Perhaps this matter truly was an immense ordeal for him, but at this moment, he was genuinely happy. Through this experience, he became even more certain of Brian Carter's goodness.

To have such a disciple and nephew, he truly felt content.

……

Half an hour later.

Outside Pingyuan Prison, standing at the wide prison gate, Brian Carter looked back once more before finally letting out a long sigh of relief.

Shaking the palm of his hand, which ached from his own clenching, Brian Carter stepped forward, forcing a faint smile at the corners of his mouth. In fact, during the visit just now, there was something he lied to William Brooks about—Aunt Xiu was actually not doing well at all.

There was no doubt about it. Suddenly faced with such a drastic change, having to run around every day to try to save William Brooks, and sometimes even suffering malicious difficulties— for a woman like Aunt Xiu, the pain was unimaginable. Brian Carter couldn't even fathom how she, a frail woman, managed to endure it all.

A few days ago, when they finally received notice that they could visit William Brooks, Brian Carter clearly remembered how Aunt Xiu, rarely, laughed heartily for a long, long time. But who could have guessed that in the blink of an eye, she would be notified that William Brooks had rejected her request to visit him. As a result, Aunt Xiu, who had just been in a rare good mood, cried her heart out that very night, and even secretly got herself drunk at home behind Brian Carter's back.

By the time Brian Carter found out today, Aunt Xiu was already running a high fever.

He had taken Aunt Xiu to the hospital first before hurrying over to see William Brooks.

"Uncle, you were wrong this time. Aunt Xiu isn't a fool. You refused her visit because you didn't want her to see you like this and worry about you, right? But do you really think she wouldn't figure it out? The more you refuse, the more Aunt Xiu will imagine how hard your days inside must be!"

Forcing a dry smile, Brian Carter shook his head vigorously, trying to regain a bit of clarity. Then, during the short walk from the prison gate to the nearby bus stop, the smile on his face gradually became a little more natural, and his eyes grew clear and bright.

It was only after truly suppressing all his negative emotions and fully regaining his composure that, as he was walking, Brian Carter suddenly stopped, a hint of confusion appearing on his face.

He kept feeling as if there was something extra on his chest, even a slight warmth, flowing from the pocket of his shirt toward his heart.

When he stopped and confirmed that there really was something on his chest radiating warmth into his skin, Brian Carter's expression changed dramatically. No longer caring about anything else, he reached for his chest.

Chapter 003: The Mysterious Yellow Paper

In the next moment, a neatly folded piece of paper was pulled out by Brian Carter.

The paper was very thin, as thin as a cicada's wing, and touching it against the skin felt especially comfortable. It was pale yellow, just like a neatly folded napkin.

But after touching this yellow paper, the change in Brian Carter's expression not only didn't fade, it became even more pronounced.

Because he could truly feel it emitting heat, constantly radiating warmth into his palm. It was the beginning of winter, and the streets of Xinchuan were already quite chilly. Most people had started wearing thicker clothes, and walking with bare hands would easily leave them freezing cold. Yet at this moment, holding this piece of paper, Brian Carter felt as if he were holding a towel soaked in warm water—truly warm and comfortable.

But the yellow paper wasn't damp at all, and he hadn't soaked it in hot water.

Even as his expression changed, Brian Carter could clearly feel that the yellow paper had grown heavier, as if it weighed more than before.

"What’s going on? Why has it changed?"

Brian Carter couldn't help but be shocked. After all, he had carried this paper with him for over ten years, and this was the first time he had ever noticed it change on its own.

If anyone knew about this, they would probably be so shocked their eyes would pop out. Carrying a piece of paper on your person for over ten years—it's almost unimaginable. Especially since this yellow paper was very clean, without a single crease.

But it was the truth.

Because this paper was truly mysterious—so mysterious that it defied all explanation.

The first time Brian Carter discovered this yellow paper, he was only six years old, and he had already forgotten where he found it.

He only knew that this paper could regenerate!

It was incredible. If you tore it in half and casually threw one half away, leaving only the other half in your hand, it would take less than a day for the remaining half to restore itself to completeness, as if it were blossoming and bearing fruit, growing back into a flawless sheet.

And it could be soaked in water—leave it in water for half a day, take it out and let it dry, and it would be perfectly fine. No damage, no creases. No matter how you folded it, as long as you gave it a shake, all traces would disappear, and it would return to its most perfect, flat state.

At six or seven years old, a child's mind is unrestrained and full of wild imagination, with all sorts of little secrets and clever ideas. One can imagine how curious and full of speculation Brian Carter was when he first got it.

He even treated it as his own little secret, never telling anyone.

But no matter how curious he was, all these years, nothing could explain the strangeness of this paper to Brian Carter. And as he grew older and received more scientific education, Brian Carter only treasured this paper more and more.