Doomsday Reboot: My Superpowers Absorb Everything

The roar of the level-three mutated bear sent dust flying down the stairwell. Its glossy black fur stood on end, as sharp as steel needles. It slammed its forepaws onto the stair railing, bending the welded steel railing like noodles. As fragments flew, foul-smelling saliva dripped from its fangs, creating dark craters on the ground.

"Hold on tight!" Lin Ye shouted, grabbing Su Ya and jerking her to the side, narrowly dodging the giant paw swung by the mutated bear. The fan-sized claw grazed his back, the force of the blow stinging his skin, and the wall behind them was smashed open, leaving a half-meter-deep hole.

Su Ya turned deathly pale with fright, gripping Lin Ye's clothes tightly, her nails almost digging into his flesh. She had never seen such a monstrous creature in her life; just those lantern-sized, scarlet eyes were enough to make her freeze in place.

"Run to the rooftop!" Lin Ye assessed the situation. The monsters were clearly attracted by the smell of blood. The level three mutated bears had thick hides and tough flesh, so ordinary attacks couldn't break through their defenses. Although the level two zombies behind them weren't strong individually, many ants could kill an elephant, and a direct confrontation would definitely not end well.

He dragged Su Ya up the stairs, swinging his axe at a pursuing level-two zombie. The zombie was incredibly fast, dodging the axe with a tilt of its head, its claws aimed straight for Lin Ye's face. Lin Ye was prepared; his knee slammed out, striking the zombie squarely in the chest. With a "crack," the zombie's sternum caved in, sending it flying backward and crashing into the wall, blocking the path of the two zombies behind it.

"Devour!" Lin Ye's fingertips swept across the head of the dying zombie, and a dark red vortex swirled from the palm mark. A pale blue crystal core the size of a mung bean instantly transformed into a stream of energy that surged into his body. Although the energy of the level-two crystal core was not as pure as that of the mutated Tibetan Mastiff, it was superior in that it could be absorbed quickly, just enough to make up for the energy consumed in the previous battle.

"Roar—!" The mutated bear was completely enraged, its massive body rampaging through the narrow stairwell, crushing the concrete steps under its feet. It seemed to have its sights set on Lin Ye, its scarlet eyes fixed on its prey, each charge causing the entire building to tremble as if it were experiencing an earthquake.

Lin Ye pulled Su Ya and scrambled up to the rooftop, slammed the iron gate shut, and quickly wrapped several strands of wire around his waist. Just as they caught their breath, the iron gate was deformed by the force of the impact, the lock groaning under the strain, and it looked like it was about to be forced open.

"Over here!" Lin Ye's gaze swept across the rooftop, landing on a pile of construction debris half a person's height in the corner—leftover steel bars and cement slabs from the previous roof waterproofing work. He dragged Su Ya over, pushing her behind the pile of steel bars. "Hide well, don't make a sound!"

Su Ya nodded, her lips trembling, shrinking into the gap between the steel bars, only daring to peek out at Lin Ye's back. The boy's shoulders weren't broad, but at this moment they stood like a mountain in front of her, his work pants, stained with blood, were still dripping blood, whether his or the monster's, she didn't know.

Lin Ye took a deep breath and gripped his axe tightly. He knew he couldn't dodge it and had to finish the fight quickly. The energy contained in the crystal core of the level three mutated bear was enough to elevate his "Devouring" ability to another level, but only if he could kill it.

"Bang!"

The iron gate was finally smashed open, and the massive body of the mutated bear blocked the entrance to the rooftop, drool dripping from its mouth and forming a small, foul-smelling puddle on the ground. Behind it followed five level-two zombies, their bluish-gray skin gleaming eerily in the moonlight.

Lin Ye didn't wait for them to scatter; he rushed out on his own. His goal was clear—to deal with the level two zombies first, and then concentrate on the mutated bear.

The axe whistled through the air as it struck the nearest zombie. Just as the zombie was about to dodge, Lin Ye suddenly changed his move, twisting his wrist and slamming the axe handle into its temple. The zombie froze, and Lin Ye took the opportunity to duck, plunging the axe into its jaw and cleanly pulling out the crystal core.

"Devour!" Another surge of energy flowed into his body, and Lin Ye felt his muscles bulge with power even stronger than before. He didn't stop, his figure moving like a ghost among the zombies, his axe always finding the zombies' weaknesses with precision.

The mutated bear roared and charged, but Lin Ye skillfully dodged its charge while fighting the zombies. He deliberately led the zombies toward the mutated bear, and several zombies were smashed to pieces by the giant bear's paws, splattering black blood all over Lin Ye.

"Now!"

Lin Ye seized the opportunity when the mutated bear turned around and suddenly threw the axe in his hand! The axe, with a spinning gust of wind, accurately pierced the mutated bear's left eye!

