Apocalypse Architect: A Tower Defense LitRPG

Chapter 119: The Insect Swarm Arrives

The recruitment drive was swift.

As for the exorbitant wage of one Tier 3 Core per day that Jax had promised, he could actually afford it—for now. Between the daily dividends from Sawyer’s operations and the haul from Victor’s side, Jax was pulling in over a dozen Tier 3 Cores every single day.

There was a time when Jax thought possessing a handful of Tier 3 Cores made him wealthy. He realized now how naive that was. Compared to the entrenched, aristocratic families of The Sprawl, his fortune was pocket change. Those organizations had been operating for years; the number of Tier 3 insectoids they had hunted and the resources they had stockpiled were likely astronomical.

Jax marched the new recruits to the mining site and handed them over to Kaleb, who immediately assigned them to the Stardust Stone deposit.

Scanning the production data on his interface, Jax felt a headache coming on.

“Damn it,” he muttered. “If the original crew hadn’t bolted, I wouldn’t be bleeding Credits like this just to keep operations moving. What a mess.”

He checked his inventory, tallying the Tier 1 Stardust Stones and Refined Iron ore gifted by the System. The numbers were disheartening.

“I can’t finish the upgrade today,” he realized, frustration mounting. “I need one more day of mining to gather the materials. And then building the new Defense Towers… that’s going to cost another fortune. This is going to take a long damn time.”

With a heavy sigh, Jax left them to it.

Early the next morning, Jax returned to the mine.

The wasteland was eerie in its silence. Along the route, not a single soul was visible. The surrounding claims were ghost towns; aside from his own four active pits where the rhythmic clang of mining continued, everyone else had vanished.

“Ran faster than rabbits,” Jax scoffed at the empty landscape. “They probably think they’re smart, running away. They don’t realize they’re just rushing to become cannon fodder.”

He shook his head and entered the site.

Hazel was hard at work, her face drenched in sweat, her clothes stained with grime and dust. Seeing her so dedicated, Jax felt a surge of approval, but also concern.

“Take a break,” Jax said, stepping up to her. “You don’t need to work yourself to death down here. Rest when you can.”

Hazel wiped her brow and smiled brightly. “I’m fine, really! I’m used to it. Oh, by the way—the Refined Iron and Stardust Stones you pushed for yesterday have all been dug up. This batch was just delivered.”

She reached under the desk and pulled out a sealed plastic bag filled with glowing stones and metallic ingots.

“Is this enough?” she asked.

“Let me see.”

Jax took the bag and rapidly counted the contents, running the calculations in his head.

“We’re close,” he said. “We still need ninety-three Stardust Stones and fifty-eight ingots of Refined Iron.”

“That sounds doable today!” Hazel said. “I’ll go push the teams to work faster!”

She moved to stand, but Jax placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. “Hey, enough. You rest properly now. I’ll go talk to Kaleb.”

The simple gesture sent a warm feeling through Hazel. Jax wasn’t one for flowery words or overt displays of affection, but that simple command to rest showed he cared. It was enough to make her feel deeply grateful.

Jax went outside and found Kaleb. He asked a few questions about the output rate and was just about to send Kaleb back to supervise when a thunderous boom echoed from the perimeter of the mining zone.

The ground shook violently. Jax froze.

“What the hell was that?”

Before he could react, workers began scrambling out of the mine pits, panic written on their faces.

“Was there an explosion inside?” Jax shouted, grabbing a fleeing worker.

The workers looked at each other, bewildered and terrified. They didn’t know.

Suddenly, Hazel sprinted toward them, her face pale.

“It’s bad! The Insect Swarm—it’s erupted!”

The color drained from everyone’s faces.

“What? The Insect Swarm?” Jax was stunned. “Intel said it wouldn’t hit until tomorrow. Why is it starting today?”

Hazel shook her head frantically. “I don’t know! Maybe the prediction was off. What do we do?”

“Quiet!” Jax roared, silencing the rising murmur of panic. “Let me think.”

The group fell silent, watching their leader, afraid to break his concentration.

