Chapter 107 The Moon Falls
Lu Mingfei came to BJ by plane. The sky in the distance was gray and heavy clouds were hanging low over the city. He breathed the thin and cold air, and the suit on his body stuck to his skin, giving off a slight chill.
At this time, he finally took off his military uniform that had never changed for years. Because he was going to visit a patient, he dressed more formally and put on a suit.
He rented this suit near the hospital. Since the Wandering Earth project consumed too many resources, the United Government announced that it had entered a wartime economy in 2044. The top priority was to ensure the construction of the engine and the underground city.
Ordinary people's daily necessities began to become scarce during this period, and private enterprises also declined massively.
By 2055, all currencies in the world have disappeared and have been replaced by a virtual currency called credit points. In addition, due to large-scale natural disasters, supplies are becoming increasingly scarce.
Necessary survival resources such as food, water, and clothing are regularly distributed by the government, and people earn different credit points by working in different positions, which can be used for medical treatment and shopping to exchange for some of the resources they need.
However, the variety of materials was scarce and there were not many things that could be exchanged. In addition to using credit points in stores, bartering between people privately became a mainstream trading method, and human society directly regressed hundreds of years.
The once prosperous shops on the city streets are long gone, replaced by cold government rationing centers, where everyone relies on the credit points in their hands to calculate how to make ends meet.
Suits have become a very luxurious item in such an economic situation. With Lu Mingfei's current position, he earns a lot of credit points every month, so buying a suit is not a problem, but he still chooses to rent one. After all, he basically wears military uniform every day.
Lu Mingfei looked up at the gray sky and sighed slightly in his heart. He quickly walked into the hospital gate. The air was filled with the pungent smell of disinfectant.
But the hospital corridor was eerily quiet, with the occasional suppressed cough further highlighting the heavy atmosphere here.
"Hello, which ward is Han Duoduo in?" Lu Mingfei asked the front desk as he walked into the hospital.
The nurse at the front desk flipped through the medical records at hand, looked up at him, and said with tired eyes, "Han Duoduo... is in Ward 301."
"Thank you." Lu Mingfei thanked the nurse and walked towards the room she mentioned. Before he entered the ward, he saw a haggard man pushing open the door and walking out.
"Liu Peiqiang..." Lu Mingfei was speechless as he looked at the man in front of him. He vaguely remembered how high-spirited the young man who flew the fighter jet was, but now he looked so haggard and even a little downcast.
"Brother Lu... why are you here!" Liu Peiqiang also stared at Lu Mingfei in a daze, so surprised that he couldn't speak for a moment.
"I came to see you and Duoduo." Lu Mingfei raised the bag of fruit in his hand and forced a smile.
The temperature difference in this era was extremely large. The temperature could be over 40 degrees Celsius during the day and over 30 degrees below zero at night. It was very difficult for plants to survive under such a temperature difference, so fruits became very rare.
"Duoduo, look who's here!" Liu Peiqiang pulled Lu Mingfei and pushed open the door of the ward and shouted excitedly, but his voice was not loud for fear of disturbing other patients in the ward.
In the ward, Han Duoduo lay weakly on the bed, her pale face full of traces of illness. She saw Lu Mingfei and forced a smile. That smile carried a hint of fatigue that was hard to conceal, but she still tried to make herself look stronger.
"Brother Lu." Her voice was hoarse and weak, as if she had used up all her strength to say every word.
Lu Mingfei looked at Han Duoduo lying on the bed and suddenly felt a pang of sadness in his heart. The girl who used to be heroic and had a bright smile on her face had now become so thin that she was unrecognizable. On her thin face, there was only the shadow of death approaching.
He walked to her bed in silence, gently put down the fruit bag in his hand, and his eyes fell on the boy standing beside her.
"This is Liu Qi, right? He's grown up now." Lu Mingfei tried to make his voice sound more relaxed. He reached out and patted the boy's shoulder, trying to change the subject and trying to make the atmosphere in the ward not too heavy.
Han Duoduo smiled and reached out to touch the boy's hair, "Liu Qi, call me Uncle Lu."
Liu Qi glanced at Lu Mingfei a little stiffly and whispered, "Uncle Lu."
"Here, Uncle Lu will give you some candy." Lu Mingfei took out a bag of candy from his pocket and handed it to Liu Qi. This was also what he bought on the way here.
He had seen Liu Qi and even held him in his arms when Liu Qi was just one month old. He didn't expect that so many years had passed and the baby in the cradle had grown so big.
"Thank you, Uncle Lu. Duoduo, I'm going to go out and chat with Brother Lu and buy some things. Brother Lu has come here with great difficulty, so we have to treat him well." Liu Peiqiang said with a smile.
When Liu Qi heard what his father said, he took the bag of candy from Lu Mingfei and thanked him. Then he excitedly ran to his mother's bedside, peeled a candy and handed it to his mother.
"Mom, eat first."
Han Duoduo looked at her son, a hint of tenderness and relief in her eyes. She took the candy with a smile and took a light bite. It seemed that the small piece of candy brought her a moment of comfort.
