Apocalypse Architect: A Tower Defense LitRPG

Chapter 179: Successful Return

Jax took a deep breath, his gaze locked on the distant maintenance building.

He was several hundred meters out, barely able to make out the figures of his team. Elena stood at the edge of the safe zone, her face tight with tension, the Soul Collector Rifle pulled tight against her shoulder. She scanned the perimeter, snapping off shots at any stray insects attempting to flank Jax’s position.

“Alright,” Jax muttered to himself, checking the timer on his interface. “If I move fast, I can make the round trip in five minutes. The gear better be in there, or this is going to be a very stupid way to die.”

He centered his breathing and triggered the skill.

“[Aero-Step].”

Gravity released its hold. Jax’s body became weightless, lifting ten meters into the air as if pulled by an invisible tether.

Below him, the Insect Swarm reacted instantly. Seeing their prey rise, the black carpet of monsters surged upward, climbing over one another in a frenzy. They formed a grotesque, writhing pyramid of chitin and limbs, the bottom layer crushed under the weight of the frantic upper tiers.

But they couldn’t reach him.

Jax drifted over the perimeter Wall, looking down at the chaos with analytical detachment.

He noticed something strange. Even as the beasts piled up against the concrete, none of them attempted to vault over the wall to the other side. They clawed at the air towards him, but their programming seemed to tether them strictly to the facility’s interior. They were guards, not hunters.

Restricted movement patterns, Jax noted. Good to know.

He kicked off against the air, propelling himself forward. Under the effects of [Aero-Step], the air felt solid beneath his feet. He moved like a Wuxia master, bounding across the sky in long, gliding arcs.

Seconds later, he touched down on the corrugated metal roof of the maintenance depot.

The swarm below shifted like a fluid, flowing away from the wall and surging toward the depot. They were fast, but Jax was faster.

He dropped from the roof to the loading dock. The heavy steel door was secured by a rusted padlock the size of a fist.

Jax didn’t bother with lockpicks. He summoned his sledgehammer from the storage space.

CLANG!

The lock shattered. Jax kicked the door open and slipped inside, slamming it shut and throwing the heavy deadbolt just as the first wave of insects slammed against the metal from the outside.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The door groaned under the impact.

Jax ignored it. He clicked on his Flashlight, the beam cutting through the gloom. The air inside was stale, smelling of mildew and old grease.

Rows of industrial shelving lined the room.

“Fire extinguishers… hydraulic jacks… welding kits…” Jax scanned the shelves frantically, tossing aside useless equipment.

The scratching sound outside grew louder. They were gnawing at the doorframe.

Jax sprinted to the back corner. There, sitting on a pallet, was a series of reinforced metal crates labeled with the hazard symbol for high voltage.

[Item: High-Voltage Insulation Suit]

[Condition: Pristine]

“Jackpot.”

Jax didn’t waste time checking sizes. He swept his hand over the crates, sucking the entire pallet into his System Inventory.

Skreeeee!

The sound of tearing metal echoed behind him. Jax spun around. The main door was buckling inward. A serrated claw punched through the steel, followed by a chittering snout.

“You guys are persistent,” Jax grunted.

He glanced around for an exit. The door was compromised. He looked up.

A ventilation duct ran along the ceiling of the second-floor mezzanine, leading to a roof exhaust fan.

Jax checked his skill timer.

[Aero-Step Duration: 01:58]

“Plenty of time.”

He triggered the skill again, launching himself up to the catwalk. He sprinted past rows of lockers, vaulting over the railing and aiming for the ductwork.

Below him, the main door finally gave way with a screech of tortured metal. The Insect Swarm poured into the warehouse like a black flood, filling the ground floor in seconds.

“Sorry, boys! Shop’s closed!”

Jax leaped, tucking his shoulder. He hit the ventilation grate at full speed.

CRASH!

He smashed through the aluminum louvers and burst out onto the roof, carried by his momentum. He didn’t stop. He kicked off the roof edge, launching himself back into the open sky just as the vents behind him began to spew angry winged beetles.

From the observation point, Vance and the others watched with bated breath. They had seen the swarm breach the building and feared the worst.

Then, they saw a figure erupt from the roof, soaring through the air like a cannonball.

“He’s out!” Elena shouted, her fear instantly replaced by relief. She raised her rifle, providing covering fire as Jax bounded through the air toward them.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Her shots were precise, knocking winged pursuers out of the sky before they could intercept him.

Jax pushed the skill to its limit, crossing the gap to the safe zone.

[Aero-Step Duration: 00:03]

He cleared the perimeter wall.

[Aero-Step Duration: 00:00]

The weightlessness vanished instantly. Jax dropped like a stone, hitting the pavement with a heavy roll to disperse the impact. He groaned, dusting himself off as he stood up.

He quickly patted down his clothes. No attached larvae. Clean.

He jogged toward the building where the team was waiting. They rushed out to meet him, pulling him into the cover of the stairwell.

Jax leaned against the wall, catching his breath. “That… was exciting.”

Vance looked at Jax’s empty hands. He scanned Jax’s belt, then his back. Nothing.

The scavenger leader’s face fell.

“Damn,” Vance sighed, his shoulders slumping. “I figured as much. That depot has been abandoned for a decade. The bugs probably ate the gear years ago.”

The guide shook his head despondently. “Without the insulation suits, we can’t cross the transformer yard. The ambient voltage alone would fry us. We have to go back.”

“Yeah,” Vance muttered, patting Jax on the shoulder sympathetically. “Good effort, kid. You’ve got guts, I’ll give you that. But we’re done here. Let’s head back to the Outpost and figure out a plan B for the eggs.”

Jax slapped Vance’s hand away, rolling his eyes.

“Are you done with the eulogy?” Jax scoffed. “Who said I came back empty-handed?”

Vance blinked. “But… you’re not carrying anything.”

“I’m a Psionic Awakener, remember?” Jax tapped his temple with a smirk. “We have our ways.”

With a thought, Jax opened his inventory.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

A dozen heavy, yellow packages materialized out of thin air, dropping onto the concrete floor at Vance’s feet.

The group stared at the bundles in stunned silence.

“Insulation suits,” Jax said, crossing his arms. “Brand new. Sealed in vacuum packs. Check them for damage, but they looked fine to me.”

Vance’s jaw hit the floor. He looked from the suits to Jax, then back to the suits. He knew Psionics had strange powers, but a spatial storage ability? That was legendary rarity.

“You…” Vance stammered, his disappointment instantly transforming into ecstasy. “You actually got them? And you have a spatial pocket?!”

“Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to,” Jax cut him off. “Just tell me if they work.”

Vance ripped open one of the packages. He pulled out a thick, rubberized suit, glowing faintly yellow in the dim light. He checked the seals, the lining, and the grounding strips.

“Perfect,” Vance breathed, grinning like a madman. “They’re pristine. With these, we can walk right through the high-voltage grid. The bugs won’t follow us there.”

He looked up at Jax, eyes shining with renewed hope.

“You crazy son of a bitch. We’re actually doing this. We’re going into the reactor.”

The team quickly picked up the suits from the ground and began inspecting them one by one. After confirming that the suits were brand new, still within their shelf life, and capable of protecting them from the high-voltage electricity, everyone’s faces lit up with excitement. They couldn’t wait to pass through that area and reach the nuclear power plant, eager to see what lay inside.