Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 565: How to create a forced bond.

Back in the real world, hunters were back at it in the Westbrook forest. Only now, trained soldiers were the ones on the move, not ordinary people. They moved silently, boots crunching against leaves that had been dried out by the sun. Only the mutated trees were still surviving and thriving.

The hunters were not after dear, boars, tigers or anything like that. They were after fluffy bunnies with oversized teeth, squirrels with glowing bushy tails and small dogs--lost pups with two or three heads.

Nimo was part of the team, giggling in response to Phillip’s latest joke. She crouched low when she saw a shrub with berries that looked edible--many such purple ones were growing in the forest. But, before harvesting them, they needed to be scanned.

A flash of white fur dashed from the bush, with purple stains on the mouth. "Rabbit," she shouted.

The team fanned out, nets ready. But in the scramble, Nimo’s glove slipped off. The rabbit lunged, its sharp teeth sunk into her bare hand. Nimo cried out and Phillip came to her defense. burning the rabbit on the tail.

"You good?" Phillip asked her.

Some members of the team rushed to her. A medic treated the wound and Nimo’s hand was wrapped in gauze. The hunt continued.

****

Meanwhile, Sunshine was still enjoying the view of the water world. "It’s like walking through a masterpiece that hasn’t finished being painted yet," she praised, watching a wall shift its texture from polished marble to soft, iridescent velvet as they passed. "Even the air feels... polished."

"Polished and dangerous," Nine whispered back, though he was secretly transfixed by a floating fountain where the water didn’t splash, but broke into perfect, silent glass spheres that drifted upward. "One wrong move and this place decides we’re a smudge that it needs to scrub away."

"You have zero romance in your soul and I am not surprised. The female bug in your life must be miserable," Sunshine said, pointing toward a pillar that seemed to be made of frozen starlight. "Look at the craftsmanship. It’s like the building is hugging jelly fish and breathing."

"I’d prefer it didn’t breathe on me," Nine muttered, though he couldn’t resist reaching out a finger_ just an inch_ toward a floating silver orb that was lazily dusting the ceiling. "I’m staying focused on not dying here."

They stopped in front of two towering doors made of a material that looked like frozen smoke.

"Wait here," Vaelor commanded, his tone turning professional. "I will inform His Majesty that the Repairmen have arrived. And please," he looked specifically at Nine, "try not to look so... terrified. The King smells fear and he doesn’t like cowards."

"Thankfully, I overcame that." Sunshine clapped once and looked a Nine briefly.

Vaelor disappeared through the smoky doors, leaving the three of them in a heavy, golden silence.

"He is joking about the fear thing, right? You know I am afraid of water Vortan, I cannot help myself. " Nine asked, his antennae twitching erratically.

"Vaelor doesn’t joke," Vortan said grimly.

Nine let out a long breath. "Great! Why us? You could have given whatever task this is to other repairmen." 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Vortan remained silent because something caught his attention. He suddenly went stiff as a board, his orange color faded. A shimmer of movement came from the far end of the hall as a royal procession glided toward them.

Leading the group was a sea creature of breathtaking grace. Her skin had the pearly sheen of an abalone shell, decorated with intricate swirling patterns of gold leaf and jewels that seemed to float against her scales.

"Bow," Vortan hissed under his breath.

Sunshine and Nine hit the floor faster than a pair of dropped wrenches.

"That is the First Princess of Glacis," Vortan whispered, his voice barely audible.

The peaceful moment didn’t last long. A chaotic blur of royal children_ her younger brothers_ came barreling down the hallway, shrieking and playing a high-stakes game of tag. One of them, distracted by a floating toy, slammed right into the Princess’s side.

With a gasp, she stumbled back.

The world seemed to move in slow motion. Her personal servant, who was supposed to be her shadow, froze in a moment of pure, deer-in-the-headlights panic.

The Princess hit the floor with a soft thud.

Immediately, the servant dropped to her knees, her forehead hitting the light-drenched floor. "Mercy! Please, My princess! Don’t kill me! I’ll do anything!"

The three other attendants joined him, a chorus of sobbing and begging for their lives filling the air.

The Princess didn’t look angry, though. She looked heartbroken. Tears welled in her large, dark eyes as she stared at her palm. A delicate pendant lay there, snapped into three jagged pieces. "My mother..." she whispered, her voice trembling. "It was the last thing she gave me that is still in shape. It’s gone."

Before Vortan could grab the back of her hair, Sunshine was already moving. She dropped to her knees beside the Princess, ignoring the gasps of the terrified servants.

"Hey, hey, don’t cry," Sunshine said softly, her voice calm and steady. "It’s not gone. It’s just... in a few broken parts right now."

The Princess looked up, startled by the sudden proximity of a lowly Repairman.

Sunshine gently reached out. "May I? I’m a Repairman. It’s literally in my job description to fix things."

Dazed, the Princess handed over the shards. Sunshine pulled a small, precision soldering tool from her belt. Her hands didn’t shake. With a few clicks and a focused squint, she aligned the microscopic fibers of the metal. A tiny spark flickered between her fingers, and_ click_ the pieces fused back together as if they had never been apart.

Sunshine polished it against her sleeve and held it out. "Good as new. Maybe even a little sturdier."

The Princess took the pendant, her face lighting up with a radiance that made the room feel brighter. "You... you fixed it? Just like that?"

"It’s what we do," Sunshine said with a modest shrug.

The Princess stood up, her regal composure returning, though her eyes remained warm. She waved a hand, and a servant instantly appeared with a heavy, clinking silk pouch.

"For your kindness and your skill," the Princess said, offering the gold.

Sunshine looked at the bag, then back at the Princess, she like gold but she liked being in the princess favor even more. She shook her head. "I can’t take that. I didn’t do it for the payment. I did it because your mom would’ve wanted you to keep wearing it. I lost my mom too, and I treasure the things she left me like the most precious things in the world."

Having something in common, even if it was just grief, could be useful in bonding. And Sunshine, wanted that bond.