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

"What's your name?" Lin Chen asked.

"My name is Zhou Tiannian." He bowed deeply, his voice trembling slightly but filled with sincerity, "Mr. Lin, thank you for saving my life!"

Lin Chen nodded slightly, his tone calm: "No need to be polite. You're the one who stopped these thugs; I should be thanking you. It was my oversight that I didn't arrange for defense."

With that, he turned around, his gaze sweeping over the trembling thugs like a blade: "You, come here."

The thirteen people moved forward cautiously, their heads bowed so low they were almost touching their chests, and they even held their breath.

"From now on, you will obey his orders." Lin Chen pointed at Zhou Tiannian, his voice as cold as iron. "He is your new boss. Anyone who disobeys will die."

"Yes! Yes!" the thugs hurriedly responded, not daring to utter a single word of objection.

Lin Chen continued, "From now on, I will assign you tasks. If you complete them, you will receive food and supplies; if you don't, you will go hungry." He paused, then turned his gaze to Zhou Tiannian, "I will issue the tasks, and you will distribute the rewards. Anyone who disobeys orders will be executed without mercy. I only care about the results; you decide the process."

"Understood! Understood!" Zhou Tiannian was overjoyed, his heart surging with elation—he had made the right bet! This beating wasn't for nothing!

The thugs breathed a slight sigh of relief when they heard there was food. At least they wouldn't die for the time being.

"The first task," Lin Chen pointed to Shen Xiyuan, who had just stepped forward, "is to set up a temporary hospital, following Dr. Shen's instructions."

"Don't worry, Mr. Lin, I guarantee I'll complete the mission!" Zhou Tiannian immediately straightened his back, as if he had become a different person.

"Good job, there's an extra reward," Lin Chen said calmly.

Zhou Tiannian's team can be considered his peripheral team. With his current strength, he doesn't really care about the loyalty of this peripheral team.

Then, he walked to the center of the community gate, waved his right hand—the space slightly distorted, and three standard shipping containers appeared out of thin air, landing steadily in a "two vertical and one horizontal" layout.

"This will be the recruitment office and the guard duty room from now on," he explained. "If anyone misbehaves, you can come and find the person on duty. They will also distribute daily supplies. If they can't handle it, they will notify me directly."

"Yes, Mr. Lin!" Zhou Tiannian nodded repeatedly, his eyes shining with hope.

After giving their instructions, Lin Chen and Shen Xiyuan turned and returned to the villa.

By this time, everyone had sensed something was wrong; the temperature had even dropped below ten degrees Celsius, and the wind was biting cold.

Back at the villa, Li Ya and the others had already returned.

The table was already laden with steaming food, and everyone sat around it, long-lost smiles creeping onto their faces.

"Brother Lin, shouldn't we build a canteen?" Li Ya suggested while serving Lin Chen soup. "It's getting colder and colder; we can't keep eating outdoors, can we?"

"We need to build one." Lin Chen nodded, then his gaze sharpened. "Do any of you have awakened earth-based abilities? Especially the kind that can dig tunnels?"

He knew all too well that in the apocalypse, the value of underground shelters was immeasurable. Whether it was to withstand extreme cold or heat, or to escape hordes of zombies or hostile forces, underground fortifications were crucial for survival. And those with the ability to excavate efficiently were truly strategic talents.

"Yes," Li Ya said with a smile. "There are twenty-three people in the Earth element right now, but it seems that only Hua Hua and Xiao He are truly skilled at digging holes."

"Huahua, Xiaohe, come here for a second," Li Ya called out from not far away.

Two young girls immediately put down their bowls and chopsticks and ran over. "Sister Ya is here!" they called out in unison, their faces showing both nervousness and anticipation.

"Tell Brother Lin about your special abilities," Li Ya said gently.

Hua Hua is a cheerful and lively girl from an art college. She speaks crisply and clearly: "Brother Lin, my special ability is A-level 'Digging Technique'! I can dig a two-meter-deep pit in three seconds, specifically for trapping zombies. The fire-type sisters can then set it on fire, burning them to ashes. It's incredibly efficient!"

