They were flying at an altitude of nine thousand eight hundred meters.
The announcement sounded, and the flight attendant said, “The plane has encountered strong air currents. Please fasten your seat belts.”
Qin Chunxiao and the neighbor sitting next to each other exchanged glances before both of them lowered their heads and fastened their seat belts. Qin Chunxiao refrained from saying anything since he wasn’t the type to talk incessantly when nervous, and his seatmate showed no inclination to engage in conversation. Wisely, Qin Chunxiao chose to remain silent, offering himself reassurance in his mind.
_”It’s okay, just a little turbulence. Nothing out of the ordinary. Haven’t I experienced this before when flying to Brazil for the league? In the end, we arrived 20 minutes early. As an ordinary passenger, I trust the captain, flight attendants, and other professionals to handle this critical moment without causing trouble for others.”__
There were 115 passengers on the plane, and Qin Chunxiao was the first to regain his composure. Just in front of him, he heard a faint cry. He grabbed the armrest and cautiously leaned forward, making a concerned expression.
“Little sister, don’t be afraid. The plane just experienced some turbulence, but professional pilots can handle this situation. Be a good girl and fasten your seat belt, okay?”
The girl, who seemed to be in elementary school, had a tear-stained face. She was wearing a champagne pink princess dress with two braided pigtails, clearly indicating she was the youngest in the family. The girl’s father thanked Qin Chunxiao repeatedly as he fastened his daughter’s seat belt and gently held her hand.
“Zhenzhen, don’t worry. Uncle Pilot is very capable. Can you wear this for now?”
Gradually, the cabin began to stabilize. To ensure the safety of the passengers, the captain initiated a descent in altitude. Qin Chunxiao let out a sigh of relief and wanted to check on his teammates, but noticed they were seated far away. At that moment, Captain Qiao Mingming called out, “Hey, volleyball team! Raise your hand and show your jersey number so the coach can identify you.”
After the announcement, Qiao Mingming offered an apologetic smile to the surrounding passengers. The other players extended their long arms as requested.
The head coach of their team, surnamed Niu, was a former national player who had spent time abroad. Upon returning to China, he gradually climbed the ranks from a provincial team coach to the head coach of the national team. The team led by Coach Niu had been through thick and thin together, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the old man had watched them grow and develop like his own sons. He took care of them as if they were his own.
Qin Chunxiao wore jersey number 8. He raised his hand and formed the number eight, shaking it to catch the coach’s attention.
Coach Niu straightened his back, sat up, and raised his voice, “Listen to the flight attendant. Fasten your seat belts and stay in your seats. Don’t cause trouble for others.”
Hearing scattered responses from the team members, Coach Niu sat back down and exchanged nods with Qiao Mingming. “You sit down too,” he instructed.
However, the situation didn’t improve. Just two minutes later, there was another loud noise from the front of the cabin, followed by a sudden loss of cabin pressure.
Typically, high altitudes have low pressure and insufficient oxygen, but aircraft are equipped with pressurization systems that maintain a comfortable cabin environment similar to being on the ground. However, at that moment, Qin Chunxiao felt a strong sense of descent. The oxygen masks also automatically dropped from above.
He lunged forward, instinctively supporting himself against the back of the front seat, and saw his neighbor tear off his mask, blood slowly dripping from his nose.
Qin Chunxiao immediately reached out to support Lu Xuandong. When the plane finally stabilized again amidst the chaos of screams, cries, and shouts in the cabin, he grabbed a tissue, pressed it against the bleeding face of his neighbor, and grabbed another if the first one wasn’t clean. The blood-soaked tissue fell to the ground, but they couldn’t afford to worry about it at that moment.
“What happened?” Qin Chunxiao muttered.
Lu Xuandong tried to answer his question, but no sound came out of his mouth.
The flight attendants were doing their best to calm the passengers, but their efforts were not yielding good results. Suddenly, a blond foreigner stood up and shouted in broken English, “What’s going on? Is the plane malfunctioning? Are we going to die?”