The ward was briefly filled with a warm atmosphere, and Lu Mingfei and Liu Peiqiang looked at each other, silently opened the door of the ward and walked out.
The sky outside was still gloomy with sparse snowflakes floating around. June should have been the hottest season, but the scene before us felt incredibly absurd.
The two came to an open space outside the hospital and sat on a bench. The cold weather had already accumulated a thin layer of snow on the ground.
Liu Peiqiang sat down in silence. The smile on his face disappeared without a trace outside the ward, replaced by deep fatigue and helplessness.
Lu Mingfei didn't say anything. He took out two cigarettes from his pocket, lit them up, handed one to Liu Peiqiang, and took one himself.
They just sat in the snow, smoking silently, the smoke drifting in the cold air, as if to take away their heavy mood.
"How is Duoduo doing?" Lu Mingfei finally broke the silence and asked in a low voice.
Liu Peiqiang took a deep breath of cigarette, and the smoke slowly came out from his nose and mixed into the cold air. He was silent for a moment, and spoke with difficulty: "Not good, the doctor said... she doesn't have much time left."
Lu Mingfei listened silently with his eyes downcast and a heavy heart. He wanted to say something comforting but found that he couldn't find the right words.
In this world, death has become too common, and even words of comfort seem so pale and powerless.
"So what are your plans for the future?" Lu Mingfei was silent for a while, took a deep puff of cigarette and continued.
"I won the lottery, but Duoduo Liu Qi and my father-in-law didn't, so I plan to interview as an astronaut so that Liu Qi can become a preferential personnel and then bring a guardian to the underground city." Liu Peiqiang said, his eyes beginning to turn red.
Liu Peiqiang did not say who the guardian was, but the current situation is obvious.
"It's good to go to space." Lu Mingfei said, his voice was calm and deep, as if he was trying to lead this heavy conversation in a more relaxed direction, "I remember your master is on the Navigator Space Station now, right? Then you can have a companion."
Liu Peiqiang looked up at him and forced a bitter smile: "Yeah...my master is on the space station, he may have some acquaintances there."
If it was any other problem, Lu Mingfei could basically solve it with his current identity, but he really had no way to solve the issue of drawing lots, and even he himself did not draw a lot.
The lottery is done by artificial intelligence and no one can interfere. Everyone has to draw lots. This should be the fairest one for all mankind. The space elevator was repaired in 2052 and a second space station was built on it, the navigator space station. The navigator space station will fly with the earth at a distance of kilometers, providing early warning navigation and communication services.
Astronauts on the Navigator Space Station can get a benefit, that is, their children can obtain the status of preferential personnel and can enter the underground city without drawing lots, and they do not have to perform military service.
"If we can really get on the space station, that would be another way." Lu Mingfei said after a moment of silence, "At least... Liu Qi can survive."
Liu Peiqiang pursed his lips, didn't say anything for a long time, just nodded. There was a little hope in his eyes, but more of it was anxiety and sadness that could not be concealed.
There was a hint of silent sadness spreading in the air, until Liu Peiqiang suddenly wiped his eyes, forced a smile and stood up, trying to break this mood: "Okay, Brother Lu, let's not talk about this anymore. You have come here with great difficulty, and I must treat you well." As he spoke, he suppressed his emotions in his heart and pretended nothing had happened.
"Where are we going?" Lu Mingfei asked.
Liu Peiqiang pointed to the long queue outside the hospital, where supplies were being distributed, and smiled: "Supplies are being distributed today, so I'll take you to have a look. It's already good enough to have a hot meal now."
There were a lot of people standing outside the ration station, each of them holding a small supply card tightly in their hands, their eyes filled with numbness and expectation.
This was Lu Mingfei’s first time to come to the rationing station. When he was in the army, there were special people who were responsible for all his food, clothing and daily necessities.
The sign at the distribution station stated today's supply: pears, dehydrated vegetables, cooking oil, corn, soybeans, millet, bread, compressed biscuits, vegetarian meat, vitamins, glucose, and some daily necessities such as toothpaste and toothbrushes.
Everyone queuing here is issued these, which is a huge difference compared to twenty years ago.
Lu Mingfei quietly watched Liu Peiqiang standing in line in the snow. Like everyone else, he looked so ordinary. The snow blew on Liu Peiqiang's face. He wiped it off with his hand, but his eyes were always fixed on the team ahead.
Lu Mingfei didn't have a supply card so he just watched from the side. Not far away, a few ragged children were standing on the roadside holding boxes, shivering with cold. They looked at the adults expectantly. From time to time, kind people would put some food into their boxes.
Lu Mingfei saw Liu Peiqiang hesitantly put a bag of red apples in a box held by a child after receiving the supplies.
"Brother Lu, let's go. We don't have much stuff. I'll go buy a few bottles of wine later so we can have a drink together, brothers." Liu Peiqiang came to Lu Mingfei with the supplies and said embarrassedly.
