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

The man leading the group was in his early thirties, followed by more than forty people.

Lin Chen glanced at him—this man should be an S-rank, and there were only about ten other A-ranks, far fewer than Qin Lu's group.

The thirty-odd people Qin Lu brought were all A-level.

However, the opponent also brought thirty B-rank soldiers to make up the numbers, giving them an advantage in numbers, but they were clearly inferior in strength.

As the man approached, his pupils contracted slightly.

His gaze swept over Lin Chen and Qin Lu.

The two stood side by side, with Qin Lu slightly behind by half a body length. This posture clearly showed that she respected the stranger.

However, according to the intelligence he received, Qin Lu was the boss of Bao'an.

Who is this man?

In a flash, he put on a smile and went to greet her.

"Boss Qin, it's an honor to meet you!" He cupped his hands in greeting to Qin Lu. "This is our first meeting. I hope we can work together successfully."

Qin Lu smiled slightly, maintaining impeccable manners: "Brother Li, you're too kind."

Boss Li's gaze shifted and landed on Lin Chen, and he asked with a smile, "Who is this? He looks unfamiliar."

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Chen reached out and pulled Qin Lu closer to his waist.

"Lin Chen," he said calmly, "Qin Lu's man."

Qin Lu leaned against his shoulder, her eyes gentle, looking like a little woman, without a trace of her usual sharpness.

Li Laoda's pupils suddenly contracted.

Just then, Lin Chen's gaze drifted unintentionally to a corner not far away.

It was empty and deserted, with only shadows.

But his mental power had already sensed that someone was watching them.

Li Laoda's smile remained unchanged, but his back tensed slightly.

Qin Lu spoke first, breaking the brief silence.

"Boss Li, where's your crystal core?"

Boss Li grinned and clapped his hands.

In the distance, a truck slowly drove by, its tires wrapped with snow chains, leaving deep ruts in the snow.

The car came to a stop in front of everyone, and the rear door was opened, revealing dozens of bags of various sizes stacked inside.

One of the underlings jumped onto the car and casually untied the opening of a bag.

Crystal nuclei. A whole bag full, gleaming faintly in the grayish-white light of the sky.

Li Laoda withdrew his gaze and looked at Qin Lu.

"Boss Qin, where's your goods?"

Qin Lu raised her hand.

A female team member behind him nodded, took out her walkie-talkie, and said a few words. A moment later, several more trucks drove up from behind, lined up in a row, a total of ten trucks.

Boss Li's eyes lit up instantly.

Qin Lu smiled slightly: "How much cargo did Boss Li bring this time?"

Li Laoda's smile faded, and he said seriously, "A total of 600,000 crystal cores."

"What do you want to change to?"

"Food, clean water, fuel, and winter clothing—we need them all."

The two went back and forth, starting to discuss the price.

Lin Chen stood to the side, listening quietly, occasionally glancing at the crowd opposite him.

The price was settled shortly afterward.

Qin Lu brought ten truckloads of supplies, but only seven were unloaded, yet she received 600,000 crystal cores in return.

Boss Li's eyes shone even brighter as he looked at the seven carts of supplies, and he repeatedly cupped his hands in greeting.

"Brother Qin, you're so generous! I'll definitely come back to you next time I have crystal cores!"

Qin Lu smiled but didn't reply. She simply moved closer to Lin Chen.

The deal was struck, and everyone was happy.

Lin Chen waved his hand, storing the 600,000 crystal cores into his spatial storage, and then turned and left with Qin Lu and the others.

Boss Li stood there, squinting, watching the team slowly disappear into the snow.

A henchman leaned in from behind and asked in a low voice:

"Boss, those brothers we've got lying in ambush... should we make a move?"

Boss Li turned around and slapped his underling on the back of the head.

"Attack? If you want to die, don't drag me down with you!"

The younger brother covered his head, shrinking back with a wronged expression: "But didn't we have so many people lying in ambush? We might not be afraid of them if a fight really breaks out..."

Old Li glared at him with exasperation, his voice even lower:

"I always tell you to observe more and use your brains more. Don't think that just because you've awakened superpowers you're invincible! There are plenty of strong people in this world!"

He paused, then looked in the direction Lin Chen had disappeared, his tone tinged with apprehension:

"You've forgotten what happened more than twenty days ago? The S-level leaders of those two bases in Shekou, Shenzhen, and Foxconn were wiped out in less than two hours. And what happened in the end? Qin Lu's family became the sole power!"

The younger brother was stunned.

Boss Li continued, "There's been a rumor in the underworld that Qin Lu has a powerful backer. Our people couldn't get any concrete information about her before, the higher-ups on the other side were very tight-lipped—but today we understand, it's this Lin Chen."

He withdrew his gaze and looked at his clueless younger brother:

"Think about it carefully. With such a ruthless and vicious person standing right there, you still want to make a move?"

The younger brother opened his mouth, finally realizing what had happened, and belatedly broke out in a cold sweat.

Old Li shook his head, glanced in that direction again, and muttered:

"I'm already incredibly grateful that the transaction went smoothly today."

He then slapped his underling on the head: "Hurry up and organize people to load the goods, hurry back, it's too uncomfortable to stay here any longer."

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

Lin Chen returned to the Bao'an base and went straight to the No. 1 constant temperature greenhouse.

He found a quiet room, closed the door, and dismissed Xiao Yan and the Twelve Golden Flowers who came up to greet him. He then sat cross-legged on the small bed in the center of the room.

With a thought, the crystal cores in the supernatural space surged out like a tide and then transferred into the Creation Pearl.

He began feeding the roots of the Primordial Creation Tree.

One, ten, a hundred, a thousand...

The Primordial Creation Tree began to tremble silently, and countless roots stretched out wildly from the void, greedily absorbing this pure energy.

The roots, some as thick as an arm and others as thin as a hair, were densely packed, completely enveloping the crystal core.

Three hours.

It took Lin Chen a full three hours to feed all ten million crystal cores.

The moment the last crystal core was swallowed by the roots, the entire space seemed to tremble.

Lin Chen closed his eyes and probed the depths of the Creation Tree with his mind.

In the void, the original form of the Primordial Creation Tree stood silently, growing even more magnificent.

He couldn't describe the feeling; it was like gazing at a starry sky, or looking down at a mountain range. At this moment, the Primordial Creation Tree's true form had expanded a hundredfold, or perhaps a thousandfold, compared to before.

He could only sense that its current size was probably many times larger than Earth, and comparable to Jupiter in the solar system.

Its enormous size made even its owner feel somewhat insignificant.

At this moment, the Creation Pearl finally transmitted a message:

[Primordial Creation Pearl - Bound to Host's Soul - Level: Seven]

It can unlock the host's potential and awaken S-level or higher superpowers.

Consumes energy to increase a specific ability level by +1 (Cooldown period: 4 days).

It contains the nascent foundational laws of the "New World," and its current space is a constant star system.

Creation Spring: Daily output: 100 Creation Crystals (can awaken supernatural abilities and grant loyalty to the host); 100 Life Crystals (can enhance the user's life level and grant loyalty to the host, currently capped at S-rank); 1 Mid-Rank Life Crystal (can enhance the user's life level and grant loyalty to the host, currently capped at SS-rank).

Note: The host's ability level cannot exceed the current level of the Primordial Pearl.