Doomsday Reboot: My Superpowers Absorb Everything

As sunflower seedlings in the greenhouse lay fallen over in swathes, Zhou Ming was examining the soil with a magnifying glass. The old man's hands trembled violently, and beneath the lens, countless white roots were wriggling in the purple mud, like tiny maggots, tightly entwining the seedlings' roots and greedily sucking up nutrients.

"It's the mycelium of the Corpse Mother." Zhou Ming tossed a piece of purple clay into a beaker containing antiviral serum. The white roots immediately curled into balls upon contact with the serum, emitting a sizzling sound of corrosion. "This stuff can spread along the soil, not only absorbing nutrients from plants, but also..."

He didn't finish speaking, but everyone understood. Lin Ye looked at his silver markings, the lines gleaming coldly in the morning light. The residual energy from suppressing the strong man's spores last night was still trembling slightly—this was perhaps the only thing that could restrain the mycelium.

"Replace all the soil in the greenhouses," Lin Ye said to Su Ya. "Use the leftover disinfectant powder from the biochemistry lab to mix with the new soil. You use green energy to create an isolation zone, and I'll handle the purple clay."

Su Ya nodded, and the green energy at her fingertips flowed into the soil at the edge of the greenhouse, quickly growing into a half-meter-high thicket of thorns, their thorns glowing with a fluorescent light, firmly locking the purple mud inside. Lin Ye then walked into the greenhouse, his silver patterns adhering to the ground, and dark purple energy seeped into the soil along the patterns. The white roots, upon encountering the energy, immediately turned into blue smoke, leaving behind honeycomb-like holes.

The Iron Hoof Alliance members stood outside the greenhouse, watching Lin Ye's silver markings gradually purify the purple clay, their suspicions fading somewhat. Skinny Monkey nudged the bearded man beside him: "Yesterday at the hospital, it was these markings that saved Old Wang..."

The bearded man didn't speak, but silently picked up his hoe and joined the team carrying new soil. Zhao Feng stood at the fortress gate, leaning on his wooden cane with his one arm, watching this scene with a barely perceptible smile on his lips.

After finishing with the greenhouse, Lin Ye led Li Hu and three Iron Hoof Alliance soldiers to inspect the fortress foundation. The purple mud had already spread to the corners of the fortress walls and even seeped into the storage room through the cracks. The antiviral serum boxes in the storage room had been eaten away by the mycelium, and several serum tubes were lying on the ground, the liquid seeping into the purple mud and emitting a pungent white smoke.

"We need to dig up the foundation." Lin Ye used his dagger to pry open the purple mud at the corner of the wall. The steel bars underneath had already been corroded and had rust holes. "Mycelium can eat metal. If we drag this out any longer, the fortress will collapse."

The foundation excavation was proving more difficult than anticipated. The soil beneath the purple clay seemed glued together; each shovel stroke only unearthed small clumps of mud, emitting a putrid stench. Lin Ye brought the silver patterns close to the ground, and the dark purple energy tilled the soil like a plow. With each area purified, black sap seeped from the ground—the remains of dead mycelium.

Around noon, Li Hu's hoe suddenly struck something hard. After clearing away the purple clay, they found a metal plate about half a meter square, engraved with the same tumor symbol as those on hospital freezers, with a few strands of white mycelium wrapped around its edges.

"This is... the Corpse Mother's 'nutrient tube'?" The skinny monkey's face turned pale. "The mycelium grows from this thing!"

Lin Ye used his dagger to pry open the metal plate, revealing a bottomless, dark pit beneath, like the gaping mouth of a wild beast. He pressed the silver pattern close to the pit's entrance, and the pattern suddenly heated up intensely. Dark purple energy surged uncontrollably into the pit, followed by a sharp hissing sound from within, as if something was struggling in agony.

"Quickly, put the lid on!" Zhao Feng suddenly shouted, pointing with his one arm to the distant clock tower. "That thing is responding!"

Everyone looked up and saw that the "eye" symbol at the top of the clock tower was glowing. The red light grew brighter and brighter, eventually forming a beam that shot straight towards the cave. The hissing sounds from inside the cave grew louder and louder, the purple mud began to bubble like boiling water, and countless white mycelia surged out from the depths of the cave, rushing towards the group.

"Use incendiary bombs!" Lin Ye threw the last incendiary bomb into the cave and pulled everyone back. Flames exploded in the cave, the red light and firelight intertwining to form an eerie halo. A deafening roar came from the depths of the cave, the entire fortress shook, and the purple mud receded like a tide, revealing the foundation riddled with holes.

When everything calmed down, the metal plate was charred black, and the cave had collapsed. Lin Ye picked up a piece of metal; silver patterns left faint marks on it. He could sense that the Corpse Mother's aura hadn't disappeared, but had only temporarily retreated.

"It's afraid of the silver markings." Suya walked to his side, her green energy gently brushing against the metal fragments. "Your energy can hurt it."

Lin Ye nodded, but felt even more uneasy. The fact that the Corpse Mother could establish a "nutrient tube" between the hospital and the fortress meant that its perception range was far beyond their imagination, and it might even have been monitoring their every move all along.

"We have to go to the clock tower." Lin Ye looked at Zhao Feng. "The source of the nutrient tubes is there. If we don't destroy it, the mycelium will grow back."

Zhao Feng was silent for a moment, then patted his shoulder heavily with his one arm: "I'll go with you this time. Old Zheng guards the fortress, and Su girl reinforces the foundation with vines to prevent the mycelium from taking advantage of any weaknesses."

Before setting off, Lin Xi stuffed a handful of sunflower seeds into Lin Ye's backpack: "Brother, Sister Su Ya said that seeds can purify the soil. If you encounter mycelium, scatter it down."

