Apocalypse Architect: A Tower Defense LitRPG

Chapter 182: That Damned Jax

“Connecting these cables is a job for a specialist,” Volt stated flatly. “I’ll handle it, but I have one condition: you protect me the entire time.”

Jax nodded without hesitation. The request was more than reasonable. He knew just how critical this man was to their mission; protecting him was non-negotiable.

“No problem. From now on, you’re our top priority.”

“Good. I’ll get the vehicle ready. Once I’m out, you’ll follow and provide cover. But we need to keep it quiet—this area is crawling with monsters. By the way, where did you get those protective suits?”

Jax gestured toward the building they’d just left. “The maintenance room is full of them.”

Volt gave a slight nod, saying nothing more as everyone began their final checks. He ran a diagnostic on the vehicle, confirmed the engine was sound, and inspected the tools and materials they would need. Everything was in order.

With that, Volt fired up the engine and steered the heavy vehicle toward the plant’s exit.

The moment they emerged from the underground garage, the nearby Insect Swarm surged toward them like a tide. But the creatures hesitated, their instincts screaming at them to stay clear of the humming electric towers. They could only snarl and drool from a distance, a gallery of gnashing teeth watching helplessly as the vehicle rumbled past.

“The main gate used to be over there,” Volt said, his voice unnervingly calm. “Looks like that’s no longer an option. We’ll have to make our own exit. Hold on.”

A deafening crunch echoed as the vehicle plowed straight through the perimeter wall, sending a cascade of concrete and rebar tumbling down. The impact spiderwebbed across the windows before they exploded inward in a shower of glass. Volt, however, was unfazed, protected by the highest-grade engineering suit available. Not only did it insulate him from extreme temperatures and radiation, but it was also as tough as any light armor. It was the ultimate tool for any post-apocalyptic engineer.

With the steering wheel firm in his grip, Volt guided the vehicle through the newly made hole and asked calmly, “Everyone alright back there?”

Jax brushed a few shards of glass from his hair, his expression a mixture of annoyance and disbelief. “Gods above, a little more warning next time! You told us to hold on a split second before you hit the wall. We barely had time to brace!”

“Oh. Sorry, it slipped my mind. Is everyone okay?”

Jax waved a dismissive hand and glanced back at the others. Fortunately, Elena had been in the rearmost seat and was completely untouched by the blast of shattered glass.

The vehicle pressed on. Every few hundred meters, Volt would stop, get out, and inspect the condition of the underground cables. They drove another three hundred meters beyond the ruined wall before he brought the vehicle to a halt. He pointed to a mound of disturbed earth.

“Here. This is the junction for the main cable. The break is right under this spot, chewed through by Rodent-Maw Creepers.”

Jax nodded, and the team disembarked, grabbing shovels to start digging.

A few minutes of work unearthed the severed power line. The pit was choked with the desiccated corpses of Rodent-Maw Creepers, a grim testament to the creatures that had gnawed through the armored conduit.

Volt hauled a massive spool of new cable from the back of the truck and expertly spliced it into the broken line. They climbed back into the vehicle and drove on, the heavy cable unspooling from the truck bed and settling into the dirt behind them.

When they finally reached their destination, the last of the cable rolled off the spool.

“Damn,” Jax remarked. “I’ll give you this, your calculations are precise. Down to the last inch.”

Volt just gave a placid nod in response to the praise. “It’s habit. In my line of work, you learn to carry a ruler in your head. You measure twice, cut once. I hate waste, but I’ll never short a job.”

Seeing the man’s impossibly cool demeanor, Jax could only shake his head.

“I’m going to check on the Core preparations,” Vance announced, jogging toward their makeshift command post.

He returned a few minutes later, looking utterly dejected. “What now? I’m still short. We need another seventy Tier 4 Cores. Do we have to go out and hunt for them?”

Volt, who had been listening quietly, pointed back toward the power plant. “Dormitory B. In the basement. I have a stash of Cores there. Should be more than enough.”

The others stared, stunned by his casual generosity.

Before Jax could even form a question, Volt spoke again, his voice flat but heavy with memory. “Don’t thank me. I hate these things as much as you do. They killed everyone. My family. My colleagues. I’ve been trapped here for almost six years, ever since the main force pulled out. Alone. It’s… a kind of quiet you can’t imagine.”

A wave of shock passed through the group. They couldn’t fathom it—surviving alone in this monster-infested ruin for six years. Humans were social creatures; isolation on that scale could shatter a person’s mind. Yet here he was, not just surviving but maintaining his sanity and skill. His willpower had to be forged from iron.

Jax felt a flicker of genuine admiration. “Alright. Thank you.”

He turned to the others, and Vance immediately understood. “Tracker, if you would.”

The Tracker’s face soured, but he sighed, pulled on another protective suit, and trudged back toward the nuclear plant. He returned shortly, hauling a large, heavy sack.

Jax took the bag and began to count its contents. To everyone’s astonishment, it held over a hundred Tier 4 Cores, not to mention a healthy supply of Tier 3 and Tier 2 Cores.

“Like I said, I was alone,” Volt explained. “When I got bored, I’d go for a walk. These are just what I picked up over the years. Honestly, I got lazy. If I’d bothered to collect the Tier 1 and Tier 2 Cores, there’d be a lot more.”

Vance’s eyes lit up with a greedy, envious glint. “Ahem! You know, I wonder if we might have a chance to become friends in the future? The Cores aren’t important, of course. I’m just interested in the friendship!”

Jax shot him a withering look before addressing the group. “We have everything we need. Let’s move out.”

Everyone nodded, falling in line as they headed toward the location Jax had scouted.

They were halfway there when Volt broke the silence. “This Defense Tower of yours… are you sure it can do what you claim?”

Jax paused. He hadn’t expected the direct question. “To be honest,” he admitted, “I’m not entirely sure. This will be its first field test.”

Vance froze. The blood drained from his face. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Jax had sworn up and down that this tower could take down a Tier 7 creature. He’d painted a picture of an almost mythical weapon, a ‘god-tower’. And now? Now he was admitting he had no idea if it even worked as advertised. Vance was speechless, a cold dread seeping into his gut.

*I knew it,* Vance thought, his hands clenching into fists. *I fucking knew he was unreliable! And I fell for it like an idiot!* The urge to throttle Jax was overwhelming. He had sunk every last Credit he owned into this venture. It was far, far too late to back out now.

“We should test it first,” Volt stated, his calm a stark contrast to Vance’s barely contained panic. “Find some low-tier swarms. Gauge its output. We need to know exactly what we’re working with before we go up against that Tier 7.”

Jax nodded immediately. “Good idea. Let’s head to that district up ahead and run a trial. I’m curious to see what this thing can really do myself.”

The team changed course, heading for a nearby urban block teeming with a respectable number of monsters. The location was perfect. The buildings were packed tightly together, forcing any approaching creatures into narrow, kill-zone-like streets. It was a natural chokepoint—easy to defend, hell to assault.