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

Occasionally, in a brief moment of respite, Li Ya would pull out her phone with trembling hands, the cold light of the screen illuminating her bloodless face. The feed of information on social media had long been overwhelmed by panic:

"Real footage! Someone has gone mad at Vang Vieng shopping mall in the city center! They're biting anyone they see! The police arrived and fired shots, but they still didn't stop!!"

"Urgent help needed! I'm waiting online! My girlfriend just got caught in the rain, and now her nails are black and sharp, her eyes are completely black, and she doesn't recognize me at all... What should I do??"

"Video! Our whole building is screaming! Old Wang next door got bitten; he started biting his wife in less than a minute!"

"If... if I end up like that too, please kill me. Don't let me hurt Xiaobao. (The accompanying picture is a heartwarming family photo of the three of us)" — This post on WeChat Moments was forever frozen at 10:17 AM today.

Countless cries for help, messages of despair, and farewells washed over her like a tidal wave.

At that moment, she finally realized with absolute clarity that the familiar, orderly world outside had completely collapsed.

Chaos and death are the only themes now.

If she wants to survive, if she doesn't want to become the monster described by the people on her phone, she must adapt to everything before her as soon as possible.

Thinking of this, the confusion in her eyes gradually faded, replaced by an almost cold determination born from a will to survive.

"Her adaptability is not bad." Lin Chen observed her changes out of the corner of his eye and secretly praised her.

It wasn't that he was inherently cold-hearted, but rather that this newly arrived apocalypse was a thousand times more cruel than any individual—it would eliminate those who were weak-willed, harbored naive fantasies, or were unable to face the stark reality in the most direct and bloody way.

He hoped that Li Ya could survive.

Not only because she was his woman, but also because he saw a precious resilience in her.

In this new world where order has completely collapsed, he doesn't need a burden who only knows how to cry, nor does he need a "saint" who drags down the whole team because of foolish kindness or impulsiveness.

Only someone like Li Ya, who can quickly adjust their mindset after a huge shock, force themselves to face bloodshed and death, and is willing to learn and change, truly deserves to live in this hell, and is worthy of his resources and being taken by his side.

About an hour later, the area around the villa finally returned to deathly silence.

Lin Chen had already turned off the deafening music; only the faint screams and crashes in the distance served as a reminder that the apocalypse was still ongoing.

Lin Chen took the last crystal core that Li Ya had dug out from her hand and counted the total harvest—in this battle, including the first wave before, a total of thirty-three level-one zombie crystal cores were obtained.

He took out twenty-five of them, spread them in his palm, and handed them to Li Ya, giving a concise and clear command: "Eat them."

Looking at the pile of crystals that emitted a faint glow yet seemed to carry a bloody smell, Li Ya's eyes flashed with an instinctive unease and resistance.

She had witnessed Lin Chen take the medicine without any reaction, and she knew that she could not disobey any of his orders.

Finally, she closed her eyes, grabbed the crystal cores, and shoved them into her mouth as if swallowing bitter medicine, swallowing them with difficulty.

Lin Chen stood to the side, like the most meticulous observer, quietly waiting—

He wanted to verify two crucial conjectures:

First, could Li Ya, who awakened her superpowers through the Creation Crystal, increase her superpower level by consuming zombie crystal cores, and even... theoretically surpass herself who was limited by the Creation Bead?

Secondly, and more importantly, how strong is the "loyalty restriction" granted by the Creation Crystal? Will it be shaken or broken by the enhanced power?

The moment the energy of the twenty-fifth crystal core accumulated, transformed, and finally triggered a qualitative change within her body, Li Ya shuddered violently! She suddenly opened her eyes, and a brighter white halo seemed to flash across her pupils.

She could clearly feel that the "beam" power within her body had become more refined and easier to control. At the same time, her entire body seemed to be infused with new vitality, and her strength, speed, and endurance had all been significantly improved!

Overwhelmed by joy, she instantly overwhelmed all discomfort and fear. She was so excited she almost jumped up, instinctively throwing herself at Lin Chen and tightly hugging his arm. Her voice trembled with excitement: "Brother Lin! I feel it! My superpower... has upgraded! My body has become stronger too!"

"Very well." Lin Chen nodded, his tone calm. However, the next second, his tone abruptly changed, his voice icy and devoid of any emotion, like a judgment from hell: "Then, commit suicide now."

Li Ya froze abruptly, and the force with which she was holding his arm instantly loosened.

She looked up in disbelief at Lin Chen's face, which was so close yet suddenly seemed completely unfamiliar.

Why? It just helped me become stronger, why does it want me to die in the blink of an eye? A huge sense of absurdity and grievance welled up in my heart.

However, what terrified her even more was that, despite being filled with incomprehension, sadness, and resistance, her body and her will seemed to be locked by an invisible and absolutely irresistible shackle, and she could not even muster the slightest thought of resistance or questioning!

It was as if Lin Chen's words were the highest truth she had to follow.

Tears welled up uncontrollably and silently streamed down her stained cheeks.

Torn between extreme grief and absolute obedience, she trembled like a soulless puppet, slowly raising the dagger in her hand—the one she had just used to extract the crystal core, still smeared with brain matter.

The cold blade pressed against her slender, fragile neck, little by little...

Just as the knife tip was about to pierce the skin and draw out a bead of blood, a steady and powerful hand shot out like lightning and snatched the dagger away.

Li Ya looked up blankly through her tear-filled eyes, only to see Lin Chen's lips curl into a slight smile. The coldness in his eyes vanished, replaced by an elusive, almost relieved smile: "Alright, the test is over. It was just a joke."

He gently pulled her, whose body was stiff, into his arms, patting her back softly as she trembled slightly from the shock, and whispered reassuringly, "Don't be afraid, it's alright. How could I really let you die?"

Li Ya's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and the exhaustion of surviving the ordeal and the immense grievance surged up together, making her unable to help but sob softly in his arms. But she quickly smiled through her tears and hugged him back even tighter.

In her chaotic perception, Lin Chen was the "sky" above her head, sometimes a stormy storm, sometimes a gentle breeze and sunshine. He was the only existence she could and had to rely on in this collapsing apocalypse.

She was completely unable to disobey any of his orders, and this absolute sense of "belonging" even gave her a distorted sense of security and stability amidst her fear.

At this moment, however, a storm raged in Lin Chen's heart that was far more intense than the apocalyptic scene outside the window!

The effects of the Creation Crystal were far more terrifying than he had ever dared to expect!

He originally thought that at most it would greatly increase favorability and willingness to obey, similar to a powerful "loyalty mark".

However, the experiment just now ruthlessly revealed a fact: even when Li Ya's ability level had just been improved and theoretically may have approached or even temporarily exceeded his current level limited by the Creation Bead, his extreme command of "suicide," which completely violated the biological survival instinct, was still executed without fail!

Moreover, Li Ya remained emotionally intact and conscious throughout the process, experiencing all the fear and sorrow, yet she was unable to even entertain the thought of "disobeying"!

"No wonder it's called a 'cosmic treasure'..." He secretly gasped, marveling, "This kind of coercive control that penetrates deep into the very essence of the soul, almost to the level of rules... it's simply heaven-defying!"

This is not just a powerful control tool, but also means that his envisioned "women's army" plan has a solid and terrifying core guarantee.

As long as the supply of Creation Crystals remains uninterrupted, loyalty will no longer be a variable to worry about.