Apocalypse Architect: A Tower Defense LitRPG

Chapter 162: Victor’s Realization

In the end, Jax slid into the passenger seat of Sawyer’s vehicle, heading toward the impromptu prison holding Victor.

The location was an unassuming concrete house, but the heavy security gave it away. Dozens of Awakened paced the perimeter, their expressions tight with the fear that their high-profile captive might slip away.

Sawyer threw the vehicle into park, and the two stepped out into the dusty air.

“This is the holding facility,” Sawyer said.

Jax stared at him, his brow furrowing in disbelief. “You actually locked him up?”

“We didn’t have a choice,” Sawyer muttered, avoiding Jax’s gaze. “His status is too sensitive. Detaining him was our only option.”

“Fine. Just tell me he hasn’t been in there long. How is he?”

Sawyer grimaced, scratching the back of his neck. “He’s… surviving. It’s been about five days.”

“Five days?!” Jax snapped. “Why the hell am I just hearing about this now?”

Sawyer remained stubbornly silent, but the pieces rapidly clicked together in Jax’s mind. For the past five days, Jax had been completely swamped with the farcical election and assuming the mantle of City Lord. Sawyer and the elites had clearly panicked, assuming Victor was an envoy sent by Redrock Bastion to poach him. That was exactly why they had fast-tracked the rigged election—to lock Jax down before Victor could whisper in his ear.

Jax sighed, shaking his head. He actually liked Victor. The man had taken over The Elysium Lounge but kept his hands clean, using the venue as a networking hub to host auctions and connect with major families.

They approached the front door. At Sawyer’s nod, a nearby Awakened unclipped a key ring and smoothly unlocked the heavy iron bolt.

With a rusty creak, the door swung inward, releasing a wave of blistering, foul-smelling air.

Inside, a figure jolted violently on a dingy sofa. When the man realized who was standing in the doorway, he scrambled forward, looking dangerously close to tears.

“Brother Jax! Thank god! I finally get to see a living, breathing human being!”

Sawyer’s eyes widened in shock. Five days in the makeshift cell had completely broken the suave businessman. The windows were nailed shut with zero ventilation. Without cooling units or fans, the room had become a suffocating sweatbox. Victor was drenched in grime, reeking of sour sweat, and looked to have starved off dozens of pounds.

“You have to help me, Brother Jax,” Victor babbled, his hands trembling as he reached out. “I swear I’m not here as an envoy! Don’t misunderstand! I’ve learned my lesson. Even if my mission is a bust, I don’t care. Just please, let me go home!”

Sawyer hesitated. He naturally wanted to make the call to keep the man detained, but he remembered who was standing next to him. Jax was the City Lord now. It was better to let Jax wield that authority—it would cement his new role and prove he couldn’t be swayed by Redrock Bastion’s petty bribes.

Jax let out a long, exhausted breath. Sawyer and the others were way too paranoid. The truth was, the moment Jax agreed to the election, he had already decided to anchor himself in The Sprawl. He had originally considered seeking refuge with Victor in Redrock Bastion, but the internal politics there were a snake pit of intertwined noble families. As a commoner holding highly lucrative structural patents, he wouldn’t just be a small fry; he’d be a target. The ambitious City Lord of Redrock Bastion would swallow him whole.

Here in The Sprawl, however, Jax held the reigns. The authority of City Lord granted him absolute convenience for his future construction plans.

Jax stepped into the stifling room and gently hauled Victor to his feet. The man was alarmingly frail. He had been given one meal a day; he had apparently refused to eat out of pride for the first two days, but starvation had quickly broken him. By day three, he had been scraping the plates clean, no matter how foul the slop was.

“I’m sorry about this,” Jax said earnestly, dusting off Victor’s crumpled jacket. “On behalf of The Sprawl, I apologize for your treatment.”

Victor furiously waved his hands in dismissal, but then he froze. His bloodshot eyes blinked in confusion. On behalf of The Sprawl? Apologize?

He looked past Jax to Sawyer. The usually domineering Awakened was standing at strict attention, his posture radiating pure respect for Jax. The guards flanking the door had their heads bowed submissively.

“What… what exactly happened while I was in here?” Victor croaked.

Right on cue, an Awakened officer strode down the hall. He stopped squarely in front of Jax, slammed a fist over his left breast in a crisp salute, and bowed.

“City Lord! The Wall inspection is complete. No structural anomalies found. Here is the official report for your review.”

Jax took the clipboard, his eyes scanning the data with practiced efficiency. “Good work. Stand down and let the men rest. I’ll be implementing some new city-wide protocols soon. Have the major families and the civilian representatives prep for a joint assembly.”

“Understood, Sir!” The officer saluted again and marched off.

Victor looked like he had been struck by lightning. His jaw hung open as he stared at Jax. “Brother Jax… what did he just call you? Did I hear that right? City Lord?!”

A faint smirk played on Jax’s lips.

Before he could answer, Sawyer stepped forward, his face a mask of cold steel. “You heard him perfectly. Jax is the first official City Lord of The Sprawl. So, if you’re still entertaining any delusions of recruiting him to your side, swallow them. And when you scurry back to Redrock Bastion, you tell your superiors to keep their greedy eyes off our City Lord.”

Sawyer’s tone was lethal. Jax was the only reason they had survived the Insect Swarm. He was their guardian deity, and Sawyer would slaughter anyone who tried to take him away.

Jax suppressed a groan. The aggressive posturing was entirely unnecessary. The irony was that Victor never actually intended to recruit Jax to Redrock Bastion. Victor knew the political waters there were toxic. The two of them were simply good business partners; Victor had made an absolute fortune selling the Wall blueprints Jax had drafted, catapulting himself from a middle-tier nobody to a core manager.

“Relax, Sawyer,” Victor said weakly, holding his hands up in surrender. “I was forced into taking this trip. I never wanted to wade into this mess. You know how Redrock Bastion is—they’re desperate to keep The Sprawl under their boot. But I’m a businessman. I care about profit margins, not political power struggles.”

“I know,” Jax said, guiding Victor toward the exit. “Come on. Let’s get you a car.”

Ten minutes later, Jax stood at the edge of the city limits, watching the taillights of Victor’s transport fade into the wasteland dust.

Jax turned back to Sawyer. The lazy, reluctant aura he usually projected was gone, replaced by a chillingly sharp glare.

“Don’t ever keep me in the dark again, Sawyer,” Jax said, his voice dropping to a dangerous register. “If you pull a stunt like this again, don’t blame me when I turn my back on you.”

Jax climbed into the car, leaving Sawyer standing in the dust. The veteran Awakened swallowed hard, a cold sweat pricking his neck. He suddenly realized that playing the City Lord for a fool was a mistake he would not survive making twice.