Apocalypse: I Can See Health Bars

"Coming!"

Lin Fan answered casually.

Then he turned to look at Xu Qian.

Although Xu Qian had the lowest HP among the three, his HP was only [157], even after spending the afternoon rescuing survivors with Liu Bin’s group.

But even so, the boost from over one hundred and fifty HP made his physique far superior to that of an ordinary person.

"Zhao... Zhaozhao, can you catch my spear for me? Thanks."

Seeing Lin Fan look his way, Xu Qian immediately understood. He called out over the wall while gently tossing his spear over it.

Chu Zhaozhao didn’t answer, but Su Qing’s voice immediately rang out:

"Okay, got it..."

Xu Qian looked a little embarrassed, but he composed himself, gave Lin Fan a sheepish smile, and backed up two meters.

He then took a deep breath, charged forward a few steps, kicked off the wall with one foot, grabbed the top, and vaulted cleanly over the fence on top.

"Thanks, Zhaozhao, thanks, Sister Qing..."

As Xu Qian’s voice faded from the other side of the wall, only Lin Fan and Chu Zhaotian remained.

"Brother Lin... I..."

Chu Zhaotian’s voice was hesitant. He knew that even though he had killed quite a few zombies, his physique hadn’t improved at all.

Xu Qian, who used to be on the same level as him, could now scale such a high wall in one go.

What Lin Fan had said earlier had fired him up, but now, this cold reality couldn’t help but make him feel dejected.

"Anyone can potentially become an Awakened One. That’s my conclusion."

Lin Fan noticed his mood. He had let Xu Qian go first precisely so he could have a moment alone with Chu Zhaotian.

But he didn’t look at Chu Zhaotian. He just patted his shoulder, his gaze fixed on the wall in front of them, and spoke as if to himself:

"I’ve been thinking about why you’re different from the others. I don’t have an answer, but I have a few theories.

Just now, when we were facing this wall, you knew from the very beginning that you couldn’t get over it, but you didn’t ask Zhaozhao to pull you over either..."

Lin Fan turned to look at the face that bore a slight resemblance to Chu Zhaozhao’s but was just as stubborn. He rested a hand on his shoulder and said,

"You’re timid and cautious, but also stubborn. Even with Zhaozhao, while you might bother her with small things, you refuse to rely on her for something like this. You’re unwilling to admit defeat."

"I..."

Chu Zhaotian lowered his gaze, his thoughts unclear, and just mumbled.

’Lin Fan had indeed been pondering what made Chu Zhaotian’s mindset different from the others, what it was that separated him from them.’

’But it was only just now that he’d noticed a clue.’

’It was that hidden pride and independence.’

’He was skeptical of everything. Even when facing the powerful Lin Fan, he merely followed, never becoming dependent.’

’This was evident from some of his subconscious actions.’

’He almost never took the initiative to ask Lin Fan for anything, nor did he make any requests. He just followed silently, coming when called and leaving when dismissed.’

’The only time he had ever asked Lin Fan for help was for his sister, for Chu Zhaozhao’s life.’

’Even in the face of this insane world, a proud self-respect still existed deep within him, even if that pride only served to mask his own powerlessness, to hide his weaker self.’

"Don’t hesitate, and don’t doubt yourself."

But Lin Fan cut him off and asked bluntly:

"I’ll only ask you this once. Right here, right now, you need to get over this wall. What are you going to do?"

Lin Fan watched the young man before him, his gaze shifting back and forth between a distant, glass-shattered first-floor balcony and the high wall right in front of him.

But as time passed, his gaze finally hardened. He stared intently at the wall, then turned his head, his brow furrowed and lips pressed tight as he looked at Lin Fan.

"Bro... Brother Lin... I’m asking you, please help me! I want to get over, too!"

As he spoke, he stood up ramrod straight and gave Lin Fan a heavy nod.

Seeing that the young man before him had finally made up his mind, Lin Fan smiled, wrapped an arm around his lower back, and lifted him clean off the ground!

"Haha, all right! Let’s go!"

With that, he bent his knees, gathering power, and leaped high into the air!

In an instant, he cleared the two-meter-high wall like a fierce tiger carrying its prey, landing heavily on the concrete ground inside with a dull THUD that kicked up a cloud of dust.

His immense strength instantly absorbed all the impact, his upper body not even swaying in the slightest.

"Whoa! Big Bro, you brought my brother over!"

