1 Journey to the Chenyang Base

It was six in the morning and there was a figure lurking behind the trees alone, keeping a watchful eye for any moving corpse in the vicinity.

They were moving towards their destination carefully quickening their pace from time to time, carrying a small bundle in their arms.

Zhang Bao was an obedient five-year-old and despite the fast pace, he did not complain. His obedient and thoughtful nature reminded Li Mingyue of her kind, gentle and thoughtful sister.

She was again reminded of the unfortunate day when they were attacked by a group of zombies and her sister's unfair decision to sacrifice herself to protect Mingyue and her son.

Li Yuan was her only family. Their parents passed away in a car accident when Mingyue was 11 and Yuan was 15. Despite being older than Mingyue for only four years, Yuan raised Mingyue all by herself. Yuan was her mother, father, sister and also her best friend.

Mingyue could only freeze as her sister used her power to kill both herself and the mid-level zombie. She started having nightmares after that ill-fated incident, watching her sister near her death with helplessness and extreme guilt.

She stopped her thoughts as it was not the right time and place and they were getting closer to the base. She swallowed her emotions and warned herself, 'Not now, Mingyue. We are a few miles away from the base. Be alert!'.

'Just wait a little longer, Bao'er. Aunt will take you to a safe place.' She thought to herself and quickened the pace again. She did not dare talk to Zhang Bao. Even first-level zombies had a high sense of hearing and she was already trying hard to reduce the sound of her footsteps.

After more than an hour and less than half a mile away from the base, Mingyue was starting to feel a bit hopeful. And like always, Luck was never on her side.

More than a few steps away, a first-level male zombie was tearing apart the limbs of a human. Mingyue realized that they were close to interrupting his feast and might incur the zombie's wrath. She quickly hid Zhang Bao along with her backpack behind a tree and signaled him not to make any noise. Within a few seconds, the zombie noticed her presence and bolted toward her.

She guessed that the zombie was a first-level speed ability user. She leapt toward him with a dagger before he reached closer to Zhang Bao and directly aimed for the top of his head closer to where his core is located.

After a series of kicks and slices with her dagger, she managed to wound him at various places but was unsuccessful in reaching his head due to the zombie's speed.

As the first-level zombies were slightly smarter than the low-level zombies, he zoomed past her to the tree where the innocent Zhang Bao was hidden.

Mingyue immediately understood his cowardly intentions and cursed at him, "If you fucking touch him with your filthy hands, I will fucking end you, you bastard".

The zombie reached Zhang Bao before her and swung his arm at the five-year-old. Zhang Bao cried out at the assault and Mingyue could see a large gash on his entire hand from his shoulder to his palm.

She saw red and without thinking, she attacked the bastard who injured her beloved nephew. She charged at him and kicked him with all her strength. The zombie's back hit a tree behind him and he fell to the ground.

At the same time, Mingyue bent towards the zombie and chopped the top of his head, the zombie plunged his hand through her stomach and pulled out. He laughed at her as if trying to say "Got you".

Blood splurged out of her mouth but she did not care, she removed the crystal nuclues and the zombie died at once. If only, she had killed him sooner, Zhang Bao would not have been injured. She quickly went to Zhang Bao and saw him silently crying with pain.

'How dare that moving corpse scare and injure my Bao'er ', She thought as she sat near her nephew and slowly leaned her back towards the tree.

"Bao'er, come here and show aunt your hand", She took his small hand and gently swept her hand over his gash. A warm light emanated from her palm and healed the wound without leaving any scar. Mingyue patted his head softly and Zhang Bao stopped crying as it was no longer painful.

Li Mingyue was a low-grade light ability user. Her ability was not suitable for offense. She chose to use weapons to protect herself. She trained herself to use a dagger and was able to kill low-level and a few first-level zombies. She used the last of her remaining power on Zhang Bao. From the position near the tree, she could see the gates of Chenyang base and the top of the building.

Ah, they were so close to their destination, she realized as she sighed in regret and looked at her nephew. He was a bit fatigued after the scary encounter.

Mingyue thought to herself that Zhang Bao could leave her here and move slowly towards the base but she was worried that he might face zombies along the way or get lost. 'Shouldn't the area around the base be safer? Why were the Chenyang base people allowing the zombies lurking around their territory?'

Unbeknownst to her, Mingyue's thoughts were drifting far from the real danger. As if suddenly enlightened, she was reminded of the possibility of her turning into a zombie.