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

Soon after, cheers erupted outside.

First it was a few people, then a group of people, and finally it was as if the entire camp had exploded. Shouts, laughter, and cries were all mixed together, and Lin Chen could hear them clearly from a great distance.

Lin Chen sat alone in the tin shack, feeling somewhat helpless.

This group of people didn't even leave one person to stay with him? Aren't they afraid he'll change his mind and run away?

He leaned back in his chair, listening to the sounds outside, and suddenly found it a little funny. It was a miracle that this group had managed to hold on until now.

I wonder what kind of special ability Lu Heng has that allows him to gather so many people together without exhausting himself.

The commotion outside was still going on, and the light from the fire shone through the crack in the door, flickering intermittently.

Yuanzai lay at his feet, unable to sleep because of the noise. He turned over and over again, finally burying his head in his paws and whimpering to express his dissatisfaction.

Lin Chen glanced at it helplessly and simply sent Yuanzai into Creation Island to stop it from whining and getting in the way.

Bored, he pulled out a pig's trotter from his storage space and started gnawing on it.

After running around all day, I was starving. As I chewed, I thought to myself that sending Yuanzai back wasn't because I was afraid it would steal the pig's trotters—that guy may be greedy, but he wouldn't go so far as to steal food from his owner, right?

Just as he was enjoying his juicy meal, someone suddenly rushed in through the door.

It was the girl with the ponytail who had been following behind Lu Heng earlier, carrying a steaming bowl of instant noodles, seemingly there to deliver the meal to Lin Chen.

He rushed in, but his steps faltered abruptly at the sight before him.

She stared at the pig's trotter in Lin Chen's hand, and made a loud swallowing sound.

Lin Chen looked up at her; the girl's eyes were practically glued to the pig's trotter, and there was a faint glint in the corner of her mouth.

He sighed a little, then pulled out another one and handed it over: "Why don't you... try one too?"

The girl nodded, and without saying a word, put down the instant noodles, took them, took a bite, her eyes narrowed into slits, and her expression was one of blissful happiness.

The room fell silent, save for the smacking sounds of two people gnawing on pig's trotters.

A short while later, another chubby boy rushed in looking for someone, but when he saw the scene inside, he froze on the spot.

Lin Chen resignedly pulled out another pig's trotter and handed it over. The chubby boy swallowed hard, took it, squatted in the corner, and joined the group gnawing on the pig's trotter.

When Lu Heng arrived, sweating profusely, the moment he opened the door, he saw his group of friends squatting inside, gnawing on pig's trotters. They were all in different postures, but their expressions were remarkably similar: happiness.

He stood at the doorway, his mouth slightly open, drool visibly swirling around the corners of his lips.

Lin Chen sighed, then took out another pig's trotter and threw it over.

Lu Heng caught it, but didn't rush to eat it. He smiled sheepishly.

But he only felt embarrassed for a second before taking a big bite and mumbling, "Thank you, Boss Lin..."

Lin Chen leaned against the table with his arms crossed, watching the group of people working diligently, and couldn't help but tease, "Have you all forgotten that I'm the guest? You hosts, why aren't you providing any food?"

The girl with the ponytail who rushed in first was licking the oil off her fingers, not even looking up: "Boss Lin, you're the master here now, we're all your little brothers."

Lin Chen sighed, rubbing his forehead: "I haven't agreed to take you in yet."

Lu Heng's hand trembled, and with a mouthful of tendon still in his mouth, he mumbled anxiously, "Boss Lin, didn't you already tell us to report to the Financial City?"

Lin Chen looked at him with a half-smile: "Did I say that everyone there is one of my people?"

Several people looked up at the same time, staring at him with bewildered expressions, and asked in unison, "Isn't that right?"

Lin Chen leaned against the table and briefly explained the inner and outer city model he had implemented in Guangzhou—the outer city was for exchanging work for resources, while the inner city was for his own people. After explaining, he glanced around: "So, when you report to the Financial City, you're going to work in the 'outer city.'"

The group of people looked at each other, their expressions quite interesting.

Seriously? Is this even possible? So you're picking and choosing the beautiful women, and the rest... are all temporary workers?

The girl with the ponytail looked down at herself, then at the men next to her, and muttered something under her breath.

The chubby boy suddenly lost interest in the pig's trotter in his hand and stared blankly at Lin Chen. Lu Heng pushed up his glasses, lost in thought.

Lin Chen didn't explain, and took out a pig's trotter from his spatial storage, and started gnawing on it again.

While gnawing on a pig's trotter, he turned to look at Lu Heng and casually asked, "Lu Heng, what's your special ability? How do you manage to hold up such a... 'bloated' force all by yourself?"

Lu Heng chewed on a pig's trotter and mumbled, "Boss Lin, my ability is S-rank 'Sublimation.' It can temporarily raise a person's talent by one level. I'm currently at level four, and I can raise four people at the same time for one hour."

Lin Chen almost dropped the pig's trotter in his hand.

"You mean... if you use it on four A-rank characters, they can temporarily become four S-rank characters?"

Lu Heng nodded and swallowed the meat in his mouth: "That's about the gist of it."

Lin Chen stared at him, unsure of what to say.

Is there really such a freakish superpower? On the battlefield, this is equivalent to one S-rank being used as five. When a fight breaks out, the opponent thinks they're fighting four A-ranks, but then they all turn into S-ranks. Who could stand that?

"And what about your own fighting ability?" he asked again.

Lu Heng smiled sheepishly: "It's a bit worse than the other S-class, but it can still hold its own."

Lin Chen remained silent for a while, and then suddenly understood why this person had been able to survive until now with such a "bloated" force.

This is a fucking bug. It wasn't built through management or ideals; it was achieved through real, hard-fought battles.

One person is worth five S-class. In the early stages when resources are plentiful, he can take four temporarily upgraded S-class members out to scavenge. Who can compete with him?

"Your special ability..." Lin Chen carefully chose his words, "After using it, are there any side effects on the recipient?"

"It'll be a little tiring, but I'll be fine after half a day of rest," Lu Heng answered honestly. "There are no other side effects."

Lin Chen gave him a deep look. This superpower, in his hands, was of immeasurable value.

"Can you use this yourself?" he asked.

Lu Heng shook his head and pointed to the others who were gnawing on pig's trotters: "You can't use it on yourself. I only use it on them."

Lin Chen nodded, already understanding the situation.

This superpower is so appealing! If only Lu Heng were a beautiful woman, I'd tie him up and bring him to my chariot.

Even so, he didn't want to give up. This person's special ability might be of great help in facing unknown enemies in the future.

He stood up and patted Lu Heng on the shoulder: "Report to the Financial City tomorrow. I'll have someone arrange a seat for you."

Lu Heng's eyes lit up, and he stopped gnawing on the pig's trotter, jumping up to his feet: "Thank you, Boss Lin!"

Lin Chen waved his hand, gesturing for him to sit down and continue eating.

But in his heart, he was already figuring out how to use this person.