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

South of the city, the military's underground command post.

Inside the heavy blast-proof door, the atmosphere was completely different from the frozen despair outside.

The air was filled with the faint hum of engine oil and electronic devices, as well as a steely sense of order.

Commander Peng Jianguo's office was extremely simply furnished, with almost nothing except a large alloy desk, a few chairs, an encrypted display screen that occupied an entire wall, and a filing cabinet.

At this moment, he was sitting at the table, his eyes fixed on a video on his phone.

—In the desolate wilderness ravaged by wind and snow, shipping containers fell like divine punishment, and blades tore through the horde of zombies. A young man faced thousands of zombies alone, his figure as upright as a pine tree.

Commander Peng's serious lips twitched slightly, and a faint but genuine warmth and amazement flickered in his eyes, which were accustomed to life and death and ruins.

He extended his calloused fingers and gently tapped the blurry yet powerful figure on the video screen, muttering to himself, "Good lad... well done. One man's strength is worth a thousand."

The superhumans at the military base are also fighting off the zombie horde brought by the migration of people, but it's not as easy as it is for Lin Chen.

The main reason is that there are ordinary civilians in front of the zombie horde, which makes the military hesitant. Otherwise, with their strength, they should be able to deal with it easily.

At that moment, a clear and restrained report came from outside the door.

"Come in."

Chief of Staff Chen Jianhua pushed open the door and entered, stepping aside to let the two people in.

Professor Tang Guohua was walking in front. His face was a little pale, but his eyes behind his glasses still maintained the clarity of a scholar.

Closely following him was his daughter, Tang Xiaoran, whose young face showed both lingering fear and a hint of relief at finally reaching safety.

Commander Peng immediately stood up from his chair, walked around the desk, and strode over to greet him.

He was completely unpretentious, extending both hands to grasp Professor Tang's cold and trembling hands firmly and warmly, his voice loud and sincere: "Professor Tang! You must have had a long and arduous journey! You've been through so much, navigating dangerous situations and dangers. On behalf of the military region and all those who are still persevering, I welcome you and your daughter!"

This genuine enthusiasm and respect, like a warm current, instantly broke down the last bulwark that Tang Guohua was holding up.

The pent-up fear of the past few days, the humiliation of being under house arrest, the constant worry about her daughter's safety, and the immense shock of being rescued from a desperate situation all mixed together and turned into hot tears welling up in her eyes.

His lips trembled as he tried to say something to express his gratitude or gratitude, but he choked up and couldn't speak.

Tang Xiaoran's eyes also reddened, and she subconsciously moved closer to her father, as if only in this way could she draw a sense of security.

After calming down a bit, Tang Guohua sat down at Chen Jianhua's prompting and spoke almost impatiently, his tone filled with the urgency and sense of mission characteristic of scientific researchers:

"Commander Peng, enough with the formalities. When can I begin work? Virus samples, basic experimental facilities, and assistants... all of these need to be arranged as soon as possible. Please rest assured, I will do my utmost to achieve a breakthrough in vaccine and serum development in the shortest possible time!"

However, upon hearing the words "vaccine serum," the relieved smile on Commander Peng's face slowly faded.

He didn't answer immediately, but first gestured for Chen Jianhua to close and lock the heavy office door. Then he sat up straight, placed his hands on the desk, and his expression became more solemn and serious than ever before.

"Professor Tang," he began, his voice deep and clear, each word seemingly carefully considered, "first, I must be frank with you, and with Comrade Xiao Ran, about something."

"Previously, we made a plan to bring you out with the top priority of 'urgently needing you to lead the research and development of the virus vaccine and antidote serum.' This was a real need, but more importantly, it was out of absolute consideration for your personal safety and the need for the highest level of confidentiality."

He paused slightly and said slowly, "In fact... based on the latest overall situation we have and the strategic assessment from the highest level, the national level has temporarily suspended the plan to concentrate the resources of the entire society on targeted vaccine and serum research."

These words were like a thunderbolt, exploding in the ears of Tang Guohua and his daughter: "Wh...what? Pause? Then...then we went through all this trouble to come out here for..."

On his way back, he learned from Staff Officer Chen that the military had paid a heavy price to rescue him.

Commander Peng didn't beat around the bush; he gently pushed the order for the General Military Intelligence Bureau's "Spark Program" in front of Professor Tang.

"Because at this stage, our most core and highest priority strategic task has undergone a fundamental shift." Commander Peng's voice grew increasingly low. "It's no longer about doing everything we can to 'save the present,' but about 'preserving the future' at all costs. After integrating all available global intelligence, top think tank simulations, and supercomputer modeling results, the National General Military Intelligence Bureau officially launched the ultimate continuation plan codenamed 'Spark of Civilization' 24 hours ago."

