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

At 3:30 p.m., 20 kilometers away from Tianshui Garden where Lin Chen was, there was a large community that was a typical mix of high-rise residential buildings and villas before the apocalypse.

At its peak, this place had a permanent population of over 50,000, bustling with activity and a vibrant atmosphere.

Although the zombies have been eradicated, there is no sign of life—pedestrians are pale and hurried, and armed soldiers are stationed every three or five steps.

Key intersections were piled with roadblocks, and the community was surrounded by a tight barrier of steel bars, sheet metal, and abandoned vehicles.

Above the main gate of the residential compound, a hastily nailed wooden plaque hangs crookedly, with seven characters hastily written in red paint:

Guangzhou's official shelter.

Outside a detached villa in the community center, two sentries stood at attention with their guns at the ready, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

In the study on the second floor, Mayor Chang, the highest authority in the shelter, was frowning as his fingers quickly scrolled through the list of supplies in his hand.

As the lines of text flashed by, his face grew increasingly grim.

"Bang bang".

The crisp, restrained knock broke the deathly silence in the study.

"Come in!" Mayor Chang said without looking up, his voice filled with barely suppressed annoyance.

His real name is Chang Chengye, and he comes from a second-rate family in Guangzhou.

On the day the blood rain fell, he accidentally got wet in the rain and developed a high fever. Half an hour later, he unexpectedly awakened the A-level "Puppet Technique" ability.

At the time, most of the city government officials died in the zombie attack. Zhang Zicheng, the captain of the armed police brigade, also awakened his powers in the chaos and rushed to the scene to "rescue" them.

Taking advantage of the situation, Chang Chengye used puppetry to control him, thus gaining real power and expanding his ambition—he wanted to become the only king of Yangcheng, crush all the aristocratic families, and ensure that the Chang family would forever remain at the top.

The door was gently pushed open, and a young man in a well-fitting suit walked in slowly, closing the door behind him with a light touch. He then stood with his hands at his sides in front of the desk, his back straight and his posture respectful.

He is Zhang Hui, Chang Chengye's secretary. With his sharp mind and steady way of doing things, he was Chang Chengye's most trusted right-hand man long before the end of the world.

After a long silence, Chang Chengye finally slammed the documents down on the table, leaned back in his chair, and rubbed his throbbing temples: "Xiao Zhang, sit down."

Zhang Hui then carefully sat down, only daring to sit on half of the chair, his back still straight: "Mayor Chang, the team sent to Worma and Jiajiafu to search for supplies has returned."

The operation suffered heavy losses—more than ten soldiers were killed, nearly a third of the ammunition was used up, and the result… was utterly despairing. Two large supermarkets and their attached shopping malls had been completely looted, shelves were scattered all over the floor, surveillance cameras were destroyed, and only a scene of utter devastation remained.

There were still many zombies roaming the surrounding streets. We searched the area thoroughly but found no signs of large-scale survivor activity. We only managed to find some meager supplies in a few small convenience stores and grocery stores along the way.

After saying that, he lowered his head and waited quietly, saying no more.

Chang Chengye's brows furrowed into a deep frown, and his knuckles turned white from clenching his fists.

He had just been looking at the base's supply reserve list—food reserves were only enough to last for half a month, medicines were running low, and ammunition stocks were almost depleted.

This operation was so costly, yet yielded so little, it was like adding insult to injury!

"Bang!"

The study door was kicked open, and a cocky young man rushed in, yelling at Mayor Chang, "Dad! The people I sent to keep an eye on Tianshui Garden have sent word back—"

Before he could finish speaking, he met Mayor Chang's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot, and the rest of his sentence got stuck in his throat.

"Chang Hao!" Chang Chengye spoke coldly, his voice deep and imposing. "You're in your mid-twenties, and you don't even know how to knock before coming in? Have you forgotten all the manners I taught you?"

He glanced at Zhang Hui beside him, his tone even colder, "Look at your brother Zhang, when has he ever been impolite?"

Chang Hao shrank back, his tone softening, but he still couldn't help rolling his eyes and muttering, "Okay, Dad."

Chang Chengye's expression softened slightly, and his tone became gentler, as if it had just been a normal "kind father disciplining his son": "Tell me, what's going on?"

Chang Hao immediately perked up and poured out all the intelligence his subordinates had gathered.

Chang Chengye's brows, which had just relaxed, furrowed tightly again.

---

No sooner had he finished speaking than Chang Hao eagerly moved closer to the table, his eyes gleaming with greed, his voice trembling: "Dad! That Tianshui Garden is definitely a prime target! It must be stockpiled with a massive amount of supplies! And—"

He lowered his voice, a lewd smile playing on his lips, "My men say that the shelter is entirely controlled by young women, all fair-skinned, beautiful, and with stunning figures! We should quickly send a large force over there to 'integrate' them... Hehe!"

Chang Chengye knew his only son all too well—the fire in his eyes wasn't for food, but for sex.

He smiled bitterly to himself, but showed no sign of it on his face. He simply turned to Zhang Hui and asked calmly, "Xiao Hui, what do you think?"

Zhang Hui immediately straightened his back, cleared his throat, and said in a calm tone, "Mayor Chang, I believe this matter requires careful consideration and should not be acted upon rashly."

He paused, as if organizing his thoughts: "According to the intelligence brought back by Young Master Chang, the person in charge of Tianshui Garden is a young man with powerful supernatural abilities—he single-handedly built high walls and summoned countless shipping containers."

Their supernatural abilities are unfathomable. More importantly, everyone in the shelter is armed, and judging from the photos, all the weapons they use are standard American equipment!

The source of such a massive amount of weaponry is unknown. It would be unwise to launch a war without clarifying the underlying circumstances.

Chang Chengye nodded slowly: "You're right. In this apocalypse, might makes right. Once the guns fire, who cares who you were before?"

"Dad!" Chang Hao exclaimed anxiously, his tone both impassioned and arrogant. "What are you afraid of them for? We are the official sanctuary of Guangzhou, and nominally represent the Chinese government! A bunch of thugs, dare they resist? Just give the order, and I'll lead a team over and burn their dilapidated container camp to the ground!"

Chang Chengye ignored his son and turned to Zhang Hui: "Xiao Zhang, go and invite Professor Tang over."

Zhang Hui nodded and left, gently closing the door behind him.

Seeing Zhang Hui leave, Chang Chengye's eyes turned cold, and his voice suddenly became low and chilling: "You idiot! In this apocalypse, might makes right! Today someone can build a wall with shipping containers, tomorrow they can crush you! And you're still thinking about women?"

He paused, his tone suddenly softening, tinged with a meaningful weariness, his voice extremely low: "...Besides, if too many of your men die, how will you control the shelter? How will you deal with those enemies lurking in the shadows?"

Chang Hao, silenced by the scolding, scratched his head sheepishly and said, "So... we'll just leave it at that?"

The thought of those girls in the photos made him feel like a cat was scratching at his heart.

Chang Chengye couldn't be bothered with his lust-blinded son anymore—if he weren't his only son, he would have beaten the idiot to death with his own hands. He waved his hand: "Go and call Han Xiaoyang here."