Apocalypse: The Primordial Pearl Recognizes Its Master, Starting with Infinite Space

For the rest of the afternoon, they tirelessly received, inspected, and then stored the still-steaming or perfectly chilled delicacies into their supernatural space.

This "final feast" of purchasing continued until midnight, when the last batch of private chef desserts delivered late at night was finally collected. Li Ya was so exhausted that she collapsed and fell asleep on the living room sofa.

In the early hours of the morning, when all was quiet, Lin Chen sensed the familiar fluctuations emanating from the Creation Pearl in his sea of ​​consciousness once again.

[S-Rank - Extraordinary Body (Level 1)]

Effect: Basic physical attributes are enhanced tenfold in all aspects.

Simple, direct, and domineering.

There was no exaggerated muscle expansion, no clothes bursting open, just a pure strength and endurance, deep as the sea, surging and taking root in the blood.

It's important to understand that a typical F-rank body enhancement initially increases the strength by a maximum of 50%, while an A-rank enhancement is at most five times. What he received, however, was a tenfold increase on top of his body, which had already been initially tempered by an S-rank ability! The effect was nothing short of perfect.

Lin Chen felt the surging power within him and nodded in satisfaction: "It's time to rest and recharge for tomorrow's 'new world'."

He walked to the sofa and gently picked up the sleeping Li Ya in his arms.

Her body was very light, curled up, with a faint scent of cedar lingering in her hair.

Upon arriving at the master bedroom, he carefully placed her on the soft bed. Just as he was about to turn and go to the guest room, a pair of slender arms suddenly wrapped around his neck. Li Ya had woken up sometime earlier, her cheeks flushed. She stared at him with her large, watery eyes, her expression a complex mix of emotions: dependence, shyness, and a barely perceptible invitation.

Lin Chen's emotions, which he had suppressed for a long time, were instantly stirred by this gaze, and his breathing became heavy involuntarily.

Since his rebirth, he has been working tirelessly day and night, his nerves constantly on edge, like a machine programmed to operate solely for survival. But he is neither a saint nor an ascetic. He is a man who has crawled back from mountains of corpses, seas of blood, betrayal, and despair, his bones harboring both a chilling killing intent and a burning, unquenchable desire belonging to the living.

Dry wood and raging fire, everything will fall into place naturally.

Two hours later, Lin Chen held the exhausted Li Ya in his arms and they fell into a deep sleep, drawing warmth and comfort from each other on the last night before the apocalypse.

……

The next morning, at 8:30.

Lin Chen stored the last batch of carefully packaged breakfast snacks, delivered in the early hours of the morning, into his spatial storage. Li Ya had also dressed and left the room, having changed into casual clothes that allowed for easy movement. Her face was still flushed, but her gaze towards him was even more intimate and trusting.

He took out the still-warm steamed buns and soy milk from his storage space, and the two of them quickly and simply finished their breakfast at the restaurant.

8: 45.

There are only fifteen minutes left before the apocalypse officially begins.

Lin Chen was fully armed: a close-fitting tactical vest, cut-resistant gloves, a sharp military dagger hanging from his waist, and a sniper rifle in his hand. He also handed Li Ya a set of relatively lightweight but equally complete protective gear and a short knife.

The two went up to the third-floor terrace. Although Li Ya was surprised by the commotion, she didn't ask any questions. She simply dressed quickly and silently, and stood quietly beside Lin Chen. Her fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of her clothes, betraying her nervousness.

She could clearly sense that Lin Chen beside her was in a completely different state.

His back was taut like a fully drawn bow, his eyes were terrifyingly calm, as if they could absorb all the light around them, or like the deep sea brewing a storm. It was a state of extreme vigilance, icy killing intent, and a trace of... indescribable excitement.

"It's coming," he said softly, his voice low but like a heavy hammer blow to Li Ya's heart. It was as if he were talking to himself, or as if he were delivering a final, cold verdict on this old world.

9:00 sharp.

The city is entering its most vibrant and bustling time of day—office workers rush to their buildings with coffee in hand, housewives discuss meat prices while carrying grocery baskets, students laugh and play as they cycle through the streets, elderly people practice Tai Chi in the park to the accompaniment of melodious music, and pet dogs frolic on the lawn...

The sun was shining brightly, a gentle breeze was blowing, and everything seemed no different from any other day.

Suddenly, the sky darkened without warning.

It wasn't the gloom of gathering dark clouds, but a deeper, thicker, almost light-absorbing "darkness" that spread from the center of the sky outwards at an illogical speed, as if the universe had been torn open with a hideous wound. Birds scattered in panic, dogs barked uneasily, and the air seemed to freeze instantly, heavy and suffocating.

Immediately afterwards, the "rain" began to fall.

But it was no ordinary rain.

It is scarlet.

Thick, blood-red liquid, faintly reeking of blood and flesh, dripped, then poured down, slamming onto the asphalt road, car roofs, and pedestrians' shoulders.

Pedestrians on the street initially thought it was some kind of malicious joke or accident. Some looked up at the sky and even laughed, "Who's so inconsiderate as to spill ketchup?"

However, the laughter turned into a shrill scream in the next second.

Anyone whose skin is touched by those scarlet raindrops will experience, in as little as five minutes, eerily bulging and turning bluish-black blood vessels under their skin, rapidly congested and bulging eyes, and a non-human, beast-like "hoarse" sound emanating from their throat.

Within ten seconds, a living person was completely transformed into a monster that only knew how to devour and kill, roaring as it pounced on the nearest unmutated member of its kind, tearing and gnawing at it with its teeth and nails.

The streets instantly transformed into a living hell.

Cars crashed out of control, scattering glass shards everywhere; a mother ran away with her toddler in her arms, only to be tackled by her husband, who had just undergone a mutation, his sharp teeth deeply embedded in her delicate carotid artery; a convenience store clerk had just curiously peeked out when a bluish-black claw pierced through the roller shutter door, pinning him to the door frame.

The blood rain fell faster and faster, denser and denser, as if a scarlet curtain had been drawn over the world.

In the distance, the huge LED screen in the commercial center was still tirelessly playing the shampoo slogan, with a sweet female voice singing "Smooth as ever, caring for every strand"; nearby, a girl in a school uniform knelt in the middle of the blood-stained road, holding her best friend whose lower body had been bitten to pieces, crying so hard that she could not make a sound, only desperate tears mixed with blood flowing down her face.

Under the rain shelter on the villa's terrace, Lin Chen and Li Ya stood quietly, gazing at the rapidly collapsing world before them.

Li Ya's face was ashen, her body trembled uncontrollably, and her fingernails dug deeply into her palms, leaving crescent-shaped blood marks.

"This...this can't be real, can it?" Her voice was hoarse, as if she were talking in a dream. "Zombies? The end of the world?...Is everything over?"

Lin Chen reached out and firmly grasped her cold, trembling hand. His palm was warm and strong, but his voice was as calm as ice:

No, the world is not over.

He turned to her, his gaze piercing through the heavy rain of blood, looking towards the chaotic and unknown future ahead, his eyes burning with a long-lost flame powerful enough to incinerate everything.

"But—the era of the old humans has ended."

Only now did Li Ya fully understand what his military uniform, so out of place with his surroundings, and all his seemingly strange words and actions over the past twenty-four hours truly meant.