Blue Year 2022. Desertification claimed over eighty percent of the Blue Star’s soil. The world turned to dust.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAo7cD3l5sn
Blue Year 2027. Stellar radiation bombarded the atmosphere. Global temperatures skyrocketed, triggering a mass extinction event. From the parched earth emerged a drought-resistant terror: mutated insectoids. They swarmed the planet, and the human population collapsed.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnkW8Q0Qf8I
Blue Year 2028. Humanity discovered "Cores" inside the bodies of these monsters. Within these crystalline hearts lay a new element—one capable of evolving the human physique beyond its natural limits.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgceq2kxyXB
Blue Year 2037. To survive the endless waves of claws and mandibles, humanity established fortified settlements. They erected Defense Towers, massive structures engineered specifically to slaughter the insectoid hordes.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4A5SCfjBt6
Blue Year 2040. The calendar was reset. The Era of the Wasteland began.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFvn3KQOrH
Wasteland Year 11. The Frozen Wastes, outside Redrock Bastion.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAzYKHpuWLE
A dry, scorching wind swept across the barren landscape. The heat rising from the cracked earth distorted the air, making the towering Sentry Towers of Redrock Bastion shimmer like mirages in the distance. They stood over ten meters tall, silent sentinels guarding the northernmost point of the Quicksand Continent.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrzXYyK0Vn
Redrock Bastion was the gateway to the Northern Frontier, the largest human settlement in the region, and dangerously close to the main insectoid nests.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutMl5uSxOt
Clang. Clang.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQRMDRuKRQq
The rhythmic, heavy sound of iron dragging against stone echoed through the wasteland.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa9WY1Sjt8Q
A dozen cavalrymen mounted on black-scaled horses—mutated beasts with hides like armor—escorted a line of over a hundred prisoners.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwkAfZ8Z9h0
Inside the walls of Redrock Bastion, there were cars. But in the Apocalypse, where the population had crumbled and resources were worth more than life itself, fuel and parts were luxuries reserved for the apex of society. For everyone else, there were beasts of burden, or walking.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcmjadMgqI
The prisoners were chained together in a long, wretched file, heavy shackles weighing down their wrists and ankles.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPYYkfnuv7Y
Their lips were cracked and bleeding, parched from the relentless sun. They hadn't tasted a drop of water in twenty-four hours. Even their meager rations had been cut from once a day to once every two days.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJ2vkXsncN
Most of these men were deserters. Half a month ago, an Insect Swarm had erupted. Faced with a suicide mission against an endless tide of chitin and acid, they had chosen to run. But in this world, cowardice was a capital offense. Today, they were marching to the execution grounds.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEupY5fkoF7
Jax walked silently in the middle of the column. His body was there, trudging through the dust, but his mind was far away, lingering in a mysterious dimension within his consciousness.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSsMhukmm4G
[User Candidate: Jax, Male, 21]64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkNUMJ5aIMn
[Bio-Score: 55 (Pathetically Weak)]64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY0LS3qxxVm
[Architect Level: Unranked]64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfupjSzZp1
[Owned Defense Tower Types: None]64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGnTznGO61l
[God-Tier Architect System Binding Task: Incomplete (Time Remaining: 10 Days)]64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv6HCAUtPGa
It had been over a month since Jax had transmigrated into this hellscape. He had finally come to terms with the transition from an urban white-collar worker to a piece of wasteland refuse.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8iy1il09H
Thirty days was enough time to understand the golden rule of this era: only the ruthless survive.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmH3RkITaIc
To activate his "God-Tier Architect System," he had to complete a specific task. Only then would the system bind to him and grant him the "Newbie Gift Pack."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYlofXK46uB
Jax knew from years of gaming in his past life that the starter pack was everything. It contained the foundation, the critical resources that would determine whether he rose to power or died in the dirt.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ7kuZZeGzI
Redrock Bastion boasted over a thousand Defense Towers. Seventy percent belonged to the city's government. The remaining thirty percent were owned by powerful private factions. These tower owners were the aristocracy of the wasteland; they were the only ones who didn't worry about starving or dying of thirst.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGSqdRXydmg
Jax wanted a tower. He craved it.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC151PI1znB
In a world where clean water was liquid gold, a Defense Tower was an infinite money printer. It slaughtered bugs, and bugs dropped Cores. Cores were wealth.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ulYdtL4QL
But the barrier to entry was suffocating. First, you needed a blueprint. Then, you needed a mountain of Cores to exchange for construction materials.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpqk3GrHhM4
A single Tier 1 Defense Tower blueprint cost a million Credits. The materials cost even more—an astronomical figure for a refugee.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaBD5FCKiGa
The average annual income for a commoner in Redrock Bastion was barely a thousand Credits. For someone like Jax, buying a blueprint wasn't just difficult; it was a fantasy.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYD2lKF1vB4
