Doomsday Reboot: My Superpowers Absorb Everything

The tremors on the third underground level hadn't subsided when Lin Ye, carrying the unconscious A Ying, walked towards the exit, stepping over the scattered crystal core fragments. The blacksmith carried the old Chinese medicine doctor, both of them staggering—the energy storm had almost drained their powers. The roars of zombies mingled with the cries of survivors from outside the ventilation ducts; clearly, news of Zhao Gang's death had alarmed the entire southern part of the city.

"Brother Ye, it looks like a fight has broken out outside!" The blacksmith peered out from the pipe opening, his face covered in soot. "It's the people from the base! Li Hu has led his men here!"

Lin Ye felt a warmth in his heart. Old Zhang, as expected, couldn't resist and came to meet him with his men. He handed A-Ying to the blacksmith: "You all retreat first, I'll detonate the energy core."

"No! It's too dangerous!" The old Chinese medicine doctor struggled to get off the blacksmith's back. "The crystal core reserves there are enough to flatten half a city. You'll be buried underneath!"

"I can't bury him." Lin Ye patted his shoulder, the energy wings on his back gleaming with a dark golden light under the lamp. "The speed of an eighth-level ability user is enough for me to run out."

He turned and rushed to the control panel, his fingers flying across the cracked screen. Zhao Gang had set up three layers of protection in the energy core to prevent accidents, but these codes were rendered useless after the "Devouring" seal had analyzed his energy fluctuations.

"Ten minutes to go." The cold, mechanical voice echoed in the empty hall.

Lin Ye didn't linger, unfolding his energy wings and rushing out of the ventilation shaft. The battle outside was raging. Li Hu led the base's ability users to form a human wall, holding off the surging tide of zombies. Old Zhang, leaning on his iron cane, stood on the high platform, directing the archers to fire accurately.

"Old Zhang! Retreat!" Lin Ye's voice was like thunder, and the gust of wind brought up by his energy wings blew the zombies in front away.

Old Zhang saw the giant wings behind him, a hint of amazement flashing in his cloudy eyes, then he waved his hand: "Everyone, retreat to the east of the city! Quickly!"

The survivors fought and retreated, Lin Ye's energy wings weaving across the battlefield, each strike of his dark golden claws tearing through a swarm of zombies. He deliberately circled around to the side of the convention center, where there was an inconspicuous underground passage—an escape route that Lin Jianjun had scouted in advance.

"Three minutes left!" Lin Ye shouted into the walkie-talkie, and the energy wings accelerated sharply, escorting the last batch of survivors into the passage.

Just as he turned to follow, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure out of the corner of his eye—it was Zhao Gang's second-in-command, the superhuman who could control fire. This guy had somehow circled around to the flank, holding a Molotov cocktail, his target clearly the entrance to the passage!

"court death!"

Lin Ye was faster than sound; his energy wings blurred into a blur, crushing the Molotov cocktail before it hit the ground. Scalding flames splashed onto his scales, leaving only faint scorch marks. Before the second-in-command could react, a dark golden claw had already pierced his chest.

"Boom—!"

A deafening explosion erupted behind him, shaking the earth and sending Lin Ye flying. The scorching shockwave sent him crashing heavily against the rock wall of the passage. He felt a sharp pain in the energy wings on his back, and the dark golden light dimmed instantly—the energy of his level eight crystal core had been completely exhausted in the explosion and severely damaged by the shockwave, making it difficult for him to even maintain his form.

"Brother Ye!" Li Hu's shout came from deep within the passage.

Lin Ye struggled to his feet, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. He was about to respond when he suddenly froze—he sensed an extremely large amount of energy spreading rapidly from the center of the explosion. Wherever it passed, the roars of the zombies stopped abruptly, and even the air became viscous.

"It's... energy radiation?" Lin Ye's heart sank. The explosion of a crystal core of level eight or above would produce radiation powerful enough to distort the genes of living organisms, and this area would soon become a new breeding ground for mutants.

