Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 710: Wasted element of surprise.

Her confidence always boosted his in turn. As long as they were together, working in sync, what couldn’t they take on? Just look at Fortress four. His money and her planning had earned them an entire city in the apocalypse!

If she had told him that they could do something like this in the apocalypse, he would have laughed and had her sent to a mental asylum. Hades turned to her, his gaze intense. "I’m almost looking forward to it. Seeing the look on his face when he realizes that I know he is alive. I am sure he is expecting me to lose my focus from the shock. Only one of us is walking away from that day, Suni. And I have no intention of being the dead one."

"I for one hope a mutated beast eats him before he even gets to the gate," Sunshine muttered, popping a piece of dried mango cube into her mouth. "Save us a dragonoid bullet."

Hades laughed, a real one this time, and pulled her closer. "You are being cheap with the bullets now!" He laughed again. "Truly, you have a way of lighting up dark moments."

They sat together for a while longer, letting the heaviness of the Peter situation settle. Eventually, the conversation drifted toward lighter, though equally complicated, topics: the kids.

"So," Sunshine said, bumping her shoulder against his. "The ’Kids Squad.’ What’s your take on our little troublemakers?"

Hades sighed, rubbing his temples. "I watched them today before talking to Emmet. Honestly? He isn’t that bad. He’s loud, he’s arrogant, and he’s got a mouth that’s going to get him punched so hard one day, but he’s just a teenager. He’s trying to prove he’s tough because he’s been scared for so long. I will let him be for now so that he can find his footing. Hopefully, Ariel will do the same."

Sunshine shrugged, looking down at the boxing ring where their son, Ariel, often spent his evenings. "Ariel is annoyed. Did you hear him telling me that he wants to fight his own battles? Isn’t this the kind of thing parents are supposed to fix?"

Hades watched a flickering light in the distance, his expression softening as a father. "Not all the time. We should let him handle his squad on his own until he invites us in. We can’t protect the kids from every bruise, Suni. If we try to fight their playground wars, they’ll never learn how to lead this place when we’re not here." They had all been seeing a lot of unnatural deaths that they had forgotten people could just...die from other natural causes! Grandpa Quinn’s current situation was a reminder of that.

Sunshine leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. "I know. It’s just hard watching him look so defeated. I’d rather face a dozen watchers than see Ariel get his feelings hurt by a rebellious teenager who has actually killed people out there. Our oldest baby is out of his league."

Hades kissed the top of her head. "He’s your son. He’s got your spine and my temper, trust me, he is not out of his league. I think the other kids should be the ones worried, not us."

She sighed. "Did Dwayne mention to you that he and Nimo want to get married and they are planning to adopt those twin toddlers that came with the lambs and wolves?"

Hades’s jaw dropped. "Nooo...."

Sunshine nodded. "I heard it from Alfred. Who knew our best friends would hide such important information from us? I have been planning Nimo’s wedding since we were eight. The only condition she set for me was that I don’t punch anyone during the event."

Hades laughed. "This right here is why I am surprised that you didn’t punch Ophelia. You punch everyone!"

She slapped him playfully on the arm. "I have never punched you."

"Your review punched me in the gut." He sniggered.

They laughed, and laughed some more, staying on the rooftop until the coffee was finished and one angry bear came to demand that he be put to bed like the baby he was.

"I am starting to think it was better when he couldn’t talk." Hades whispered.

"I heard that." White growled.

***********

Moon was irritated and she made sure every single person within earshot knew exactly how she felt about being forced to walk through the town.

"My boots are very expensive! and I hate walking!" She grumbled, stepping over a jagged piece of rebar. "If I get a single scuff on these, Peter is going to pay for it."

Tigan didn’t even look back. He was focused on the horizon. "Keep your voice down, Moon. We’re trying to be the shadows, not the parade. Peter said we show up and use the element of surprise."

"Surprise my ass!" Moon snapped back. The bigger surprise was how bad and messy the roads in the town were. They had to climb over piles of debris, cross a makeshift stick bridge over a wide gash in the road! The town was in worse shape than when she arrived.

They finally reached the perimeter of the pyrokinetic camp around 7:00 AM. The air was crisp, but as they crouched behind a small ridge, the temperature climbed. It felt like standing too close to an open oven. They stayed low, peering over a pile of rubble to study the force they were about to encounter.

The pyrokinetic soldiers were eerie. They stood in perfect rows, unblinking, their skin a strange, sunbaked bronze. They didn’t talk. They didn’t fidget. They just stared toward Crosstown with an intensity that made Tigan’s skin crawl.

"Where are the messengers that came earlier?" Tigan whispered, squinting." I don’t see them."

"Maybe they got promoted to ’human charcoal,’" Moon whispered back. "You must be dumb to think that they are still alive."

Tigan ignored her. "We wait. They’ve been standing there all night. Eventually, they’ll get tired, their guard will drop, and then we approach."

Just as the words left his mouth, a sharp whistle blew from within the pyrokinetic ranks. The front line of soldiers turned in unison, stepping back as a fresh batch of men and women emerged from the tents to replace them. They looked freshly rested and just as dangerous as the first group.

Tigan let out a low, frustrated curse. "You’ve got to be kidding me. They’re running shifts!"

"What do we do now, Tigan?" one of the men asked, his voice shaking. "We can’t sit here all day. We have been attacked by beasts since this darkness came. Today will be no different."

Tigan opened his mouth to formulate a plan_ something tactical, something safe_ but Moon was already bored. She wasn’t built for waiting, and she certainly wasn’t built for taking orders from a man she considered a glorified servant.

"Now," Moon said, her voice clear and loud, "we move."

"Moon! Get your damn ass back here!" Tigan hissed, reaching for her coat, but she was already on her feet.

She stepped out from behind the pile of rubble, her chin held high. In her hand, she waved a white handkerchief_ a small, flimsy sign of peace that looked ridiculous against the backdrop of a scorched wasteland.

"Hey! Over here! Try not to set me on fire, I’m wearing silk!" she shouted.

Tigan closed his eyes for a second, praying for patience, before signaling the rest of the men to stand. They had been made. There was no going back now.

WHOOSH!

A ball of fire whistled through the air, slamming into the dirt just a few feet from Moon. The heat singed the air. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"Come out, now!" a voice boomed.