Doomsday Reboot: My Superpowers Absorb Everything

When the intense light from the energy collision dissipated, a large crater several meters deep appeared in the center of the stronghold. Half of the Bone Corpse King's body was stuck at the bottom of the crater, its white bone armor covered with spiderweb-like cracks. Wisps of pale blue viral mist were seeping out from the cracks, but they were burned by some kind of dark purple energy the moment they came into contact with the air, making a soft "sizzling" sound.

Lin Ye knelt by the pit, his military dagger shattered, the skin on his right hand corroded by dark purple energy, leaving it a bloody mess and exposing his stark white finger bones. His consciousness seemed to be submerged in icy water, sometimes clear and sometimes blurred, with only his own heavy breathing and faint cries in the distance.

"elder brother……"

A faint call pierced the chaos, like a fine needle piercing through the thick fog. Lin Ye struggled to lift his head and saw Lin Xi being pulled by the surviving young man, but she was desperately trying to break free, her small face covered in tears, reaching out her hand towards the pit.

The remaining forces of Black Wind Stronghold had collapsed, perhaps intimidated by the terror of the Bone Corpse King, or perhaps frightened by the madness of Lin Ye burning his life force. Only a few corpses remained lying on the ground, quietly burning in the embers.

The Bone Corpse King suddenly moved. Its upper body, which was stuck at the bottom of the pit, suddenly rose up, a crimson light flashing from its shattered skull. Its only remaining right arm, covered in bone spikes, bent at an abnormal angle and stabbed towards Lin Ye's back.

"Watch out!" the young man roared, shoving Lin Xi aside and lunging towards Lin Ye, using his body to shield him from the bone spurs.

"Pfft—"

The sound of bone spurs piercing the body was dull and aching. The young man's body slumped down, his eyes still wide open, looking in Lin Xi's direction. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he only spat out a mouthful of blood.

It's a stone. The young man who escaped from Black Crow Hall and replanted vegetable seedlings in the fields.

Lin Ye's pupils suddenly contracted. He could sense the chaotic energy belonging to the Black Crow Hall remaining in the stone's body, but at this moment it was enveloped by a pure protective instinct, like a lamp that suddenly lit up and then went out in a gale.

"ah--!"

Extreme rage broke free from the body's restraints. The already depleted dark purple energy within Lin Ye's body erupted once more. This time, it was no longer a cold purification, but rather carried a scorching temperature, spreading like magma along his arm, and finally condensing into a gigantic energy claw, fiercely grabbing at the skull of the Bone Corpse King.

"Snap!"

The crisp sound of bones shattering echoed through the ruins. The skull of the Bone King was crushed, its pale blue viral core exposed to the air, instantly devoured and purified by dark purple energy. It let out a final, unintelligible roar, its massive body finally losing its support and crashing heavily back into the pit, kicking up clouds of dust.

The dark purple energy receded like a tide. Lin Ye could no longer hold on; everything went black, and he collapsed towards the bottom of the pit.

In the last moment before he lost consciousness, he seemed to feel a soft green thing catch him, carrying the familiar scent of grass and trees, and a drop of warm liquid landed on his face, he couldn't tell if it was rain or tears.

Beside the water tank at the purification station, Zhou Ming was carefully examining Su Ya's wound with a piece of broken glass. On the girl's shoulder, the pale blue blood vessels had stopped spreading and were covered by a thin layer of ice, beneath which green energy could be faintly seen flowing slowly.

"It's temporarily stabilized." Zhou Ming breathed a sigh of relief and gently placed a strip of cloth soaked in herbs on the ice. "But the virus is still in the body and needs to be suppressed by low temperatures for a long time, combined with Su Yatou's own life energy to slowly neutralize it."

Zhao Feng leaned against the water tank, his left arm wound also covered in ice, his face as pale as paper. He looked at Lin Xi, who stood on top of the water tank, gazing in the direction of the stronghold. The girl was motionless, like a small statue, only the occasional tremor of her shoulders betraying her emotions.

"That kid... he probably won't make it." Zhao Feng's voice was a little hoarse. He had seen too many people burn their lives in the apocalypse, and no one had ever survived that level of energy backlash.

Zhou Ming didn't speak, but silently added a piece of firewood to the fire. The flames flickered, reflecting his wrinkled face and the shattered sky reflected in the water tank.

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Xi suddenly pointed in the direction of the stronghold, her voice trembling with disbelief: "That's... Sister Su Ya's vines?"

Following her gaze, everyone saw a slender green vine extending from the ruins of the stronghold, like a tenacious snake, traversing the scorched earth, crossing the broken fence, and slowly wriggling towards the purification station. At the tip of the vine bloomed a small white flower, swaying gently in the wind.

It's Suya's life-sensing vine. This vine only grows when she senses a strong life signal.

"He's still alive!" Zhou Ming jumped to his feet, his cloudy eyes gleaming with astonishing light. "Quick! Go get him!"

Ignoring his injuries, Zhao Feng grabbed the military knife beside him and rushed out. Lin Xi followed closely behind, her small figure running through the ruins at a speed not much slower than an adult's.