Cores were a resource "with a price but no market." The government hoarded them. Occasionally, a powerful private faction would buy them up, but they were rarely sold back to the public.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6zrVJLEd4X
And if you wanted to use a Core to strengthen your body? Tough luck. Without specialized, exorbitant extraction equipment, a raw Core was useless rock.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVdxYmUBJKQ
A Tier 1 Core could sell for about a thousand Credits on the black market. Maybe a bit more if someone was desperate for building materials.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmj1nc7hMv
But right now, none of that mattered. Fate had handed Jax a different kind of opportunity. A dangerous one.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9EH1G7JYA
Jax felt a sharp tap on his spine. He glanced back.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2LvRFsxO8
A lean, bald man with eyes like a vulture winked at him.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFJflPU3cMf
Is it starting already?64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvfvJMvlhG
Jax felt a knot of tension tighten in his stomach.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1QbkhTvTnn
"Get ready," the bald man whispered, his voice low and laced with palpable Killing Intent. "Wait for the signal."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1PG07GAnjc
Jax gave a microscopic nod, keeping his eyes forward.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwV6zC1rl5
The plan was simple: kill the cavalrymen, break the chains, and run for The Sprawl.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡloMVYIbmUK
The Sprawl was a lawless market town outside Redrock Bastion. It had grown too powerful for the city to control and had effectively declared independence. It was a chaotic hive of gangs, mercenaries, and black markets. It was a paradise for adventurers and the only sanctuary for condemned men.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuxLifV7Dqb
A few hundred meters ahead, a small relay station appeared—a simple pavilion with a few tables and chairs. An old man and a youth were waiting there.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZuDMV6Slo
The cavalrymen saw the rest stop and visibly relaxed. Their grim expressions softened into anticipation.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ2HlhBcS6O
Seeing their destination within reach, the guards kicked the flanks of their black-scaled horses, urging them into a trot toward the shade and water.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkCnYIysjOA
The bald man tapped Jax again.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYKVvBgIBj
"Jax, I'm warning you," the man hissed. "If you hold me back, I'll kill you before the guards do."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzMG9Jd6lHp
In his hand, hidden from the guards' view, the bald man produced a key. He deftly clicked open his wrist shackles, then bent down and unlocked his leg irons.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvn1CCGbdJ
"Boys! Get ready to move!"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlM4SbT0oSA
He slipped the key into Jax's palm, his eyes manic with urgency.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2XSR9cYemg
Jax didn't hesitate. He stole a glance at the guards, who were fixated on the pavilion, and carefully unlocked his own chains. He passed the key to the prisoner in front of him.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4imdHX9U8j
Within seconds, the metallic clinking of chains stopped being a constraint and became a ruse. Hidden in the hands of the prisoners were sharpened wooden spikes—ten-centimeter shivs crafted in secret.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxTMkJb3BKL
The formation held. The guards noticed nothing.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwbTsO3H7m0
Jax turned his head slightly to look at the massive figure walking behind him.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9P5Ke1tG20
His name was Barnaby. He was sixteen years old, but he had been shadowing Jax for five years.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnZSjWp4Ouz
Barnaby was a giant, standing a full two meters tall, rippling with muscle. But his face bore a perpetual, vacant grin.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPS71dEhtRV
Years ago, during a desperate defense against Sandworms, Barnaby had fallen from the city Wall. He survived, but his mind didn't. He was left with the intelligence of a toddler.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbC0dqQSWCg
Seeing Jax look at him, Barnaby’s face lit up. He opened his mouth in a wide, goofy smile.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEiMXuUNKKj
"Hehe."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5cZXKMrtRR
Barnaby reached under his shoe and pried out a crude wooden spike. "Brother Jax, look! Uncle Baldy gave it to me!"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpwUpyQDYZN
The bald man leaned in, whispering to the giant. "Barney! Listen to me. When we go, you charge first. If you pin down the leader, Uncle will take you to The Elysium Lounge to find your sister!"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLDWFrjrqj
Barnaby clapped his hands, giggling like a preschooler. "Hehe! Find sister! Find sister!"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CCYDZaLYL
"Barney, don't listen to him!"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP1TKYjoFeO
Jax snapped at the giant, then turned a glare on the bald man. "Baldy, he's just a kid. You're sending him to die? Isn't that crossing a line?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7l8HPxZLF
The bald man sneered, his expression twisting with contempt.64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWAerqr1Kt
"A kid? He's sixteen years old. You call that a child?"64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWLaifuader
He spat on the dry ground. "Jax, this is the Apocalypse. If you want to live, shut your mouth and do what you're told."64Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIudp8aKnBB
1234 copyright protection60ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNyHTTAHXa 尼

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