Doomsday Reboot: My Superpowers Absorb Everything

The wind outside the fence carried an increasingly strong stench of blood. Lin Ye lay prone on the watchtower, his composite bow drawn to its fullest extent, the arrow aimed at the exit of the dense forest to the west. He could hear the sound of hooves in the distance—not real horses, but mutated hyenas. The people of Black Wind Stronghold liked to ride these things for travel; they were fast and could tear apart their prey.

"They're here!" Li Hu said in a low voice, gripping his machete tightly. The team members around him held their breath, their knuckles turning white from gripping their spears.

The bushes in the dense forest suddenly shook violently, and more than a dozen burly mutated hyenas sprang out, each ridden by a man in a black leather jacket, most of whom had scars on their faces and eyes as fierce as wolves. The leader was a one-eyed man who wielded a chain hammer, the links of which were still stained with dark red chunks of flesh.

"Lin Ye! Come out and face your death!" The one-eyed man's voice was hoarse and grating as he slammed his chain hammer into the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. "Hand over the seeds, and I might let you die a little easier!"

Lin Ye ignored his shouts and focused his gaze on the hyena pack behind them—there were more than twenty members of the Black Wind Stronghold, among them an old man in a gray robe who was drawing something on the ground with his cane. With each stroke, the ground shimmered with a yellowish-brown halo.

"He's an earth-type ability user," Lin Ye said to the archer beside him. "Take care of him first, don't let him get near the fence."

Three flaming arrows were fired simultaneously, flying precisely towards the gray-robed old man. The old man seemed to have been prepared; he slammed his cane on the ground, and an earthen wall instantly rose in front of him. The arrows struck the wall, leaving only a few charred holes.

"You've got some skills." The one-eyed man sneered, pointing his chain hammer at the stronghold. "Charge! Whoever breaks down that lousy fence first, I'll reward them with ten pounds of jerky!"

The mutated hyena roared and charged towards the fence, moving as fast as black lightning. Lin Ye's composite bow rang out again, and a specially made arrow pierced the eye of the foremost hyena. The beast howled and crashed into the fence, causing a clump of thorny vines to sway.

"Fire!" Old Zhang's voice echoed through the stronghold.

Archers behind the fence unleashed a volley of arrows, raining down upon the mutated hyenas. One by one, they fell, but those behind continued charging forward, stepping over the corpses of their fallen companions. The gray-robed elder seized the opportunity to approach, his cane swung, sending clods of earth hurtling against the fence like cannonballs, the wood groaning under the weight.

"Su Ya!" Lin Ye shouted.

Suya in the field responded immediately; the vines of the bean sprouts suddenly grew wildly, like countless green whips lashing at the gray-robed old man. Caught off guard, the old man's ankles were entangled by the vines, and the newly erected earthen wall instantly collapsed.

"Good opportunity!" Lin Jianjun raised his rifle, and the bullet under the silencer accurately hit the old man's shoulder. The gray-robed man screamed and was dragged back by the Black Wind Stronghold members beside him.

Seeing this, the one-eyed man roared and charged forward, his chain hammer whistling as it smashed into the fence post. With a crisp "crack," the thick wooden post was smashed open, cracking a hole in it.

"Li Hu! Take a team and go around through the side gate to flank them!" Lin Ye shouted into the walkie-talkie, while simultaneously leaping down from the watchtower. His military dagger, imbued with dark purple energy, cleaved through a mutated hyena that had jumped onto the fence.

"Alright!" Li Hu's loud voice rang out, and soon, the sounds of fighting and the howls of hyenas came from the side of the stronghold.

Lin Ye landed inside the fence, and as soon as he steadied himself, he saw a mutated hyena break through the thorny vines and pounce on the soybeans in the field with its blood-red maw wide open. The child stood frozen in fear, still clutching the tattered straw hat he had made for the scarecrow tightly in his hand.

"Watch out!" Lin Ye moved faster than his voice could carry. Dark purple energy condensed into a shield in his palm, forcefully blocking the hyena's attack. The immense impact forced him back three steps, his arm going numb, but Maodou was safe.

"Brother!" Lin Xi rushed over, brandishing a sharpened steel bar, and plunged it deep into the hyena's side. The beast cried out in pain and turned to bite Lin Xi. Taking advantage of the moment, Lin Ye drew his dagger and plunged it straight into the hyena's throat.

The mutated hyena collapsed, convulsing. Lin Ye grabbed Maodou and ran towards the tent area, yelling, "Go to your mom's! Don't come out!"

After settling the children in, he turned back to the battlefield and found that the situation had stabilized. Li Hu's flanking attack disrupted Black Wind Stronghold's formation. Lin Jianjun and his men used spears to kill approaching enemies from behind the fence, while Su Ya's vines constantly entangled and tripped the mutated hyenas charging ahead, and the archers targeted lone members of Black Wind Stronghold.

Seeing the situation was dire, the one-eyed man swung his chain hammer even more frantically, trying to create an opening to break through. Lin Ye had his sights set on him, dark purple energy gathering beneath his feet as he moved like a ghost to the one-eyed man's side, his dagger aimed straight for the wrist holding the hammer.

"clang!"

The dagger clashed with the chain hammer, producing a piercing metallic sound. The one-eyed dragon was clearly taken aback by Lin Ye's speed. In the instant the chain hammer retreated to defend, Lin Ye had already closed in, pressing the "Devour" seal on his chest with his left hand.

"ah--!"

The one-eyed dragon let out a piercing scream as his energy was frantically drained, his face turning deathly pale at a visible speed. The mutated hyena on his back seemed to sense its master's danger and turned to bite Lin Ye's back, but was blocked by a suddenly appearing earthen wall—it was the earth-type ability user from Black Wind Stronghold who had somehow broken free of control.