"Awooo—!"

The mutated bear let out a deafening howl of pain, its massive body twisting wildly. Blackish-red blood gushed from its left eye, staining half its face a mess. It had completely lost its mind, recklessly ramming into the rooftop, shattering concrete slabs and twisting and deforming steel bars.

Taking advantage of the moment, Lin Ye picked up a broken steel bar from the ground and hurled it at the last level-two zombie, piercing its skull. He quickly absorbed the last crystal core, turned to look at the enraged mutated bear, a fierce glint in his eyes.

He's determined to have the crystal core of the Level 3 mutant!

Lin Ye circled behind the mutated bear and, taking advantage of the moment when it tried to pull the axe out of its eye socket with its forepaws, pounced on it, grabbing its neck tightly with both hands and wrapping his legs around its waist and abdomen. The mutated bear's fur was as hard as iron armor, rubbing against his skin and causing a burning pain, but he gritted his teeth and refused to let go.

"Roar!" The mutated bear noticed the "little bug" on its back and frantically shook its body, trying to throw Lin Ye off. Lin Ye felt like his internal organs were about to be shattered, his arms were sore from being squeezed, and he almost got thrown off several times.

He freed one hand, reached for the entrenching tool at his waist, pulled it out sharply, and stabbed the mutated bear in the back of the neck with all his might!

"Pfft!"

The tip of the entrenching tool sank in about an inch, and black blood gushed out. The mutated bear, in pain, suddenly lurched backward. Lin Ye was caught off guard and his back slammed hard against the low wall at the edge of the rooftop. He heard a "crack" and felt as if his ribs were broken. The intense pain made his vision go black.

But he didn't let go. Instead, he pushed the entrenching tool deeper into the hole, and with his other hand, he pressed down on the mutated bear's head, while the "devour" mark on his palm began to spin wildly!

"Give it to me...suck it!"

The dark red vortex unleashed an unprecedented suction force, forcibly drawing energy from the mutated bear's body and channeling it into Lin Ye's body through his arm. It was a violent and pure energy, more than a hundred times stronger than a level-two crystal core, impacting Lin Ye's meridians as if they were about to tear apart.

Sensing its life slipping away, the mutated bear let out a desperate roar and charged forward with its last ounce of strength. Lin Ye, being pulled along by it, was about to break through the edge of the rooftop when he suddenly released his entrenching tool, grabbed the rooftop railing with both hands, and kicked off the mutated bear's back with both legs!

The mutated bear lost its balance, its massive body leaping over the railing and plummeting towards the ground. A dull thud followed, followed by a violent tremor in the ground.

Lin Ye leaned against the railing, panting heavily. The excruciating pain in his back and the surging energy within him almost made him faint. He looked down at the mark on his palm; the dark red vortex was much deeper than before, with faint shimmering light swirling within it.

"It's done..." he murmured to himself, a tired yet excited smile playing on his lips. Having absorbed the energy of a level-three crystal core, his "Devouring" ability not only increased in strength but also awakened a new power—an energy shield. Although it could only last for a few seconds, it was enough to save his life in a critical moment.

"Lin Ye...are you alright?" Su Ya walked over cautiously, and when she saw his pale face and the blood seeping from his back, her eyes reddened again.

"It's alright." Lin Ye waved his hand and struggled to his feet. "We need to go back quickly; it's not safe here."

He picked up the axe from the ground, pulled the entrenching tool stuck in the crack in the wall, checked the weapons, and then led Suya down the fire escape ladder on the other side. The commotion they'd made earlier was too loud; who knew if it would attract more monsters?

When Lin Ye reached the third floor, he suddenly stopped and listened intently. A faint groan came from the stairwell, as if someone was injured.

"What's wrong?" Su Ya asked anxiously.

"Someone's there." Lin Ye gestured for her to be quiet, gripped his axe, and tiptoed over.

The sound was coming from the room next door. Lin Ye remembered that an elderly couple lived there; in his previous life, they had turned into zombies on the day the red mist descended. He pushed the door; it wasn't locked and creaked open.

The room was a mess. On the floor lay the corpse of a zombie, an old woman. In the corner, an old man was curled up, his left leg twisted unnaturally, his trouser leg soaked in blood.

"Grandpa Zhang?" Lin Ye recognized him; it was Grandpa Zhang who used to always give him candy.

Grandpa Zhang raised his head, a glimmer of light flashing in his cloudy eyes: "Little...Little Ye?" His voice was hoarse, "Quick...quickly save my wife..."

Lin Ye fell silent. The old woman had turned into a zombie, her head split open with a sharp weapon, clearly done by Grandpa Zhang himself.

"She's gone." Lin Ye knelt down and examined Grandpa Zhang's leg. "The bone is broken and needs to be immobilized."

