Doomsday Reboot: My Superpowers Absorb Everything

The smell of disinfectant hadn't dissipated yet when Lin Ye suddenly opened his eyes, the coldness of the metal bed frame was creeping up his spine.

"hiss--"

He instinctively touched his neck, where there should have been two deep, bone-revealing holes—bites inflicted by a level-three speed-type zombie when Zhao Feng and his men held him down. But his fingertips only touched smooth skin, without even a shallow scar.

The cicadas outside the window were chirping loudly and jarringly, and sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting dappled shadows on the floor. Lin Ye suddenly sat up and looked around—white walls, a wardrobe covered with outdated celebrity posters, an unfinished math test paper spread out on the desk, and the date printed on the calendar in the upper right corner: July 15, 2075.

There are still three full days until the global red fog descends.

Didn't he die in the abandoned hospital in the third year of the apocalypse? His "brother," Zhao Feng, whom he had risked his life to save, smashed his leg with a rusty steel pipe and watched helplessly as he was devoured by zombies. Just because his awakened "Devouring" ability could devour crystal cores and directly convert them into energy, and just because the level seven crystal core he found that could purify water sources became easy prey in Zhao Feng's eyes.

"Heh...heh heh..."

A surge of overwhelming hatred welled up in Lin Ye's chest. He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, and the taste of blood spread across his tongue. The horrific events of his previous life were like the sharpest knife, repeatedly cutting into his nerves—the people in the base killed each other because of thirst, his sister Lin Xi was torn apart by a mutated giant wolf while protecting him, and the crystal core he had fought so hard for ultimately became a stepping stone for someone else's advancement.

"Zhao Feng... and those things that devoured my flesh and blood..." Lin Ye's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping, and the crimson in his eyes was almost overflowing. "In this life, I will make you... pay a hundredfold!"

He abruptly threw off the covers and got out of bed. His legs felt a little weak from the prolonged "death," but he quickly adjusted. The boy in the mirror was still somewhat immature, sixteen years old, but his brows and eyes already bore a ruthlessness and vicissitude that did not match his age. These were the marks left by three years of being immersed in mountains of corpses and seas of blood during the apocalypse.

He clearly remembered that three days later at midnight, a strange red mist would suddenly descend upon the globe, mutating any creature that inhaled it. Less than one in ten thousand humans would awaken supernatural abilities; the rest would either become mindless zombies or be devoured in the chaos. The mutations in animals were even more terrifying; ordinary cats and dogs would transform into ferocious beasts several meters tall, and wild animals in the forest would become mobile sources of disaster.

Crystal cores are the only hard currency in the apocalypse. Crystal cores inside zombie skulls can enhance superpowers, while those from mutated beasts contain even purer energy, capable of causing superpowers to mutate. In his previous life, he awakened the "Devouring" superpower because he devoured a dying level eight zombie crystal core in a desperate situation, allowing him to skip the absorption process and directly convert it into energy. This also became the reason why he was coveted.

"We must be prepared before the red fog descends." Lin Ye took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He walked to his desk, opened a drawer, and found only a few crumpled coins and a rusty utility knife inside.

Money, food, weapons, and most importantly—finding his sister Lin Xi.

On the day the crimson mist descended in his previous life, Lin Xi was attending summer camp at school. He was out fooling around with Zhao Feng and couldn't pick her up in time, which became a lifelong regret for him. In this life, he must rush to the city's No. 1 High School as soon as possible and bring his sister home safely.

He turned and opened the wardrobe. In the innermost corner was a metal box containing his savings of six months' worth of pocket money, a total of 3,700 yuan. There was also a folding entrenching tool that he had secretly hidden away. It was a birthday gift from his father last year, which he had thought was old-fashioned at the time, but now it had become the most important prototype of his weapon.

"Not enough, far from enough." Lin Ye frowned. Three thousand yuan wouldn't buy much even in peacetime, let alone after the apocalypse, when food and water would be more precious than gold.

His gaze swept across the room, finally settling on the guitar hanging on the wall. It was a valuable gift from his mother. Lin Ye's fingers lightly brushed the strings, a flicker of hesitation crossing his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by resolute determination.

"Mom, I'm sorry. After I protect Xiaoxi, I'll definitely find you a better one."

He quickly stuffed the entrenching tool and money into his backpack, changed into a pair of durable work pants and sneakers, hid the utility knife in his boots, grabbed his guitar, and ran outside.

"Xiao Ye, where are you going so late?" Lin Jianjun's voice came from the living room. He was sitting on the sofa watching the news. "Your mother just told you to go to bed early."

