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

"A total of 150 people were slightly injured, and 55 were seriously injured..." Lin Chen repeated the cold number in a low voice, his tone almost abnormally calm, but the invisible chill made Li Ya and Liu Feifei, who were standing in front of him, feel a chill down their spines.

Li Ya took a deep breath and continued her report: "All seventeen teams that went out today encountered similar attacks. They were all ambushes, using high-powered weapons such as grenades and rockets. Fortunately... each of our teams was equipped with a sister who has both early warning and healing abilities, as you requested, and so far... there have been no casualties."

"No casualties yet..." Lin Chen slowly savored these four words, the icy coldness in the depths of his eyes growing even stronger.

He remained silent, and this brief silence permeated the empty underground space, bringing a heavy pressure.

"Yangcheng official shelter... Wang Gang..." He finally spoke again, his expression still seemingly calm, but his voice was like that of polar ice, "It seems that Chang Chengye thinks we are too good-natured, and dares to play the old trick of 'striking first'."

He suddenly turned around and raised his voice towards the direction where Hua Hua and the others were working, calling out, "Hua Hua, Xiao He, all of you come here for a moment."

"Coming, coming!" Hua Hua, Xiao He, and the others heard the call and quickly put down their tools and ran over, their faces still covered in mud and grime.

Seeing that everyone had arrived, Lin Chen's gaze swept over the group of girls who had been working diligently, and he instructed them in a steady voice, "Hua Hua, you can proceed with the excavation work according to plan for the next few days."

Then, looking at Xiao He, who possesses the ability to shape soil, he said, "Xiao He, you can just 'shape' the excavated soil for fun. It's okay if the progress is a little slow."

Hua Hua and the others realized something serious had happened from his brief words and the heavy atmosphere, and immediately replied solemnly, "Understood, Brother Lin!"

Lin Chen then looked at Su Qingyue, who had a calm demeanor, and said, "Teacher Su, please be more composed and take good care of them these next few days."

Su Qingyue met his gaze and nodded calmly: "Okay."

After giving instructions here, Lin Chen turned back to Li Ya and Liu Feifei, his eyes sharpening: "Tomorrow, all the seriously wounded and those with mobility issues will remain at the shelter to recuperate. The rest of you will continue leading your teams as usual; the mission will continue."

Li Ya and Liu Feifei were taken aback upon hearing this, clearly somewhat surprised.

Lin Chen noticed their confusion and explained, "The training and zombie clearing can't stop. We can't let today's beating go to waste. It's a good opportunity to temper everyone's mentality. The apocalypse isn't just about zombies. It's like rowing against the current; if you don't move forward, you fall behind." He paused and continued, "If you encounter a zombie horde that one team can't handle, don't hesitate to call for help. Staying alive is the most important thing."

His gaze turned towards the official shelter in Guangzhou, his voice suddenly turning cold, carrying a chilling calm: "As for over there... I'll personally 'visit' them tomorrow. Since they like playing with fire, I'll let them slowly savor what it means to get burned, what it means to... wait for death in despair."

"You're going alone?!" Li Ya and Liu Feifei exclaimed almost simultaneously, their faces instantly filled with tension and worry.

Seeing their undisguised concern, Lin Chen felt a warmth in his heart and chuckled, "Don't be nervous. I won't be foolish enough to confront them head-on."

A mysterious glint flashed in his eyes. "I have plenty of ways to deal with them."

Seeing his apparent confidence, Li Ya and Liu Feifei relaxed slightly, but still couldn't hide their worry: "Then... please be very careful!"

"Don't worry." Lin Chen nodded.

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Inside Chang Chengye's underground office at the official shelter in Guangzhou.

The shelter's top brass gathered here once again, but everyone's face was extremely grim.

Chang Chengye sat in the main seat, his face as black as the bottom of a pot.

He thought he had overestimated his opponent and acted cautiously and covertly, but he never expected to suffer such a heavy loss.

His sinister gaze, like cold hooks, was fixed on Han Xiaoyang's face as he stood before him. His voice was forced out through clenched teeth: "You mean... half of the men we meticulously planned for the ambush have been lost?"

Cold sweat beaded on Han Xiaoyang's forehead, his Adam's apple bobbed nervously, and he forced a reply: "Yes...yes, Mayor Chang. Especially the group personally led by Captain Wang, out of the fourteen who set out, only...only three returned."

As he spoke, his eyes involuntarily glanced at Wang Gang, whose face was ashen, standing beside him.

Wang Gang felt the gaze, his lips parted as if he wanted to explain or defend himself against the strange situation he had encountered, but in the end he just lowered his head in dejection, clenched his fists, and remained silent.

"Where are they?" Chang Chengye's voice suddenly rose, filled with an almost violent anticipation. "We've paid such a high price, how many of them died? I need specific numbers!"

Han Xiaoyang's body trembled almost imperceptibly, and his voice lowered, filled with difficulty as he said, "According to reports from our spies in the Shanshui Garden, based on the comparison of their return... the number of people who set out and returned is basically the same."

"Based on our assessment, there are likely... there are likely only seriously injured, and no... no deaths."

"What did you say?!" Chang Chengye's voice suddenly rose, like a wild beast whose tail had been stepped on. He stood up abruptly from his chair and slammed his palm heavily on the solid wood table, causing the teacup to jump and fall to the ground with a crisp "bang," scattering shards everywhere.

"We lost nearly half our men in a sneak attack! And they didn't lose a single one?! Han Xiaoyang, are you fucking kidding me?!"

His chest heaved violently, and his face turned from black to red—a mixture of extreme anger and disbelief.

This feeling is like a hunter who has carefully laid a trap, only to be bitten hard by his prey, leaving him bloodied and mangled. It's even more disgusting and unpleasant than eating shit!

Han Xiaoyang took a half step back in fright, hurriedly explaining incoherently, "Mayor, please calm down! No, I'm not speaking recklessly, it's just that the other party's ability... is too strange!"

"Based on the intelligence gathered from each team, the strength of each of their abilities is ridiculously high, estimated to be generally above Grade A!"

"Moreover, each team has at least one top-tier S-rank level 3 expert! Our team... is simply not in the same league as us!"

Wang Gang quickly seized the opportunity to add, his voice still tinged with lingering fear: "Mayor Chang, Captain Han was right! Those women's abilities are incredibly strange!"

"Many of them we've never even seen before! Take Liu Feifei, for example. She just glanced at our men a few times, and three of my brothers went berserk, turning their blades on our own men! How... how are we supposed to fight like this?"

"He betrayed you after just a few glares?" Chang Chengye's pupils suddenly contracted. Wang Gang's description instantly reminded him of his own unspeakable puppetry ability.

Could it be that the opposing camp also possesses a similar, sinister ability to manipulate people's minds? This news instantly cast an even deeper shadow over his heart.