Apocalypse: I Can See Health Bars

After Xu Qian finished, he glanced up at Lin Fan before lowering his head again. He clutched the hem of his shirt, lost in thought.

"...Sigh."

Lin Fan let out a long sigh as he looked at the two of them.

He didn't deny that Chu Zhaotian trusted him. After all, he had saved Chu Zhaozhao. It would be pretty heartless of Chu Zhaotian not to trust him now.

But the health bar above his head couldn't be faked.

Xu Qian's words were rambling and confused. In the past, Lin Fan might have thought he was just spouting nervous nonsense, afraid of being kicked out.

But the health bar above his head was green...

'Perhaps the conditions for the health bar to change color aren't as simple as just trust,' Lin Fan thought. 'The sample size is too small; I don't have enough data.'

'Besides, it's not just that. I can't even tell if the health bar changes color based on my attitude or theirs...'

But with the examples of Su Qing and Chu Zhaozhao, Lin Fan decided he might as well go all the way and see the experiment through to the end.

He walked to the kitchen, took out a bowl, and placed it on the coffee table.

Then, he pulled a box of razor blades from his pocket. After a quick sterilization, he slit his own wrist, and crimson blood began to drip into the bowl.

"This might allow you... to obtain a sort of 'resistance,' similar to mine."

He lifted his eyes and looked at the two of them calmly, as if the wrist gushing blood didn't belong to him.

"There's no scientific basis for this. It's just a guess... Who's first?"

"I'll go!"

Chu Zhaotian was as eager as ever. The moment Lin Fan lifted his wrist, he grabbed the bowl of blood. Enduring the nauseating smell, he tilted his head back and downed it...

After Chu Zhaotian was finished, Lin Fan took back the bowl, let it fill halfway with his blood, and handed it to Xu Qian.

Xu Qian didn't hesitate either. He took the white porcelain bowl and drank it all in one gulp.

He watched them for a few seconds but saw no change in either of their health bars.

'Maybe it just needs time to take effect,' Lin Fan thought.

He equipped the Activation Crystal, wiped the blood from his wrist with an alcohol pad, and stood up. He then spoke in a deliberately casual tone:

"Alright... you two can go rest or just wait outside. Go on, do whatever you need to. I'm heading out for a bit..."

Without waiting for them to react, Lin Fan got up and walked out.

Chu Zhaozhao was still unconscious, and the border of her health bar hadn't fully formed yet. But thanks to the IV drip replenishing her energy, her Life Value had at least recovered by two points.

Su Qing was sitting on the stool by the bedside. When Lin Fan came in, she glanced at the hanging IV bag, silently indicating that it wasn't empty yet.

Lin Fan lifted a corner of Chu Zhaozhao's thin blanket to check on her. The wound on her shoulder was neatly covered with gauze; it was clear Su Qing had been very meticulous.

'Based on my own experience, these wounds don't need stitches,' he thought. 'Once you have an awakened constitution, non-fatal injuries heal as your Life Value recovers.'

He gave Su Qing a few brief instructions, then went downstairs and headed toward Liu Bin's group at the supermarket.

He didn't feel like jumping off the building. After all the commotion, Lin Fan was a bit tired.

The sky was growing dark. A large crowd had gathered at the supermarket entrance, and even from a distance, he could smell the wheaty aroma of flatbreads cooking on a griddle.

Their current supplies were low on fresh vegetables, but nearly every household had flour and oil. As Liu Bin's people continued to clear the apartment building floor by floor, their stockpile grew.

He wasn't sure who had tipped him off, but Lin Fan hadn't gotten far before Liu Bin appeared at the supermarket entrance and came forward to greet him.

"Brother Lin, how are the ladies...?"

He saw that Lin Fan, despite looking a bit weary, seemed composed, so he asked tentatively.

"It's too early to tell... What's all this?"

Lin Fan didn't want to reveal too much. All of these people had yellow health bars. He still had to wait for the results from Chu Zhaotian and Xu Qian to see if his blood worked on everyone.

'The reason I'm suspecting this is because of how differently the two of them reacted while drinking my blood,' he mused.

'I could clearly see Chu Zhaotian forcing himself to stomach the raw, coppery taste. But not Xu Qian. He downed it like it was a simple bowl of soy milk.'

'He didn't show the slightest aversion, much like how Chu Zhaozhao would instinctively swallow even in her coma.'

'As if some kind of instinct was involved...'

Lin Fan's pause as he mulled this over, however, was likely misinterpreted by Liu Bin as a sign of some unspoken trouble. Liu Bin quickly changed the subject, smoothly avoiding any mention of the two injured women.

"Brother Lin, we're doing communal meals now, you see. We've also collected a lot of meat while clearing the floors. Some of it's a little gamey, but if we grill it first and then boil it thoroughly, it should be fine to eat...

"Of course, we didn't take anything that was actually rotten or moldy! ...No point in eating if it just gives you diarrhea."

Lin Fan nodded along to Liu Bin's explanation. He had lost a lot of blood, and although his Life Value hadn't dropped by much, he still felt drained. Not wanting to talk more than necessary, he just said quietly:

"You guys can handle it..."

"Brother Lin, where are you headed?"

"Nowhere in particular. Just came out for a stroll, and also..."

Lin Fan was telling the truth; he really had just wanted to go for a walk. Soon, he arrived at the spot where Su Qing and the others had been lying earlier. He looked around and asked with a puzzled expression:

"Where are my spears?"

"Oh, right! I put both spears away for you. They're in the supermarket... Man, are they heavy. I could barely carry them..." Liu Bin quickly added.

"Brother Lin, if you're not busy, you should come back to the supermarket with me. I've got food ready. I figured you all wouldn't be in the mood to cook over there. You should have something hot, don't go on an empty stomach..."

...

Liu Bin's group had found seven or eight pots of chives on a few balconies. Thanks to the recent heavy rains, they hadn't withered and died. It was a windfall for them, a chance to eat fresh vegetables for a few meals.

Seeing that Lin Fan was willing to accept, Liu Bin didn't hold back his private stash. From the back of the supermarket, he brought out more than half of the chive pockets they'd made for themselves.

He packed a large bag with ten large egg flatbreads and twenty chive pockets.

Lin Fan hung the short spear from his belt and balanced the long spear on his shoulder, using it to carry the bag of food Liu Bin had packed. Then, he headed back toward the clinic.

Chu Zhaotian and Xu Qian were downstairs in the RV, sorting through food. When they saw Lin Fan return, they both climbed out.

"Brother Lin," Chu Zhaotian said proactively when he saw Lin Fan approach. "I made Sister Qing a cup of noodles. What do you feel like eating?"

Lin Fan then remembered he'd forgotten to tell them about the food. He quickly said:

"Liu Bin's group prepared some food. Let's go upstairs and eat together."

The two didn't hesitate. They locked up the RV and followed Lin Fan upstairs.

Chu Zhaotian's health bar hadn't changed in the slightest. It was still a yellow [64/100]. But Xu Qian's... his had turned into a green [65/105]...

"Sigh..."

Hearing Lin Fan's sudden sigh, the two men were confused, but they didn't ask why.

Lin Fan had truly hoped both of them would get 105 health, but the reality right in front of him proved his suspicion correct.

'My blood must only work on people with green health bars,' he realized. 'In that case, I'm not the key to awakening. The key is that ethereal, uncontrollable green health bar...'