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

After everyone finally brought Zhang Zicheng and Leng Zhijie back to their side and settled them in, they slowly came to their senses about another matter—

The supply depot is empty.

"What? Empty? Completely empty?"

"I went to collect supplies yesterday, and there were piles of them!"

"Who did it? Did the Chang family take it away themselves? Or...?"

Countless gazes, without prior agreement, drifted in the same direction.

There, Lin Chen stood with his hands behind his back, a corner of his clothes fluttering in the wind.

Soon, Sun Hao and He Qiang were nominated.

Sun Hao is the deputy captain of the special police team and Zhang Zicheng's second-in-command. He is in his early thirties and has a scar on his face.

He Qiang is the most prestigious survivor. He is in his fifties and was a factory workshop director before the apocalypse. He has awakened a good superpower, can manage people, and has influence.

The two exchanged a glance, then steeled themselves and walked toward Lin Chen.

"Mr. Lin..." Sun Hao began, his voice somewhat hoarse, "Someone just reported that the supply depot... is empty."

Lin Chen looked at them.

The two of them had complicated expressions in their eyes.

There was gratitude—after all, he had helped Zhang Zicheng and Leng Zhijie escape their enslaved fate; there was awe—the scene just now, with more than 10,000 people being crushed; and there was also a hint of barely concealed…suspicion.

Lin Chen was not angry.

He merely raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Are you free?" he asked casually, as if he were talking about the nice weather. "Then you'll be in trouble."

Sun Hao choked for a moment.

He Qiang quickly interjected, "Mr. Lin, that's not what we meant. We just wanted to ask... have you seen anyone suspicious?"

Lin Chen looked at him: "I've always been here."

Then, as if remembering something, she said, "Oh, no, I left for three minutes just now."

He smiled.

"Three minutes. You don't think I can empty your supply depot in three minutes, do you?"

Sun Hao and He Qiang exchanged a glance.

Three minutes… that’s impossible for others. But you? They expressed doubt.

Lin Chen seemed to see through their thoughts and sighed.

"Didn't the Chang family take anything with them before they fled?" he said casually. "Such a big family, with so many trusted confidants, would they leave empty-handed? Go back and check if any large trucks came and went in the past few days."

Sun Hao was taken aback.

He Qiang was also stunned.

They hadn't actually thought of it that way.

Lin Chen didn't say anything more. He simply turned around, looked at the gray skyline in the distance, and added in a light tone:

"Don't panic if you run out of food. We have plenty of supplies at Shanshui Garden."

He paused for a moment, then said, "As long as you have crystal cores, you can trade for anything."

Sun Hao and He Qiang fell silent.

That's very clear—we're out of supplies, but I have some. Bring something in exchange.

But they just couldn't bring themselves to say "no".

Because what they said is true.

Because what they offered was a way to survive.

"...Thank you, Mr. Lin," He Qiang said in a low voice.

Sun Hao nodded in agreement.

Lin Chen did not turn around.

He simply gave a soft "hmm".

This matter is settled.

Just as Lin Chen was about to call everyone to leave, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from afar.

"Brother Lin!" Zhou Xiaomin's voice rang out.

She ran over quickly, dragging a man—Wang Gang—like a dead dog. Two team members followed behind, and two corpses were dragged on the ground.

They are Wang Gang's henchmen: Xiao Ma and Xiao Cheng.

"Brother Lin, we caught one trying to run away." Zhou Xiaomin shoved Wang Gang to the ground, pressing her knee into his lower back. "This old man is the one who led the attack on Sister Feifei and the others."

Wang Gang lay on the frozen ground, his cheeks covered in snow and dust, panting heavily.

He raised his head and glared at Li Ya with hatred.

Li Ya was also looking at him.

"I heard I killed your son?" Li Ya's voice was calm, as if she were asking what she wanted for lunch.

A hoarse laugh escaped Wang Gang's throat.

"That's right." He didn't beg for mercy or offer any explanation.

He just stared at Li Ya, his eyes filled with a deep, burning hatred.

"Your son killed someone," Li Ya said. "It's an insult."

Wang Gang remained silent.

"Shouldn't we kill someone like that?"

Wang Gang remained silent.

A long time passed.

He suddenly smiled. The smile bloomed on his dusty, aged face, like a withered flower that had bloomed out of season.

"I don't want to reason with you," he said. "You killed my son, so I want to kill you. It's only natural."

Li Ya looked at him.

"I understand." She took a step back.

Liu Feifei stepped forward, looking down at Wang Gang, whose young face showed little expression.

"If you want to kill me, then I'll kill you. That's only fair."

Wang Gang looked up.

He gazed at the gray sky; at the snow-covered world around him, so familiar yet so strange; at the crowds standing far away, hesitant to approach.

Then he looked away and turned to Liu Feifei.

"Let's get started," he said.

Liu Feifei's hands did not tremble.

When the knife fell, Wang Gang's eyes were still open, staring at the sky.

Lin Chen stood not far away, watching Li Ya and Liu Feifei with satisfaction.

He was talking to several survivors—his tone was gentle, his expression calm, as if he were having a casual chat.

"You know where the Crystal Core Trading Zone is, right? It's in the inner city of Shanshui Garden. Just go through the gate and you'll find it."

"We'll trade anything we can get. Food, drinks, medicine, weapons. As long as it has crystal cores."

"Those without crystal cores are welcome to work. Moving things, cleaning, cooking. One day's work, one day's meals provided."

The survivors nodded repeatedly, their eyes shining.

After Lin Chen finished speaking, he patted the man on the shoulder.

"Go ahead. Tell the others."

The man turned and ran, shouting back as he ran, "Don't worry, Mr. Lin! I'll go tell them right away!"

Lin Chen walked back.

Li Ya looked at him and said, "You certainly know how to do business."

Lin Chen smiled and said, "I have no choice but to need a lot of crystal cores, you know what I mean."

Li Ya rolled her eyes at him: "Won't doing this mean everyone here will end up going to the Mountain and Water Garden again?"

Lin Chen shrugged indifferently: "It doesn't matter, we'll earn the crystal cores in the end anyway."

He looked up at the shelter that had just changed owners.

"Let's go."

He turned and walked toward the convoy.

Li Ya, Liu Feifei, Zhou Xiaomin, and others followed behind, restarted the snowmobile, and the group left.

Zhou Tiannian followed with Chang Hao and the outer city team, and Zhang Hui quietly got into Zhou Tiannian's car. Lin Chen had just recommended him to Zhou Tiannian, and his mother and sister were also in Zhou Tiannian's outer city team.

In the distance, Sun Hao stood at the entrance of the shelter, watching the convoy gradually disappear into the distance.

He Qiang walked to his side.

"Do you believe what he said?" He Qiang asked.

Sun Hao remained silent for a long time.

"I don't believe it," he said. "But so what? We don't have the strength to take back the supplies."

He paused.

"Besides, they saved Captain Zhang and Captain Leng, and even gave them a way out. That's enough."

He Qiang didn't speak, but nodded helplessly.

Before long, the news of what happened here began to spread in the east of the city and throughout Guangzhou, leaving countless people astonished and bewildered.