Apocalypse: I Can See Health Bars

When others see a miracle that can’t be replicated, they’ll inevitably assume you’re hiding some crucial piece of information.

’Since I can’t explain it clearly, nor can I replicate this power, it’s better to just avoid the subject altogether.’

"What did this giant zombie look like when you first saw it?"

Lin Fan took the kitchen knife from Liu Bin’s hand and, expressionless, began to slice along the cracks in the Giant-Armed Zombie’s charred shell, cutting the entire corpse open.

"Ugh... GAG..."

Watching Lin Fan’s practiced movements, like those of a butcher chopping meat, and smelling the reek of rot and burnt flesh, Liu Bin gagged nauseously.

But upon hearing Lin Fan’s question, he wiped his mouth, took a moment to recall, and answered:

"...Its skin was a kind of dark, greenish-black, like... like the color of a large carp’s back. The skin was incredibly tough, like leather. Our spears couldn’t pierce it at all..."

"The... the head was the same color, but it didn’t look like a human head. It was like a basin inverted on its body, with two eyes on the sides... In the chaos, someone managed to stab one of them..."

"It also had a mouth, right about here..."

He said, pointing to the base of a protrusion on the corpse.

"It was horizontal, very large, and could open incredibly wide. But it’s all burnt to a crisp now..."

Lin Fan listened to Liu Bin’s description without pausing his work. His kitchen knife easily sliced open the charred, basin-shaped "head."

’Just as I thought, like the Siren Zombie. Inside, there’s only a cavity for a proboscis and some cartilaginous structures. Those so-called eyes were probably just sensory organs, like the Siren Zombie’s tentacles.’

His blade moved downwards until he had cut the zombie’s torso completely open. Deep within the chest cavity, which had been blasted apart by a piercing force, a hard shell bearing a strong resemblance to a human skull was revealed, wrapped in a misshapen mass of mangled flesh.

This was where he had just extracted the crystal.

’This is its real "head," or rather, its weak point.’

’Looking at this mangled flesh, which lacked any conventional structure, Lin Fan thought that if it weren’t for the "shell" retaining some semblance of a human skull, he would have no idea if these so-called Mutated Zombies were even derived from humans... or from other zombies, for that matter.’

’The change in their physical structure is too drastic, too complete.’

’And the fact that this kind of mutation can produce crystals that grant extraordinary power... it’s truly mind-boggling.’

"...Brother Lin, is there something wrong with the corpse?"

Seeing Lin Fan completely engrossed in dissecting the corpse, Liu Bin had been standing awkwardly to the side, not wanting to leave but feeling sickened by the sight. When Lin Fan finally seemed to be done, he quickly spoke up.

"Ah... it’s nothing. I’m done here. You can go back to what you were doing..."

Lin Fan snapped back to reality. He picked up his spear, hoisted the dissected pile of flesh from the ground, walked a few steps closer, and tossed it into the first floor of the burning building.

After a moment’s thought, he also threw the Siren Zombie’s corpse inside, but into a different room.

With the battle concluded, the survivors from the two buildings to the west, organized by Liu Bin, began to emerge. They started moving the corpses, temporarily piling them to one side.

"This building is a lost cause. Don’t go back inside, it might collapse... Once the fire dies down, just throw all the zombie corpses in here..."

Lin Fan walked over to Liu Bin and said,

"Don’t get cocky just because you killed a few zombies. Be careful. There are still plenty of things in this world that even I have to run from..."

’I don’t have any particular attachment to this Liu Bin, but it’s rare to find someone who’s both smart and obedient. It’d be a shame if he got himself killed so carelessly.’

With that, he gathered his long and short spears and headed for home.

...

Liu Bin and his group had watched Lin Fan’s battle with the Giant-Armed Zombie clearly from their hiding spot in a storefront across the street.

As a result, his reverence for the man before him deepened.

’It wasn’t just the superhuman speed and immense strength he had witnessed before. Lin Fan possessed some kind of mysterious power that ordinary people couldn’t comprehend.’

