48 Hours a Day

Chapter 673: Meeting

After having slept for only four hours, Bai Qing finally met her defense lawyer in the afternoon.

When the suspect of a major criminal case had been arrested, even their family members could not visit them. They could only communicate with them through the lawyers. Bai Qing, however, couldn’t fathom why the gentle and polite lawyer in front of her made her feel uncomfortable.

“I have worked in this field for ten years and have defended many suspects,” said the representative. “Don’t worry. There is no better lawyer in this city than me in dealing with a criminal case. Since Mr. Bai chose me, I will definitely do my best.”

Unable to wait any longer, Bai Qing’s grandfather asked, “How is my son holding up?”

“He just met his in-laws, and it did not end well. There were scratches on his arms. Typically, when a murder happens between a married couple, the pain is doubled. It’s an extremely traumatizing experience for both families.”

“Mr. Bai did not admit to killing his wife, insisting that he was merely trying to stop her from committing suicide. Judging by the evidence collected from the scene, it isn’t easy to stand up for his statement. However, he did explain the reason he installed the pinhole cameras. Having suspected that his wife was cheating on him, he also revealed that he had hired a private investigator to investigate his wife before the incident. I am going to get in touch with that private investigator to gain a better understanding...”

...

As Bai Qing’s classmate, Zhang Heng wasn’t allowed to participate in this meeting with the lawyer. Besides not being interested, after discovering the shadow in the fourth ventricle, Zhang Heng believed that he had probably found the alien race mentioned in the main quest. And that the other party was probably still alive as well.

Since the alien race was willing to send Bai Qing’s father to jail by sacrificing one of their own, Zhang Heng did not rule out the possibility that they might possess a very potent reproduction ability. However, a case like this did not happen as often as he thought it to be. Otherwise, they would have started a large-scale replacement operation. If the creature was still alive and the low temperatures in the freezer could not kill it, its companions would definitely find a way to retrieve it.

This would be a rare opportunity for Zhang Heng to meet them.

After knowing what happened to the college student and seeing that the perfectly-shaped fourth ventricle resembled a manufactured object, Zhang Heng became more convinced that those creatures should have a base camp. Unfortunately, he was forced to put his investigation on hold after discovering that the surveillance cameras at the underground parking lot were broken.

Thus, Zhang Heng resisted the impulse to return to the funeral home immediately to dissect the corpse’s head and see what it was made of. He decided to wait for the aliens to come to their ally’s rescue.

But before he did that, he headed home first.

When Bai Qing was giving her statement to the authorities, Zhang Heng returned the car to its original place. He also left a note to his grandpa stating that something had happened to his classmate, and he had gone to help her.

It would be a little unusual if he wouldn’t return home for the next two days, so Zhang Heng took the opportunity and headed home first. At this time, the news had also begun reporting on the homicide at Bai Qing’s house. Most quarters assumed that her father was indeed the killer, and although the names of the people involved were omitted, the location of the incident was explicitly reported. The people close with Bai Qing had begun asking her questions.

Grandpa asked while listening to the news and practicing calligraphy, “What happened to your classmate?”

Zhang Heng did not answer the question.

“Boy and girl?”

“Girl. She sits right beside me,” replied Zhang Heng, making an excuse for the actions he would be taking. “Her mood is not too stable, and I might be staying with her for a while.”

“Poor child. She should be traumatized by what happened to her. Do you have enough money?” asked Grandpa. “Go to the bedroom and get me my wallet on my desk.”

Although Zhang Heng wasn’t short of money, he still went to the master bedroom to fetch grandpa his wallet to prevent suspicions.

Grandpa counted and took a thousand yuan out of it. “Here you go. If it is not enough, come and get more from me.”

“Thank you, Grandpa.” Zhang Heng stretched out his hands to take the money, but Grandpa did not immediately let go of the cash. He solemnly added, “She is at her most vulnerable state. Everything that she says or does right now isn’t an indicator of her real intention. Don’t take advantage of her at this difficult time.”

“Of course.”

“Very well. Please take good care of her.”

...

Zhang Heng changed his clothes at home and sent a message to Bai Qing, asking her about her situation. He learned that the lawyer’s meeting was over, and she was currently being escorted home by the police home to pick up her school bag and some daily necessities. Later, she would meet with her grandparents and two uncles to discuss where she would live next. That meant she was not available for the time being.

So Zhang Heng started the preparations for his next move alone. He carried a black plastic bag with him, walked for a distance to make sure that no one was following him, and then he went to a public toilet to change his clothes. He used the method taught by Irene Adler and Holmes to make put on simple makeup to deter anyone from recognizing him.

After that, he took out his cell phone, going on Baidu to look for detectives that provided service for investigating extramarital affairs. Sure enough, he found the phone number left by a group of men who claimed to be private investigators. Zhang Heng contacted three of them and found out that two of them were scammers. As for the last one, Zhang Heng believed that he was the real deal through a simple conversation.

However, he might not be as professional as Zhang Heng thought he would be. The profession of private investigator had always been a grey area in this country. The authority did not give credit to this profession, nor did they ban people from practicing it. Extramarital affairs investigation was always high on demand, which was how this profession survived until now.

Since no formal qualifications and legal supervision was required, the private detective industry was often filled with scammers. As for the private detective that Zhang Heng contacted, he could not work a normal job. That was how he ended up becoming a private detective.

The two agreed to meet in a cafe.

“So, you want to buy a tracker and a pinhole camera?”

“Yes, the smaller, the better. I want to know where my wife has been.” Zhang Heng previously revealed his identity on the phone as a banker and wanted to know if his wife was unfaithful.

“You have found the right man. I can follow your wife around the clock. If I see her on a date with another man, I can take pictures of it and send them to you.” The private investigator tried really hard to sell his service. After all, the money from selling equipment was not as lucrative as being hired by someone. His operating expenses could be reimbursed as well.

“No, I have to check it myself. You can give me what I want.” Zhang Heng took two thousand yuan from his wallet, put it on the table, and said plainly, “If you have it, this money is yours. If you don’t, I will find someone else.”

Devices such as miniature trackers and pinhole cameras were forbidden to be sold on the market. And Zhang Heng needed them urgently. So he could only seek help from these private detectives. Even if they did not sell it, they would know where to get them.

As expected, Zhang Heng successfully got what he wanted half an hour later.