Meanwhile, the girl in front of them cried in terror, her sobs piercing the air. Her father held her tightly, trying to comfort her. Qin Chunxiao leaned forward and spoke softly, “Sister, don’t be afraid. It’s alright now. The plane has stabilized again. We are facing a high-altitude, low-oxygen environment due to cabin depressurization. Put on your oxygen mask and don’t have nosebleeds like this gentleman.”
He pointed to Lu Xuandong, who was gasping for breath as he put on his mask. Lu Xuandong glanced at the girl, then back at Qin Chunxiao.
Zhenzhen hiccupped from crying. With one hand holding her father and the other reaching out toward Qin Chunxiao, he extended his arm for her to grasp. The young father quickly allowed her to hold Qin Chunxiao’s hand while he helped her put on the oxygen mask.
The foreign passengers had already begun to confront the flight attendants. Coach Niu glanced in that direction and raised his voice, “Fu Biyang, maintain your balance and go help those flight attendants. They’re about to be attacked!”
Fu Biyang, the team’s deputy attacker and a skilled blocker, was sitting closest to the flight attendant who was being pushed. Born in Hainan, he had a dark complexion, stood at 1.98 meters tall, and possessed a muscular physique resembling that of a humanoid. He swiftly jumped up like a black panther, approaching the foreign passenger in a few strides and stared at him with an intense and intimidating expression. “Back off! Don’t cause trouble here, go back!” he firmly exclaimed.
Coach Niu, known for his warm-hearted nature, offered his assistance and shouted, “Listen to the flight attendants! Put on your oxygen masks!”
With Fu Biyang’s help and the coach’s guidance, the cabin atmosphere finally began to calm down. Although the passengers remained anxious, they demonstrated the composure of modern individuals by returning to their original seats and wearing their oxygen masks, preventing further disturbances.
Fu Biyang, uncomfortable without an oxygen mask in the hypoxic environment, panted heavily as he escorted the flight attendant back to her position. Leaning on the back of a chair, he walked past Qin Chunxiao and said something.
“If we make it back alive, I’ll personally cook coconut chicken for you.”
Qin Chunxiao’s eyes welled up with emotion, and he punched Fu Biyang. The strong man, known as King Kong, wiped away his tears when he returned to his seat. The members of the men’s volleyball team were all born after 1995, representing a generation of young and resilient individuals.
Seated by the window, Qin Chunxiao noticed the darkening sky outside and felt an unexplainable sense of foreboding.
“It would be wonderful if I could have that coconut chicken,” he murmured to himself. Retrieving his phone, he opened the memo app and left a message.
[Father, mother, sister, I love you all. My bank password is 010203. Although it is only 9,000 yuan, you should remember to take it out and spend it.]
After all the hard work, his salary had only exceeded the personal income tax threshold for two years. He hadn’t been able to purchase a new house for his family, and he hadn’t witnessed his sister’s journey to becoming a successful woman. Qin Chunxiao was truly unwilling to die!
However, just in case, Qin Chunxiao wiped the corners of his eyes and quickly began deleting his browsing history.
He wanted to keep a clear conscience in this world.
Lu Xuandong took out his phone, wanting to type something, but stopped.
He didn’t have anyone to leave a farewell message to.
Lu Xuandong supported his left side abdomen, where a line of numbers had appeared not long ago. It initially appeared as 720:00:00.
720 hours, 30 days.
How much time had passed by now? Lu Xuandong didn’t know. He only knew that every time he tried to speak to the boy, it felt like something was choking his throat, preventing him from making a sound.
He had heard of Qin Chunxiao, the best volleyball libero in the country. They said he was like an impenetrable defense, and he was known to be kind-hearted and even spoke Portuguese.
Lu Xuandong never imagined that he would have such a connection with Qin Chunxiao. If their original flight had arrived on time, they probably wouldn’t have crossed paths for a long time, and they might have missed each other indefinitely.
But if… they could have met earlier, maybe he could have spoken a few last words now.
As the passengers tried their best to remain calm, the unfamiliar captain at the front was also striving. Qin Chunxiao didn’t know this person. After the cabin lost pressure, with no flight attendants to assist him, he didn’t even have time to put on an oxygen mask. He concentrated all his attention on controlling the cockpit, slowly maneuvering the descending plane back up.
