Ray hesitated, then slowly reached up and scratched at the scab over his left eye. It didn't come off—but a thin line of blood appeared. He froze. His heart skipped. No more scratching.
But strangely… the unbearable itch was gone. Replaced by a dull ache.
Ray rewrapped the bandage, returned to his bed, and stared at the ceiling for hours. He finally drifted off at 1 a.m.
When he woke again, it was past eight. His left eye didn't hurt anymore—not even a twinge. Curious, he went to the bathroom and carefully unwrapped the bandage.
In the mirror, he saw the scab—dark red, drying, starting to loosen at the edges. And somehow… even with the crust sealing his eyelid shut, he could faintly see the bathroom light.
"What the hell?" Ray murmured.
He reached up again, this time gently. The scab peeled away like old glue. No pain, no blood.
And when it fell—
He could see.
Crystal clear.
His left eye worked. Perfectly.
Ray clenched his fists and laughed like a madman. "I'm not blind! I'm not blind!"
At that moment, a nurse and a doctor walked in—and found him waving his arms in front of the mirror.
"Hey! What are you doing? You took off the bandage? Are you insane?!" the nurse barked.
"You ignore medical orders, we don't treat you," the doctor added coldly. "You hear me?"
"Whatever," the nurse scoffed. "As if someone like him can even afford treatment. His surgery would cost at least twenty grand."
Ray turned around and stared directly at both of them with wide, clear eyes. Then he grinned.
"I don't need this hospital. I'm discharging myself."
The nurse and doctor stiffened like statues. The doctor, who had secretly diagnosed the eye as hopelessly blind, was stunned. He had only pretended there was hope to milk him for money.
But now… Ray was looking him dead in the eyes.
Only God could explain what just happened.
✦
An hour later, Ray left the hospital. Only a thousand of the ten thousand "advance payment" had been used. The rest? Straight into Ray's pocket. Call it cosmic compensation.
The sun outside was brutal. Ray's left eye throbbed instantly in protest. He gave up on meeting Mason and called a cab straight home.
His parents' old apartment was 75 square meters. Three bedrooms, one tiny living room. Every piece of furniture was ancient, scratched, and worn—but it was home. It felt safe. Familiar. Like them.
Inside, away from the sun, his eye relaxed a bit.
"What the hell is happening to me?" Ray muttered, staring at himself in the mirror again. "It's like I'm dreaming…"
But there were no answers.
"Ray, you home?" a soft female voice called from below.
Ray snapped out of it. He stepped onto the balcony.
Looking up at him was a curvy, uniformed beauty—Ruyi Jiang, a neighborhood police clerk. Cute face, slim waist, generous chest, and a neckline that didn't try too hard to behave.
She was also Ray's childhood friend. Hide-and-seek, mud pies, scraped knees—their history went way back.
"Hey Ruyi," Ray called down. "What's up?"
"Can you help me change the water jug? I hurt my hand and it's too heavy."
"Be right down," Ray said.
He started downstairs.
The moment sunlight hit his left eye, it was like a needle stabbed through it. Pain surged. Everything went black.
He panicked.
But then—sight returned.
And with it… something else.
Suddenly, Ruyi's body zoomed in like a camera lens. Her clothes blurred, then vanished like mist. Beneath? Nothing. No underwear. No fabric. Just soft skin, curves, and danger.
Ray froze. His brain short-circuited. And his pants… responded.
"What the hell?!" he gasped silently. "She's dressed—but not to my left eye. Is this... the power?"
The arc flash hadn't destroyed his eye. It had transformed it.
Disaster yesterday… turned into a gift today.
"Ray? You okay?" Ruyi asked, sensing something strange in his gaze.
"Y-Yeah!" he blurted. Her naked image flickered, then vanished. Her clothes were back.
"You sure? You're acting kinda weird. Got a girlfriend or something?" she teased.
Ray laughed nervously. "You're younger than me by a month. Stop calling yourself my big sis. And no girl wants a broke guy like me."
"You're too hard on yourself," she said. "Some woman's gonna see what I see."
The banter helped. Ray relaxed a bit. But as soon as his mind wandered again…
Boom.
Ruyi's clothes vanished again.
Up close.
Too close.
He nearly nosebleeded on the spot.
Twice now. And he started to get it—the power had a trigger.
It activated when he wanted to see through something.
Inside Ruyi's place, he lifted the heavy water jug and placed it on the dispenser. Then suddenly—
Weakness.
His arms shook. His legs wobbled. He felt dizzy and drained, like he hadn't eaten or slept in days.
"Shit," Ray muttered. "The power… it's draining me."
"Want a drink?" Ruyi smiled, handing him a can of Pepsi.
Ray turned—and gasped.
Ruyi stood in a red bikini, glowing, flawless, seductive. Like a goddess straight out of a fantasy film.
He blinked, stunned.
"Here," she said, holding out the can.
But what he saw… wasn't soda.
It was a condom.
Colorful packaging. Sensual aura. In his mind, a scene played: her tearing it open… sliding it on him…
Ray's soul nearly left his body.
"Ray? You good?" Ruyi's voice yanked him back. He shook his head violently. The vision disappeared.
Then, his knees buckled.
He fell—right into her chest.
Soft. Warm. Smelled like flowers and sin.
To make it worse, his lips landed on her cheek. It felt like kissing a vanilla cream cake.
Ruyi panicked. Her face lit up red. She stepped back, but Ray stumbled with her—face pressed harder against her skin.
"Ray! What are you doing?!" she cried out.
"I-I'm sorry!" he jumped back, face flushed. "That was an accident!"
"You sure?" she asked, glaring playfully.
"I swear! I just… tripped."
Ray already knew—his eye's power cost mental energy. That's why he hallucinated. He needed to limit its use.
"You've been weird all day," she said, still frowning.
"If there's nothing else, I'll get going," Ray said. "Next time you need the water jug changed, just holler."
"Thanks, Ray," Ruyi said, walking him to the door.
"No need to be formal," he smiled. "We've known each other 20 years."
She grinned. "Can't I pretend to be polite?"
Then she turned serious. "You should find a proper job, Ray. Don't go back to that construction site. It's not worth it."
Ray nodded. Bitterly.
Of course he wanted more. A big apartment. A nice car. Respect. But all that needed one thing.
Money.
"The hospital bill was ten grand. I only used one, kept nine. That'll cover my sister's tuition."
But college in Beijing? Rent, food, travel… it would take at least twenty grand.
He still needed eleven thousand.
His head ached.
Without realizing, Ray stepped outside the neighborhood.
Sunlight warmed his face. Cars roared by. People rushed down the streets of Haizhu City like always.
Then it hit him.
"Why go back to hard labor…when I've got a power no one else has?"
Ray looked south—toward Macau.
And smiled.
A bold idea was already forming in his mind.