Chapter 15: Guardian Level 2
Sunlight filtered through the curtain, casting a gentle glow over Xiao Mei's closed eyelids. Still fast asleep, she furrowed her brows slightly and tightened her grip on the blanket. The temperature had dropped compared to the day before—it felt as though winter was drawing near.
Pao Pei lay curled up beside the bed in a fluffy white ball. At some point, both the pillow and blanket had been kicked onto the floor. The little cub twitched its nose at the faint aroma wafting in the air...
...Grandma's making breakfast!!!
Pao Pei's eyes snapped open, fully awake the moment the smell reached him. Mmm… it smelled like rice porridge with shiitake mushrooms and minced pork. He leapt up without a hint of laziness and dashed straight down the stairs toward the kitchen.
"Grandma... Pao Pei is so hungry!"
The moment he saw Grandma, he rushed over and rubbed himself affectionately against her legs. That ingratiating behavior? Totally copied from the TV dramas Grandma liked to watch.
"Today, I made minced pork and mushroom rice porridge. Has Xiao Mei woken up yet, dear? Go wake her up for me," Granny Liju said as she leaned down and gently smoothed Pao Pei's messy fur. She gave him the task of waking up his master for breakfast.
As soon as Grandma told him to, Pao Pei sprang into action. He bounded up onto the bed and began stomping on the pillow where Xiao Mei's head rested.
"Master! Wake up... Wake up! Grandma says it's time to eat!"
He only called out a couple of times. When Xiao Mei didn't stir, he gave up and raced back downstairs to eat breakfast with Grandma instead.
Once he had finished his porridge, Pao Pei prepared to head out for another city exploration.
"Grandma, Pao Pei's going into the city! Pao Pei won't take Master with me!"
There was no way he could bring his master into a zombie-infested city. She was too weak to defend herself. And he himself—well, he was still too weak a Guardian to protect her properly.
"You sure, dear? If Xiao Mei wakes up and doesn't see you, she might worry," Grandma Liju said gently. It wasn't that she feared for Pao Pei's safety—she'd seen with her own eyes how he created a powerful energy field to protect the farm. This little cub possessed immense power. There weren't many who could pose a threat to him.
Grandma packed some snacks and water into a small backpack and slung it over his back. After repeating for the third time that he must be back before lunch, she finally let him go. Pao Pei nodded solemnly and trotted off through the gate.
Time passed... and still, no help came from the government.
It had been nearly two weeks since the meteor rain struck Earth. The number of infected continued to rise. Zombies had started to wander closer and closer to the area surrounding the farm.
Pao Pei had ventured into the city alone several times now. He found more survivors hiding inside homes and buildings than he'd expected. But hiding had its downsides—mainly the limited access to food and water. Most people hadn't stockpiled anything before the disaster hit.
...Hunger made people braver. Some took the risk of venturing out for food. But not everyone was strong enough to make it through the swarms of zombies. Many were killed, torn apart in the streets. Others got bitten but made it back—only to mutate and turn on their own families...
Today, Pao Pei had left Xiao Mei sleeping late at the farm, making sure to tell Grandma not to let her go anywhere. Meanwhile, he now sat atop the roof of a tall city building, lazily munching on a crystal core harvested from a zombie he'd taken down on the way. His Guardian energy was growing stronger—he was almost at Level 2.
Right now, he could run at speeds up to 80 km/h. A single swipe of his tiny paw was enough to decapitate an ordinary human. On the run from the farm to the city, he'd tested his strength—dozens of zombies had lost their heads to his claw strikes. He'd collected 36 crystal cores in total. His master would definitely be proud!
While surveying the area, Pao Pei noticed movement in a narrow alley below—something was off. A group of ten men moved quickly and silently. His eyes lit with curiosity.
Among them, one appeared to be the leader—about the same build as Uncle Ma, the handyman Xiao Mei had hired. He gave the orders while the other nine followed with disciplined precision. They moved fast, avoiding zombie encounters. It looked like they were searching for something.
Pao Pei shifted from the rooftop to a window ledge for a closer look, still chewing on a crystal like he was watching TV with Grandma.
After nearly half an hour of silent observation, he pulled out ten crystal cores—one for each person. Mimicking them, he split the cores into groups of three, just like their formation. One got bitten—so he chomped one core. It was all very strategic.
The humans had no idea a white tiger cub was spying on them from above, analyzing every move. After hours of watching, Pao Pei noticed something important: once three of their group had fallen, they escorted someone out.
It was an older man, maybe 55–60 years old. He looked weak, barely able to stand. The remaining men surrounded him and carefully moved him toward a vehicle. Pao Pei followed from a distance.
Their vehicle was heading out of the city—on the same route he needed to take to get home!
His instincts screamed something wasn't right. He wanted to transform into a bee and hitch a ride—but he couldn't abandon the backpack Grandma had packed for him. She'd ask about it for sure. Reluctantly, he turned and ran back another way.
He had to get home—his master needed to know about this!
Because he'd spent too much time spying...
...Pao Pei nearly missed lunch.
"You went out by yourself and still expect me to save food for you? Hmph!" Xiao Mei huffed. She'd woken to find her Guardian missing. After searching all over the farm, she found Grandma feeding the fish—and only then learned that Pao Pei had gone out alone.
That little furball... How dare he leave her behind!
"Well you didn't wake up! I tried waking you, but you just kept sleeping," Pao Pei shot back. Honestly, his master was weaker than he thought. Even after eating a Guardian's newborn eggshell, she'd only gotten a little stronger. He was starting to lose hope...
Grandma Liju watched the two bicker with matching pouty faces. Neither looked willing to give in, so she decided to intervene the only way that worked—by sending them off to eat.
"There's beef noodles in the kitchen. I made it earlier. Go help yourselves."
"Pao Pei loves beef noodles!" he declared proudly, strutting past Xiao Mei with his tail high.
"You've never even had beef noodles before," she muttered, trailing after him
"Of course Grandma's cooking is delicious. Pao Pei loves beef noodles."
"You've never tasted it, you little suck-up!"
"Lazy sleepyhead of a master!!"
"You smell like rotten meat, furball!"
"Don't you dare insult me!!"
Pao Pei's fur puffed up until he looked like a round fluff ball. He curled his tail up and sniffed himself—there was nothing he hated more than being stinky.
"You've been outside. You need a bath. Do you want to bring germs back to Grandma?" Xiao Mei crossed her arms, a small smile on her face. She'd found his weak spot—his obsession with cleanliness.
"You're right... Master, give me a bath."
Now he wasn't arguing with Xiao Mei anymore. He had sprinted all the way back from the city to the farm without stopping even once. He was almost out of energy, eyes heavy with sleep. Hungry, tired—he needed some TLC right now!