Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 594: The pregnant woman with a beacon!.

The group scurried away like mice fleeing a pair of hungry cats, leaving the two titans alone once more.

Hades turned his attention back to Vicente, laying the facts on the table with the bluntness of a hammer.

"Let’s be real, Vicente. At Fortress Four, we have the means to actually grow these territories. We have the tech, the supplies, the manpower and most importantly the weapons. We have the strength to take you on and win but we have not done so yet because my wife believes in your abilities.

You have the ability to walk in the mist and bring back things we need. You are not a great leader; we have to be honest about that. Ask anyone in Ferry Island and they will tell you this much. Selfishness and cruelty are the marks of your governance.

None the less, your heart is in a good place. If you join us Fortress four while we are still polite and playing nice, you won’t be just another ordinary superhuman. You’ll have a high position. You’ll have a seat on the committee that decides on the matters that don’t just affect Ferry Island but the entire fortress four. You’ll have a safety net and chance to start over without the weight of desperate survivors on your shoulders."

Vicente narrowed his eyes. He was listening, but his expression remained blunt—entirely unreadable.

"Like I said, my wife says you are valuable," Hades continued, his voice softening just a fraction. "Specifically, your ability. It’s not common. We could use someone like you to build an empire in the apocalypse. For all we know, there is permanent mist in other cities. Places you will have to tour and map. You will have a purpose. Overall, isn’t it better to have our backing and resources?"

Hades finished his pitch, his eyes searching Vicente’s face for a crack, a spark—anything. He found nothing. "I am not a patient man Vicente, and I have a point to prove. When my Suni returns, she needs to see that I am still the dependable man she married and loves. What greater gift can I give her than an entire city? I aim to take Ferry Island peacefully or forcefully. Make a choice."

Vicente opened his mouth to answer_ perhaps to laugh, perhaps to agree_ but the words never came.

A shadow moved at the edge of the clearing. A woman emerged from behind one of the supply trucks. She was heavily pregnant, her belly protruding sharply under a dress that was little more than a collection of torn rags held together by an old belt.

A heavy silence fell over the crowd as all eyes tracked her uneven progress. She was heading straight for them. A young boy nearby froze, his small hand trembling as he pointed a finger.

"Uncle, look! A zombie!"

The man beside him didn’t wait to see more. He scooped the boy up in one fluid, terrified motion and vanished into the shadows of a side street.

The woman continued to walk with a heavy, dragging gait, her bleeding bare feet scraping against the gravel as if they were made of lead.

She didn’t call out. She didn’t talk to anyone. She just kept moving until she reached the center of the circle, stopping a few feet from the group.

A collective shiver passed through the onlookers. A few stood their ground, whispering through white knuckles, but the rest were already retreating. They didn’t wait for a second look_ they were coiled like springs, ready to vanish the moment she took another step.

"What the hell is going on?" Hades asked. The way people were fleeing suddenly, you would think the woman was infected.

Yes, she looked sick but so did half of the survivors who were new to the fortress. Within a few seconds, the billionaires that had returned started seeking shelter around Hades. If he ran, they were going with him.

Poe identified her. "I know her, she is one of the scavengers that just came from Ironwood."

"Look at her posture.... she cannot be human." Jon stated. "It must be the red disease." He searched his pockets for a mask, remembered that the heat suit had one and so he pulled the hood over his head completely and covered his nose.

The woman stood still with a lopsided, skeletal hunch, her spine strained by the heavy, low-slung swell of her pregnancy. Her head lolled at a broken angle.

"Miss?" Hades shouted moving closer to her.

Jo-stride silently spoke to Hades. "She has something emanating with strange energy."

Hades’ eyes moved to her hands; one was clutching onto something he could not see clearly.

"Hey! Lady, are you alright?" Dominic asked, his voice full of genuine concern. He started to walk toward her too, his hand reaching out to steady her. But as he got closer, the woman slowly raised her head. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Something was off especially about her eyes, they were pits of milky white film, leaking a thick, dark fluid.

Gasps which were a mix of shock and fear filled the air.

Dominic froze mid-step. His hand stayed hanging in the air. "Oh... oh god."

"The kid was right!" Jon told them. "She’s a zombie, or something weird."

"And whatever she has is infectious, kill her!" Sheldon shouted, wishing that he had walked with his weapons on his person.

The woman didn’t speak. She opened her mouth, and instead of words, a low, wet gurgle escaped her throat. It sounded like someone drowning in honey.

"Dominic, get back," Hades ordered, his hand moving slowly toward the holster at his hip.

The tension in the air snapped as Raydon lunged forward, his body a shield between the crowd and the swaying woman. "Wait, I’ve seen this before!"

"Explain yourself!" Dominic barked.

Raydon didn’t flinch. "At the Stone Village. When that creature turned our own people against us, their eyes were just like this. Empty, glassy and milky."

"Fine," Hades countered, his voice tight with skepticism. "If she’s under some kind of spell, what’s the end game? Whatever hypnotized her sent her here to do something."

As if in answer, the woman’s fingers spasmed. She turned her palm upward, revealing the orange beacon. With a jagged, frantic motion, she began to twist the device.

"Shit!" Hades hissed, his face pale. "That’s a summoning beacon. She’s calling in the mutants! Strip it from her, now!"

He and Dominic surged forward, but the woman met them with an unnatural, bone-deep strength, lashing out with the ferocity of someone who no longer felt pain.

"Just shoot her!" Poe yelled from the sidelines.