48 Hours a Day

In the monitoring room, the security guard who was in charge of keeping an eye on the surveillance feed suddenly noticed that the picture on one screen was shaking. After that, the video flipped 90 degrees, and it was now facing the wall.

Immediately, the security guard noticed that something had gone wrong. He instantly sensed something amiss, seeing how camera 24 was one of the two cameras facing the entrance of workshop No.3.

It was the most important place in the entire glass factory.

However, before he could react, something happened to the other camera. Like camera 24, CCTV camera 25 seemed to be experiencing the same problem as well. The feed was shaking, and the security guard could see that something furry appeared to be touching it.

Was that a cat?

The guard hurriedly went through the common knowledge that he had recently learned about the human world. After a while, he remembered that a cat too was a creature of earth. Unlike pigs and chickens raised in batches for food, cats were mostly reared as pets. It was especially true in the cities, where more and more single young men and women were starting to adopt cats, hoping the animals could keep them company.

The cat was the kind of animal that was independent and arrogant.

As long as they had enough food and water to meet their basic needs, they would practically ignore humans and mind their own business. The security guards had a hard time understanding why humans kept cats as their companions. If it was purely for companionship, why not get a dog instead? Was it because they are not required to bring their cats for a walk?

After discovering that the cat was why the CCTV cameras were malfunctioning, he was not as vigilant anymore.

To further fortify his deduction, the cat placed its paw on the camera’s lens, causing camera 25 to move.

Although it was no a big deal, the guard knew that he still had to deal with it as soon as possible.

The cameras purchased by the factory were of a relatively old model and lacked the function which allowed the guard to adjust its angle through the console. Since he was in the monitoring room, he had to ask his colleagues who were patrolling outside to deal with this problem.

While waiting for the CCTV camera to be fixed, Workshop No.3’s electric rolling shutter gate was slowly opening.

Zhang Heng then put the cat that had done an excellent job distracting the enemies into his backpack. He did not immediately enter the workshop, knowing that he still had some time before the security team arrived. Before that, he needed to return the remote control to the security office.

Fortunately, the office wasn’t too far away from where he was. He pushed the close button outside the security office, instantly hanging the remote back on the wall before turning around and rushing toward Workshop No.3.

The shutters landed faster than expected, but Zhang Heng managed to get into Workshop No.3 in the nick of time.

Just as the bottom of the rolling shutter was less than 30 centimeters away from the ground, Zhang Heng managed to squeeze himself into Workshop No.3. Fortunately, everything worked according to plan. As the shutters rolled shut behind him, Zhang Heng knew he had completed the most perilous part of this quest.

Ten seconds later, the guards in charge of the patrol had also appeared on the other side of the rolling shutter.

All they saw was a rolling shutter that was shut and nothing wrong with the security cameras as well—all they needed to do was to readjust the cameras back to their original position. At the same time, the people who had gone to investigate the fire had also come back. After confirming that the cardboard factory’s fire would not affect them, they returned to their respective posts.

Zhang Heng placed his ear on the rolling shutter, paid attention to their footsteps, and waited a while before walking towards the workshop.

The inner part of the workshop was similar to what he saw from the window earlier.

The room was mainly filled with waste materials, including rejected glass plates, raw materials left for an unknown period, and two old machines by the previous owner.

Instead of using a flashlight, Zhang Heng put on the Filter Lens to look at his surroundings—he saw no threats. He then spoke to Bai Qing, “I’m here now. How about you?”

Since the two had been in communication from the start, Zhang Heng could hear the security guard from the cardboard factory yelling, attempting to get help to put out the fire. After that, Bai Qing started to run, and Zhang Heng could hear her heavy breathing. The strange thing was, she had been running for quite some time and hadn’t stopped until now.

Zhang Heng could not help but start worrying. Although the little fire caused no major incident, arson was still considered a vicious crime. If nabbed, she might just be sent to jail, although just a minor.

“Ah, I don’t know.” Bai Qing’s answer surprised Zhang Heng.

Zhang Heng asked patiently after her reply, “Are you still running away from people chasing you?”

“Chasing… People chasing me?” Bai Qing gasped for breath, “I don’t know if there are people after me.”

“…

“Have you not looked back after running for so long?”

After a while, Bai Qing spoke again, “Ah, I’m sorry. I’m too nervous. I was so afraid of getting caught. I haven’t done anything this bad before.”

“It’s okay,” comforted Zhang Heng. “You’ll get used to it after you do it a few more times.”

“Huh?” Bai Qing was dumbfounded when she heard Zhang Heng’s reply.

“It’s just a joke to make you relax a little. Make sure no one’s behind you before you go back to the car.”

“Did you find anything over there?”

Bai Qing had come up to a wall and was leaning on it, resting.

“Well… I will know soon.”

Zhang Heng walked around Workshop No.3 as he talked to Bai Qing, and soon, his attention landed on the two old machines. From the outside, one looked like a can washing machine. It was pitch black all around, but with the Filter Lens’s help, Zhang Heng could see the trailing traces on the ground.

This can washer weighed more than one hundred kilograms. Under normal circumstances, it would take two people to drag it, but with Zhang Heng’s current strength, he could do it alone. Pushing the machine aside, he saw an entrance to a cellar-like place.

A disgusting stench wafted out from it.

Having no idea what was in the cellar, Zhang Heng hesitated to enter. Worried that the strange smell might have a negative effect on the human body, he decided to let the cat enter first.

Zhang Heng tied it up with a rope and placed it in front of the entrance as bait. Obviously dissatisfied with the plan, the feline struggled and yowled periodically. It seemed like it did not like the smell as well. Fortunately, no one would patrol around Workshop No. 3 at this hour.

After waiting for a while, Zhang Heng saw no movement coming from the cellar. Albeit looking a little sluggish, the cat was healthy for the most part. Zhang Heng decided to stop waiting. He retrieved the cat and put it back in his backpack, and began to walk down the steps.

As he went further down, the disgusting smell became stronger and stronger.

And Zhang Heng noticed strange ferns growing on the surrounding walls. He had learned about plants from Bell before and had come across many plant illustrations as well. However, he had never seen this type of fern before. Looking somewhat prehistoric, they looked like the kind of fern that came from the Cretaceous period.