48 Hours a Day

Judging by the dire situation, they were all just doing the best they could. No one thought Anthony would survive the blaze. The fire brigade arrived promptly, taking only five minutes to put out the flames. Sadly, the Lunar Landing Training Vehicle was beyond salvage, and all that remained was a smoldering heap of metal and debris. And in the pilot’s seat, an equally scorched corpse was present as well.

“The morning’s training is canceled. Everyone, standby in your dormitories,” said the captain, an unusual, somber look accompanying his face. “Don’t let this get out to anyone, especially the journalists. Later, at noon, an expert will give each of you a psychological assessment. Also...” He paused and looked at the players. “...whoever wishes to quit can tell me now.”

The players kept mum. It was obvious that quitting was not an option. Even in the face of such a tragedy, even if everybody died, nobody was going to quit as long as the mission wasn’t completed. That was simply who they were.

Although what that young man said wasn’t exactly pleasant, Anthony’s death was, in actual fact, a good thing for everyone else. Right now, none of them really knew what to feel.

The players returned to their dorms as the captain instructed. Zhang Heng grabbed a carton of milk from the refrigerator and poured himself a glass. As soon as he picked it up, there was a knock on his door.

He opened the door and was greeted by Yin Xiong standing outside his room.

Since the day he warned her, the two had no more private conversations. Yin Xiong naturally teamed up with Jia lai, and the other players were fine with it too since both were the underdogs of the group.

“What is it?” Zhang Heng asked.

“Can we talk inside?” Yin Xiong did not look too good. The smile on her face was forced, and there was an undertone of panic in her voice.

“There’s no need for that,” Zhang Heng said. “We can talk here.”

The girl chewed on her lower lip. “I know what you think of me, but what can I do? Since the start, I didn’t have a choice. It chose me, I didn’t choose it. I received an invitation out of nowhere to join the game. I had to work hard to survive, just like when I graduated from college. I just wanted to do my best like everyone else, support my family, and be an ordinary person. But then, my superior stopped me in the pantry one day, telling me that he’d make my life in the company hell unless I became his secret lover... “...that is the cruel truth of the world, isn’t it? The weak can never choose,” Yin Xiong laughed at herself. “Sometimes I really wish I was a man. Maybe then, I wouldn’t have become what I am today.”

She looked up at Zhang Heng. “I’m not lying. I can see that you are different from the others, so I’m not here to take advantage of you. I’m here to tell you to be careful of Jia

Lai.”

“Why? Isn’t he an ally of yours?”

“Don’t be deceived by his appearance. He’s the most secretive among us, a hell lot more than everyone thinks... I...”

Suddenly, the door to the room on Zhang Heng’s right suddenly opened. Jia Lai poked his head out. “Oh, there you are. I was just about to look for you. Didn’t you say your refrigerator’s run out of coke? I’ve still got some here. Want any?” As he spoke, Jia Lai snuck nervous glances at Zhang Heng.

Zhang Heng was the most inscrutable player among them. Always on his own, he was an obscure character, rarely interacting with the others. Moreover, he was strong and performed above and beyond in his training. Some people even wondered if he was, in fact, an actual astronaut. Although his menacing aura was not as telling as before, Jia Lai was still instinctively intimidated.

Yin Xiong did not continue what she was saying. She gave Zhang Heng a good look, then drew a smile on her face for Jia Lai. “Alright, I’m coming!” She hadn’t even left for five minutes when there was another knock on Zhang Heng’s door.

This time, the middle-aged man was standing outside. Livingston pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, saying, “I think we all need to talk about what just happened. I’ve already notified the others and we’ll be gathering in my room in fifteen minutes. Do you have any questions?” “No.”

“Very good, see you later.”

This was the first time Zhang Heng entered another player’s residence. Livingston’s place was slightly smaller than his but the layout was the same. The only difference was, in the place of a TV, there was an antique radio. The other players were already there when Zhang Heng arrived.

The high school student and the listless young man occupied the only two chairs in the room. Jia Lai and Yin Xiong were on the bed, and the couch was still unoccupied. Livingston then gestured Zhang Heng to the sofa.

Once Zhang Heng was seated, Livingston closed the door and walked to the center of the room.

“Alright, I’ll get straight to the point. I don’t think Anthony’s death was an accident.”

“Why say that?” asked the listless man as he noisily cracked a peanut open and popped it into his mouth.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t see it. Anthony followed all the instructions to the dot. When he realized that the Lunar Landing Training Vehicle was out of control, he pulled the lever under the ejection seat. All of these happened a few seconds before the whole thing crashed and blew up.”

“Why wasn’t he ejected then?” Jia Lai asked.

Livingston looked around the room. “Good question. I believe some of you here can answer that for me.” “Oh, this is my favorite part!” the listless young man clapped.

“I remembered you saying that one day, he might just kill himself by accident,” the student suddenly blurted.

“So?”

“How did you know that this would happen?”

“Because I’m smarter?” shrugged the listless young man. “You can’t possibly believe that. With my scores, I can board Apollo 11 without killing anyone. Out of all the people in the room, save for that cool guy over there, I’m probably the last person you should suspect.” “Seems to be that way,” Jia Lai muttered. “Excuse me?” the listless young man turned around, as his gaze hardened.

Jia Lai instantly shrunk back, looking away almost instantly. He seemed to have an instinct of a scared animal.

“I think he’s saying that since the results are not out yet, there are still many uncertainties.” Livingston wiped his glasses. “For all we know, you could be lying.”