Doomsday Reboot: My Superpowers Absorb Everything

While the morning dew still clung to the thorny vines, the fields at the outpost were already bustling with activity. Several elderly farmers squatted in the newly turned soil, twirling rice seeds they had brought back from the seed station between their fingers, muttering "plump" and "glossy," their wrinkles at the corners of their eyes radiating smiles. Lin Ye squatted by the edge of the field, watching the bean sprouts that Su Ya had nurtured with her plant-based abilities. The tender green vines were climbing up the bamboo poles, the downy hairs on the leaves clearly visible in the morning light.

"Can it grow beans?" Lin Ye poked the tender leaves of the bean sprout, and the dark purple energy from his fingertips slid in, clearing away the pebbles near its roots.

Su Ya blushed slightly and brushed a stray hair from her forehead: "Grandpa Zhang said that this old variety of soybeans is very drought-resistant. As long as it is not damaged by the mutants, we can harvest the first crop next month." She pointed to the wooden trellis at the end of the field, "I also planted some loofahs and pumpkins. Once they cover the trellis, they will provide shade for everyone in the summer."

Lin Ye looked in the direction she pointed and saw a new scarecrow next to the wooden frame. It was made of stones and edamame, rags and branches. It was crooked and swayed in the morning breeze, like a sentry standing guard.

"Where are those refugees who came yesterday?" Lin Ye asked Li Hu, who was watering the cornfield, recalling what happened last night.

Li Hu straightened up and wiped the water droplets from his face. "They're helping reinforce the fence over there. Old Zhang interrogated them for half the night. They said the people from 'Black Wind Stronghold' in the north escaped because their stronghold was overrun by a pack of mutated wolves." He spat. "Just thinking about Black Wind Stronghold makes me angry. They even robbed us of the medicine we collected last winter. I never thought they'd end up like this."

"Do they have any superhumans?" Lin Ye pressed.

"There's someone who can manipulate clods of earth, but he doesn't look that impressive," Li Hu said. "Old Zhang will have them work for three days before deciding whether to keep them, so they don't just come here to freeload."

Lin Ye nodded; Old Zhang was always thorough in his considerations. He got up and walked towards the fence, wanting to see how the refugees were working. Just as he reached the wooden frame, he suddenly heard a faint sound coming from behind the scarecrow—not the sound of wind, but the sound of teeth gnawing on wood.

"Who's there?" Lin Ye shouted in a low voice, and his military dagger was instantly drawn.

There was no movement behind the scarecrow. He frowned and walked over, pushing aside the pumpkin vines blocking his way. The sight that greeted him made his pupils shrink—a fist-sized hole had been gnawed into the bottom of the newly erected wooden frame, with wood chips scattered all over the ground. Several insects the size of fingernails were crawling at the entrance of the hole, their shells gleaming with an eerie metallic color, and they were constantly gnawing at the wood with their mandibles.

"What is this?" Lin Ye used his dagger to pry open an insect. The little thing was lifted into the air, and it actually spread its wings and flew up, heading straight for his eyes!

He instinctively tilted his head to dodge, and with a backhand slash, he split the insect in two. Green fluid splattered on the ground, emitting white smoke and corroding the soil, creating a small pit.

"Brother Ye! What's wrong?" Li Hu heard the commotion and ran over with his hoe. Seeing the dead insects on the ground, his expression changed drastically. "It's an iron beetle! How did these things get here?"

"An iron beetle?"

"I saw them at the feed mill last year. They gnaw on metal and wood, and they live in large groups—a single litter can have tens of thousands!" Li Hu stamped his feet anxiously. "Their bodily fluids are corrosive. If the fence is chewed through, the mutants can just rush in!"

Lin Ye's heart sank. His senses spread along the wooden frame and, sure enough, he discovered dense energy reactions underground, like a surging black mist, drilling into the depths of the field along the roots—these iron beetles were not only gnawing on the wood, but also destroying the roots of the crops!

"Suya! Quickly wrap the wooden frame with vines!" Lin Ye shouted, while injecting dark purple energy into the ground. The energy seeped into the soil, and when it touched the iron beetles, the little creatures convulsed, and green fluid gushed out wildly, but it was contained by the energy and could not spread.

Suya reacted swiftly; the bean sprouts suddenly grew wildly, like countless green ropes tightly binding the wooden frame, sealing off the gnawed holes. But the iron beetles underground continued digging, and the corn seedlings in the field suddenly wilted, their leaves turning yellow and withering at a visible speed.

"No, they're underground!" Suya's eyes reddened with anxiety. Her plant-based abilities could stimulate the growth of plants, but they couldn't directly attack the insects underground.

"I'm going to get the gasoline!" Li Hu turned and ran, "Burn these bastards to death!"

"No!" Lin Ye stopped him. "Gasoline will burn the crops, and the iron beetle's shell isn't afraid of fire." He remembered the Rat King Crystal Core he had absorbed last time, which contained energy that could suppress small creatures. "Aying! Give me the Rat King Crystal Core!"

