Jax glanced at the two Sentry Towers flanking him, then checked his inventory. A single Energy Shard remained.

A cold wave of realization washed over him—the distinct, chilling sensation of having narrowly cheated death.

“We almost didn’t make it,” he muttered, the adrenaline fading into exhaustion. “If they hadn’t retreated when they did, we would be meat.”

The team collapsed onto the platform, gasping for air like fish out of water. They lay sprawled on the concrete, limbs heavy as lead.

The stench of charred insectoid flesh—a mix of burning sulfur and rotten meat—assaulted their nostrils, but no one had the energy to complain. They were drained, their clothes soaked through with sweat as if they had just crawled out of a river.

They rested until the first light of dawn broke over the wasteland.

Jax ordered the team to clear the carcasses while he grabbed the rope tethered to the captive Rodent-Maw Creeper. He dragged the bound, hissing monstrosity toward Outpost 15.

When Sawyer saw the trussed-up creature, the color drained from his face.

“Damn,” Sawyer whispered, inspecting the beast. “If the next wave is comprised of these… we’re in trouble. Deep trouble.”

He crouched down, avoiding the snapping jaws. “These things aren’t just armored; they’re sappers. Their scales and fur are just decoration—their real threat is tunneling. Sentry Towers can’t target what’s underground. They could bypass the walls entirely and pop up inside the city perimeter. This changes everything.”

Sawyer stood up, his expression grim. He checked his watch, then turned to Jax.

“Jax, seriously… thank you. You went above and beyond. I’m heading back to Redrock Bastion immediately to warn command.”

He signaled for his subordinates to load the thrashing creature into the back of their reinforced transport. Before climbing in, Sawyer grabbed Jax’s shoulder, his grip tight.

“Brother, listen to me. Don’t stay out here. Pack up and retreat to Redrock. It’s going to get ugly.”

Jax shook his head firmly. “Thanks, Sawyer, but I can’t. I’ve invested too much in those towers to just abandon them. I’m going back to hold the line.”

Sawyer stared at him for a moment, searching for any sign of hesitation. finding none, he sighed and shook his head.

“You’re a stubborn son of a bitch. Alright. If you survive this… I’ll see you around.”

Sawyer jumped into the passenger seat, and the vehicle roared to life, kicking up a cloud of dust as it sped away from the outpost.

Jax watched them leave, a heavy weight settling in his chest.

Above him, the sky began to change.

Dark, bruised clouds rolled in from the horizon, swallowing the blue. The ceiling dropped low, compressing the air until it felt thick and suffocating.

Then came the wind.

It started as a whisper, then grew into a howl. With no vegetation to break its path, the wind whipped the loose sand into towering walls of grit that raced across the desert floor.

The temperature plummeted.

In Outpost 15, the mood shifted instantly. The veterans looked at the sky with dread, recognizing the signs.

“Black Rain!” someone shouted. “The Swarm is coming! Get back to the city! Move!”

But not everyone was afraid. Some of the younger, desperate scavengers looked up with feverish eyes.

“Are you kidding? This is a gift from the heavens!” one man laughed maniacally. “I’m staying! If I get soaked, maybe I’ll become an Awakened!”

“You idiot!” an older mercenary barked. “You don’t just ‘get’ powers! You’re going to rot! Save your life first!”

Arguments broke out, voices rising over the howling wind. But almost everyone stopped working, their eyes fixed on the encroaching darkness above.

Jax checked the sky. He didn’t have much time.

The panic wasn’t limited to the outpost. High in the towers of The Sprawl, the ruling elites were watching the same clouds, scrambling to prepare their defenses for the inevitable Tier 2 insectoid siege.

The world was holding its breath.

Jax sighed and turned back toward Sector 33.

Back at the platform, Jax waited until the others were busy reinforcing the perimeter before slipping away to the central hardpoint.

He opened his System Interface.

“Construct.”

He selected the blueprint he had been saving for.

[Constructing: Howitzer Turret (Tier 1)] [Time Remaining: 10:00]

Ten minutes later, a flash of digital light solidified into heavy metal.

A menacing, matte-black cannon barrel dominated the center of the platform. Below the barrel lay a complex assembly of gears and hydraulic pistons, mounted on a traversing base with four heavy-duty stabilizers.

