Doomsday Reboot: My Superpowers Absorb Everything

The corpse of the level eight giant wolf lay in the ravine for three days, its dark red blood soaking into the soil beneath it, attracting many low-level mutants. Lin Ye did not clean it up, allowing the monsters to fight around the corpse—this was the best natural barrier, allowing any movement at the foot of the mountain to be detected in advance.

The caves at the missile base have been redesigned. To the left is the living area, with stone-built cubicles lined with hay and animal hides. To the right is the supply area, where Elder Zhang had the rock walls reinforced and the collected canned goods, medicines, and weapons stored separately. The deepest part of the cave has been converted into a training ground, where Lin Ye is instructing several young ability users on how to use their powers.

"Concentrate and feel the flow of energy within your body. Don't try to unleash it all at once." Lin Ye pressed down on the shoulder of a boy who could control wind blades. "Your ability is valuable for precision, not brute force."

The boy gritted his teeth, the wind blades at his fingertips flickering before finally dissipating into a wisp of breeze. He lowered his head in frustration: "Brother Ye, was I too stupid?"

"Stupid?" Lin Ye laughed, taking out a level-one crystal core from his pocket. "At first, I couldn't even hold an axe properly. I almost got knocked out by the energy when I absorbed the first crystal core. Take this, try again after you've absorbed it."

The boy's eyes lit up, and he carefully absorbed the crystal core. Li Hu, standing beside him, crossed his arms and laughed, "You little rascal, you've got even more patience than Old Zhang. Back when I was learning archery, all he ever did was tap me on the head with his cane."

Lin Ye glanced at him: "Old Zhang was afraid you'd be too impatient and go astray." He looked to the other side of the training field, where Old Zhang and Lin Jianjun were studying a yellowed map, talking in hushed tones from time to time, their brows furrowed.

Although Zhao Gang hasn't attacked again in the past few days, he has sent many scouts to spy on the area outside the mountains. Old Zhang judged that the other side was waiting for an opportunity—the death of the level eight giant wolf had caused heavy losses to the Special Affairs Bureau, but Zhao Gang must still have trump cards up his sleeve, and might be brewing even more ruthless tricks.

"What are you thinking about?" Su Ya walked over carrying a bowl of wild fruit, her fingertips still wet with herbal juice, clearly having just helped the women process herbs. Her plant-based abilities had improved rapidly under Lin Ye's guidance, and she was already able to cultivate simple herbs, solving many problems for the base regarding external wound medication.

"I'm thinking about Zhao Gang's trump card." Lin Ye took the wild fruit, the sweet and sour juice spreading on his tongue. "He must have a level nine mutant, otherwise he wouldn't dare to be so arrogant."

Su Ya's face paled: "Level nine...how terrifying is that?"

"Even the scariest creature is still a living thing, and it always has weaknesses." Lin Ye squeezed her hand. "Don't worry, I'm here."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a hurried shout came from the cave entrance: "Brother Ye! Old Zhang wants you to hurry over! A group of strange people have come down the mountain!"

The two exchanged a glance and quickly walked towards the cave entrance.

On the observation platform outside the cave, Old Zhang was observing through binoculars, while Lin Jianjun stood beside him, his rifle already cocked. Seeing Lin Ye approach, Old Zhang handed him the binoculars: "Look for yourself, something's wrong with these people."

Lin Ye took the binoculars, and the scene in the lens made his pupils shrink—more than twenty people stood at the foot of the mountain, dressed in uniform gray robes and wearing bronze masks that obscured their faces. The most bizarre thing was their positioning, which vaguely formed a strange array. Each person held a staff inlaid with a crystal core, the tip of the staff pointing towards the mountain, as if chanting something.

"What are they doing?" Li Hu couldn't help but ask. "They're neither attacking nor shouting; they're just standing there like wooden stakes."

Lin Ye remained silent, focusing his perception to its limit. The energy reactions of those people were peculiar; when dispersed, they were as faint as fireflies, but when combined, they formed a massive energy flow that slowly seeped into the mountainside—they were attempting to dismantle the base's defenses!

"It's an energy array!" Lin Ye put down his binoculars, his expression grave. "They're using crystal core energy to erode the mountain. If this continues, the cave's supporting pillars will corrode and break!"