Tears welled in Grandpa Zhang's cloudy eyes as he choked out, "Red Mist... when Red Mist came down, she suddenly changed... she chased after me and bit me... I couldn't help it... I really couldn't help it..."

Lin Ye didn't speak. He took out bandages and a splint from his backpack and carefully immobilized Grandpa Zhang's leg. He knew this kind of pain; in his previous life, when he personally ended his father's suffering, he felt the same heart-wrenching pain.

"Grandpa Zhang, come with us. We have food at home, and it's safe here," Lin Ye said. He couldn't just watch the old man stay here and wait to die.

Grandpa Zhang shook his head: "No... I'm too old to walk... You guys should go quickly, the sound of that bear just now must have attracted a lot of monsters..." He took out a cloth bag from his pocket and stuffed it into Lin Ye's hand, "This is some dry food that my family has stored up, you take it and give it to Xiaoxi."

Lin Ye clutched the heavy cloth bag, his nose tingling with emotion. In the apocalypse, a little dry food could mean the difference between life and death, yet Grandpa Zhang had given it to him without hesitation.

"Grandpa Zhang..."

"Hurry up!" Grandpa Zhang suddenly raised his voice and shoved him. "If you don't leave now, it'll be too late! Tell Xiaoxi that Grandpa can't give her candy anymore..."

The howls of zombies echoed through the stairwell, growing ever closer. Lin Ye gritted his teeth, kowtowed to Grandpa Zhang, then grabbed Su Ya and turned to run.

"Boom!"

The sound of something heavy falling to the ground came from behind, followed by Grandpa Zhang's resolute cry. Lin Ye didn't turn around; he knew what Grandpa Zhang had done—he had knocked over the bookshelf, blocking the doorway and, in doing so, blocking his own path to survival.

Back at their door, Lin Ye knocked and gave the code. The door opened quickly, and Lin Jianjun pulled them inside, only letting out a sigh of relief after closing the door: "Finally back! That commotion outside scared us to death."

When Wang Hui saw Su Ya, she was taken aback for a moment, then warmly took her hand: "This must be Xiao Ya, right? Come in quickly, Auntie will find you some clean clothes."

Lin Xi's eyes lit up when she saw Su Ya, and she quickly ran over to hug her, saying, "Su Ya, I'm so glad you're alright! I thought..."

Upon seeing the familiar face, Su Ya's tense nerves finally relaxed, and tears welled up in her eyes: "Xiao Xi..."

Lin Ye felt a warmth in his heart as he watched this scene. He walked over to Lin Jianjun and recounted what had happened to Grandpa Zhang. Lin Jianjun remained silent for a long time before sighing, "Old Zhang was a good man..."

Over the next few days, Lin Ye consolidated his strength while planning his next move. His family's food supply would last another two weeks, but their water supply was dwindling; he needed to find a new water source as soon as possible. He remembered there was an emergency water tank in the basement of the library in the city center, where there should still be a considerable amount of clean water.

That morning, Lin Ye was observing the situation outside through the observation porch when he suddenly saw a group of people appear downstairs. There were about a dozen people, dressed in uniform black uniforms and carrying guns, methodically clearing away the zombies and mutated beasts on the street.

"They're from the safe zone!" Lin Ye's pupils contracted. In the previous life, the official safe zone only officially began operating a month after the apocalypse; he never expected it to start so much earlier in this life.

Those people were well-trained and worked in perfect coordination, clearly having received professional training. One of the middle-aged men who led them was particularly skilled; he wielded a military dagger and each strike precisely pierced the skull of a zombie or mutated beast with clean, swift movements.

"They seem to be coming this way." Lin Jianjun saw them too, and frowned. "Xiao Ye, should we go with them?"

Lin Ye shook his head: "Let's take another look. The safe zone isn't necessarily safe. There are too many people and too many eyes there, and resources are not evenly distributed, so it's easy for trouble to break out. Besides, these people don't look like an ordinary rescue team."

He noticed a strange emblem printed on their uniforms—an eagle carrying a crystal core. He had never seen this emblem in his previous life, which made him wary.

Just then, a loudspeaker came from downstairs: "Attention residents, we are from the Special Affairs Bureau, and we are carrying out a cleanup operation. Please stay home and do not go out. We will go door-to-door to register and count the number of survivors."

Special Affairs Bureau?

Lin Ye frowned even more deeply. He had never heard of this name before either.

Not long after, footsteps were heard in the hallway and stopped at their door.

"Is anyone inside? We're from the Special Affairs Bureau, we need to register," a young voice called out.

Lin Ye gestured for Lin Jianjun and Wang Hui to take the two girls into the room, then gripped his axe and walked to the door, asking, "What is it?"

"We need to register the survivors' information to facilitate the subsequent provision of rescue and supplies," the person outside said. "Please open the door and cooperate."