Tang Guohua's fingers trembled slightly uncontrollably. He took a deep breath and carefully opened the seal on the file folder.

The top page contained a formally formatted joint directive bearing the seals of several top-tier institutions he had only ever seen in the news.

The title, in bold, is cold and resolute: "Resolution on Launching the Ultimate Continuation Plan for the 'Spark of Civilization'."

The following statement is concise yet brutally clear: It confirms that the global ecological and civilizational system has undergone irreversible collapse, and the existing social structures and resistance forces cannot sustain long-term survival.

Effective immediately, all national-level deep strategic reserves will be activated, and key personnel in various critical fields and their immediate family members will be selected and accommodated according to strict standards, entering pre-constructed or renovated permanent deep shelters.

Core objective: To preserve, to the greatest extent possible, the core scientific and technological knowledge, cultural heritage, ethical concepts and necessary genetic diversity of human civilization, so as to retain the most basic spark for the restart of civilization in the unpredictable future.

"Kyoto...headquarters...what exactly happened?" Tang Guohua looked up, his face ashen. "Why give up now? There are so many cities outside, so many survivor bases, so many people still fighting, still struggling to survive!"

"Because according to the most sober and brutal analysis, from a strategic perspective, the possibility of humanity winning this global war for survival 'now' is infinitely close to zero."

Commander Peng's voice was resolute, devoid of any sentimentality, displaying only the absolute calm of a soldier facing the harshest reality.

"The mutation rate and direction of the zombie virus are completely out of control; climate change is drastically reshaping habitable environments; global supply chains and communication networks have been completely severed; and modern industrial and agricultural production systems are paralyzed and beyond recovery... We are waging a war of attrition on a planet where resources are dwindling and the environment is rapidly deteriorating, with no rear, no supplies, and no end in sight. And you—"

His gaze, sharp as a torch, swept over Professor Tang Guohua, then over the young Tang Xiaoran beside him, before finally settling on the long list of candidates on the document, covering key fields such as mathematics, physics, engineering, biology, agriculture, and humanities.

"You, and the other comrades on the list, are the 'spark' that allows our civilization to reignite the flame of hope someday in the future; you are the most precious 'seed' left for the unknown future."

"Protecting you, ensuring that your knowledge, wisdom, skills, and even healthy genes can be passed down and continued, is the most rational, and perhaps the last, contribution that we, soldiers belonging to the 'old era,' can make for this nation and for all humanity at this desperate juncture."

Commander Peng stood up and announced in an almost ceremonial tone: "Professor Tang Guohua, you are a Party member. With the formal approval of the higher authorities and the approval of the plenary meeting of our war zone command, you are hereby formally appointed as the chief person in charge of the 'South China No. 1 Spark Base,' to comprehensively preside over and coordinate the planning and coordination of all scientific research projects within the base, the maintenance of basic education, and the daily operation and management."

"The military will assign a guard team composed of the best Awakened warriors to be stationed at the base. Their sole mission is to ensure the absolute security of the base and they will be completely under your command."

Tang Guohua was completely stunned. The massive amount of information, the disruptive understanding, and the sudden weight of responsibility left his brain momentarily blank.

He just stared blankly at Commander Peng: "Then... Commander Peng, you... you and all these soldiers in the base, aren't you... aren't you coming into the shelter with us?"

Upon hearing this, Commander Peng gave a complex smile, a smile that contained the composure of a seasoned veteran, the determination to do what he knew was impossible, and a touch of the melancholy that belonged to his age.

"I'm just an old man; I won't compete with young people or you national treasures for those limited seats and resources. Besides,"

He patted his crisp but somewhat worn military uniform. "Since we're still wearing this uniform, our duty is to 'protect the people.' Right now, the vast majority of the 'people' are still out there, struggling to survive in the freezing cold, under the claws of zombies. How can we soldiers be the ones to rush into the shelter first?"

His tone turned somber, and his gaze fell upon the tightly closed door, as if he could pierce through the thick layers of rock to see the cruel world outside.

"More importantly, an organized and powerful resistance movement must be maintained outside. We need people to distract the zombies, collect remaining supplies, and rescue and gather as many scattered survivors as possible. At the same time... we are also buying you 'seeds' precious, undisturbed time and strategic space to develop."

"Although we don't know if it makes any sense, we have no other choice."

"With you as our 'backup plan,' those of us who stay out to fight can feel more at ease, act more freely, and even... dare to fight to the death when necessary."

"Walking on two legs, even if one is faltering, is always more stable and offers more hope than hopping on only one leg, isn't it?"

Tang Guohua was so shocked by Commander Peng's decision that he was speechless, and Tang Xiaoran beside him was in tears.