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

Lin Chen and Yuanzai returned to Shanshui Garden in just over ten minutes.

Of course, this is assuming Yuanzai isn't running at full speed. If it were to really take off, its speed could double.

The man and the bear crossed the outer city and rode directly into the underground shelter.

As soon as I entered the cafeteria, I bumped into a crowd of people waiting for their meal.

Li Ya and the others had finished their training for the day and were sitting in twos and threes around the dining table, chatting about the interesting things that happened that day.

When Lin Chen rode in on Yuanzai, everyone's eyes lit up.

"Wow--!"

Jiang Yingyue was the first to jump up and rush over in a few steps.

"Brother Lin! Brother Lin! Let me ride it for a bit! Just for a bit!"

She stared at Yuanzi with shining eyes.

Yuanzai, who had been walking with his head held high, froze instantly upon hearing those words.

It slowly turned its head, looking at Lin Chen with its big, dark eyes, its gaze filled with terror: Master, what did she say? I didn't hear clearly.

Lin Chen patted its head, said nothing, and stepped down.

Jiang Yingyue had already circled around to Yuanzai's side and was about to climb up.

Yuanzai immediately took a step to the side, letting out a pitiful "woo-woo" sound.

It's a giant panda, a national treasure! Not a mount! Being ridden by its owner is one thing—after all, the owner is the owner—but this two-legged creature…

It sniffed it with its nose.

Huh? Why does she also have the master's scent on her? And it's quite strong?

Yuanzai stood there, stunned, lost in deep thought.

In that brief moment of hesitation, Jiang Yingyue had already successfully climbed onto its back.

"Giddy up! Giddy up!"

Yuanzai: "..."

It looked at Lin Chen again, its eyes filled with resentment.

Lin Chen shrugged, making a "I can't help it" expression, then turned and walked towards the dining table, completely leaving Yuanzai behind.

Behind them came Jiang Yingyue's cheerful laughter and Yuanzai's helpless sobs.

Li Ya, Su Yun, and the others couldn't help but laugh as they watched this scene.

Lin Chen walked between Li Ya and Su Yun, sat down naturally, and casually took the fresh grapes that Su Yun handed him.

"Xiaoya, how was your day?"

Li Ya put down the bowl in her hand, a helpless smile on her face: "I only hunted 50,000 crystal cores today."

She paused, glancing at Su Yun.

"Sister Yun's trading center has broken through 100,000 today."

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow and smiled.

"That's for sure." He picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and said slowly, "You've recently established many communication lines with various factions, so naturally more people can come to trade. It's normal that it can't compare to Sister Yun's place."

Su Yun smiled silently beside her.

Li Ya pursed her lips, wanting to say something but swallowing it back.

Seeing her like that, Lin Chen couldn't help but reach out and rub her head.

"How long will it take to get through to the west side of the city?"

Li Ya tilted her head to avoid his hand, but the corners of her mouth were already turned up.

"It should be accessible by tomorrow," she said, pausing before adding, "The same goes for the north side of the city."

Lin Chen nodded.

"Hmm, not bad."

He put down his chopsticks, glanced at the people eating at the table, and spoke with a rare air of ease.

"Once these two sides are connected, the entire city of Guangzhou will truly be a continuous whole."

He looked at Li Ya, his gaze softening.

"At that time, you won't have to go on missions every day."

Li Ya was stunned for a moment.

Why?

"The zombies in Guangzhou shouldn't be a large-scale outbreak anymore; hunting them here is too inefficient. Let the remaining scattered zombies be killed by the other survivors."

As soon as he finished speaking, the tables around him fell silent for a moment.

Jiang Yingyue, perched on Yuanzai's back, tilted her head and asked, "Brother Lin, what will we do from now on? Just eat and sleep all day?"

Taking advantage of the moment, Yuanzai nudged her off his back and then quickly retreated to his bear den.

Jiang Yingyue fell to the ground, but she wasn't angry. She got up and chased after him.

"Yuanzi, stop right there—!"

Lin Chen glanced down, pretending not to see it.

The others couldn't help but laugh at the sight, and the cafeteria was filled with laughter.

Instead of answering what to do next, Lin Chen started talking about his trip to Dongguan.

"I went to Dongguan today."

Everyone at the table looked up in unison.

Yuanzai had already hidden in its den, so Jiang Yingyue had no choice but to return. She then came over and pricked up her ears.

They hadn't heard any news from the outside world for a long time and were eager to find out about the living conditions of the survivors outside.

Lin Chen briefly recounted his trip to Dongguan City today—

"We exchanged over 200,000 crystal cores from Hu San."

"The military gave even more, over 500,000."

"More than 100,000 yuan was seized from Huang Jun."

The crowd began to discuss the matter.

"Doesn't that add up to over 800,000?"

"Brother Lin, are you going to buy some goods?"

Then Lin Chen started talking about Huang Jun's practice of raising corpses with living people.

After listening to Lin Chen's story, the air around them seemed to turn cold.

Li Ya remained silent for a long while before speaking in a low voice: "It's only been less than twenty days since the apocalypse... and people are already like this?"

She raised her head, her gaze sweeping across Lin Chen's face, then looking at the people around her who were listening quietly, her tone carrying a complex sense of relief:

"By comparison, our place... is practically a utopia."

Everyone followed her gaze and finally it landed on Lin Chen.

No one spoke.

But that look in his eyes said it all—gratitude, relief, and a little bit of something else that was hard to explain.

Lin Chen felt a little uncomfortable being stared at, and was about to speak when a voice suddenly came from the side.

"Brother Lin, what's the feud between Chen Yang and Hu San?"

Jiang Yingyue rested her chin on her hand, her eyes sparkling, her face clearly saying, "I want to hear the gossip."

Everyone: "..."

Li Ya rubbed her forehead.

This girl's focus is never on the same level as others.

Lin Chen glanced at her and casually said, "I didn't ask."

He paused, then added, "I can't be bothered with it."

Huang Jun was the one who encountered this situation, and the other party actually dared to attack him!

Jiang Yingyue pouted, a little annoyed at not hearing any gossip.

Lin Chen ignored her and turned to look at Li Ya.

"After you've established the Guangzhou trading route, you can take a break for a while."

"We've worked so hard for so long and accumulated so many supplies," he leaned back, a slight smile playing on his lips, "it's time for us to relax."

Li Ya was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously wanted to say something, but he raised his hand to interrupt her.

"I'm pretty much in the same boat," Lin Chen said. "Once I've visited all the major cities around here, I should probably take a break for a while."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd and landing in the distance, his tone thoughtful:

"The zombies aren't as concentrated as they were in the early stages. Your hunting efficiency will only decrease as you go out to hunt them."

"It's far less efficient than trading."

Li Ya nodded and didn't say anything more.

Lin Chen, however, was thinking much more. When there were fewer and fewer crystal cores to scavenge around Yangcheng, he would probably have to consider moving to another place, and he might not even be able to wait until the snow melted.