Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 681: Emmet spills the beans.

The boy was awake. He was sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at the empty air with a look of concentrated loathing. The second his eyes landed on Sunshine, he didn’t hesitate. He lunged at the bars with a guttural snarl, his fingers clawing at the air as if the steel door didn’t exist.

Just as his mouth opened to unleash a torrent of abuse, Sunshine made a sharp flick of her wrist.

Emmet’s mouth was frozen shut. His lips felt like they had been dipped in liquid nitrogen_ numb, heavy, and completely frozen. He stumbled back, his eyes wide with shock as he pawed at his mouth. No matter how hard he hit, the ice did not crack. He looked at Sunshine, then made a frantic ’stop’ motion with his hands.

With a sigh, Sunshine shattered the ice.

Leah let out a dry, short chuckle from the shadows of the hallway. "Soft approach, huh? Very gentle, Sunshine. I think I saw a tear of joy in his eye."

Sunshine ignored the sarcasm and looked at Townsend. "Open the door."

The Warden’s keys jingled loudly in his shaking hands. "Are you sure? He’s... he’s quite jumpy today."

"Open it," Sunshine repeated.

The heavy door creaked open. Emmet took several steps back, retreating into the corner of the room. He was calm now, his bravado replaced by a wary respect. He knew Sunshine wasn’t just another official, she was someone who saw through the noise.

"Townsend, the snacks," Sunshine said. "I’m sure the boy is hungry. Screaming all night burns a lot of calories."

"I am very hungry, I told you that last night," Emmet muttered, his voice raspy. He snatched the paper bag from the Warden’s hands and peered inside. His eyes went wide. He reached in and pulled out a golden-brown banana muffin. He held it like it was a piece of ancient jewelry. "My favorite and its warm. Where... where did you find bananas? Real ones?"

"We grow them," Sunshine said simply. "In the greenhouses on the farm of our base. Maybe, if you behave, I will let you visit it. Perhaps, even move to our farming town and live there. It is one of the best places to live in the fortress. Lately, we are chasing away people from their gates because they want to move in." It was not a lie.

Ever since the harvest started, people had been clamoring to be moved to Busker. It was always cool and beautiful. It was also peaceful and safer from crime and drama compared to Westbrook.

Emmet blinked, looking at the muffin and then back at Sunshine as if she had just told him she owned a planet. He didn’t wait for another word; he stuffed a beef sausage into his mouth, chewing aggressively. He let out a muffled laugh, his eyes flashing with a sudden, dark intelligence.

Then, he washed it down with a big sip of milk, almost choking himself.

"I know why you are here," Emmet said, his mouth still half-full. "It’s because I know things.... your father must have told you that. Well, forget it." He swallowed hard and pointed a greasy finger at the door. "Bring me Hades Quinn. I’m not talking to the assistants. I want the man himself."

Dominic stepped forward, his shadow stretching across the floor. "I can make the boy talk, Sunshine. One minute in his head and he’ll be begging to tell us his shoe size."

Sunshine gave Dominic a single, sharp look that told him to stand down. Then she turned her attention back to Emmet. "He’s right, you know. My friend could have you singing like a canary in seconds. You wouldn’t even be able to stop yourself. By the time he finished, your brain will be fried, and you will live like a fool forever. And also....my so-called father is in a high maximum prison, and he is not my father."

The smirk on Emmet’s face faltered. He looked at Sunshine’s frozen eyes, then at Dominic’s cold, dead eyes and felt a genuine shiver.

"I don’t want to hurt you in anyway," Sunshine said, her voice dropping to a low, conversational tone. "I’d rather hear everything from you directly. Hades is my husband; I am Sunshine Quinn. Talking to me is the same as talking to him."

Emmet went quiet. He set the paper bag down on the small metal table in the center of the cell. Slowly, his shoulders began to slump. He looked down at his shoes, and then, to everyone’s surprise, he sniveled. A single tear tracked through the dirt on his cheek. "What do you want to know?" he whispered. "I came here... I surrendered because I wanted Hades Quinn. I want him to kill the man who did it. The man who killed my father. My family and friends. Everyone."

The atmosphere in the room shifted instantly. The tension drained out, replaced by a heavy, uncomfortable sympathy. Even Leah uncrossed her arms. They all knew that look_ the look of someone who had watched their world turn into a slaughterhouse.

"Tell me what happened, Emmet," Sunshine said softly. "I promise, we will help."

Emmet closed his eyes, his voice trembling as he narrated the massacre. He spoke of the fear, the sound of the boots on the floorboards, and how they were all tortured before their necks were sliced. "The man’s name is Peter Strauss," he said, his voice hardening. "I heard him talking. He said he was interested in Fortress Four. He has this... this thirst for vengeance against Hades Quinn....I could tell. He hates him. He has superhuman bodyguards, many of them. I didn’t think anyone else could take him down. That’s why I came looking for Hades Quinn."

Sunshine nodded slowly, her mind racing. "But why did he kill them, Emmet? Why your family? What did they do?"

Emmet wiped his nose with his sleeve and looked up, his eyes bloodshot. "He wanted to know why people were looking for his wife. He thought we knew something since we went with her to crosstown."

Sunshine frowned. "His wife?"

Emmet nodded solemnly. "Moon Raine. The Prophetess. That’s his wife."

The silence that followed was absolute_ for about three seconds.

Then, Sunshine burst out laughing. It wasn’t a small giggle; it was a full, head-back, shoulder-shaking roar of laughter that echoed off the cold stone walls.