Apocalypse Architect: A Tower Defense LitRPG

Chapter 166: The Busy City Lord

Time flew by—at least, that’s how Jax felt.

His days were consumed by an endless, grueling grind of administrative work, a far cry from the leisurely life of luxury he had envisioned. While he had delegated the day-to-day operations of The Sprawl to his subordinates, the city’s grand renovation was the absolute priority. There was zero room for error, meaning every major structural decision required his personal stamp of approval.

A literal mountain of reports buried his luxurious mahogany desk. Cups of gourmet coffee and assorted high-end snacks sat cold and ignored at the edges of his workspace; he simply didn’t have the time to taste them.

“My god,” Jax muttered, rubbing his throbbing temples. “I never thought being a City Lord required using my brain this much. I’m really not cut out for this. This is administrative torture.”

Outside his office, a line of guild leaders and foremen waited anxiously for his directives. Though no one dared to rush him, their mere presence outside his door felt like a ticking clock.

Jax scrawled his signature across the final document, tossing his pen onto the desk with a heavy sigh of relief. “Alright, these are approved,” he called out to a runner. “Take them and clear the waiting room. Looking at all those people is giving me a headache.”

With the desk finally clear, Jax collapsed onto his plush leather sofa. All he wanted to do was sleep. He didn’t want to think about Sentry Towers, Defense Towers, city zoning, or resource allocations.

Damn, I miss my old life, Jax thought miserably. Back then, slacking off at work was an art form. Now, there’s no time to slack off at all. Everyone is pushing me forward at gunpoint. I guess this is the price of absolute power.

He stretched his arms over his head, fully intending to sneak out the back door and head home.

Just then, his painfully diligent assistant rushed into the office, his face flushed with excitement as he clutched a sealed envelope.

Jax let his head drop back against the sofa cushions. “Dammit. If you hadn’t been so useful to me these past few weeks, I swear I’d fire you on the spot. What is it now?”

“City Lord, look!” the assistant panted, ignoring Jax’s foul mood. “A dispatch just arrived from Sawyer out by Iron Mountain!”

Jax’s eyes snapped open, his exhaustion vanishing in an instant. They had been waiting for over ten days with zero contact from the expeditionary force.

He snatched the envelope, breaking the wax seal with his thumb. He quickly scanned the enclosed report detailing their route, personnel status, and geological findings.

A massive wave of relief washed over Jax. Sawyer’s expedition was a resounding success. Not only had they secured massive standard mineral deposits, but they had also located highly concentrated veins of Refined Iron, Stardust Stone, and raw Energy Shards. Even better, their wide detour around The Forgotten City meant they had completely avoided any lingering Insect Swarm activity.

“Excellent,” Jax said, a sharp, warlord’s grin returning to his face. “Since they’ve confirmed the coordinates, organize a heavy transport crew immediately. Our city’s renovation cannot move forward without these resources. I want those mining operations fully active by the end of the week.”

The assistant nodded vigorously and sprinted out to relay the orders.

Jax walked to the window, gazing out over the sprawling, dusty expanse of his city. His heart pounded with anticipation. With a steady supply of Refined Iron, Stardust Stone, and Energy Shards, upgrading his Defense Towers would no longer be a desperate struggle.

Ready to call it a day, Jax finally left his office and returned to his estate.

As he pulled up to the driveway, a familiar off-road vehicle caught his eye. A genuine smile broke across his face—Hazel had returned to The Sprawl.

Walking through the front doors, he immediately heard Elena’s animated voice. He found her shoving an oversized duffel bag into Hazel’s hands, looking like a nouveau riche socialite aggressively flaunting her wealth to a houseguest. Hazel sat quietly on the sofa, listening with a polite, patient smile.

“You have no idea how stifling it is here!” Elena complained loudly. “There are eyes on me 24/7! I have zero freedom! Look at this—my bathroom looks like a warehouse! The staff just keeps sending me luxury cosmetics. Just take some, please! I can’t use all of this!”

Hazel gently pushed the bag back. “You’re too kind, Sister Elena, but I couldn’t possibly use all this. I rarely wear makeup out in the wasteland anyway. You should keep it.”

Jax leaned against the doorframe and cleared his throat.

Both women turned. Hazel’s face lit up with a warm smile. She stood up gracefully, offering a slight bow. “Welcome back, City Lord.”

Jax rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a bit awkward. “Come on, we’re all friends here. Drop the ‘City Lord’ title. I hear enough of that at the office. Have all the external mining camps been upgraded?”

“Yes,” Hazel nodded, shifting to a professional tone. “All outposts have finished their resource extraction cycles. We’re just waiting on your word to initiate the next phase of preparations.”

Jax’s eyes darted to a heavy, reinforced lockbox resting on the coffee table. Inside, packed to the brim, were raw, glowing Energy Shards, dense ingots of Refined Iron, and glittering Stardust Stones.

“Perfect,” Jax said, stepping closer to inspect the haul. “You’re done running around the wasteland, Hazel. I’ve been keeping a seat warm for you here. From now on, you are the Director of Mining Operations for The Sprawl.”

Hazel gasped, her eyes widening in shock. She had assumed Jax would help her set up a small, independent mining outfit. She never imagined he would hand her the keys to the entire city’s resource extraction network. It was a position of immense power and unimaginable wealth.

But it wasn’t the Credits she cared about; it was the trust he was placing in her.

“Thank you, Jax,” she said, her voice thick with emotion.

“Don’t mention it. You earned it,” Jax smiled, closing the lockbox. “Get some rest tonight. Tomorrow morning, we’re heading out to the camps together. I’m going to upgrade the facilities personally.”

Jax carefully counted the quantity of ores inside.

“Whew! I’ve finally saved up all the ores needed to upgrade the fortress buildings! It looks like I can finish upgrading everything tomorrow!”

Jax properly stored the lockbox and took it back to his room.

The next morning, Jax broke the habit of a lifetime: he woke up early.

Fully dressed and buzzing with energy, he marched down the hall and pounded on the girls’ bedroom doors.

A few moments later, Elena stumbled out, rubbing her eyes, her hair a chaotic bird’s nest.

“I really don’t understand you two,” Jax teased, looking far too awake. “At a critical juncture like this, how do you have the mood to sleep in?”

Elena’s drowsiness vanished instantly, replaced by a flare of pure indignation.

“Excuse me?!” Elena barked. “Who was whining just yesterday that being City Lord ruined his beauty sleep?! Who usually lies in bed like a dead pig until I literally have to drag him out by his ears?!”

Jax flushed red, acutely aware that Hazel had just stepped out of her room and was watching the exchange.

Hazel simply covered her mouth to hide a smile. She felt a slight twinge of envy at their unfiltered dynamic. Despite Elena’s striking looks, Jax treated her exactly like a brother-in-arms—a boundary that Elena’s combative, tomboyish personality only seemed to reinforce.