48 Hours a Day

Chapter 402 Future

Zhang Heng carried Little Boy and ran to the end of the alley.

“The trash can… there is a folding ladder in it. You can use it to go up the wall. It would be best if you go up first. You can help me get up after that,” Little Boy said.

“Maybe there’s an easier way.”

Zhang Heng took off his coat and tied Little Boy tightly around his chest. He then stepped on the trash can, jumped onto the wall, and managed to land on the other side right before the police arrived.

“… I destroyed the CCTV on your right two days ago,” Little Boy paused as she continued to point the direction. Zhang Heng did not waste any time, running to the right side without saying a word.

“Turn left, pay attention to the camera. Stick to the wall to avoid it.”

Little Boy seemed to be very familiar with the surrounding area, and she even planned out an escape route that would avoid the detection of the countless surveillance cameras. Ten minutes later, the two were already clear from where the incident occurred, and they could no longer hear sirens behind them.

“Hey, you can put me down now,” Little Boy frowned.

They were in a somewhat awkward position now with their upper bodies were stuck together. To have a better grip, Little Boy had to clamp Zhang Heng’s waist with her legs and having had to tilt her head all the way to observe the route, her neck and thighs started to feel a little sore.

When she was back on the ground, she moved her neck and looked at Zhang Heng.

“I didn’t have time to ask you questions just now. Who are you, and why are you saving me?”

“After so many years, you are still the same. In this case, you should first say thank you,” Zhang Heng said.

“It’s not too late to thank you after I figure out your true identity. Perhaps you are from Black Nest, just like the pair of police officers. They pretended to be a couple and arrested me. You pretended to be a good-hearted person who helped me. You are trying to win my trust. Who knows if you have any other ill intentions? And don’t talk to me in that tone. I don’t know you at all.”

Little Boy tried to tidy up her hair, but her hands were still handcuffed behind her.

Although she was as stubborn as before, Zhang Heng still managed to extract a good amount of information from her words. This parallel quest was different from the one he’d competed earlier in the sense that it was no longer about the past but the “future.” Little Boy made it seem as if it was the first time she met Zhang Heng. Hence, there was a high probability that this so-called “future” was based on a past that had no player activity.

“You are part of the 01 Guerrillas, right?”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? We are the only ones in the city who are still fighting against CTOS.” “By smashing the CCTV with stones?”

“Are you guys laughing at us?”

“No, I admire you very much. Philip and Waldo, are they with you? How about the magician and Semiprime?”

Little Boy’s expression changed when she heard those names. “Are you here to look for trouble?” she muttered with an audibly different tone.

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t you watch the news? Black Nest would be bleeding money if they were hired as an undercover agent.

“Hmm… It seems you guys got yourself on the news… I urgently need to cram everything that happened in the past few years in the shortest time possible,” Zhang Heng said, “How about we make a deal?”

“What deal?”

“I help you unlock the handcuffs, but I’ll need you to answer a few questions. If you feel uncomfortable answering any of them, you can choose not to answer.”

“Oh, I can unlock the handcuffs without your help,” Little Boy snorted. Before Zhang Heng spoke, a passerby saw Little Boy and the handcuffs on her. Instantly, a suspicious look grew on his face.

“What are you looking at? Haven’t you seen kinky stuff like this?” Zhang Heng lifted Little Boy against the wall with one hand and opened the zipper of her sweatshirt with the other.

“Shameless!” the passerby cursed softly and left in a hurry.

“Look, the CCTV isn’t your only problem now. You can’t even walk a few steps without people looking at you,” Zhang Heng smirked and zipped up Little Boy’s sweatshirt again.

Little Boy’s expression changed. And after a while, she asked, “Can you really undo my handcuffs?”

Zhang Heng glanced at the cuffs, taking note of its model. “Of course. Do you have a wallet?” he asked.

“In my right pocket.” What surprised Zhang Heng was that there was no credit card in Little Boy’s wallet but only cash instead.

“Based on your credit card spending records, they can know when and where you went, what you bought, and even compare the credit card records of others to find out who you met. Cash is the safest method for me to purchase things right now.”

“You are right.” Zhang Heng folded a brand-new euro banknote into a long thin straw, inserted it into the keyhole, and twisted the note in an anti-clockwise direction. The handcuffs clicked open as they became undone.

“Who are you, murderer, thief, gang member?!”

“It’s just a small trick that I learned from watching videos on the Internet.”

“Aren’t you afraid of being monitored when you search for such videos?”

“I don’t live here.”

“You are lucky.”

Little Boy took off her handcuffs and wriggled her wrists. She then looked at Zhang Heng and stared at him for a long time, trying to figure out something from his face. Half a minute later, she said, “Come with me.”

“Where to?”

“My place, it’s safer there.”

Zhang Heng followed Little Boy to her apartment. It was an old house with moldy walls, and even the ceiling was covered in grey blotches. There was no elevator. Little Boy’s door was secured with the most common mechanical lock. She then took a key out of her pocket and unlocked the door.

The unit was a small one-bedroom apartment with the living room taking up the rest of the space. Little Boy’s place was in great contrast to the old and dilapidated staircase he saw earlier. Her apartment was clean and tidy, and although the area was small, her choice of decorations gave it a snug feeling. There was also an English Shorthair sitting on the sofa. When the door opened, it did not raise its head.

“First things first,” Little Boy opened the door of the microwave oven, “put in all your smart devices that can be connected to the internet.”

“I don’t have any smart device…” Zhang Heng said.

“You are lying.”

“You can search me if you don’t believe me.”

Little Boy frowned. Instead of believing in what he said, she decided to frisk him to ensure that he was not lying. After that, she said, “Just sit down.”

There was only one sofa in the living room, and the English Shorthair had claimed it. Zhang Heng was wise enough not to invade the territory of the very ferocious beast. So, he sat down on the stool at the next table.

“What do you want to drink?”

“Coffee.”

“No. I don’t have coffee here.”

“How about tea?”

“…no tea as well.”

“Water then.”

“Great.”

Three minutes later, Little Boy warmed up some milk and poured a glass for herself and Zhang Heng. She then picked up the lazy English Shorthair on the sofa and sat opposite of Zhang Heng. “What do you want to know?”

“Where is Edward?”

“You actually know that name?” Little Boy was getting a little cautious, “…and you dare tell me you are not from the Black Nest?”