48 Hours a Day

Chapter 965: Second Type Of Clone

Zhang Heng’s explanation left Xu Qian in complete shock for two full seconds, and she even forgot to breathe. Until she choked on the smoke she had just inhaled, she said with a cough, “This is too ridiculous. If what you said is true, there will be a lot of clones living in New Shanghai 0297 right now. Other than those clones with serial numbers on their necks, there are also clones like me… What did you say earlier? You said there’s another batch of clones without serial numbers living in New Shanghai 0297.”

“That’s right,” Zhang Heng nodded.

“How did you come to this conclusion? From the moment the boss and the lady boss of Fu Ji refused to admit that I had worked there, Jiang Hong and the landlord insisted that the previous tenant of 714 was a family of three? So, you think I’m not the only one, and there are many clones like me in this city?”

“You are not the only one who faced a situation like this,” Zhang Heng said calmly.

“What?”

“I went to your boyfriend’s company two days ago.”

“Wait, you’re still investigating him and you didn’t tell me?”

Xu Qian sounded a little angry.

“I’ve said it many times, haven’t I? The investigation is no longer needed.”

“I heard what you said, but that’s got nothing to do with you being followed. It’s just my personal interest,” Zhang Heng said. “I investigated your boyfriend’s company, and I met a marketing manager there named Liao Ming.”

Xu Qian did not know what to say after she heard Zhang Heng’s explanation. He was free to investigate anyone he liked as long as it wasn’t related to her. After that, Xu Qian took a deep breath and calmed herself down.

“I seem to have a bit of an impression of this person. I met him when I went to my boyfriend’s company. My boyfriend said that he is the backbone of the company and that he is a very responsible man.”

“Yes, if you read his resume, you will find that he is the perfect employee all companies dream of.”

“And?”

“Do you know why Liao Ming works so hard? He still has a daughter and ex-wife. Maybe it’s because he feels that the divorce caused his daughter to lose her mother and has always carried that guilt with him. Therefore, he tries to make up for the lack of a mother by giving her a materialistic life.”

“What are you trying to say here? Does Liao Ming’s daughter actually exist?” Xu Qian asked.

“His daughter exists. She is the fruit of his effort, and the two meet from time to time. She has to exist so that Liao Ming has the motivation to work like a machine,” Zhang Heng paused, “but you are right about one thing, there are indeed people who don’t exist.”

“Who?”

“Liao Ming’s ex-wife,” Zhang Heng said. “Liao Ming brought his daughter to New Shanghai 0297 after the divorce. So, there are no friends and relatives who know him and his ex-wife in this city.”

“Isn’t that normal? When we first met, I told you that this is a young city. A lot of people come here to look for jobs and a better life. Of course, there are also some who hope to start a new life here.”

“Yes. I did ask Liao Ming’s daughter’s class teacher about it. Since Liao Ming’s daughter transferred to this elementary school a year ago, her mother has not visited her, not even once.”

“Well. That doesn’t sound right. But as far as I know, some women cut off all contact with their previous families after they remarry,” Xu Qian said. “Maybe Liao Ming’s ex-wife is that kind of person. She left all her past behind, and welcomes everything new into her life. It’s scary when a woman hardens her heart.”

“Yes. You are probably right. In order to verify this deduction of mine, I visited another person on the second level afterward.”

“Who is that person?”

“Liao Ming has a female subordinate. She has always admired Liao Ming, and they have developed something… a little more than just colleagues.”

“Office romance?”

“Almost. I checked their chat records. The female subordinate was willing to change her job for Liao Ming and promised to treat his daughter as her own. However, Liao Ming was still reluctant to admit their relationship. It agitated her a little, and she asked Liao Ming if he had contacted his ex-wife. Liao Ming’s reply was—when we met the last time, she told me that she would remarry and wanted me to treat her as if she was dead. After that, I didn’t bother to contact her anymore.”

“Doesn’t this prove my previous conjecture?” Xu Qian asked.

“That looks to be the case. The person who knows you best is not your friend but your enemy. After the visitation, I got more details of the meeting that day, including the time and place, what happened, and what they talked about. With this information, not only did I manage to locate the cafe where the incident happened, but I also found the owner of the cafe. What’s interesting is that the owner of the cafe does not remember that Liao Ming and his ex-wife visited his cafe. Does that sound familiar?”

“But this is normal. The cafe receives so many visitors every day, and it happened so long ago.”

“And you are also right about that. From what I know, the meeting between Liao Ming and his ex-wife that day did not go smoothly. During that time, the two had a fierce quarrel. Liao Ming’s wife made it clear that she would never move to New Shanghai 0297, nor did she want to meet Liao Ming again. After that, she grabbed a steak knife on the table and slashed Liao Ming with it. Liao Ming’s arm was cut badly, and he was bleeding… The café owner surely wouldn’t be encountering this kind of thing every day. Later, I figured out a way to talk to several waiters who worked in the coffee shop that day. And they didn’t remember him too.”

Xu Qian went silent for a moment. She then looked up again, “Do you think this marriage of Liao Ming was faked? And he is a clone?”

“Unfortunately, according to the current standards of identifying a human clone, he is not one,” Zhang Heng said. “When he took me for a walk around the factory, I secretly took a picture of the back of his neck with an ultraviolet flashlight… and there was no serial number on it.”

Xu Qian’s fingers that were holding the cigarette couldn’t help but start to shake. However, she was still unwilling to accept Zhang Heng’s idea of the so-called second type of human clone existing in this city.

“Your deduction is too outrageous. There has to be some other explanation. Let’s take a step back and assume what you said is true where the second type of clone is no different from a real human. Why do you want to tell me these things? As long as you don’t doubt the authenticity of the memory, I can pretend that I’m the real human being and live normally.”

“I’m afraid you can never live like an ordinary person…” Zhang Heng said, “A human clone is born to serve. And since they are just tools, they have to consider the probability of themselves malfunctioning. You have seen how they treat ordinary clones. Once something goes wrong, they instantly get sent back to the factory for recalibration. For clones who cannot be calibrated, you too know the kind of fate that awaits them.

Zhang Heng looked at Xu Qian as he spoke.

“Tell me, during your time with your boyfriend, have you ever doubted his purpose of approaching you? When you were being followed and monitored, did you really never suspect him? You don’t want me to continue investigating this matter. Is it because you subconsciously don’t want to accept the results of the investigation? “