Apocalyptic Rebirth: With a repairman system space, she rises again. Chapter 1: No dating fools, especially in an apocalypse.

Sunshine found herself married.

Beside her in bed lay her husband, who was also her ex-fiancé’s father. Soft whistling snores emanated from his nose.

She studied the marriage certificate clutched in her hands, squinting for the tenth time. She almost convinced herself that a hard blink might make her name vanish, replaced by the correct one beside her husband’s.

She blinked repeatedly, much like a dramatic soap opera actress receiving shocking news. They always wore long, artificial eyelashes and heavy makeup, with the camera freezing and zooming as those lashes fluttered.

For Sunshine, though, nothing seemed to change.

"How is my name still here? I must have blinked a dozen times; why isn’t it changing? This can’t be real. It must be a dream, a really strange one," she whispered to herself.

Her denial was futile, as the picture on the certificate clearly showed her and Hades Quinn. Those steely gray eyes and the sharp jawline were unmistakable. Even in a photograph, he exuded an aura as if he were about to rip the cameraman’s throat out.

She examined her hands, turning them over. No scars, no roughness. Her hands remained as soft as a kitten’s paw, her nails neatly trimmed and painted a light pink. The last time her nails had looked this pristine was when she was twenty-four and still residing in Quinn manor. Believing it to be a dream, Sunshine slapped her cheek and winced.

The sharp pain was too real to be a dream.

Yet, just to be absolutely sure, she got out of bed and rushed to a wall, banging her head against it. The intense, sharp pain registered through her thick skull, eliciting a yowl.

She returned to the bed, a soft chuckle escaping her lips.

"I’m not dead; I’ve been reborn?"

Sunshine inhaled deeply, catching the scent of medicine. It appeared she had been reborn to a time when Hades Thorne was involved in an accident, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. As far as she remembered, her cousin Moon was the one who married Hades. It seemed her rebirth had brought about certain changes.

"How in the world did I end up here?" she muttered.

A more pressing thought occupied her mind: how was she going to rectify this situation? Given the circumstances of her death, she had absolutely no intention of reliving the same foolish, self-sacrificing life. And she would certainly not date a fool.

That was the paramount rule: No dating or marrying fools, especially not during an apocalypse.

*****

The primary rule everyone needed to adhere to during an apocalypse was simple: trust no one. In a world where a brother might murder his twin or younger sister for a mere slice of bread, trust was an exceedingly precious commodity, as valuable as the bread itself.

Sunshine’s initial misstep was never questioning whether her foolish fiancé was, in fact, a fool.

What kind of fool would assemble a harem during an apocalypse?

What sensible woman would desire to become a fool’s property at such a precarious time?

What normal woman would become pregnant for him and even vie with others for his attention?

The logical answer was none.

Yet, this was precisely how things had unfolded. While she protected the fool, he amassed women, even impregnating some, yet it was never her. He had never touched her, a fact for which she was now immensely grateful.

The answer to that perplexing situation was revealed by her cousin Moon, who had also become one of the fool’s women. Just before she plunged a knife into Sunshine, Moon had said, "Sunshine, only a fool like you would fail to notice what was happening around her. You awakened a superpower in the apocalypse, fought valiantly, and became known as the apocalypse queen. You were so consumed by fighting day and night that you missed what was right in front of you.

Did you never wonder why you are covered in scars while he is not? Are you certain you didn’t observe people acting subserviently around him or trembling in fear in his presence? All those women who clung to him as if he were their lifeline… didn’t you ever question why they desired the fool? Only the strong are revered in this era, so these signs should have provided you with a clue.

I will tell you the truth now, before I send you to your death. Cassius Quinn is not a fool. He was never a fool; he was merely pretending because he didn’t want Hades Quinn to perceive him as a threat and expel him from the household. His true identity is the eighth king."

Sunshine’s eyes widened considerably as her cousin delivered that revelation.

"Yes," her cousin laughed. "The eighth king, who is the most significant arms dealer in the apocalyptic world. He possesses endless supplies, and his base is the largest globally. Now that the apocalypse era is nearing its end, he is poised to become the new president of the East.

Unfortunately, you won't be around to see his ascent because you are merely a stepping stone on his path. He claims his rise to prominence began with a good luck charm you gifted him – a bracelet. You also mentioned that this bracelet would be passed down to your children after you gave birth, which is precisely why he never laid a hand on you.

Just last week, you requested he give you a child and also asked for the bracelet back, for safekeeping. His response was dismissive: 'Forget about it. Just die peacefully and forget everything.'

Sunshine threw her head back and let out a laugh. After supporting a fool through the apocalypse for five years, this was her reward. Her fiancé wasn't a fool; he was a powerful man with superpowers, and she was being killed for a mere bracelet! What was so special about it that he had to end her life just to keep it? While still contemplating this, she felt a sharp stab in her chest.

"Cousin, did you ever imagine we'd end up like this? That I'd be pregnant with his child, on the verge of becoming his official wife, while you'd be sent off to die?"

Gurgling blood in her mouth, Sunshine spat it out. "Moon, a man who would ask you to kill your own sister for him will eventually ask someone else to kill you for that same secret."

Moon looked up, laughing as she spread her arms wide. "I'm not like you. He loves me, and I'm going to be his official wife. My greatest regret is rejecting him as my husband back then because I thought he was a fool. If I had married him from the start, I wouldn't have suffered for four years in the apocalypse before meeting you again."

Moon gazed at Sunshine, her eyes burning with dark hatred, as if Sunshine were her ultimate enemy. Once more, Moon plunged a knife into Sunshine’s chest, repeatedly. "Go to hell. An orphan like you, raised by my parents, isn't allowed to live a better life than mine."

Sunshine felt her strength draining; death was beckoning. But before she could succumb, she raised her hand one last time, pulling a grenade from her pocket and hurling it at Moon.

As she took her final breath, she heard a satisfying scream. Unfortunately, she couldn't discern whether Moon was alive or dead.