The line of prisoners ground to a halt just outside the pavilion.

Jax stood in the scorching heat, his brow deeply furrowed. Inside the shaded structure, several cavalrymen lounged on benches, swigging cool well water. They wore smug, complacent expressions as they boasted to the old man and the young boy serving them.

“Ahem!”

Butch suddenly coughed. The sound hit Jax like a physical blow, tightening his chest.

The bald man turned his head toward Barnaby. He flashed a grin that didn’t reach his eyes—a predatory expression that sent chills down Jax’s spine.

“Barney,” Butch whispered, his voice dripping with false warmth. “Whether you see your sister or not… it all depends on you now.”

Barnaby hesitated. The giant shifted his weight, glancing toward Jax for guidance. But Butch’s eyes narrowed into a vicious glare. Terrified, the boy quickly lowered his head, shrinking away from the threat.

A few seconds of agonizing silence passed.

Then, Barnaby broke rank. Gripping a sharpened wooden spike in his massive hand, he charged straight at the cavalry officer drinking water.

“Damn it! That idiot actually went!”

Jax didn’t even have time to formulate a plan. Barnaby was already committed.

The cavalrymen, dull from the heat and arrogance, were slow to react. They scrambled for the firearms resting on the table, but the element of surprise was absolute.

In the split second it took for the guards to reach for their holsters, the metallic clatter of falling chains echoed through the desert. Every prisoner in the line cast off their shackles simultaneously.

“Kill the dog officials!”

Butch roared the command, and the prisoners surged out en masse.

Jax stared at the length of iron chain in his hand, his heart hammering against his ribs.

“Barney! Get your ass back here!”

Gritting his teeth, Jax gripped the chain like a flail and sprinted after the giant.

“You retard, you want to die? Watch me blow your brains out!”

The cavalry captain’s face twisted with killing intent. He leveled his pistol at the charging giant, his finger tightening on the trigger.

Barnaby didn’t flinch. He didn’t even understand the danger. A look of pure, innocent excitement plastered his face. In his simple mind, knocking down the bad man meant a ticket to The Elysium Lounge. It meant seeing his sister.

Thwack!

The captain blinked, his vision blurring as a heavy iron chain whipped through the air and smashed into his forearm.

Bone crunched. The captain screamed, his right arm dropping uselessly to his side. He whipped his head around to see Jax barreling toward him, the chain spinning for another strike.

“Jax? So you’re the motherfucker leading this rebellion!” The captain spat blood, his eyes bulging. “Brothers! Kill them! Put these rebels down!”

He shouted orders to his men while his left hand fumbled for a backup piece at his waist.

Jax felt the hairs on his arms stand on end. The scent of death was thick in the air.

Without hesitation, he lunged, aiming to loop the heavy chain around the captain’s throat to choke him out.

He threw the metal links forward—but halfway through the motion, his arm jerked to a violent halt.

Holy shit! The chain is stuck!

Jax whipped his head around.

Through the chaos, he saw Butch standing a few meters away. The bald man was stomping firmly on the trailing end of Jax’s chain, a sinister, mocking grin stretching across his face.

He’s screwing me over!

Jax’s eyes widened in fury. He cursed inwardly, realizing the trap. He lunged for the captain’s gun, but the momentary delay had been fatal. The officer had already drawn his backup pistol.

The black muzzle rose slowly, inevitably, aiming directly at Jax’s chest.

“Scab! You motherfucker, just you wait!” Jax roared.

Bam!

A massive silhouette slammed into the captain like a freight train, sending the officer and his gun flying into the dirt.

“I got him! I got him!” Barnaby shouted, his heavy frame pinning the captain to the ground. He looked back at Butch, beaming. “Uncle Scab, when are we going to find my sister?”

Butch cursed under his breath, his plan to eliminate Jax foiled by the idiot he’d manipulated. He raised his weapon to finish the job himself.

Bang!

A gunshot cracked through the air. The entire battlefield froze for a heartbeat.

Jax flinched, checking his chest for a hole. He was clean.

“Barney, are you okay?” Jax screamed, his voice raw.

Barnaby, hands wrapped around the struggling captain’s throat, looked back over his shoulder. “Hehe, Jax, I’m fine!”

Jax exhaled, his knees shaking. A few yards away, a shirtless young prisoner clutched his neck. Blood sprayed like a fountain, painting the sand crimson. He collapsed, gurgling.

“Damn it! Jax, you lucky bastard!” Butch spat, his eyes cold. He turned his attention back to the mob. “Boys! Kill the officials! It’s them or us! Kill!”

Gunfire erupted. The melee descended into total anarchy.

Jax didn’t waste the opening. He snatched the fallen pistol from the dirt and whipped his chain around the captain’s neck, pulling it tight.

“Urk… you… you…” The captain clawed at the iron links digging into his windpipe. “You dare… kill me!”

