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

The study room in the core area of ​​the official shelter in Guangzhou.

The heating was on full blast, but it couldn't dispel the chill in the room.

Chang Chengye stood in front of the huge television screen, his back to the crowd, his shoulders tense.

The video playing on the screen was of Lin Chen fighting the zombie horde single-handedly.

"Bang!"

Chang Chengye slammed his fist on the heavy solid wood desk, causing the cups and saucers to jump.

His face was ashen, and his voice trembled with extreme shock and rage: "One person?! Cleared out a zombie horde that had been chasing 20,000 people, at least 30,000?! And there were at least dozens of second-tier zombies and zombie beasts among them?! Han Xiaoyang! Tell me, is this a fabricated video?! Is this a propaganda prank orchestrated by Tianshui Garden?!"

Intelligence chief Han Xiaoyang broke out in a cold sweat, unable to meet Chang Chengye's fiery gaze. He kept his head down, his voice hoarse.

"Mayor, the video source is the last set of data transmitted by our reconnaissance team that risked their lives to infiltrate the nearby rooftop... It has been repeatedly verified by the technical department and there are no traces of manipulation."

Moreover... according to subsequent cross-verification of intelligence, the number of survivors gathered in the outer city of Tianshui Garden has exceeded 50,000 in a short period of time, and is still increasing at an extremely rapid rate...

He paused, his voice lower, carrying an indescribable complexity: "The ten-person reconnaissance team we sent out... after sending back this video and text message, nine of them... directly applied to join the containment team at Tianshui Garden."

Only the team leader... escaped severely wounded, brought back a message, and then... succumbed to his injuries.

Chang Chengye's breathing became heavy, his face turned from green to white, then from white to red, and finally settled on a gloomy blackish-purple.

He slowly turned around, his gaze sweeping over the other confidants in the study—Zhang Hui's brows were furrowed, his eyes filled with complex emotions; in the corner, Vice Mayor Jiang, who had long since lost power and was now only able to survive thanks to the Chang family's protection, shrank into the shadows.

"Our plan..." Chang Chengye's voice seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, "to win over Wang Gang, incite other forces, and besiege Tianshui Garden... Is it still necessary to carry it out?"

The study was deathly silent.

Zhang Hui's lips moved, but he finally spoke in a low voice, his tone carrying an almost dejected rationality: "Mayor, if the military's supplies can be delivered smoothly, our supplies... should be fine in the short term, and we can even expand our pool of superhumans."

Moreover, under the current circumstances, those who managed to escape to Tin Shui Garden are likely only survivors from the surrounding area.

The subtext is crystal clear: one of the core motivations that originally provoked the conflict—the shortage of supplies—has been temporarily alleviated by external input, and we need to step up our recruitment efforts to increase our strength.

Moreover, the other party's expansion is only temporary.

More importantly, the inhuman fighting prowess displayed by the man in the video was like a bucket of ice water, extinguishing any illusions based on conventional comparisons of strength.

This battle is not only unnecessary, but it seems impossible to fight at all.

"Brother Chang," Vice Mayor Jiang spoke softly from the corner, his voice hoarse from long-suppressed emotions and carrying a resigned calm, "this matter... I'm afraid we need to consider it carefully. This boy... is no longer someone to be trifled with."

He thought of his daughter Jiang Ting, who had almost been harmed by Wang Gang's son and was later saved by Lin Chen's men. He felt a mix of emotions, but at this moment, the consideration of survival overwhelmed everything.

His thin, bony fingers tapped the armrest, a glimmer of hope suddenly appearing in his eyes. He looked up and asked, "Could you... contact someone at a still-functioning online platform or telecommunications company? Try to block this video, or... release an official statement to debunk the rumors, saying it's a fabricated propaganda piece created using deep AI, a hoax orchestrated by Lin Chen to expand his influence? Controlling public opinion, perhaps we can still..."

"Bang!"

The study door was flung open, and Chang Hao rushed in, panting, his face filled with undisguised panic.

Even disregarding the decorum of his father's ongoing discussion, he shouted, "Dad! It's over! Someone dug up a high-definition clip of that video, added narration, and it's spread everywhere online and by word of mouth! Even in our inner city patrol team, people are secretly talking about... whether we should try our luck at Tianshui Garden!"

Chang Chengye's vision went black, his body swayed, and he slumped back into the large leather chair.

Her last glimmer of hope was ruthlessly shattered by the news brought by her biological son.

He knew that some things were harder to resist than guns and cannons.

Once people's hearts see a stronger fortress, a more powerful guardian, and a more real hope for survival, it's like an avalanche—unstoppable.

But he cannot give up now!!!

Chang Chengye took a deep breath, gripped the handrail, and stood up with difficulty.

He surveyed the various expressions on the faces of the people in the study, his face striving to maintain its usual dignified demeanor, but his voice inevitably carried a hint of hoarseness beneath its tough exterior:

"Pass on my orders! All management personnel, immediately go down and reassure your respective units! No one is allowed to discuss that video of unknown origin in public, and even more strictly forbidden is the dissemination of any statements that could undermine morale or advocate defection to external forces! Anyone who disobeys... will be treated as a deserter and executed without exception!"

Inside the president's office at Andu Corporation headquarters.

Wang Gang resembled a wild beast, the eerie blue light of the screen illuminating his distorted face.

He stared intently at the same clip playing repeatedly on his phone screen—Lin Chen sidestepped, swung his knife, and the zombie cat's head flew off, his movements so clean and swift that they sent chills down his spine.

"Hah...hah..." Wang Gang's throat emitted a rumbling, bellows-like gasp. His knuckles, gripping the phone tightly, were completely bloodless from the excessive force and trembled slightly. "Spatial teleportation...creating something out of thin air?...What the hell kind of monster is this?! Huh?!"

"Mr. Wang..." Xiao Ma, a trusted confidant, cowered at the doorway, his voice trembling. "It's not just outside... inside the building, things are starting to fall apart too. Many people are secretly hiding their last bit of dry rations and any weapons they can find for self-defense... They're all saying that if they follow that Lin Chen and are willing to work, they can survive, ten times better than staying here. I'm afraid... I'm afraid some people will run away soon."

Wang Gang fell silent.

Rage and murderous intent churned in his chest like magma, but after the extreme anger subsided, there was a cold, abyss-like stillness.

He lowered his head, his shoulders shrugged, and suddenly let out a low, chilling laugh, which started softly but grew louder and louder, echoing in the small space, filled with madness and despair.

"Good...very good...hahahaha!" He suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, like a demon. "My son is dead, killed by that bitch! Now, even my last remaining asset, these dogs I kept, are running off to lick someone else's bowl!"

He strode up to Xiao Ma, his massive shadow looming over him. His voice was low, yet chilling: "Go, reply to that old fox from the Chang family—I, Wang Gang—that I agree to an alliance with him!"

"We're open to discussing any terms, but I have only one request: I want that bitch Li Ya's head! And that Lin Chen… if I get the chance, I want him dead too!"