When they arrived at the edge of the pit at the stronghold, the sight that greeted them made everyone hold their breath—Lin Ye lay at the bottom of the pit, his body wrapped in dense green vines. Su Ya's life vines pierced his skin like blood vessels, continuously supplying him with the girl's life energy. And on his chest, the old pendant, which had once been contaminated by Mo Yu's blood crystal energy and repeatedly purified by the "Devouring" seal, was emitting a faint white light, gradually absorbing and dissolving the dark purple corrosive energy.

Su Ya knelt by the pit, her face as pale as paper. Her green energy was almost depleted, yet she gritted her teeth to maintain the vines' connection. Seeing Zhou Ming and the others, she gave a weak smile: "He... he's still breathing..."

Zhao Feng jumped into the pit and carefully lifted Lin Ye out of the vines. The young man's body was as cold as a stone, and his breathing was so weak that it was almost imperceptible, but the pendant on his chest was indeed glowing, and the dark purple erosion under his skin was slowly fading.

"Back to the purification station." Zhao Feng's voice was unusually firm. "Old Zhou, use your energy to stabilize him; Su girl, conserve your strength; Lin Xi, keep an eye on your brother and don't let him move around recklessly."

On the way back, Lin Xi held Lin Ye's hand tightly, her small hand burning hot, as if trying to warm her brother's cold body with her own warmth. Zhou Ming's pale blue energy flowed into Lin Ye's wrist, like a thin layer of ice covering his meridians, temporarily freezing the energy backlash.

The purification station was exceptionally quiet at night. Lin Ye was placed in the warmest corner next to the water tank, covered with a thick animal hide. Su Ya lay beside him, their hands still connected by a thin vine, green energy and dark purple embers slowly merging and balancing within the vine.

Zhao Feng stood at the entrance of the purification station, gazing at the embers in the direction of the stronghold, his hand caressing the wooden plaque he had found on the stone corpse, engraved with the character "home." This man, who once believed only in power, now had a more complex look in his eyes.

Zhou Ming walked over to him and handed him a bowl of hot water: "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking... what exactly are we guarding?" Zhao Feng took the bowl, the steam blurring the scars on his face. "I used to think it was territory, weapons, food. But looking at that kid, and that young man named Stone... it doesn't seem like that at all."

Zhou Ming smiled and pointed to the starry sky reflected in the water tank: "What we're guarding is someone who can look up at the stars. And as we keep guarding them, they become a family."

Zhao Feng remained silent for a long time before carefully placing the wooden plaque into his pocket: "Once that kid wakes up, my Iron Hoof Alliance will formally form an alliance with your stronghold."

Zhou Ming wasn't surprised; he simply nodded. "Great. Perfect timing. We still have plenty of seeds left in the field; we can plant more next year, enough for both families."

As night deepened, the campfire at the purification station gradually weakened, leaving only embers burning darkly and radiating a warm afterglow. Lin Xi fell asleep beside Lin Ye, her little face still streaked with tears, yet she clung tightly to her brother's clothes as if grasping at the last straw.

In her dream, she seemed to have returned to the fields at the outpost, where her brother stood smiling at her amidst the sunflowers, her sister Suya watering the seedlings, and Grandpa Zhang leaning on his iron cane, muttering about this year's harvest...

In reality, the light from the pendant on Lin Ye's chest gradually faded, eventually turning into a faint mark imprinted on his skin. The dark purple erosion completely receded, replaced by a more peaceful and restrained energy that flowed slowly through his meridians, like a river that had been washed by a torrential rain and finally returned to calm.

As the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, Lin Ye's fingers twitched slightly.

Lin Xi was the first to wake up. When she saw her brother's eyelashes tremble, she immediately covered her mouth and tears silently streamed down her face. This time, however, they were tears of joy.

Zhou Ming and Zhao Feng immediately gathered around. The old man placed his fingers on Lin Ye's wrist, and after a moment, a relieved smile appeared on his face: "His pulse is stable. This kid... isn't meant to die."

Sunlight streamed through the iron bars of the purification station, falling on Lin Ye's face with a soft warmth. He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze still somewhat dazed, but it cleared the moment he saw Lin Xi. He smiled weakly, "Xi'er... don't be afraid."

"Brother!" Lin Xi threw herself into his arms, unable to hold back any longer, and burst into tears.

The crying startled Suya awake. The girl opened her eyes and saw that Lin Ye was awake. Green energy danced merrily at her fingertips before collapsing back onto the animal hide, a relieved smile on her lips.

Zhao Feng turned and walked out of the purification station, gazing at the slowly rising sun in the distance, and took a deep breath. The air seemed to still carry the acrid smell of the ruins of the stronghold, but upon closer inspection, one could also detect a very faint, fresh fragrance of new life.

He knew the outpost was gone, but as long as the people were still alive, there was still hope. Once Lin Ye and Su Ya recovered, they could rebuild the fence, cultivate the land again, and replant the scattered seeds.

Like that wild grass in the corner of the purification station whose roots were shattered by artillery fire, yet sprouted new green shoots from the ashes, as long as the roots are still there, as long as someone waters it, it will always survive and grow.

And so it is for those of us struggling in the apocalypse.