Apocalypse Architect: A Tower Defense LitRPG

Chapter 129: I Don’t Collaborate with Dead Men

After a quick breakfast, Elena dragged Jax back to the outskirts of The Sprawl to resume her power-leveling session.

But as soon as they parked the truck near the dunes, the hair on the back of Jax’s neck stood up.

“Something’s off,” Jax muttered, scanning the horizon. “It feels like someone is waiting for us.”

“I feel it too,” Elena whispered, gripping her rifle tighter. “Eyes on me. We’re being watched.”

Before she could finish her sentence, the sand dune to their left shifted. A figure burst out from camouflage, followed by a dozen others.

They were ragged, wearing mismatched leather armor, and they were sprinting straight toward the truck with desperate urgency.

“Ambush!” Elena shouted. She snapped her [Soul Collector Rifle] up, sighting in on the lead runner. Her finger tightened on the trigger.

“Wait! Don’t shoot!” the leader screamed, throwing his hands up. “We’re not enemies! We’re from The Sprawl! We just want to talk!”

Elena hesitated, keeping the barrel trained on his chest. “Talk fast. Why were you hiding?”

Jax stepped out of the truck, his expression cold. He didn’t raise a weapon, but his posture radiated danger. “State your business.”

The group skidded to a halt ten meters away, panting heavily. They looked exhausted, their armor stained with soot and bug ichor.

“We… we represent the [Iron Spear Syndicate] of Redrock Bastion,” the leader gasped. “We’re here to ask for your help.”

The moment the words “Iron Spear Syndicate” left the man’s mouth, Jax’s eyes went dead. A wave of disgust washed over him.

“Stop right there,” Jax commanded, his voice cutting through the wind like a blade.

The soldiers froze, confused by the sudden hostility.

“Sir, please,” the leader pleaded. “The city is falling. We saw you fighting yesterday. We need your help to divert the swarm—”

“No,” Jax interrupted. “Go back.”

The soldiers blinked, stunned. “What?”

“I said no. I don’t want to help you. I don’t care about your city. Leave.”

The rejection was so blunt, so devoid of hesitation, that the squad was left reeling. They exchanged bewildered glances.

“But… you didn’t even hear our offer,” one soldier stammered. “We can pay you! We can—”

“I don’t need your money,” Jax said, leaning against the truck door. “And I certainly don’t need the headache of saving people who won’t save themselves.”

“This is unconscionable!” the leader shouted, his fear turning into anger. “There are hundreds of thousands of people in that city! Are you just going to stand by and watch them die?”

“Yes,” Jax said simply.

The silence that followed was deafening.

“You have Sentry Towers,” Jax continued, his voice dripping with disdain. “You have private armies. You have Awakeners hoarding supplies in the Inner City. Yet here you are, begging two scavengers for help? If your walls fall, it’s because you let them rot.”

He turned to Elena. “Get in. We’re moving to a new spot.”

Elena looked at the desperate soldiers, then at Jax. She lowered her rifle and nodded. “Okay.”

She climbed into the passenger seat without a word.

Jax gunned the engine, spinning the truck around and driving away, leaving the Iron Spear squad choking on dust and disappointment.

“Unbelievable,” one soldier muttered, watching the taillights fade. “He didn’t even hesitate.”

“He’s right, though,” another soldier whispered, looking back at the burning city. “The great families are sitting on stockpiles while we beg strangers for help. We’re already dead.”

Inside the truck, Elena watched Jax drive. His face was set in stone.

“You were pretty harsh back there,” she said softly. “You didn’t even let them finish.”

Jax glanced at her. “I have history with the Iron Spear Syndicate. They tried to kill me and Barnaby in the wasteland a few weeks ago. They wanted to steal our supplies and leave us for the worms.”

Elena’s eyes widened. “Oh. I didn’t know.”

“Now you do,” Jax said. “I don’t collaborate with enemies. And I don’t collaborate with dead men. The Sprawl is doomed because its leaders are cowards. I’m not going to be their cannon fodder.”

“I get it,” Elena said, her tone hardening. “They deserve it.”

“Exactly. Now, let’s find a spot where we won’t be interrupted.”

Jax drove to the rear flank of the swarm, far from the city gates. “Here. This looks good.”

Elena hopped out, eager to resume her grind. Soon, the rhythmic crack of her rifle filled the air.

Jax stayed in the cab, pulling up his system interface. The notification from yesterday was still blinking.

[Class Promotion Successful: Intermediate Architect]

“I’m an Intermediate Architect now,” Jax mused. “But where are the new skills?”

[System: Intermediate Architects unlock the Skill Point system. New active skills will unlock at Senior Architect rank.]

“Skill Points?” Jax frowned. “What’s the plus sign next to my existing skills for?”

He opened his status panel.

[User: Jax (Zhou Quan)]

Age: 21

Bio-Score: 103

Class: Intermediate Architect (121/10,000 EXP)

Defenses: Sentry Tower (Tier 2) x4, Howitzer Turret (Tier 2) x2, Cryo-Tower (Tier 1) x1

Skills: Holo-Decoy (Tier 2), Aero-Step (Tier 1)

Available Skill Points: 1

“Ah, I see,” Jax realized. “I can upgrade my existing kit.”

[System Hint: Skill Points can be obtained via: 1. The Vault (Gacha), 2. Bounty Protocols, 3. Upgrading Special Defense Towers.]

“Special Defense Towers?”

[System: Structures that exceed the technological baseline of this world (e.g., Cryo-Tower).]

“Right. So building the Cryo-Tower gave me a point.”

Jax considered his options. [Aero-Step] was useful for traversal, but he rarely needed to run for more than a minute. [Holo-Decoy], however, was the cornerstone of his strategy.

“If I can distract the bugs for longer, Elena can farm faster, and the base is safer.”

He tapped the plus sign next to [Holo-Decoy].

[System: Upgrading Holo-Decoy…] [Skill Upgraded to Tier 3.] [New Effect: Decoy duration increased to 5 minutes. Cooldown reduced to 8 hours.]

“Five minutes,” Jax grinned. “That’s huge.”