"Don't look back! Run!" he yelled into the depths of the passage, then turned and rushed toward a fork in the road. The radiation was spreading faster and faster; he had to lure away the high-level mutants attracted by the radiation, otherwise none of the survivors who had escaped into the passage would survive.

Lin Ye deliberately ran towards the ruins in the west of the city, the area with the highest concentration of mutants. The energy wings on his back had completely dissipated, and his wounds were stinging, but he dared not stop—he sensed at least three level-seven mutants approaching him, one of which had an energy reaction even stronger than the previous level-eight giant wolf.

"Come on!" Lin Ye suddenly stopped and roared at the darkness behind him, the "Devouring" mark on his palm lighting up again. He knew he couldn't escape; he had no choice but to fight to the death here.

The first to catch up was a mutated giant python, clearly of the same kind as the previous level-five giant python, only much thicker, with scales that had taken on an eerie purplish-black hue, obviously contaminated by radiation. It was several times faster than the ordinary giant python, its gaping maw emitting a sweet, metallic scent as it lunged, the venom dripping from its fangs corroding the ground and creating sizzling pits.

Lin Ye didn't take the hit head-on. His body moved with the agility of a raccoon, dodging the attack while channeling his remaining energy into his military dagger. Dark green toxic energy intertwined with dark golden scale energy, forming a strange stream of light on the blade. He seized the moment the giant python tilted its head back, and the dagger pierced its jaws, twisting his wrist sharply!

"Awooo—!"

The giant python hissed in pain, its massive body thrashing wildly through the ruins, smashing into half of a crumbling building. Lin Ye was thrown out, crashing into steel bars, a metallic taste rising in his throat—at least three of his ribs were broken.

Ignoring the pain, he rolled away to avoid the giant python's dying counterattack, his palm's "Devouring" seal rapidly absorbing its crystal core energy. The purplish-black energy was highly corrosive, causing his meridians to ache with waves of pain, but it also replenished the nearly depleted energy core.

"Two more..." Lin Ye gasped for breath, gripping his dagger tightly. The energy he had just absorbed hadn't been fully converted when the second mutant arrived—a mutated bear covered in bone spurs, nearly twice the size of the one they encountered at the missile base, its claws still stained with undried black blood.

"Perfect timing!" Lin Ye smiled instead. Under the transformation of the "Devouring" seal, the energy in his body gradually merged with the radiation energy, giving rise to a new ability—purple-black patterns appeared on his scales, and any objects that came into contact with them would be slowly corroded.

He stopped dodging and charged at the mutated bear. The instant the dagger clashed with the bone spikes, a purplish-black corrosive energy spread along the spikes, causing the mutated bear to visibly slow its movements for a moment. Lin Ye seized this opportunity, dodging the bear's claws and thrusting his dagger straight at its eye!

The battle lasted a full half hour. By the time Lin Ye had absorbed the crystal core of the third mutant, the sky was already beginning to lighten. He stood atop the ruins, leaning on his dagger, his body covered in blood, with purplish-black patterns slowly flowing across his scales. The energy wings on his back had reformed, only now they were a deep, dark purple.

"I survived..." he murmured to himself, looking down towards the east of the city. There were no explosions coming from there, meaning the survivors had been safely evacuated.

Just then, he sensed several familiar energy reactions moving rapidly in his direction. Lin Ye's heart skipped a beat—it was his family!

Not long after, Lin Jianjun and Li Hu appeared at the edge of the ruins. When they saw Lin Ye standing on top, they were both stunned and then ran frantically towards him.

"Xiao Ye!" Lin Jianjun's voice was choked with sobs. His arm was wrapped in a new bandage, clearly indicating that he had been injured again during the evacuation.

"You little brat!" Li Hu punched him in the shoulder, his eyes red-rimmed. "Didn't I tell you to retreat? What are you trying to prove!"

Lin Ye smiled and was about to speak when he suddenly coughed violently, coughing up blood mixed with purplish-black particles.