This middle-aged man in his forties thought to himself, “I want to bring back these over a hundred passengers, and I want to go back and remarry my ex-wife. I want to tell her that even at the face of life and death, I still think of her.”
He whispered, “Elena, I love you.”
Everyone was making an effort.
The phone manager cleared all files, games, and browsing history. Qin Chunxiao put it in his backpack and tucked it under his seat. He turned his head and smiled at Lu Xuandong.
He thought, “Boss, do you know? If our luck is really bad today, this unlucky tool will die together with my unlucky background.”
After experiencing the growth of adolescence, Qin Chunxiao had long realized that he was just an ordinary member of the masses. He accepted his own mediocrity and acknowledged that he was not the protagonist of a novel, lacking exceptional talent and height.
But he still worked hard to make it onto the national team. He couldn’t be the protagonist of the world, but he could be the protagonist of his own life.
His coach and teammates were still young and great. If he were to die without experiencing an international competition with his teammates, he felt that he wouldn’t be able to close his eyes.
We are all supporting roles. Just when the plot in that book is about to end, and you are about to inherit the family business, and I am about to represent the country in a competition, death comes. It’s such a pity.
Lu Xuandong looked at him, took out his phone, and the lit-up screen displayed a line of text.
【I am Lu Xuandong, hello.】
Qin Chunxiao was taken aback. He tried to respond, but no sound came out.
In the next moment, everything spun, and something exploded high in the sky. Before Qin Chunxiao could react, someone grabbed him. He opened his mouth and let out a silent roar while the person next to him tightly held onto his head.
Something hit them, and Qin Chunxiao was in excruciating pain. Warm liquid fell on his forehead. It was fresh, red blood.
In front of him, Zhenzhen cried out, “Daddy!”
Coach Niu shouted, “Protect yourselves!”
In his vision, colors gradually faded, and everything turned black and white. In the glaring light of the fire, Qin Chunxiao lost his last bit of consciousness.
They were flying at an altitude of nine thousand eight hundred meters.
The announcement sounded, and the flight attendant said, “The plane has encountered strong air currents. Please fasten your seat belts.”
Qin Chunxiao and the neighbor sitting next to each other exchanged glances before both of them lowered their heads and fastened their seat belts. Qin Chunxiao refrained from saying anything since he wasn’t the type to talk incessantly when nervous, and his seatmate showed no inclination to engage in conversation. Wisely, Qin Chunxiao chose to remain silent, offering himself reassurance in his mind.
_”It’s okay, just a little turbulence. Nothing out of the ordinary. Haven’t I experienced this before when flying to Brazil for the league? In the end, we arrived 20 minutes early. As an ordinary passenger, I trust the captain, flight attendants, and other professionals to handle this critical moment without causing trouble for others.”__
There were 115 passengers on the plane, and Qin Chunxiao was the first to regain his composure. Just in front of him, he heard a faint cry. He grabbed the armrest and cautiously leaned forward, making a concerned expression.
“Little sister, don’t be afraid. The plane just experienced some turbulence, but professional pilots can handle this situation. Be a good girl and fasten your seat belt, okay?”
The girl, who seemed to be in elementary school, had a tear-stained face. She was wearing a champagne pink princess dress with two braided pigtails, clearly indicating she was the youngest in the family. The girl’s father thanked Qin Chunxiao repeatedly as he fastened his daughter’s seat belt and gently held her hand.
“Zhenzhen, don’t worry. Uncle Pilot is very capable. Can you wear this for now?”
Gradually, the cabin began to stabilize. To ensure the safety of the passengers, the captain initiated a descent in altitude. Qin Chunxiao let out a sigh of relief and wanted to check on his teammates, but noticed they were seated far away. At that moment, Captain Qiao Mingming called out, “Hey, volleyball team! Raise your hand and show your jersey number so the coach can identify you.”
After the announcement, Qiao Mingming offered an apologetic smile to the surrounding passengers. The other players extended their long arms as requested.
