This was the first time Fang Ning experienced something like this. Everything was new to him.
This would be the System's meditation mantra for Internal Strength.
Previously, no matter if he were killing fugitives or looting a corpse, the Kungfu techniques he used were too fast for Fang Ning to feel anything, even if they were amazing ones. In comparison, the process of cultivating Internal Strength was slow and steady, like a stream of water flowing down a river. He finally had the time to slowly examine the wonders of the System.
Soon, he realized that this stream of warm air within him traveled to all the nooks and crannies of his body. Well, all of him, but his brain. Would it be that the System was avoiding the brain, afraid of messing with the only place that it did not have control of?
Seriously, these gust of warm air were gushing through his veins, warming him from inside out. It was more comfortable experience than any masseuse could offer. It felt very much like a fancy hot spring, but better. After all, a good hot spring would only warm the skin, but this was down to his bone marrow.
However, the curiosity only lasted for only a while. After the clock struck midnight, he was already exhausted. Fang Ning was never a night owl to begin with, and the only thing he wanted to do right now was to climb under his blankets and fall into sleep's embrace. What he did in one night has surpassed an entire month's activity, and even though he wasn't the one who was controlling his body, the exhaustion was affecting his brain.
Sadly, the System took no mind about his protests. With his legs crossed, Fang Ning's body remained unmoving as a wooden statue, as if the System was ready to meditate until morning came.
Fang Ning finally understood how the System was set to not waste a second of his life. Since the takeover, everything the System decided to do was productive, and it never took a rest. At this point, the thought of taking time out for leisure felt pretty much impossible.
If Fang Ning was the one who was controlling the System, he would probably only use 10% of his time doing anything remotely meaningful. All things aside, he would've been fast asleep already - sleep was much more important than cultivation, no?
Fang Ning literally ran out of ideas on how to deal with the System. Even though he was furious that it took over his body without any prior notice, he could not shake a sense of embarrassment that had enveloped his being.
At last, Fang Ning fell asleep in shame. Sleep was never a problem for Fang Ning; when he was a student, he could fall asleep standing while he was being punished by his teachers…
"Fang Ning" woke up the next morning at 5am, his eyes snapping open when the sky was still dark. After he got out of bed, he walked directly to the kitchen and found some seasoning. Then, he switched on the gas stove and started cooking.
Soon, a scrumptious feast was laid out before him. A freshly made breakfast that was delicious and nutritious was spread on the table. The aroma was so strong that the real Fang Ning stirred awake.
'This is so f*cking good! This taste... Even the top chef during the boss's second wedding could barely qualify to carry your shoes if you cook like this. Say, Sir System, if you have skills like this, why don't you go and work as a chef? In a city like this, your monthly income would be higher than RMB 50 thousand if you are willing to cook. That was not including the possible shares you can get in fancy restaurants. Hey, why don't we start our own stall? I can guarantee that we'll be able to buy a shop within a year!' Fang Ning immediately suggested after he inhaled the divine aroma from the food.
The System ignored him, instead focusing on eating his breakfast slowly. Then, it kept all the leftovers in the rice cooker to keep it warm, and cleaned all of the dishes before it walked downstairs to exercise.
Fang Ning was overwhelmed with shame after that. He once cooked regularly, but he stopped once takeouts became mainstream. To him, it was the cleanup that was troublesome.
Wait, the ingredients that were in the kitchen probably all belonged to the girl he lived with, right?
His morning workout ended two hours later. It wasn't even 8 am when the System finished showering, and the thing that Fang Ning feared the most happened again as the System did not even consider the prospect of becoming a chef.
[The System is processing…]
[The System is processing…]
[The System has decided to fight for justice…]
'Oh come on, Sir System, the last round wasn't even half a day ago, you're on the road to killing your pal here. You have an easy way to earn more money than you can spend, but instead you have an avid interest in working in the shadows of the city. Why?' Fang Ning bemoaned. The System was as diligent as the legendary
As an avid novel reader, Fang Ning understood that if the System continued with its antics this frequently, getting caught was not a matter of if, but when. Disguise would confuse the eyes of others, but it was only temporary. The risks were too high.
"Wait! I still need to go to work. My pay would be deducted if I skip work!" Fang Ning yelled in vain. The System ignored Fang Ning entirely. It was very skilled in the art of fighting evil after yesterday's events; it deemed the Host's suggestions to be no more than redundant bickering now.
It led Fang Ning's body to a nearby public toilet to transform into the handsome look he sported before. Then, he ran towards a general direction after surveying his surroundings.
...
What should one do after he develops a superpower? Earn lots of money, of course! It's not like you would think of rebelling in this developed society, right?
How should he earn money if he could only set himself on fire? By performing on the streets?