Old Zhang's expression changed drastically: "Are these the helpers Zhao Gang hired? Who are these people?"

"I don't know, but they're definitely not easy to deal with." Lin Ye gripped his military dagger tightly. "Their energy circulation method is very ancient, unlike modern superhumans."

Just then, a tall man emerged from among the gray-robed figures, his mask etched with intricate patterns. He raised his staff, and the crystal core at its tip suddenly erupted with a blinding red light. A muffled tremor reverberated through the mountain, and a thin crack appeared in the rock wall facing the training ground!

"Make your move!" Lin Ye shouted in a low voice, and leaped off the observation platform.

Li Hu, leading a dozen or so strong men, followed closely behind, firing rifles and arrows in unison, but their attacks were blocked by the energy shield surrounding the gray-robed man. The bullets struck the shield as if sinking into mud, without even causing a ripple.

"It's no use!" Lin Ye shouted. "Their shields can absorb physical attacks. Use your supernatural abilities!"

He rushed to the front, the "Devouring" seal on his palm spinning rapidly, condensing the absorbed giant wolf energy into a dark golden fist seal, which he slammed into the nearest gray-robed man.

"Bang!"

The shockwave from the energy collision sent both of them staggered backward. A muffled groan escaped from beneath the gray-robed man's mask. He lightly tapped the ground with his staff, and several stone spikes shot out from the earth, aiming straight for Lin Ye's abdomen.

Lin Ye dodged to the side, his military dagger gleaming with a dark green, toxic energy as he swept across the opponent's wrist. He could clearly see that the energy cores of these gray-robed men were all located on their right wrists, where a faint light shimmered beneath their robes.

"Sizzle!"

The dagger sliced ​​through the long robe, revealing a metal bracer inlaid with a crystal core. The gray-robed man was clearly not expecting him to see through his weakness, and cried out in surprise, his staff scattering wildly.

Lin Ye seized the opportunity, placed his left hand on the other's chest, and activated the "Devouring" seal instantly!

"ah--!"

The gray-robed man let out a piercing scream as his energy was frantically drained. His body withered away at a visible rate, finally turning into a dried-up corpse and collapsing to the ground. The crystal core in his wristband clattered to the ground, its energy fluctuations mirroring those in the Special Affairs Bureau's bracelet.

"They're in cahoots with Zhao Gang!" Lin Ye picked up the crystal core and shouted behind him, "Attack their right wrist!"

Li Hu and the others immediately adjusted their targets, unleashing wind blades, fireballs, and earth spikes at the gray-robed men's wrists. The seemingly sturdy shields indeed showed weaknesses, and several gray-robed men were struck, their energy dissipating as they collapsed to the ground.

Upon seeing this, the man wearing the patterned mask suddenly raised his staff, his chanting becoming rapid. The remaining gray-robed figures quickly closed in, their staffs weaving into a massive energy net, the mesh shimmering with crimson light.

"Oh no! They're going to self-destruct!" Lin Ye's expression changed drastically. Although these people's energy was mixed, the combined power of their self-destruction was enough to overturn half a hillside!

He charged towards the energy net, pouring all the energy in his body—the giant bear's defense, the crocodile's venom, and the giant wolf's ferocity—into the "Devour" seal. The dark red vortex in his palm expanded several times over, like a miniature black hole.

"Swallow it!"

The moment the "Devouring" seal collided with the energy network, the entire valley seemed to be silenced. All light and sound were sucked into the dark red vortex. Lin Ye felt as if a burning furnace had been stuffed into his body, his meridians were breaking inch by inch, and a sweet, metallic taste rose in his throat.

"Brother Ye!" Li Hu and the others were furious, but they were blocked by the shockwave from the collision of energy.

After an unknown amount of time, the energy net completely disappeared, and the gray-robed men and their staffs turned to ashes. Only Lin Ye remained standing in the same spot, covered in blood, with the vortex mark on his palm flickering on and off.

He staggered, forced down the blood in his throat, and turned to look at the cave entrance—where a man stood holding binoculars, a cold smile playing on his lips.

It's Zhao Gang.

