Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 448: Not a thief.

And just when the unnecessarily dramatic morning seemed like it was coming to an end, Castiel bolted into the kitchen, tears streaming, clutching a soggy toy octopus that had only two limbs left.

"Mommy!" He ate Octi’s arms," Castiel wailed, burying his face in Sunshine’s apron.

Seconds later, White stumbled in, equally tearful, clutching his chest as if mortally wounded. His squeaks sounded like bubbles popping sadly, He pawed at Sunshine’s right leg, demanding comfort.

The kitchen now seemed like a courtroom: Castiel on one side, White on the other, both presenting their case in unintelligible sobs. Sunshine looked trapped, and she begged her husband to step in.

Hades stared at their son and their bear. He couldn’t decide who was right or who was wrong. Also, he did not like getting between Cass and White’s strange silly battles.

Ariel entered the kitchen rolling his eyes so hard that they nearly fell out. "Enough!" he bellowed with the authority of a true base commander. He grabbed Castiel by one ear and White by the other one, dragging them both out of the kitchen like mismatched luggage.

Sunshine looked at Hades and said, "And you were asking what authority he has. Look at that. In five seconds, he fixed what would take us both five hours, coaxing, snacks, lullabies and promises."

Hades laughed. "He truly takes after me. Efficient in everything." He grabbed her by the waist, bumping her body against his.

She giggled and slapped his chest.

"Ariel....." Tank screamed.

******

After breakfast, Hades left the main base to inspect the ongoing construction work in the towns. Sunshine slipped into the space like someone stepping into a familiar room after a long day.

The air there was cooler, quieter. She went to the living section and harvested the levias marrow extract; after putting it in vials she returned to the storage section.

After settling down, she flicked on her notifications, expecting the usual trickle of small alerts, shop earnings, system pings, nothing exciting. Then, it hit her like rain after a drought.

Payment alerts chimed one after another, soft but persistent, like coins being poured onto a metal table.

Sunshine leaned back, eyebrows lifting as her eyes skimmed over the numbers.

Shop sales from different days for different things. One number made her sit straight so fast she almost startled herself.

Fifty million!

Sunshine blinked once.

Twice.

She rubbed her eyes as if the digits might rearrange themselves into something more reasonable.

They did not.

Her heart fluttered, not in the romantic way but in the "is this real or am I about to be emotionally wounded" way.

"System," she said slowly, carefully, like one did when approaching a wild animal, "explain that payment."

There was a brief pause, the kind that always made her suspicious.

Then the familiar mechanical tone responded. [The amount is the cash payment for the sale of the sleek black triangle acquired from Boulder Creek.]

Sunshine nodded, a smile spreading across her face before she could stop it. "Ah. I forgot about that thing. It did not look important; I had no idea it was so expensive. I need to get more of those from Boulder creek," she said cheerfully, already imagining the ripple effects that kind of money would have on the base.

Then the smile faltered. Just slightly. Her eyes narrowed.

Something itched at the back of her mind, and not the good kind. "System," she said again, tone shifting, "is that the entire payment?"

Silence.

Not long, but long enough.

[I don’t understand that question. Care to elaborate?]

Sunshine snorted softly. "Oh, you understand," she said, crossing her arms. "You always understand. My trust in you has... how do I put this nicely... faltered. Ever since you stole from me."

The system responded a bit faster this time, [Host, I thought the issue has been resolved and I have already explained that I did not steal from you.]

Sunshine tilted her head. "Taking someone’s things without their knowledge is theft," she said calmly. "You can dress it up in system jargon all you want, but where I come from, that’s stealing."

There was a humming sound then, a low vibration that Sunshine had come to recognize as the system attempting something like embarrassment or contemplation. [This was a misunderstanding,] it said finally. [To prevent future confusion, I will alert you each time points are deducted for any reason. And I returned your thermal bands so, not a thief.]

Sunshine nodded once. "Keep your hands clean un future." Then she paused, eyes gleaming with the kind of look that made most people nervous. "And, the thermal bands you returned to me are not the ones you took. I am willing to overlook all this but if we’re going to forget this whole ordeal," she continued, "you’re going to have to do something for me. Consider it a sign of goodwill."

The system hesitated again. [Tread carefully host. But I wish to put the misunderstanding behind me_us. So, what do you want from me?]

Sunshine didn’t even pretend to think about it. "I want you to create an avenue for me to trade with the people of Boulder Creek," she said. "A proper one. Safe. Reliable. No funny business. With more worlds opening up, I cannot use all my passes on that world."

The system hummed briefly. [Under normal circumstances such an action would incur a charge...]

Sunshine cut in immediately. "No charge," she said sweetly. "Consider it a gift to your lovely host."

There was a pause that felt like a sigh. [I will put in a request for you. The final decision rests in the hands of the council.]

Sunshine grinned. That alone felt like a small victory. Then, riding the high, she leaned forward. "While we’re at it," she said, "I need a safe, durable way to install network towers. Proper ones so that phones and internet can actually work on the entire base." She waved a hand vaguely. "Not the duct-tape-and-hope nonsense we’ve been doing."

[Considering the extreme heat and other environmental threats, you can use hyper-conductive cables sourced from Boulder Creek. They are designed to withstand severe and hostile conditions.]

Manuals appeared around her, floating screens filled with schematics, diagrams, and instructions detailed enough to make her engineers either cry tears of joy or lock themselves in a room for ten years.

The system explained that these manuals would allow the installation of advanced cellular and network systems capable of surviving the new world’s tantrums. Sunshine scanned the information, impressed despite herself. "Okay," she said slowly, "how much is this going to cost me?"

[The cables will be free....a gift you call it.]

Sunshine laughed, a genuine laugh that echoed in the space. "You’re joking," she said. "You don’t give free things."

[Continued upgrades will result in more complimentary benefits and that at higher levels, free resources will become increasingly common. Naturally, you will be expected to repair some things for free on behalf of the council.]

Sunshine leaned back, staring at the floating screens, disbelief and gratitude tangling in her chest. Repair jobs for the council would probably not be too complicated. Just like the work on the ship. The only problem she had been met with was Nine. "Okay, deal."

What she did not know was that the council had many such cables in storage from Boulder Creek. They were useless, outdated technology. Giving them to her was like giving her a handful of sand at the beach.

And in return, they got a cart full of gold!