Apocalypse Architect: A Tower Defense LitRPG

Chapter 117: On the Eve of the Swarm

With the Refined Iron and Stardust Stone mines fully operational, the heavy weight on Jax’s shoulders began to lift.

His days fell into a disciplined rhythm. Aside from his two nightly routine missions, his time was consumed by waiting and harvesting. Every day, he visited the mining sector, collecting the fresh yield of ores and crystals.

“Finally.” Jax weighed the glowing stones in his hand, a satisfied grin spreading across his face. “I have enough materials for the Howitzer Turret.”

He withdrew the stockpiled Refined Iron and Stardust Stone from his storage space, the sheer volume of resources piling up on the ground. The prospect of adding a Howitzer Turret to his defensive line was a game-changer; unlike the single-target focus of the Sentry Towers, the Howitzer dealt splash damage—devastating against clustered monsters.

He selected a strategic vantage point on the platform and confirmed the construction command.

[Tier 1 Howitzer Turret under construction. Please wait.]

Jax crouched nearby, watching the holographic progress bar fill. Five minutes later, the air shimmered, and the heavy, metallic barrel of the turret materialized into reality.

“Hah! Two Howitzer Turrets,” Jax muttered, patting the cold steel. “The night waves won’t stand a chance.”

His elation was tempered, however, when he checked his reserves.

“Damn. The Energy Shard consumption is unsustainable,” he sighed, frowning at the dwindling numbers. “I need to upgrade to a Tier 3 Fortress ASAP to unlock more Energy Shard mines.”

But the path to Tier 3 wasn’t direct. The system required every single structure within the base to be maxed out to Tier 2 Fortress standards before the main hub could ascend.

He took stock of his pending upgrades: two Tar Pit Traps, two Tier 1 Sentry Towers, and the newly built Tier 1 Howitzer Turret. A quick mental calculation of the required materials told him he was looking at another week of grinding.

Jax glanced up at the leaden sky, a knot of anxiety tightening in his stomach.

I just hope the Insect Swarm follows the schedule. Wait for me to hit Tier 3, then you can come die.

One week later.

Jax hauled the final batch of Refined Iron and Stardust Stone back to the base. With a flurry of system notifications, the last building shimmered and expanded. Every structure in his territory had now reached Tier 2.

“Done. Max level,” Jax exhaled, wiping sweat from his brow. “Now I can focus on the bigger picture.”

With his defenses prepped, he decided to head into The Sprawl. The mines were isolated, and information was scarce. To survive the coming storm, he needed intelligence, and the only places to get it were The Sprawl or Redrock Bastion.

The drive was sobering.

The road to The Sprawl was clogged with a desperate exodus. News of the impending Insect Swarm had leaked, spreading like wildfire. Fearful of being overrun, the residents of The Sprawl were fleeing en masse toward the perceived safety of Redrock Bastion.

It was a chaotic migration. Entry to Redrock Bastion, once a simple toll of a single Tier 1 Core, had skyrocketed in price. Scalpers and black-market dealers were everywhere, gouging the desperate with exorbitant fees. To make matters worse, Redrock Bastion had tightened its borders. Drifters from The Sprawl faced rigorous, lengthy background checks.

Most people, terrified of being caught outside during a night raid, chose to pay the scalpers’ inflated prices rather than risk waiting in the exposed queue.

Jax steered his vehicle through the throngs of refugees, his expression grim. It took hours to navigate the gridlock, but he finally breached the city limits of The Sprawl.

When he arrived at his villa, he found the front gate locked.

“Raven is out?” Jax frowned. “That’s not like her, especially with things this tense.”

He retrieved his key from his storage space and let himself in.

The moment he stepped inside, the heavy scent of perfume assaulted his nose—too strong, almost masking something else. Jax shook his head. He knew Raven liked her makeup, but this was excessive.

“Bathed in the stuff? Jesus,” he muttered, throwing the windows open to air out the room.

His gaze fell on the coffee table. A cigarette pack sat there, mostly empty, alongside an ashtray filled with crushed butts.

Jax paused. Does Raven smoke? I’ve never seen her light up.

His eyes narrowed as they swept the floor. Near the base of the sofa, clearly defined against the pristine floor, was a muddy boot print. A large, heavy, leather boot print.

“Shit,” Jax hissed. “We’ve got company.”

He instantly shifted into combat mode. He kicked off his shoes to silence his movements and crept toward the staircase. The plush carpet absorbed his weight as he ascended, his eyes scanning the treads. More mud. The prints were chaotic, hurried.

