Apocalypse: I Can See Health Bars

"Young man... Young man?"

Wang Yuanhua opened his eyes to see people bustling about. A dozen or so were fully armed and carrying corpses.

A few people holding spears stood guard on the perimeter, patrolling back and forth. A young man was standing not far from him.

He’d seen that person before. He was one of the four from the trash can group. Since he could fight alongside them, he was clearly an Awakened One as well.

When he tried to move, a sharp pain shot through his right arm, making him involuntarily suck in a sharp breath.

"HISS..."

But he knew this was a good thing. It meant his body was recovering. He just had no strength at the moment and could only manage to push himself up from the ground and lean against the wall.

When he was first injured, his entire arm had been completely numb.

The young man in front of him heard his voice, turned around, and looked him over curiously.

"Young man... What should I call you? Where’s your leader?"

Wang Yuanhua leaned against the base of the wall, not in a hurry to get up, as he recalled everything that had happened before he passed out.

’To coordinate with that woman by the trash can, I ran for my life, kiting the zombies in a wide circle. I just felt my life draining away as I ran...’

Wang Yuanhua lifted his arm and looked at his left hand, which was pale and sallow. He clenched and unclenched it weakly a couple of times.

’But I’m still alive...’

He saw the people in the distance, who were walking back and forth carrying corpses, all turn their heads to look at him curiously.

’Even though they looked pale, at least they still had the strength to move bodies. That already made them much better off than the few surviving neighbors from my building.’

"So many people are really still alive..."

Wang Yuanhua couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.

He had made the right bet. No matter what, he was still alive.

"I... I thought I was a goner. Did I really just... survive like this?"

Wang Yuanhua felt his body was incredibly weak. Even that first time he fought a Mutated Zombie to the death and woke up with a broken arm and two broken legs, he hadn’t felt this weak...

’This doesn’t feel like I just randomly survived on my own.’

"There are still a lot of people who haven’t come over. This is just a fraction of us..."

The young man picked up a walkie-talkie and said a few words, then walked over to Wang Yuanhua, squatted down beside him, and said quietly,

"It was Lin... Our leader who saved you. He said he’ll be down in a bit... to give you a drink..."

As he spoke, he twisted open a bottle of Coke and handed it to him.

"Thank you..."

’This young man had an average face and clearly wasn’t very old. He might be a student.’

Seeing that the young man had no intention of introducing himself, Wang Yuanhua didn’t ask again. He just silently drank the Coke, replenishing his sugar, and waited for the "leader" to appear.

’The young man said that mysterious ’leader’ saved me, and he probably had no reason to lie. Since he saved me, it should mean I can get on board with them.’

Even though he had just woken from a coma, he clearly remembered the scene: the monster that had nearly killed him with a single punch was being handled with ease by that man.

’Since they’ve already started cleaning up the battlefield, that monster must have been killed.’

’What a terrifyingly strong person...’

But before the "leader" arrived, another stranger appeared.

"Brother Wang... It’s good that you’re awake. Quick, drink some water. Do you have an appetite? I’ll get you something to eat in a bit..."

A very capable-looking middle-aged man walked over, an honest smile on his face, and introduced himself first.

"Brother Liu..."

When the man came over, the young man in front of him also stood up to greet him. It was clear the two were fairly well-acquainted.

"Brother Xu, thanks for helping Ziyi and the others with guard duty..."

The middle-aged man was all smiles, thanking him warmly.

"It’s what I should do. I’ll go check over there, then..."

Xu Qian saw that Liu Bin had arrived not long after he’d contacted Lin Fan. He figured Lin Fan must have gotten in touch with him, so he left the situation in his hands.

"You... you know me..."

Wang Yuanhua turned his head to watch the young man walk away, leaving only this very friendly-looking middle-aged man in front of him. He couldn’t help but ask.

’Hearing him immediately call me "Brother Wang," he obviously knew me. But I don’t know him, so there’s only one possibility: he’s been in contact with the "leader."’

