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

In the end, only Chang Chengye remained in the room.

He slumped back down behind his desk, his eyes unfocused, as if weighing countless possibilities but unable to see any clear path to survival.

After an unknown amount of time, the door was gently pushed open again, and Chang Hao had returned.

He watched his father's desolate figure, his face full of unspoken struggle.

"Spit it out if you have any nonsense to say!" Chang Chengye said without turning his head, his voice filled with fatigue and impatience.

Chang Hao swallowed hard, as if he had made a huge decision, his voice trembling slightly: "Dad! Maybe...maybe we should run away!"

Chang Chengye suddenly turned around, a flash of astonishment in his eyes, staring intently at his son: "Escape? Why would you have such a thought?"

Seeing that his father didn't immediately reprimand him, Chang Hao grew a little bolder and hurriedly said, "Dad! Wasn't today's battle clear enough? We're no match for Shanshui Garden! I took your scolding to heart."

"Since we can't win, and the difference in strength is so vast, why should we fight head-on? Perhaps... perhaps we should avoid their sharp edge and conserve our strength!"

Chang Chengye remained silent for a long time, looking at his son with a strange, scrutinizing gaze, and slowly asked, "Did you come up with these words yourself, or... did someone teach you to say them?"

Chang Hao was taken aback, his eyes flickered, he shrank back and stammered, "This...this...it was my own idea."

Chang Chengye sighed deeply, and in that instant, he seemed to have aged several years.

He stared blankly at his only son, his eyes filled with complex emotions, a hint of indescribable disappointment and sorrow, and murmured as if in a dream: "If only you had really come up with this yourself..."

His son was also intelligent and well-behaved when he was young.

Unfortunately, his wife died young, and he was so focused on power struggles that he neglected to discipline his son, which resulted in him growing into the man he is today—impulsive, lazy to think things through, violent, and addicted to alcohol and women.

Based on his understanding of his son, he was most likely taught to run away by Han Xiaoyang, that cowardly yet shrewd and cautious fellow.

Han Xiaoyang was considered an elder in the Chang family, having watched Chang Hao grow up. He was loyal but lacked courage.

He must have been terrified by today's crushing defeat, and dared not speak out himself, so he urged his foolish son to act as a mouthpiece.

Looking at his son's state, Chang Chengye felt a surge of helplessness and regret. His tone softened, and he spoke with unusual earnestness: "Xiaohao, you're already over twenty. Dad regrets not raising you well before."

"But this is the end of the world now. Dad's old bones might not be here any day. You have to learn to use your own brain and not always let others lead you by the nose."

"You understand the道理 (principles/reasoning), but you're just lazy and unwilling to think about it. Have you ever thought about what you'll do if Dad isn't here one day?"

Chang Hao was completely stunned.

How many years has it been since his father called him "Xiao Hao" with such affection? How long has it been since he spoke to him so calmly?

He suddenly noticed that his father's gray hair at the temples seemed even more glaring, and his back was slightly hunched.

A belated pang of sorrow and emotion welled up in my heart.

Since his mother's death, despite living a comfortable life and being cared for, he has always lacked the fatherly love he longed for.

Perhaps it was this deficiency that led him to use eccentric and rebellious words and actions to attract his father's attention, and over time, it became an inescapable habit.

Changing things now is easier said than done.

But today's bloody reality and his father's rare "weak" words were like a heavy hammer, awakening something that had been dormant in him.

"Dad," Chang Hao took a deep breath, his eyes much more serious this time, "Although Han Xiaoyang brought it up first, I've really thought about it carefully."

"We're far weaker than Shanshui Garden. Those bastards are hiding their true strength too well! Apart from Lin Chen showing off once, we know almost nothing about them..."

Chang Chengye shook his head, his tone unusually calm: "It's not that they were good at hiding their true intentions, it's that we were too careless and too arrogant."

We haven't completely broken free from pre-apocalyptic thinking; we still use old ways of thinking to judge others, assuming their situations are similar to ours.

But they forgot that this is the apocalypse. Even superpowers, which used to exist only in fantasy, have become reality. What else is impossible?

We treated this as a normal test, thinking that the other side was at most a wolf, while we were at least a fox and could manage to deal with it.

And the result? They were facing tigers, a whole pack of tigers!

He gave a wry smile: "Inertia in thinking can be deadly."

"Dad, should we... run away or not?" Chang Hao pressed, this time genuinely seeking his father's decision.

"Escape." Chang Chengye said decisively, a cold glint of resolve returning to his eyes. "And we must be quick! Before we leave, take Li Zhenbang's women and children with us; they might be able to save our lives in a critical moment."

He thought of his puppetry ability, which relied on the strength of the controlled.

So far, we have only managed to control Zhang Zicheng and Leng Zhijie. The third target was originally planned to be Li Ya or Lin Chen... but now it seems there is no chance at all.

The father and son were so engrossed in this life-or-death decision that they were completely unaware that a figure was standing silently outside the heavy office door.

Zhang Hui stood there silently. When he saw Chang Hao return, he knew something was about to happen.

Sure enough, that old fox Chang Chengye actually tried to escape!

The guards who were originally on duty at the gate were sent away by him under the pretext that he had "urgent confidential matters to discuss with the mayor alone".

As Chang Chengye's confidant, this was not a difficult task for him.

The conversation that could be faintly heard from inside the door was clear to the touch.

When Zhang Hui heard the words "must be quick," his heart skipped a beat, knowing that there could be no more delay.

He quickly stepped back a few paces, went to the shadows around the corner, and quickly typed a short message before sending it out.

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Shanshui Garden Shelter, canteen.

Lin Chen was having dinner with Li Ya and others when his phone vibrated in his pocket.

He quickly took it out and scanned the screen.

In just one glance, the ease on his face vanished, replaced by a sharp edge.

"Chang Chengye is going to run away?... He really is a decisive old fox." He muttered to himself, a cold glint in his eyes.

This person's ability to rise to become a powerful figure in his previous life was certainly no accident.

He had originally planned to act tomorrow, but now it seems the plan must be brought forward.

"Xiaoya, you guys enjoy your meal. I have something urgent to attend to and need to go out for a bit."

Lin Chen put down his chopsticks, gave Li Ya and the others some instructions, and then hurriedly left.