Apocalypse Architect: A Tower Defense LitRPG

Chapter 114: This Is Your Boss

Hazel noted Jax’s instructions with a curt nod, her pen scratching quickly against her pocket notebook. After answering a few final logistical questions, she snapped the book shut and climbed into her vehicle, leaving Jax alone with his thoughts.

He watched the dust settle, his mind already churning through the numbers.

Refined Iron and Stardust Stone.

These two resources were the keys to the kingdom. If he could secure a steady supply, the Tier 3 Fortress upgrade wasn’t just a possibility—it was a guarantee. With the Insect Swarm looming on the horizon, upgrading the base was no longer optional. It was a matter of survival.

A Tier 3 Fortress unlocked new Defense Towers. Without that firepower, the narrow exit of their valley would become a graveyard. The Rodent-Maw Creepers, Sandworms, and even the spiders they had faced so far were merely the appetizer. The main course was the Spiked Dune Lord. Jax still had zero intel on the creature’s capabilities, and that terrified him.

If the Dune Lord hit them before they were ready, the entire operation could crumble. He had to be prepared to fight, but he also had to be prepared to run.

Two days later, the sky finally cleared.

After half a month of relentless rain, the sun returned with a vengeance. The heat baked the waterlogged earth, turning the air into a suffocating blanket of steam. It was like living inside a sauna; merely standing still was enough to soak a shirt in sweat.

Jax sat in the shade near the valley entrance, slumped over a makeshift drafting table. He was exhausted. He had spent the morning dragging the carcasses of last night’s Rodent-Maw Creeper wave into a pile and extracting their Cores. His hands were stained, his muscles ached, but the blueprint in front of him was nearly complete.

The roar of an engine broke his concentration. A battered gray-black pickup truck emerged from the shimmering heat haze.

Hazel was back.

She parked outside the entrance and hopped out, clutching a sheaf of papers. She marched over to Jax, her boots kicking up dust.

“Boss. You asked for a hundred heads? I found them. They’re all waiting at the site for the interview. Do you want to come vet them yourself?”

Jax stood, stretching his stiff back, and took the list. He scanned the names. They were aggressively ordinary—simple, honest names that suggested hard lives and little ambition. Perfect. He didn’t need schemers; he needed muscle.

“Looks good. Wait here. I need to grab someone.”

Hazel nodded and followed him a few steps into the base. She spotted Elena near the processing piles, busy sorting the harvested Creeper parts.

“Elena!” Hazel called out, walking over. “Why don’t you head back to the villa in The Sprawl? It’s got AC, you know.”

Elena wiped her forehead with the back of her wrist, leaving a smudge of grime. She smiled, though it looked weary. “I hate that place. It’s cold. This… this feels more like a home. It’s a dump, sure, but it’s our dump. After everything I’ve been through, I’m terrified that if I leave, I’ll get separated and never find my way back.”

Hazel’s expression softened. “I get it. But speaking of staying close… what’s the deal with you and Jax?”

Hazel’s eyes drifted toward the platform where Jax was currently hauling Kaleb by the collar. Elena followed her gaze.

“Jax?” Elena snorted, watching him struggle. “That guy is a professional artist—specializing in painting big, beautiful lies. He promised to find me a real role, but I haven’t heard a peep. I’m starting to think he’s just keeping me around as a mascot.” She paused, her tone shifting. “And for the record, there’s nothing going on between us. Don’t worry.”

Elena leaned in, nudging Hazel’s arm playfully. “Why? You worried I’m stealing your crush?”

Hazel flushed crimson. “What? No! I was just… observing.”

Elena threw her head back and laughed. “Right, ‘observing.’ Look, if you like him, just say the word. I’ll be your wingman.”

Hazel blinked, genuinely confused. “I thought… I honestly thought you two were a couple. You’re so close.”

“Please,” Elena scoffed, waving a dismissive hand. “He’s a smooth talker with no discipline. Not my type. Besides, I’m years older than him. It wouldn’t work.”

As she said it, Elena felt a strange twinge in her chest. She respected Jax—he had saved her life, after all—but the last few days had clarified things. They were comrades, maybe even friends, but there was a wall between them. A gap she didn’t know how to bridge.

“Well,” Hazel murmured, “I still think you two look good together.”

“Enough about me,” Elena deflected. “How’s the recruitment going?”

Hazel launched into a report about her recent tasks. Elena nodded along sagely, offering occasional advice despite understanding only half of what Hazel was talking about.

Their conversation was cut short as Jax approached, dragging a bewildered Kaleb behind him.

“Boss, seriously, what am I doing?” Kaleb stammered. “I don’t know how to interview people!”

“Quit whining,” Jax said, not breaking stride. “I’m not asking you to be an HR director. I need you to learn how to lead. I opened a mine, and I’m putting you in charge of it. I don’t know these new workers, and I don’t trust strangers. But I trust you.”

Kaleb’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Me? In charge? That’s over a hundred roughnecks! You trust me with that?”

“You’re one of us,” Jax said simply. “That’s all that matters. Now let’s go.”

He stopped in front of the women. “What are you two whispering about?”

Hazel blushed again, quickly composing herself. “Nothing. Just briefing Elena on the logistics.”

Elena grinned, flashing her sharp canines. “I was just telling Hazel she’s far too pretty to be left alone at a mining site. You sure you want to send her out there, Boss?”

“Hazel’s family ran mines,” Jax said, oblivious to the teasing. “She knows the business better than any of us. Unless you want the job?”

Elena scowled and pinched his arm hard. “Keep talking like that and you can cook your own dinner.”

Hazel watched them bicker with a hint of envy in her eyes. It was a chaotic dynamic, but it was real.

“Alright, knock it off,” Jax said, rubbing his arm. “We’ve got work to do. Elena, don’t worry about lunch for us; we’ll be late. Tonight, remind Barnaby to top up the Defense Towers with Energy Shards. Do not let the insectoids breach the perimeter. And if a Tier 3 Acid-Web Arachnid shows up, you remember the protocol?”

“I’m not an idiot, Jax,” Elena sighed, pushing him toward the truck. “I remember. Go make some money.”

Jax waved a lazy goodbye as he climbed into the passenger seat. “Let’s roll.”

Hazel started the engine, and they rumbled off toward the mining sector.

The drive was short. When they pulled up to the coordinates of the two new mines, a crowd was already waiting.

It was a grim sight. The potential laborers were dressed in rags, their faces gaunt and sallow from malnutrition. They looked like they hadn’t seen a full meal in weeks. They milled about aimlessly, a herd without a shepherd, anxiety radiating off them in waves.

Jax watched them through the windshield, a faint smile touching his lips. “Let’s see if they have any bite. We interview everyone, but we only keep fifty. Send the rest home.”

The three of them stepped out of the truck.

The moment the workers spotted Hazel, they surged forward like a tide.

“Boss! When do we start?” “How are the wages calculated? Daily? Monthly?” “Is it safe? Will the bugs attack us here?” “Boss, please, my kids are starving. Can we get an advance?”

The noise was deafening, a cacophony of desperate pleas. Hazel stepped forward, her expression firm. She raised a hand, and the crowd slowly fell silent.

“Quiet!” she commanded. She gestured to the young man standing beside her.

“Let me introduce you,” she announced, her voice ringing clear over the dusty lot. “This is your Boss. This is Jax.”