Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 562: A little secret on grandpa Raine.

Sunshine leaned in closer, studying up close, the images of the Ferry Island slum. The destruction was staggering. "Hades was right. It’s a graveyard."

Lisha sighed, her upbeat tone dropping. "The mutants did a number on the lower sectors. It wasn’t just buildings, Sunshine. They lost a lot of people. Including... Stefano."

Sunshine froze. "The big guy? Vicente’s shadow?"

Lisha nodded solemnly. "He’s gone. Remember Renzo is also dead. Both of his arms and legs are gone, all that is left is his torso, Victoria. Vicente is effectively standing alone in a room full of people who want his head on a pike. He’s vulnerable. I don’t have proof, but I think he is scared. And a scared dictator is a loud one."

"I am sorry he lost good men but for me, it is an advantage should I engage Vicente in a fight. Stefano was quite the formidable foe." She had caused so many changes that Stefano had died earlier than he did in the last life.

None the less, in the end, Vicente was left alone. Only the kid with the space was alive when the apocalypse seemed to be ending. His name evaded her mind right now.

Sunshine thought of the look Victoria had given her when she last saw the couple. That was not the look of appreciation. "He still has Victoria and she doesn’t seem to like me much." Sunshine whispered, her mind already three moves ahead. "But she is a weakness I can exploit if I need to. Lisha, I want you to catalyze this. Don’t just watch the fire_ fan it. Use the secondary channels to spread rumors.

Remind the hunters about the tax. Remind the families about the pets. Tell our soldiers to capture more mutated bunnies and cute animals and throw them in Ferry Island. The more Vicente kills, the more unhinged he seems. Make sure every hungry person in that city knows that Vicente is eating steak while they’re eating dirt. We’re not just helping the people; we’re preparing them for a change of management."

Warren gasped. "Brutal."

"But effective." Sunshine said, with a shrug.

"Wouldn’t it be easier to just kick Vicente’s ass and end it all?" Warren asked.

Sunshine had considered that many times. But she was still torn between using Vicente for his ability or just eliminating him. Besides, she needed him to go into the black mist and see what was inside. "Not yet."

"Then consider the pot stirred," Lisha replied with a wicked grin. "I’ll have the whisper networks running by dinner. Vicente will be begging us to save him before the week is up. Trust me on that."

"That is the dream. I appreciate everything you guys are doing." She dropped some candy on the table for everyone to share.

Sunshine turned to leave, feeling the weight of the chess pieces she had just moved. Before she could reach the door, a sharp, insistent ping echoed in her mind.

[Repairman Sunshine, you are called upon for scheduled disciplinary oversight. Report to punishment duty in thirty minutes.]

"Alright." she mumbled and hurried off to the car. For the rest of the day, she would be working from home.

Sunshine pushed through the front door of her house, the silence a welcome relief from the noise outside. The coolness of the house was very much appreciated. In this weather, even going outside was a drag.

Fuyuki! The name of the kid with the space on Vicente’s team popped into her mind suddenly.

She walked straight to her work room, pulling the clean repairman Uniform from its hook. Hades always made sure that it was clean_ not even one dot of grease was on it.

Sliding into it felt like putting on armor. She zipped it up to her throat, checked her reflection, and sighed.

"System," she said, her voice echoing in the small space. "I’m ready. Take me in." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

In a blink, the homely scent was replaced by the metallic, sterile scent of the Repairman Headquarters.

She materialized in the main hub, where robots were scurrying about and other repairmen were shouting over the roar of cooling fans.

Sunshine looked around for her assignment board. "System," she asked, "is my task for today posted yet?"

[Not yet, Vortan wishes to speak with you immediately,] the mechanical voice replied. [Office 1-B, third floor. Proceed at once.]

Sunshine’s stomach did a nervous flip. Vortan was her direct supervisor, and usually, "speaking immediately" meant they may have done a horrible job during the last task. She headed down the corridor, her boots thudding rhythmically against the metal floor. She reached the heavy door marked with Vortan’s name and gave a sharp, three-beat knock.

"Come in," a muffled voice called.

Sunshine pushed the door open. Vortan was sitting behind his desk, looking as stressed as ever, but he wasn’t alone.

To Sunshine’s shock, Commander Melvin, the head of the entire Repairman Council, was standing by the widow. His hand massaged the chest which was full of medals that looked like they hadn’t seen a speck of dust in decades.

"Sir?" Sunshine blinked, her frown deepening. Why was the head of the council here? Did this have something to do with the task? "I... uh, good morning. Or evening. Whatever time it is in this here."

Neither man looked enthusiastic. Melvin stared at her like she was a bug he was considering squishing.

"Repairman Sunshine Quinn," Melvin said, his voice dropping into a low, disappointed rumble. "Do you know why I am taking time out of my schedule to stand in this cramped office?"

"Could it be because I have been doing such a splendid job that you invited me here to give me one of the shiny medals around your neck?" she tried, offering a weak smile.

Melvin didn’t laugh. "It’s because I’ve been reading your performance reviews or rather, the list of grievances filed against you and your partner. You are nothing like your grandfather who was one of the best repairmen that ever lived."

Sunshine blinked hard. "Grandpa Raine was a Repairman!? When did he work for you?"

None of the men answered her.

It made sense to Sunshine now, why the bracelet had been handed down as a family heirloom. She had always wondered how her grandfather had come into possession of a bracelet that just happened to have a system!

"Tell me, why is it that you and your partner mess up every single task you are given? And why do you keep fighting like toddlers and breaking things?" Melvin asked her.

Sunshine’s eyes darted to Vortan, who was leaning back with his arms folded, looking entirely too smug. "Wait, did you tell the higher-ups everything? Did you also include the parts where we actually repaired all the items very well and how Nine tried to shove me out of that tower? I have only been acting in self-defense all this while."

Vortan remained neutral as he replied, "I’ve been making reports of every detail of your ’punishment’ to the Council, Sunshine. I believe in full transparency so yes, I included the part about Nine almost shoving you to your death.

But I included everything, what you did as well. Everything you whispered, if you dropped a fusion core, if you yelled. All of it went into the log."