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

Lin Chen approached Teacher Zeng and, without a word, instantly gripped her neck with his right hand, which felt like an iron clamp!

"Heh...heh..." Teacher Zeng's eyes bulged out, his arrogance vanished, leaving only suffocating fear. He frantically scratched at Lin Chen's arm with both hands and kicked wildly with his legs.

Lin Chen dragged her along like a bag of trash, heading straight for the main entrance of the dance hall leading outside. The crowd parted in panic, creating a passage.

Outside the door, the crimson rain of blood continued to fall silently.

Lin Chen swung his arm and threw Teacher Zeng hard into the rain!

"Ah—!" Teacher Zeng fell to the wet ground, letting out a short scream. The cold, ominous rain instantly soaked through her clothes and hair. Terrified, she struggled to crawl back inside.

Lin Chen stood at the edge of the doorway, watching her expressionlessly. Just as she was about to touch the threshold, he raised his foot and kicked her back into the rain.

"No! Help! I know I was wrong! Let me in! Please!" Teacher Zeng cried out, rolling around in the rain, her face wet with either rain or tears.

Inside the hall, more than two thousand people remained completely silent, every pair of eyes fixed on the gruesome scene outside the door. Many were deathly pale, their bodies trembling uncontrollably, especially those who had just sided with her; they shook like leaves, almost unable to stand.

Time ticked by. About five minutes later, Teacher Zeng, who was struggling in the rain, began to move stiffly and strangely. She made inhuman hoarse noises, her skin lost its color at a visible speed, turning bluish-gray, and her pupils became dilated and cloudy.

The zombie transformation has begun.

The process was frighteningly fast. In less than ten seconds, a brand new, grotesque zombie staggered to its feet from the rain of blood, letting out a low growl of craving for flesh. Its murky eyes instantly locked onto the dense "food" in the hall, and it charged forward with a roar!

Just as it was about to pounce into the doorway—

"Bang!"

The gunshots were deafening and crisp, echoing through the empty corridors and halls, making everyone's eardrums ring and their hearts tremble violently!

A bloody hole burst open between the zombie's eyebrows, its forward momentum came to an abrupt halt, it froze for a moment, and then crashed to the ground, splashing up a muddy mess of blood.

Lin Chen slowly lowered the pistol, still faintly shrouded in gunpowder smoke, his eyes indifferent. He stepped forward, and in full view of everyone, with a wave of his hand, Teacher Zeng (or rather, the fresh zombie corpse) vanished into thin air.

"Barely recouping some of the 'cost' of saving lives." His tone was eerily calm as he turned and walked back into the hall.

The crowd instinctively pushed and shoved backward, trying to get away from this ruthless and decisive man. But their escape route was firmly blocked by Li Ya, Su Yun, and others with guns drawn.

Fear, like a cold, venomous snake, slithered down everyone's spine.

"Xiaoya, remember this." Lin Chen sheathed his gun, his tone calm, yet every word struck a chord. "In the future, when you encounter people who don't understand the situation and only know how to incite emotions and create trouble, deal with them decisively. In the apocalypse, there's not much time for reasoning."

"Understood, Brother Lin." Li Ya nodded, the last trace of hesitation in her eyes caused by the inertia of peacetime completely disappearing.

Only now did many survivors belatedly realize more details: the mountain of zombie corpses piled up at the school gate was gone; the massive shipping container platform they had vaguely seen earlier had also disappeared; and Lin Chen could not only collect corpses out of thin air, but also instantly conjure up massive amounts of supplies...

They not only have guns and a ruthless leader, but also supernatural abilities!

This world is already an apocalypse where zombies roam and the rules have collapsed!

Titles, status, past "reasons" and "decency" are not even worth a speck of dust in the face of absolute power and the threat to survival.

Cold sweat soaked through the backs of countless people, their legs went weak, their lips trembled, yet they could no longer utter a single word of doubt.

Lin Chen gestured again for Li Ya to move aside at the main entrance, his voice low and clear:

"Alright, the rules have been clearly stated. If you still cannot accept them and want to leave, you can go now. This is your last chance."

The crowd looked at each other, falling into a deathly silence.

Leave? Outside the door, there was a deadly rain of blood and roaming zombies; Teacher Zeng's fate was right before their eyes.

To stay? It means to accept the cruel new rules and relinquish one's past identity and dignity.

Dilemma.

The silence lasted for about a minute, but felt like an eternity.

Finally, Su Qingyue, the dance teacher who had previously begged the twins for food, suppressed her fear and spoke in a trembling voice, breaking the silence:

"Mr. Lin... what exactly do you mean by 'exchange'... exchanging value for food and protection? What... what can we do?"

Her question voiced the fears and desires in many people's hearts.

Lin Chen's gaze shifted slightly, landing on Su Qingyue's pale but composed face:

"Once this bloody rain stops, I will build a shelter in Tianshui Garden. You can choose to work for me in exchange for basic food, water, and safety. The work will depend on your abilities—cleanup, construction, logistics, guard duty. Or—"

He paused, then raised his voice to make sure everyone could hear him:

"You can apply to join my 'Apocalypse Self-Salvation Army.' Becoming a combatant or a special skills personnel offers higher pay and greater responsibility."

Then, he suddenly turned to Li Ya and announced to everyone:

"Deputy Leader Li Ya will be fully responsible for the recruitment and initial assessment of the 'Apocalyptic Self-Salvation Army.' Those interested should contact her directly."

Li Ya was slightly taken aback, then took a deep breath to suppress the turmoil in her heart. She immediately understood Lin Chen's intention—to establish her authority while entrusting her with the important task of selecting and integrating personnel. She quickly brought Su Yun and the twin sisters to Lin Chen's side.

Lin Chen took out two tables and paper and pens from his spatial storage. He then looked at Bai Xin:

"Bai Xin, you go and help too. Your abilities should be useful in the screening process."

Bai Xin's heart skipped a beat, and she immediately nodded: "Yes." She clenched her fist, knowing what the "screening" task she had been given meant—to use her nascent spiritual perception to judge the sincerity and intentions of the applicants.

Li Ya quickly organized the recruitment process, her voice clear and penetrating:

"I will explain the duties, discipline, and benefits of the Self-Salvation Army one by one. But the first principle must be remembered—" Her gaze swept across the queue of people, "is loyalty and obedience. If you cannot do that, you can step back now."

She paused briefly, then dropped the most crucial information:

"In addition, those who join will have the opportunity to 'awaken superpowers.' Having superpowers will at least grant them immunity to the zombie virus."

These words instantly ignited the emotions of the crowd!

"Special abilities? Immunity to viruses?"

"Really? I'd do anything to awaken!"

Whispers and gasps spread like ripples. For ordinary people living hand to mouth under the threat of zombies, this was undoubtedly the brightest hope in the darkness.

In contrast, the fear brought about by Teacher Zeng's tragic condition seemed to be somewhat diluted by this intense desire. A flame was rekindled in the eyes of many.