Aying was practicing throwing a short sword by the fence when she heard the shout. She immediately ran over and handed Lin Ye a crystal core wrapped in cloth. The girl's speed ability had clearly improved after absorbing the crystal core; she left only a faint afterimage on the ridge of the field as she ran.

Lin Ye gripped the crystal core tightly and infused it with the energy of the "Devouring" seal. The pale gray crystal core instantly lit up, emitting a wave that instilled instinctive fear in small creatures. He pressed the crystal core onto the ground beside the wooden frame, and the wave spread along the soil, causing the iron beetles underground to become restless, their gnawing sounds becoming chaotic and disorderly.

"Now!" Lin Ye shouted to Su Ya, "Use the vines to take root in the ground and entangle them!"

Suya immediately did as instructed, and the pumpkin vine's roots suddenly became as tough as steel wire, drilling down into the tunnels dug by the iron beetles and entangled the panicked insects one by one. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Lin Ye mobilized his dark purple energy, spreading it along the roots to purify the entangled iron beetles one by one—not by killing them, but by using energy to destroy their digestive systems, rendering them unable to bite.

The battle with the insects lasted for nearly an hour. By the time the last beetle was dragged from the ground by the vines, Lin Ye's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he had used up nearly half of his energy. Although some of the corn seedlings in the field had wilted, most of them had survived, and the vines on the wooden frame were still tightly wrapped around them, like a green barrier.

"Where did this thing come from?" Li Hu used his hoe to dig open the gnawed hole. The tunnels inside were interconnected, the deepest leading to the dense forest outside the fence. "Could it have crawled in from the forest?"

Lin Ye stared at the direction of the passage, his brow furrowed. While the iron beetles were troublesome, they rarely approached human settlements unless their nests were disturbed. He glanced at the refugees reinforcing the fence; the man who could manipulate clods of earth was keeping his head down, seemingly deliberately avoiding his gaze.

"Come here," Lin Ye called out to him.

The man stiffened, slowly walked over, his hands nervously twisting together: "Team leader, what's the matter?"

"When you escaped from Black Wind Stronghold, did you encounter any Iron Beetles?" Lin Ye stared into his eyes.

The man's eyes flickered: "N-no... We only encountered mutated wolves along the way."

"Really?" Lin Ye picked up the carcass of an iron beetle. "These insects usually nest in dry sand, but the soil in this dense forest is clay, which is not suitable for their survival at all. Unless... someone digs up their nest and leads them here."

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable force. The man's face instantly turned deathly pale, and his legs buckled as he knelt down: "I...I didn't mean to! The leader of Black Wind Stronghold made us do it! He said he'd give us food if we destroyed your fields!"

Li Hu flew into a rage, kicking the wooden frame beside him: "You son of a bitch! You really are a spy!"

"Don't be impulsive." Lin Ye stopped him and continued, "Where are the people from Black Wind Stronghold? Why are they targeting our Tianpu?"

"They're at the quarry to the west!" the man cried. "The leader said if the food at the outpost can't be grown, you'll all come and rob them sooner or later, so we might as well strike first! He also said... he also said the iron beetles are just the beginning, there's something even more powerful coming..."

Lin Ye's heart sank. He looked towards the dense forest to the west; the direction of the quarry was hidden in the morning mist, like a lurking beast. The iron beetle was just a probe; the real threat was yet to come.

"Old Zhang!" Lin Ye shouted towards the center of the stronghold, "Prepare for battle! The Black Wind Stronghold might be coming!"

Old Zhang was cleaning his old rifle inside the tent when he heard the shouts. He immediately came out, slamming his iron cane on the ground: "Li Hu, take one team to guard the fence! Lin Jianjun, take the second team to set traps around the fields! Su Ya, use vines to protect all the crops! The rest of you... grab your weapons and follow me!"

The atmosphere in the stronghold instantly became tense. The survivors who had been busy in the fields suddenly grabbed weapons—rifles, machetes, and spears forged from the bones of mutated beasts. The children, protected by the women in the tents, nervously peered out through the cracks.

Lin Ye stood by the fence, watching the morning mist in the west gradually dissipate, revealing the outline of the quarry. He gripped his military dagger tightly, the "Devouring" mark on his palm slowly rotating, dark purple energy swirling around the blade.

He knew this battle had to be won. Not just to hold the stronghold, but also to protect the crops in the fields, to protect those newly sprouting buds—the future they had sown with sweat and hope in the face of doom.

A wind blew through the dense forest, carrying the stench of iron beetles and the faint howls of wolves in the distance. Lin Ye took a deep breath, raising his senses to the limit, awaiting the approaching enemy.

The bean sprouts on the ridge were still growing quietly, seemingly unaware of the impending crisis. Lin Ye looked at that tender green and suddenly smiled.

Whatever comes, they will take root firmly in this land, just like these bean sprouts, and live on tenaciously.