Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again.-Chapter 671: Ceasaer The Great at Kingsbridge.

Deep in the lowest sub-level, tucked behind a false wall of shale, it sat. The Prime Core Stone. It pulsed with a faint, rhythmic violet light, looking entirely too beautiful for a place so miserable.

She had been expecting small pieces scattered around like diamonds. But this was not it. It was much bigger than she had ever seen. A giant rock that made up half of a giant meteor that occupied a space that could fit ten large trucks.

It could not be carried away, so the Walden’s had been chipping away at it, one piece at a time.

"No wonder they could afford to wear such big pieces around their necks." Hades muttered.

Sunshine reached out, waved her hand and sent it all to her space. The meter and prime core. She waved her hand, sweeping away the pieces on the ground that had been dug only hours ago.

Suddenly, there was a big empty space above them.

"Is it gone?" Carson’s voice echoed from the tunnel entrance. He walked in, wiping grease off his forehead.

"Yes but unfortunately, I doubt that it is the only one out there." Sunshine said. She paused, closing her eyes."System, scan the perimeter. Are there any more Prime Core deposits in this sector?"

A mechanical ping sounded in her mind.

[Scan Complete. No additional Prime Core signatures detected in this territory.]

Sunshine sighed, a mix of relief and exhaustion washing over her. "The good news is that there is no more Prime Core in this area. The bad is that we don’t know how much is left out there."

"One at a time." Hades told her. "For now, let’s leave behind a team to put up a bubble and go home."

They drove back to the town, the mood in the Walden territory was a heavy mix of noise and quiet grief. Sunshine stood on a crumbled concrete slab, watching the Fortress Four relief team’s work. Medics were already on the ground, kneeling in the dirt to check for any kind of infections among the new additions to their base and tending to minor injuries.

Nearby, the registration process was in full swing, turning the laborers back into normal residents.

But amidst the healing, there was a firm, new law.

Sunshine turned to her team, her voice carrying a weight that made even the nearby engineers pause. "I am banning the possession of the prime core or anything like it while on my territories," she declared. Her eyes swept over the crowd. "The punishment is death, of course_ after taking the prime core from whoever had it."

Hades didn’t just nod; he broke into a series of loud, rhythmic claps. "You heard the boss!" he shouted, his voice booming over the sound of the transport trucks. "Spread the word."

Sunshine raised a beacon as well and declared the same thing. "Give them up voluntarily, while I am asking nicely." she warned.

Hades pulled out his radio, his thumb flicking the switch with practiced ease. "I’m calling the information and printing center. They should have teams ready to put banners with our fortress laws all over the place by morning. If they can breathe, they should be able to read the new law."

The efficiency of the takeover was cold and precise. While the Walden mercenaries were being herded into transport trucks headed for the prison base, engineers did not wait until morning to start laying plans for the new wall and new resident buildings construction.

For those who hadn’t survived the mines and had no family to claim them, the relief teams began carrying the dead bodies away to be cremated.

Once the security squads arrived to take over the watch, Sunshine looked at her weary team. They were covered in mine dust and exhausted. "Go," she ordered. "Get some rest."

But that rest never came.

Just as they were preparing to depart, she received a message that Caesar Rommel was causing a scene at the King’s Bridge gate. Raydon spoke with impatience in his voice. "Ma’am, he’s demanding that he sees the base leaders."

Hades’ eyes narrowed into dangerous slits. "The secretary for defense?"

"Yes sir," Raydon answered. "He claims that he is the acting president. He did not take it very well when I called him a secretary."

Sunshine let out a sharp, mocking scoff. The audacity of the man to show up and make demands, was almost impressive in its delusions."We will be passing by there on our way home anyway," Sunshine said, her voice dropping into a calm, dangerous tone. "Let’s see what the ’President’ has to say for himself."

***

At the King’s Bridge gate,the moon was beating down on the gate with a persistence that Emmet found personally offensive. At first he had been impressed on seeing the moon up close, it had helped them move around in the darkness but, he was getting furious by the minute.

For two hours, he had been leaning against a jagged rock, watching a lizard sun or moon bathe and contemplating exactly how many ways he could dismantle Ceaser if that gate didn’t creak open in the next thirty minutes.

"Two hours, Ceaser," Emmet said, his voice dangerously low. He didn’t look up; he just traced a pattern in the dirt with the tip of his blade. "You said your name was a key. So far, it’s acting more like a ’Do Not Disturb’ sign."

Ceaser wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, his usual bravado looking a bit wilted around the edges. He turned back to the massive iron-reinforced doors of Fortress Four and took a deep breath.

"I said open and let us in! I am_"

"Ceaser the Great," Craydon yawned, leaning over the stone battlement above them. "Yeah, we heard you the first time. And the tenth time. Honestly, the repetition is killing the ’Great’ part of the title."

Ceaser shot a panicked glance at Emmet. He could see the boy’s knuckles whitening. If the gates didn’t open, Ceaser was fairly certain he wouldn’t live long enough to see the artificial sun rise. He turned back to the gate, his voice hitting a frantic pitch.

"Call Hades and Sunshine Quinn! Just tell them I’m here! They will know who I am!"

Raydon walked back to the edge of the wall, a smirking expression dancing on his face. He tucked his device away and looked down at the dusty trio below.

"Well, Ceaser," Raydon called out, sounding way too amused. "Your wish is about to be fulfilled. The bosses are passing through here and they want to see you very much."

Ceaser let out a visible sigh of relief, puffing. "See I told you my name opens doors."

Emmet looked unimpressed. "Tell them to let us wait from inside or else, if a mutated animal comes, I will feed you to it....to save myself."

Ceaser started shouting again, this time louder. "Let us in! I demand you let us in!"