Someone broke in. Squatters trying to take the house?

He cursed silently. He hadn’t even slept one night in this expensive villa, and already someone was trying to steal it.

Reaching the second-floor landing, he checked the doors. Closed. Silent.

He was about to reach for the nearest handle when a violent crash echoed from the third floor. The sound of furniture shattering.

“Movement!”

Jax didn’t hesitate. He summoned his Reinforced Iron Hammer from his storage space. The weight of the weapon in his grip steadied his nerves. He sprinted up the final flight of stairs, his stockinged feet making zero sound.

He stopped outside the room where the commotion originated. He reached out, gripping the cold brass handle.

Click.

The door exploded outward.

A man flew through the doorway as if fired from a cannon, smashing into the opposite wall with a bone-jarring thud. Jax pressed himself against the corridor wall to avoid the collision.

The man groaned, clutching his chest. A long, vicious slash mark tore through his shirt, blood weeping rapidly.

A split second later, Raven burst from the room. She was dressed in tactical black, her long blade dripping crimson. Her eyes were cold, focused entirely on her prey.

The injured man scrambled, trying to throw himself over the railing to the floor below.

Jax moved.

He swung the heavy iron hammer in a brutal, low arc.

CRACK.

The sound of the knee shattering was sickeningly loud.

“Arghhh!” The man shrieked, his leg bending at a horrific, unnatural angle. He collapsed, writhing in agony.

Raven didn’t hesitate. A flash of cold steel cut the air. Her blade plunged downward, piercing the man’s heart and pinning him to the floorboards. The scream cut off instantly.

Raven’s chest heaved as she yanked the blade free, flicking the blood onto the carpet. She looked up, her expression shifting from killer to casual employee in a heartbeat.

“Chief? What are you doing here?”

Jax stared at the corpse, his face darkening. “Who is this guy? And how the hell did he get in?”

“Oh, him?” Raven wiped her blade on the dead man’s clothes, acting as if she’d just swatted a fly. “Assassin from the Awakeners’ Guild. He came to settle a score. I settled it first.”

Jax exhaled, the adrenaline fading. “So, you were found. I thought they wouldn’t come to The Sprawl.”

“I made a trip to Redrock Bastion,” she admitted with a shrug. “Must have picked up a tail. But it doesn’t matter now.” She nudged the body with her boot. “They won’t have time to send another. The Swarm is coming.”

She reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. “Sawyer wanted you to have this.”

Jax took the note. It was a hastily written intel report.

Insect Swarm ETA confirmed: One week.

“Seven days,” Jax murmured, folding the paper. “You need to stop going to Redrock Bastion. It’s too hot.”

“I know. I just went to scout the situation,” Raven said. “It’s barely accessible now anyway. Martial law.”

“Most of the guilds here are pulling out,” Jax said, testing the waters. “The Dire Wolves… should we evacuate?”

Raven looked at him, searching his face for fear.

“No,” Jax said firmly. “We don’t run. We hold the line.”

Raven let out a breath she seemed to have been holding. A rare, genuine smile touched her lips. “Good. I followed the right leader. If you had decided to run… well, I would have had to go my own way.”

She reached into her other pocket, pulled out a glossy ticket, and ripped it into confetti.

“What was that?” Jax asked.

“A scalper’s ticket to Redrock Bastion,” she said, letting the pieces flutter to the bloody floor. “Spent a fortune on it, just in case you wanted to bail. But since we’re fighting, I don’t need it.”

Jax stared at the shredded paper. “You paid Credits for that? And just tore it up?”

“Small price for loyalty,” she quipped.

Suddenly, a roar of noise erupted from the street outside. Shouting, chanting—the sound of a mob.

Jax walked to the window and peered through the blinds.

The street below was a sea of angry faces. People were marching, waving banners painted with desperate slogans.

“They’re demanding the major families of The Sprawl evacuate them,” Raven explained, stepping up beside him. “Everyone knows The Sprawl is doomed. But the elites in Redrock Bastion and the local warlords here have made a deal.”

“A deal?”

“The Sprawl is the buffer zone,” Raven said, her voice dripping with cynicism. “Redrock Bastion intends to use this city—and everyone in it—as the first line of defense to slow the insects down.”

Jax watched the desperate crowd, a cold realization settling over him.

“They’re sacrificing The Sprawl to save the Bastion?”

“Standard operating procedure for the high-and-mighty,” Raven scoffed.