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

With a foundation of mutual trust established, everything else went smoothly.

Lin Chen exchanged more than 200,000 first-order crystal cores from Hu San—twice as many as Gu Yan from the west of the city.

There was no way around it; the Tiger Gang was a large and powerful organization. Hu San, who controlled the food factory, had a large and influential group of men, so his efficiency in scavenging crystal cores was far superior to that of Gu Yan, a poor man who lacked food and clothing.

All Lin Chen gave up was a batch of fresh fruits and vegetables and compressed dry rations.

Hu San stared wide-eyed at the lush green vegetables and bright red apples—he hadn't seen these things for over half a month.

The transaction was completed, and both parties were pleased.

Hu San and Gou Qiang personally escorted Lin Chen to the gate.

As for Wang Kun?

Nobody mentioned it.

It's as if the Fierce Tiger Gang never had this person.

Upon reaching the door, Lin Chen stopped in his tracks.

"Alright, let's go back."

Hu San bowed and scraped, his smile becoming more genuine—he now truly hoped Lin Chen would come again.

"Take care, Mr. Lin! Welcome to visit again!"

He had just exchanged a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables with Lin Chen; the crisp cucumbers and sweet apples made his mouth water just thinking about them.

Next time I come, I can try something else...

"Um."

Lin Chen responded, and with a flash, he disappeared from the spot with Yuanzai.

Hu San and Gou Qiang stood at the door, staring blankly at the empty snowfield, not moving for a long time.

A gust of cold wind swept by, making Hu San shiver.

"Tiger," Gou Qiang finally couldn't help but speak up, "Shall we go back? Mr. Lin has already gone far away."

"Huh?" Hu San finally came to his senses. "Oh, okay, let's go back."

He took two steps and suddenly patted Gou Qiang on the shoulder.

"Qiangzi, thank you so much this time."

Gou Qiang was stunned for a moment, then quickly waved his hands: "Tiger, what are you saying! If it weren't for you saving my mother and me back then, we would have died long ago. My life belongs to you!"

Hu San smiled and said nothing more.

The two walked back side by side.

After walking a few steps, Hu San suddenly remembered something, turned around and gave the order:

"Tell the brothers to kill more zombies and collect more crystal cores. As for supplies, let them trade freely."

He paused, then added:

"By the way, double the price first—so the guys have something to work towards."

Gou Qiang: "..."

---------------------------

As for Lin Chen, he had already arrived at the entrance of the military base in Dongguan.

Standing in front of him was a colonel, in his thirties, with a square face and eyes that carried the vigilance typical of a professional soldier.

Lin Chen toned down his casual demeanor somewhat—after all, the foundation for cooperation with the military was solid, and the military's actions, both before and after the apocalypse, were highly respectable, so the respect due should still be shown.

"I'm here to make a deal," he said bluntly. "You can ask your superiors about this. I've always maintained a good working relationship with Staff Officer Chen of the Guangzhou military."

The colonel didn't respond, but instead looked Lin Chen up and down, his brows furrowing more and more deeply.

Outside, it was freezing cold and full of zombies. This person came all the way from Guangzhou alone.

"Guangzhou?" His tone was clearly suspicious. "You said you're from Guangzhou?"

Lin Chen nodded. The colonel didn't say anything more, just stared at him, his eyes saying, "Keep making things up, keep making things up."

Lin Chen sighed.

"Why don't you ask your superiors?" He shrugged. "Otherwise, we can't just sit here doing nothing, can we?"

The colonel thought for a moment and nodded.

"Please wait a moment."

He turned and walked away quickly, a flurry of snowflakes rising from the hem of his coat.

Lin Chen reluctantly withdrew his gaze and began to stroll aimlessly in the snow with Yuanzai.

Yuanzai sniffed around and looked around, showing great interest in the two soldiers on guard duty, which frightened the two men so much that the veins on their hands gripping the gun handles bulged.

After a while, hurried footsteps could be heard in the distance.

The colonel returned, followed by a man wrapped in a thick coat, who took long, fast strides.

Before they even got close, a powerful voice boomed out:

"Lord Lin, your presence is an honor. We apologize for not being able to greet you properly!"

Lin Chen was taken aback.

Do you know me?

The man strode up to him, took off his thick gloves, and reached out to grasp Lin Chen's hands, shaking them vigorously.

"Staff Officer Chen has already told us about your situation!" He grinned broadly, wrinkles crinkling at the corners of his eyes. "Commander Peng personally gave the order—if you want crystal cores, the Dongguan military will provide them all!"

Lin Chen was stunned.

Offer it all up?

Wasn't this supposed to be a transaction?

Seeing Lin Chen's expression, the man quickly waved his hand and said with a smile, "City Lord Lin, my name is Li Meng. Let's go inside and talk; it's quite cold outside."

"it is good."

Lin Chen, with Yuanzai in tow, followed Li Meng and the colonel into the underground fortifications.

This place is much more spacious and has many more people than the Tiger Gang's place.

In the rooms on both sides of the passageway, there were soldiers and ordinary people. The elderly and children sat on their bedding, while young people gathered in twos and threes.

Lin Chen's gaze swept across the area—there were several times more ordinary people here than on the Tiger Gang's side, and their faces were mostly not pale, so they didn't seem to be starving.

"Mr. Lin, please make yourself at home," Li Meng said as they entered the office.

Lin Chen sat down on an old sofa, and Yuanzai squatted down at his feet, curiously looking around the room filled with documents.

"General Li, there are quite a few ordinary people here," Lin Chen said casually.

Li Meng gave a wry smile and sighed.

"There's nothing we can do, we've done everything we can. The soldiers are out searching for people every day, and this is all we can save." He paused, "Does what you're saying sound like you're targeting me?"

Lin Chen was taken aback, and quickly explained, "Commander Li, I am sincerely praising you."

Li Meng paused for a moment, then burst into laughter: "I know, I know!" He waved his hand with a smile, "It was just something I felt compelled to say."

He stopped smiling, sighed, and his tone became somewhat heavy:

"This disaster came too suddenly. We really wanted to save more people, but our capabilities are really limited. So far, we've only managed to save a few hundred thousand."

Lin Chen nodded without saying anything.

He could sense the sincerity in the other person's words.

After finishing his reflections, Li Meng wiped his face and cheered himself up.

"Lord Lin, the crystal cores are ready. You can come and collect them anytime."

Lin Chen couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering him earlier: "Commander Li just said that Commander Peng gave the order?"

"good."

"You...don't want supplies?"

Li Meng smiled, a smile tinged with pride.

"We have no shortage of supplies."

He paused for a moment, then explained, "There are many food factories in Dongguan, and our stockpiles are enough to last us a long time. So, we'll just provide you with the crystal cores you need."