48 Hours a Day

To avoid inhaling in too much dust, Zhang Heng kept his back faced into the wind, It meant the wind blew directly at the assailant as well. The assailant’s body would block a part of the wind and sand as he approached, allowing Zhang Heng to sense the changes in the wind. This was how he dodged the lethal attack from his enemy.

On the other hand, the attacker was too slow to react, not expecting Zhang Heng to survive the surprise attack. While he was still stunned, Zhang Heng elbowed him, and he fell to the ground with a thud. Although his face was covered, Zhang Heng easily recognized the attacker as Bruno judging by his size.

This was by no means good news. Bruno’s game items were now with Zhang Heng, and it was impossible that he would choose such a radical strategy when he had nothing with him. He even hid nearby to wait for Zhang Heng to get close before attacking. In this instance, Zhang Heng couldn’t see his surroundings clearly, and Bruno should be experiencing the same problem as well. So, how did he know that Zhang Heng was coming to get the car hood?

These thoughts flashed through Zhang Heng’s mind, and just as he realized that a threat was nearby, a sturdy arm silently wrapped around his neck. Jia Lai had discovered a way to maintain good vision, and when the sandstorm arrived, the first thing he did was to find Bruno.

Bruno knew very well that from the start, Jia Lai’s only intention was to use him as bait. What he didn’t expect was that Jia Lai kept silent about what he wanted him to do until the very last minute, knowing that it would be difficult for Bruno to say no. He knew that Bruno too, wished that Zhang Heng would die here.

Jia Lai, who had an unhindered and unobstructed vision through the sandstorm made him a terrifying enemy to deal with. There were one too many ways to kill another in the blindness of the sandstorm, and it wouldn’t take much effort either. Jia Lai hadn’t done anything until now simply because Bruno was still valuable as an effective bait.

According to Bruno, since Jia Lai could clearly see without being affected by the sand, he didn’t need to come looking for him, seeing how he could just kill everyone by himself. They wouldn’t even know what hit them. Everything that happened after that was proof that Jia Lai’s obsessions over Zhang Heng weren’t that unreasonable after all.

He failed to attack Zhang Heng, pinned to the ground by his opponent. The hot sand burned his forehead, and the fear in his heart caused it to thump wildly. Bruno thought that he was really going to die this time, until Jia Lai shouted his name, asking him to let him deal with Zhang Heng instead. He finally snapped back to his senses. However, Bruno only glanced at two of them. He then struggled and got up from the ground. Instead of joining the fight, he chose a random direction and ran, disappearing into the sandstorm.

Bruno certainly hoped that this time, Zhang Heng really would die here. If that happened, he would become the only candidate left. He also knew that if he helped Jia Lai kill Zhang Heng, he would be next to die. Jia Lai had the advantage in this sandstorm since he could navigate easily with his superior vision. If left alone, there was no way he could outrun Jia Lai.

Thus, when Jia Lai and Zhang Heng were fighting, Bruno took another route. He decided to escape the area and hide where Jia Lai couldn’t find him. Even if Jia Lai successfully killed Zhang Heng and lived till the sandstorm was over, Bruno would automatically be chosen as the final astronaut to board Apollo 11 since he fared better results.

In theory, there was nothing wrong with his choice. Whether a success or failure, it all depended on Jia Lai killing Zhang Heng. However, there were no shelters along the way in the direction he chose to escape. He would likely suffocate to death before the sandstorm blew over.

Jia Lai knew that Bruno was unreliable, and his last-minute escape didn’t surprise him the slightest. He knew exactly what he was up to. Jia Lai sighed. Right now, though, there was no time to pay attention to Bruno. To him, Zhang Heng was his biggest threat, and now, he wasn’t about to let the opportunity slip. He continued increasing pressure around Zhang Heng’s neck. NASA had conducted arm strength tests before, and at that time, Jia Lai’s performance was as bad as his other tests. The truth was, his strength was the most superior amongst all the players. Not even Zhang Heng could match up to him. When dealing with the coyote, he easily strangled the beast to death with one hand. It tried it’s hardest, but no matter how much it tried to break free, it failed to free itself. Jia Lai was confident that he could suppress Zhang Heng in the same way. Seconds later, Jia Lai’s pupils contracted suddenly, and he quickly turned his head around. At the same time, something flashed past his chin.

If he was half a second slower, the steak knife would have penetrated his throat. Jia Lai didn’t even manage to see how Zhang Heng did it; his back now drenched in a cold sweat. Nevertheless, he did not loosen his lock around Zhang Heng’s neck. With a grunt, he attempted to use his other hand to block Zhang Heng’s knife.

Zhang Heng’s counterattack came ahead of time. He first clamped Jia Lai’s neck with both legs, and at the same time, exerted a burst of strength to his waist. The two then rolled on the sand, and when they finally came to a stop, their positions were reversed. This time Zhang Heng was on top, and the knife in his hand was less than two centimeters away from Jia Lai’s right eye.

Zhang Heng didn’t practice wrestling too much, but Anne had once taught him this trick to get rid of an opponent’s control during close-quarters combat. The two sparred with this maneuver many times. During the Black Sail quest, he did not get it to use it many times, and when he left Nassau, he was already the famous pirate king of the Seven Seas. It was rare anybody wanted to have a duel with him.

This was technically the first time the trick came in handy, and now, it was Jia Lai’s turn to hang on for dear life. With clenched teeth, he blocked Zhang Heng’s wrist with everything that he had, desperately trying to keep the knife away from his eyeball. It was that time when Jia Lai realized he wasn’t the only one who had concealed his strength during the physical test.

Although Zhang Heng had been working out in the gym frequently, and even with NASA putting him through all kinds of physical training, he was still at a disadvantage to Jia Lai when it came to brute strength. Just like his earlier analysis, this wasn’t the best time for Jia Lai to attack him.

Nevertheless, although strength wasn’t Zhang Heng’s forte, his endurance had always been outstanding.

The three had been walking across the desert the entire day and even failed to get proper rest that night as well. To make matters worse, more than three hours had passed since breakfast, and it was safe to say that they weren’t in the best physical condition. Due to the difference in endurance, Zhang Heng was the least affected. Slowly but surely, Zhang Heng surpassed Jia Lai in strength.