Dying to Survive

Blue Star, China, Liaoning Province, Long City, New Year's Eve, Year 21.

After making his New Year's calls, he stood by the window, gazing at the distant horizon and listening to firecrackers exploding outside.

"Year after year, things just keep getting worse," Wang Yan sighed.

At some point, the New Year had stopped feeling special. Each year seemed worse than the last.

As he stood there, lost in thought, a streak of blue light flashed across the distant sky and shone on Wang Yan's face.

In a daze, Wang Yan felt as though he'd had a dream. He couldn't remember the details, only that he'd met many people, done many things, and gone through one cycle of reincarnation after another.

He opened his eyes and felt that something about his body was different.

Before Wang Yan could think it over, a flash of blue light appeared before him, and a futuristic-looking panel floated in front of his eyes. At the same time, information flooded into his mind.

Wang Yan

Attributes: Strength 6

Agility 7

Constitution 7

Spirit 10

Unassigned Points 3

Storage Space 1m

The information explained that this was a Wish System, which helped characters in film and television worlds fulfill their wishes. Once a wisher's wish was fulfilled, the system would provide some rewards.

It also explained the storage space. Only items rewarded by the system could travel between the two worlds.

Wang Yan accepted the situation before him with remarkable calm. After all, he'd read plenty of novels and the like. This was nothing new—an old, familiar trope.

Twenty-eight-year-old Wang Yan was an ordinary-looking man and his family's only child. Both his parents were alive, and his life was comfortable. He'd graduated more than four years ago and worked in real estate sales in Lüda. His performance was average, and he earned seven or eight thousand a month. He couldn't expect to become rich, but he got by well enough. In short, he hadn't amounted to much.

Now that fortune had fallen into his lap, he couldn't help thinking that Heaven was about to entrust him with a great task.

As for any dark thoughts or suspicions, Wang Yan didn't give them a moment's consideration. Even if this was some kind of scheme, what could he do about it?

He lit a cigarette.

"Ah... Exhale..."

He took a deep drag and calmed himself.

A prompt to allocate his points appeared on the panel.

Without hesitation, Wang Yan chose Spirit.

The main reason was that raising his Spirit wouldn't increase his intelligence, but it would clear his mind and sharpen his reasoning, while greatly improving his memory and analytical skills.

He could improve Strength, Agility, and the like by raising his Constitution, and Constitution could be trained.

He controlled the panel to allocate his points. His Spirit rose from 10 to 13.

In an instant, he felt a surge of energy reach deep into his soul.

As he felt the coolness spreading through his mind and forgotten memories resurfacing, Wang Yan was swept up in a blissful haze.

"Damn, this feels so fucking good." Wang Yan wore a lecherous grin.

How could he describe the feeling?

Like the transcendent instant of release?

Or the clarity that came with a cigarette afterward?

There was no way to put it into words. He'd have to experience it for himself.

After enjoying the sensation, Wang Yan tested the system's storage space, putting things in and taking them out. It was just as magical as the novels described.

A message appeared on the panel.

"Wang Jia from Dying to Survive has made a wish: I hope Lü Shouyi won't die by suicide because he can't afford his medicine, and I hope the child stays safe and healthy."

Cheng Yong, the owner of an Indian God Oil shop, was struggling through a miserable life. His shop had no customers, his father was critically ill, and he couldn't scrape together the money for surgery. His ex-wife had gotten pregnant by a rich man and was trying to take custody of his son. One day, the unexpected arrival of Lü Shouyi led him to start a new business smuggling medicine from India. Despite all the difficulties, he spotted an opportunity on this "medicine-buying road" and became the sole agent for Indian generic drugs used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia, with no turning back.

While making money, he also befriended several patients and their families. The group went into business together, and their profits multiplied, but danger lurked beneath the surface. Cheng Yong's former brother-in-law was ordered to investigate the source of the generic drugs, while the counterfeit medicine dealer Zhang Changlin and a Swiss pharmaceutical representative named Ye kept a close eye on him. Gradually, the business turned into a tug-of-war over redemption.

Wang Yan turned on the computer, read the plot summary, and bought a membership to watch the film.

Afterward, he looked up more information and planned out his next move.

He glanced at the time. It was already five.

