Mommy?" Xiao Mu Lan's heart pounded. He was uneasy but refused to give up hope. What if Mommy was okay?
Lu Wanqing's eyes remained closed, her head still bowed, unmoving.
Xiao Mu Lan seemed to realize something. His face turned ashen, and tears immediately welled up in his eyes, circling like tiny pearls.
"Mommy!" Xiao Mu Lan, unwilling to accept it, began to struggle. He gently pushed his mother, trying to wake her up.
However, as he moved, Xiao Mu Lan suddenly noticed blood seeping from his mother's back. He was startled and quickly looked at the bloodstains, his expression contorted.
At this moment, Xiao Mu Lan's face was completely drained of color.
But soon, the little fellow seemed to remember something. He quickly pressed his ear against his mother's chest. In kindergarten, the teacher had taught him that as long as a person was alive, they had a heartbeat.
He pricked up his ears and listened intently. After a moment, he heard it. The child's eyes widened, and he dared not move, focusing solely on listening to Lu Wanqing's heartbeat.
"Mommy is not dead!"
"Mommy is still alive!"
Xiao Mu Lan couldn't help but exclaim. With tears still in his eyes, he finally smiled. But he still didn't dare to move recklessly, afraid of disturbing his mother.
Is Mommy tired now? Is she sleeping?
But after thinking for a while, Xiao Mu Lan felt something was wrong. Mommy was bleeding, and a lot of blood was flowing out from her back.
The little fellow carefully crawled out from his mother's embrace.
The space capsule was small. He had to be very careful to crawl to the side. He gingerly turned his mother over to look at her back.
He was only four years old, after all. Despite his efforts, he couldn't move his mother. Instead, Lu Wanqing's long eyelashes fluttered slightly due to the child's struggles.
"Mommy!" After his efforts proved fruitless, the little guy started to panic again. Although he was still young, he vaguely sensed that his mother's condition was very serious. Did she need to see a doctor, to be treated in a medical bay? If she didn't get treatment, would she get worse, or even die?
"Mommy!" The little fellow suddenly realized that there was nothing he could do right now. The only thing he could do was wake Mommy up. Mommy was an adult, and she would probably know what to do.
Lu Wanqing vaguely heard her child's repeated "Mommy," her voice filled with anxious, fearful, and uneasy cries. She recalled what had happened before and instinctively wanted to open her eyes, to see her child, to hold him close, and tell him that everything was alright, not to be afraid.
But her eyelids felt so heavy. She tried with all her might, using all her strength, but it seemed she couldn't open her heavy eyelids.