Apocalypse Architect: A Tower Defense LitRPG

Chapter 86: Your Money Isn’t Enough

Inside the laboratory, the hum of machinery was the only sound as Jax worked. His hands moved with a surgeon’s precision, bypassing redundant circuits and re-routing the energy flow of the Penetrater Ballista.

Dr. Aris watched, his mouth slightly agape. He had been shocked by Jax repeatedly today, but this was different. This wasn’t just luck or a hidden blueprint.

To Aris, Jax felt… alien. His logic, his coding style, his intuitive grasp of energy matrix theory—it was fundamentally different from the academic dogma taught in the Bastion. It was cleaner. Ruthlessly efficient.

“Done,” Jax said, snapping a panel back into place. “That solves your momentum loss. The energy conversion rate should be stable now.”

He stood up, wiping grease from his hands with a rag. “Since the problem is solved, I’m heading out.”

“Wait! Let me walk you out!”

Aris scrambled to follow. Despite the earlier humiliation—or perhaps because of it—he now harbored a begrudging respect for the young man. Jax had punished him, yes, but he had also saved his career.

He wanted to show his gratitude.

Jax waved a hand dismissively, stepping toward the exit. “Don’t bother. I know the way.”

But Aris insisted, grabbing a black umbrella and escorting Jax to the main entrance of the R&D facility. The Black Rain was still falling, a relentless, toxic drizzle that hissed against the pavement.

“Ahem! Brother Jax,” Aris said, lowering his voice as they stood under the awning. “There is something I feel I must say.”

Jax stopped, one foot already in the rain. He turned back, his expression unreadable. “Go ahead.”

“Your core components,” Aris whispered urgently. “They are revolutionary. I advise you to be careful. Don’t just hand them over. Perhaps… consider establishing your own studio? If you interface directly with the Defense Tower General Union, you could bypass the local politics.”

Jax raised an eyebrow. “The Defense Tower General Union?”

Aris nodded vigorously. “Yes. It’s the highest authority. If you register your core components with them, the patent rights are ironclad. You would receive royalties annually—massive sums. It’s a path to true independence.”

Jax processed this. It was a valuable piece of intel, a glimpse into the higher workings of this world.

“I see,” Jax said calmly. “Thanks for the tip.”

Without another word, he turned and walked into the curtain of rain, his silhouette quickly swallowed by the gloom.

When Jax returned to the villa, the lights were still on.

Sawyer was sitting in the living room, nursing a glass of amber liquid. He hadn’t slept. As soon as Jax walked through the door, Sawyer jumped up, his face breaking into a relieved smile.

“Brother Jax! You’re back.”

Jax nodded, shaking the water from his coat. He knew exactly why Sawyer was so happy. If Jax had succumbed to Director Kaine’s poaching attempt and joined the main branch, Sawyer would have been cut out of the loop.

But Jax had returned. He had chosen the alliance with the “outcast” brother.

“It went well,” Jax said simply. “And thanks for setting it up.”

Sawyer chuckled, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a heavy, ornate key and pressed it into Jax’s hand.

“A small token of appreciation,” Sawyer said. “It’s a residence in Redrock Bastion. It’s not much—a modest estate, just over ten thousand square feet—but it should serve as a comfortable foothold in the city.”

Jax raised an eyebrow. Ten thousand square feet is ‘modest’?

He didn’t refuse. He pocketed the key immediately.

On the drive back, Jax had been calculating his next move. He was wealthy in terms of resources, but he was a ghost in the system. A refugee identity offered zero protection. In this era of warlords and corporate syndicates, a man without status was just prey waiting to be eaten.

Dr. Aris’s words about patents and the General Union were tempting, but Jax knew the old saying: The tallest tree catches the wind.

If he revealed his full capabilities now, without a powerful backer, he wouldn’t be hailed as a genius. He’d be kidnapped, locked in a basement, and forced to churn out blueprints until he died.

He needed a shield. A proxy.

Sawyer was perfect. The Helios Syndicate was a second-tier power in Redrock—strong enough to deter common thugs, but not so massive that they could swallow Jax whole without choking. And Sawyer himself? Ambitious, slightly desperate, but ultimately transactional. He needed Jax as much as Jax needed him.