After a few seconds, Jax made his decision. “Don’t panic. We are far from The Sprawl. The Insect Swarm erupted near the city, meaning they will be the first to get hit, not us. We have a buffer.”

He looked at the gathered crowd. “I’m going to drive out to check the situation. If any of you want to leave, I can take you back right now.”

The workers exchanged nervous glances. This was a matter of life and death.

Kaleb was the first to step forward. “Boss! I’m staying here.”

Hazel immediately followed. “Me too. I’ll evacuate when you give the order, not before.”

Encouraged by their bravery, the miners who had signed long-term contracts with Jax also stepped forward, expressing their willingness to stand by him.

However, the new recruits—the ones who had joined for the high pay—were wavering. Finally, the fear broke them. One man stepped forward, then a second, then a third.

In the end, eleven people chose to flee.

Jax nodded at the eleven deserters. “Alright. I’ll drive you back. But remember our agreement: the wage was one Tier 3 Core per day for a three-day job. You’ve only worked one day. I can’t pay you the Tier 3 rate.”

The mood among the eleven instantly turned hostile.

“Chief Jax, what do you mean?” one man shouted. “We agreed on one Tier 3 Core a day! You’re going back on your word? Are you even human?”

“Exactly! You want us to work for free?” another yelled. “That wasn’t the deal! Even if we worked half a day, you have to pay!”

“Pay up! Are you killing the donkey after it’s done grinding the mill? We have the right to choose whether we live or die! Those guys staying behind might not have families, but we do!”

“Give us the money! We’re leaving, and we’re not taking a single Tier 3 Core less!”

The mob pressed forward, demanding payment. Jax just laughed coldly.

“Heh. The deal was a Tier 3 Core per day upon completion of the three days. I never said you could quit halfway and keep the premium rate.” He tossed a heavy pouch onto the ground. “Here are ten Tier 2 Cores per person. Take it. If you want to keep making trouble, I’ll be happy to keep you company to the very end.”

Jax slammed his massive iron hammer into the ground with a dull thud.

The deserters wanted to argue, but they looked around. Jax’s loyal guards were staring them down, weapons ready, eyes fierce.

Defeated, the eleven men stepped forward, collected their Tier 2 Cores, and backed away.

“Take the money and get in the truck!” Jax barked. “You have two minutes!”

The group scrambled toward the vehicle.

Jax turned to Hazel and Kaleb. “The work here cannot stop. Keep mining. I’ll figure out a way to deal with the transport.”

“Understood,” Hazel said firmly. “We’re safe here for now. Don’t worry about us.”

Kaleb, however, looked anxious. “Boss… what about Sector 33?”

Jax patted him on the shoulder. “Don’t worry. The Defense Towers there are high-level. They’ll hold. Once we finish mining the ore here, I’ll head back and upgrade the fortress.”

Kaleb nodded, though his eyes remained worried. “I hope my sister is okay. I hope everyone is okay.”

Jax checked his watch and sighed. “I have to go. Work hard, finish the quota as fast as possible. Once we have enough Refined Iron and Stardust Stones, I can build a wall at the entrance of the mining area. Then you’ll be truly safe.”

“Okay! We’re back to work!”

Kaleb turned to the remaining crew and shouted, “Brothers! Back to work! The Chief has a plan to save us!”

Morale restored, the loyal miners grabbed their pickaxes and rushed back into the pits.

Jax jumped into the driver’s seat of the pickup truck, the eleven deserters packed into the back, and floored it toward The Sprawl.

The terrain was sandy and rough, preventing the truck from reaching top speed. As they closed the distance, getting within one kilometer of the city, a massive, gray-yellow wall appeared on the horizon, stretching up to the sky.

“Shit! Why is there a sandstorm now?” one of the passengers yelled.

Suddenly, Jax felt the steering wheel shudder. The sand beneath the tires began to vibrate violently. He realized with a sinking heart that the wall ahead wasn’t weather.

“That’s not a sandstorm,” Jax whispered, his voice grim. “That’s the Insect Swarm.”

His heart plummeted.

“Damn it! Just what I was afraid of!”