’It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him an ancient sect patriarch.’

’That spear was like it was packed with explosives—the moment it pierced something, it would blow a chunk of flesh away!’

’And Liu Bin had been right there when the explosion happened upstairs. A piece of red-hot shrapnel had burned a scar onto his forehead, and it still hurt.’

’But Lin Fan? A halo of light had appeared around him and deflected the shrapnel...’

’A halo of light!’

’It deflected it!’

’If this isn’t cultivation, what is?!’

He didn’t even dare to act any differently than before, let alone take the initiative to ask about it.

’As long as this master doesn’t bring it up, I, Liu Bin, will take this secret to my grave and cling tightly to this powerful thigh.’

Watching Lin Fan’s departing figure, Liu Bin couldn’t help but think to himself,

’This is a fateful opportunity. An immense, fateful opportunity.’

...

Arriving at the base of the clinic, Lin Fan waved to the people in the window upstairs. A few moments later, the four of them appeared at the clinic’s entrance.

Wu Haitao was also in the clinic. Ever since Chu Zhaotian and his companion had come rushing back from Lin Fan’s place in a panic, he knew something big must have happened and had been hiding in the clinic ever since.

"All clear... The drill was a success... Good work, everyone..."

Seeing the tense expressions on their faces, Lin Fan joked with them lightheartedly.

"Big Bro! What happened? Why do I see a fire... Whoa!"

Chu Zhaozhao was the first to run out, dashing to Lin Fan’s side to ask anxiously. But then she turned her head, saw the burning building in the distance, and couldn’t help but cry out in surprise.

Seeing Chu Zhaozhao’s hair return to its familiar, frizzed-up state, Lin Fan couldn’t help but smile knowingly.

"Lin Fan, are you okay..."

Su Qing followed closely behind. She didn’t care about the burning building; her only concern was whether Lin Fan was hurt.

"I’m fine, I’m fine..."

Lin Fan started to reach out a hand, but then he remembered he had just been dissecting a corpse and his hands were covered in blood. He just waved his hand instead, avoiding any close contact with Su Qing.

"There were two Mutated Zombies. Don’t worry, they’ve been dealt with..."

"Big Bro! Wash your hands!"

As if sensing Lin Fan’s awkward predicament, Chu Zhaozhao grabbed a half-full bottle of water from a nearby RV, poured it over his hands, and washed away most of the bloodstains.

She then found a cloth and dried his hands.

She was so efficient it was as if she were trying to atone for some misdeed...

"Brother Lin..."

Chu Zhaotian finally came closer, avoiding Wu Haitao, and whispered in Lin Fan’s ear,

"About that thing..."

"Just hold on to it. We’ll talk back inside," Lin Fan whispered, patting him on the shoulder. He had seen Chu Zhaotian’s hand in his pocket and understood at once.

’The two Mutated Zombies from before dropped a few more potions. Since I already have plenty of these Berserk Potions, I might as well just leave these for them.’

’But when we get back, I still need to explain the effects and potential risks to them.’

Since Wu Haitao was still around, Lin Fan naturally wasn’t going to let this source of free labor go to waste.

He walked over, clapped Wu Haitao on the shoulder, and said with a grin:

"Brother Wu, two cruciform spears, two regular spears. I’ll be down to check on your work in a bit..."

Then he turned his head and said to the other three youngsters:

"You three, go find something to eat in the car, then stay here and help out..."

"Sister Qing, let’s head up for now..."

Saying this, he picked up the spear Chu Zhaozhao had polished until it shone with one hand, took Su Qing’s hand with the other, and headed upstairs.

Lin Fan had previously decided to maintain an air of mystery because ordinary people couldn’t replicate his abilities. But just then, he suddenly thought of Su Qing.

’If everyone else is an ordinary person, can Su Qing, with her 105 Life Value, still be considered ordinary?’

’So, he had two more experiments to conduct. No, not *that* kind of experiment—two other ones.’

’First, the use and effects of the interface module.’

’Second, whether Su Qing’s 105 Life Value was enough to power a crystal...’