Apocalypse: I Can See Health Bars
Chapter 13: Division of Labor

Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Division of Labor

Su Qing didn’t stand on ceremony. After all, she had already finished the eggs she’d taken back in the middle of the night.

She had smelled the fragrant aroma wafting from Lin Fan’s apartment before she even stepped inside, and her mouth was already watering.

"The soy milk is here, help yourself. The noodles are in the pot, get your own. Don’t be shy. If you eat too much, I’ll just deduct it from your share of the supplies..."

Hearing this, Su Qing’s hand, which was pouring soy milk into a large bowl, paused. But she quickly came to terms with it. ’Forget deducting it from my supplies,’ she thought. ’Even if Lin Fan didn’t give me a share, as long as he provides food, I have no complaints.’

From their interactions over the past two days, she knew Lin Fan was cold on the outside but warm on the inside. Besides, she could sense that he didn’t seem to care that much about these material things.

"Mhm, deduct it. As long as there’s enough for me to eat..."

"GULP, GULP, GULP..."

As the rich, fragrant soy milk entered her mouth, it was as if time had rewound to three days ago...

"Sister Su, what are your plans from now on?"

Lin Fan watched Su Qing drink the soy milk sip by sip with her eyes closed, a look of pure bliss on her face, as if she were savoring some divine nectar.

Lin Fan could tell from her expression that she was lost in some fantasy again. He felt a little bad for interrupting her, but he spoke up to bring her back to reality.

Lin Fan’s words had their intended effect. Su Qing opened her eyes, and the light in them visibly dimmed.

She silently ladled a bowl of noodles for herself from the pot, making sure to scoop a few pieces of meat into her bowl.

She took a few bites with her head down, then suddenly looked up at Lin Fan and said, "Little brother... you... you’re not getting rid of me, are you?"

Lin Fan was instantly stunned. "Huh?"

’Why does that make it sound like I used her and threw her away?’ he thought. ’I don’t remember our relationship ever developing to that point...’

"Can’t we just... keep on like yesterday?"

Su Qing’s large eyes, which had brightened slightly at the taste of meat, suddenly misted over. A familiar fear crept back into her heart as she said frantically,

"We can team up! I’ll go in front. If there are supplies, you can give me a share. A third... no, even a quarter would be fine!"

Only after hearing her out did Lin Fan realize they’d had a complete misunderstanding.

’But this is good, too,’ he thought. ’With her expectations this low, she should be more willing to accept my plan.’

"Calm down..."

Lin Fan first tried to soothe Su Qing.

"I was thinking about it last night and came up with a few ideas. Just listen first and see if you can do it."

"Can you cook?" Lin Fan asked first.

"Yes! I used to cook for myself every day! I just haven’t been in the mood lately, with everything going on..."

Su Qing heard the opening in Lin Fan’s words.

He wasn’t saying she was useless, but that he had a new arrangement for her. Her spirits instantly lifted. She finished her large bowl of noodles and went to get another.

She also ladled a bowl for Lin Fan and, with great reluctance, picked all the meat out of her own bowl and gave it to him.

Lin Fan was a little speechless watching Su Qing, who had gone into full suck-up mode, deliberately trying to curry favor with him. He pushed the bowl with more meat back in front of her.

"None of that. Just eat..."

"Let me tell you my plan..."

"There are twelve units in this building section. Besides the two of us, there probably aren’t any other living people."

...

So, Lin Fan briefly explained his plan to Su Qing: to first clear the apartments above and below them, gathering supplies while also eliminating any internal threats.

Su Qing seemed to be truly starving. After finishing the noodles, she tilted her head back and poured the remaining broth into her mouth, gulping it down.

Her chest rose and fell with each swallow, a magnificent sight reflected in the eyes of Lin Fan, who sat opposite her.

"...So which apartment do we start with!?"

Finally full, it seemed, Su Qing let out a long breath, slammed her bowl down on the table, and asked Lin Fan with a bold air.

"Not ’we.’ ’I’..."

Lin Fan confirmed her attitude, then continued where she left off.

"Your job isn’t to clear zombies with me."

"Then what...?" Su Qing looked at Lin Fan, confused.

"I’ll be clearing the threats from each apartment, one by one, from top to bottom. That means I won’t have time for a lot of the miscellaneous chores..."

"Like laundry, cooking, and maintaining basic hygiene..."

"Plus, any supplies we find will need to be hauled back here. So, I need an assistant," Lin Fan said, looking at Su Qing seriously.

"That’s it? It’s that simple?"

Su Qing was incredulous after hearing Lin Fan’s explanation. ’These are just household chores. Is that really all it takes?’

"Of course, that’s not all. These chores will take up some of your time, but not all of it."

"So I also hope you’ll use your free time to train your body..."

"I don’t know what you did before, but from now on, if you want to survive, this is the only way."

These words were for Su Qing, but also for himself.

Yesterday’s encounter with that monster had deepened his understanding of how dangerous this world was.

It wasn’t just Su Qing who needed to get stronger. He did, too.

As for his requirements for Su Qing, he hoped that when the day came that he had to leave this place, she wouldn’t be a burden.

Besides, having someone to help with chores was a huge benefit to him right now. It would save him at least three to four hours a day.

With poor visibility at night, going outside was out of the question, which made the daytime hours all the more precious.

Lin Fan looked into Su Qing’s eyes and said earnestly,

"My reflexes and experience come from dealing with wild beasts in the past, so I probably can’t teach you that..."

"Once your body has recovered, I’ll make you some weapons and gear. You’ll have to fight, too. You’ll have to kill zombies..."

"You should have received that text message too. There are official quarantine zones, they’re just too far away from us."

"Even with all the supplies in the world, being trapped here just means surviving for an extra month or two. In the end, it’s still a dead end."

"We’ll have to leave sooner or later. I don’t want you to be a burden when that time comes..."

Su Qing could hear the acknowledgment in Lin Fan’s words.

Lin Fan’s tone wasn’t that of someone talking to a delicate, helpless, beautiful neighbor, but to a potential comrade-in-arms.

Not just a comrade for a future journey, but one to whom he could entrust a part of their entire survival plan.

Hearing Lin Fan’s long-term plans for the first time, Su Qing grew excited as well. She said seriously,

"Don’t worry, leave the chores like laundry and cooking to me!"

"And I learned how to work out at a gym before, so I definitely won’t be a burden to you!"

Since Lin Fan was taking her so seriously, she naturally wouldn’t slack off either!

"It’s fine. You don’t have to make any promises to me. It’s your own life..."

Lin Fan admitted to himself that he didn’t really know what the future held. He had his Superpower; he could get stronger by killing zombies and increasing his health bar.

But as for Su Qing’s future, he couldn’t make any guarantees.

For now, however, it was a win-win situation. Su Qing was guaranteed three meals a day, and Lin Fan saved time.

’Besides,’ he thought, ’having such a beautiful woman at home cooking and doing laundry for me every day... at the very least, it’s pleasant to look at, isn’t it?’

"Go ahead and do the dishes in a bit..."

Lin Fan had begun his life as a landlord.