48 Hours a Day

After the slave girl checked out the place with Zhang Heng, she finally experienced how chaotic it was. While walking on the street, someone snatched the bag of money that she held tightly and ran away.

Immediately, the thief ran into the crowd. When the slave girl shouted at him, no onlooker responded to her cries for help. It was as if they were deliberately ignoring the crime that happened right before their very eyes. Everyone’s face seemed plastered by layers of numbness and indifference.

In the end, the slave girl had to stop shouting and could only stand furiously by the roadside. She then asked Zhang Heng, who witnessed the crime happening right beside her. “Why didn’t you stop him?

“There’s not much money in the bag, is there?” Zhang heng asked in reply.

There was a division of labor between the two when they went out. Zhang Heng was the one who carried all the valuable items and gold coins. On the other hand, the slave girl only had some change inside her purse, which amounted to about thirty Sestertius.

“But that’s our money too,” protested the slave girl sullenly. Apart from losing money, she was also worried about Zhang Heng’s new job. If the security here was so bad during broad daylight, she could not imagine what would happen here when night came.

After that, she heard Zhang Heng leisurely say, “We can get our money back if you want.”

“He is gone now. How are we supposed to catch him?” The slave girl opened her eyes wide.

“Although the person who stole your money ran away, his accomplices are still there,” Zhang Heng said. “Generally, those who steal money would work in a group or pair. They are given different roles after they select their targets. One would be responsible for stealing the money, and the others would pretend to be passersby on the side. Through that, they can easily support their partner in crime in case of an emergency.”

While talking, Zhang Heng pointed at one of the youths in the crowd. He was not that tall, and he looked to be about eleven or twelve years old.

“Hey, you, don’t run.”

The latter saw Zhang Heng pointing at him, and he panicked. Especially when he heard the words “don’t run.” Without any hesitation, he turned around and ran away. However, he was still a step late. He did not know how Zhang Heng could appear behind him in such a short time.

He had just taken a half-step with his right foot when he was lifted off the ground.

However, he had no intention to give up on running away. He wanted to take off his clothes and run away topless. Zhang Heng knew he was going to use this little trick to escape, though. Immediately, Zhang Heng used the shirt that the kid just took off and tied it around his neck. If he tried to run again, the shirt would become tighter and tighter, and his breathing would become more and more difficult.

“Where are your accomplices? Take us to them,” Zhang Heng said lightly.

But he soon discovered it was pointless asking the question. Perhaps his accomplices saw that Zhang Heng had caught their companion, the person who robbed the slave girl’s purse earlier. And he brought two more companions with him, standing not far away from them.

The oldest among them was estimated to be around sixteen years of age, while the youngest seemed to be only ten. They were carrying weapons in their hands, and it frightened the slave girl a little.

“Let Skinny Monkey go,” the boy who snatched the slave girl’s purse shouted. He was also the oldest member of the group.

“Sure. Return the money that you stole from us first,” Zhang Heng said calmly.

“What the hell are you thinking? We are not negotiating with you. If you don’t let him go, we will attack you!” The boy raised the dagger in his hand and said viciously.

The slave girl quickly hid behind Zhang Heng and poked her head out after hearing the boy’s threats. “How dare you rob us in the street during broad daylight? After being found out, you even started to threaten the victims. Aren’t you afraid that we will tell the patrol about it?”

“It’s useless. They don’t give a sh*t about this place,” the boy sneered. “If you don’t want to get hurt, you better hand him over to us. Otherwise, don’t blame us for being rude.”

“Oh yeah, what are you going to do?” Zhang Heng kicked the captured young man’s calf and made him kneel on the ground. The leader considered it as a provocation, and he could not stand it anymore. So, he let out a loud roar and charged at Zhang Heng with a dagger.

It was a pity that their fighting skills were not as proficient as their thievery. Coupled with their young age, their combat effectiveness was minimal, and they picked the wrong opponent as well. Zhang Heng put them all on the ground with almost no effort. During the fight, Zhang Heng did not even need to use his weapon.

After that, he squatted down and searched the boy who snatched the slave girl’s purse. Once Zhang Heng found the purse, he returned it to the owner. “Count it. Is all the money in there?”

The slave girl happily took over the purse and stuck her tongue out at the group of teenagers that Zhang Heng had just beaten up. She then counted the copper coins in it and nodded at Zhang Heng.

“It’s all in there.”

The smile on her face did not last long. She froze when she saw another group of men appearing on the street next to them.

Earlier, the passersby ignored her cries for help, but now, they quickly moved to the side when they saw the group of men walking toward Zhang Heng. Those who moved slightly slower than others were pushed to the ground. However, they did not dare to complain. Immediately, they got up, lowered down their bodies, and moved to the side of the street. Zhang Heng also noticed fear flashing through the teenager’s eye when he saw the group of men approached him.

“What’s the matter? Someone here needs help?” asked the tall but slightly feminine Jewish man that was leading, with a hint of frivolousness in his voice.

“No, nothing happened,” the teenager lowered his head and said. “We are just playing around.”

“Having fun?” The feminine-looking Jewish man smiled. “Why not do something productive? Better stop fooling around. Have you collected all the money that I wanted this week? Tonight is the deadline.”

“We are still trying to figure a way to collect the money.”

“Are you thinking of a way to collect money, or are you thinking of a way to lie and fool around?” asked the Jewish man. “I, Black Mamba, am going to remind you again. I heard that you robbed a couple of rich people recently. I hope the numbers that you come up with can satisfy the iron handcuffs. Otherwise, you know what will happen to you. As for you…”

Black Mamba looked at Zhang Heng and said with a smile, “You hurt my men. What do you plan to do about it?”

They were different from the group of teenagers that they faced earlier. All the seven people in front of them were adults. And the weapons in their hands looked destructive, including gloves full of iron nails and maces. Some of them even had some combat experience. They used to work as an underground gladiator or bodyguard.

Upon seeing that, the slave girl could not help but say nervously, “What should we do? Did those people that ran away notify the patrol team about it?”

“Impossible. Besides, I am a member of the patrol team. I haven’t reported for duty yet, though. I don’t think I have a problem if I start work a few hours earlier.” Zhang Heng looked like he was not in a rush. He then tapped the teenager’s cheek and reminded him, “Stay put. I have some questions for you, but I have to deal with them first.”