Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 581: Nine finds out.

Nine shuddered, his wings buzzing nervously. He did not have a right to question her and he certainly did not want to fight her again. She was really volatile today! "Okay, okay! Not foolish! I meant... naive! Very naive!" He waved his hands in the air. "Look, I can guess the truth without you answering, my species can smell when someone is lying or being evasive and you are all those things.

You are Rocky, no doubt. I had a feeling about this when that bounty first went viral. You are the only repairman that sings while you are working. For me, it seemed like such a coincidence that Rocky also likes to sing while working.

What did you even do? Did you steal their national treasures? Did you find out the Empress’s real age? Noxians are very cagey and touchy when it comes to aging. It must be something very bad for a high-level security personnel member like Asgeda to be chasing you."

"You are mistaken," Sunshine said, her voice like ice. "I am not Rocky. And I only wanted to take a shit. You confirmed this yourself." They had not been friends for more than a day. For all she knew, he was faking the smiles and nice guy attitude.

"You said a piss earlier," Nine laughed, a clicking, buzzing sound that echoed in the museum. He looked at her with a knowing grin, his fear fading into a weird kind of pride. "Don’t worry. Your secret is safe with me, my friend. Anyone that can cause pain to the Noxians is welcome on my planet. They nearly wiped us out ten thousand years ago. We are still holding that grudge, and we will hold it forever."

Sunshine opened her mouth to tell him she wasn’t his friend, that he was an annoying insect, and that he should mind his own business. But then she looked at his torn vest and his bent wing_ marks from when he had protected her identity while being bullied by Noxian soldiers.

She sighed, her shoulders dropping. She couldn’t deny it anymore, at least not to him. There was a possibility that they would encounter Noxians again in future. What if he was killed fighting her battle? She had to give him a heads up. "Just... don’t mention it again. To anyone. Ever."

"My lips are sealed," Nine said, mimicking a zipper across his mouth. "But you owe me. You owe me a double-dressed Saltflower sandwich and a very big explanation one day on how you offended the Noxians."

Sunshine didn’t answer. Instead, she told him that they should get to work. "Start with sealing the micro fractures on the pearl."

The work was halfway done. The heavy lifting was over, but now they had to wait for the System to deliver the Aktith-aqua Solution.

Vortan, the supervisor, had stopped by earlier to check their progress. He was a suspicious man with eyes like a hawk. When he asked if they had caused any trouble, Nine had shouted, "NO! EVERYTHING IS PERFECT!" so loudly that even a deaf man would have smelled a lie.

Luckily, Vortan just shook his head and walked away. If he had not received a complaint yet, then everything was good.

Now, the two repairmen sat on the floor of the silent museum. Sunshine reached into her space and pulled out a variety of snacks. There were apples and grapes from Earth, and strange, glowing berries from Veldek.

Nine looked at the fruit with a judgmental twitch of his antenna. "What are these? Bright soft rocks? Why are they so... round and why does this one have pock marks?"

"Just try one," Sunshine said, rolling her eyes.

Nine picked up a strawberry, sniffed it with his spiracles, and popped it into his mouth. His wings suddenly gave a violent, happy flutter. "Oh by the gods! It’s like a party in my mouth! Why is it sweet and sour at the same time? Sunshine, you have to give me more of these. My wife will actually love me for a whole week if I bring these home."

He delved into a feast, turning his back on her.

Sunshine smiled softly. Hearing Nine talk about his wife made her heart ache. She missed her own home. She missed the noise, the chaos, and the man who kept it all together.

She reached back into her space and pulled out a bright red telephone. "System," she whispered, "connect me to Hades."

The line crackled. Usually, Hades answered with a strong, calm voice. But when he spoke this time, the tone was heavy. It was a sadness that Sunshine could feel through the wire.

"Hades?" she asked, her voice dropping. "What’s wrong? Is it the kids? Did something happen?"

Beside her, Nine’s long antenna began to lean toward her, vibrating as he tried to eavesdrop. Sunshine didn’t even look at him; she just reached out and shoved the antenna away like a pesky fly.

"The kids are fine, Sunshine," Hades said, but his voice was tired. "It’s Nimo, brace yourself babe."

Sunshine’s blood ran cold. "What happened?"

"A mutated rabbit bite," Hades explained. "The infection was moving too fast. We couldn’t stop fast enough. The doctors had to... they had to amputate her arm."

Sunshine let out a shaky breath, her eyes stinging. "Amputated? What do you mean by amputated? Oh my God, I can’t believe this. Was there nothing else they could do? Is she... how is she doing?"

"The fever is finally going down, but she’s still unconscious," Hades said calmly, ignoring her panic. "She’s a fighter, but it’s going to be a long road. I figured you would give her a cool arm like my robot leg."

Sunshine felt a desperate urge to drop her wrench, walk out of the museum, and go home right now. But she knew the rules. Leaving a task unfinished would bring severe penalties from the Council_ fines and trouble her family didn’t need.

"I’m almost done here," she promised, her voice thick with emotion. "I’ll be back as soon as I can. Tell her... tell her I’m coming and I will make it all better. Tell her that I am sorry for not coming sooner." Tears slid down from her eyes.

She was too late. It reminded her of how Nimo was eaten in her last life. She had been late to the rescue that time as well.

Sunshine swallowed a sob and forced herself to breathe. It was different, Nimo had not been eaten by cannibals. A lost hand could be replaced with a new one. "I am coming, tell her that I am doing my best to get back to you all as soon as possible."

"I will," Hades said. Then, he paused. "There’s something else. I didn’t want you to hear it from someone else. Amber showed up at the Red sun casino."

Sunshine went still. "And?"

"She wants to see the kids. She’s claiming she’s sober and wants another chance. I told her the decision belongs to you." He winced. "Sorry for dumping this on you right now."

Sunshine didn’t even have to think about it. "The decision isn’t mine, Hades. It’s the kids. And last I checked, they don’t want to see the woman who walked out on them. We don’t owe her anything just because she showed up with a few tears. Next time she shows up, put her in handcuffs and send her to the prison for the crime of being a nuisance."

With all the problems they had, Amber was the last thing she wanted to worry or think about.