48 Hours a Day

“…you mean aliens have invaded our world, and that they’re masquerading as humans by secretly replacing our friends and relatives with themselves? And, our relatives and friends may no longer be the people we know?” Bai Qing’s eyes widened. Although she said she would believe everything Zhang Heng said, as an ordinary person with a respectable IQ, common sense, and nine years of compulsory education, she found it really hard to believe upon hearing it for the first time.

“Yes. You told me that it was abnormal that your dad be home right after work. And he was also looking at the old photo album alone in the room? That’s when I thought that the alien must’ve replaced your father secretly,” Zhang Heng said. “The way your mother acted last night was very similar to the victim that I met before. It was so uncannily similar that I started to have doubts about her. I know those creatures were trying to figure out a way to get rid of me. However, I didn’t rush to a conclusion. Instead, I went home, took some equipment, and drove back to where you live.”

“You were here last night?”

“Yes, I arrived at about 12:48, and I parked my car right outside your apartment. While waiting in the car, I fell asleep for a while.” Unsure if it would be related to this quest, Zhang Heng did not tell Bai Qing about his dream.

“According to your deduction, the person who got replaced in my family should be my father, right? Since my mother found the abnormality, my father—that… thing—killed my mother?”

“No, as far as I know, those creatures have always been very cautious except for the case of the three children drowning. After that, they didn’t resort to killing anymore. In fact, I discovered that they prefer to use the rules of society to achieve their goals.

“Take the college student as an example. They created an illusion that the target was mentally unstable through continuous psychological oppression. The student used a knife to cause chaos in the community before. Once the people around him accepted that he is mentally unstable, those creatures would be able to send him to a mental hospital without making up anything about him. And this time, the methods that they use have evolved.”

“What do you mean?”

“During the last quarrel between your father and your mother, your mother deliberately spoke loudly to alert those living around her. By doing that, the other people and the police would know that your father had the intention to harm your mother. This series of actions directly correlated to what would happen later. When your mother died in the living room lying in a pool of her own blood and your father was found with a fruit knife, nobody would believe he wasn’t the killer no matter what he said. I should have realized that. In fact, it is an upgraded version of the incident where the college student was found holding a knife.”

“But the person who behaved abnormally before was indeed my father, and he is also the one that installed those pinhole cameras in the house. How do you explain that?”

“Your father discovered that your mother was behaving abnormally. After all, no matter how much they quarreled, they were still a married couple who had lived together for 20 years. When your father looked through the old photos, he might have suspected that your mother was cheating on him. He must have looked at those old photos because he wanted to remember the feelings he had towards your mother. Those pinhole cameras served to catch your mother cheating on him red-handed. This is how a normal person would react. When he decided to come home from work, he was trying to save the marriage. It explains why they had such a huge fight last night. When the police arrived, however, your father kept quiet about the cause of the conflict.”

Bai Qing thought for a while, “It looks like your deduction is starting to make sense. My father is the kind of man that puts saving face as a priority. If he suspects that my mother is cheating on him, he would be sure to keep it from any outsiders. But… I saw him standing there with a fruit knife in his hand.”

“As long as the person was well-planned, it is easy to make your father the number one suspect. For example, when your dad saw your mom attempting suicide, he would surely have run to her and snatched the fruit knife away. Either your mother managed to act swiftly, or she was simply strong enough to kill herself. In the end, your father took the knife from her. It just happened that you were there to witness the final scene,” Zhang Heng said. “Of course, this is only my speculation. I need to investigate further.”

“So that creature sacrificed itself to send my dad to prison?”

“I don’t think they sacrificed themselves. We don’t know much about them. We don’t know what they are, the methods they use to replace us, and what their survival conditions are,” Zhang Heng analyzed. “Maybe our physical bodies are like clothes for them. Perhaps they could dispose of it whenever they want.”

“Have you been investigating this for a long time? You always look like you didn’t get enough sleep in class. Has this been the reason?” Bai Qing asked.

“Yes, I’ve been tracking the whereabouts of the college student and investigating the drowning of the three children,” Zhang Heng admitted.

“Why? You said that you are not that close with the college student, and those things have warned you. Why take the risk?”

“Well… I come from the Association of Prevention and Control of Invasion of Alien Species. It specializes in handling abnormal phenomena,” Zhang Heng lied, using the name of Shen Xixi’s organization as an excuse.

“It sounds like a mysterious organization that only appears in novels and movies. Is there anyone in this association besides you?”

“Yes, but they are not here. They have other things to deal with, which means we can only rely on ourselves.”

“Sorry, I’m trying very hard to keep up with you, but…” Bai Qing grabbed her head. “It sounds absurd. You’re telling me that aliens have invaded us, and my mother is actually not my mother…”

“It’s okay. Take your time to understand the whole thing. I know how upset you must be right now, and you can either stay here to rest or go to your grandpa’s place. Leave the investigation to me,” Zhang Heng said.

“No, I’ll come with you!” Bai Qing insisted. “Don’t leave me alone.” She reached out and grabbed Zhang Heng’s hand. “The horrible scene in the living room keeps popping up in my mind over and over again. It’s like an awful nightmare. I can’t rest. If what you said is true, can we get my mother back?”

“It is possible, but I must say that the probability is very slim. First, we need to find a way to help your dad.”

“If we can prove that my dad is not the killer, I’m willing to do anything to clear his name,” Bai Qing proclaimed without hesitation.

“Okay, let’s start with the corpse and see if we can find anything,” Zhang Heng said.