48 Hours a Day

Spanning more than eleven square kilometers, Nanhaizi Park was considered one of the largest wetlands among the suburbs. It was a colossal area equivalent to four Summer Palaces and used to be hunting grounds of royalties who once lived there. Apart from having a wide range of foliage, wild Pere David’s deer also made the wetlands their home. Considering that it was quite a distance from the city, it wasn’t a place frequented by many, not to mention that it was now two in the morning. No one in their right mind would come to such a remote location at this hour.

Other than the red Polo at the sixth parking lot, not a single living soul could be seen. The bartender, however, wasn’t afraid or anxious about the place. She slipped a cigarette into her mouth from the half-smoked pack of Marlboro’s. She lit it and immediately took two long drags, before placing the fag between her fingers and tapping her phone with her thumb.

“Come out. There are no cameras here.”

Five minutes later, Zhang Heng dragged a suitcase out of the woods with him.

“Why do you need 20 game points to deal with a dead body?”

“Please. I had to look for a replacement while I drove all the way out here to help you deal with this. It’s a long drive. Don’t forget that fuel costs money. Besides, you are about to extract game items from the body, right?”

The bartender popped the trunk of her Polo, pulled out a plastic sheet, and laid it on the ground, then signaled Zhang Heng to bring the body over.

“It’s this guy,” she said while opening up the bag. “You know him?”

“When the adults have a party in the house, they would usually attract the kids next door.”

She took two last puffs from the cigarette and tossed the butt aside, then pulled a pair of medical gloves from her pockets.

“Zavilcha. If I’m not mistaken, he was supposed to be a monster from an old Slavic fairytale. His name is almost forgotten these days, even in Russia. At first, parents used the story to scare their kids into returning home before sunset. They were also forbidden to play with kids they didn’t know or follow them home. That’s because Zavilcha would use his evil abilities to manipulate the walls in his house and consume those children.”

As she spoke, the bartender brought out her toolkit and pulled out a scalpel from it.

“You are actually quite powerful. This creature was weak, and it didn’t have any combat power as well. However, its evil intention was the key to his skills. In a city filled with tall buildings, it can easily defeat you if you pay all your attention to its intentions and ignore its true form. According to what I know, Zavilcha is very good at hiding himself.”

The bartender lifted Zavilcha’s leg as if she was going to add it to her soup.

“Oh, right. You want to snap a photo or something? Once I cut him up, his body is no longer... perfect.”

“Ugh. No, thanks. I don’t have weird fetishes.”

“Okay, then,” shrugged the bartender.

With swift and precise moves, she cut off Zavilcha’s second toe and place it into a Tulewood box. Black blood oozed out of the severed limb.

“As usual, I will give you the identification results in three days. After that, I will deliver the item to you. Don’t worry about the orphanage and his foster parents. I’ll deal with them. This will be the best 20 game points you’ve ever spent.”

The bartender stowed everything in the trunk and took off her gloves.

“Okay. It’s a wrap. I’m heading back to the bar. Are you coming with me?”

“Sure, if it’s no trouble for you.”

She started the engine, and Zhang Heng opened the door of the passenger’s side.

It had been a long night. Hunted by the creature called Zavilcha, they both crossed paths at the library for a short moment. Then, at the stroke of midnight, Zhang Heng started to hunt him down with his extra 24 hours. The entire debacle had lasted for a grueling 20 hours, and it wasn’t until he used the sledgehammer to demolish the wall at the end of the second floor that he finally found his target. After confirming that Zhao Xiaotian was the assailant, Zhang Heng slit his throat without any hesitation. However, he wasn’t sure if it was enough to kill him. To evade the authorities, Zhang Heng shoved the body into an extra-large suitcase and brought him to the remote wetlands. There were no walls around Nanhaizi Park, which meant Zhao Xiaotian could no longer use his ability to attack Zhang Heng. Considering that his throat had been slit, he could do nothing even if he was still alive. Once the extra 24 hours were up, Zhang Heng contacted the bartender lady to negotiate the fee for taking care of a dead body. The moment the price was right, she drove to the park and did what she was paid to do. And this was the end of the whole thing. With only 20 game points, Zhang Heng could rest his case of getting attacked by someone hiding within the confines of solid walls. As a bonus, he had also solved the case of the missing homeless on the streets. “Do you want to have some tea? My treat.”

The bartender set up her navigation system and took out a bottle of Dongfang tea from the glovebox.

“You’ve been reserving this tea for yourself, huh?”

“I have a vacuum flask with me.”

A simple statement like that proved that no matter how cool the youngster, how rich an executive manager, how carefree the hipsters, or how powerful the deities were, they would have to start thinking about preserving their lives one day.

After hearing what the bartender said, Zhang Heng grabbed the tea from her and gulped it down since he was thirsty. A ton of unanswered questions still lay within his heart. Whether it was Zavilcha or Moresby, it seemed like something big was changing in the world he lived in. If these creatures were living among humans for a long time, what made them gather all of a sudden? Was it the game, or was it some other factor? So far, all the creatures that Zhang Heng encountered were weak and hungry. How did they end up like this? Were there new creatures that were stronger, and would eventually replace them?

Unfortunately, the bartender was in no mood to answer any questions. The moment the red Polo was on the move, she stuck her earbuds into her ears to the tune of Guo Degang’s Xiangsheng