48 Hours a Day

When they reached the climax of the song, the bald man turned around and asked expectantly, “I... can we get some ladies to accompany us?”

“Don’t even think about it. Don’t you think you’re a little too smug? Don’t forget that the evil scientist is still pursuing us,” said Mei Nan as she poked at the orange in front of her with a toothpick. “Yeah, you’re right. We have to keep a low profile now. Demon Butcher, help me pick Eason Chan’s Low Key.”

“Done. Then I will sing to Leslie Cheung’s Silence is Golden.”

After the two clicked on the song, the two embarked on another round of passionate singing

“How is the situation?” Mei Nan asked Zhang Heng

“I set the Helicarrier to autopilot mode. It should attract the attention of those bionics. They will definitely find a way to bring down the Helicarrier first. In other words, we are safe for the time being,” Zhang Heng said. Not long ago, they fought a battle with the evil scientist, who ambushed them when they attempted to retrieve the smart toilet seat in the bald man’s house. However, Zhang Heng’s current level of Lego assembly skills was more than enough to deal with the bionics that came in their way. Relying on a set of power armor, he managed to defeat all the black-clothed bionics nearby in less than ten minutes. When that was done, the five walked back to the bald man’s residence, where the waiter even took a dump.

Afterward, Zhang Heng agreed to the bald man’s idea to relax before the final battle. That was why the five were in the KTV. At the same time, Zhang Heng did not waste a single second. He took out his mobile phone to search for information while the bald man and the waiter were singing their heart out.

“What are you looking at?” Mei Nan asked.

“You are right. We can’t place our hopes on the Mobile Arsenal. Before the scientist became an evil scientist, master builders did have enemies.”

“Hmm. It’s the first time I have heard of this.”

The bald man looked up at some point and said, “Yes, the guy that calls himself Vandal King. Uhh... he’s not actually a master builder, and I haven’t seen him build anything so far. All I know is that he enjoyed destroying our creation, a person considered as one of our oldest opponents. For a long time, we have been thinking of ways to solve the trouble that he caused. I remember that he demolished Tianhe Stadium once, just five minutes before the start of Guoan’s and Evergrande’s soccer match. It was a nightmare for the city’s soccer fans.”

“Yeah, I remember that guy too. Before the evil scientist, he was the evilest, most frightening, and most troublesome villain in the city.” The waiter also put down the microphone. “Not only did he dismantle the stadium, but he also went as far as demolishing the hospital and the airport as well. The crazy guy didn’t even spare the elementary school. The whole school had to take a day off because of his evil deeds. On the other hand, the students were very happy that the school was destroyed. Students from other schools were also looking forward to the day when the Vandal King would come after their school. They seem to have made a ‘come-demolish-my-school’ petition on an internet forum.”

“I’m starting to miss the old him, now that you mention those old times. At that time, although he got into trouble everywhere he went and always troubled the master builders, it was indeed our most fulfilling period. When I opened my eyes each day, I realized that I had a lot of things to do. Even when I was dating, my phone rang nonstop!”

“That happened to me as well! I broke up with my first girlfriend because I had to deal with the disappearance of the Guangzhou Bridge on her birthday eve. I remember how we worked together with several master builders and for the whole night. We had to rebuild the bridge to restore the traffic. But even so, I liked the feeling of achieving something useful. Before I left my girlfriend, I lowered my voice and told her, ‘honey, sorry, I have to deal with another emergency.’ It makes me feel like a movie superhero.”

The waiter’s face gleamed with a touch of nostalgia.

“I even accepted two shampoo endorsement; you know, the kind of advertisement where I was invited to the studio and model while holding their products. I had to show my teeth when I smiled at the camera. Sometimes, when I walked on the street, some enthusiastic fans would recognize me and would ask for my autograph. There are even children who dream of being us when they grow up,” said the bald while finishing up the whiskey in his glass.

“That is our era, the era of all master builders. Society needs us, and people need us. We can do a lot of meaningful things for the community. At the same time, we get to enjoy the applause and praise from the public. This might sound weird, but I used to hate the Vandal King. I thought the world would be a better place without him, and yes, the world would be a better place, but it doesn’t seem to be the case.

“After the disappearance of the Vandal King, our lives became more relaxing than before. Without those annoying calls and text messages, we didn’t need to be standby for 24 hours. However, it also seemed as if we ran out of things to do as well. We didn’t know what we were supposed to do when we opened our eyes every day. The shampoo manufacturers didn’t renew their contracts with me, and I saw no more enthusiastic fans when I walked down the street. I can no longer enjoy the exclusive 30% discount at my favorite restaurant. When I got married, I became anxious and even suffered from depression. It was at that time that my hair bid me farewell.”

The waiter looked empathetic, “Yes, without the Vandal King, I finally realized that the items around me are actually very durable as if they will never break. The workers in the factory would follow a set of instructions to produce goods step by step. They no longer need us. We all have to accept the new reality and live like ordinary people. It is not easy for

us.”

“Yes, I still remember my first job after reemployment. I was working in a cannery. Usually, I can finish making a bottle of canned food in only two seconds. It was way faster than their machine, and they were not happy about it. They told me that whatever I was doing was unethical, and in the end, they told me to do whatever I was told to do and stop being nosy,” the bald man lit a cigarette and took a deep breath; his eyes filled with sorrow.

At the same time, the room’s door was pushed open, revealing the waiter. “Sir, we are a smoke-free place. Smoking is prohibited in the KTV.”

“Sorry.”

The bald man immediately killed his cigarette.

“Do you want to look for the Vandal King and get him to help us deal with the Evil Scientist? It’s a good idea. Without the help of other master builders, the Vandal King is an excellent candidate to help us. But how do we find him? That guy has disappeared for a long, long time.”