Apocalypse Architect: A Tower Defense LitRPG

Chapter 164: The Sprawl Renovation Plan

Jax spent the next few days locked in his office, meticulously drafting the next phase of his master plan for The Sprawl.

His primary objective was to dismantle the volatile wealth gap between the city’s elites and the civilian class. While he couldn’t exactly order the nobles to empty their vaults and hand their Credits over to the poor, he could engineer a system where the commoners actively built their own wealth. To shatter the old hierarchy, Jax planned to erect one thousand Defense Towers across the city’s strategic strongholds.

When he finally unveiled this monolithic project at the joint council meeting, the boardroom erupted.

The seated elites stared at Jax on the podium as if he had sprouted a second head. Even Elena, seated beside him, lost her composure. She subtly elbowed his ribs, leaning in to hiss, ‘Are you out of your mind? A thousand Defense Towers? How is that even possible?’

Jax’s lips curled into a cocky, confident smirk. ‘Why wouldn’t it be? As long as we have the drive, nothing is off the table. Besides, we have the Iron Mountain mine and a massive labor force. If the elites in other cities can build them, why can’t we?’

‘Because it’s a thousand Defense Towers!’ Elena shot back, keeping her voice low. ‘Where are we supposed to source that much raw material? We can’t rely solely on the back-mountain mine.’

‘The ore from the mine only covers the energy requirements,’ Jax replied smoothly. ‘We’re going to need a hell of a lot more Supplies for the rest of it.’

Below the stage, the whispers crescendoed into a dull roar. The council members couldn’t fathom that their new City Lord’s first official decree was a construction project of this magnitude. Sitting among the civilian representatives, Liu Hu’s eyes widened in shock. Jax had promised him that their children would get schools. Although ground hadn’t broken on the academies yet, Liu Hu suddenly realized this insane tower project was the first swing of the sledgehammer meant to level the playing field.

Jax waited patiently for the clamor to die down before leaning into the microphone.

‘I know what you’re all whispering about,’ Jax announced, his voice echoing off the walls. ‘First: where do we find the Supplies? Second: how do we acquire the core arrays? And third: where do we even find the real estate in The Sprawl to fit a thousand new towers? I already have the solution.’ He turned to his right. ‘Director Sawyer, if you would.’

Sawyer gave a crisp nod. As the newly appointed Director of Defense Tower Management, every defensive structure in the city fell under his jurisdiction. Truthfully, when Jax had first pitched this idea in private, Sawyer had also thought the man belonged in an asylum. A hundred Defense Towers would bankrupt them; a thousand was pure fantasy.

Sawyer stood and addressed the room. ‘Quiet down! The City Lord does not intend to break ground on a thousand new Defense Towers. We are going to renovate the thousand we already have. The Sprawl is littered with outdated, dilapidated towers. Their power conversion rates are abysmal, and their material upkeep is a black hole. If we keep using them, our resource drain will grow exponentially. Therefore, the City Lord has personally designed a next-generation Defense Tower blueprint. Take a look at the screens.’

Sawyer clicked a remote. Behind him, the massive display flared to life, projecting a highly detailed schematic. However, a thick black censorship block completely obscured the tower’s central power core.

A collective gasp rippled through the audience. Even without seeing the core, the sheer structural elegance of the design was breathtaking. It was impossible to gauge the tower’s exact Tier, but the sleek, hyper-efficient geometry was lightyears ahead of the rusted garbage currently guarding their Wall.

‘Why is the core redacted? Corporate espionage?’ one patriarch muttered.

‘Wait, if this is a renovation… does that mean our existing towers can reach this level of firepower?’ a guild leader gasped.

‘Incredible! If we upgrade the entire grid, The Sprawl’s combat rating will skyrocket! We have exactly a thousand obsolete towers on the Wall right now!’

‘I knew City Lord Jax wouldn’t lead us astray! Hahaha, our family’s assets are going to double with this contract!’

The room descended into a frenzy of greed and excitement. The elites stared at the blueprint like a pack of starving wolves eyeing fresh meat. Jax watched them from the podium, his cocky smile widening. Let them think the redacted core was just a simple security measure. The truth of the God-Tier Architect System was far beyond their comprehension.

‘Have you all taken a good look?’ Jax called out, cutting through the chatter. ‘The beauty of this design is its modularity. You don’t need to rebuild the entire structure to upgrade it. As our capabilities grow, you simply swap out the core device for a higher-Tier model, and the Defense Tower evolves with it.’

Thunderous applause shook the room. The patriarchs were practically drooling over the potential profits.

Jax raised a hand, cutting the ovation short. ‘Save your applause. I haven’t finished.’ He pointed dead center into the crowd, right at the civilian delegation. ‘I am officially assigning the primary renovation contract to Liu Hu and his team.’

Dead silence fell over the room.

The jaws of the elite patriarchs hit the floor. They couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Jax was handing the most lucrative, fat-dripping government contract in the city’s history to a bunch of slum-dwelling commoners! If Liu Hu’s people controlled the renovation, they would accumulate enough wealth to rival the noble houses overnight.

The boardroom exploded into an absolute uproar.

Jax leaned back, completely unbothered by the screaming patriarchs. He now held absolute authority over The Sprawl; he could be as dictatorial as he pleased. He let them vent their outrage until they went hoarse, then leaned back into the mic.

‘I know exactly what you’re all thinking,’ Jax said coolly. ‘You wanted this contract. But after careful consideration, I’ve decided to entrust the noble families with a far more vital mission. Our city is facing a critical logistics crisis. Therefore, I am organizing a dedicated Supplies Procurement Division, and it will be staffed entirely by your families.’

The faces of the elites collectively drained of color.

‘Supplies Procurement’ was just a polite way of saying ‘go find us food and materials.’ This wasn’t a lucrative contract; it was a death sentence. Everyone in the room knew their relationship with Redrock Bastion had completely deteriorated into open hostility.

Securing bulk grain from the open market was now virtually impossible. Redrock Bastion had just issued a crippling embargo, threatening even the black market syndicates with annihilation if they sold a single crumb to The Sprawl. Sourcing Supplies right now was a nightmare, and Jax was dumping the entire burden squarely on their shoulders.

While Liu Hu and the commoners were handed the golden goose of the Defense Tower renovations, the elites were being handed a poisoned chalice.

Seeing their ashen faces, Jax immediately tossed out the bait.

‘Now, don’t panic. I’m doing this to play to your strengths,’ Jax said smoothly. ‘If you’re going to secure heavy Supplies in this climate, you need hard assets and capital. Therefore, in addition to procurement, I am granting your families the exclusive rights to the Wall renovation project, the city expansion initiative, and the logistical supply lines for the Iron Mountain mine!’

It was a classic ‘slap in the face, followed by a piece of candy’ tactic. The elites swallowed hard, their expressions incredibly bitter. They knew they had been outmaneuvered, but the sheer value of the Wall and mining contracts left them with absolutely no room to refuse.

With the gavel slammed on the final assignments, the council adjourned. The attendees filed out with heavy hearts and complex schemes, kicking off the grand renovation of The Sprawl.