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

Lin Chen steadied himself and looked at the person he had knocked down.

She was a young woman who had fallen to the ground. Her long hair was slightly disheveled, and her clothes were wrinkled, but it couldn't hide her elegant and refined temperament. Her skin was fair, and her eyebrows and eyes were exquisite. At this moment, her pale pink lips were slightly parted due to fright. What was most captivating were her almond-shaped eyes, filled with panic and helplessness, yet still revealing a trace of innocent and pure naivety.

Her beauty is different from Li Ya's cold and sharp beauty, and also different from the twins' lively and playful beauty. Instead, she is like a quiet beauty with a scholarly air, as if she has stepped out of an old art film—a beauty that is classical and unforgettable.

The woman regained her senses and recognized the man who had "passed through the wall." She slowly stood up, rubbing the spot where she had fallen, and muttered softly, her voice filled with grievance, "You...you're not a zombie? Then why didn't you knock? You scared me to death..."

A few seconds later, she suddenly seized on the key point, her eyes wide as she pointed at Lin Chen, then at the perfectly locked metal door: "Wait! This door is clearly locked from the inside! I still have the key! How did you get in?"

"You were a beat slow to react," Lin Chen said with a slight smile, his guard down and his tone tinged with a hint of teasing.

"Hey beautiful, that's practically a tackling man! And you seem a bit...dazed." Lin Chen pointed to her head.

The woman's cheeks flushed, and she pursed her lips, but still pressed on, "Don't change the subject! This...this doesn't make sense!"

To be fair, she was one of the most outstanding women Lin Chen had ever met since his rebirth.

But Lin Chen is no longer short of beauties: Li Ya is dashing, the twins are lively, Su Yun is intellectual... Although the one in front of him is like a rare orchid in a secluded valley, she is not enough to make him lose his mind.

After confirming that the other party was alive and posed no threat, Lin Chen said no more, put away his Tang sword, and turned to face the supplies in the storage room.

With a slight thought, his spatial abilities were activated again, and he began to quickly collect all usable items.

The next second, the woman who witnessed it all was completely stunned.

Canned goods, cases of bottled water, compressed biscuits, first aid kits... even the heavy metal shelves themselves vanished into thin air in the blink of an eye!

She rubbed her eyes hard and pinched herself; the sharp pain told her this wasn't a dream.

This storage room, which was only twenty square meters in size, wasn't particularly well-stocked. Lin Chen used only three mental commands to collect everything of value into the space.

She glanced at the few scattered bags on the ground one last time, picked them up as well, and then turned and walked toward the door—as if she, a living person, did not exist at all.

"Wait!" The woman finally snapped out of her shock, hurriedly running forward to grab Lin Chen's sleeve. Her voice trembled with excitement. "Where...where did all those things go? Was that...magic? Or superpowers?"

Lin Chen stopped, turned his head, and looked up at her hand clutching his sleeve, then slowly moved it upwards to meet her eyes filled with surprise: "Want to know? Sure. But what price are you willing to pay for it?"

"The price?" The woman met his deep, smiling eyes, her heart skipped a beat, and her cheeks flushed even more.

She subconsciously let go of her hand, lowered her head, and her lips moved a few times, but she couldn't say anything—the unspeakable "price" that women might have to pay in certain desperate situations flashed through her mind.

Seeing her silence, Lin Chen stopped lingering and continued walking.

"No, don't go!" Her heart pounded with anxiety, and she grabbed his sleeve again, her voice soft and pleading. "Don't take it all! Could you... leave some supplies for me? I... I need to survive too..."

"Are you the boss?" Lin Chen stopped and asked casually.

"no……"

"staff?"

"No, not exactly..."

"Then what makes you say these supplies were 'robbed'?"

The woman was speechless. She opened her mouth, but couldn't find a reason to refute it. Her eyes dimmed, and she released her grip.

Lin Chen ignored him and took another step.

"Then...then..." Seeing that the man was about to leave, leaving her alone in this desolate supermarket, possibly with zombies, fear finally overwhelmed her composure.

She reached out for the third time, this time almost grasping his wrist, her voice trembling slightly: "Could you... take me with you? Leave this place?"

This time, Lin Chen did not answer immediately, nor did he shake off her hand.

He turned around and looked at her quietly. His gaze was calm and undisturbed, yet it seemed to see through all the struggles in her heart, carrying the implication that he was waiting for her to name her "price".

She understood his gaze—he was waiting for her to show sincerity in making an "exchange".

"I can give you money! Lots and lots of money!" the woman said urgently, speaking rapidly. "My family owns several luxury homes in the city center! And gold, jewelry, antiques... As long as you take me out and find a safe place, I can have my father give you all of that! Lots and lots!"

In fact, she had already contacted her family, but no one answered. Now all the promises were empty words. Someone else might have been blinded by this wealth.

But Lin Chen's reaction completely dashed her hopes.

Lin Chen simply shook his head, directly interrupting her unrealistic fantasies: "Look outside—blood rains down everywhere, and zombies are everywhere."

Do you think that in today's world, houses, gold, jewelry... can still be used to exchange for food, safety, or protection from others?

Qi Wei froze, her lips trembling slightly. Of course she understood—for the past two days, hiding in the storage room, her phone's intermittent signal had been filled with images of the city's fall and the collapse of humanity.

Money and jewels? Until you can bite into bread, they're just pretty stones.

But... as a former true "golden girl", with a wealthy family background, outstanding appearance, and pampered since childhood, why would she need to "sell" anything to earn a living?

Dignity and pride were crushed to pieces by reality within days. She instinctively resisted the answer that was already on the horizon.

Reality waits for no one.

She bit her pale lower lip, finally looked up, and said in a voice so soft it was almost inaudible, "Then... what do you want? Can you... just say it?"

Actually, she had guessed it. But that deep-seated pride made her unwilling to lay herself bare with a "price tag".

"During the apocalypse, your freedom and absolute obedience are paramount." Lin Chen looked directly into her eyes, his tone calm yet unwavering. "The meaning is clear: from now until I deem the apocalypse over, or until you leave the team, all your actions will be under my command. Fight for me, complete your tasks, and abide by the rules. After the apocalypse, you are free to leave. But in the meantime—"

He paused, his voice turning colder, "If you outwardly comply but inwardly defy me or betray me... I have plenty of ways to make you regret ever being born."

Qi Wei felt a chill run down her spine.

Strangely, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief—at least, it wasn't the kind of "demand" about her body that she feared most.

She took a deep breath: "Then... what can I get?"

"You can live with more dignity than others." Lin Chen's eyes were piercing. "You'll have food, water, a relatively safe place, the opportunity to become stronger, and the chance to see tomorrow's sun. Instead of hiding in a rat hole like this, barely surviving by scavenging scraps, not knowing when zombies will break down the door, or you'll starve and die of thirst."

He said no more and waited quietly for her answer.

Qi Wei was torn. When would this chaotic world end? Who knew? If this apocalypse had no end... relying on this mysterious and powerful man, who at least currently still had some principles, might be the best choice.

Finally, as if she had exhausted all her strength, she slowly nodded: "Okay... I agree."

"name?"

"Qi Wei. Qi as in Qi Jiguang, Wei as in rose, a third-year art student."

Lin Chen said no more, took out a Creation Crystal that emitted a soft light from his spatial storage, and handed it to her, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Eat this. It will awaken your superpowers, and... make you immune to the zombie virus from now on."

Qi Wei froze, staring at the crystal in her palm, a translucent crystal that seemed to glow with a life of its own—awakening superpowers…is it that simple? Just by eating a “candy”?