Apocalypse Architect: A Tower Defense LitRPG

Chapter 83: Coming to Plead for Help

Sawyer hesitated, the color draining from his face as the butler’s suggestion hung in the air.

“You want me to go to the Boss? My brother?” Sawyer scoffed, shaking his head violently. “Absolutely not. You know the Eldest Scion and I have been at each other’s throats for years. Asking him for a favor is suicide.”

He slashed his hand through the air, dismissing the idea entirely.

Jax watched the reaction closely, his eyes narrowing. He understood the dynamic immediately. The Helios Syndicate wasn’t just a family; it was a cutthroat corporation. Sawyer and his older brother were like rival division heads, locked in a cold war for the CEO’s chair. On the surface, they broke bread together; beneath the table, they were kicking each other’s shins, vying for the patriarch’s approval.

It was a melodramatic cliché—a plotline straight out of a soap opera—but in a powerful clan like the Helios Syndicate, such clichés were deadly reality.

If Sawyer went crawling to his brother on Jax’s behalf, he would be acknowledging inferiority. He’d be “half a head shorter” in the family hierarchy forever. A favor of that magnitude would be a chain around his neck, effectively ending his bid for leadership.

Jax had no interest in drowning in the murky waters of their succession crisis.

“Fine,” Jax said, leaning back. “Then we stick to the original plan. Sawyer, you said you could fix my identity papers. How much longer?”

Sawyer visibly relaxed, puffing out his chest. “Don’t worry, brother! Give me three days. I swear on my honor, I’ll have it sorted.”

“Three days…” Jax forced a polite smile and nodded, but internally, his stomach churned.

Three days was an eternity in the wasteland.

He had no way of knowing what was happening at his fortress. Communication relied on unreliable couriers, and Jax trusted those random runners about as far as he could throw them. If a letter was intercepted—if his secrets were exposed—his sanctuary would become a target for every raider and warlord in the region.

And there was a bigger threat looming.

Jax glanced out the window at the relentless drizzle. The Black Rain was tapering off. The storm was losing its fury. By his calculations, the rain would cease completely within a week.

And when the Black Rain stopped, the Insect Swarm would rise.

If he wasn’t back at Outpost 15 to command the defenses, the tide of chitin and claws would wash over his walls like a tsunami. Resistance would be futile.

Dammit, Jax thought, staring at the leaden sky. Why is nothing ever simple?

He sighed, shaking off the anxiety, and retreated to his guest room to rest. But sleep was elusive.

Moments later, a flash of headlights swept across his window, followed by the sharp, authoritative double-honk of a car horn.

Jax moved to the curtains, peeling back the edge. An armored, silver-gray Mercedes-Benz had pulled up to the villa’s entrance, tires crunching on the wet gravel.

A middle-aged man stepped out first. He adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses and smoothed down a pristine, high-end suit that looked out of place in the apocalypse. Even through the rain, Jax felt a spark of recognition.

Then, a second man emerged. He wasn’t tall, but he carried himself with the unmistakable swagger of someone used to giving orders.

The villa’s front doors swung open. The butler hurried out with a black umbrella, shielding the guests as he ushered them inside.

Jax didn’t move. He lay back on his bed, his senses tuned to the hallway. His room was on the ground floor, and the walls were thin enough to carry voices.

“Young Master Sawyer!” A smooth, professional voice echoed. “Terribly sorry to disturb you at this ungodly hour.”

“Hah! Director Kaine,” Sawyer’s voice boomed, though it sounded forced. “What brings a busy man like you to my humble abode?”

“Oh, nothing major! Just a small inquiry. Do you have a moment?”

“For you? Always. Butler, tea. The good stuff.”

“Please, come in. Director Kaine, Chief Engineer Aris… right this way.”

Jax’s eyes snapped open.

Aris.

The man in the glasses. The arrogant engineer who had failed so spectacularly at the testing grounds.

Jax recalled the conversation Vance had reported earlier. The Eldest Scion was backing Aris. They needed to fix the Penetrator Ballista to win the upcoming Defense Tower Competition.

