Apocalypse: I Can See Health Bars
Chapter 7: Like a Warrior

Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Like a Warrior

"You see, I don’t have much food either..."

Lin Fan dropped the box in the living room and led Su Qing on a tour of his kitchen.

Since she’d chosen to go upstairs with him, Lin Fan figured he should be honest with her to a certain extent.

He casually opened the fridge, pulled four hard-boiled eggs from the crisper, and put them in a steamer to heat up.

Then he rummaged through the large box he had just brought in, pulled out a bag of glucose solution, and tossed it to Su Qing.

"Drink this first. If you eat solid food too suddenly after starving for a while, it can shock your system."

Su Qing stared blankly, clutching the IV bag that had hit her in the chest, not quite understanding what was happening.

She pointed a finger upstairs and asked,

"Aren’t... aren’t we going upstairs?"

Lin Fan was busy organizing the box, sorting the things he’d brought up as he answered Su Qing’s question.

"We are, but not right now. If there’s a zombie in there, taking you with me now would just be sending you to your death."

Su Qing looked at the "10% Glucose Injection Solution" written on the IV bag, then bit a corner open and began sucking on it.

"But... you’re delaying?"

she asked Lin Fan while drinking the sugar water.

Lin Fan didn’t answer, seizing the moment to get busy.

It would be dark soon, and he wanted to scout out Room 402 before nightfall.

He found an outlet, plugged in his angle grinder, and took his spear into the bathroom.

The sound would be most muffled from outside if he worked in here, so it shouldn’t cause any problems.

’As for the zombies inside the building... let’s see them try jumping down from the windows.’

Seeing Lin Fan ignore her, Su Qing took the hint and said no more. She just leaned against the bathroom doorway, watching him in silence.

WHIRR—

As Lin Fan hit the switch, a sharp cutting sound erupted. In a moment, the blood-caked spearhead, along with the tape holding it, was sliced clean off.

He then measured it out, leaving a length of about 1.7 meters, and cut the remaining steel pipe into one long and one short piece.

"Why did you choose the second option?"

Lin Fan asked, turning his head toward Su Qing at the bathroom door, as he wrapped medical tape around a specific section of the pipe to improve the grip.

"You’re pretty brave. I didn’t expect it."

After drinking the bag of glucose, a bit of color returned to Su Qing’s pale face, and she didn’t feel as dizzy anymore.

Hearing Lin Fan’s words, she took two steps closer and said seriously,

"I want to live..."

It was an obvious thing to say, but Lin Fan understood her meaning through her eyes.

Not wanting to die is different from wanting to live.

It was like the difference between choice one and choice two.

If she had chosen the first option, he would have honored it. The dog food, eaten sparingly, could have lasted her half a month. But what about after that?

If he was still around, and she came begging, he might have gone soft and given her some more food.

But what then?

He couldn’t stay here forever.

She clearly understood that as well.

Wanting to live, in this world, was not a simple matter.

You had to face zombies, complex environments, monsters, and all sorts of unknown dangers.

To be honest, even Lin Fan himself wasn’t fully mentally prepared for it.

But time waits for no one. The problem they both faced was fundamentally the same: they had to become Warriors.

Lin Fan had already taken a huge step forward, and it seemed Su Qing had made up her mind as well.

This was why Lin Fan was starting to accept her. Whether it was moving supplies or making plans, having a helper would make many things much more convenient.

Besides, he would eventually have to leave the residential building and explore the outside world.

This place would be his base, and it needed a trustworthy person to guard it.

Since Su Qing, who had basically fallen into his lap, had made her choice, Lin Fan was happy to give her a chance.

Even if there were no zombies in 402, her choice still proved to Lin Fan that she could be a partner in this desperate world.

After a short while, Lin Fan finally finished modifying the weapon. He had gotten rid of the original spearhead, instead cutting one end of the steel pipe at an angle.

This naturally created a sharp point of about sixty degrees.

