Under the harsh glare of the floodlights, the desert floor seemed to move. A dense, chittering carpet of Sandworms was rolling toward the base.

Jax didn’t waste a second. He jammed a glowing Energy Shard into the Howitzer Turret’s ammunition hopper.

[System Alert] Energy Critical. Please insert additional Energy Shards.

Jax stared at the sleek black machine, dumbfounded. “Are you kidding me? One isn’t enough?”

He cursed under his breath, grabbed a second shard, slammed it into the slot, and locked the hatch.

Only then did the turret come to life. Gears whirred and heavy servos groaned as the massive barrel adjusted its elevation. It swiveled smoothly, locking onto the center of the approaching mass.

BOOM.

The recoil shook the entire platform.

A high-explosive shell shrieked through the night air, trailing a streak of crimson fire. It slammed into the vanguard of the swarm, detonating in a blinding flash of fire and shrapnel.

[Combat Log] Eliminated: Tier 1 Sandworm Eliminated: Tier 1 Sandworm Eliminated: Tier 1 Sandworm …

The notifications scrolled down Jax’s retina so fast they blurred. He stood there, mouth slightly open.

“Holy hell,” he muttered. “One shot took out seven of them?”

THUMP-BOOM.

Five seconds later, the autoloader cycled, and the cannon fired again.

Another cluster of Sandworms vanished in a cloud of red mist and flying chitin. The turret maintained a steady rhythm, firing ten consecutive rounds. By the time the smoke cleared, the first wave hadn’t even reached the kill zone of the Sentry Towers. They had been obliterated hundreds of yards out.

The team stared at the smoking barrel of the Howitzer in reverent silence.

“That… that is beautiful,” Gareth whispered, wiping sweat from his forehead. “It’s a god-tier artifact.”

“No kidding,” another survivor chimed in, grinning wildly. “One shot wipes out a whole squad? If I had one of these back in the day, I’d be living in a penthouse in Redrock Bastion right now.”

“Our survival rate just skyrocketed,” someone cheered.

The fear in their eyes was replaced by a feverish excitement. They looked at the turret like it was a pile of gold.

Jax felt the rush too, but he forced himself to stay grounded. He checked his quest log.

[Quest Progress: 60/100]

“Don’t celebrate yet!” Jax shouted, cutting through the chatter. “Don’t let your guard down. There’s a second wave coming.”

He knew the System. It wouldn’t stop spawning enemies until the objective was met.

But Jax’s prediction seemed off.

Thirty minutes passed in agonizing silence. The desert was still. No tremors, no screeching. Just the howling wind and the smell of ozone.

Silas shifted uncomfortably, gripping his spear. “Boss… where are they? Did we scare them off?”

Jax frowned, scanning the horizon. “I don’t know. Stay sharp.”

Just as the words left his mouth, a plume of dust erupted on the distant road.

Ding.

[System Warning] Large Swarm Detected: Sandworms (Tier 1) Defense Status: Active.

Ding.

[System Warning] Anomaly Detected: Aberrations approaching. Type: Unknown Burrowers.

Two alarms.

Jax’s stomach dropped. “Two types? They’re coordinating?”

The team saw it too. The dust cloud was thicker this time, moving faster. But it wasn’t just on the surface.

“Look at the ground!” someone screamed.

Hundreds of yards out, the earth was bulging and rippling as if massive snakes were moving just beneath the sand.

“We need more torches!” “What the hell is that?”

Panic rippled through the defenders.

Jax’s voice cut through the fear like a whip. “Hold the line! New enemy type inbound! Torches up, weapons ready!”

Kaleb, squinting through the gloom, turned pale. He recognized the movement patterns. He grabbed Jax’s arm. “Jax… the way the ground is moving… those are Rodent-Maw Creepers.”

His voice wasn’t loud, but in the sudden quiet, everyone heard it.

Jax grimaced. He didn’t want to believe it. They had just fought one yesterday, and it was a nightmare. Now, a swarm of them?

“Looks like you’re right,” Jax said grimly. “Watch your feet!”

BOOM.

The Howitzer opened fire.

