Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 531: Two birds, one missile.

Vicente was staring up at the thin, glowing material above his head. He touched it lightly with a finger, feeling a tingle of static electricity. "Mrs. Quinn... what in the name of the apocalypse world is this? It’s thinner than a polythene, yet it’s stopping tank-killers."

"Don’t ask," Sunshine said, she scanned the data the System was feeding her. "Focus on who is trying to turn us into charcoal. Who did you piss off today, Vicente? This cannot be some random attack. Assuming that Hannibal over there is not responsible for it." She glanced at Mrs. Krotchner.

Vicente let out a dark laugh. "I’ve crossed a lot of people, Mrs. Quinn. My list of enemies is longer than the broken bridge of Ferry Island. But I cannot be sure that this is someone I pissed off. For all we know, it is someone you pissed off, or it is an attack from your camp with the goal of destabilizing my town."

Father Nicodemus raised a wing and slapped Vicente on the back. "Get your head straight, venom bearer. If we were behind the attack, our people would not have been caught off guard or affected. Look out and see, men and women in our uniforms are laying on the ground. They may not be dead, but some are unconscious and probably injured. Whoever is doing this is after all of us. And their timing is as unpredictable as the return of our Lord because we have not yet rescued our missing children. In the midst of this despair, I really hope for a miracle. Those children have suffered enough."

Vicente nodded. The priest’s logic could not be argued with.

Sunshine was already communicating with the system. It hummed in her mind, and a holographic map appeared in her vision. It was a heat map of the town and every area outside of its immediate vicinity. There was an army moving in_ a big one.

[Identification confirmed: Emily Stafford. Ruler of Kings bridge. Army size: Approximately 2,000-armed personnel, human and superhuman. One seems to have awakened the ability of Biokinesis. She is manipulating a group of mutated lions.]

Sunshine’s heart sank. She recognized some of the people in the video feed. "She has another winged superhuman as well." She muttered. No wonder Emily could keep the rich of Kingsbridge under her thumb. No wonder she marched to Fortress four to demand for Sheldon. She had some capable superhumans backing her.

[I have bad news, Host. Your opponent is here with Anti-Tank Guided Missiles (ATGMs). These have a longer range and much more power than the RPGs.]

"Shit," Sunshine cursed under her breath.

"What?" Nimo asked, her hand on the trigger of the dragonoid. "Suni what’s wrong?"

"It’s Emily Stafford," Sunshine said, her voice tight. "She didn’t just send a hit squad. She brought an army of two thousand people. And she’s got the heavy stuff now. Guided missiles and everything in that category."

Stefano wiped the tears from his face, his expression turning grim. "It’s because we refused her. She offered us an alliance last month, but Vicente told her to kick rocks. Maybe you should not have mocked her about being a lord! Perhaps that is why she is angry."

"Funny because we did the same," Nimo added. "We refused her demands to hand over the people she wanted. I guess she has a grudge against all of us."

Sunshine nodded, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place. "It’s a smart move, in a twisted way. She plans to eliminate both her enemies at once. Me and Vicente. Two birds, one giant explosion and then she can go ahead and claim our territories."

"If she kills you off, then the fortress weakens." O’Toole said. "Ma’am, you should leave."

Vicente’s brows rose. "How so? Hades would still be alive. You would be just collateral damage."

No one answered him, not that they had the time.

"What if she sent an army at home too?" Poncho said, his family on his mind. "I should have kidnapped some of those mutated fish and dumped them in her territory."

Sunshine tapped her earpiece. "Hades, come in. We are under heavy fire. Emily Stafford is on-site with an army. Prepare the Fortress for a full-scale siege. Don’t let anyone through the gates."

BOOM!

A massive explosion rocked the earth. This time, it wasn’t near them. A guided missile had slammed into the lower part of the slums, near the old market. A plume of black smoke rose into the air, followed by the distant screams of civilians.

She heard from Lisha, updates on things the command center was receiving from the cameras they had planted in the town.

"My God, Hadrian is still there." Sunshine said. "He must have stayed to protect the children."

"We have to engage," Sunshine said, looking at her team. "Now is the time to show them that we not people that can be messed with. And I want Emily’s head."

"Wait," Stefano asked, looking at the shield canopy, it seemed to be reducing in size each minute. "We must join you; this is our home."

"You stay put because you can’t take her on, but we can." Nimo argued. "Wait until we calm things out there. Leave this canopy now and you are dead."

Nimo pointed at Mrs Krotchner. "Also, someone has to watch over her."

"Or not." Vicente said, he pulled out his gun and shot both her legs. "Now she cannot escape."

Vicente stood up straight, brushing the dust off his vest. He looked toward the burning slums where his people lived_ the people who paid him for protection, the people he actually cared about in his own weird way.

"What if she mutates and runs away?" Nimo barked. "Stay here and keep an eye on her. We have got this."

"No," Vicente said, his voice cold and steady. "I am not staying in hiding while that woman burns my territory. I rebuilt Ferry Island from ruins. I survived the collapse, the hunger, mist and the beasts. I will not be chased into a hole by a girl with a few rocket toys."

He looked at his remaining men. "Stefano! Get the radios. Wake up every superhuman sleeper in the slums. Get our army in training out of hiding. If they can hold a gun, they will fight with us today. We’re going to show Emily Stafford why you don’t mess with me. It is time to play with the mist, I will show Emily why coming here will be the worst decision she has ever made in her life."

Sunshine looked at Vicente and felt a spark of respect. He was a weird and a bit of a jerk_ but he was a leader. She had known leaders that hid and gave commands from bunkers of safety. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Alright then," Sunshine said. She sent out the command. "Everyone, activate your suits to attack mode. There is a superhuman controlling lions. I want her alive so beat her, break a few limbs but leave her with breath. The lions....those you can kill.

The two flying superhumans too, get them for me, Father Nicodemus. Only two people are to fight Emily, one is me and the other is Vicente. The rest of you should focus on eliminating her troops. Do I make myself clear?"

Different voices came in, all confirming that her orders had been received.

Poncho grinned, racking a fresh belt of ammo into his dragonoid. "It’s been long since I shot something. I am going to enjoy this."

"Not more than me." Nimo laughed, counting her acid grenades. She had brought three hundred of them. In her mind, they could melt three thousand superhumans.

Vicente eyed the grinning and chill team from Fortress four with wonder. Why were they excited?