My 100th Rebirth a day before the Apocalypse

Chapter 996: Chapter 994 Engineer Steel’s Request

At that moment, Mrs. Winters felt as happy as a child, delighted at the thought of giving everyone such a small but meaningful treat.

Seeing that her mother-in-law still had a lot of work to handle and having accomplished what she came to do, Kisha decided to leave with Edison. She soon met up with Engineer Steel near his old office, where he was still busy transferring everything to their new lab.

Once they settled, Kisha brought up the blueprints Duke had delivered, curious about Engineer Steel’s thoughts, especially on the feasibility of the "Lightbrain" with their current capabilities. The moment Engineer Steel caught sight of the plans, his eyes lit up as if he had discovered a hidden treasure.

"City Lord! Oh my God! I just saw the blueprint for that ’Lightbrain’ idea! It’s... It’s absolutely mind-blowing! I never even imagined it could be possible!" Engineer Steel exclaimed, practically bouncing with excitement as he ran up to Kisha and grabbed both her arms. He looked like a child who’d just discovered a treasure.

"So... is it actually possible to make it?" Kisha asked, leaning in, her curiosity sharp and direct.

"Yes! It’s definitely possible! But it’s intricate; making a prototype and testing it will take time. The main problem is the materials: they’re the kind used in aerospace technology, which are extremely rare and hard to obtain."

"However, if we could get access to an aerospace facility, we might be able to source the materials from there. Once we have them, you could leave the rest to me, or we could even use the equipment at the facility to process the materials properly," Engineer Steel explained.

The reason he was so excited to see Kisha was clear: the idea of building the ’Lightbrain’ thrilled him. Compared to the advanced solar panel and other blueprints he had, which also required rare materials and alloys, the ’Lightbrain’ felt within reach.

A trip to an aerospace facility could provide not only the materials for the ’Lightbrain’ but possibly for the other projects as well, a perfect opportunity to tackle two challenges at once.

One thing was certain in Engineer Steel’s mind: every blueprint he now held represented technology beyond what their current civilization could produce.

He was certain of one thing: either Kisha had created these blueprints herself, with a genius-level intellect far beyond normal limits, or she had somehow obtained them from a higher civilization beyond Earth. But since he was her subordinate, he didn’t dare ask; he only wanted to turn these designs into reality.

More than anyone, he was thrilled at the opportunity. No other mechanical engineer could hope to bring such inventions to life; it was a dream come true. The moment he saw Kisha, adrenaline surged through his veins, and he couldn’t help but urge her to get the materials so he could begin immediately.

"Oh?! That’s actually a good idea..." Kisha said, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. ’It really is a much better option than buying all the materials from the system mall or the Sales Channel, after all, I’ve already spent so many system points on the blueprints and the alchemy furnace.’

She looked up at Engineer Steel. "Please document all the materials we need to find at the Aerospace facility. Sketch what they look like and note their properties, along with any equipment we might need. Your new lab is mostly bare, as far as I remember. I’ll gather my team and find a time for us to head to the Aerospace facility."

Kisha added the plan to her agenda. As it happened, the Aerospace facility was located near City D. She glanced at Engineer Steel, who seemed to have just remembered something as well. His usual giddy expression faltered for a moment, replaced by a shadow of concern as he thought of his son.

"I understand, City Lord, but may I ask one more thing?" Engineer Steel spoke, his tone cautious but tinged with worry.

"Go ahead," Kisha nodded.

"If you’re heading to the Aerospace Facility, could you also make a detour through City D... and see if you can find my son? And while you’re at it, remember when Dr. Shuveck and I searched for you and mentioned that he forgot his notebook in his lab?"

"That notebook could help us better understand the blueprints for the advanced solar panel. I also... I’d like you to look for any clues about our sons. My son is a genius Mechanical Engineer, capable of continuing my work, and Dr. Shuveck’s son is a brilliant science professor. If we could find them, it would put our minds at ease, and it could even help with our projects, as they could work alongside us."

Engineer Steel’s voice trembled slightly as he admitted, almost to himself, the thought he dared not dwell on: the possibility that their sons might no longer be alive.

"And if they’re no longer in City D... then, like us, they might have been transported to the Capital City," Engineer Steel added, his voice tight with fear. "But maybe... You could at least look for some clue about them."

He looked every bit the broken father, worried, scared, and desperate. Kisha’s heart ached for him, but she couldn’t make any promises, not yet.

Kisha gently patted his shoulder. "I’ll try to look for them when we pass through City D. If I find any clue, I’ll make sure to let you know. As for the notebook, just send me the lab’s address, and we’ll check it out. We might even be able to recover all the test reports if the lab is still intact. With all the natural disasters from the Geostorm, though... I can’t promise anything."

She shrugged lightly, not wanting to raise their hopes too high.

"The lab should still be intact," Engineer Steel said. "It was one of the most secure places when it was built; the location was designed like an air-raid shelter."

"Alright, I’ll keep that in mind," Kisha replied. "Get everything ready on your end. My team is still out, so I won’t be heading out just yet. But when we do go, I expect things to be prepared so we can pick everything up and leave without delay."

"Understood, City Lord," Engineer Steel said, bowing to Kisha with respect. His voice trembled slightly, and his eyes were rimmed with red. Kisha could tell he was putting all his hope on her finding his son.

She couldn’t promise anything, so she pretended not to notice, though a pang of sadness touched her heart. She patted his shoulder gently once more before turning and heading back toward the marketplace.

As soon as she left, Kisha pushed everything to the back of her mind, refusing to let Engineer Steel’s emotions sway her. She would promise to do her best to find their son and ease their worries, but that was all she could do for now.

While waiting for Sparrow and Vulture’s team to return from their mission, she returned to the marketplace. She bought one hundred fifty pork barbecue skewers, and the stall owner, seeing her again after just a few hours, was initially surprised, but a smile quickly spread across his face.

Seeing how much she enjoyed his barbecue, he eagerly began grilling the marinated skewers. By now, the new laminated special item signs had been printed and displayed on the side of his stall, with prices clearly marked. Kisha didn’t hesitate to pay for thirty Level 1 crystal cores for them.

Afterward, she led Edison to a fruit juice stall that sold both special items and regular drinks. The beverages were made from freshly pressed juice and ice, and all the fruits came from the Supply Center. Since the stall owners bought ingredients in bulk, they, of course, received discounts from their purchases in the Supply Center, and because of that, they were able to offer top-quality drinks without feeling guilty about the cost, giving Kisha and Edison a refreshing treat.

Seeing the stall owners working honestly and not trying to outsmart their customers, Kisha nodded in quiet approval. She ordered a grapefruit mango juice for herself and a strawberry milk for Edison.

Since the drinks were freshly pressed, their order was ready quickly. They settled on small stools in front of the stall, waiting for the barbecue, and Kisha, noticing that Edison wasn’t speaking despite her efforts, turned her attention to checking her store instead.

[You received a five star review from Alphaca King for the Grade D Spiritual Fruit]

[Alphaca King’s review: Damn! This spiritual fruit has so much spiritual energy that I doubt it’s really Grade D. If it is, then it must be at peak quality. I highly recommend this shop, it’s not nearly as expensive as the one I used to buy from. Luckily, I stumbled upon this store. Please restock as soon as possible!]

After reading the review, Kisha frowned. The word "restock" caught her attention; she had just replenished her products.