The head coach of their team, surnamed Niu, was a former national player who had spent time abroad. Upon returning to China, he gradually climbed the ranks from a provincial team coach to the head coach of the national team. The team led by Coach Niu had been through thick and thin together, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the old man had watched them grow and develop like his own sons. He took care of them as if they were his own.
Qin Chunxiao wore jersey number 8. He raised his hand and formed the number eight, shaking it to catch the coach’s attention.
Coach Niu straightened his back, sat up, and raised his voice, “Listen to the flight attendant. Fasten your seat belts and stay in your seats. Don’t cause trouble for others.”
Hearing scattered responses from the team members, Coach Niu sat back down and exchanged nods with Qiao Mingming. “You sit down too,” he instructed.
However, the situation didn’t improve. Just two minutes later, there was another loud noise from the front of the cabin, followed by a sudden loss of cabin pressure.
Typically, high altitudes have low pressure and insufficient oxygen, but aircraft are equipped with pressurization systems that maintain a comfortable cabin environment similar to being on the ground. However, at that moment, Qin Chunxiao felt a strong sense of descent. The oxygen masks also automatically dropped from above.
He lunged forward, instinctively supporting himself against the back of the front seat, and saw his neighbor tear off his mask, blood slowly dripping from his nose.
Qin Chunxiao immediately reached out to support Lu Xuandong. When the plane finally stabilized again amidst the chaos of screams, cries, and shouts in the cabin, he grabbed a tissue, pressed it against the bleeding face of his neighbor, and grabbed another if the first one wasn’t clean. The blood-soaked tissue fell to the ground, but they couldn’t afford to worry about it at that moment.
“What happened?” Qin Chunxiao muttered.
Lu Xuandong tried to answer his question, but no sound came out of his mouth.
The flight attendants were doing their best to calm the passengers, but their efforts were not yielding good results. Suddenly, a blond foreigner stood up and shouted in broken English, “What’s going on? Is the plane malfunctioning? Are we going to die?”
Meanwhile, the girl in front of them cried in terror, her sobs piercing the air. Her father held her tightly, trying to comfort her. Qin Chunxiao leaned forward and spoke softly, “Sister, don’t be afraid. It’s alright now. The plane has stabilized again. We are facing a high-altitude, low-oxygen environment due to cabin depressurization. Put on your oxygen mask and don’t have nosebleeds like this gentleman.”
He pointed to Lu Xuandong, who was gasping for breath as he put on his mask. Lu Xuandong glanced at the girl, then back at Qin Chunxiao.
Zhenzhen hiccupped from crying. With one hand holding her father and the other reaching out toward Qin Chunxiao, he extended his arm for her to grasp. The young father quickly allowed her to hold Qin Chunxiao’s hand while he helped her put on the oxygen mask.
The foreign passengers had already begun to confront the flight attendants. Coach Niu glanced in that direction and raised his voice, “Fu Biyang, maintain your balance and go help those flight attendants. They’re about to be attacked!”
Fu Biyang, the team’s deputy attacker and a skilled blocker, was sitting closest to the flight attendant who was being pushed. Born in Hainan, he had a dark complexion, stood at 1.98 meters tall, and possessed a muscular physique resembling that of a humanoid. He swiftly jumped up like a black panther, approaching the foreign passenger in a few strides and stared at him with an intense and intimidating expression. “Back off! Don’t cause trouble here, go back!” he firmly exclaimed.
Coach Niu, known for his warm-hearted nature, offered his assistance and shouted, “Listen to the flight attendants! Put on your oxygen masks!”
With Fu Biyang’s help and the coach’s guidance, the cabin atmosphere finally began to calm down. Although the passengers remained anxious, they demonstrated the composure of modern individuals by returning to their original seats and wearing their oxygen masks, preventing further disturbances.
Fu Biyang, uncomfortable without an oxygen mask in the hypoxic environment, panted heavily as he escorted the flight attendant back to her position. Leaning on the back of a chair, he walked past Qin Chunxiao and said something.
“If we make it back alive, I’ll personally cook coconut chicken for you.”