Lin Ye paused, looking at his father's familiar profile, his throat suddenly tightening with emotion. In his previous life, his father had turned into a zombie in the early stages of the red mist's arrival to protect the neighbors, and he had personally ended his father's suffering.

"Dad, I'm going out to sell some things, I'll be back soon." Lin Ye tried his best to make his voice sound normal. "By the way, tell Xiaoxi not to go to summer camp tomorrow, just say there's something going on at home."

Lin Jianjun was stunned for a moment, and was about to ask further questions when Lin Ye had already rushed out of the house like a gust of wind. Now was not the time to explain; he had to act quickly.

The streets were still bustling at dusk, the cries of vendors and the honking of cars blending together in a peaceful scene. No one knew that three days later this place would become a living hell. Lin Ye, carrying his guitar, hurried towards the secondhand market in the city center; he needed to sell it as soon as possible to buy supplies.

"Young man, your guitar is nice, but it's a bit old. I'll give you five thousand at most." The secondhand shop owner was a Mediterranean-looking old man, stroking his chin as he examined the guitar.

Lin Ye's heart sank. This guitar originally cost at least 20,000 yuan, and 5,000 yuan was far too little. But he had no time to haggle; every penny now could determine his life or death.

"Seven thousand. I'll leave if it's less than a cent." Lin Ye's tone was firm and unwavering, and the coldness in his eyes made the boss pause for a moment.

The old man hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded: "Alright, since you need the money urgently, it's a deal."

With the seven thousand yuan in cash, Lin Ye immediately rushed to the nearest supermarket. Rice, compressed biscuits, canned goods, bottled water... he filled the shopping cart to the brim, leaving no food that could be stored for a long time untouched.

"Young man, you're buying so much stuff?" the cashier asked with a smile.

"Yeah, a party at home," Lin Ye mumbled, his eyes quickly scanning the people around him. He saw several familiar faces, people he had met in the base in his previous life, but they were still living peaceful lives, completely unaware of the impending disaster.

After paying the bill, the food alone cost nearly ten thousand yuan. Ignoring the financial burden, Lin Ye went to a hardware store and bought an axe, hammer, wire, duct tape, and several large rolls of thick plastic sheeting. These items would be very useful in the apocalypse; the plastic sheeting could be used to seal doors and windows to prevent the red fog from seeping in, and the wire and tape would reinforce the defenses.

It was late at night when he returned home carrying large bags and small packages. His parents were already asleep. Lin Ye quietly dragged the supplies into his room and began to take inventory.

He had enough food to last him and his sister for a month, and their weapons included an entrenching tool, an axe, and a utility knife. They also had basic defensive equipment. But he knew that was far from enough.

"We're still short of medicine and gasoline." Lin Ye sat on the ground, rubbing his throbbing temples. Medicine, especially antibiotics and hemostatic drugs, is more important than food in the apocalypse, while gasoline is the key to keeping vehicles running.

He thought of his father's old pickup truck parked downstairs; though dilapidated, it was still fairly reliable. He had to find a way to fill the tank tomorrow and get a few spare fuel cans.

Just then, he suddenly felt a burning sensation in his palm, as if something was about to burst out of his body. Lin Ye looked down and saw a dark red vortex-shaped mark faintly emerging under the skin of his palm, exactly the same as the mark he had when he awakened the "Devouring" ability in his previous life.

"How could this be..." Lin Ye's pupils shrank sharply. In his previous life, he only awakened his superpowers a month after the apocalypse. Could it be that because of his rebirth, his superpowers awakened ahead of time?

He tried to concentrate, imagining the feeling of absorbing energy. The next second, the rusty utility knife on the table suddenly clicked, and the rust on the surface peeled off at a speed visible to the naked eye, revealing a shiny metal luster inside, while the mark on his palm flashed with a barely perceptible red light.

"It really is... 'Devour'!" Lin Ye's heart pounded wildly. This meant that he had possessed the most powerful ability from the very beginning. Although it was still very weak at the moment, as long as he had enough crystal cores, he could grow rapidly.

Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting a long, thin shadow on the floor. Lin Ye clenched his fist, the burning sensation in his palm seeming to ignite his blood.

Two more days.

He looked at the photo of his younger sister, Lin Xi, on the wall; the girl in the photo had a bright, smiling face. Lin Ye's gaze became incredibly resolute.

In this life, he not only has to survive, but also fight his way through the apocalypse with his sister. He will collect on those who owe him, one by one.

The arrival of the crimson mist marks the beginning of his revenge.

