Chen Ran put away his phone, eager to go and rescue the Thunder Lord.

Chen Ran called out, "Uncle, I'm leaving!"

Chen Jian'an didn't stop him, squinting as he watched Chen An stride away. The Chen Group was no longer connected to Chen Ran.

Chen Ran paused just outside Chen Jian'an's office.

Chen Jian'an and his son were lucky; they didn't die after the apocalypse.

Chen Fei even awakened a decent ability and, relying on the Chen Group's employees, built up a force that was fairly strong.

But in this life, they wouldn't have a chance. They'd die on the very day of the apocalypse, that was for sure.

Not long after Chen Ran left, Chen Fei entered Chen Jian'an's office.

Chen Fei was tall, muscular, and very robust.

Chen Fei said hurriedly, "I've found out that Chen Ran recently ordered a large amount of supplies."

Chen Jian'an lit a cigarette, annoyed. "He said he'd stockpiled a billion yuan's worth of pork, damn it, messing up my plans."

Chen Fei was a little surprised. "But as far as I know, he only placed an order for ten thousand tons of pork, close to two hundred million yuan."

Chen Jian'an sneered. "Chen Ran isn't that stupid. He probably realized I wanted to swallow his shares and just made up an excuse."

"I just didn't expect him to cut his losses so decisively. Who in their right mind would sell thirty billion yuan worth of shares for a measly ten billion? I underestimated him."

Seeing that no one was around, Chen Fei went to Chen Jian'an's side, lowered his voice, and whispered, "Dad, should we make a move to make him disappear? His parents are gone now. If he dies, we're his first heirs."

Chen Jian'an waved his hand dismissively. "Xiao Fei, what happened back then was because we had nothing. We could take risks. Now we have assets close to ten billion. There's no need to risk it for that ten billion. If we get caught, we'll be in deep trouble."

Chen Fei cursed under his breath, "That idiot. The world's ending, and he's stockpiling so many supplies. He's going to lose everything."

...

Chen Ran hired two private investigation agencies to find the Thunder Lord. If he put out a reward himself, all sorts of busybodies, idlers, questioners, greedy people, and swindlers would pester him to death.

It took him almost an hour to drive to the agreed-upon location.

As soon as he got out of the car, a man and a woman greeted him.

The man was Wang Ming, a private investigator who looked very shrewd. The woman was his assistant, in her early twenties, staring at Chen Ran with a fiery gaze.

Young, rich, and extremely handsome, how could he not attract her?

Chen Ran didn't exchange pleasantries and asked directly, "Where is it?"

Wang Ming smiled. "Mr. Chen, please follow me."

Wang Ming had signed a contract with Chen Ran and wasn't worried about Chen Ran welching on the deal. He had also investigated Chen Ran in advance and knew that he had tens of billions of shares in the Chen Group. A super-rich second-generation heir wouldn't default on this one million.

The Thunder Lord was currently at a dog meat restaurant, which was probably the reason for its sad expression. Its intelligence told it that it might be eaten at any time.

Maybe tomorrow, maybe even tonight.

The dog meat restaurant was nearby. Why else would they have arranged to meet here?

A minute later, Chen Ran arrived at a dog meat restaurant called Bai Er's.

It was afternoon, and although the dog meat restaurant wasn't closed, it was obviously empty.

Two large iron cages were placed at the entrance of the dog meat restaurant, containing five mongrels. Customers could choose one to be slaughtered on the spot.

The Thunder Lord was among them.

The Thunder Lord was quite lucky; there were still 27 days until the apocalypse, and it hadn't yet been eaten.

Chen Ran's attention was immediately drawn to the Thunder Lord.

The Thunder Lord wasn't very attractive and didn't look fierce. Its dejected expression made it look pitiful and helpless.

The current Thunder Lord was nothing like the imposing figure it would become after the apocalypse; it was just a poor little thing.

Chen Ran stared at the Thunder Lord, and the Thunder Lord seemed to sense it, raising its head and shuddering violently.

Of course, it couldn't possibly know that the person in front of it was the one who would eat it in the future.

It trembled purely out of fear.

What else could you do at a dog meat restaurant?

And being stared at like that, how could an intelligent dog not be afraid?

Chen Ran's heart was pounding. The Thunder Lord! He might become the Thunder Lord's master. The thought was wonderful.

The spatial ability wasn't very strong in the early stages. Powerful abilities like Void Walk couldn't be mastered quickly, but the Thunder Lord could make up for his lack of combat power in the early stages.

When there was a fight, he could just send out the Thunder Lord. Unleash the hound!

Three people were standing outside the door. The duty waiter at the dog meat restaurant came out and asked, "Are you three here to eat?"

Chen Ran's expression suddenly turned stern, and he barked, "Where's your boss? Call your boss out here."

Wang Ming was gloating. Chen Ran's beloved dog had appeared in a dog meat restaurant; how could he not make trouble for the owner?

But Wang Ming was puzzled. Would a rich second-generation heir really raise such a mongrel?

It was too plain and didn't look very pleasing, and it was missing an ear.

Looking for trouble?

The waiter was only earning three thousand yuan a month and was very self-aware. Why should I deal with this trouble?

He simply went to call the boss.

In the meantime, Chen Ran stared at the Thunder Lord, revealing a harmless and friendly smile.

A moment later, Bai Er, the owner of the dog meat restaurant, came out, smiling. "What can I do for you three?"

Chen Ran pointed to the Thunder Lord in the cage, questioning him with feigned rage, "You're asking me what's going on? You're stealing dogs and you stole mine! If I hadn't found out in time, my Da Hei would have become dog meat."

This was a blatant lie.

Chen Ran wanted to vent his anger on behalf of the Thunder Lord. How dare they try to eat dog meat?

It wasn't that he was unwilling to spend money. Even if it cost a billion, he would be willing for the Thunder Lord.

Besides, freeloading was so much better.

Bai Er was stunned. The dog's owner had come to his door?

He had been in the dog meat business for so many years, and this wasn't the first time this had happened.

But this dog seemed to be a stray.

Bai Er quickly waved his hand and explained, "There must be some misunderstanding. I get all my stock from legitimate channels."

Chen Ran sneered and took out his phone. "Hello, police? I'm reporting a dog meat restaurant that steals dogs and whose dog meat comes from illegal sources."

No merchant is honest. Some things can't stand investigation. Seeing Chen Ran calling the police, Bai Er immediately caved.

"It's really a misunderstanding. I didn't know this was your dog. I'm a victim too. I'll settle the score with those dog suppliers later."

"How about this, brother? You can take your dog back, no charge. Is that okay?"

Chen Ran's expression softened slightly, and he snorted coldly. "I'll let it go this time because you have a good attitude."

Bai Er smiled ingratiatingly and released the Thunder Lord from the cage. There was no dog leash, but Bai Er thought, it's your dog; you don't have to worry about it running away, right?

Chen Ran called out, "Xiao Hei, come with me. Let's go home."

The Thunder Lord was a little confused. Xiao Hei? Who are you calling?

But it was intelligent and could sense that Chen Ran had saved it. It didn't run away and obediently followed behind Chen Ran.

Chen Ran was overjoyed. The Thunder Lord seemed to be in the bag.