Lu Mingfei looked at Liu Peiqiang silently, then pulled him to a nearby store to start purchasing things. Lu Mingfei basically didn't use credit points, but he had accumulated a lot of credit points over the years.
Lu Mingfei pushed open the door of the store. There were only a few commodities on the simple shelves. He bought everything he could on the shelves without hesitation.
"Brother Lu...you are a customer!" Liu Peiqiang said anxiously as he watched Lu Mingfei buy everything that could be bought in the store.
"This is for Duoduo and Liu Qi." Lu Mingfei ignored Liu Peiqiang and continued buying.
Liu Peiqiang's hand, which had been trying to stop him, froze when he heard Lu Mingfei's words. As Han Duoduo was ill, he applied to take care of his wife, and he had been doing so for four years. Both Han Duoduo and he were senior military personnel and enjoyed medical insurance, so the medical expenses were not high.
However, although Liu Peiqiang still retains the rank of major, he has not worked for several years and his credit points are still a bit stretched.
Lu Mingfei returned to the hospital with a bunch of things he had bought, and Liu Peiqiang followed behind with his head down.
"Brother Lu, why did you buy so many things?" Han Duoduo said in surprise as she looked at the large and small bags that Lu Mingfei brought in. She naturally knew how many credit points were left at home, so she knew that these things could not have been bought by her husband.
"For the child." Lu Mingfei only said this, but his eyes couldn't help but fall on Han Duoduo, who was lying on the bed and was so thin that only bones were left.
Dinner was prepared by Liu Peiqiang and Lu Mingfei. Although the kitchen in the hospital was simple, they still tried their best to make the meal seem more sumptuous.
Liu Qi watched from the side, his face full of curiosity and surprise. He had never seen so much food, especially those canned food and fruits. They were like treasures to him. He was not born in a good time and had never eaten anything good.
While eating, Liu Qi ate candy happily, and looked up at his parents and Lu Mingfei from time to time with a look of satisfaction.
Lu Mingfei and Liu Peiqiang's family chatted while eating.
"Brother Lu, I see that you look much more haggard. Are you okay?" Liu Peiqiang put down his chopsticks and asked with concern.
"It's okay, I just have jet lag. Let's go down and take a look." Lu Mingfei answered lightly. He knew that his problem was nothing compared to the pain his family had endured.
At this moment, Liu Peiqiang's cell phone suddenly rang. He looked down and his face instantly became solemn.
"Astronauts urgently join the team," this message flashed on the mobile phone screen.
At the same time, Liu Qi pointed outside and said, "Mom, Dad, Uncle Lu, the moon is bright!"
Lu Mingfei and Liu Peiqiang stood up suddenly and rushed to the window. In the sky, the gray-white moon suddenly burst into two huge balls of fire, as if something had exploded violently on its surface.
Lu Mingfei's cell phone also vibrated at this time. He picked up the phone and saw Xu Yanbo's name on the screen. After the call was connected, Xu Yanbo's anxious voice came from the other end of the line.
"Brother Lu! Emergency! Moon-chasing engines No. 1 and No. 2 have all exploded! The moon's orbit has deviated and is heading towards the earth!" Xu Yanbo shouted anxiously on the phone.
Lu Mingfei froze for a moment, his fingers tightly clenched on the phone. The noise in his ears seemed to be isolated from reality, and only Xu Yanbo's words echoed repeatedly in his mind.
"The moon is heading towards the earth."
Outside the window, the originally bright moon seemed to become even more dazzling at this moment. The two balls of fire exploded on the surface of the moon, almost tearing apart the surrounding dark night. From a distance, it looked like two burning eyes, coldly overlooking the earth. This satellite that once accompanied the earth for billions of years has now become a prelude to disaster.
"How could this happen..." Liu Peiqiang was so shocked by the sudden news that he was speechless. His eyes were fixed on the distant moon, his face full of disbelief.
Lu Mingfei took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He knew that he couldn't panic at this moment. As the commander of the Ranger Force, he had to react quickly.
"Yanbo, what's the exact situation?" Lu Mingfei forced himself to suppress the turmoil in his heart, his tone remained calm.
"The first and second engines of the lunar engine failed and exploded at the same time. The third engine caused the lunar orbit to deviate seriously! Now the third engine has also exploded. The moon is approaching the earth at an extremely fast speed!" Xu Yanbo's voice was trembling. It was obvious that he was also overwhelmed by this huge disaster.
"According to preliminary estimates, the moon will reach the critical distance within 221 hours. If we cannot repair the engine or take other measures, the earth will face... a devastating impact!"
On the other end of the phone, Xu Yanbo continued, "The United Government has already activated the emergency plan, and the Paris Flight Control Center is trying its best to reignite the Moon-Chasing Engine, but time... time is too tight!"
Although there are still 221 hours left, there is almost no leeway for such a large-scale rescue operation.
Lu Mingfei closed his eyes, quickly organized his thoughts, and made a decision: "I will rush back to the flight control center immediately and notify all rangers to enter the highest alert state and be ready to deal with any emergency at any time!"
(End of this chapter)