Chu Zhaozhao had just spotted Lin Fan, but then she saw Chu Zhaotian tucked under his arm and exclaimed.

"Yeah, but from now on, he’ll be your responsibility."

Lin Fan set Chu Zhaotian down, patted his shoulder, and said,

"Right...?"

Chu Zhaotian steadied himself with his spear, seeming not to have fully recovered from the sudden acceleration.

But when he saw everyone looking at him—without mockery or contempt, just as normal as ever—the anxiety in his heart finally subsided. He bent over to rub his still-trembling thighs, smiled relaxedly, and said to the three people nearby:

"Yeah, Zhaozhao... and Xu Qian, Sister Qing, I’ll be in your care from now on..."

The three of them were taken aback to see him like this. The topic had always been like a scar that couldn’t be touched; everyone used to subconsciously avoid it to spare his feelings. But now, he had brought it up so openly himself.

But seeing the change in her brother, Chu Zhaozhao was genuinely happy for him and said half-jokingly:

"In my care? Then you’d better hold on tight! Up you go!"

As she spoke, she raised a hand. Chu Zhaotian’s spear, and his arm with it, was lifted upward. Then, his entire body was hoisted by the immense force, and he slowly floated toward the other three.

Chu Zhaotian didn’t let go for a second, just gripped the spear shaft until he landed softly in his designated spot on the dumpster.

"You really are... so convenient... haha... hahahaha..."

Watching himself land in the dumpster, Chu Zhaotian finally let go with one hand and lightly tapped his sister’s calf as she stood on it, laughing happily.

The mood was infectious, and everyone else began to laugh along with the siblings.

Seeing everyone laughing together, Lin Fan’s mind also relaxed a bit.

’If there was hope, he didn’t want Chu Zhaotian to remain an ordinary person forever. It wasn’t that he needed his power, but the most crucial thing was survival.’

’Fate had brought these people together, and he didn’t want anyone to fall behind and make a sorrowful exit in the end.’

’But right here and now, by acknowledging and accepting his weaker self, Chu Zhaotian had already taken the most difficult first step.’

"All right, all right, look over there..."

Lin Fan clapped his hands, interrupting the laughter, and pointed into the distance.

In that direction, a few zombies, drawn by the noise, were shambling toward them.

"Ahem! Everyone, in position!"

Su Qing was the first to turn serious. She had many roles: Lin Fan’s lover and comrade-in-arms, a big sister to Chu Zhaozhao, and overall, a matriarchal figure for the group.

But at this moment, she had only one identity: the captain of this small squad.

It was a duty Lin Fan had given her.

At her command, the other three grew serious, returned to their positions, and raised their spears—now a tier more lethal—aiming them at the approaching zombies, which were picking up speed.

Even Chu Zhaozhao put her two Flying Swords away, proactively conserving her energy and relying only on her spear to fight.

Watching their practiced techniques and solid teamwork, Lin Fan sniped a few more drops before directing the "mobile castle" toward the back door of Liu Bin’s supermarket.

With Lin Fan’s help and Chu Zhaozhao’s Flying Swords, they finally "cleaned up" the forty-odd zombies near the door.

"Are you guys going to keep heading deeper in?"

Lin Fan asked, standing at the iron gate in the supermarket’s back lot.

Su Qing glanced at the others. Once they’d reached a consensus, she said to Lin Fan:

"It’s not dark yet. This residential complex isn’t that big, so there probably aren’t many zombies left. If we clear this area today, Liu Bin and the others can come in tomorrow or tonight..."

"That works. It’s your call."

Lin Fan nodded. He took Chu Zhaotian’s walkie-talkie, confirmed it still had power, and handed it back.

"Contact me on the walkie-talkie if anything happens... I’ll wait for you in the supermarket. I’m going to go meet that Wang Yuanhua. When you’re done, just come back here and call for me..."

He said, pointing inside the main gate.

"Okay!"

Su Qing and the other three nodded. Then, Chu Zhaozhao used her ability to turn the dumpster around, and the four of them pushed it together, sending it rolling off into the distance with a loud CREAKING...

Lin Fan watched them go. With their current strength and weapons, he had nothing to worry about. As long as they didn’t run into a 2,000-HP zombie with crystallization abilities like a Giant-Armed Zombie, they could handle anything.

And even if they did encounter a Giant-Armed Zombie, Lin Fan was confident that with Chu Zhaozhao and Su Qing’s abilities, escape wouldn’t be a problem.