He lay down on the bed, opened the System Panel, and selected the option to travel.

A flash of blue light appeared, and Wang Yan vanished from the bed.

Wang Yan stood outside Shanghai Railway Station, taking in his surroundings and listening to the noisy crowds. He found the whole thing fascinating.

He'd never even been to Shanghai in real life. One moment he'd been back home in Northeast China; the next, he was standing outside Shanghai Railway Station more than ten years earlier. It felt... damn good.

He reviewed the information the system had sent into his mind.

The system had arranged for him to be Wang Jia's older brother—her biological brother. Their parents had died several years earlier, and neither of them had a spouse. They were all each other had.

He'd come to Shanghai after hearing that his sister Wang Jia had given birth. On top of that, her husband had leukemia, and she'd asked him for money and help. As the only family she had, he'd come to check on her.

The system had arranged all the paperwork for his identity and given him fifty thousand yuan, all stored in the space.

As the last light of sunset faded along the horizon, he slung a large bag of local specialties over his shoulder, waved down a taxi, and followed his memories to the neighborhood where Wang Jia lived.

After thanking the driver, he looked at the run-down residential complex in front of him, asked for directions, and headed toward Wang Jia's home.

He checked the address to make sure he was in the right place.

"Bang... Bang... Bang..."

Wang Yan's pounding on the iron door made it rattle loudly.

"Coming, coming." A moment later, he heard footsteps inside.

With a squeak, the door opened to reveal a gaunt man wearing glasses.

"Hey, big brother, you're here! Come on in!" Lü Shouyi said when he saw Wang Yan at the door.

He stepped aside to let him in and complained mildly, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I could've gone to pick you up."

"It's not like I couldn't find the place. Why make you go to all that trouble?" Wang Yan said as he squeezed inside.

At the sound, Wang Jia came out of the room and cried, "Big brother!"

She threw herself at Wang Yan and burst into tears. The birth of her child, her husband's terminal illness, and all her fear and helplessness about the future came spilling out the moment she saw him.

Her big brother might have been a drinker, a womanizer, a gambler, and a brawler, but he'd always been good to her. He'd looked after and protected her her whole life.

Now that she'd seen Wang Yan, all her pent-up grievances came pouring out in a flood of tears and snot.

Wang Yan was at a loss. He hurried to comfort her, his head spinning. He'd never dealt with anything like this before.

The system had poured memories of Wang Jia into his mind, making it feel as though he'd lived through them himself. But on a personal level, Wang Yan felt somewhat uncomfortable with them, and he always felt a little awkward around her.

"Don't get so worked up. I'm here now. There's nothing to worry about. It's nothing serious. Don't scare the baby." After a good deal of coaxing, he managed to calm Wang Jia down.

He went into the room and gazed at the tiny figure swaddled in blankets, his heart full of affection.

Babies were adorable at this age. They weren't nearly as lovable once they grew up.

He didn't even have a wife in real life, but that didn't stop Wang Yan from feeling like a doting father.

"Have you named him?" Wang Yan asked.

"Shouyi named him Lü Ping."

Wang Yan rolled the name around in his mouth. "Lü Ping. That's a good name."

He played with the baby for a while longer, then watched as little Lü Ping slept soundly after all the fuss. Wang Yan felt content from head to toe.

Once they were settled in the living room, Wang Yan turned to the young couple and asked, "How's your illness?"

"There's no cure. I can only keep it under control with medicine, but it's too expensive—thirty-seven thousand a bottle, and one bottle only lasts half a month. We sold the old house, and that'll only cover about six months' worth. Sigh..." Lü Shouyi lamented.

Lü Shouyi's parents had died a few years earlier, leaving him a house. Before he got sick, he'd lived comfortably in Shanghai, with no worries about food or drink.

"I can't afford the medicine anymore. I can hang on for a while, but I've been thinking I should just let it go."

"I won't get treatment. I don't want to drag them down. I'll leave this house to Wang Jia and the baby and let myself die. I just feel sorry for the two of them."

Wang Jia silently wiped her tears beside him.

Wang Yan cursed him out. "You're talking crap! What do you mean, let yourself die? What are they supposed to do, a widow and an orphan? Stop spouting useless bullshit."

