Apocalypse Architect: A Tower Defense LitRPG

Chapter 138: Seeking Shelter with Sawyer

Jax led the three women back to his villa, keeping his expression calm despite the chaos around them. But when he saw the state of his home, his composure cracked.

The front door was smashed in. The windows were shattered. Inside, it looked like a bomb had gone off.

“Damn it!” Jax cursed, kicking a piece of broken furniture. “Who did this? They didn’t just loot it; they destroyed it!”

Elena looked around the ruin with a sigh. “Don’t take it personally, Jax. Every empty house in the district has been hit. Even occupied ones aren’t safe if they don’t have enough guards.”

“She’s right,” Raven added, picking up a shredded curtain. “The mob doesn’t discriminate. They take what they can and break what they can’t.”

“Don’t worry, Brother Jax,” Annie said softly. “We still have a home in Sector 33.”

Jax exhaled slowly, forcing himself to calm down. He walked through the rooms. It was a thorough job. Anything of value was gone. Anything too heavy to carry had been smashed with hammers.

Elena, however, seemed unfazed. She wandered through the wreckage, humming.

“It’s not so bad,” she shrugged. “My old place was a shack made of scrap metal. This is still a villa. The roof is intact. It’s cozy.”

Jax stared at her. “Are you serious?”

“What else can I say?” Elena grinned, poking him in the ribs. “Should I cry? ‘Oh no, my expensive vase is gone!’ Please. We’re alive. Let the looters have the trash.”

Jax laughed, the tension in his chest loosening. Her optimism was infectious.

“You’re right,” he said. “It’s just stuff. But we can’t stay here. It’s compromised.”

He thought for a moment. “We need a secure location. We’re going to see Sawyer.”

The journey to the Helios estate was tense. The streets were crawling with City Defense patrols, arresting anyone who looked suspicious. Fortunately, Jax’s ID cleared them through the checkpoints without incident.

When they arrived at the villa, Sawyer’s butler was peering through the blinds, scanning for rioters. When he saw Jax standing at the gate, his eyes widened.

“Young Master!” the butler shouted. “Look!”

Sawyer, who had been slumped on the sofa chain-smoking, jumped up. “Is it Lennox? Did he make it back?”

“No, sir. It’s Mr. Jax!”

“Jax?” Sawyer’s face lit up. “He’s alive? Open the door! Get him in here!”

Moments later, Jax and the women were seated in Sawyer’s lavish living room. The butler served hot coffee.

Annie took a sip and scrunched up her nose. “Ugh. It tastes like burnt medicine.”

Everyone laughed, the sound breaking the grim atmosphere.

“It’s an acquired taste,” Sawyer chuckled. He leaned forward, looking at Jax with genuine relief. “Brother, where have you been? I thought the swarm got you.”

Jax gave him a summarized version of events—the defense of Sector 33, the resource gathering, and the recent expedition.

Sawyer listened, his mouth hanging slightly open. “You held off the swarm with just a few Defense Towers? In the open wasteland?”

“The terrain helped,” Jax said modestly. “Sector 33 is a natural choke point. And my walls are… sturdy.”

“Sturdy,” Sawyer repeated, shaking his head. “You’re full of surprises.”

His smile faded, replaced by a look of deep exhaustion.

“Why aren’t they fighting?” Jax asked, cutting to the chase. “The city is surrounded. The walls are buckling. Why are the major families sitting on their hands?”

Sawyer slammed his fist onto the coffee table. “Because they’re cowards! Greedy, calculating cowards! They’re terrified of spending a single credit on ammunition unless someone else pays first. They’re all waiting for a savior—or a scapegoat.”

He slumped back. “I wanted to be that person. I wanted to deploy the Helios reserves. But… the Old Master hasn’t responded. And Lennox… I think Lennox is dead.”

He lit another cigarette with trembling hands.

“And Redrock Bastion?” Jax asked. “No reinforcements?”

“None,” Sawyer said bitterly. “Rumor has it some mysterious architect sold them blueprints for a new super-wall. They’re using all their resources to build that instead of saving us. They’ve written off The Sprawl.”

Jax froze. Blueprints for a wall?

A cold realization washed over him. That was me. I sold them the Tier 2 Wall blueprints. Did I… did I doom this city?

He pushed the guilt aside. He couldn’t have known.

“Sawyer,” Jax said firmly. “It’s not over. Those families will regret their inaction. When the walls breach, they’ll come begging.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just came from their secret tunnel,” Jax revealed. “They tried to recruit me. They wanted my help, but they wouldn’t give me command authority. So I walked.”

Sawyer stared at him, connecting the dots. He looked at the strange rifle leaning against Elena’s chair.

“Wait. The report… the two mysterious fighters hunting the swarm outside the walls. That was you?”

Jax nodded. “That was us.”

“Hah!” Sawyer barked a laugh, slapping his knee. “I knew it! I knew you were special! Brother, you might be the only hope this city has left.”

“Not alone,” Jax corrected. “The swarm numbers in the millions. I can’t kill them all. I need firepower. Massive firepower.”

He leaned in. “Sawyer, do you have the data on the other families’ defenses? Tower types, numbers, placements?”

“I do,” Sawyer nodded instantly. “We have spies everywhere. I have a full dossier.”

“Good. Give it to me. And a detailed map of the city.”

“Why?”

“Because the swarm isn’t just mindless bugs anymore,” Jax said, his voice dropping to a whisper. “There’s a Tier 5 Spiked Dune Lord heading for the walls. If we don’t coordinate the city’s defenses to kill it, nothing else matters.”

Sawyer paled. “Tier 5?”

“Yes. And it’s hungry.”

Sawyer stood up immediately. “I’ll get the files. Whatever you need, Jax. It’s yours.”