Lin Ye looked out through the peephole and saw two young men in black uniforms standing outside, holding guns and with serious expressions.

"We don't need rescue, nor do we lack supplies, so we won't trouble you," Lin Ye said. He didn't want to get involved with these people of unknown origin.

The person outside paused for a moment, then their tone became somewhat firm: "These are the regulations. Please cooperate with our work, otherwise we will take coercive measures."

Lin Ye's eyes turned cold. He was definitely not someone to be trifled with.

"I said, I won't open it."

"If you won't listen to reason, you'll have to suffer the consequences!" The person outside sneered and began to push the door open forcefully.

Lin Ye braced himself against the door, shouting into the room, "Dad, push the table over here too!"

Lin Jianjun and Wang Hui quickly pushed the eight-immortal table in the living room behind the door to block the door frame.

"Bang bang bang!"

The people outside started pounding on the door with their gun butts, and the door groaned in pain as the cracks on it grew larger and larger.

Lin Ye knew that the door wouldn't hold for long, so he took out a few homemade Molotov cocktails from his backpack—they were made of alcohol and strips of cloth, which he had intended to save for dealing with a large number of zombies, but now it seemed he had to use them ahead of time.

"If you don't open the door, we'll shoot!" someone outside shouted.

Lin Ye did not respond, but simply gripped the Molotov cocktail tightly, waiting for the best opportunity.

Suddenly, a large hole was smashed open in the door, and a dark gun barrel peeked in.

"Now!"

Lin Ye suddenly threw the Molotov cocktail out of the hole and lit the fuse at the same time.

"Bang!"

The Molotov cocktail exploded outside the door, flames erupting instantly, accompanied by a scream. Those outside were clearly caught off guard and thrown into disarray.

Taking advantage of the moment, Lin Ye opened the door, and with a powerful gust of wind, cleaved the protruding gun barrel in two. The two young men outside were startled and quickly retreated, raising their guns to aim at Lin Ye.

"Put down your weapons!" one of them shouted.

Lin Ye didn't put down his axe, his eyes cold as he looked at them: "Get lost."

Just then, the middle-aged man's voice came from the hallway: "What's going on?"

The two young men saw the middle-aged man as if he were their savior: "Captain, the people inside won't open the door and they even attacked us!"

The middle-aged man walked over. He was tall and had sharp eyes like an eagle. He glanced at the severed gun barrel and the flames on the ground, and finally his gaze settled on Lin Ye.

"You're very strong," the middle-aged man spoke, his voice deep and powerful. "Are you a superhuman?"

Lin Ye did not answer, but just looked at him warily.

The middle-aged man smiled and waved his hand. "Don't be nervous, we mean no harm. The Special Affairs Bureau is a special department established by the government, specifically responsible for handling this apocalyptic crisis, recruiting people with superpowers, and establishing safe zones." He pointed to the insignia on his uniform. "This insignia will become the hope in the apocalypse."

"Hope?" Lin Ye sneered. "Pointing a gun at the survivors' hope?"

The middle-aged man's expression remained unchanged: "Rules are rules, and those who break them will naturally be punished. However, you're a talented individual, so I can make an exception." He pulled a metal badge from his pocket and tossed it to Lin Ye. "Take this and find me in the safe zone in the city center. My name is Zhao Gang."

Lin Ye caught the badge, which also featured the eagle carrying a crystal core.

"I have no interest in your safe zone." Lin Ye tossed the badge back.

Zhao Gang caught the badge, a flicker of surprise in his eyes before he regained his composure. "I know you don't believe me now, but you'll understand someday. In the apocalypse, no one can go far alone." He glanced around the room. "There are other people inside, aren't there? Protect them well, don't let them become someone else's prey."

After saying that, he turned to the two young men and said, "Let's go."

Watching them leave, Lin Ye breathed a sigh of relief; his back was already soaked with cold sweat. That Zhao Gang had put immense pressure on him; his strength was unfathomable, at least a level three or higher ability user.

"Xiao Ye, are you alright?" Lin Jianjun and the others came out of the room, their faces all pale.

"It's alright now." Lin Ye shook his head, closed the door, and reinforced it again. "But we can't stay here any longer; they'll definitely come back."

Lin Xi asked worriedly, "Then where are we going?"

Lin Ye looked out the window, his eyes resolute: "Go to the library, find a water source, and then... find a truly safe place."

He knew that the peaceful days were over. The emergence of the Special Affairs Bureau meant that the landscape of the apocalypse was changing, and he had to become stronger as soon as possible in order to protect those he wanted to protect in this chaotic world.

Zhao Gang's words also stirred something within him—can a person really not go far?

He gripped the axe tightly, the "Devouring" mark on his palm slightly warm. No matter what the future held, he would carve a bloody path through this apocalypse in his own way.