"What's wrong with you?" Lin Jianjun quickly helped him up.

"The radiation... is a bit too high," Lin Ye said weakly. "We need to find a place... to purify it."

His consciousness began to blur, and he vaguely felt someone carrying him on their back. He heard Lin Xi and Su Ya crying. Before he completely lost consciousness, he seemed to see a tender green sprout breaking through the scorched earth.

When Lin Ye awoke again, he found himself lying in a medical pod at a missile base. A transparent liquid enveloped his body, constantly washing away the purplish-black lines on his skin. Old Zhang sat in a chair beside him, holding a recorder that displayed the energy fluctuations within his body.

"How are you feeling?" Old Zhang put down the recorder. "You're really lucky, kid. You survived radiation levels three times the safe limit."

"Are they... all safe?" Lin Ye's voice was a little hoarse.

"Everything's safe now." Old Zhang smiled. "Your father and his men have established a new stronghold in the east of the city, which is even more secluded than here. Li Hu went to gather supplies; that kid said he'd get you a level nine mutant's core to replenish your strength."

Lin Ye smiled, and was about to speak when the alarm in the medical pod suddenly went off. The energy curve on the screen fluctuated violently, and purplish-black lines spread wildly across his skin, even beginning to corrode the medical fluid!

"What's going on?" Old Zhang's expression changed drastically.

Lin Ye's consciousness was once again overwhelmed by excruciating pain. He felt two energies clashing wildly within his body—one was the radiation energy absorbed by the "Devouring" seal, and the other was the purifying energy from the medical fluid. The two energies repelled each other, yet under the pull of some force, they continuously merged, eventually transforming into a completely new energy that flowed throughout his body along his meridians.

When the alarm stopped, Lin Ye slowly opened his eyes. His pupils turned into a deep dark purple, and a faint golden light surrounded the edge of the "Devouring" mark on his palm. The previous burning pain completely disappeared, replaced by an unprecedented sense of fullness.

"This is..." Old Zhang stared at the stable energy curve on the screen, speechless with shock.

Lin Ye stretched out his hand, a wisp of dark purple energy swirling around his fingertips. When it touched the wall of the medical pod, it didn't corrode; instead, it made the metal surface even smoother. He smiled: "The 'Devouring' seal has evolved; it can now purify radiation energy."

He pushed open the hatch and walked to the cave entrance. The sunlight shone on him, warm and comfortable. On the distant hillside, Lin Xi and Su Ya were flying kites with Shi Tou and the others. The kites were made of cloth and bamboo strips, with a crooked smiling face painted on them, and they flew high in the blue sky.

Lin Jianjun and Wang Hui sat on the grass. The man was gesturing to the woman about something, which made her chuckle. Li Hu carried the carcass of a mutated deer out of the dense forest and waved excitedly when he saw Lin Ye.

Old Zhang walked up to him and handed him a pair of binoculars: "Look over there."

Lin Ye took the binoculars, and the scene in the lens made his heart tremble—on the ruins in the east of the city, tents had been erected in large numbers, survivors were clearing rubble, and some were even planting seeds in the open spaces. In the distance, on the ridges of the fields, several children were chasing and playing, their laughter as clear and crisp as wind chimes.

"Even on scorched earth, new shoots will always emerge." Old Zhang's voice was filled with emotion. "Our generation guards the base; you young people should think about how to rebuild your homes."

Lin Ye lowered his binoculars and looked at the "Devouring" mark in his palm. The dark purple vortex seemed to reflect this weathered land. He knew the apocalypse wasn't over yet; high-level mutants, energy radiation, and unknown threats still awaited them.

But he was no longer afraid.

Because he is not a person.

Behind them are family, companions, and the tenacious hope that grows on this land.

Lin Ye took a deep breath and ran towards his family on the hillside. Sunlight cast long shadows behind him, and dark purple energy danced at his fingertips, as if depicting a brand new future.

On the scorched earth, new shoots have emerged. And their story has only just begun.