48 Hours a Day

The next thing that they needed to do was to head to where their targets would typically appear.

Zhang Heng drove to the spot where the aliens had been accidentally captured in the surveillance video. This was a rather vast area, and they could only pray that they were lucky enough to encounter them. It made no difference where Zhang heng parked, so he looked for a random lot and parked there. After he turned off the engine, he opened the trunk and grabbed all the equipment and game items needed for tonight’s operation.

“You forgot your weapon.” Shen Xixi got out of the car and stretched out, and threw the lightsaber to Zhang Heng.

Shen Xixi appeared to be in a good mood tonight. Even she did not know why she felt like this. She knew that she could always relax when she was with Zhang Heng, and at the same time, take a break from her hectic lifestyle. As a team leader, she had to always keep her mind clear and provide fair judgment. Since the union’s establishment, there were many new things for her to consider and deal with. Just not too long ago, she was in a state of confusion. Initially, she had established the consortium with the goal of uniting players to protect ordinary people from the threat of supernatural forces.

But when the union was established, things became more complicated. Whether it was the conflicts between the internal groups or friction between the major guilds, they continued to snowball. As a result, she had to spend most of her days dealing with these matters that had nothing to do with her original intention.

Therefore, when the consortium was really disbanded, she was not as disappointed as others had imagined. On the contrary, she felt relieved that she was free to do whatever she wanted to do again.

Shen Xixi realized that she was lost in her thought. So, she turned around and asked Zhang Heng, “Are you going to open it?”

“Yes.”

Anyway, he had to use it eventually, and it was pointless dragging it along. With no hesitation, Zhang Heng pushed the bottom switch, and a red glowing beam shot up from the handle, just like how it was in the films. The lightsaber also came with some cool sound effects.

“Wow, is this what a major villain should look like?” Shen Xixi stepped back and admired. “I’m sorry, can I take a photo?”

“Do as you wish. No one can tell it is me anyway,” Zhang Heng sighed helplessly behind the mask.

Shen Xixi took out the phone, stood next to Zhang Heng, tilted her body slightly, and pressed the shutter.

“If you remember correctly… this should be our first photo,” Shen Xixi said while examining the picture she just took.

“I think you are right.”

“The good news is that your lightsaber is pretty photogenic. Okay, let’s get to work.”

……

When Shen Xixi said work, she meant that Zhang Heng and her would wander around the streets. They were supposed to wait for Master Yoda, representing the light side, to fight with the dark emperor. Admittedly, this plan did sound like a fantasy but considering that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had left the sewers to roam the streets, it seemed nothing was impossible now.

The two talked while walking along the river next to the parking lot. Most of the things they talked about still revolved around this matter.

Shen Xixi stepped on the stone bricks in the grass and lifted her forehead’s hair. “I have watched the surveillance tape as well, and I agree with you. No matter who the mastermind is, he is a childish guy. And I figure that there is a high chance that the mastermind is a player like us. After witnessing the Sphinx’s strength that night, it was more than capable of killing the people who failed to answer the riddles, much like the real Sphinx in the myth. However, instead of doing that, it adopted a relatively light punishment, making the whole thing look more like a prank. Maybe he’s trying to avoid the scrutiny of the authorities, or maybe he has the habit of obeying society’s rules, making him less destructive.”

“Yeah.” Zhang Heng adjusted the mask on his face.

“But Dumbledore lost control that time,” Shen Xixi said. “According to 1810’s description, I believe he was struggling with a decision at the time, but in the end, Dumbledore still turned around to grab Yogurt. This is the part I’m most concerned with. I have dealt with supernatural events before, some of which are caused by monsters—creatures that can control a wall that we have dealt with together. Most of these events, however, are actually caused by players. I don’t know how the committee selects the players, but there is no doubt that the composition of the player base is very complicated.”

“This is true,” Zhang Heng nodded as he recalled the players he had met before.

“Whether the game items or the abilities given to the agents, these are powers that defy the law of nature. Like you and me, many players fail to practice self-control. Take a look at this incident. Many of them started out as pranks. When they began to receive some kind of pleasure or satisfaction from it, they would begin to deteriorate.

“You are worried that the Dumbledore incident would cause the mastermind to realize that he can do more with these robots?”

“Yes,” replied Shen Xixi. “I want to find the mastermind as soon as possible. I want to save Yogurt, and I also want to stop him from going down the evil path before it is too late.” Shen Xixi looked at Zhang Heng again. “Do you think that I am a little too nosy? Many seem to think that I should mind my own business.”

“No,” Zhang Heng shook his head, “It’s a good thing to have faith. Just do what you think you should do. Ignore what others think about you.”

“What about you? What is your belief?” Shen Xixi asked curiously.”You are calm, meticulous, clear-headed, and powerful, yet I never knew who or what you stood for. And I am a little curious about the person who hired you.”

“Is this some kind of compliment?” Zhang Heng asked.

Shen Xixi seemed to have made up her mind, and before Zhang Heng could finish, she quickly said, “You are the one that helped us that night, right?”

“Hmm?”

“The mysterious sniper who appeared on the night where the union fought Arc of Light. I always had a premonition that that person was you.”

“I don’t remember displaying my marksmanship in front of you.”

“It’s just a guess of mine. I don’t have any evidence to prove you are the sniper, and I can’t do anything if you don’t want to admit to it. It doesn’t matter. Anyway, I owe you a ton of favors. I don’t mind owing you another. “Shen Xixi stopped and looked at Zhang Heng’s eyes behind the mask. “Hey, did you know that someone reminded me to be wary of you?”

“Uh-huh.” Zhang Heng harrumphed.

“What do you mean by uh-huh?”

“What do you think?”

“If one day you are really lost in the dark, no matter how far you are lost and no matter what great evil you have done, I will never give up…on you.” Shen Xixi said solemnly under the starry sky.

“Because I’m a nosy girl.”

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