Jax slapped his forehead lightly. Of course. Aris is the Eldest Scion’s dog. He’s desperate to fix his broken toy, and he knows I’m the only one who understands the tech.

Footsteps approached his door. Jax quickly lay back, feigning sleep.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Ahem! Jax? You awake, kid?”

Jax waited a beat, then two, before answering groggily. “Sawyer? What’s up?”

“Uh, look… there are some people here. Chief Designer Aris from the R&D Center and Director Kaine. They want a word. Is it… convenient?”

Jax’s mind raced, calculating the angles.

Aris worked for the Eldest Scion. Sawyer hated the Eldest Scion. If Jax helped Aris, he was technically aiding Sawyer’s enemy. Sawyer was a good ally; Aris was a pompous fool Jax held a grudge against.

But… Aris was desperate. And the Eldest Scion had offered a blank check.

If I play this right, Jax thought, I can turn this mess to my advantage.

He sat up, slid into his slippers, and opened the door.

“Brother Sawyer,” Jax said, his face a mask of innocent confusion. “I’m up. What’s going on?”

Standing in the hallway were Sawyer, a smiling Director Kaine, and a very sheepish-looking Dr. Aris.

“Well, well,” Jax drawled, leaning against the doorframe. “If it isn’t the Director and the… Chief Designer. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Sawyer gave a strained, helpless smile. “Haha, I see you’ve already met. I won’t bore you with introductions. Essentially… Dr. Aris is here to ask for a favor.”

Sawyer’s eyes flashed a desperate signal. It was a silent plea: Don’t screw me over, but please don’t make me look bad.

Jax caught the look. He winked imperceptibly—a micro-expression that said, Relax. I’ve got this.

Sawyer let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding.

“Come in,” Jax said. “Let’s talk in the living room.”

Minutes later, they were seated on plush leather sofas. Jax held a warm cup of tea, blowing the steam away as he stared directly at Dr. Aris.

“So,” Jax said, breaking the silence. “Dr. Aris. What can a humble nobody like me do for a great mind like yours?”

Aris laughed dryly, shifting in his seat. He looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole. Earlier that day, he had sneered at Jax, treating him like a beggar. Now, he was the one with the begging bowl.

Seeing his Chief Engineer floundering, Director Kaine smoothed his tie and took over.

“Ahem! It’s like this, Mr. Jax. This afternoon, Young Master Sawyer showed me a blueprint. I was… impressed. I only learned later that it was your work.”

Kaine leaned forward, his voice dripping with corporate honey. “I wanted to meet the prodigy behind the design. I didn’t expect you to be so young! A true rising star.”

Jax smiled politely. “Director Kaine is too kind. I’m no prodigy. Just a guy who likes to tinker.”

“Modesty! I like it,” Kaine beamed. “But let’s be real. That blueprint isn’t the work of an amateur. I’ll be reporting your talents to headquarters immediately. By the way… I heard you have a partnership with the Helios Syndicate?”

Jax glanced at Sawyer.

Sawyer looked like he had swallowed a lemon. Regret was written all over his face.

Back when they signed the agreement, Sawyer had framed it as a partnership with the Helios Syndicate, not with him personally. He had underestimated Jax. He had thought Jax was just a Combat-Type Awakened with some luck.

But now? Sawyer realized his mistake. The spatial manipulation Jax used for storage… the complex engineering knowledge… Jax wasn’t a muscle-head. He was likely a high-tier Intellect-Type Awakened.

A builder. An architect. The most valuable resource in the wasteland.

I should have locked him down, Sawyer thought bitterly. I should have made him exclusive to me.

“That’s correct,” Jax said, turning back to Kaine. “I help the Syndicate with small matters, and the Syndicate offers me protection. It’s a simple arrangement.”

Kaine’s eyes lit up. He saw the opening.

“Is that so?” Kaine smiled, ignoring Sawyer’s darkening expression. “Then, I wonder… would you be interested in becoming an official Designer for the Helios Syndicate? Working directly with the main branch?”

Sawyer gripped the armrest of his chair, his knuckles turning white.

The audacity, Sawyer fumed. He’s poaching him right in front of my face!