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

After Staff Officer Chen and Commander Peng finalized the arrangements, Chen hurriedly left the command post to relay the orders.

Meanwhile, deep within the official shelter in Guangzhou, Chang Chengye sat alone in his quiet underground office, his face calm to the point of numbness.

Throughout the day, he seemed to have forced himself to get used to the omnipresent surveillance, and even tried to "reconcile" with this ever-present pressure in order to conserve his mental energy, which was on the verge of collapse.

However, beneath the surface of calm, a turbulent sea raged within him, with countless questions repeatedly dragging him into a quagmire of thought.

"Why hasn't he made a move yet?" This thought kept gnawing at him.

"Given the strength he's displayed, if he were to break down the door now, Hao'er and I would have no chance of survival. Why wait? Why set this five-day agreement, giving me a chance to breathe, prepare, and even... launch a counterattack?"

In this apocalyptic world, how could there be such outdated "martial arts principles"? He must be waiting for something! ...But what exactly is he waiting for? And what is he secretly preparing?

Another thorn that kept him awake at night was the elusive mole within the organization.

“Very few people know about the evacuation plan, and I’ve screened each one repeatedly. Zhang Hui?” His eyes were sinister, and his knuckles tapped unconsciously on the table. “He didn’t know I was leaving, and he wasn’t involved in the specific time, route, or who would be with me.”

"The guards at the gate were all trusted confidants of many years, and they were taken away with them when they left... The clues seem to have been cut off here."

Could it be... that a deeply hidden spy from another powerful family inadvertently intercepted a few words? If so, the scope of the investigation would be too vast, the commotion too great, and there simply wouldn't be enough time.

A soft knock interrupted his thoughts.

"Come in." Chang Chengye's voice was hoarse.

Han Xiaoyang pushed open the door and entered, his expression respectful yet tense: "Mayor, we've checked the perimeter again, and so far, nothing... has been found."

Chang Chengye didn't even lift his eyelids, only grunting incoherently, his expression unreadable.

Han Xiaoyang felt that Chang Chengye was more like a tiger ready to devour its prey at any moment.

He didn't dare linger and carefully closed the door behind him before leaving. Only after Han Xiaoyang left did Chang Chengye manage a cold smile.

Nothing found? Sometimes, "nothing found" is the worst possible finding.

He could only send out all the people he could muster, searching around like headless flies, while scrutinizing everyone around him with extra caution.

This pervasive suspicion is constantly draining his already strained energy and crumbling prestige.

Time, in this strange and fragile balance, crawls by second by second.

Lin Chen was like a ghost, coldly looking down from a high place, never stepping over the line.

Chang Chengye, in silent torment, was secretly gathering his remaining forces, taking stock of his inventory, and reinforcing the defenses of the core area, all while waiting for that predetermined moment—a moment that would determine whether he would be utterly defeated or make a comeback.

During this time, Zhou Tiannian from the outer city learned of Li Ya's attack and went to find Lin Chen with a face full of indignation.

"Boss Lin!" Zhou Tiannian said earnestly, "That old dog from the Chang family dared to lay a hand on Deputy City Lord Li Ya and the others! Can we tolerate this? I, Old Zhou, am willing to be the vanguard! Now, the brothers in the outer city are also filled with righteous indignation after hearing about this, and they are all volunteering to fight, to avenge the girls in the inner city, and to let the whole of Yangcheng see what happens when you anger our Shanshui Garden!"

The number of superhumans in the outer city has now exceeded 20,000, of which more than 10,000 are directly led by Zhou Tiannian and Huang An, while another 10,000 must also participate in the city defense and revenge battles.

Therefore, Zhou Tian can now mobilize as many as 20,000 superhumans, and there are quite a few A-level superhumans joining now. He is very confident in dealing with the mere 10,000 superhumans in the Yangcheng official shelter!

Not only would he get spoils if he won, but knowing Lin Chen as he did, he was sure the reward Lin Chen would give him would be substantial.

In his view, this was a sure-fire way to make money and gain both fame and fortune.

However, Lin Chen merely glanced at him calmly, his tone leaving no room for argument: "No need. I have my own arrangements for this. You all remain still and guard the outer city."

Zhou Tiannian's enthusiasm was doused with cold water. He opened his mouth, wanting to argue again, but when he met Lin Chen's deep, calm eyes, he swallowed his words.

He scratched his head and said sheepishly, "...Yes, Boss Lin. I'll head back now."

He left with a belly full of doubts and a little disappointment, unable to understand why Lin Chen would give up such an overwhelming opportunity with such obvious advantages.

Thus, the two sides maintained this suffocating calm, passing three days of seemingly tranquil surface but turbulent undercurrents.

The twelfth day of the apocalypse, evening.

The setting sun, like blood, dyed the clouds on the horizon and the snow-covered city below with a poignant orange-red hue.

Li Ya's cleaning team, once again exhausted but with a bountiful harvest, returned to the Mountain and Water Garden in the afterglow of the setting sun.

The team members who were injured a few days ago have already recovered and returned to the team, rejoining the fight.

In three days, after being baptized by the Creation Crystal and the Life Crystal, Li Ya's team of superhumans has expanded to 1542 people (including C-level Duan Rong and Tian Tian).

Even more remarkable is that there are 87 S-class powerhouses among them! Excluding non-combat support personnel, there are also 26 elite squads capable of independent combat.

Each team is equipped with at least three S-level experts, which means that any one of the teams, if taken out alone, has the formidable strength to directly challenge the entire official shelter of Guangzhou!

At the same time, another exciting piece of news arrived – the construction of the underground shelter was finally completed!

This underground project, which has involved a great deal of manpower and resources, has already taken shape, forming a fully functional comprehensive underground city that can accommodate up to 20,000 people at the same time.

It has a complete range of facilities including living quarters, storage areas, command center, medical station, training ground, entertainment area, and heated swimming pool.

All the walls and cave ceilings were transformed into hard metal by the metallization ability, making them not only sturdy but also greatly enhancing the shelter's defenses.

Hua Hua, Xiao He, and Su Qingyue, who were the core members of the construction team, were awarded three precious Life Spirit Crystals by Lin Chen a couple of days ago for their outstanding contributions.

After taking the medicine, all three of them successfully upgraded their superpowers to S-rank!

This is not only a reward for their hard work, but the enhanced control and strength brought about by their improved abilities are also one of the key reasons why the later stages of the project were able to proceed rapidly.

The moment the last facility was excavated, the emotions that had been suppressed for so long suddenly erupted.

"It's finished! It's finally finished! We're free!!" Hua Hua shouted and jumped around without any regard for her image, as if she wanted to release all the pent-up frustration she had been holding down for nine days.

"I'm going out to kill zombies! I want to sunbathe! I want those monsters to know that Grandma Flower is back!"

Xiao He couldn't help but shed tears of joy, nodding vigorously.

Even Su Qingyue, who is usually the most calm and composed, couldn't help but smile, her eyes sparkling with a bright light of relief.