The Ice Apocalypse.

We were trapped in an ice cave. My girlfriend, Janice Zeller, came to our rescue.

My heart leapt, thinking I was saved!

But Janice didn't even glance at me. She went straight to her childhood friend, Chad Stewart.

"Chad's not in great health and can't handle the cold. Hang in there, Devin, another rescue team will arrive soon."

By the time help arrived for me, I was completely frozen and had lost consciousness.

While I was helpless to resist, Janice forcibly stripped my superpower away from me and gave it to Chad.

Janice hurried past me with the rescue team, heading straight for Chad.

Chad looked terrible, as pale as a sheet.

"Even if you save me, I'll just be a burden. Save Devin first. Devin's not like me. He's... he's an Esper, he's more important to the base. *cough, cough, cough* But I'm so cold, Janice..."

Janice immediately wrapped the shivering Chad in her power and helped him up.

Then, she said, "Let's go."

"But, Captain, what about Devin?" the deputy protested.

Janice didn't even hesitate. "The road back is fraught with danger. We can only protect one person. Devin is an Esper, he can keep himself alive."

If Janice had just spared me a single glance, she would have seen the frozen bloodstains where I was lying.

Because I was injured and was trapped for so long, my power had run out. At the moment, I was no different from an ordinary person.

The team members cast sympathetic glances my way.

After all, anyone with eyes could see I was in worse shape than Chad.

But Janice held the highest authority in the team. No one dared to object.

When Janice passed by me, she tossed me her down jacket.

"I'm sorry, Devin. Chad can't handle the cold. Hang in there, another rescue team is on the way."

He can't handle the cold?! So I should be left freezing?!

The only part of my body that could still move was my heart, but Janice's words pierced it like a sharp blade!

With each beat of my heart, a stab of pain shot through me, making it hard to breathe.

The down jacket still bore Janice's warmth, but it did little for me.

Another wave of cold hit. Soon, I was completely covered in frost.

I could feel something slowly draining from my body.

With all my might, I managed to weakly utter, "Help."

But Chad, who was next to Janice, cried out, "I'm so cold! Am I going to freeze to death?"

Janice protected him with even more of her power and replied, "Don't worry, I won't let that happen."

I didn't know how much time passed after that. I just felt weak all over, and even opening my eyes seemed to require all my strength.

Looking up, I saw a bright white ceiling and smelled the strong scent of disinfectant.

'Is this the base hospital? Am I saved?'

"Are you awake? Does it hurt anywhere?" Janice placed her hand on my forehead and asked softly.

Was this the same person who left me in the cold?

When I remained silent, Janice explained, "You were trapped too long, so your body is weak. You need rest. You can have my share of food too. I have work to do, so I have to go. I'll come back to check on you later."

With that, Janice hurried off.

I looked to the side and saw a bag of compressed biscuits, water, and two shriveled dried red dates on a plate.

When the apocalypse struck, the extreme cold came suddenly. Even Espers had a hard time dealing with the cold weather. Food and water suddenly became scarce. This was already the best food the rescue team had.

Though I was still cold, my heart felt warm. It turned out Janice still cared about me.

Maybe… I misunderstood her relationship with Chad?

But before I could open the packaging, I heard someone outside complaining loudly.

"Who's that shameless man? He's actually asking for steak and pasta! The prices of those things are astronomical!"

"And he insists on being fed by Captain Zeller!"

I froze. The "work" that Janice had to do was to feed Chad steak?

I got up, wanting to investigate, but my body went limp, and I fell to my knees.

'Something's wrong! Why does my power pool feel so empty?'

'What happened to my superpower?!'

I pressed the help button, and a doctor quickly arrived.

"Doctor, why is my superpower gone?" My tone was harsh due to the shock.

The doctor hesitated for a moment before saying, "Because you were frozen for too long, your power has vanished."

"What the heck are you talking about? How can power just disappear?!" I shouted angrily.