As the first rays of sunlight pierced the clouds, Lin Ye had already sorted all the supplies. Compressed biscuits and canned goods were stuffed under the bed, carefully wrapped in plastic to prevent moisture; the axe and entrenching tool were wiped clean, and the blades were coated with machine oil to prevent rust; the medicines were what he had specially gone to three pharmacies that morning to gather, antibiotics, iodine, and gauze filling a whole drawer, which had used up his last bit of savings.

"Xiao Ye, what on earth were you up to yesterday? Making such a racket in the middle of the night." Lin Jianjun's voice rang out from the doorway. He was wearing pajamas, his eyes bloodshot. "Also, why did you tell Xiao Xi not to go to summer camp?"

Lin Ye turned around, his father's eyes filled with worry. He knew his behavior yesterday was too abnormal, but he couldn't tell the truth; no one would believe that the world would end in three days.

"Dad, I had a nightmare last night. I dreamt that something happened to Xiaoxi, and I feel uneasy about it." Lin Ye tried his best to make his tone sound earnest. "The environment at summer camp is complicated. What if something happens to her? Please let her stay at home for a few days, I beg you."

He rarely spoke to his father like this. Lin Jianjun paused, looking at the bloodshot eyes and undisguised exhaustion in his son's eyes, and finally sighed: "Alright, I'll call the teacher later. But don't overthink it, Xiaoxi is a clever girl."

"Thank you, Dad." Lin Ye breathed a sigh of relief. As long as his younger sister could stay at home, the safety factor would be greatly improved.

Just then, the door was gently pushed open, and Lin Xi walked in, rubbing her eyes. A few strands of hair were still stuck to the hem of her nightgown. "Brother, what are you making so much noise so early in the morning? I thought there was a thief."

The girl had just woken up, her cheeks flushed slightly, her eyes clear as a spring. Lin Ye looked at her, his heart skipping a beat, a bittersweet feeling mixed with warmth. In his past life, he hadn't been able to protect her; in this life, he would never let her suffer any harm again.

"It's nothing, I just saw you were sleeping too soundly and wanted to wake you up for breakfast." Lin Ye walked over and reached out to rub her hair.

"Hmph, it's definitely nothing good." Lin Xi pouted, but her gaze was drawn to the entrenching tool on the corner of the bed. "Brother, why did you buy all this stuff? Are you going to dig for treasure?"

"I guess so," Lin Ye smiled, offering no further explanation. Some things were better left unsaid.

After breakfast, Lin Ye made an excuse to go meet up with a classmate, but actually went to fill up his pickup truck. He drove to a private gas station in the suburbs, where the gas was a bit more expensive, but you could fill up with plastic containers.

"Young man, how much would you like?" The gas station owner, a burly man with a thick beard, was sitting in the shade smoking.

"Fill up the car, and bring five more 20-liter tanks of gas, fill them all up," Lin Ye said.

The bearded man paused for a moment, then looked him up and down a few times: "Your little car can hold so much gas? Aren't you afraid of getting checked?"

"I need to use the generator at home because there have been a lot of power outages lately," Lin Ye casually made up an excuse.

The bearded man didn't ask any questions and slowly stood up to refuel. Watching the gasoline slowly fill the tank and can, Lin Ye's heart gradually calmed down. With this gasoline, he could at least take his sister to find a safe haven further away in the early stages after the red fog descended.

The gas tank cost a little over two thousand yuan. Lin Ye carefully secured the gas can to the back of the pickup truck and covered it with a tarpaulin. Just as he was about to drive away, his phone rang. It was an unknown number.

"Hello, is this Lin Ye?" A familiar voice came from the other end of the phone, with a hint of roguishness.

Lin Ye's eyes instantly turned cold. It was Zhao Feng.

At this time in his previous life, Zhao Feng was playing games with him at an internet cafe, and they only rushed out in a panic when the red mist descended. It was because of this that he missed the best opportunity to pick up Lin Xi.

"What is it?" Lin Ye's voice was cold and devoid of any emotion.

"What are you talking about? I'm calling you because I have good news," Zhao Feng chuckled. "Let's hang out tonight at the new internet cafe, it's on me."

Lin Ye gripped the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles turning white. He could almost picture Zhao Feng's smug face; in his previous life, it was this so-called "brother" who had stabbed him in the back when he trusted him most.

"I'm not going," Lin Ye refused outright.

"No way!" Zhao Feng persisted. "I've also invited a few girls, all from our school. You'll miss out if you don't come."

A murderous glint flashed in Lin Ye's eyes. If it weren't for the fact that it wasn't the right time yet, he would have liked to drag Zhao Feng out right now and let him taste what it's like to be devoured by zombies.

"I said I'm not going," Lin Ye emphasized. "Don't call me again."

After saying that, he hung up the phone and blocked the number.

