Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again. - Chapter 332

Chapter 332: Venom breath.
The gunfire outside was relentless, each round echoing through the base walls like the drums of an impending storm. Sunshine dashed through the corridors of the main residence, her boots clapping against the cold floor.

The air reeked of smoke and fear. She could hear the clashes, the squads battling the rebel forces outside, their grunts and power bursts rumbling the structure. Inside though, there was only panic. Panicked people were running for their lives, but they had no clue where to run to. There was danger everywhere.

Sunshine smashed some doors and kicked others open, her breathing sharp and uneven. Some rooms held terrified people huddled together_ordinary humans clutching one another, whimpering like kittens, trembling in the dim light. None of them were Helena.

“Anyone seen Helena?” She asked each time, they only shook their heads, some that mustered courage to speak reported where they had last seen her.

“Stay where you are until the fighting is over.” She told them all.

Sunshine was just coming from another room, having repeated the same routine. She moved faster, her heart pounding in her ears.

When she reached the study, she noticed the door was slightly ajar, it was the only room she had not checked yet. She clenched the handle of the hammer as she stepped inside, eyes darting across the dusty desks and toppled chairs.

Then he heard it_ a faint tittering sound. Teeth chattering. “I have a_ a gun.” The familiar voice sounded

She turned toward the sound and barked, “Townsend, is that you?”

The mayor jumped, banging his shoulder on the cabinet door. He tumbled out, pale faced, shaking, his lips trembling as though he’d been standing in snow. “Mrs. Quinn_ oh, thank the heavens.” he gasped, running to her and hugging her tight. His arms clung to her as though he were the only anchor in a sinking world. “I thought it was that mad woman.”

Sunshine shoved him away, not hard enough to topple him over but enough to get him away from her. “Where is Helena?”

Townsend’s eye widened. “She _ she took the children. Three of them. She has lost her mind; you have got to stop her. She held those children at gun point and grabbed them away from their parents. We tried to stop her…… but when she shot Odessa, we got scared. She has gone completely nuts….”

Sunshine grabbed him by his shoulders. “Think Townsend, where could she be hiding? This base is very small there are not many places where she could have taken those children?”

He shook his head desperately. “I do not know!”

Sunshine reached for her radio to get Major Elio to search for Helena. The other option as to scan the grounds of the base, using the system. It would cost her some gold, but it would be faster. Her hand hesitated to push the button on the radio.

Mayor Townsend gasped suddenly and grabbed her shoulders. “I think…. maybe she is trying to escape. I overheard her and some others talking about leaving this place. They want to go back to Fortress four or find another shelter in the city. Someone mentioned Eden.”

“Escape through where? Sunshine pressed. ” My squads have covered all the entrances and exits of this place.

Townsend fumbled through one of the cabinets, scattering old papers, files and books. “After Sheldon left and we were abandoned here, I rummaged through some of these cabinets and found the plan for the base. Yes_ here!” He pulled out the rolled blueprints, hands trembling. He spread it on the table, his fingers tracing the lines. “At first we were all planning to escape together so I showed it around. There’s an underground tunnel system here_ it connects to other bases. I discovered it weeks ago. I thought maybe we could use it to get out of here if things went south, but Helena wanted to use it in another way….”

Sunshine’s eyes narrowed. “To attack the other bases when the right time came.” She had heard something about the tunnel and forgotten it.

Townsend nodded rapidly. “Yes, something like that. She was waiting for the winter to end before putting her plan into action.”

Sunshine turned and left the study in a hurry. Mayor Townsend followed her, moving quickly to keep up. “The entrance to the tunnels is in the basement, as soon as we discovered it, Helena and Frank stopped everyone else from going down there except for their little conspiracy group.”

Each step they took was accompanied by the sound of distant gun fire and the muffled cries of the people outside. Sunshine’s senses were heightened_ every creak, every echo made her finger twitch near her weapon.

Once they reached the basement that led to the tunnel, Townsend’s suspicions were confirmed to be correct. It was wide open, a body lay on the floor at the entrance, riddled with bullet hole.

“I recognize him, he is one of Helena’s minions.” Townsend declared.

“So, she is killing her teammates!” Sunshine whispered in mild shock.

They descended the stairwell, making their way into the cold basement cautiously. It was damp, smelling like old wet clothes. A few bodies of dead rats were littered on the ground, one was alive, biting away at some wires and squeaking.

She froze and shattered it without delay.

The squeaking was gone, and the only sound left was the faint hum of generators that vibrated through the walls. They reached the opening into the tunnel, gravel lay on the ground. It was obvious that someone had smashed their way inside.

Sunshine put on her night vision goggles because it was dark. She handed one to Townsend as well. Then, they forged forward with determined steps like a two-man army.

Townsend’s voice quivered as they walked, “You should know something about Helena Mrs. Quinn…..”

Sunshine could detect the fear in his voice; she glanced at him sharply. “What?”

He paused, fidgeting with his fingers that were curled around a gun. “Helena….she is dangerous_ we all feared her for a good reason. Whoever tried to oppose her…. died. Her body sheds off these particles, like dust. Not entirely invisible but also not completely visible. You breathe them in, and you die instantly. And sometimes, green like smoke comes out of her mouth.”

“Venom breath!” Sunshine muttered, standing still. “No wonder that crazy woman thought she was invincible.” She had seen such superhumans in her previous life, people whose very bodies were poison. They emitted toxins through their pours and every hole on their bodies.

Not many people wanted to be around them because they could infect and kill with one touch or breath.

Sunshine reached into her belt pouch and pulled out two small capsules. “Swallow this.” She said handing one to Townsend. “It will help block the toxins. As for me, I am not scared of a little poison.”

She wondered if she ought to thank the system for not warning her in time and letting her be poisoned.