Hearing his question, the honest smile on Liu Bin’s face deepened. He didn’t answer directly. Instead, he first glanced at Wang Yuanhua’s bloody arm, tucked inside his clothes, a complex expression of respect mixed with envy appearing in his eyes.

"You must be joking, Brother Wang," Liu Bin said in a sincere tone. He sat cross-legged on the floor tiles beside him, bringing himself to eye level with Wang Yuanhua, who was leaning against the wall.

"You kited so many zombies away. A lot of our people saw it. Seriously, I’m impressed!"

As he spoke, he cupped his fists together and gave a small bow toward Wang Yuanhua.

"My name is Liu Bin. I’m the temporary person-in-charge of our Xingfu Li Self-Rescue Organization. You could say I’m just making a living under Brother Lin, managing logistics, personnel assignments, and other miscellaneous stuff."

"Brother Lin? You mean that..."

Wang Yuanhua gestured with his chin toward Xu Qian’s retreating back and asked doubtfully,

"The leader of the group that was killing zombies?"

"’Leader’... I guess that’s what those guys would call him. But for us, Brother Lin is our backbone. He’s the only reason we’ve been able to set up this whole operation in a world like this..."

Liu Bin hesitated for a moment, then leaned in closer to Wang Yuanhua, his voice full of unconcealed reverence.

He glanced at the survivors bustling in the distance and lowered his voice, as if sharing a secret:

"We’re all just ordinary folks. All we can do is move things around, clean up corpses... The ones who can really deal with those things are ’capable people’ like you..."

He looked at Wang Yuanhua and extended the "olive branch" that Lin Fan had instructed him to offer:

"We’re in desperate need of a skilled fighter like you right now. Don’t you worry about a thing. In a little while, I’ll arrange for some people to carry you over to our supermarket. We have doctors there, medicine, food, and drinks. Once you’ve recovered..."

Liu Bin patted his own chest heavily, his eyes burning as he looked at him:

"If you don’t mind throwing in with us, let’s stick together, follow Brother Lin, and live a good life in this fucked-up world!"

Wang Yuanhua’s heart was moved as he listened to Liu Bin’s words.

’This didn’t sound like a makeshift, thrown-together group, but a real survivor camp.’

’Just now, while watching the quiet young man’s retreating back, Wang Yuanhua had already realized that even if he had awakened a powerful ability, this was still not a world he could survive in alone.’

’When that leader comes down, what am I supposed to say to him?’

’"Big bro, you’re so amazing! Let me follow you!"’

’He already has so many Awakened Ones under him—the girl who could manipulate objects with her mind, the woman who was in command, and those two low-key young men. They were all his real, trusted people.’

’There was no place for me by his side anymore.’

’Having one more of me wouldn’t matter, and having one less wouldn’t be a loss.’

’But this man in front of him made him realize something. His own power might not be much next to the leader’s, but compared to ordinary people, it was still immense.’

Just as Lin Fan had said before, Wang Yuanhua hadn’t acted out of trust for anyone, but because he had no other choice.

It was the same now. For Wang Yuanhua, the powerful "leader" had not only saved him but had also sent this survivor manager to personally recruit him. This not only gave him a graceful way to join but also offered him the most suitable place to belong.

Having figured this out, Wang Yuanhua asked the question that was on his mind in a hoarse but incredibly serious voice:

"What... do we need to do?"

Hearing this, Liu Bin smiled, a very happy smile.

He knew he had succeeded.

He slapped his thigh and said in a matter-of-fact tone:

"What do we do? What else could we do? Together, we kill the fucking zombies, save our own people, eat our fill, and sleep well!"

Wang Yuanhua looked at him, and the corners of his mouth also pulled into a relieved smile.

It was the smile of someone who had survived a catastrophe and finally found his own kind.

He said nothing more. He just faced Liu Bin—the man who represented the "leader" and the entire survivor group—and gave a slow, solemn nod.