In the rearview mirror, the gas station gradually disappeared into the distance. Lin Ye took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart. Now was not the time to act impulsively; Zhao Feng's life was still useful.

When Lin Ye got home, Lin Xi was sitting on the sofa watching TV, holding a bag of potato chips. Lin Jianjun was busy in the kitchen, humming a tuneless little tune. Seeing this heartwarming scene, Lin Ye felt a surge of warmth in his heart, but even more so, a sense of urgency.

One more day.

The day before the red fog descends is often the calmest. The news is still reporting on trivial matters, and people on the streets are still hurrying about their business. No one knows that a catastrophic disaster is about to befall them.

Lin Ye inspected all the doors and windows in the house, reinforced the door locks with the wire he bought, and covered the windows with a thick layer of plastic sheeting, leaving only a small observation hole. He also placed the axe in the most conspicuous place in the living room, and hid the entrenching tool behind the door for easy access.

"Brother, what are you doing? You've turned the house into a fortress." Lin Xi asked, munching on an apple and looking at him curiously.

"It's going to rain heavily soon, so let's prepare in advance," Lin Ye said casually.

"The weather forecast didn't say it was going to rain."

"That's because they won't allow it."

Lin Xi pursed her lips and didn't ask any further questions, but her eyes were still full of doubt.

As evening approached, the sky indeed began to darken, but instead of rain, it turned an eerie dark red. The clouds seemed stained with blood, exuding an ominous aura.

The news on TV suddenly interrupted with an emergency notice, reminding citizens to minimize going out and keep doors and windows closed, saying that unidentified suspended particles had been detected in the air.

"Dad, Mom, Xiaoxi, come quick!" Lin Ye's voice was urgent.

Lin Jianjun and his mother Wang Hui came out of the room and were stunned by the scene outside the window.

"What...what's going on?" Wang Hui's voice trembled slightly.

"Never mind that, quickly close all the windows and draw the curtains!" Lin Ye said, handing out damp towels to them. "Use these to cover your mouths and noses, and try not to breathe outside air!"

His tone was so serious that Lin Jianjun and Wang Hui, though puzzled, did as he said. Lin Xi turned pale with fright and clung tightly to Lin Ye's clothes.

Just then, a piercing scream suddenly came from outside, followed by the loud crash of a car collision and chaotic cries.

Lin Ye rushed to the window and looked out through the observation hole. He saw that the people on the street were becoming frenzied. Some were biting each other, some were rolling on the ground clutching their heads, and others had their skin rapidly festering and their bodies contorted at bizarre angles.

A normally docile pet dog suddenly grew to over two meters tall, its fangs bared, and it bit off its owner's neck, its scarlet eyes filled with bloodlust.

The red mist has arrived.

It was three hours earlier than in the previous life.

"Brother...what's outside...what's outside?" Lin Xi's voice was trembling with tears.

Lin Ye turned around, grasped her hand tightly, and said with a firm look in his eyes, "Don't be afraid. With me here, no one can hurt you."

The burning sensation returned to his palm, and the dark red vortex mark grew clearer. He could feel a violent energy permeating the air, surging wildly into his body.

The "Devouring" ability was fully awakened at this moment.

The living room lights flickered a few times before going out completely. The entire city was plunged into darkness, with only the occasional car headlights flashing past the window and the intermittent screams creating a hellish scene of impending doom.

Lin Jianjun and Wang Hui trembled with fear and clung tightly to each other. Lin Ye took a deep breath and picked up the axe.

"Dad, Mom, stay here and don't go out. No matter what noise you hear, don't open the door." He looked at them and said, word by word, "I'll go check what's going on in the hallway."

"Xiao Ye, don't go! It's too dangerous!" Wang Hui hurriedly grabbed him.

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon." Lin Ye gently pulled his hand away from hers, patted Lin Xi's head, and said, "Take good care of Mom and Dad."

After saying that, he gripped the axe, opened the door, and resolutely walked into the dark stairwell filled with the smell of blood.

The stairwell was in chaos. Aunt Zhang's body, already decomposing, was lying on the floor, gnawing on something, making gruesome chewing sounds. At the corner of the stairs, a boy in a school uniform, his skin a bluish-gray, his eyes rolled back, was repeatedly banging his head against the wall.

Lin Ye's eyes were cold, and he didn't hesitate at all. He raised the axe and chopped it down hard on the back of Aunt Zhang's head.

With a "splat," dark red blood spurted out. Aunt Zhang's body twitched a few times, then remained completely still.

Lin Ye stepped forward and pried open her skull with an axe. A pale gray crystal core, the size of a grain of rice, rolled out, emitting a faint energy fluctuation.