Doomsday Reboot: My Superpowers Absorb Everything

On the third day after the white-scaled snake serum was injected into the greenhouse soil, Su Ya noticed something unusual. The sunflower seedlings that had been eaten by the mycelium had developed fine, silvery-blue veins on their stems, resembling the silver markings on Lin Ye's right arm. Dew-like blue droplets were also condensing on the edges of the leaves, and the purple mud where the droplets fell was fading at a visible rate.

"It's actively consuming the hyphae." Suya picked up a drop of liquid with her fingertip. The moment the green energy touched the blue droplet, it suddenly exploded, turning into countless tiny specks of light that merged into the vine. "The serum and the vine's energy have fused together. This is... a new symbiote."

Lin Ye squatted beside the seedling, the silver veins gently clinging to its stem. He could feel a warm energy flowing along the veins, resonating with the dark purple energy within his body, like two streams converging in the soil. "Let's name it 'Scale Vine,'" Lin Ye smiled. "It has the resilience of scales and the suppleness of vines."

Skinny Monkey, carrying a hoe, passed by and his eyes lit up when he saw the silvery-blue patterns on the scales: "If this thing can cover the entire outer wall of the fortress, what's there to fear about mycelium?"

"It's not that simple." Lin Ye shook his head. His senses spread along the roots of the scale vine, reaching the mycelium that remained dozens of meters underground. They were curled up like startled earthworms, but had not completely disappeared. "The scale vine can suppress the mycelium, but it can't kill their spores. As long as it encounters a suitable host, it will regrow."

Just then, a rapid horn sounded from the watchtower—a signal that unfamiliar humans had been spotted. Lin Ye and Su Ya exchanged a glance and immediately ran towards the fortress gate.

In the open space outside the gate stood more than twenty ragged people, all emaciated and pale, carrying bundles in their arms, their eyes filled with vigilance and exhaustion. The leader was a middle-aged woman with a scar on her face that ran from her brow bone to her chin, and she tightly gripped an iron spear in her hand, the tip of which was still dripping blood.

"We escaped from the cannery in the south," the woman said in a hoarse voice, her gaze sweeping over the high walls of the fortress and the scaly vines. "We've heard there's medicine here that can cure 'red sha disease,' please take us in."

"Red Sha disease?" Lin Ye frowned. This term sounded very similar to the symptoms of spore infection described by the man in black robes.

The woman lifted the hem of a child's shirt beside her. The boy's back was covered with dark red spots, completely different from the short man's previous allergic rash. The centers of the spots faintly glowed red. "This is it," the woman said, her voice trembling with tears. "Everyone at the cannery got this disease. Their skin rotted like carrion. Only a few of us with strong immune systems escaped."

Suya's green energy gently brushed across the boy's back. The moment the light touched the red petechiae, the boy screamed in pain, and the petechiae twitched as if alive. "It's a fungal infection," Suya said gravely. "It's more potent than the previous spores; it's already invaded the bloodstream."

Old Zheng leaned closer to Lin Ye and whispered, "We can't let them in, what if..."

"They are living people." Lin Ye interrupted him, silver patterns shimmering on his fingertips. "Zhao Feng said that we are not guarding cold walls, but living people." He told the woman, "We can take you in, but you will need to be quarantined for seven days first. We will give you injections of suppressants."

The woman hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded: "We're willing to do anything to save the child."

Lin Ye instructed the thin monkey to lead the migrants to an empty room on the east side of the fortress, a place far from the warm sheds and water sources, making it convenient for isolation. Su Ya, meanwhile, led her people to prepare an inhibitory agent, mixing white-scaled snake serum with antiviral serum. Although it couldn't cure the infection, it could temporarily suppress the spread of the red rashes.

Over the next few days, a subtle atmosphere permeated the fortress. The migrants were well-behaved, staying in the quarantine zone each day, with food and medicine delivered by designated personnel. But Lin Ye could sense that the Iron Hoof Alliance members were full of wariness towards them, especially the woman with the scar on her face, who always kept an eye on the fortress's defenses when no one was around, her eyes hiding something.

That evening, Lin Ye went to the quarantine area to deliver medicine. He had just reached the entrance when he heard an argument. It was Skinny Monkey arguing with a migrant. The man was holding a piece of bread and was trying to stuff it into his clothes when Skinny Monkey caught him red-handed.

"This is for the children! Why are you grabbing it!" the skinny monkey roared, his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"I'm starving!" the man struggled, a greedy look on his face. "Why do you guys get to eat meat every day while we only get to eat dry bread?"

"If you keep making trouble, I'll throw you out!" The skinny man pinned the man to the ground.

"Stop." Lin Ye walked over and handed the medicine to the scarred woman. "Give it to him, and get some more canned food."

The woman took the medicine, looking at him with a complicated expression: "Aren't you afraid we are...?"

"I'm afraid we wouldn't have let you in." Lin Ye's gaze fell on the jade pendant at her waist. It was an ordinary piece of Hetian jade with the character "安" (peace) engraved on it, its edges worn smooth. "How long have you been gone since you escaped from the cannery?"