"It costs thirty-seven thousand here, but what about overseas? We can find a way somewhere else."

"Are we really going to let a little problem like this kill us?"

"The medicine from India works, and it's cheap—only two thousand. I had someone test it. But you can't buy it here," Lü Shouyi replied. He hadn't yet gone to see Cheng Yong.

Wang Yan spoke with conviction. "See? There's a way forward. Why are you always talking about killing yourself? All right, I'll figure something out. Are there many people with your illness?"

Wang Jia spoke up. "Big brother, you're not thinking of smuggling, are you? Don't do anything stupid. That's against the law."

Wang Jia knew her brother well. He'd been getting into trouble since childhood, and he was bold enough to do just about anything. She was afraid he'd get himself into trouble again.

"That's right, big brother. You can't break the law. If you get caught, you'll go to prison," Lü Shouyi chimed in.

Wang Jia had told him about her brother, and the stories had left him on edge. To be honest, he was a little afraid of his brother-in-law.

Of course, neither of them knew that the person in front of them had been replaced. He wasn't the reckless big brother they remembered.

For all Wang Yan knew, the original story might not even have included this big brother. The system sure was incredible.

Come to think of it, the same was true of Wang Yan and the protagonists in the novels he'd read. They were all ordinary, insignificant people in their original lives, yet once they crossed into other worlds, they went wild.

Knowledge, vision, experience, and perspective couldn't be made up for just by knowing what was going to happen. All Wang Yan could say was, damn, this felt good. After all, he was one of those ordinary nobodies himself, not an elite or a winner in life. Who didn't want to turn their luck around?

"Forget it. I'm about to die, so what does it matter? Is there anything wrong with wanting to stay alive?"

"Besides, you're my only sister. I can't just stand by and watch you struggle alone with a child."

"That's enough. Don't worry about it. Just rest and recover after giving birth, and stop fretting." Wang Yan put an end to the discussion.

"How much money do you have? I've got fifty thousand." Wang Yan asked. More money would make things easier.

Wang Jia said, "A little less than sixty thousand." She was in charge of the household finances.

"All right. Withdraw fifty thousand tomorrow and give it to me. I'll make the trip."

When they didn't say anything, he added, "Enough worrying. Get us something to eat. I haven't eaten all day."

After that, they ate, had a little to drink, and Wang Yan questioned Lü Shouyi in detail about the situation.

Only then did Wang Yan learn that Lü Shouyi had already started looking for someone who could smuggle the medicine, and had found Zhang Jun, who ran an inn and was Cheng Yong's neighbor.

After asking a few leading questions, Wang Yan also learned about Liu Sihui.

Once they'd finished eating and drinking, Wang Yan slept on the sofa because the apartment was so small.

With Wang Yan asleep, the young couple had no chance of getting any rest.

They watched the sleeping baby and whispered to each other. Neither slept all night.

The next day, Wang Yan woke to the baby crying. His body felt stiff after spending the night on the sofa.

"Quite the set of lungs," he said, grumbling as the baby's cries interrupted his good dream.

After breakfast, Wang Jia handed him the fifty thousand she'd withdrawn that morning. She and Lü Shouyi both looked worried.

"Big brother, be careful. India's nothing like home," Wang Jia warned him anxiously.

"All right, stop worrying. I'll be back in three or five days." Wang Yan waved and left.

He found an internet café and looked at the dozen or so bulky desktop computers in the small room. He couldn't help marveling at how quickly technology changed.

It had been only a little over ten years, yet the pace of technological progress was unimaginable. In real life, people could hardly even be bothered to replace a kitchen knife by then; they'd have thrown a computer like this in the trash long ago.

He went online to look up information about Gleevec in India. Information was already easy to find, but there was still far less of it than there would be ten years later. At the time, there were only about forty million internet users in China, compared with more than a billion in Year 20. The gap was enormous.

Wang Yan had mainly gone to the internet café to check whether the information he'd found in real life matched what was available in the film world. After all, they were two different worlds, and the information might not be the same.

After checking everything, he went and bought a cleaver and a dagger, then stored them in the space for protection.

The system had taken care of all his identity documents. Wang Yan bought a plane ticket to India and set off.