Bao Bao's Lucky Charm To The Rescue

Humans can be infected with the zombie virus through a zombie's nails, teeth, saliva, or sweat. They could turn into a zombie after a few minutes.

After eight months into the post-apocalyptic era, a small group of scientists was able to classify zombies based on their abilities and danger level to humans.

Low-level zombies were the primary level zombies which emerged when the apocalypse began. These zombies were the slow, lumbering, and unintelligent kind. They possessed a strong desire for human blood and flesh.

After a few months, first-level zombies were born after consuming multiple low-level zombies. They were the slightly smarter bunch and their speed was comparable to humans. The first-level zombies were able to manifest abilities like speed, wood, water, wind, fire, earth, metal, and thunder.

The ability users in the zombie population were classified into first-level, mid-level, and high-level zombies.

High-level zombies were the most dangerous bunch. They were smarter, stronger, and faster compared to their predecessors.

Similarly, humans were also gifted with wood, wind, ice, water, fire, earth, metal, lightning, strength, light, and spatial abilities. They were mainly classified into low-grade, mid-grade, and high-grade ability users.

The possibility of enhancing their ability is really difficult as they have to absorb multiple crystal cores of a first level or a few mid-level zombies.

The human or zombie ability users have higher chances of improving their grades or levels if they absorb crystal cores from mid-level zombies compared to first-level. A wood ability user can absorb crystal cores from a mid-level zombie with wood ability.

Humans who cannot trigger any ability mostly used weapons to protect themselves. They are sometimes called weapon users as they used guns, swords, and daggers to fight.

Normal humans and Low-grade ability users have zero resistance to zombie attacks. They instantly turn into zombies within a few minutes. Mid-grade ability users are resistant to low-level zombies but not mid-level and high-level zombies. High-grade ability users are resistant to low, first, and mid-level zombies.

As Mingyue was a low-grade light ability user, she was not certain whether she would turn into a zombie. She was never injured during her fights with the low-level and first-level zombies.

But she could cure people who were infected with the virus. Li Yuan was a mid-grade fire ability user. When her sister was still a low-grade fire ability user and was injured by a first-level zombie, Mingyue tried to cure her sister despite Yuan's worries.

Her sister was able to avoid turning into a zombie through Mingyue's light ability. Even after Yuan's breakthrough to mid-grade, Mingyue was still able to heal Yuan. Mingyue deciphered that her power eliminates the zombie virus. It works even on mid-grade ability users despite her being on low-grade. After the fight with the first-level zombie just now, she was able to cure Zhang Bao of the virus injected through the zombie's nails.

Mingyue was always careful during her fights with zombies as her ability was not suitable for attacks. Even if they did face two or three first-level zombies or a herd of low-level zombies, it was not a big deal for them. Since Yuan always dealt with more zombies than Mingyue.

Despite her kind and gentle nature, Yuan was wild during her fights and was often injured. Mingyue was more of a healer and Yuan was a tank.

Yuan was able to make a breakthrough to mid-grade as she often absorbed the fire ability crystals from first-level zombies.

*-*-*-*-*

Back to the present, Mingyue was panicking. She can cure others but she was not completely sure whether she was immune to the zombie virus. She had to take a gamble. She realized it was a big risk and her nephew's life was dependent on her decision.

She was already feeling lightheaded as she had lost a lot of blood. Before she could change her mind, she pointed to the base and said, "Bao'er, do you see that building? Can you go there? Aunt is feeling a bit tired. I will follow you after some time." She decided to stay conscious till she can watch him reach the boundary.

"I don' wanna leave you here, Auntie Li~. You look sick ", Zhang Bao mumbled with a voice full of worry.

"Don't worry sweetie. Aunt will be back after some time. I think the uncles at the place have cake. The person who reaches first gets to eat it", Mingyue used her coaxing skills to convince the five-year-old.

Zhang Bao was on his feet in less than a second just as she predicted. He sprinted ahead slowly and suddenly stopped. He bent on the ground and picked up something. He ran back to Mingyue and took her hand.

Zhang Bao placed something shiny in her palm and promised her, "I will keep a slice for you, Auntie Li~. Don' worry, Bao Bao always keeps his promises but can you promise me that you will come back quickly? Bao Bao will be scared without you." He uttered with a pout and stuck his pinky out.

Mingyue swallowed down a sob, wiping her eyes quickly. She knew she would break her promise but still linked their pinkies and said, "Promise. But what is this stone, sweetie?"

"That is Bao Bao's lucky charm so you don' get scary. Bye-bye ~", Zhang Bao continued his short sprint towards the Chenyang base.

Mingyue looked at the small shiny crystal in her palm but her vision was hazy. She did not pay much attention to it as watching Zhang Bao was her priority.

After a few minutes, as she was about to close her eyes completely, she saw that Zhang Bao was halfway to reaching the gate. She saw a zombie lurking closer to her nephew.

Her eyes shot open and she tried to move her body so the zombie gets attracted to herself instead of her nephew. She cried out, "Come to me, you idiot. Leave him alone". The zombie was able to hear her and he looked at her but he turned back his attention to the kid.

Mingyue wanted to do something but she could not. She has already reached her limit. She has failed again and her stupid decision put Zhang Bao in harm's way. She sobbed helplessly. The stupid first-level zombie must have been attracted by her useless blood and followed them to the Chenyang base.

'What was I thinking when I decided it was safe to go to the base today? If only I had the power to turn back time, I would not have come today. I want to go back to the day when my sister was alive. I want this whole apocalypse thing to fucking end. I want to go back to the time before this nightmare began.'

As the zombie dashed towards her nephew and was about to assault him, her eyes finally closed.

The lucky charm in her hand suddenly emitted a blinding light and split into pieces and scattered all around, leaving a small mark on her palm. The world halted along with the little boy and the zombie with his hand outstretched towards the former.

Unbeknownst to Mingyue, little Bao's lucky charm was the crystal core of a mid-level zombie whose ability was unknown. The zombie was killed by the members of the Chenyang base. The members were negligent and did not collect the crystal as they could not decipher the former's unknown ability.

The five-year-old, Zhang Bao was her saviour and her true lucky charm.