"Twelve days." The woman's voice was low. "We encountered a horde of zombies along the way, and... flying mutated cockroaches. Many people didn't make it..." She choked up and couldn't continue.

Lin Ye recalled the location of the cannery, more than fifty kilometers from the fortress, separated by three city blocks teeming with mutants. Reaching this point alive was no easy feat. "That man," Lin Ye pointed to the migrant released by the skinny monkey, "what did he do before?"

"He's the foreman at the cannery," the woman gritted her teeth. "He used to be a tyrant at the factory. If he hadn't secretly opened the warehouse and attracted the horde of zombies, we wouldn't be here..."

Lin Ye nodded, asked no further questions, and turned to leave the quarantine area. His silver aura had felt slightly warm when he touched the woman's jade pendant, not because of danger, but because of a... familiar energy fluctuation, as if he had felt it somewhere before.

Back in the greenhouse, Suya was examining the red sha samples under a microscope. Under the lens, countless tiny hyphae were wriggling within the red sha, and the red dots at the tips were larger than the previous spores, resembling miniature corpse mother cores.

"These mycelia can mimic human cells," Suya said with concern. "Ordinary inhibitors can only temporarily trap them, and over time they will develop resistance."

Lin Ye took out the documents he had brought back from the underground lake, turned to the last page, and saw a strange device drawn on it, resembling a giant funnel, labeled "Mycelium Purifier, requires white-scaled snake bile to operate." "Perhaps we need this," he said, pointing to the diagram. "Dr. Chen's notes mentioned that white-scaled snake bile can completely destroy the activity of mycelium."

"But we can't take the bile from the white-scaled snake; that's no different from killing it." Suya shook her head.

Lin Ye fell silent. He knew Su Ya was right; the white-scaled snakes were their allies, not tools for providing resources. But the red marks on the migrants' bodies were worsening, and the boy's skin had begun to ulcerate. If a cure couldn't be found, they would eventually become new sources of infection.

Just then, Skinny Monkey rushed over, his face pale: "Chief Lin, something terrible has happened! The foreman in the quarantine zone... he's turned into a bloody corpse!"

When Lin Ye and Su Ya arrived at the quarantine zone, the situation was already out of control. The man who had snatched the bread was lying on the ground, his body was swelling, his skin was cracked open with countless wounds, and dark red fungal hyphae were oozing from the wounds, intertwined like hair. His eyes were flashing red, which was the characteristic of a red-spotted corpse.

The scarred woman, clutching her child, trembled with fear. The other migrants huddled in a corner, their faces contorted with terror. The skinny man and his men held guns, but dared not fire rashly, fearing that shattering the body of the red-scarred corpse would allow the fungal hyphae to spread.

"Use the scale vines!" Lin Ye shouted, his silver patterns erupting. The scale vines in the direction of the greenhouse suddenly grew rapidly, like green lightning bolts wrapping around the body of the red corpse. The silver-blue patterns spread across the red corpse, colliding fiercely with the dark red mycelium, producing a sizzling sound.

The crimson corpse let out a mournful roar, its mycelium struggling frantically, trying to break free from the vines' restraints. But the blue droplets on the vines dripped continuously, corroding the mycelium like sulfuric acid. The crimson corpse's body shrank at a visible speed, eventually turning into a pool of black slime, which was completely absorbed by the vines.

Everyone was stunned, including the migrants. They stared at the intertwined scales, their eyes filled with awe and hope.

"This...this is the medicine that can cure bruises?" the scarred woman asked in a trembling voice.

Lin Ye nodded: "It can absorb the mycelium, but it takes time. Are you willing to cooperate with our treatment?"

Without hesitation, the woman knelt down, and the other migrants followed suit, shouting in unison, "We are willing! We are willing!"

Lin Ye helped the woman up, a weight lifted from his heart. He knew that accepting the migrants was the right choice; they could not only bring news from the outside world but also bolster the fortress's strength. But he also understood that the real challenge had only just begun. There must be a greater secret hidden behind the red rashes, and that scarred woman might know something.

Night deepened, and Lin Ye stood atop the watchtower, gazing towards the quarantine zone. The light of the scaly vines shimmered in the darkness, like countless stars, guarding those weary souls. He pulled out a fragment of Zhao Feng's military knife; moonlight shone upon it, casting the shadow of the wolf's head emblem.

"We're doing the right thing, aren't we?" Lin Ye asked softly, as if Zhao Feng were right beside him.

A night breeze blew by, carrying the sweet scent of scaly vines from the greenhouse, as if in response to his words. Lin Ye gripped the broken piece of his military knife tightly, his eyes hardening. No matter how many difficulties lay ahead, no matter what secrets the Red Sha disease concealed, he would lead everyone forward, protecting this fortress and everyone in need of shelter, just as Zhao Feng protected the White Scaled Serpent.

In a corner of the quarantine area, the scarred woman stroked the jade pendant at her waist, a complex light flashing in her eyes. She pulled a small metal tube from her bosom, opened the cap, and inside was a folded note with a line written in blood: "The Corpse Mother's eyes are in the underground warehouse of the cannery."