This guy had been hiding on a distant ridge, watching the gray-robed men fight with the base, clearly hoping to reap the benefits.

"Lin Ye!" Zhao Gang's voice came through the loudspeaker, tinged with a morbid excitement. "You really didn't disappoint me! This 'Devouring' ability is a treasure! Your energy should be almost depleted by now, right? Want to come to me? I'll give you the best resources and make you a true apocalyptic overlord!"

Lin Ye did not answer, but slowly raised his military dagger and made a throat-slitting gesture in Zhao Gang's direction.

Zhao Gang's smile froze on his face, then turned ferocious: "You ungrateful wretch! Just you wait, next time I'll bring the 'Purifier' and let you taste what it's like to wish you were dead!"

He turned and disappeared behind the ridge, leaving behind a threat that coiled like a venomous snake in everyone's heart.

Lin Ye could no longer hold on, and his vision went black as he collapsed to the ground.

When he woke up again, he was lying in his cubicle. Wang Hui was wiping his forehead with a damp cloth, and Lin Xi was lying beside the bed, her eyes red and swollen like walnuts. Seeing him open his eyes, the girl rushed over: "Brother! You're finally awake!"

"What's all the noise about?" Lin Ye ruffled her hair, his whole body feeling like it was falling apart. "How long have I been asleep?"

"One day and one night." Old Zhang's voice came from the doorway, holding a bowl of dark, murky medicine. "This is made with ginseng and mutated snow lotus; it can help repair your meridians. Those gray-robed men are no ordinary people; their energy is corrosive. The 'Devouring' Seal must have been seriously injured when it absorbed it."

Lin Ye took the herbal medicine and drank it all in one gulp. The bitter liquid slid down his throat, transforming into a warm current that nourished his parched meridians. He looked at Elder Zhang: "Do you know what a 'Purifier' is?"

Old Zhang's face darkened: "That's Zhao Gang's secret weapon. It's said that he captured more than a dozen psychic ability users and forcibly fused their abilities with special equipment to create a 'purifier' that can devour all energy. The last base was destroyed by that thing; everyone in the cave was sucked dry."

Lin Ye's heart sank to the bottom. Mental abilities are rare enough, but those that can devour energy are even more extraordinary. A dozen of them merging together... the consequences would be unimaginable.

How much time do we have left?

"Seven days at most." Old Zhang sighed. "Since Zhao Gang has made the announcement, he must already be making preparations. The base's defenses can't withstand the Purifiers' attack, so we need to find a way to launch a preemptive strike."

"Taking the initiative?" Lin Jianjun walked in, holding a sketch. "Old Zhang and I surveyed the terrain. The headquarters of the Special Affairs Bureau is in the convention center in the south of the city. The terrain there is open and easy to attack but difficult to defend. But their energy core is three levels underground. As long as we destroy the crystal core reserves there, the Purifiers will be like water without a source."

Lin Ye looked at the red dots marked on the sketch, his eyes gradually hardening: "I'll go."

"No way!" Wang Hui immediately objected. "You just woke up, and that place is definitely a den of thieves!"

"Mom, this is the only way." Lin Ye grasped her hand. "Once the Purifier is formed, none of us can escape. Rather than waiting to die, we should take a gamble." He looked at Lin Jianjun and Old Zhang. "I need three people to work together: the fastest speed-type ability user, and someone who can manipulate metal..."

Three days later, Lin Ye set off with three people with superpowers. The one in charge of reconnaissance was a girl named A Ying, who was fast enough to move through shadows; the one in charge of breaking through defenses was a blacksmith who could turn metal into fluid; and the other was an old Chinese medicine doctor whose mental superpowers, though weak, could create simple illusions.

They avoided the main roads and sneaked into the south of the city through the city's drainage pipes. The abandoned pipes reeked of a foul stench, and occasionally mutated cockroaches would dart by, only to be precisely killed by Ah Ying's dagger.

"The underground entrance to the convention center is just ahead," Aying said, peeking out from a ventilation shaft. "There are eight guards, all carrying energy detectors."

Lin Ye made a hand gesture, and a pale green halo appeared on the old Chinese medicine doctor's fingertips. A strange fragrance wafted out through the ventilation vent. A moment later, the sound of even breathing came from outside—the illusion had taken effect.

