Blue Year 2022. Desertification claimed over eighty percent of the Blue Star’s soil. The world turned to dust.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnRIwxVm0R8
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiiykeYcNp9
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw5pOWqesfU
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0LGwvzAm6T
Blue Year 2040. The calendar was reset. The Era of the Wasteland began.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd1q6Srf3hM
Wasteland Year 11. The Frozen Wastes, outside Redrock Bastion.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbYAS3FbQ2B
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡevSgyzbZQS
Redrock Bastion was the gateway to the Northern Frontier, the largest human settlement in the region, and dangerously close to the main insectoid nests.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZLXAw3cbye
Clang. Clang.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6LJuSf5Yu
The rhythmic, heavy sound of iron dragging against stone echoed through the wasteland.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFpk9VRxRm6
A dozen cavalrymen mounted on black-scaled horses—mutated beasts with hides like armor—escorted a line of over a hundred prisoners.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwN51f57tjv
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHLG2qqZSIE
The prisoners were chained together in a long, wretched file, heavy shackles weighing down their wrists and ankles.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9TcH7hVA7
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKzDoX6bWR
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy84AEKxjlG
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVU5aGj4WVd
[User Candidate: Jax, Male, 21]7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsenj4m6GGj
[Bio-Score: 55 (Pathetically Weak)]7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlLZ2FQ1bkj
[Architect Level: Unranked]7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLvC2mAYez
[Owned Defense Tower Types: None]7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡheG4CkREuu
[God-Tier Architect System Binding Task: Incomplete (Time Remaining: 10 Days)]7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaMsT7BwFR
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtAoYjbElkp
Thirty days was enough time to understand the golden rule of this era: only the ruthless survive.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKImbNhXKU1
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."7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfccUWaI2p8
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7eK98rJX0L
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtppsPrHJOz
Jax wanted a tower. He craved it.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8kt1gffup
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOmK8atjnRz
But the barrier to entry was suffocating. First, you needed a blueprint. Then, you needed a mountain of Cores to exchange for construction materials.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1oT7Mc3s46
A single Tier 1 Defense Tower blueprint cost a million Credits. The materials cost even more—an astronomical figure for a refugee.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfi0pXvPOpZ
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DdMqzb71T
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡt3wWcvFsHn
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLaeDPxCrwp
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx9X6ALipIR
But right now, none of that mattered. Fate had handed Jax a different kind of opportunity. A dangerous one.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMJ7AdW8rV
Jax felt a sharp tap on his spine. He glanced back.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zXXkg7I9J
A lean, bald man with eyes like a vulture winked at him.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEvE3qDwmMO
Is it starting already?7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJDgJXaBYx
Jax felt a knot of tension tighten in his stomach.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2QjJIGLu7c
"Get ready," the bald man whispered, his voice low and laced with palpable Killing Intent. "Wait for the signal."7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc3GZLdvtkP
Jax gave a microscopic nod, keeping his eyes forward.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fHCY2A51X
The plan was simple: kill the cavalrymen, break the chains, and run for The Sprawl.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctspxOmzWz
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡet6bIfN7Vr
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMNHKOljhJ
The cavalrymen saw the rest stop and visibly relaxed. Their grim expressions softened into anticipation.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1oYRu4mc2l
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFoGxiogXGX
The bald man tapped Jax again.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwq3L6ZVyHG
"Jax, I'm warning you," the man hissed. "If you hold me back, I'll kill you before the guards do."7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC0cQzkDqXt
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNLlSDxgP0Y
"Boys! Get ready to move!"7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5aMry0086O
He slipped the key into Jax's palm, his eyes manic with urgency.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡniiQx63uoo
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSmHXvLq1O5
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf2e3g474ew
The formation held. The guards noticed nothing.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo1MN2IXCNr
Jax turned his head slightly to look at the massive figure walking behind him.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE6mHuEM6rq
His name was Barnaby. He was sixteen years old, but he had been shadowing Jax for five years.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6gHkng7xn
Barnaby was a giant, standing a full two meters tall, rippling with muscle. But his face bore a perpetual, vacant grin.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCgsArIwlhc
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.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbCaR7UM6l
Seeing Jax look at him, Barnaby’s face lit up. He opened his mouth in a wide, goofy smile.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dJ7gpQhpf
"Hehe."7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡstI0oVhEEO
Barnaby reached under his shoe and pried out a crude wooden spike. "Brother Jax, look! Uncle Baldy gave it to me!"7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDgRLyXkGT
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!"7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzb5cUeehc
Barnaby clapped his hands, giggling like a preschooler. "Hehe! Find sister! Find sister!"7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4lXYXILxHS
"Barney, don't listen to him!"7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyjgtSRIfki
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?"7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvC9BPyEnfj
The bald man sneered, his expression twisting with contempt.7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBBg2zuAxNp
"A kid? He's sixteen years old. You call that a child?"7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAUQYywC7s0
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."7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrqsLQb5D8N
1234 copyright protection3ＰＥＮＡＮＡxh4jssU4N7 尼

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