48 Hours a Day

Zhang Heng sent Li Shengyue back to her dormitory. It was at that time that he received a message from Shen Xixi telling him that the black liquid had given up on pursuing her all of a sudden. She also asked about his current whereabouts and situation. Before Zhang Heng could reply to her, he received a friend request.

The person’s name was, ‘Why Do You Always Look Unhappy (# 0′)’

Zhang Heng prompty rejected the friend request. Two seconds later, he received another request from the same person. This time, it came with a side note.

[No one can reject me twice. No one!()*•w•))]

Zhang Heng read it, and once again, rejected the friend request.

Almost instantly, the person sent Zhang Heng another request. This time, the side note was different.

(Someone smart like me knows that you will reject my friend request again. Am I right? Hehe. (ZV**)]

This time, Zhang Heng accepted it and sent a reply.

(Whatever you just did is completely meaningless.)

(No. It’s not meaningless. Wait! Hold on right there! Don’t block me. I asked for your contact from Shen Xixi. There’s something important that I need to tell you.]

(Eh?]

(You’re cold-blooded, and you’re definitely not a real man. However, I’m surprised that you stuck to your promise. I’m glad you didn’t run away. Have you killed that thing?]

(That has nothing to do with you.]

[Hehehe! I’m just showing my concern. Do you know how dangerous the situation was just now? We were so close… so close to meeting our maker tonight. This is the golden opportunity to eliminate that creature. Shen Xixi asked for your whereabouts just now. If I tell her that you’re the one who saved us, I’m pretty sure you’ll gain an extra fan.)

(Your stomach no longer aches?]

(I feel better now, but there’s still some lingering pain r_1. I’ll go to the clinic for a checkup tomorrow.)

Why Do You Always Look Unhappy (#’O’) sounded serious. Soon after that, she sent another message to Zhang Heng.

[Don’t worry, don’t worry. I know that you don’t like to show yourself. I told her that I don’t want you to know I’m a player, and I’ve asked her to hide in the park first. She still doesn’t know that you’re a player. Oh right. I told her that we knew each through an online game. Don’t forget that you asked me out for hotpot! (*° v°))]

After that, Zhang Heng replied Shen Xixi and told her that everything was fine. She then informed Zhang Heng that the creature had fled. As of now, she couldn’t figure what had happened as well and reminded him to be extra cautious of his surroundings. If a similar thing were to happen again, he could contact her immediately, and she would assist him in the shortest time possible.

Zhang Heng thanked her for the offer; his gratitude genuine. Until now, Zhang Heng had met several players, where most of them were friendly and courteous – just like Ding Si and the professor who had both given him some useful advice. However, there were limits to their kindness, only imparting information after having ensured that their own interests were protected.

A player who was willing to risk her life to save others like Shen Xixi was indeed hard to come by. For those who had been oppressed for a long time, they wouldn’t just simply pursue their long-desired justice or rescue someone weaker than them. Instead, they would turn from being the victim to the oppressor. After getting their revenge, they would use their influence to bully the weaker ones. What they had always hated wasn’t how unfairly they had been treated, but rather, hated that they weren’t the ones who had brought that injustice to this world.

What made Shen Xixi such a unique breed wasn’t because she didn’t go down the path of darkness, but because she was willing to use her precious game items to rescue ordinary humans. It was no easy path to take. It was a miracle that she was still alive and even gather a group of like-minded players. After all, they were countless players in the system, and some were just as kind and righteous as Shen Xixi. However, the reality of the situation differed from fairytales. In fairytales, the righteous would somehow always defeat evil, and light always overcame darkness. In reality though, a strong sense of righteousness and moral outlook meant that the player’s chances of survival would be lower since more risks would have to be taken.

Those who had chosen to walk this path were either dead. or had given up due to the unbearable hardships they had to face. The fact that Shen Xixi kept walking on the noble path was enough to prove that she had strong determination, leadership, and charisma. As for Zhang Heng, he was a completely different species altogether. According to D&D’s Alignment System, Zhang Heng was to be considered ‘neutral.’ He had a mature set of beliefs and would live his life according to his principles. No temptation from this world could shake his solid foundation.

At times, he would help those who were stuck in a tough situation, but he wouldn’t do it all the time, not like Shen Xixi. She would even risk her life to save strangers. Unless the person was dear to him, he would never risk his life for someone he didn’t know. In other words, Zhang Heng and Shen Xixi were two completely different people. However, that didn’t stop him from admiring her. He was also willing to provide whatever help he could offer if Shen Xixi were to be in trouble. After all, it wasn’t a bad thing to have more people like Shen Xixi in this heartless world. If Wang Yu and the other players who supported Shen Xixi didn’t exist, Zhang Heng wouldn’t mind revealing his true identity to her. After replying Shen Xixi, Zhang Heng put his phone away and glanced at his watch. There was only a minute left before midnight. His private time was about to arrive soon. That said, Zhang Heng had no intention to let go of that creature. Clearly, it was targeting him all the while. Even though it was now injured and its weakness exposed after getting hit by the Paris Arrow, Zhang Heng knew that it would become extremely troublesome to deal with if he didn’t take the opportunity to kill it now.

Besides, his university was exposed, and he didn’t want to live in fear for the rest of his life. He didn’t want to live with the constant thought at the back of his mind that the walls around him could melt and consume him. Before he went after the creature, he first returned to his dormitory to greet Ma Wei. After that, he grabbed something with him before he left the hostel. It was midnight the moment he entered the elevator to ascend to the first floor.

Zhang Heng had his bow with him when the doors of the elevator opened. He swiftly ran past the dorm aunty, who was in a sweatshirt and cotton slippers. She waved a U-shaped lock midair and yawned at the same time. Zhang Heng was familiar with a world where time could be paused for him. Although still somewhat curious, he had lost the initial excitement when he first came into this world where time stopped. To him, this world without time was like a wax museum filled with ultra-realistic figures.

This time, there was something important that he needed to do.