Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 527: Bring out the children.

Back at Fortress four, in the command center, some people exhaled loudly when Vicente’s car came to a stop. They needed Mrs. Krotchner alive, not dead. And some people even thought it would be a shame to destroy the restaurant.

Buildings that were still standing like it were an asset in the apocalypse. And the town would soon be theirs. Meaning, the building would be theirs, so it needed to remain as unharmed as possible.

"I am beginning to think that he has been inhaling that mist like Warren used to inhale hookah." Lisha said, loud enough for people around them to hear.

Warren hissed. "Hey...I thought we agreed to keep that a secret."

Hades barked at them both. "Not now you two. We need drones and cameras over this area. They have thriving flowers, we need to know how and why."

Fingers click clacked on keyboards as comms officers and others in the command center got to work.

****

Mrs. Krotchner was standing near the side entrance of her famous barbecue restaurant, ’The misty plate’, checking a delivery of white flour with a microscope. She did not want to take in rotting floor like the she had the last time. The ingredients in the market could not be trusted in the apocalypse, and she knew that more than anyone.

When Vicente’s truck roared toward her, stopping so fast the bumper actually brushed the wood of the front doors, she dropped her delivery notebook and microscope. It hit the floor with a loud thud.

"What riff raff dares to cause trouble here?" she shrieked, her voice hitting a note that could crack a wine glass. Her heart was hammering against her ribs so hard she had to clutch her chest.

She straightened her pristine white apron and marched toward the truck, her face a bright, angry red. "I do not care what you want here, but you have no right to... to... to..." She sputtered, her tongue failing her. The outrage was so thick in her throat she looked like she might explode.

Vicente stepped out of the truck, looking as cool as a summer breeze. He didn’t look like a man who had come to compliment her on her cooking. He ran his fingers through his whitish hair and gave her a dry, humorless chuckle.

"Where are the children, Krotchner?" he asked. His voice was soft, but his eyes.... colder than the shadow of the long winter itself which made it ten times scarier.

Behind him, Sunshine’s squad stepped forward. They weren’t smiling. Sunshine’s fingers drifted to the handle of her heavy hammer, massaging the metal as if it were an extension of her own hand. She had to control her thoughts of smashing Mrs. Krotchner’s head otherwise the hammer would obey them.

"W-what children?" Mrs. Krotchner stammered. The anger in her eyes flickered for a second, replaced by a sudden, sharp look of guilt that vanished as quickly as it appeared.

"Lady, we are not here to play games with you," Sunshine snapped, her voice rising. "We know you bought children from Fiona Quinn. We have the logs. We have the proof and we have a witness. So, I’m going to ask you one last time_ where are they?"

Nimo sneered. "They must be inside, stirring soups and chopping vegetables. Shame on you for taking advantage of the apocalypse to enslave those weaker than you."

"What are you talking about?" Mrs Krotchner scoffed like what Nimo had just said was the most absurd thing that she had ever had. "I would never use children as workers, that is just horrible. My restaurant has kept its doors open since the apocalypse started, ask anyone if they have been served by children."

By now, a crowd had started to gather. They were the elite of Ferry Island_ men in expensive solar shirts and shorts or solar suits, plus women wearing jewelry that cost more than a fifty sacks of grain. They exchanged confused, worried glances. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

In Hilly Grove, Maria Krotchner was a saint. She cooked the best food, she had the best wine and the prices, she kept them affordable. She even donated meat and bread to the poor of the town that lived in the slums. They weren’t about to let a bunch of "outsiders" from Fortress Four bully their favorite entrepreneur.

A tall, well-dressed man whom someone called Luca stepped forward, adjusting his gold cuff links, there was a golden solar suit inside his pristine white suit. He looked at Vicente with deep annoyance.

"Vicente, this is not what we agreed upon when we settled here," Luca said, his voice dripping with snobbery. "Our contract is very clear. You provide protection from beasts and intruders_ like these strangers in exchange for a massive amount of cash and supplies every month. You do not interfere in our private affairs. This looks to me like the opposite." He gave Sunshine’s squad a look so scathing it could have peeled dry paint.

Vicente spat on the stoned ground. "Luca, Hilly Grove is still in the town of Ferry Island. And the last time I checked, the entire territory belongs to me. Our contract also says, ’no criminal acts.’ and buying kids, that sounds like a crime to me."

Someone gasped.

Vicente turned back to Mrs. Krotchner. "Bring them out, Krotchner. I have a witness who saw you shaking hands with Fifi Quinn on three different occasions and marching off with children that did not belong to you."

Suddenly, Mrs. Krotchner’s face crumpled. Tears began to well up in her eyes, trailing down her cheeks and ruining her perfect makeup. She looked like a wounded bird.

"How could you?" she sobbed, clutching her apron. "I have fed this community, sometimes for free! I am a woman of God! To be accused of such... such horror!"

People began to shout. "Where is this witness?"

"You are framing her!"

"She is innocent!"

Mrs Krotchner fell to her knees, wailing loudly. "Look at me! Do I look like a monster? You must be here because you have grown greedy for my supplies. We should not have trusted Vicente. Everyone, please join me in fighting against such a massive breach in our contract. Today, it’s me. What about tomorrow? Who will be accused of being a criminal next? Whose supplies will be snatched?"

The residents of the Hilly Grove raised their voices in support of her. Times were tough and trust was thin. Everyone that was not with them was the enemy who had come to rob.

"She’s a great actress," Trey whispered to Poncho. "I almost want to give her an award, but I’d rather give her a pair of handcuffs."

Some people were already buying the act, even Vicente was not so certain now.

Sunshine didn’t buy the act for a second, especially because the system detected deception coming from the woman. "I’ve had enough of this," she growled. "Squads, move in! Search every inch of this place. Use thermal vision and all the tools you have available."

Sunshine and her squad pushed past the sobbing woman and the protesting Luca. They stormed into the restaurant, their heavy boots clashing with the elegant decor. The people inside recoiled. One woman dropped her champagne glass, which shattered on the floor, while a man hid under his table, others continued to eat unbothered. What was the minor intrusion in comparison to the apocalypse?

The squad ignored them.

"Check the pantry!" Sunshine ordered. "O’Toole, get the wine cellar! Poncho, check the vents!"

Mrs. Krotchner, Luca, and Vicente followed them in. The woman was still crying, following Sunshine and pleading with her. "Please! Don’t break the china! That’s expensive porcelain! Please, you’re ruining my business!"

"We are going to ruin more that." Nala growled, showing her teeth fiercely before hissing like a vampire on the prowl that had found delicious prey.