Ho Mingli nearly broke his skin from scratching too hard while he thought. He was relatively simple-minded, as he was just barely scraping by with bricklaying and occasional thieving on the side. Still, he could not come up with a way to earn money with this whole 'setting-yourself-on-fire' superpower.
What use would it be if he gave his superpower to the authorities? Get that RMB 500 and a red certificate? No! It was not like he could do that anyways.
However, it was impossible for him to go back to moving bricks on construction sites. How did the superpowered individuals earn their keep in the movies again?
Suddenly, inspiration hit him like a truck, and he decided to expand his side hustle.
He arrived at a nearby parking lot. It looked absolutely ordinary with lax security, but due to the dwindling numbers of available parking lots in this city, the parking lot was still filled with quite a number of luxury cars. These cars usually have valuable items in them. Smartphones and laptops were not up to par; instead, the occasional luxury watches and other things left in the cars were more expensive than an ordinary vehicle itself.
Last time, He Mingli saw a Longines on the driver's seat of a Mercedes. The diamonds that were embedded on the watch proclaimed its custom-made status. He took a picture and went to his usual buyer for his theft stock. The purchasing price was 38 hundred thousand RMB.
He was literally drooling over the watch, but sadly he had limited skills at that time; a lock on a luxury car was difficult to break in.
The him before could only sigh longingly outside the window, but now, as he grinned devilishly at the dark red flame spouting from his hand that could easily burn a hole through a glass, he knew he could finally do something about it.
His first victim was an Audi A8. He successfully burned an arm-sized hole through the glass window, and he reached into the car and grabbed an iPhone and a wallet. It was as easy as ABC. He glanced at the iPhone and toss it with a dismissive snort. Then, he took a few hundred Yen from the wallet. Everything else in it was cards, and he was very dissatisfied with that. He thought there would be at least something worth taking from the wallet. He threw the wallet somewhere behind him.
Little did he know that the wallet costs at least 68000 RMB in the stores.
His second victim was a Porche Cayenne, and he got a diamond ring that was on the passenger's seat. The diamond was quite big, and even though he had no idea how many karats it was, but he felt that it would worth at least tens of thousands. His heart was literally dancing in delight.
He chose a Cadillac as his third victim. She was not very astounding, but in there he found a wallet filled with money that there would be a minimum of 20000 RMB inside it. He liked these the most - low risk, easy to use, and it didn't need to be cashed in for the middle-man to earn another round from him.
He stretched his arm and used all of his might, his ass very much out there as he struggled to take the wallet. He wished that he could burn the entire door down, but the superpower was relatively new to him, and it was still very weak. Glass was much easier to burn through than steel. He looked very much disheveled, but he finally got it.
Ho Mingli flipped open the wallet to find stacks of hundred Yens in it. He was elated, and was imagining how great his life would be for the next few days. He scanned the other cars with forlorn eyes. These were all mobile wallets to him! Even though his heart was bleeding, he decided that he shall stop for today and leave. After all, the superpower left in his body was already waning.
Just as he took a few steps to flee the shopping lot, a deep male voice rang abruptly in his ear. The voice was filled with justice and respect, and he nearly fell to the ground in shock.
"Your limbs are perfectly fine, and yet you chose to commit daylight robbery. Don't you think you've disappointed your parents?"
When Ho Mingli turned to look, a wave of jealousy rose from within him. Where did this handsome man come from? Oh, he's probably one of the owners of the cars here. The flames of envy burned stronger; how could ordinary people like him survive if everyone was as handsome and rich as he was?
He instinctively turned to run, but he managed to stop himself. With a shake of his head, he reminded himself that hey, he's also a superpowered individual now! See, I'll burn you to death!
He used all of his might to summon flames to envelop his entire body. He looked like a human torch, and he yelled as he barged towards Fang Ning, "Get the f*ck outta here! This is none of your business. I'll burn you to ashes!"
In his perception, this would most definitely scare the literal sh*t out of this guy.
Well, Fang Ning was indeed surprised. His first criminal was still a normal human, but his second run in was a person who could manipulate fire! He could feel the scorching heat from afar. This would be difficult to deal with. Well, at least he was right to feel that fighting for justice would be a hard deal to catch.
It seemed that he was not the only one that developed a life hack for themselves after the fire meteor incident yesterday, Fang Ning thought. Now, it came down to who had the stronger superpower.
Before Fang Ning could start to compare, he saw the System controlling his body to make some mysterious steps. Then, he found that he was behind the human torch, and his palm slapped hard at the back of his head.
Whack! And the human torch faceplanted into the ground. Fang Ning had no idea if he survived that.
Oh, well then! There was no need for comparison after the winning party was decided. Fang Ning watched as the System skillfully put on the plastic bags and started looting. He rolled his eyes in his mind.
And then, the system notifications gradually appeared.