Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again. - Chapter 362

Chapter 362: Suicide mission.
Sunshine went inside in the company of Nimo and Major Elio. Two drones went with them, one at the front and one at the back. The rest of the team stayed outside. Some inside the trucks and others on top. Father Nicodemus flew to one of the broken windows above and slipped inside.

The air felt heavy, thick with fear. People were huddled to corners, wrapped in torn blankets, trembling from the cold and hunger. Sunshine felt pity for the people whose bodies had almost become skin and bone. They did not dare to approach the newcomers.

The woman swallowed hard. “I am Nina Rudolf,” she said. “I’m in charge here….but not for long. We have run out of food, if hunger doesn’t kill us, the mutated animals will. We were waiting for the winter to end and leave this place.”

Nimo wondered where they planned to go and how they thought they could make it far in their physical condition. If they left, they would have become food for something else immediately. “How long have you all been surviving like this?”

Nina’s lips trembled. Tears formed immediately, as if she’d been holding them back for days. She tilted her head upward as though trying to keep them from falling. “It wasn’t always like this. My….my husband_ Eric used to go out and hunt for us, he could also collect firewood. Eric was a superhuman. He was the one supposed to lead us down the mountain. “She choked on the next breath.

Sunshine’s expression softened. “Where is Eric now? What happened?”

Nina sniveled hard. “Gone. The watchers took him almost two weeks ago, we have not seen him since.”

The already heavy air somehow got even heavier.

Nimo’s brow furrowed. “That is the second one. They took someone from Sheldon’s base too.”

Major Elio exhaled sharply, the sound cutting through the silence. “Damn watchers.”

Sunshine remained silent. The puzzles were beginning to fit, Eric was likely to be the superhuman that they had seen in the footage fighting with the mutated beasts.

Nina wiped her eyes with a shaking hand. “Eric told us….me that if anything happened to him, we should go and get help from the base on the other side of the mountain. That must be you_right?” She asked, eyes glazed with hope.

Sunshine nodded. “Why didn’t you come as soon as he was taken?”

“We couldn’t leave.” Nina answered. “Those creatures kept circling the resort. And we were scared that the watchers would take us as well.” Her voice cracked at the memory.

Sunshine took a long, steady breath and nodded. She called O’Toole and told him to bring in the crates.

Moments later crates of sandwiches and vacuum cups with hot tea were carried inside. Soldiers first handed out water infused with coconut bean juice.

Gasps rippled across the room_ hope, fragile and unbelieving.

Nina pressed both thin hands to her mouth. “Thank you…..thank you.”

Sunshine stood tall. “We are taking over this territory. If you and your people join Fortress four, you’ll be protected and taken care of. You won’t have to worry about anything, and we will keep an eye out for Eric. If we ever find him, we will bring him home.”

Nina didn’t hesitate to accept the offer. “Yes. Yes, we will.”

The others nodded, murmuring in agreement, relief washing over them like a wave. For them, the dark days were over.

A smile formed on Sunshine’s lips, she signaled for the remaining crates to be brought in. “Then we start immediately.”

She gave the signal and Father Nicodemus flew out of the window. He gave the others the signal. Pumps were taken out the trucks and gel. It was time to blow bubbles and cover eighty percent of the mountain.

It took three hours to accomplish this task. Sunshine promised that the team responsible for this side of the mountain would be moving in before evening to begin rebuilding.

Nina and her group watched as the trucks rolled away, hoping that their saviors would return just like they had promised.

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The ride back to the base should have been calm, but Sunshine kept glancing through the windshield, her expression tightening by the minute. The daily normal snow fall was changing fast. The flakes were bigger_too big_ and they struck the hood of the truck with sharp taps. Not soft, gentle snow. Hard. Heavy. Wrong.

Something was nagging at the back of her mind.

“Suni….” Nimo murmured, leaning forward. “The snow is getting worse. These flakes feel different or am I imagining things”

Sunshine sighed. “Winter is almost over, another disaster is coming.”

Leah heard her and she blinked. She wondered how Sunshine knew that the winter was ending. Was it information from Moon?

By the time they drove through the base gates, the atmosphere had already shifted. The air inside the fortress was cold enough that every breath stung. The snowfall gained weight, falling with almost a metallic hiss.

Sunshine had figured out what was making her easy. The snow flakes were icy!!

She grabbed Major Elio immediately after they stepped out of the truck. “Get all squads here now!” she ordered sharply. “No delays….don’t bother decontaminating, we have unfinished business.”

The message spread quickly. Commands echoed across the base. Squads jogged to their posts, from the dining hall, from the armory_ gathering in the field as the wind pressed against their faces.

Sunshine stood at the front impatiently pacing back and forth, her breath slightly frosty as she looked over the trained troops. “Listen carefully,” she said. “We have an urgent task to accomplish. Everyone should join their squad. You will all be heading to the different towns around us. Your task is to install bubble shields in those territories. Do it fast, and do it right.”

A few people exchanged uneasy looks.

“Why the rush?” Someone called out.

Sunshine did not sugar coat it. “Another disaster is on the way. We need to save those people before it hits.”

Murmurs spread immediately. People stiffened, glancing nervously at the sky.

“What disaster?” another asked, voice trembling.

“If this is about the heat, we still have time.” O’Toole said loudly.

Others nodded, some even frowning and grumbling.

Sunshine’s steel voice cut through the air. “Frost stones are on the way. Imagine snow flakes that cut like knives and hit harder than stones. They’ll start falling soon. Tonight, tomorrow, the next day….I can’t be certain.

What I am certain of is that the snowflakes have already started hardening. The frost stones will mark the end of the long winter_ but they’ll kill anyone left exposed outside.” She paused. “This means that those going to the far away towns, should stay there if the weather makes it impossible for you to return. The frost stone will fall for a day, Two, at most.”

“How do you know?” Someone asked.

Hades joined her. “We have a disaster forecast, believe her. Take supplies to last you a week if necessary.”

“This is a suicide mission.” Sheldon stated, appearing from the shadows. “You are risking the lives of our fighters, for what….to save some humans that we do not know?”

Hadrian took him by the arm and dragged him away. “Your opinion is not wanted here.”

Fear rippled through some of the squad members. It was mostly the most ordinary of the soldiers that stiffened.

Sunshine could see the terrors in their eyes. “As long as the shields are up, you will be safe. I have protected you this far and I believe that I have earned your trust. Now, for this mission….only those willing will go. Superhumans will be accompanying you.”

“You will be given gear to protect you out there as usual.” Hades assured them.

Dwayne rubbed the back of his neck. “What do we do if we meet resistance. People might mistake us for marauders and attack. Our lives matter as much as theirs.”

Carson folded his arms. “Not if we wear military gear. People won’t question us if they see us as heroes that have come to their rescue.”

Warren snorted. “But then they will assume automatically that it is the government helping them and not us…..”

“Who cares” Hades asked, voice fighting with the wind. “We’ll clear that up later if we need to. Anyway, their assumption that we are with the government will make it easy to take over.”

Sunshine nodded. “Exactly. So now gear up. You have thirty minutes to say goodbye to your families and prepare for set off.”

“Move out.” Major Elio commanded.

The squads scattered, moving with disciplined urgency. Within minutes, weapons were secured, medical kits packed, bubbles loaded, and engines revved.

Each group was assigned a territory and they set off.