“Sawyer,” Jax said, his tone shifting to business. “Since we are friends, I’ll be straight with you. I have a proposal.”

Sawyer blinked, sensing the shift. He gestured toward the hallway. “Let’s talk in the study.”

Moments later, they were seated in the plush leather armchairs of the study, cigars burning low.

“Sawyer,” Jax began, watching the smoke curl toward the ceiling. “You realize the blueprints I gave you aren’t just ‘good’, right?”

Sawyer nodded gravely. “I do. The power conversion matrix… it changes everything. If we implement this, we don’t just upgrade a few towers. We could overhaul the entire defense grid of Redrock Bastion. We could push Tier 1 towers into Tier 1.5, maybe even Tier 2 efficiency.”

“Good. You understand the stakes.” Jax leaned forward. “So, what’s your play?”

Sawyer didn’t hesitate. “I want the patents. I want to lock down the IP for those core components.”

He looked Jax in the eye. “Of course, the naming rights and the accolades will be yours. I’ll make sure the world knows Architect Jax designed them.”

Jax shook his head. “No. That’s exactly what I don’t want.”

Sawyer froze. “Brother?”

“I don’t want the fame. I don’t want the spotlight,” Jax said, tapping ash into a crystal tray. “I want to remain a ghost. A simple consultant.”

He locked eyes with Sawyer. “Let’s structure it this way: We cooperate. I provide the blueprints. You handle the manufacturing, the politics, the distribution, and the heat. I take thirty percent of the net profit. You keep the rest. And you hold the patents in your name.”

Sawyer’s jaw dropped.

“Thirty percent? Brother, are you insane? That’s… that’s robbery. You’re the one providing the tech! You should be taking seventy!”

Jax smiled a cold, calculating smile. “I know what I’m bringing to the table. But I also know what I’m avoiding. I’m paying you to be the target. I’m paying you to deal with the bureaucrats, the jealous rivals, and the assassins. Thirty percent of a fortune is enough for me… for now.”

“Besides,” Jax added, “I will have better tech in the future. When I eventually start my own company, you’ll be my primary partner. Consider this an investment.”

Sawyer looked at Jax, realizing the young man was painting a grand picture of the future. But looking at the calm confidence in Jax’s eyes, Sawyer believed it.

“No,” Sawyer insisted, shaking his head. “We split it fifty-fifty. I can’t take seventy. It’s bad business to cheat a partner like you.”

“Thirty,” Jax said firmly. “I don’t want to argue. Just make sure the money is clean.”

Sawyer sighed, realizing he couldn’t win. “Fine. Thirty it is. But the offer stands—if you bring me higher-tier tech, we renegotiate.”

“Deal.”

Sawyer stood up, opened a drawer, and pulled out a sleek black credit card.

“There’s one million Credits on this,” Sawyer said, sliding it across the desk. “Consider it a signing bonus. Or just a thank you.”

Jax glanced at the card but pushed it back. “I already took the house. I can’t take your money for nothing.”

“It’s not for nothing! Didn’t you say you wanted to exchange Insect Cores for cash?” Sawyer grinned. “Give me some Cores, and this money is yours.”

Jax paused. He grabbed a calculator from the desk.

“Ahem. Even brothers keep clear accounts,” Jax said, his fingers flying over the keys. “Let me check the exchange rates…”

He punched in a few numbers, frowned, and looked up at Sawyer.

“Sawyer… your money isn’t enough.”

Sawyer blinked. “What? Not enough?”

“For the amount of Cores I have? One million is a drop in the bucket.”

Sawyer laughed awkwardly. “Right… I forgot who I was dealing with. Well, just give me what you can for the million. You should keep the Tier 2 Cores for yourself anyway—you can use them to strengthen your body.”

Jax shook his head. He knew about body tempering using Cores, but he didn’t trust the wasteland doctors to inject alien mutagens into his veins. He had the System for that.

“I’ll pass on the surgery,” Jax said.

He reached into his inventory—disguising it as reaching into his pack—and dumped a shimmering pile of crystals onto the desk.

“One thousand Tier 1 Cores,” Jax said. “That should cover the card.”

Sawyer stared at the pile of glowing loot, swallowing hard. Most squads risked their lives for a dozen cores. Jax treated them like spare change.

“Deal,” Sawyer whispered, handing over the card.