Jax didn’t listen. He didn’t hesitate. He planted his feet and hauled back on the chain with every ounce of strength in his malnourished body.

The captain kicked and thrashed. His face turned purple, then blue. His eyes rolled back, and his tongue lolled out.

Two minutes later, the body went rigid, then limp.

Jax released the chain, gasping for air. Sweat soaked his clothes, and his muscles screamed in protest. He could barely stand.

Beside him, Barnaby was slapping the dead man’s cheeks, panic rising in his voice.

“Jax… we killed him. Will Uncle Baldy still take me to find my sister?”

The giant sounded like he was about to cry.

“Stop crying!” Jax snapped, grabbing Barnaby’s arm. “I’ll take you to find her! Get up!”

Barnaby wiped his tear-streaked face, looking at Jax with wide, doubtful eyes. “Really? You promise?”

Looking at this hulking man-child, Jax felt a wave of exhaustion crash over him.

“Really! Now move! We have to run while it’s chaotic!”

Jax grabbed a water jar from the table. He didn’t care about hygiene; he tilted it back and guzzled the cool liquid. It washed down his parched throat, reviving his senses.

He shoved the jar into Barnaby’s hands. “Drink. Then we run.”

Barnaby mimicked him, chugging so fast he choked and hacked, water spilling down his chin.

“Let’s go!” Jax grabbed the burden of a giant and pulled.

“Jax, there’s still water inside!”

“Leave it!”

Behind them, the prisoners had swarmed the remaining guards, venting their rage in a gruesome display of violence. Jax didn’t look back. He dragged Barnaby away from the slaughter, sprinting toward the open desert in the direction of The Sprawl.

As they ran, the reality of their situation settled in.

The Sprawl was a money pit. Food, supplies, shelter—everything cost Credits. Water was more expensive than gold. There was an entry fee just to get through the gates.

They were penniless fugitives. Getting in was impossible.

Unless…

If they could kill a Sandworm on the way, the carcass might serve as a bribe for the gate guards.

Jax focused his mind, pulling up the interface.

[God-Tier Architect System Binding Task: Kill 10 Sandworms. Progress: 7/10. Time Remaining: 10 Days.]

He scanned the horizon as he ran. Sandworms were nocturnal hunters; seeing one in the daylight of the Crimson Sand Desert was rare. They were the most common mutated insectoids—weak individually, but deadly in swarms.

For an unarmed human, fighting one was suicide. But Jax wasn’t just anyone. He knew their biology. He knew their weak points.

The sun beat down on them, the heat oppressive, their skin slick with oily sweat. They couldn’t stop. They had no idea if anyone was chasing them.

“Jax… I can’t run anymore.”

Barnaby stopped, pouting like a toddler, and plopped down onto the burning sand.

Jax spun around, cursing. He looked at the giant sitting there and felt a vein throb in his temple.

“Damn it, I swear I owe you siblings a debt from a past life! Next time I see Elena, I’m definitely going to collect double the interest!”

Night fell.

The lingering glow of the setting sun dyed half the sky blood-red, casting long, twisted shadows across the dunes.

A thin, struggling figure trudged through the sand, carrying a massive body on his back. Step by agonizing step, he moved closer to the silhouette of The Sprawl.

“Finally… almost there. Get down.”

Jax dumped Barnaby onto the sand. His lungs burned, his legs felt like jelly.

Something was wrong. Barnaby, usually a chatterbox, hadn’t said a word in miles.

“Hey. Barney. Wake up. Don’t sleep.”

Silence.

“Barney, come on. Get up and eat. I got your favorite charcoal-grilled Sandworm meat.”

Nothing.

“Barney! Your sister is here! Look!”

Still no reaction.

“Holy shit,” Jax muttered, panic rising. “He drank more water than I did, and he still got heatstroke? Please don’t tell me he’s dying.”

He pressed his fingers against the giant’s neck.

Thump… thump…

“Whew. Pulse is there. Weak, but there.” Jax collapsed back onto the sand. “If only I had some water. I don’t even have a drop of piss left in me.”

He looked at Barnaby’s eyes, rolled back in his head. In the distance, the skeletal frames of a few Sentry Towers marked the edge of The Sprawl.

“Just a few more kilometers, Barney. Wake up, big guy. We’re almost there.”

Barnaby remained comatose.

Suddenly, a vibration traveled through the ground.

Thud-thud. Thud-thud.

Hoofbeats. Fast.

Jax’s adrenaline surged. He grabbed Barnaby by the collar and dragged him behind the crest of a sand dune, pressing himself flat against the earth.

A cloud of dust rose in the twilight.

At the head of the approaching group rode a man on a massive black-scaled horse. Even in the dim light, the polished scalp was unmistakable.

It was Butch.

Behind him, a ragged group of survivors ran desperately to keep up.

Jax held his breath, not daring to peek over the ridge, waiting for the convoy to pass.