Chapter 3

In the sunlight, in Jiangxia City, in a row of townhouses in the southern part of the city, Wang Jiayang, after waking up in a daze, took a long time to finish washing up. This wasn't because he was too old and slow, but because his mood was too heavy.

Anyone who suddenly learns they have HIV would find it hard to recover in a short time.

HIV, AIDS, a terminal illness!

Wang Jiayang couldn't accept his diagnosis even after more than two months. He had visited seven or eight hospitals, including the Jiangxia Provincial Disease Control Center, for repeated tests, but the result was still positive. The blow was so severe that this handsome young man, in the prime of his life, had become a disheveled beggar.

"Science is advancing, maybe in ten years there will be a cure. But still..."

Still, he needed to find a way to numb himself.

In the past, as the second generation of a wealthy group, Wang Jiayang would numb himself with extravagant parties and endless entertainment. Now, to numb himself, he would sit in front of the computer after regaining some clarity and read novels on QiHang Chinese Literature Network.

The boundless worlds of imagination in online literature were the best haven for Wang Jiayang, who dared not indulge in reckless behavior that could harm his health in reality.

After spending a few hours in front of the computer reading a novel he had been following, Wang Jiayang stretched lazily and went to the gym for a workout. After lunch, he started browsing for new books.

After half an hour of searching, he came across a novel called "I'm Not Kidding." He thought a book with such a funny title would be interesting, and if it was interesting, it was worth reading. However, after reading the first chapter, he found it to be a clichéd urban reincarnation story with no highlights to attract him.

"Not very original, and so few words."

Just as he was about to close the page, he noticed that the author had written a PS at the end of the chapter, telling all readers to open the related works section for a surprise.

With a curious feeling, he clicked on the only chapter in the related works section and found that it contained only a period?

No, at first glance, it was a period, but on second glance, he saw a pile of strange large numbers. Wang Jiayang didn't know that if he had ordinary talent, he would only see a period, and no matter how many times he looked, he wouldn't see anything else, let alone the combination of large numbers that formed a pattern.

These numbers, arranged in different ways, formed a palm-sized circle in the center of the page.

Apart from that, there was nothing else.

He almost shouted in frustration and reached out to close the webpage, but then he paused, staring at the circular pattern of numbers on the screen and muttering, "Huh, it's just a bunch of large numbers, why do I see the character for 'fire'?"

The circular pattern was like a color blindness test, but here it was only black, with dense black text forming a circle. Normally, it would be impossible to see anything else in this strange combination of numbers, but he saw the character for 'fire.'

In an instant, the blurry character for 'fire' became clear, appearing in the center of the circle. The other large numbers gradually faded into the background, and as Wang Jiayang continued to watch, the black character for 'fire' suddenly turned red and seemed to expand, as if it were about to jump out of the computer screen.

Boom~

In the next moment, the fiery red character, as if made of burning flames, really jumped out of the computer screen, entered Wang Jiayang's body, and disappeared into his forehead. This strange transformation made Wang Jiayang scream and jump up.

In the next moment, a warm current and a mysterious insight surged into his mind. In the midst of his fear, Wang Jiayang suddenly had a sense that his body was undergoing a strange change in the warm current. He felt warm all over, as if he were basking in the sun on a spring day. His scalp tingled, and when he followed his impulse and opened his mouth, a ball of flame spewed out, spreading and burning in the air.

Wang Jiayang was stunned, dumbfounded!

...

A few minutes later, Wang Jiayang, still in the spacious living room, tried various things—waving a fireball, spitting a column of fire, and even transforming into a fire person. In all these attempts, he went crazy.

How could he suddenly become a superhuman-like existence? Wasn't this the kind of ability that only appeared in fantasy novels?

Mastering the fire ability, reading a novel called "I'm Not Kidding," and gaining an ability?

Was this really not a joke?

In the midst of his madness, the warm current flowing through his body gradually disappeared, and the feeling of controlling and creating fire also faded. Wang Jiayang was dumbfounded again.

A few minutes, and the fire ability was gone?

The process of fading took thirty seconds, and he returned to his previous normal state.

No matter how many experiments he tried, he couldn't control the fire anymore. Wang Jiayang even took out a lighter and tried to burn his finger, only to find that he was just a bit more heat-resistant than before. A few seconds of flame still made him wince in pain.

"An illusion, was everything an illusion? Damn it, how could I gain the ability to control fire just by reading a novel online? This is definitely unscientific..."

But when he saw the burned wooden furniture, bookshelves, and books in the study, still smoldering in a half-destroyed state, he was dumbfounded again.

What was going on?

Stunned in the study for a long time, Wang Jiayang suddenly slapped his head, let out a strange cry, and ran to the bedroom. He took out the HIV test kit he had bought before, along with a lancet, and performed a blood test. After waiting for ten to twenty minutes, Wang Jiayang burst into tears of joy: negative!

He didn't dare to be too excited or have too much hope, so he drove to the provincial people's hospital and had a blood test done. It was still negative!!

"Damn, my HIV is cured, cured! Although HIV is scary, this virus is not heat-resistant. When it exists in the human body, it can't withstand high temperatures, which would kill the person. But I became a fire person for a few minutes, and the temperature was far above 100 degrees. Normal cells were fine, but the virus in my body was all killed?!"

"I'm not dreaming!"

"Reading a book not only gave me an ability but also cured my terminal illness?!"

"Divine book, divine book!"

...

Almost causing a car accident due to his excitement while driving, Wang Jiayang returned to his villa, his fingers trembling as he turned on the computer and stared intently at the related works section of "I'm Not Kidding," focusing on the circular pattern of large numbers.

This time, even though his eyes ached from staring, he still couldn't see anything unusual.

He didn't eat dinner and thought for a long time before slapping his head and starting to recharge his account. As a very wealthy second generation, he usually played with sports cars and beautiful women, living in a three-story townhouse bought by his family as a graduation gift.

After his diagnosis, he found that the world of fantasy novels could help him escape reality. During the time he spent reading, he had given generous rewards to the books he liked, becoming a patron for more than ten books. A patron only cost a thousand yuan? Not even enough for one of Wang Jiayang's meals.

This time, after recharging, he gave a ten million patron reward, equivalent to 100,000 yuan, and wrote his message in the reward information.

"Kneeling to beg for the author's contact information, book club, anything. From today on, I am your loyal fan. Divine book, divine book!"