Janice appeared at the door. She quickly apologized to the doctor and sent him away.

"How can my power disappear?" I repeatedly tried to summon my power, but nothing appeared on my fingertips.

The emptiness in my power pool felt mocking. My heart felt empty too.

A sharp pain surged from deep within, spreading through my veins, and I sat there in a daze, as if I had lost all strength.

"Devin, I know it's hard to accept, but… don't worry, I'll protect you from now on." Janice hugged me as I cried, but I could smell a familiar cologne on her.

It was Chad's scent.

Filled with hatred, I pushed Janice away, leaving her confused.

"Why aren't you eating? Let me feed you."

Hearing this made me want to vomit.

"I suddenly really want to eat steak, Janice."

Janice rejected my request with a frown, "Steak is too expensive. You weren't such a picky eater before. Besides, you don't even like steak."

I scoffed in my mind as I turned over in bed, no longer wanting to deal with her.

The older man in the next bed scolded me, "You want to eat steak? You think that's something people like us can afford?"

The ward buzzed with admonishments, all directed at me.

I buried my head under the blanket, ignoring them all.

Once Janice left, I requested a wheelchair from the nurse.

Though I felt weak all over, my suspicions pushed me to investigate.

I avoided the nurses and relied on intuition to find my way to the VIP ward.

Sure enough, looking through the window of the first ward, I saw Chad sitting on the bed eating chocolate, while Janice was peeling a fresh, juicy apple.

The entire room was clean and spacious, completely different from my noisy public ward.

"Janice, is Devin mad?"

"Don't worry about it. You're still not accustomed to your power yet, so take good care of your body."

"What should I do if Devin finds out I have his power now?"

"He won't find out. Don't worry…"

Bang!

I fell from the wheelchair!

"Devin!" Chad exclaimed.

The sudden noise attracted a crowd, but no one dared to help as Janice radiated a powerful energy field, keeping everyone at bay.

She looked down at me crawling on the floor and asked indifferently, "You heard everything?"

"Janice Zeller! That's my power! You actually stripped my power from me and gave it to Chad while I was unconscious?!" I clutched at her pants, my heart tightening with unbearable pain!

"Chad needs the power more than you do. Don't make a fuss."

"That's my power! Mine! Why didn't you give him your own power? Why take mine?"

"Your power is the only one that's compatible with him. Besides, you and Chad are like brothers, so it's fine, right?"

No, it's not!

"Screw you, Janice!" My rage boiled over, and like a beast, I wanted to vent all my emotions.

Suddenly, Janice's mental power invaded my mind, causing my head to throb painfully. I fell unconscious.

When I woke up, I found myself in an empty room.

My whole body was tightly bound by thick ropes to prevent me from escaping.

I didn't know how long I was locked up for. I only remembered being given nutrition shots every day.

"How does it feel to have your power stripped away?" Chad suddenly appeared before me one day. I didn't even notice him approach.

"Janice shouldn't have tied you up with such rough ropes. It must hurt, right?"

I looked at Chad's rosy complexion and reassessed Janice and Chad's relationship.

Maybe they really did betray me.

"I only mentioned it casually. I didn't know Janice would really take your power and give it to me."

Chad continued boasting, "I had no idea Janice would treat you like that, Devin. You don't blame me, do you? After all, we're like brothers. The three of us grew up together, so we should share girlfriends and powers, right?"

Hearing this, a feeling of disgust rose from the bottom of my heart. The sight of Chad made me sick.

"The base will hold a celebration feast tomorrow evening to award major contributors. They'll serve steaks, which most people can't afford! I already told Janice to invite you. After all, I'm already tired of steaks."

Even though I felt sick to my stomach, the thought of getting released filled me with hope, although I didn't let it show on my face.

Seeing my lack of reaction, Chad lost interest and left.

That day, I was brought out of the confinement room.

The members of Longwind Rescue Team greeted me when I passed by.

