48 Hours a Day

Panda Novel

“Name?”

“Zhang Heng.”

“Qualification?”

“Currently studying at a university.”

“Place of birth and ID, please.”

“…….”

A person had just disappeared right in front of Zhang Heng. He had to report it to the police no matter what. Soon, police officers arrived at the crime scene. However, it was too late. As there was no one else witness the incident except Zhang Heng and no CCTV cameas around them as well, they had to check the pharmacy’s CCTV that was located beside the alley. Still, the footage explained nothing about what just happened.

The police had to escort the two of them to the station first. Upon reaching, Zhang heng was seated down before someone summoned him to take his statement. Before him, the police officers were dealing with a domestic problem involving a married couple that was having a heated argument.

Once Zhang Heng faced the police officer, she started to ask him about his personal information. When the questions headed in the direction of how the person disappeared, Zhang Heng decided that he would give honest answers.

“It was quite dark over there, and I didn’t manage to see the whole thing clearly. I think she was devoured by the wall.”

“What? Is that a metaphor? Did the wall collapse and buried her alive?”

“No. Literally. I mean, she was literally devoured by the wall!”

“Being a university student, you should know that it’s illegal to lie to the police, right?! Do you want me to contact your university’s chancellor?” the female police officer angrily shouted while slamming her pen on the table.

Zhang Heng was speechless though he did not blame the police officer for getting pissed. She might have just pulled an all-nighter at the station. Obviously, no one spending a night at the station would be too joyous after listening to Zhang Heng’s ludicrous statement. However, being a matter of life and death, Zhang Heng had no reason to make up a story and mislead the police officer.

“Maybe I saw it wrongly as it was a really dark place. From my angle, all I saw was the woman disappearing into the wall.”

The officer frowned once again, albeit, this time, she managed to control her anger a little better. When she stared at Zhang Heng, she noticed that he did not flinch, with him gazing at her calmly. Judging from the way he behaved, she concluded that he wasn’t fooling around. Zhang Heng had also mentioned that the place was too dark, and he failed to see anything clearly. So, she decided that she would not dwell on this question. Instead, she turned to asking questions about the relationship between him and the woman that disappeared.

…….

The police officer took a total of 20 minutes to record Zhang Heng’s statement. Throughout the entire process, he was very cooperative. After the small commotion, the female police officer turned out to be very polite as well.

“So… there is no sign of infringement. You didn’t exactly provide us with reliable evidence, and that kid refuses to talk as well. I can’t form a basis for a case from what you told me. Anyway, I would like to offer my thanks for reporting a homeless kid to us. We will try to identify him as soon as possible and contact his parents to come and pick him up.”

For now, Zhang Heng had done everything he could do. This ended precisely as he’d expected. He was sad, but that matter was out of his control, knowing that it was impossible to save the woman. There were many people like her in a busy city. Usually, the busy pedestrians that walked the streets would simply pass them by. Whatever that slimy thing was, Zhang Heng knew that it was extremely cunning. It knew that such a target would not draw any attention even if it were brazen enough to devour her on the street. If Zhang Heng did not pass by the alley, no one would have noticed the disappearance of two homeless people in this city.

Zhang Heng stood up and shook hands with the police officer. He then stole a glance at the kid that sat on the bench. He was still holding the fried chicken that he picked up from the bin, and seemed to be in great shock.

Taking pity on the child, Zhang Heng took out 300 yuan from his wallet and handed it to the police officer.

“Can you buy some food for him? He hasn’t had dinner.”

“You are actually quite nice. Alright. Don’t worry about it. Now that he is at our station, we will buy him some food later.”

Zhang Heng was still rather upset after leaving the police station. The creature that he encountered this evening was definitely supernatural, and he had no idea who would do something like this. It could have been a monster like Moresby or even other players who possessed game items like him.

Whatever the answer was, this was definitely not a good thing. According to the old man, ‘things’ like that had existed in this world for hundreds of thousands of years, peacefully co-existing alongside the humans. Clearly, the mysterious game had destroyed the balance.

Suddenly, Zhang Heng realized that Moresby would appear at Hongqiao International Airport. The old man told Zhang Heng that it had chosen the two Chinese tourists randomly. Zhang Heng, however, did not agree. There must be a better reason why it had appeared on this foreign soil.

The most troublesome part was the existence of other players. If those they survived the game, they must have acquired game items as well. Zhang Heng could not figure out the system that the game’s creator used to select players. Not everyone had the intention to lay low like him. When someone came into possession of such great power, they would start to think of how to utilize their newfound abilities fully. Death in the game was the one factor that pushed everyone to take extreme measures. However, Zhang Heng had no intention to become a hero, nor did he want others to make a mess of where he lived.

……..

It was almost twelve when Zhang Heng arrived back at the university. He did not go through the main entrance, choosing instead to enter from the side door located west. This door was further away from the MRT station, and few elected to use this entrance. At times, some teachers would still use it because it was nearer to their residence.

As Zhang Heng came up upon the entrance, he saw a shiny black Mercedes-Benz parked on his right-hand side. Shen Xixi quickly shuffled off the car! An awkward situation emerged between them when she laid her eyes on Zhang Heng.

Suddenly, Zhang Heng remembered a rumor that he had heard earlier. Unfortunately, the black Mercedes had already left, and he was unable to take a good look at the driver. Shen Xixi quickly put the black pouch into her bag as she attempted to make herself look as calm as possible.

“It seems like we always meet at the wrong time,” lamented Shen Xixi with a bitter smile.

“You don’t have to explain anything to me,” Zhang Heng replied.

Both of them were nothing more than friends. No matter what Shen Xixi did, she had no obligation to tell him about it. Besides, Zhang Heng did not believe in the rumors he heard. He knew she was smart enough to stop the Mercedes away from the front entrance, lest the things said about her would become truth. The only question he had was why Shen Xixi did not defend herself when the allegations were thrown at her.

“We’ll talk soon. My dorm will be locked in a bit. I have to hurry!” said Shen Xixi after glancing at the time.

The female dorm was further away from the western entrance, and the dormitories would be locked in five minutes. Both of them waved each other a swift farewell before retreating to their respective rooms.