[Combat Log] Eliminated: Tier 1 Sandworm Eliminated: Tier 1 Sandworm

“Dammit,” Jax cursed. “No Creepers confirmed. They’re too deep.”

The shells were decimating the surface Sandworms, but the burrowers were protected by the earth. They were closing the distance, safe underground.

Click.

The turret fell silent.

[System Alert] Ammunition Depleted. Please replenish Energy Shards.

“Already?” Jax stared at the ammo hopper in disbelief. “How many rounds was that?”

Barnaby, who had been counting on his fingers, piped up. “Ten… eleven… fifteen, Bro! It fired fifteen times!”

Jax groaned. “Two shards for fifteen shots? This thing eats credits for breakfast.”

He checked his inventory. He had scavenged fifteen Tier 1 Energy Shards over the last two days. It was enough for maybe two more sustained engagements.

He quickly slotted four shards—two for the Sentry Towers, two for the Howitzer.

Thwack-Thwack-Thwack. BOOM.

The symphony of destruction resumed. The Sandworm numbers plummeted, but the bulging trails in the dirt kept coming.

BOOM.

A shell landed perfectly in a cluster of ripples. The explosion gouged a massive crater in the hard-packed earth.

Screeching filled the air as three Rodent-Maw Creepers were blasted to the surface, their bodies broken and bleeding. But behind them, more erupted from the disturbed soil.

They were hideous—bloated, hairy caterpillar bodies topped with the snarling, oversized heads of rats.

Instead of diving back underground, they surged forward, scuttling toward the platform with terrifying speed.

“Contact front!”

The Sentry Towers swiveled, arrows raining down on the new threats. The Creepers were fast, dodging and weaving, but the volume of fire was too high. One by one, they curled up and died.

[Combat Log] Eliminated: Rodent-Maw Creeper (Tier 1) Eliminated: Sandworm (Tier 1) …

Ding.

[Quest Complete] Reward Unlocked: Title – [Apprentice Architect]

[New Skill Acquired] Skill: Holo-Decoy (Tier 1) Description: Project a holographic clone that generates high-threat aggro to all monsters within a 10-meter radius. Duration: 60 seconds.

[Chain Quest Triggered] Objective: Eliminate 30 Tier 2 Rodent-Maw Creepers. Reward: Blueprint – [Fortress Upgrade (Tier 2)]. Failure Penalty: Title Downgrade (Architect -> Scavenger).

Jax froze.

Tier 2 Fortress Blueprint? That’s the ticket to survival.

But the skill… Holo-Decoy. He read the description again.

Range: 10 meters.

“Are you serious?” Jax muttered. “To use the decoy, I have to be practically hugging them?”

He looked over the wall. The dust cloud was getting closer. The bulk of the Creeper swarm was about to hit their perimeter. If they breached the wall, the Howitzer would be useless due to minimum range, and the team would be slaughtered.

He had to group them up. He had to use the decoy to create a kill zone for the turret.

Jax gritted his teeth. “I have to go down there.”

He turned to the team, his eyes locking onto the ex-soldier.

“Kaleb! Front and center!”

Kaleb snapped his head around, startled. “Yeah?”

“I have a mission for you. I’m going down to the ground level. I need overwatch.”

Jax unslung his Rifle and held it out.

Kaleb stared at the weapon, then at Jax. “You’re going down? Are you insane? It’s a meat grinder down there!”

“If they stay underground or hit the wall, we lose,” Jax said rapidly. “I need to draw them out. You know their movement patterns. Can you hit them?”

Kaleb nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on the gun. “I can hit them.”

Jax didn’t let go of the weapon. He leaned in, his voice dropping to a low, intense growl.

“This is my only rifle. If I go down there, my life is in your hands. Can I trust you?”

Kaleb looked up, meeting Jax’s gaze. He realized what this meant. In the wasteland, giving someone a gun was the ultimate sign of trust—or desperation.

Kaleb straightened his posture, the fear in his eyes replaced by soldierly resolve.

“You can trust me, Boss.”

Jax held his gaze for a second longer, then nodded and released the weapon.