Kai took a deep breath, recalling that strange feeling. He tried once again to focus on his chest, trying to channel that mysterious energy through his arm. Just a few seconds later, the piece of wood in his hand burst into flames.
The light from the fire illuminated the dark house, and Kai's eyes shone brightly in the darkness.
Noah stood frozen, feeling his breath catch. "Humanity... still has hope. Humans can evolve."
Unable to control his emotions, Noah ran up and hugged Kai, surprising him.
Kai hurriedly dropped the burning piece of wood onto the ground to avoid burning Noah.
"We're not left behind yet." Kai said, his voice calm but filled with determination. He patted Noah's back to reassure him.
All animals and plants are evolving, so it's not surprising that humans would evolve to adapt to the current time.
Noah kept staring at Kai's hand. His fingers lightly traced over the faint veins on his arm, then continued to slide down his firm biceps, as if searching for something unusual on Kai's body that had granted him such incredible power.
"What are you doing?" Kai frowned and grabbed Noah's hand, stopping the strange action.
"I'm just checking." Noah quickly pulled his hand back, but his bright eyes still never left Kai.
"How do you feel? Is there anything different in your body? Are you feeling hot or feverish?"
"No."
"No? But, you know, other species don't just evolve their abilities, they also evolve their appearance. Maybe one day you'll become a giant or... breathe fire, for example." Noah mumbled, again glancing over Kai's body, unable to hide his curiosity.
Kai frowned, not saying anything. But Noah continued, "Do you understand what this means? If you have such an evolved ability..."
Kai interrupted, his voice calm but his eyes deep: "It means the Earth doesn't want humanity to disappear completely. It's taking revenge, but at the same time, it's giving us one last chance to change."
Noah nodded upon hearing this, his voice becoming more solemn. "That's right. This may be the largest purification in human history. But your existence, the appearance of this ability... it proves that the Earth hasn't completely abandoned humanity."
Kai was silent for a moment before speaking again: "If I've evolved, there must be others like me."
"This Earth truly hasn't abandoned humanity. I hope things will return to normal someday." Noah thought to himself, a flicker of hope rising within him.
Kai sighed softly, his pale lips reflecting the exhaustion after what had just happened. "Help me get the water bottle from the backpack:" Kai said, his voice slightly hoarse.
Noah immediately bent down and rummaged through the backpack, quickly finding the water bottle. He opened the cap and handed it to Kai, but before Kai could grab it, Noah spoke: "Why don't you try using your power to warm the water in the bottle? While you still have the feeling, try it again."
Kai raised an eyebrow, looking doubtful: "What if I burn the bottle and we die of thirst?"
Noah smiled with enthusiasm and said, "I'll catch it for you, just try it. If you don't try now, you'll forget how this power works. Don't worry!"
As he spoke, Noah quickly tidied up the medical supplies and bandages, then carefully cleaned the box to catch the water, just in case things went wrong.
Kai hesitated for a moment, but the hopeful look in Noah's eyes made it hard for him to refuse. He closed his eyes, focusing on finding that new energy inside him. The intense warmth in his chest gradually rose, spreading down his arm and then to the hand holding the water bottle.
But as Kai feared, he still couldn't control his power. The bottle's surface charred instantly, and the water inside spilled out, flooding into the box Noah had prepared.
"No problem, no problem, I still caught it. It's the first time, no one has experience, right? Try again next time. Anyway, the water's been heated. Drink it now." Noah reassured, patting Kai's shoulder.
Kai paid no attention to Noah's mutterings, taking the box with the water and bringing it to his lips to drink.
Noah stood up and walked to the window, looking outside. The snowstorm showed no sign of letting up. If this continued, they would surely freeze to death here.
Kai thought the same. Just earlier, they had rekindled the fire, but it hadn't improved much. Outside, if they were being diplomatic, the temperature was at least below five degrees Celsius.
"Change your clothes, you'll catch a cold wearing rags like that." Noah said, then helped Kai find a shirt from his bag, before pulling out a thick fur coat from his bag and handing it to Kai.
Kai's condition was far from good. His complexion was pale, like all the blood had drained from his face, and it was likely not just from blood loss.
"Lie down on my lap for a bit, you'll probably feel better!" Noah said, stretching his legs out.
"Is there any food left?" Kai weakly asked.
"Earlier, that damn cockroach ate half of our food." Noah said, walking over to the cockroach's carcass, kicking it and muttering.
"Wait, I'll find the pack of meat it didn't finish and roast it for you!" Noah ran to find the pack of meat but, to his surprise, just thirty minutes later, the meat had already started growing mold.
"The meat's starting to spoil." He said, looking at Kai with a disappointed expression.
"Cut the cockroach's legs and roast them!" Kai commanded, his eyes fixed on the massive insect carcass.
"You... you want to eat the cockroach? We still have a pack of meat left, let me roast that for you." Noah hesitated, reluctant to eat the cockroach.
"Stop talking, cut its legs now. The remaining pack of meat should be saved for when the snowstorm stops." Kai said, his voice hoarse.
Noah looked conflicted, really not wanting to eat the disgusting cockroach.
Kai didn't rely on him. He moved toward the cockroach's head, pulled out a knife, and with a strong swing, chopped off two of its legs.
Quickly, Kai grabbed the two large cockroach legs and moved them to the fire, sitting down.
"I'll roast them. You go lie down over there and rest for a bit. I'll wake you up when it's done!"
Kai turned back and gave him a cold look. "Are you sure?"
"Yes!" Noah nodded stiffly.
Kai left the cockroach legs on the ground and stood up to find a clean place to lie down.
"Throw the pack of meat outside. Even though it's vacuum sealed, it won't last long. The outside temperature will help preserve it longer." Kai said, closing his eyes.
"What if something comes by and eats it?" Noah asked cautiously.
"This is the only way to preserve the meat. If it gets eaten, it's just your bad luck." Kai replied.