Lin Ye patted her head, then looked at Su Ya, who was encouraging vines to grow on the foundation of the fortress, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart. He turned and followed Zhao Feng, and the two of them rode their mutated warhorses, galloping towards the clock tower.

The scene around the clock tower was even more eerie than the hospital. The buildings on both sides of the street were covered with white mycelium, like being wrapped in a thick layer of cotton. Various animal skeletons, some mutants and some humans, were also hanging on the mycelium, all mummified by the mycelium. The air was filled with a strong, sweet, fishy smell, which felt like ants crawling in your lungs when you inhaled it.

"Be careful, the mycelium in this area contains neurotoxins." Zhao Feng took out two strips of cloth soaked in antiviral serum from his pocket and handed one to Lin Ye. "Cover your mouth and nose."

The two men led their warhorses cautiously forward. The mycelium seemed to have a life of its own, automatically retreating upon encountering them to reveal the slimy ground beneath. The bell tower's main gate was blocked by the mycelium, leaving only a narrow gap for one person to pass through, from which a red light shone and was accompanied by faint chewing sounds.

"There's something inside." Lin Ye's silver markings were burning hot. He could feel countless energy reactions inside the clock tower, all revolving around a core. The energy of that core was powerful and cold, and it was none other than the Corpse Mother!

General Zhao Feng held his knife in his mouth, grabbed the mycelium at the edge of the crevice with his one arm, and tore it open, revealing a larger gap. The two crawled inside, and the sight before them made them gasp—hundreds of corpses wrapped in mycelium hung in the hall of the clock tower, like dense cocoons, while in the center of the hall stood a huge tumor, ten meters in diameter, covered with eyes and mouths, constantly devouring the surrounding corpses. With each one it devoured, the tumor grew larger.

"This is the Corpse Mother..." Zhao Feng's voice trembled, "It evolves by devouring corpses!"

The Corpse Mother seemed to sense their arrival; the eyes on her tumor turned to them simultaneously, and she uttered indistinct whispers, as if countless people were speaking at once: "...Join us...Eternal life..."

Lin Ye's silver markings suddenly erupted with a blinding light, and dark purple energy condensed into a spear in his palm: "It's bewitching people! Don't listen!"

He hurled the energy spear at the Corpse Mother. The silver light from the spear collided with the Corpse Mother's red glow, producing a piercing shriek. The energy spear sank into the tumor, and the Corpse Mother let out a painful roar. Countless mycelia surged from the tumor, lashing out at them like whips.

Zhao Feng's military knife transformed into a shield, blocking the mycelium's attack, but his one arm was grazed by the mycelium, his skin instantly turning purple. Gritting his teeth, he poured antiviral serum onto the wound and hissed, "Use incendiary bombs! Burn its core!"

Lin Ye pulled out an incendiary bomb, only to find the fuse entangled in mycelium. Just as he was about to tear the mycelium off, a beam of red light from the Corpse Mother suddenly shot out and struck his right arm. The silver markings instantly dimmed, and the dark purple energy seemed frozen, unable to circulate. A piercing pain shot through his right arm, as if countless needles were piercing his bone.

"Lin Ye!" Zhao Feng shouted as he rushed over, his military knife slicing through the red light, pulling him aside. "How are you?"

Lin Ye gritted his teeth, the silver patterns beginning to peel away under the corrosive red light, revealing the bloody, mangled skin beneath: "Its red light can suppress the silver patterns..."

The Corpse Mother's whispers grew clearer, and the cocoons of corpses in the hall began to tremble, as if about to break free. Zhao Feng looked at the increasing mycelium, then at the injured Lin Ye, and suddenly made a decision.

"Go!" Zhao Feng shoved the last incendiary bomb into Lin Ye's hand, pressing down on his shoulder with his one arm. "I'll cover you! Remember, don't let Su Yatou and Lin Xi down!"

Before Lin Ye could react, he charged at the Corpse Mother with his military knife, the blade shattering into countless fragments that pierced the eyes on the tumor. The Corpse Mother roared in fury, and all the mycelium turned towards Zhao Feng, tightly binding him.

"Hurry up and go!" Zhao Feng's voice came from the mycelium, carrying a resolute strength.

Lin Ye looked at Zhao Feng, who was being consumed by the mycelium, and then at the incendiary bomb in his hand. Tears finally streamed down his face. He knew what Zhao Feng meant, and he knew he couldn't let his sacrifice go to waste.

Lin Ye turned and rushed towards the clock tower's stairs, biting the fuse of the incendiary bomb in his mouth. He grabbed the handrail with his uninjured left hand and desperately climbed upwards. Behind him came a violent explosion and Zhao Feng's final roar: "Let me see... what the sunflowers look like when they bloom..."

The "eye" symbol at the top of the clock tower went out in the explosion. Lin Ye climbed to the top and looked down at the collapsing clock tower and the mycelium being consumed by flames. He felt as if his heart had been hollowed out. He took out the sunflower seeds Lin Xi had given him and scattered them forcefully on the ground around the clock tower. Although the silver pattern had dimmed, it still left a faint mark on the seeds.

The seeds fell to the ground and soon sprouted tender shoots. Green vines spread along the ruins of the clock tower, gradually devouring and purifying the still wriggling mycelium.

Lin Ye stood on the rooftop, gazing at the distant valley where his family, his companions, and the home he had to protect lay. He knew the battle was not over. Although the Corpse Mother had been severely wounded, as long as a trace of mycelium remained, she would return with a vengeance.

But he will not back down. Like sunflower seeds that grow tenaciously in ruins, no matter how much wind and rain they endure and how much they are trampled, as long as their roots are still there, they will stand up again, face the sun, and bloom with the most brilliant flowers.