The new members were confused and asked, "Why does everyone seem to respect him?"

"That's Devin, Captain Zeller's boyfriend. If it weren't for Devin, our rescue team wouldn't have the reputation it has today."

"Huh? Isn't Captain Zeller's boyfriend Chad Stewart? Chad's suit and watch are so expensive. Captain Zeller has really splurged on him."

"This guy's clothes are worn out. I don't believe he's Captain Zeller's boyfriend."

"Well…"

I looked at the sparkling couple in the distance and then down at my blood-stained clothes, scoffing inwardly.

A volunteer walked past me, then turned back and said to me, "Ordinary people aren't allowed at the celebration feast. How did you sneak in? Leave now or I'll have the guards throw you out!"

People pointed at me and whispered.

Chad came over with Janice, wearing a look of pain. "Devin, didn't I tell you that you can't attend the feast because you're an ordinary person now? Why did you… I can't believe you're so desperate to see Janice."

Janice frowned and said, "You shouldn't reach for things that are out of your league."

I coldly looked at them. "I should be saying that to you two. How's my power, Chad? Is it good?"

I raised my voice to ensure everyone could hear. "If Captain Zeller can steal my power for her own selfish reasons today, who's to say she can't do the same to you guys tomorrow if Chad fancies any of your powers…"

A buzz rippled through the crowd. It turned out the rumors they had been hearing were true!

"This feast is held to recognize people who made major contributions to the base. I seem to remember that I found an entire supermarket's worth of supplies for the base. Why can't I be here?"

I looked at the members of Longwind Rescue Team one by one. When they caught my gaze, they quickly looked away or lowered their heads.

I snorted. "Without the contribution points from finding that supermarket, do you think Janice could afford to buy you steaks or a suit, Chad? You're eating my food and drinking my water, yet you tried to trick me? This world…"

"Enough!" Janice, furious for getting exposed, cut me off.

"Devin, I'm sorry," Chad quickly apologized, "It's all my fault…"

"It's not your fault. There's no need for you to apologize to him," Janice's expression changed dramatically. "Volunteers, there's an ordinary person here. Hurry up and do your job!"

Janice, oh Janice, even if I'm not your boyfriend anymore, I've made a significant contribution to the team in the past. Yet, to please your childhood friend, you're burning bridges.

Under the watchful eyes of the volunteers and guards, I turned to leave.

"Hey, what's that?" Chad suddenly shouted, "That looks like the healing agent! Devin, why did you steal the base's most important asset? Even though you've lost your power, you can't steal…"

Hearing Chad's accusation, the guards quickly surrounded me!

I froze. For some reason, there was a test tube in my pocket!

Suddenly, an alarm blared!

The guards received instructions. "The laboratory was infiltrated, and the healing agent was stolen!"

Everyone looked at me, some accusing, some disbelieving, and some watching coldly.

"Steal? Why would I steal something I submitted myself?" Seeing the blue liquid with star-like specks in the test tube, I was sure this was the healing agent that I developed and submitted to the lab.

After all, I was the only one in the base with a healing-type superpower.

I explained, "Besides, even if this isn't the healing agent I submitted, I'm just an ordinary person now. How could I infiltrate the heavily-guarded lab?"

My argument was sound. The guard captain hesitated.

But then, someone from Longwind Rescue Team spoke up, "Nonsense! The one who submitted the healing agent was Chad. You're trying to steal Chad's credit!"

"Yeah, I heard the main person being celebrated today is the one who developed the healing agent!"

After checking the information, the guard captain shook his head. "I'm sorry, we've verified that the developer of the healing agent is Chad Stewart."

I couldn't believe it. I turned to Janice, shouting, "Janice, what's the meaning of this?"

I managed to develop the healing agent before heading out on the previous mission. It was capable of rapidly healing the Espers from injuries caused by freezing. However, on the way to the lab, I suddenly received a mission, so Janice said she would submit my work for me.

How did the developer become Chad?!