Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 561: The hand that calculates and gives.

Hadrian did not leave immediately, to prepare transportation. There was something he was much more curious about: why the children could not be handed off to ordinary relatives. If something happened to Sunshine and Hades, he would gladly raise the boys on her behalf. "Why can’t the kids be handed to an aunt or uncle if the parents are dead?"

Sunshine thought back on her past, especially the tragedies she endured in the apocalypse before she was reborn. After the reunion with Moon, her aunt and uncle gave all the good things to her cousin. And her, she was just a last minute thought.

"In an apocalypse, most parents give food, water, medicine and other necessities to their children first. The extra child is just that, an extra." She said slowly, eyes lost in bad memories.

"And when they are escaping and need to drop dead weight, they save their children first. The extra is the first to be left behind." Hadrian finished for her.

She was surprised that he could think of this quickly, and she nodded. "That is why we would rather keep the children with the orphanage Father Nicodemus opened, or find them good homes than shove them into homes that are already full. If we are careless, they could end up in the kitchen of another Krotchner."

Hadrian nodded. "Got it."

He left and Sunshine stepped inside the general children’s ward where the rescued children were. It was surprisingly quiet_ a soft sanctuary of white sheets and humming monitors. The children were awake and sitting up in their beds. Some were coloring, others were staring blankly at the walls. A few were playing, Overall, their eyes looked brighter than before.

One little boy, no older than six, looked up as Sunshine approached. He was holding a plastic cup of orange juice like it was a holy relic. "You helped us, I remember you. Is the owner of the brothel really dead?" he asked in a tiny voice.

Sunshine sat on the edge of his bed, careful not to wrinkle the sheets. "Yes, she cannot harm you anymore."

The boy beamed, a gap-toothed smile that made Sunshine’s chest ache. "I didn’t cry when the doctor gave me the shot. I am very brave."

"Then you’re braver than most of the soldiers downstairs, they are big but toothless tigers." Sunshine whispered.

The boy giggled.

She spent the next hour moving from bed to bed, listening to stories about lost toys and favorite foods, grounding herself in the simple, messy reality of being a kid.

When it was time to leave, she looked back at the rows of beds and smiled at the children reassuringly once again. From there, she went to the command center. It was a headache wrapped in excess noise. Screens flickered with live feeds from across the region, showing the grainy, gray reality of Ferry Island and the slightly more polished facade of Kings Bridge.

The air smelled of ozone, burnt coffee, and_ unexpectedly_ dog shampoo which was wafting off Bob’s fur. That shampoo was exclusive to the swimming pool used by the canine squad.

"I cannot believe you got that cat into the exclusive canine swimming pool."

Lisha let out a sigh. "It had to be done, the weather is just harsh and Bob needed to take a dip urgently. I do not know how Phillip did it but he got him past the trainers."

"You must be happy that Phillip back safe." Sunshine said.

With a hand to her chest, Lisha sighed. "Yes Suni, I am." She paused. "Speaking of feelings, how are you? I mean I feel horrible that our people died....you must be...." the words trailed off.

"I am sad Lisha but I have to remain strong. As cruel as it is, life must continue for the rest of us. " Sunshine’s eyes moved to the monitors. "Fill me in," she said, stepping up to the central monitor.

Lisha, didn’t look up immediately. She was busy settling her fat, suited up cat onto a custom-made velvet bean chair near the console. "One second, Suni. Bob needs his coconut beans."

"Oh for heavens sake!" A comms officer muttered.

Sunshine just laughed. Coconut beans on the open market were too expensive to be wasted on a cat. But, it was Lisha’s money, not hers.

Once the cat was sufficiently pampered, Lisha spun her chair around, her headset slightly lopsided.

"Information is flowing like a broken pipe, Suni," Lisha said, her fingers dancing across the keys. "Our spy gadgets are doing wonders. Hunter, in particular, is basically on rampage. Ferry island is about days away from a collective nervous breakdown."

Sunshine crossed her arms, her eyes tracking a thermal feed of the Ferry Island’s terrain. "I’m guessing they’re still sore about Vicente letting Emily turn their homes into a charcoal grill?" 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

Lisha winced, pulling up a series of audio logs. "Not exactly. I mean, the bombs didn’t help, but the vibe was rancid long before Emily showed up. For starters, Vicente banned pets. Mutated, normal_everything that made him uncomfortable. He’s officially the guy who hates puppies. You can’t recover from that. I mean who hates cats and dogs? Did you know that they slaughtered people’s pets?"

"A bold move for a man who wants to be loved," Sunshine murmured.

"It gets worse," Lisha continued, tapping a screen showing the Ferry island meat market. "He’s taxing the hunters until they’re basically working for exposure. They go out, risk getting eaten by a two-headed bear, come back with supplies, and Vicente ’buys’ them at prices that wouldn’t cover a sandwich. People are hungry, they’re hot, and they’re looking for someone to punch. They keep comparing him to Luca."

"Luca?" Sunshine asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The guy from Hilly Grove. Everyone says he’s the ’compassionate’ one," Lisha said, making air quotes. "Personally? I think he’s a snake in a better suit. He smiles more, but the teeth are just as sharp or worse." Lisha leaned back, her expression turning serious. "The biggest thing, though, is the Mist. They are blaming him for the weird mutations, they think he tampered with it. They worry that it will attack them."

Sunshine’s lips curled into a small, calculated smile. "And the trucks?"

"Oh, you mean your ’Good Samaritan’ move?" Lisha pulled up footage from three hours prior.

Four massive Fortress Four trucks were seen rolling through the Ferry island gates. The footage showed a crowd of people swarming the vehicles, not with weapons, but with desperate, reaching hands. "The people were practically weeping. And Vicente? He was standing on one of the trucks like a proud papa, telling anyone with an ear that his ’brilliant alliance’ with us is what saved them. He took a quarter of the supplies though."

"Let him brag," Sunshine said softly. "I didn’t send those supplies for him or because of him. I sent them so the people know whose logo is on the crates when their own leader fails to feed them. I want them to see that Fortress Four is the hand that gives, while Vicente is the hand that takes."