48 Hours a Day

Chapter 1032: Zhuge Liang And Zhou Yu

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

“She’s in trouble? What kind of trouble are you talking about?” asked a puzzled E-Goat. “She has an outstanding online loan? Or did she lose too much money while doing stock trading?”

“I mean the kind of trouble that restricted her personal freedom,” Zhang Heng said.

E-Goat showed a look of contempt. “Your excuse this time is too ridiculous. Even if you are trying to deceive me, you should make up a better story.”

“I didn’t make up the story. Xu Qian is probably a clone,” Zhang Heng said bluntly. “You have joined her stream probably longer than anyone. You should know that the number of viewers has been declining. I’m pretty sure of that. The decline in the number of her viewers has caused her company to bring her back and ​​recycle her… I have always suspected that her boyfriend, Qiu Ming, was assigned to bring her back to her company. Otherwise, I could not explain why such a perfect man would appear before her when her career is failing. It sounds like a fairy tale. Now, I have also found out that Xu Qian’s proof of life at the first level does not exist.”

E-Goat’s mouth dropped wide open, and he froze for at least half a minute. Then, with a tone of admiration, he said, “Even if I’m fantasizing about sleeping with her every day, I would, at most, wish that her boyfriend’s company would become bankrupt, penniless, and live on the street. And I want him to grab my trousers and beg for money from me. After that, I would kick him away. I have to say that your imagination is wilder than mine.”

“…”

“I’m not kidding,” Zhang Heng said sternly.

E-Goat was left in surprise. “You are her bodyguard. You should be able to identify whether she is a clone. Just take a picture of her neck and see if there is a serial number.”

“Well, I have done some investigations, and I have reason to suspect that there is another batch of clones with no serial number at the back of their necks in New Shanghai 0297. Do you remember the marketing manager we met at Zhuorui Sensor?”

“That guy named Liao Ming?”

“Well. Didn’t you hack into his bracelet and copy his personal information? After that, I followed the breadcrumbs and did a quick check on his background. I found out that his memory doesn’t match reality, especially the memory of his ex-wife.” Zhang Heng took out a USB flash drive, continuing, “This is the result of my investigation. With it, you can tell whether I’m telling the truth.”

“…”

E-Goat grabbed the USB flash drive suspiciously, took out the handheld computer from his bag, and stood by the roadside to check all the audio, video, and text data stored in the USB flash drive.

Zhang Heng then added, “There is no serial number behind Liao Ming’s neck.”

“How could this be?” E-Goat expression finally changed. He seemed to think of something, and he subconsciously reached out to touch his neck.

“Yes. This possibility cannot be ruled out,” Zhang Heng said, “If you have time, you can also check your memory.”

E-Goat opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but he closed his mouth again and looked around nervously. Finally, he lowered his voice. “Do you know what it means if your guess is true?”

“Let me think. Everyone in New Shanghai 0297 will be in danger?”

“Yes, because everyone is used to relying on the serial number at the back of the neck and the tracking device in their heads to distinguish clones between human beings. If this method is no longer reliable, mass hysteria will break out in the city.” E-Goat then paused again. “Do you know how many clones like that exist in New Shanghai 0297?”

“I don’t know, but this is what you and I need to find out next, not just for Xu Qian, but also for yourself,” Zhang Heng said.

E-Goat wiped the sweat from his forehead with his hand. “This is huge. You need to give me enough time to think about it.”

“I don’t mind at all, but I don’t know how long Xu Qian can wait.”

The expression on E-Goat’s face changed again. Zhang Heng did not know whether he felt fear, was frustrated, hopeful, or ecstatic. About half a minute later, though, he seemed to have finally made up his mind. He cut off the Hulusi in his hand and threw it in the trash can. He then gritted his teeth and said, “I will do it.”

“Very well. I didn’t lie. If we can rescue Xu Qian this time, there is a high chance you both will couple up. However, I don’t know if you mind the fact that she is a clone.”

“I don’t mind if she is a clone or an ordinary person because what I like about her is her true self, not her identity,” E-Goat confessed without thinking twice. However, he then hesitated again. “I’m just a network engineer. Even if I manage to save her, I don’t know how to protect her from her company. Or perhaps we can go to her company and talk to her superior. Maybe, I can use my salary to make up for the money she could’ve earned.”

“Do you think her company will accept this offer?”

E-Goat could not help but feel discouraged after he heard what Zhang Heng said. Zhang Heng then patted his shoulder, “Don’t worry. Maybe it won’t take long for us to resolve the problem. New Shanghai 0297 is not exactly peaceful. Soon, something bad will happen to this city. Before that, we have to rescue Xu Qian first.”

“Well, what do you want me to do next?” E-Goat asked.

“Let’s go to Xu Qian’s residence first. It’ll be best if she’s there.”

…

The reason Zhang Heng was recruiting was because he had already died once, and E-Goat was good with all that technical gizmo. Although Zhang Heng was also tech savvy, he was responsible for fighting with the enemies. Hence, it would be nice if there was someone there to back him up and share his burden.

Soon the two came to the downstairs of Xu Qian’s residence. E-Goat waited for a while, and when fewer and fewer people entered and exited the building, E-Goat took out a magnetic card with anime stickers from his pocket and secretly swiped it on the keypad.

Following that, a pleasant female voice could be heard. “Welcome, Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu, owners of Unit 12, Room 3094. You have returned to the Yacheng apartment. You two have administrator rights, and the monitoring system will not record your entry and exit records. All the security footage with you in it will be deleted as well.”

“Done!” E-Goat put away the magnetic card and found that Zhang Heng was looking at him and touched his nose, “What’s wrong?”

“Zhuge Liang? Zhou Yu? Do you have to be so ostentatious? Did you really think nobody would think that we are using fake names?”

“Sorry, naming is my weakness. It’s much harder than programming,” E-Goat apologized politely. After that, Zhang Heng did not criticize him anymore. The two then walked into the apartment building and got on the elevator.

Zhang Heng took out the pistol from his waist, checked the magazine, and turned on the safety. E-Goat was calm initially, but he suddenly became nervous when he saw Zhang Heng drew the gun.

“Don’t be afraid. It’s for emergencies,” Zhang Heng said causally.