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

Upon hearing this, Lin Chen shrugged: "Let him do his thing, I'll take care of mine."

Li Boyuan's eyes darkened as he stared at Lin Chen for a long while, slowly suppressing the violent beating of his heart.

"What do you want from me?"

"Give Commander Li some guidance."

"The right path?" Li Boyuan sneered. "You should know that while the Li family doesn't have as many nuclear weapons as the Chen family, we still have quite a few. You haven't even dealt with the Chen family, so what makes you think you can point me in the right direction?"

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow: "Didn't manage to deal with the Chen family? If the Chen family hadn't been threatening me with the lives of ordinary people, do you think it would have been so difficult to wipe them out?"

Li Boyuan's cold smile faltered slightly.

As a soldier, using civilians as hostages to save one's own life is certainly not something to be proud of.

But he quickly regained his composure; in the apocalypse, survival was the only justice.

He knew Lin Chen's strength all too well; he couldn't possibly win in a head-on confrontation.

But if Lin Chen moves all the ordinary people away and kills all the zombies, they will all become "commanders" again. What's the point of keeping the title of commander?

He remained silent for a long time, his mind in turmoil. The documents on the table were crumpled from being gripped so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"...Tell me your clear path."

Lin Chen said calmly, "Remain neutral in the Chen family's affairs and hand over the crystal cores and the population."

Li Boyuan slammed his fist on the table: "This is robbery! I will never agree to this!"

"You're risking your life!" Lin Chen gripped his throat again.

Li Boyuan was sweating profusely, and his heart was pounding.

Just then, the door was suddenly kicked open, and more than twenty guards rushed in, all pointing their guns at Lin Chen.

"Who are you? Release the commander, or you'll suffer a fate worse than death!"

"Kid, no matter who you are, if the Commander sheds a single hair on your head, I'll make sure you don't live three seconds!"

Lin Chen didn't even turn his head. He picked at his ear, his tone tinged with helplessness: "Why bother? I came here to show you a way out, why can't you be like Liu Weidong and know how to cherish it?"

A chilling killing intent emanated from him, and Li Boyuan's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

"Wait!" he hissed.

The guards tried to step forward, but he shouted at them, "Get out!"

"commander!"

Li Boyuan continued shouting, "Get out! Anyone who disobeys will be punished according to military law!"

More than twenty people gritted their teeth and reluctantly left, and the door closed again.

Lin Chen looked at Li Boyuan in surprise and loosened his grip on his neck.

Li Boyuan slumped into his chair, his whole body drenched in cold sweat.

He looked at Lin Chen, his lips trembling slightly, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Li Boyuan slumped in his chair, the cold sweat on his back still damp.

He opened his mouth, his throat dry, and after a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "You mean... Old Liu agreed to your conditions?"

"Of course." Lin Chen leaned back in his chair, still relaxed and at ease. "And he'll cooperate with me fully."

"How could this be!" Li Boyuan sat up abruptly, his voice trembling. "That opportunist, how could he possibly make such a decision? I know Liu Weidong all too well; he's as cunning as a monkey, he won't act until he sees the benefit..."

"You could contact him," Lin Chen interrupted him.

Li Boyuan was taken aback: "Is...this alright?"

"random."

Li Boyuan stared at Lin Chen for a few seconds and saw that he looked normal and didn't seem to be bluffing him.

He took a deep breath, slowly reached out, and took a shortwave communicator from his desk drawer. His finger paused on the knob for a moment, but he still turned it on.

"Old Liu, this is Li Boyuan." His voice was very low, with a hint of barely perceptible probing.

A hissing sound came from the other end of the communicator. A few seconds later, Liu Weidong's voice rang out, calmer than a warlord struggling to survive in a post-apocalyptic world: "Old schemer? What's up?"

Li Boyuan's lips twitched, but he resisted the urge to continue, asking, "Lin Chen... went to your place?"

There was a moment of silence before a voice came through: "Yes."

Li Boyuan's hand tightened slightly: "You agreed to all the conditions he proposed?"

"I agreed." Liu Weidong's voice was completely calm. "Old Li, take my advice. The path he's offering is the real path."

Li Boyuan opened his mouth, wanting to ask something more, but a hissing sound came from the other end, and the communicator was disconnected.

After a while, he let go, put the communicator on the table, leaned back in his chair, and closed his eyes.

Lin Chen sat on the side the whole time, as if watching a play that had nothing to do with him.

He found that his mindset had indeed changed after experiencing the battle with the gods. A few months ago, he might have gone on a killing spree because of Li Boyuan's resistance and the threats from the guards.

But now, looking at these people, these people struggling to survive in the apocalypse, desperately clinging to power and territory, he felt only a faint sense of looking down on them.

It's not arrogance.

It's about standing in a higher place, calmly watching those who are still struggling in the mud.

Li Boyuan opened his eyes, his gaze falling on Lin Chen's face, a look of resigned weariness on his face.

"What do you want me to do?"

Lin Chen said, "The conditions are the same as before. If you're willing to cooperate like the Liu family, I can also give you a great opportunity after it's done..."

As for what kind of fortune he was referring to, he didn't say.

Li Boyuan nodded slowly and did not ask any further questions.

Lin Chen got up and walked towards the door, and Li Boyuan hurriedly followed to see him off.

The moment the door opened, it was already crowded with fully armed guards, guns lowered and eyes like knives.

Standing at the front was a man in his thirties, whose eyebrows and eyes bore a resemblance to Li Boyuan.

Everyone was visibly taken aback when they saw the two of them come out side by side.

The man was the first to react, quickly stepping forward to support Li Boyuan, and asked in a low voice, "Dad, are you alright?"

"Don't worry, it's alright." Li Boyuan shook his head, turned to Lin Chen, and said calmly, "Mr. Lin, I'll stop here. I'll arrange your requests as soon as possible, and I'll let you know once the supplies are ready. The Li family will cooperate in the same way as the Liu family."

Lin Chen nodded: "Okay. Until we meet again."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure vanished from everyone's sight.

The corridor fell silent for a moment; some people rubbed their eyes, while others instinctively gripped their guns tighter.

Li Boyuan looked at the empty ground and sighed deeply.

"Dad, who is this person?" the man asked in surprise, his voice trembling slightly.

Li Boyuan withdrew his gaze, his tone calm yet carrying a weight: "He is Lin Chen, who fought a great battle with the gods!"

He paused, ignoring his son's wide eyes, and turned to walk towards his office: "Come in with me, I have something to tell you."

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

After leaving the Li family's residence, Lin Chen began his journey south towards the capital.

He could have taken direct action against the Chen family now. The Liu family had already surrendered, the Li family had already submitted, and he had also obtained information about the location of the Chen family's nuclear missiles. He could have wiped out the Chen family at any time.

But instead of rushing to close the net, he headed towards the Chen family's location.

He wanted to go and see.

Go and see what kind of person Chen Huaiyuan is, who would rather perish than give up on him.