“Finally,” Jax whispered, running a hand over the cold steel. “Heavy artillery.”

He pulled up the stats.

[Defense Structure: Howitzer Turret (Tier 1)]

Attack Power: 50

Range: 200 Meters

Attack Speed: 0.2 (1 shot every 5 seconds)

Special Trait: Splash Damage. (Shells detonate on impact, dealing massive Area of Effect damage. Highly effective against swarms.)

Jax grinned. “AoE damage. This is exactly what I need for the swarm.”

As dusk fell, he called the team up to the platform.

When they saw the massive cannon sitting next to the fortress, they stopped dead in their tracks.

Gareth pointed a trembling finger at the weapon. “What… what is that? Is that another Defense Tower?”

Jax nodded calmly. “That’s right. It’s a Howitzer Turret.”

Silas stood silently, his eyes wide. Did the Boss summon this too?

Silas was increasingly convinced that Jax’s “storage” ability was actually some kind of high-level Summoning class. But he kept his mouth shut.

“You bought it?” Gareth asked, staring intently at Jax.

“Yeah,” Jax lied smoothly. ” commissioned it through the Helios Syndicate.”

It was the perfect cover. Only Silas had any connection to the Helios family, and Jax had already vetted him.

He had secretly checked their stats earlier. Silas’s Loyalty was at a solid 79—trustworthy. Barnaby, the naive kid, was practically a disciple with a Loyalty of 95. Neither of them would talk.

The team circled the turret, touching the cold metal, their shock slowly replaced by a sense of security. They were eager to see it fire.

Night fell early. By 5:00 PM, the world was pitch black.

The only light came from their flickering bonfire. The darkness beyond the flames was absolute, pressing in against the light.

Jax felt the pressure in the air. The storm was here.

Wind shrieked around the fortress, blasting them with sand that felt like sandpaper against their skin.

CRACK.

A bolt of lightning split the sky, illuminating the wasteland in a brief, stark flash of violet light.

The team huddled around the fire, gnawing on dry ration biscuits, their eyes darting nervously to the sky.

Barnaby was mid-chew when he frowned. He felt a wet drop hit his hand. He looked down at his biscuit.

A black, oily stain was spreading across the bread like ink.

“Bro,” Barnaby whispered, his voice trembling. “Ideally… dirty stuff is falling from the sky.”

Everyone leaned in.

Jax felt a heavy drop hit his hair. He reached out, palm up. Another drop landed in his hand. It was viscous, black, and cold as ice.

“It’s the Black Rain,” Jax announced, his voice grave.

The mood plummeted.

In the wasteland, the Black Rain was a herald of death. It meant the insectoids would frenzy within days.

But Kaleb, sitting by the fire, looked at the black drop on his hand with a strange, twisted expression of hope.

“Great… Xiao’an, do you see this?” he muttered to himself. “It’s the Black Rain! We have a chance! We can become Awakened!”

Even Gareth looked excited, stretching his hands out to catch the falling drops. But the rain was sparse, just a few heavy, sporadic drips.

He scrambled around, trying to catch them, but failed. “Is my luck really this bad? Come on! I want to Awaken!”

Jax watched them with a mix of pity and annoyance.

Idiots.

The Black Rain was a toxic sludge of atmospheric pollutants and chaotic mana. Yes, there was a microscopic chance it could trigger a mutation that led to an Awakening. But for 99.9% of people, it just led to radiation poisoning, skin rot, or a slow, painful death. Relying on it was suicide.

Just then, a sharp chime cut through the howling wind.

[SYSTEM ALERT] WARNING: Tier 1 Winged Ravagers approaching. Defense Status: Critical. Please reload Energy Shards.

[MISSION TRIGGERED] Objective: Eliminate 100 Winged Ravagers. Reward: Title – [Apprentice Architect]. Failure Penalty: [EXP WIPEOUT].

Jax blinked.

Apprentice Architect?

He had been wondering what the Experience Points were actually for. He hadn’t leveled up in the traditional sense.

“So EXP is used to upgrade Titles…” Jax mused, staring at the holographic text. “But what exactly does a Title do?”