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

The next morning, while Lin Chen and the others were having breakfast, a team member on duty came to report.

"Brother Lin, Staff Officer Chen from the military has arrived."

Lin Chen paused for a moment with his chopsticks.

It's only been a few days? And it's happening again?

He put down the bowl: "Bring him in."

Before long, Staff Officer Chen appeared at the entrance of the underground shelter's restaurant.

He Jun and two soldiers followed behind them. As soon as they entered, their eyes couldn't help but glance at the steaming food tables.

Lin Chen greeted him with a smile.

"Staff Officer Chen, it's been a long time, you're still as dashing as ever."

"Lord Lin, you flatter me." Staff Officer Chen cupped his hands in greeting, his attitude much more casual than last time.

"Have you had breakfast yet? Would you like to grab something together?"

Staff Officer Chen's smile deepened.

"Then you won't be polite."

He was really impolite.

Ever since he went back last time, he's been eating instant noodles and compressed biscuits every day, and he's been really craving the food here.

Although He Jun's square face was expressionless, his eyes glanced at the dining table several times.

Lin Chen invited them to sit down at a table that had just been cleaned.

A short while later, Li Ya and Su Yun brought over several breakfasts themselves—hot porridge, steamed buns, side dishes, and fried dough sticks, laid out to the brim.

Staff Officer Chen picked up his chopsticks and first took a steamed bun. He took a bite, squinted his eyes, and his face showed undisguised satisfaction.

"Lord Lin," he said, chewing as he spoke, "I've come here to make a deal with you."

Lin Chen picked up the soy milk but didn't drink it right away.

"Oh? What kind of deal?"

"Zombie Crystal Core"

Lin Chen paused for a moment.

"First-tier," Staff Officer Chen added, "one million."

"puff--"

Lin Chen spat out a mouthful of soy milk.

The girls at the nearby tables all turned to look. He ignored wiping his face, staring directly at Staff Officer Chen: "How much? One million?"

Staff Officer Chen was very satisfied with his reaction and slowly took another bite of the bun.

"right."

Lin Chen took a deep breath and grabbed a tissue to wipe his mouth.

One million first-order crystal cores!

He'd been saving for so long, and even considering his previous expenditures, he'd only handled a million crystal cores. The military suddenly offered a million?

"It could have been two or three million." Staff Officer Chen put down the steamed bun, his tone tinged with regret. "However, in order to discover potential supernatural talents among the people, quite a few were sent for testing."

Lin Chen slowly leaned back in his chair.

He gradually calmed down from his initial shock.

Although he is now stronger than his opponent, in the early stages, his opponent's strength would have absolutely crushed him.

They have the most advanced weapons and equipment in China, and their killing efficiency far exceeds that of any private force when zombies are densely packed in the early stages.

His mind began to work.

If we're talking about who has the most low-level crystal cores, it can only be the military forces in various regions!

This deal has to be done!

"Oh, I wonder what Staff Officer Chen wants to exchange?" Lin Chen asked calmly, but he knew in his heart that he had really lost his composure by spitting out that mouthful of soy milk earlier.

Before the deal even started, the momentum had already been diminished.

Staff Officer Chen broke off half a fried dough stick, dipped it in soy milk, took a bite, and then slowly began to speak: "Food. Rice, pork, soybeans, cooking oil..."

He rattled off a long string of words.

These are all supplies that require secondary processing. In this extremely cold weather, even setting up a pot outdoors is difficult, and ordinary survivors simply don't have the means to process them. Right now, these kinds of items are the cheapest on the market.

"And purified water," she added at the end.

Lin Chen listened and understood.

"Can you process it in this weather?" he asked doubtfully.

Staff Officer Chen laughed: "Hehe, Lord Lin, we may lack food, but we certainly don't lack fuel."

Lin Chen didn't hesitate.

"Okay, no problem."

He turned to the side and called out to Su Yun, who was not far away, "Sister Yun, bring us our price list."

"Okay," Su Yun replied from afar.

A moment later, she came over with an iPad and handed it to Staff Officer Chen.

Staff Officer Chen took it, holding the bun in one hand and swiping the screen with the other, eating and watching at the same time.

Lin Chen didn't rush him, and slowly drank the soy milk.

At the dining table, only the sounds of chewing and the faint rustling of fingertips across the screen could be heard for a moment.

He looked at it very carefully, his fingers sliding across the screen, flipping through every page, and occasionally clicking on an item to zoom in.

Half an hour later, Staff Officer Chen finally put down his iPad and stuffed the last steamed bun into his mouth.

He Jun and two soldiers standing nearby had already gone through several rounds of meals.

They sat upright, their backs ramrod straight, but the long-lost look of satisfaction on their faces, the look of having eaten and drunk their fill, was impossible to hide.

He Jun's square face remained taut, but his eyes softened noticeably.

The two young people next to them had their mouths practically stretched to their ears, but they were trying their best to hold it in; their facial expressions were a complete failure.

Staff Officer Chen wiped his mouth, picked up the iPad, weighed it in his hand, and then looked at Lin Chen.

"Price is fine," he said. "But what kind of discounts does Lord Lin intend to offer for such a large-volume transaction?"

He wasn't asking "whether or not to give," but rather "how much to give!"

Lin Chen could certainly hear the difference.

He remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was a little annoyed—he had sprayed that mouthful of soy milk too early.

One million crystal cores certainly made him lose his composure.

Now someone has seized the opportunity to speak.

He picked up the soy milk, took a slow sip, and put it down.

"Then..." he paused, "let's give away another 5% of the supplies."

Staff Officer Chen frowned slightly.

This kid is no pushover either.

With discounts, you have the choice to buy whatever you want. With gifts, however, what you give is entirely up to the recipient.

And it's only 5%, are they waiting for me to haggle?

Staff Officer Chen smiled, a smile that carried a hint of cunning.

"Lord Lin," he said, "this sincerity...is not quite enough."

He gently placed the iPad on the table and pushed the screen towards Lin Chen.

"I understand this thing, and I accept the price. But what I'm getting in return for these million crystal cores can't be something I can't explain to Commander Peng and the soldiers, can it?"

Lin Chen looked at him but didn't reply.

Staff Officer Chen continued, "Besides, if this cooperation goes through, there will be a second and a third batch. The military will have plenty of crystal cores in the future!"

That's a very frank statement.

Lin Chen tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.

"So, what does Staff Officer Chen mean?"

"Twenty points." Staff Officer Chen held up two fingers: "Supplies are optional."

Lin Chen shook his head; the other party was asking for an exorbitant amount.

The two looked at each other, and each saw something in the other's eyes.

He Jun and two soldiers standing nearby dared not breathe, their eyes darting back and forth between the two men's faces.

Li Ya and Su Yun sat not far away, eating plain sunflower seeds and watching the show, both with smiles on their faces.