48 Hours a Day

Zhang Heng’s responsibility in this mission was relatively easy, where he was only needed when the Sphinx began to run from them. No matter how perfect the plan was, it had to be adjusted according to the current situation. When the tranquilizer darts were rendered useless against the Sphinx, Black Swan quickly requested support. By that time, Zhang Heng had already shifted gears from P to D.

He put the pedal to the metal—the X3 let out a roar and sped towards Rabbit.

When Shen Xixi told everyone that there was a change of plan, she asked Zhang Heng to immediately take Rabbit to a safe place. Zhang Heng spotted Li Bai, 1810, and the others fighting the Sphinx under a street lamp not far away.

In the battle’s first round, everyone quickly came to realize the Sphinx’s remarkable strength-it was immune to tranquilizer darts and physical damage, making it a very tricky subject to deal with. Then, as the battle prolonged, they discovered that the Sphinx wasn’t as mighty as was described in the myths. Its moves were predictable and straightforward-with its claws its only weapon, the creature seemed to follow a particular attack pattern as well.

It might be hard to dodge it when attacking it for the first time, but as long as its attack pattern was studied, most of its advances could easily be avoided. The more troublesome thing to deal with was its agility. Gingerly darting on its paws among the crowd, it was a challenge to keep up with the creature’s extraordinary dexterity.

If it was smart enough to give up chasing Rabbit and adopt a strategy of destroying them one by one according to the battlefield situation, it would have maimed Shen Xixi and her allies. However, this Sphinx was determined to punish Rabbit, adamant on soldering on it until its goal was achieved.

Rabbit had just run from behind Li Bai to 1810’s back. The two helped her to block two heavy blows from the Sphinx, and their arms were numb after that. Hence, they could not get into another fight immediately. Before Rabbit could even catch her breath, she had to run for her life again. She wanted to run to Black Swan, but the latter hurriedly declined. “Don’t choose me. I’m too weak to block its attack!”

Thus, Rabbit had to run to somebody else. The other ally was ready with his crossbow. However, the Sphinx pulled a trick on them this time. It pretended to pounce at the ally with a crossbow, but ended up lowering its body, ran past the guy in front of it, and sprang from Rabbit’s back.

In this critical moment, Rabbit sought the last resort to save her life. She spat out the bubble gum in her mouth, whereby it expanded to the point of blocking the Sphinx’s vision. When it scratched the massive with its paws, its surroundings were suddenly engulfed by a cloud of white dust like tearing a bag of white flour.

Rabbit took the opportunity and began to run from the Sphinx. Somewhere, deep down inside, she knew there was no way she could outrun it.

Fortunately, an X3 stopped in front of her at the next moment!

“Get in the car.”

These four simple words were gospel to Rabbit.

In fact, there was no need for Zhang Heng to speak— Rabbit had already tugged the door’s handle and jumped in. “Go fast! Go fast! We need to escape while it’s trapped in the smoke!”

However, before she could finish her sentence, she saw a silhouette rushing towards her. The dust had no effect on it at all. Rabbit opened her eyes wide and watched the Sphinx leap towards the windshield.

Before anyone could react, it drew further apart from the X3 again. Zhang Heng tried to stay as calm as he could in the perilous situation. Since there was no time to turn the car around, he shifted to “R” while stepping on the gas. The SUV then accelerated backward and shook off the Sphinx!

Nevertheless, it was only a temporary solution. After the Sphinx fell to the ground, it ran towards the car. Zhang Heng estimated that it could reach a speed of 80km/h. It was indeed a creature that possessed monstrous abilities.

“What should we do?” Rabbit asked nervously as she looked at the Sphinx, who hadn’t given up on the chase.

“It’s okay. Sit tight,” replied Zhang Heng, observing the situation behind him through the rearview mirror. He saw an intersection not far away, and he slammed the brakes in advance, flicking the steering wheel counterclockwise, pulling the vehicle into a drift.

Zhang Heng hadn’t done something like this for a long time. Other than the fact that he had just obtained his driver’s license, it was also because he would usually abide by traffic rules and would never show off his skills. As long as it was not an emergency, he always kept within the speed limits. There was no reason to cause unnecessary trouble to other drivers and himself, and after all, everyone only had 12 points.

The X3 went sideways, drawing an elegant arc as it slid smoothly to another road. Such precise control of the car managed to impress a usually stoic Rabbit. “Wow! So you really are a master driver!”

Before Zhang Heng could reply, Shen Xixi asked over the radio again, “Rabbit, are you okay?”

“I’m okay. Simon picked me up in the car. Sister Xixi, you weren’t here to witness Brother Simon’s driving skills! His is much better than Huang Yu, who only knows how to brag all day long.” She then asked Zhang Heng curiously, “Is that trick drifting? I have seen it in the comics before.”

Zhang Heng nodded with a hum.

With the gas pedal all the way to the floor, the X3, and the Sphinx. Zhang Heng began to pull apart. This gave him time to turn the car around, putting it back in its proper direction. Now, it would be more difficult for the Sphinx to catch up with them.

But afterward, Zhang Heng did not rush to get rid of the Sphinx. Instead, he turned on the intercom and said to Shen Xixi.

“Do you have a stun gun?”

“Yes, why? Do you have any plans?” “Let’s work together. I will bring Sphinx back to its original place in five minutes. Can you think of a way to hit it?”

“There are people on our side who are good with firearms. Although the Sphinx can move pretty fast, I think we can land a successful hit on it if we can ambush it ahead of time...” Shen Xixi paused for a while. “...but the tranquilizer gun and crossbow are useless against it. And scalpels fail to penetrate its body as well. What makes you think the stun gun will work? Have you discovered something useful?”

“It’s just an immature guess.” Zhang Heng did not give a proper answer right away, “I guess we will know later. You guys brought some gasoline as well, right? Might as well try attacking it with fire too.”

“Okay. This gives us to have seven minutes to prepare,” replied Shen Xixi.

The two finalized the next course of action in a few words, and Zhang Heng slowed down a bit to ensure that the Sphinx could keep up. He then began to lead the creature on a tour around the city while Shen Xixi prepared everything