48 Hours a Day

In a small hotel on the second floor.

Feng Zi’s wristband vibrated twice. It showed that she had received an email. After seeing the title, she instantly jumped up from the bed, bending to pick up the clothes that had been thrown everywhere.

The man on the other side also opened his eyes and saw Feng Zi’s back that had not the slightest tripe of fat and the beautiful curves that followed. He, however, couldn’t appreciate it for long. The latter had already put on her pants and shirt and tidied up her hair.

“What time is it now?”

“Six o’clock,” Feng Zi replied as she poured two glasses of water—one for himself and the other for the man on the bed.

“Why so early?”

“On the surface, I’m swamped this morning. I just received a big order, and I have a flower arrangement class at 10 o’clock.”

“Flower arrangement class? Are you serious?”

“What’s wrong? Can’t I learn how to arrange flowers with my wrench hand?”

“You know that’s not what I meant.” The man took the cup. “By the way, how’s your machine repair shop business coming?”

“It’s okay. So-so. Last week, I beat up two shifty-eyed guys that asked us to fix their partner’s robot doll.”

“If you don’t want to fix it, then don’t fix it. Why did you have to beat them up?”

“Because they thought I was an idiot and couldn’t see that they were actually coming for you,” Feng Zi sneered. “They thought I would really treat them like little white rabbits just because I brought a companion doll. Also, the real reason why I had to leave at six in the morning was that I didn’t want to see a few burly bounty hunters rush to my bed again.”

“That was an accident… and didn’t I kill them all?” The man took out the pistol under his pillow and shook it twice. “I killed all the people who saw you naked, not a single one.”

“Heh.”Feng Zi snorted coldly.

“What? I remember you loved looking for thrills.”

“That was because I could only live according to the established path, and every day was boring,” Feng Zi said. “But now, Shengtang Morgan has announced a series of new regulations, allowing the clones to enjoy the same rights and interests as ordinary people. They have completely removed the restrictions on the first and fourth floors, raised the minimum wage and basic living security, reduced advertising, and tried to limit the expansion of large enterprises and protect the rights and interests of small and medium-sized enterprises… Everyone has found a new direction of life.”

“Sounds good,” the man said.

“What about you? Are you really not going to see her before you leave?”

“See who?”

“Miss F. You know she’s been waiting for you, right?” Feng Zi said. “Why are you still unwilling to tell her all the truth and explain what happened on the top floor of the signal tower that day? At first, you said you were worried she’d just taken over Mr. G’s position and was still unstable. You had to put up a bounty to kill you to show your attitude and get the people below to accept her. But now, she’s in a stable enough position, right? Why are you still not going to see her?”

“I didn’t tell anyone the truth,” the man said calmly. “And I said that since Mr. G kept saying that he wanted to create a new world, I’d help him. Isn’t he doing well now? Everyone who has a new life is remembering him. Now, he can replace Baudrillard and become the most popular and respected person in this city. Last week, I went to buy a mug with his face on it.”

“…”

“You’ll never reach the truth. All you’ll get is a set of carefully designed narratives.” Feng Zi put on her clothes, but she didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she sat back on the man’s body and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I was delighted when I slept with you for the first time, but sleeping too much seems to be the same thing. But I’ll probably still miss you after you leave.”

“In that case, why don’t you just close the shop today?” the man asked.

“Good idea, but I don’t think you can last that long.” Feng Zi raised her eyebrows.

…..

An hour later, Feng Zi still left the small hotel, and the man was no longer sleepy. He got up, took a shower, made a phone call, and went downstairs for breakfast. He then drove around the city with a trunk full of shellac records in the trunk.

After making a few turns, he drove to Grand Central Station, bought a ticket to the first floor, and checked all the shellac records in the trunk.

Ten minutes later, the man walked out of the station.

He hadn’t been here since he killed Mr. G, the main reason not wanting to cause trouble for himself. After all, Mr. G had always been a totem-like figure on the first floor. He was even more powerful after he died, many young people who idolized him even chose to tattoo his head on their bodies to show their nostalgia and longing for him, he was now completely portrayed as a revolutionary pioneer who exuded idealism and humanistic care.

“Reality is always more absurd than literary works.”When the man walked to a coffee shop, a voice sounded behind him.

Qiu Ming, wearing a windbreaker, handed the two cones in his hands to the man opposite him. “Try it. It’s Mr. G’s 44th birthday special. Unfortunately, the number is not very auspicious.”

The man took the ice cream, but he did not eat it. Instead, he directly threw it into the trash can at the side.

“As expected, you still don’t trust me at all. How heartless. I have already helped you with so many things.” Qiu Ming smiled bitterly. “I’ve been keeping an eye on the management team for you, and the people sent by headquarters were also sent by me. I thought you already regarded me as a friend.”

“Forget about friends. You’ll be thankful if you don’t cause any trouble after I leave,” the man said.

“I wouldn’t dare! You’re the famous Zhang Heng. Even Mr. G died at your hands. Furthermore, in the next year or so, not a single bounty hunter was able to kill you and receive a bounty. This is the first time I’ve seen someone who can singlehandedly kill a Type-VI robot. If I screwed up, who knows where you’ll come from to kill me,” Qiu Ming said with a shrug. “Besides, no one gave me a commemorative ice cream after my death.”

“After I leave, you’ll be the only one who knows the truth behind New Shanghai 0297,” said Zhang Heng.

“That’s not true. There’s also E-Goat and Xu Qian.” Qiu Ming paused. “To be honest, I didn’t expect you to make such a choice in the end.”

“They have already sacrificed enough and deserve the future they look forward to, regardless if this future is based on lies. As for whether someone will break into the secret base of Shengtang Morgan, it’s none of my business,” Zhang Heng said. “Also, remember, you’ll never reach the truth. All you’ll get is a set of meticulously designed narratives.”

Qiu Ming opened his mouth, a confused expression on his face.

However, Zhang Heng did not explain further. Instead, he walked into the cafe, followed by Qiu Ming. Zhang Heng picked a table by the window and sat down, just in time to see the movie theater outside.

A figure wearing a qipao and a mechanical prosthesis on her left arm walked out about twenty minutes later. She was talking to the person next to her, but her footsteps suddenly stopped. She seemed to have sensed something and looked up at the coffee shop across the street, only to see a man with a stunned face, staring at the empty seat in front of him with his eyes wide open.