Qin Chunxiao’s eyes welled up with emotion, and he punched Fu Biyang. The strong man, known as King Kong, wiped away his tears when he returned to his seat. The members of the men’s volleyball team were all born after 1995, representing a generation of young and resilient individuals.
Seated by the window, Qin Chunxiao noticed the darkening sky outside and felt an unexplainable sense of foreboding.
“It would be wonderful if I could have that coconut chicken,” he murmured to himself. Retrieving his phone, he opened the memo app and left a message.
[Father, mother, sister, I love you all. My bank password is 010203. Although it is only 9,000 yuan, you should remember to take it out and spend it.]
After all the hard work, his salary had only exceeded the personal income tax threshold for two years. He hadn’t been able to purchase a new house for his family, and he hadn’t witnessed his sister’s journey to becoming a successful woman. Qin Chunxiao was truly unwilling to die!
However, just in case, Qin Chunxiao wiped the corners of his eyes and quickly began deleting his browsing history.
He wanted to keep a clear conscience in this world.
Lu Xuandong took out his phone, wanting to type something, but stopped.
He didn’t have anyone to leave a farewell message to.
Lu Xuandong supported his left side abdomen, where a line of numbers had appeared not long ago. It initially appeared as 720:00:00.
720 hours, 30 days.
How much time had passed by now? Lu Xuandong didn’t know. He only knew that every time he tried to speak to the boy, it felt like something was choking his throat, preventing him from making a sound.
He had heard of Qin Chunxiao, the best volleyball libero in the country. They said he was like an impenetrable defense, and he was known to be kind-hearted and even spoke Portuguese.
Lu Xuandong never imagined that he would have such a connection with Qin Chunxiao. If their original flight had arrived on time, they probably wouldn’t have crossed paths for a long time, and they might have missed each other indefinitely.
But if… they could have met earlier, maybe he could have spoken a few last words now.
As the passengers tried their best to remain calm, the unfamiliar captain at the front was also striving. Qin Chunxiao didn’t know this person. After the cabin lost pressure, with no flight attendants to assist him, he didn’t even have time to put on an oxygen mask. He concentrated all his attention on controlling the cockpit, slowly maneuvering the descending plane back up.
This middle-aged man in his forties thought to himself, “I want to bring back these over a hundred passengers, and I want to go back and remarry my ex-wife. I want to tell her that even at the face of life and death, I still think of her.”
He whispered, “Elena, I love you.”
Everyone was making an effort.
The phone manager cleared all files, games, and browsing history. Qin Chunxiao put it in his backpack and tucked it under his seat. He turned his head and smiled at Lu Xuandong.
He thought, “Boss, do you know? If our luck is really bad today, this unlucky tool will die together with my unlucky background.”
After experiencing the growth of adolescence, Qin Chunxiao had long realized that he was just an ordinary member of the masses. He accepted his own mediocrity and acknowledged that he was not the protagonist of a novel, lacking exceptional talent and height.
But he still worked hard to make it onto the national team. He couldn’t be the protagonist of the world, but he could be the protagonist of his own life.
His coach and teammates were still young and great. If he were to die without experiencing an international competition with his teammates, he felt that he wouldn’t be able to close his eyes.
We are all supporting roles. Just when the plot in that book is about to end, and you are about to inherit the family business, and I am about to represent the country in a competition, death comes. It’s such a pity.
Lu Xuandong looked at him, took out his phone, and the lit-up screen displayed a line of text.
【I am Lu Xuandong, hello.】
Qin Chunxiao was taken aback. He tried to respond, but no sound came out.
In the next moment, everything spun, and something exploded high in the sky. Before Qin Chunxiao could react, someone grabbed him. He opened his mouth and let out a silent roar while the person next to him tightly held onto his head.
Something hit them, and Qin Chunxiao was in excruciating pain. Warm liquid fell on his forehead. It was fresh, red blood.
In front of him, Zhenzhen cried out, “Daddy!”
Coach Niu shouted, “Protect yourselves!”
In his vision, colors gradually faded, and everything turned black and white. In the glaring light of the fire, Qin Chunxiao lost his last bit of consciousness.