Xiao He, a survivor from the Normal University, seemed a little shy. She had only awakened her superpower this morning. Her voice was soft: "I... I have 'Clay Shaping Technique.' I can grab soil, shape it, and turn it into shields, spears, or even throw it to attack enemies... but I haven't used it in actual combat yet."

Approval flashed in Lin Chen's eyes: "Very good."

But he immediately realized that the top of the tunnel was prone to collapse after the hole was dug, and it would need to be reinforced.

"Are there any metal-based substances that can harden the soil?" he asked.

"Yes!" Li Ya replied immediately. "Teacher Su Qingyue is a metal-type ability user—'Metalization,' who can instantly metalize any non-living matter, including soil, rocks, and wood."

She paused, her voice lowering, "Teacher Su's husband and children... went to the amusement park that day, got caught in a bloodbath, and couldn't escape. Before they died, they sent her a final video..."

Lin Chen remained silent for a moment, then nodded gently. He had seen and experienced this kind of pain far too many times.

Not long after, Su Qingyue was invited over.

She was the same female teacher who had led the begging for food from the twin sisters at the art academy. Now, her expression was calm, but her eyes held a deep sadness.

Lin Chen explained his concept in detail: he plans to build a complete transportation network and multi-functional fortification system underground in the community—including a canteen, warehouse, medical area, training ground, and even an emergency shelter. The passageways need to be sturdy, concealed, and have ventilation and drainage functions.

The three of them's eyes lit up immediately after hearing this.

"This is amazing!" Flower exclaimed excitedly. "I've been wanting to try digging a large tunnel for ages!"

"I can shape the inner wall of the passage into a smooth arc to reduce the risk of collapse," Xiaohe added, mustering her courage.

"As long as the structure is stable, I can metallize the roof to ensure its sturdiness," Su Yutong said firmly.

"Okay." Lin Chen nodded. "You guys are in charge of digging and shaping. I'll use my spatial abilities to help move the soil and increase efficiency. Let's get started after we finish eating."

"Mmm!" the three women responded in unison.

Lin Chen then turned to Li Ya: "Xiao Ya, don't go out today. After dinner, arrange for some people to start patrolling and guarding. I've placed two shipping containers at the entrance as guard rooms. The rest of you, take Sister Yun's people and clean up the villa, remove the bodies, and reinforce all the doors, windows, and walls again, and take precautions against the cold. I'll provide the materials and tools."

Although there will be underground bases in the future, people ultimately yearn for the light, and we cannot abandon surface buildings.

He then said to the twin sisters, "I've also prepared a recruitment office for you. After you finish eating, go and start recruiting. If you don't have enough people, find those survivors at the door to help you. Give them a chance to live."

"Brother Lin, what kind of talent are we going to recruit this time?" Jiang Yingxue asked.

"Besides continuing to add more team members, we should focus on recruiting a few people who can cook." Lin Chen stroked his chin and then told the two sisters about Zhou Tiannian.

"You can let Zhou Tiannian recruit some peripheral personnel, such as chefs or construction workers. Anyone who can help the base is welcome."

As for the compensation? For peripheral personnel, only accommodation is provided; food must be earned through labor or in exchange for crystal cores. I estimate that survivors will start arriving gradually this afternoon.

"Okay, I understand." The two sisters nodded, finished their meal and went straight to the entrance of the community. Li Ya also arranged for a team of 50 superhumans to patrol and guard the area.

Although he possesses the Creation Pearl space, which can provide a relatively comfortable living environment, the Creation Pearl is not yet fully developed: there is no night, and the vegetation consists only of a single type of grass and small trees.

Moreover, his thoughts had changed somewhat after his conversation with Liang's father; he no longer just wanted to survive alone. He wanted to continue human civilization, at least to preserve the civilization of China. In this life, he not only wanted to live, but also to find out the truth behind the apocalypse.

However, given the current level of the Creation Pearl, its spatial capacity is limited, at most supporting a small-scale survival, far from sufficient to sustain the continuation of human civilization.

It is still necessary to build and defend the base.