"Young Master, run!" the earth-type ability user roared, using his body to block Lin Ye, and earth-yellow energy condensed into armor on his body.

The one-eyed dragon seemed to wake from a dream, turned the hyena around, and ran westward. Lin Ye wanted to give chase, but was tightly entangled by the earth-elemental ability user. Although the old man's earth-elemental ability was not strong, his defense was exceptionally solid; the dagger only left faint white marks when it struck the armor.

"Get out of the way!" Lin Ye's energy erupted once more, and dark purple claws tore through the air, finally creating a hole in the earthen-yellow armor.

But just then, a deafening howl of wolves suddenly echoed from afar—not just one, but hundreds! Lin Ye's senses instantly covered the area, and his expression changed drastically—it was a pack of mutated wolves! A dark mass was surging in from the direction of the quarry, their target clearly the two sides locked in battle!

"It's a pack of corpse wolves!" Li Hu's voice was filled with terror. "Black Wind Stronghold lured them here!"

Lin Ye's heart skipped a beat. The pack of corpse wolves was one of the most terrifying mutants in this area. Not only were they numerous, but they also knew how to hunt in coordination. Last time, Black Wind Stronghold was a stronghold that was destroyed by them. He never expected that this time they would become their weapons.

"Retreat! Retreat to the base immediately!" Lin Ye shouted to everyone, then stopped fighting, kicked aside the earth-type ability user, and turned to rush towards the fence.

The people of Black Wind Stronghold panicked and turned to flee, but it was too late. The pack of corpse wolves was much faster than the mutated hyenas, and they quickly caught up with those who had fallen behind. Screams filled the air, and blood and flesh flew everywhere. The earth-type ability user hadn't run more than a few steps before he was pounced on by more than a dozen wolves and instantly torn to pieces.

Lin Ye and the others retreated to their stronghold with all their might, while Li Hu directed his men to use boulders to plug the gaps in the damaged fence. Su Ya's vines grew wildly, weaving a dense green net outside the fence, temporarily blocking the onslaught of the zombie wolves.

"Close the gate!" Old Zhang's voice was urgent. The only gate to the stronghold was blocked by a heavy iron gate, making a loud "bang".

Everyone leaned against the inside of the fence, panting heavily, their faces ashen as they watched the pack of corpse wolves tearing apart the remaining members of Black Wind Stronghold. One-Eyed Dragon managed to break free of the pack, but his mutated hyena had been ripped open, and he could only limp toward the quarry, his back a pathetic sight.

"They...they won't break in, will they?" A young team member's voice trembled, and the spear in his hand shook.

Lin Ye did not answer. In his perception, the energy reaction of the corpse wolf pack was gathering, like a rolling dark cloud. The leader was a wolf king, nearly twice the size of an ordinary corpse wolf, with silver-white fur and pure dark green eyes. It was squatting on the earthen slope outside the fence, coldly watching the stronghold, blood still dripping from the corner of its mouth.

"A level nine mutant." Lin Ye gripped his dagger tightly, the "Devour" mark on his palm beginning to heat up. "We're in trouble."

Old Zhang's expression also turned serious: "This beast is even more powerful than Zhao Gang's snow wolf. Judging from its posture, it wants to trap us here to die."

The pack of corpse wolves did not attack immediately, but merely lingered outside the fence, occasionally letting out low growls. They were very patient, like a group of experienced hunters, waiting for the moment when their prey would run out of energy.

As the sun gradually set, the campfire in the stronghold was lit, illuminating the tired and wary faces of everyone. Lin Ye stood by the fence, looking at the eerie green wolf eyes outside, like countless will-o'-the-wisps flickering in the darkness.

"How many more days will we have enough food?" Lin Ye asked Old Zhang.

"If we eat sparingly, it can last for five days," Old Zhang sighed. "But there's not enough water; the water level in the well is getting lower and lower."

Lin Ye looked at the fields, where the bean seedlings that Su Ya had encouraged were growing quietly under the moonlight, seemingly unaware of the danger outside. He suddenly remembered what the old farmers had said that morning: that this rice variety was an old one, and that as long as there was water and soil, it could take root and sprout.

"I'll go fetch water tomorrow," Lin Ye said. "There's an underground spring to the northeast of the stronghold. We discovered it during our last reconnaissance. It shouldn't be being targeted by the zombie wolves."

"I'll go with you," Lin Jianjun said immediately. "And Li Hu too. The three of us together will have a better chance of winning."

Li Hu patted his chest and said, "Count me in! It'll be a good opportunity to try out the new rocket launcher and show that wolf king what's what!"

Lin Ye nodded. He knew now was not the time to hesitate. Five days' worth of water wouldn't last until the pack of corpse wolves retreated; they had to take the initiative.

As night deepened, the howls of the corpse wolves gradually subsided, and the darkness outside the fence grew even thicker. Lin Ye leaned against the fence, listening to the intermittent breathing within the stronghold, yet his heart remained unusually calm.

He thought of the rice seeds in the fields, the climbing loofah vines, and the scarecrow made of stones and soybeans. These ordinary things became the most resilient hope in the face of the apocalypse.

As long as there is one seed that can sprout, as long as there is one sip of water to drink, they will not give up.

Lin Ye gripped the dagger tightly, dark purple energy flickering gently at his fingertips. Tomorrow's journey to the spring was destined to be dangerous, but he had no other choice.

For the crops in the fields, for the comrades in the outpost, for those tender shoots that still strive to grow in the darkness.

He must survive and bring back water.

In the darkness of night, the silver-white wolf king suddenly let out a long howl towards the moon, and the wolf's eyes outside the fence instantly lit up, like a cold sea of ​​stars.