The tip wasn’t exceptionally sharp, but based on his previous experience, it was enough to pierce a zombie’s skull.

He had also shortened the long steel pipe. The original spear, over two meters long, had now become a short spear of about 1.7 meters and a sixty-centimeter-long iron rod, pointed at one end.

With the weapons modified, Lin Fan returned to the kitchen and handed two eggs to Su Qing.

"Here, eat something to tide you over. In a bit, we’re going to your place. See if you have any paper, books, notebooks, or any kind of protective gear, and bring it all over."

Although she didn’t understand what Lin Fan was planning, he had given her food, so Su Qing naturally did as he said.

A short while later, she brought over the books and stacks of A4 paper from her home.

It was all case briefs and materials she had organized for a lawsuit, but none of that mattered now.

Lin Fan saw the look on her face, glanced at the materials, and combined with some rumors he’d heard, he understood what had happened.

He began dividing the paper into stacks of appropriate thickness and taping them to Su Qing’s shins, thighs, forearms, upper arms, shoulders, and neck.

He then strapped a few books to her chest and back, completing a set of makeshift paper armor.

Adding the scooter helmet and oven mitts she had brought, Su Qing looked practically invulnerable.

"Don’t worry. I’m having you come with me, but I’m not sending you to your death."

"This paper used to be your weapon. Now it’s the armor that will keep you alive. It’s a kind of fate, I guess."

As he spoke, Lin Fan thought of his own past and said with emotion,

"We have to live well. As for those bastards, let them go feed the zombies!"

He looked up and saw that the lower half of Su Qing’s face, the only part visible, was bright red. She was biting her lip, and the moment she saw him looking, she shyly turned her head away.

Thinking back, Lin Fan realized what had happened.

’Recalling the supple feeling on his fingertips, he realized he’d pretty much touched her all over...’

Su Qing watched Lin Fan wrap the tape around her body through her helmet’s visor.

The only sounds in the room were the RIP— RIP— of tape being torn.

Each time the tape was ripped, Su Qing’s heart skipped a beat.

The stiff A4 paper was pressed against her body, followed by Lin Fan’s large hands pressing down firmly over the paper, smoothing the tape.

This "one layer removed" sensation gave her goosebumps all over.

Lin Fan’s movements were professional, without any frivolous touches, as if he were packing a fragile piece of cargo.

But it was precisely this focus that made Su Qing feel a strange sense of shame and... security.

"Here, hold this." Lin Fan clapped Su Qing’s shoulder, interrupting her reverie as he handed her a large iron wok, a full 50 centimeters in diameter.

"You’re not strong enough, so I’m not giving you a weapon. I won this thing in a raffle once. Hold it out in front of you and protect yourself."

"If a zombie comes, you block its first charge, and I’ll try to take it out in one shot."

After speaking, Lin Fan put on his own gear, wiped his hands on his clothes, and pushed aside any distracting thoughts.

’If they really ran into danger, any unnecessary attachments could affect his judgment...’

Su Qing looked at her reflection in the mirror. Covered head to toe in magazines and printed A4 paper, her thin frame made her look like a telephone pole plastered with ads outside a newsstand. It was utterly ridiculous.

But the thought of what they were about to do made her mood heavy again.

She understood that this was the best defensive gear Lin Fan could provide her right now. The rest was up to her own ability and luck.

"Are we going to die?" Su Qing asked, her voice muffled by her helmet and mask.

"I’m definitely not!" Lin Fan answered instinctively, without a moment’s hesitation.

Su Qing was taken aback by his answer, then she smiled in relief and let out a laugh that left Lin Fan stunned.

But then he saw the health bar above her head had recovered to [55/100]. It seemed eating had restored some of her health after all; it wasn’t just a final burst of energy before death or a sudden illness.

"Then I’m definitely not going to die either!" Su Qing said to Lin Fan with determination, her eyes meeting his through the visor.