The four quietly slipped out of the pipes, dealt with the unconscious guard, and entered the third underground level. It was larger than they had imagined, with rows of metal racks filled with crystal cores, ranging from level one to level seven, emitting multicolored light. On the central platform, a blurry figure was submerged in a huge glass capsule, with countless pipes connected to the capsule, constantly extracting energy from the crystal cores.

"That's the Purifier?" The blacksmith gasped.

"Not finished yet." Lin Ye's gaze fell on the man in front of the control panel—Zhao Gang was facing away from them, holding a syringe in his hand, the purple liquid inside gleaming eerily under the light.

"Just one last step..." Zhao Gang muttered to himself, aiming the syringe at the glass chamber. "Once you fuse with this level-eight spiritual crystal core, you'll be invincible..."

"It's time to wake up from your dream!" Lin Ye shouted, and a military dagger carrying dark golden energy shot out, aiming straight for Zhao Gang's back!

Zhao Gang whirled around, a pale blue energy shield blocking the dagger, a ferocious grin spreading across his face: "Lin Ye? You really came! I've been waiting for you for a long time!"

He pressed a button on the control panel, and the glass capsule suddenly opened, revealing a figure slowly emerging. It was a monster whose gender was indistinguishable, its entire body covered in silvery-white scales, its eyes pure black without pupils, and its mouth revealing fine fangs when it opened.

"Purifier, kill him!" Zhao Gang retreated to a safe distance, watching the show with a cold smile.

The Purifier let out a non-human roar and lunged at Lin Ye with its sharp claws. Gray energy swirled around those claws, distorting the air wherever they passed—it was energy devouring!

Lin Ye's pupils contracted sharply as he dodged the attack, simultaneously activating the "Devouring" seal. When the Purifier's claws struck again, he didn't dodge, but instead met the attack head-on with the vortex mark on his palm!

The collision of the two devouring energies unleashed a violent energy storm on the third underground level. The crystal cores on the crystal core rack shattered one after another, turning into pure energy that the two fought over. Lin Ye felt the energy within his body being consumed and replenished at a frantic pace. The operation of the "Devouring" seal reached an unprecedented speed, even beginning to analyze the energy structure of the Purifier.

"I see..." Lin Ye suddenly laughed, "What you're doing isn't fusion, it's plunder! The energies of these psychic ability users are repelling each other!"

He abruptly changed the way energy was circulating, no longer confronting it head-on, but instead guiding the "Devouring" seal to transform into countless fine threads that burrowed into the energy gaps within the purifier's body.

"ah--!"

The Purifier let out a painful roar, its body began to crack, and black blood seeped from beneath its silvery-white scales. The forcibly fused spiritual energy, guided by the "Devouring" seal, began to backfire, tearing its body apart from the inside.

Zhao Gang's face turned deathly pale. He hadn't expected Lin Ye to see through the Purifier's weakness. He grabbed an energy gun from the side, aimed it at Lin Ye, and pulled the trigger: "Die!"

The energy beam hurtled towards them, but Aying blocked it with her body. The girl's speed-based ability dissipated under the energy impact, and she groaned as she collapsed to the ground, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth.

"Ah Ying!" Lin Ye's eyes widened in fury, and the energy within him exploded completely!

The "Devouring" seal expanded instantly, devouring the purifier and all the surrounding energy! His body swelled to several meters tall, covered in dark golden scales, and a pair of giant wings condensed from his back grew out, like a war god returning from hell.

"Zhao Gang! Prepare to die!"

Lin Ye shattered the energy gun with a single swipe of his claw and grabbed Zhao Gang's shoulder. The full power of an eighth-level ability user rendered Zhao Gang's enhancement-type ability as fragile as paper, and the sound of bones shattering echoed clearly across the third underground level.

"No... I'm not reconciled!" Zhao Gang's eyes widened as he stared at the swirling mark on Lin Ye's palm. "That's my... special ability..."

His voice grew weaker and weaker until he finally lost his breath completely.

Lin Ye released his grip, and Zhao Gang's body slumped to the ground. He walked to A Ying's side and channeled a stream of pure energy...