48 Hours a Day

“Sorry,” Yogurt whispered, “I always hated my father because he abandoned mother and ruined her life. Before I found him, I could only think about how to avenge her. And I’m willing to do whatever it takes to destroy his life. But when I looked back, I realized that I had become another him.”

“You don’t need to apologize. It’s my own choice,” Shen Dongxing replied. “I think your mother… never really hated your father at the beginning. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have given birth to you.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Yogurt said, “Wrong is wrong. Now that I’ve come to this, I must make my father pay the price. As for our problems, let’s talk about them after all this is over. I will find a way to compensate you.”

Shen Dongxing wanted to say something, but in the end, the words just failed to come out.

“I contacted my dad and sent him the video and photos, and he’s agreed to our request. However, he asked to see me first to confirm I am still alive.”

“He…”

“There’s no way that he will agree to give us what we want,” Yogurt sneered. “He will take this opportunity to ambush you. High chances, he’ll be bringing along the man that fought with your Spiderman earlier.”

“Why agree to meet up with him, then?” Shen Dongxing was dumbfounded.

“What are you afraid of?” Yogurt asked, “It’s past midnight now, and your ability has been refreshed. If he dares to attack us, we will retaliate immediately. And you don’t have to be there this time. This plan is foolproof.”

“But how can I help you if I don’t go with you?”

“Just pick one of your figurines and pretend it’s you,” Yogurt said.

“Then I… I will hide at a place near you. If something bad happens to you, I can send another figurine to neutralize the threat. My limit is mechanizing seven figurines at the same time. However, their duration will be reduced by half.” With no holds barred, Shen Dongxing explained what was supposed to be an absolute secret to Yogurt.

“Whatever,” Yogurt said. “Just make sure to hide well.”

…

Afterward, the two of them did some preparations. Yogurt chose a secluded spot as the meeting place—a closed shopping mall. She secretly picked the lock and used some unknown game items to render the security guards unconscious.

Shen Dongxing, on the other hand, had rented a private room in an Internet cafe not far away. He hurriedly logged into the computer and selected the Captain America figurine that he borrowed from someone else. Captain America had always been a protector, and Shen Dongxing would be more relieved if Captain America was the one who protected her.

The superhero outfit, however, was still too glamorous for a 1920s United States. Shen Dongxing then asked him to change to a new set of clothes and covered his face with a hoodie. As for his shield and uniform, he put them on a plastic mannequin for the time being.

Yogurt stood in front of the glass wall on the mall’s third floor, and from up high, watched 1810 park the car by the side of the street.

1810 got out of the car. Visibly cautious of his surroundings, he kept looking around. As promised, he came alone. No one else was in the car. That, however, meant in no way that he did not bring anybody with him. Yogurt had studied 1810 for a long time, and she knew he would never fight a battle he could not win.

Nonetheless, those thoughts bothered Yogurt little since there would only be one winner tonight.

While there was still some time, Yogurt turned around and looked at Captain America beside her. The latter stood quietly in the dark and kept an eye on his surroundings. Yogurt said, “I wanted to tell you something. However, it would be best if you didn’t hear them. So, this is the best time to say it. I hope this incident also helps you learn something new. You are not that young anymore. Stop trusting others so easily. Never invest all your feeling and emotions in someone who doesn’t love you back. Now that you have the ability others can only dream of, you should learn to protect yourself. You can’t expect someone to be always there to help you.”

Yogurt paused for a while and continued, “Consider that Grade-C game item as your compensation. Initially, I wanted to get you more game points, but now, it seems impossible. So, that’s it. I hope you will find a girl truly worthy of your love and will never be let down by her. Well, that’s all I want to say. Take good care of yourself.”

After she finished speaking, she moved her head to the other side and looked at the elevator.

In the Internet café’s private room, Shen Dongxing was dumbfounded. He could see what Captain America saw through the computer, but he could not hear any sound. All he saw was Yogurt moving her lips. Hence, he had no idea what she just said.

However, his instinct told him that something bad might happen tonight. Unfortunately, he could not make Captain America speak. At the same time, 1810 had arrived, but he could not leave the café to help Yogurt. All he could do was sit in his chair and stare at the monitor anxiously.

Yogurt never told Shen Dongxing about her whole plan. She planned to divulge bit by bit as she went along. Shen Dongxing was not a complete fool, either. Sure, he would space out, and his mind would go blank at times, but that was when he talked to Yogurt. Now that he was alone, he could finally analyze the whole thing. And he realized that something had gone really wrong tonight.

Since Yogurt knew that she wouldn’t be getting what she wanted tonight, why would she agree to meet 1810? Even if she managed to defeat 1810 and his men, it would still do her no good.

Her ultimate goal has never changed. She wanted to force 1810 to tear off his hypocritical mask and his fake loving act and admit that he was scum and an irresponsible father. He had to live with the guilt until the end of his life, knowing that no one would forgive him.

How could Yogurt made it happen?

Shen Dongxing felt that he was slowly figuring out the whole thing. After a while, he realized that he had no way to prove his speculation right. Suddenly, he thought about the man that fought with his Spiderman earlier. He felt nervous again, and he had to stop allowing his mind to wander around. He, he quickly focused his attention on Captain America.

Besides, he still had Thor, Hulk, Black Widow, Iron Man, and Hawkeye on his table. Their existence gave him a little relief. No matter who came here tonight, no one would be able to hurt Yogurt as long as his ability still worked.

It was rare that he possessed such confidence.