48 Hours a Day

Nevertheless, not long after the new semester started, Zhang Heng started becoming known as the guy who skipped classes. His string of good luck was finally coming to an end. Thanks to the Dreamland of Death debacle, he was recorded twice by the school for skipping class. The school had began to take notice of him, and for the time being, he had to comply with whatever they wanted. Hence, the last resort was to delay his summer break plans. At the end of the month, Zhang Heng made another trip to Sex and the City bar. This time, the bartender wasn’t behind the bar mixing cocktails. Instead, she was slacking outside the lounge, leisurely lighting up a cigarette as she looked at the men and women on the dancefloor.

“What you have entrusted to me is now done,” she told Zhang Heng as he approached. “Huh???”

The loud music drowned out her voice, and Zhang Heng had to move closer to hear what she had to say. “I found someone who can help you repair that katana. He’s the most powerful blacksmith I’ve ever known, where he once forged weapons for the gods. He can not only restore your katana to its forme glory, but he can even give it some upgrades!” “But?”

“But... in exchange, the price you’ll have to pay is 2000 of your game points. Besides, you still have to find the lower and upper pieces of the katana before he can help you.” “All he needs to is put the two pieces together, and he wants to charge me 2,000 game points?! This is no small amount we are talking about. That sort of points can buy me a Grade-C game item. And I’m talking about the popular ones here.” Zhang Heng still remembered that the final price of the Escape Dagger cost him only 2,050 points. He paused for a moment, then continued. “Besides, you haven’t told me what grade the katana is.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t identify it until the blacksmith restores it,” replied the bartender.

“So, this is like a gamble?” Zhang Heng frowned. The katana in question had been obtained from Scarlet in the last round of the game. Upon returning to the real world, he passed the katana, together with a flash-drive and copper ring to the bartender. He even requested for a restoration expert to try fix the broken saber. Little did he expect the price would be that extravagant. No matter how he looked at it, blowing 2,000 points to repair an unknown grade item was a risky endeavor. Even a Grade-C item might not achieve this value, and if it turned out to be a Grade-D or E or even worse, a Grade-F item, Zhang Heng would suffer a significant loss.

“Anyway, I’ve found someone for you, and the decision is in your hands,” the bartender lady said.

“Wait until I find the lower half of the katana, and I will think about it,” replied Zhang Heng.

The remaining piece should be with Scarlet. And since it was not going to be easy getting it from her, Zhang Heng thought it best to leave this matter temporarily. He pushed open the lounge’s door and walked to the empty deck. Taking out the alarm clock from under a stool, he set the time and started his seventh round of the game.

[Verifying player identity...]

[Verified, randomly selecting the seventh round for player 07958...]

[Extraction completed. Your current quest is: Deductive Reasoning)

‘A logician can infer the existence of the Atlantic Ocean or Niagara Falls from a drop of water without having to see or hear it. Life is like a chain. We only need to look at one part of it, and we get to see the whole picture.’

[Task objective: complete investigating a case with your new roommate, and find the criminal first!)

[Mode: Single Player] [Time flow rate: 240) (1 hour in the real world is equavalent to 10 days in this game. After 30 days, the player will be forced to return to the real world)

Friendly reminder, the game will officially start in five seconds. Please be prepared. The moment he heard this round’s title, Zhang Heng’s mind immediately pointed toward a reknown name in detective novels. Could the game really be afoot?

When he opened his eyes, the street sign in front of him confirmed his previous conjecture.

— Baker Street.

He shifted his gaze to the house on the opposite side of the road. Just as expected, he saw the unmistakable number: 221B The infamous 221B Baker Street, residence of the author of ‘A Practical Manual of Beekeeping,’ and the ‘Study of Queen Bee’s Quarantine.’ After retirement, he had settled down to write those outstanding books. Zhang Heng stepped forward and walked through the muddy roads littered with horse excrement. The ashen skies of 19th Century London were as gloomy as ever, where a perpertual gray mist hung over the city ominously like the face of a typhoid patient.

A man with a bowler hat drove a carriage past Zhang Heng, splashing mud on his trousers. Before he could say anything, the carriage had disapperead into the street.

There was nothing he could do about it, so Zhang Heng reached out and knocked on the door.

After a while, someone answered the door. Appearing in front of him was a jovial, middle-aged lady. “Oh! You must be the new tenant!” she chirped joyously. “Mrs. Hudson?” Zhang Heng asked. In the novels, Mrs. Hudson was the propietor of 221B Baker Street. Doubling up as the part-time cook and cleaner of the apartment, she generously included those services in the rent. The real-her seemed a lot younger than described in the novels. Frankly, she could pass off as a woman who hadn’t yet turned forty.

“Yes, Mr. Zhang. Now where’s your luggage?” Mrs. Hudson querried enthusiastically while looking behind Zhang Heng. “Uhh.. I left them with a friend. I’ll pick them up later... anyway, I brought little, and I traveled light. Can I see my room first?” “Of course!” said Mrs. Hudson. “Hurry up and come in! This will be your home from now on. It’s relatively well furnished, and the lighting’s good as well. There is a clear view of the street below when the curtains are drawn....” She then hesitated for a while.

“What’s wrong?” asked Zhang Heng. “...It’s your roommate. He’s a little strange, but I can assure you that he’s a decent man. He has his quirks, though. No one is perfect,” Mrs. Hudson sighed. “Anyway, I hereby welcome you to our tiny plot of land.”

Zhang Heng raised his eyebrows. “My roommate, where is he now?” “He’s gone out to attend a concert, but considering the time, I think he should be back soon.” Just as Mrs. Hudson was done talking, someone knocked on the door again. Mrs. Hudson turned around to open the door. This time, it was a lanky and sharp nosed man about six-feet tall. He tossed his fingers around in the air, still wandering the oceans of music until he noticed Zhang Heng behind Mrs. Hudson. “Ahh, it seems my roommate is here! Glad to have made your aquaintence. I am Sherlock Holmes. Holmes will suffice,” he smiled awakwardly and stretched out a palm filled with blotches of ink and traces of reagents.