48K is 30 miles. There are bicycles EVERYWHERE in China. You could make 30 miles in 3 hours at a leisurely pace. Wuhan is flat as a board, so anyone could manage it. Apparently this kid wasn't too motivated. I'm also quite sure he could have asked around and flashed some cash and someone would have driven him at least part of the way.
That would live on, even if he died later. But no, he had to complain and bitch.