The researchers stood paralyzed, their minds reeling in collective disbelief.
None of them had expected Jax to extract viable data from the Tier 3 Acid-Web Arachnid. Even more shocking was the precision of that data—it was flawless.
"Impossible..." one technician muttered, breaking the silence. "We spent weeks trying to analyze that beast without making a dent. How could he just... know?"
"Who is he?" another whispered, eyeing the young man through the observation glass. "He looks like a commoner, a drifter. How is he doing this? Is he from another prominent family?"
"Doesn't look like it. He’s too rough around the edges," a colleague replied, shaking his head. "If he were from a rival house, Supervisor Sawyer wouldn’t be acting so polite. Maybe he’s a new vassal of the Helios Syndicate?"
They stared at the datasheets in their hands, the numbers mocking their previous failures. The shock on their faces was absolute.
Outside the containment unit, Vance, the Awakened captain, was equally dumbfounded.
"He's... absurdly strong," Vance murmured. "I know the specimen was restrained, but for an unaugmented human to kill it? That shouldn't be physically possible."
He looked at the carnage inside. "The Arachnid’s carapace can withstand dozens of tons of pressure. Even with a sledgehammer, you’d just be ringing a dinner bell. You can’t just smash through 500 Defense. How did he do it?"
Sawyer stood beside him, masking his own astonishment. He knew Jax was capable, but this was a different league. He had expected Jax to fail, retreat, and ask for a weapon better suited to the task. Instead, the young man had walked in with a mundane hammer and pulverized a Tier 3 monster’s skull.
"I’m not entirely sure myself," Sawyer admitted, his eyes gleaming. "But it seems we’ve stumbled upon a hidden dragon."
Vance lowered his voice. "Supervisor, is he a vassal?"
"Vassal?" Sawyer scoffed. "You’re thinking too small."
"If not a vassal... an ally?"
"Correct. An equal partner," Sawyer said firmly. "We treat him with the same respect you would show me. Maybe more."
Sawyer narrowed his eyes, watching Jax inside the lab as the young man inspected the corpse.
"Give him time," Sawyer whispered, "and that young man will rule a corner of this world."
Vance turned to his superior, confusion warring with respect. "Supervisor... don't take this the wrong way, but he’s wearing rags. You really think he has that kind of potential?"
"Listen to me, Vance," Sawyer said, his tone turning sharp. "Never underestimate anyone in this era. A man in rags can hold the power of a god. Judging someone by their appearance is the quickest way to get yourself killed."
Vance nodded slowly, chastised. "Is he... an Awakened, then?"
"Yes. But not a physical type like you," Sawyer theorized, his mind working rapidly. "I believe he is a Psionic Awakener."
Vance froze.
Psionic Awakeners. They were the unicorns of the chaotic new world—rare, fragile, but terrifyingly valuable. While physical Awakeners relied on brute force, Psionic Awakeners unlocked the dormant potential of the human brain. The average human used only a fraction of their cognitive processing power; a Psionic Awakener was a supercomputer in human flesh.
Their computational abilities allowed them to analyze complex structures instantly. In the hands of a faction, a Psionic Awakener could optimize Defense Towers, calculating trajectories and energy outputs to unimaginable efficiency.
"There are only a handful of families in The Sprawl with a Psionic Awakener," Vance whispered, the gravity of the situation sinking in. "That’s why the Helios Syndicate is stuck as a mid-tier power... we lack the brainpower."
"Exactly," Sawyer said, his heart racing. "If we could recruit him, we could challenge the top families. We could have a real voice in Redrock Bastion."
For a moment, Sawyer considered making an offer right there. But he quickly banished the thought. Psionic Awakeners were notoriously independent and eccentric. Pushing too hard would only drive him away. Besides, Sawyer sensed Jax had secrets he wasn't ready to share.
"You know what this means," Sawyer told Vance. "Our deal is simple: I gave him the spider, he gives us blueprints. You know how critical those blueprints are. Treat him like the asset he is."
"Understood, Supervisor," Vance said, standing straighter. "I won't make the mistake of disrespecting him again."
The lab's heavy pneumatic door hissed open.
Jax walked out, peeling off his protective gear. He was calm, unbothered by the slime coating his gloves. He opened his hand, revealing a glistening, fist-sized crystal pulsing with energy.
A Tier 3 Core.
"Here," Jax said, tossing it slightly in his palm. "Tier 3 Core, as promised. Are we good to move on to the next step?"
Sawyer looked at the Core, then at Jax. To the Helios Syndicate, a single Tier 3 Core was valuable, but not world-changing. But for an individual wanderer? It was a fortune. Yet Jax offered it up as if it were a spare coin.
Vance watched, stunned. He doesn't even care about it. He has a wife and kids to feed, bills to pay... and this guy treats a Tier 3 Core like trash. Just how deep are his pockets?
"Keep it," Sawyer said, waving his hand magnanimously. "Our deal was for the carcass. If you killed it, the loot is yours."
Jax paused. He wasn't one to take charity, knowing that free gifts often came with hidden chains. But he also wasn't stupid.
"Fine," Jax said. "I already have a Tier 3 Core, so I don't strictly need this one. Actually... since we're on the subject, I have some inventory I need to liquidate. Can the Syndicate exchange Cores for Credits?"
Sawyer blinked. "You have... more?"
"Just the one Tier 3," Jax said casually. "But I have about a few thousand Tier 1 Cores and maybe a thousand Tier 2 Cores clogging up my storage. Can you cash those out? If not, I can take them to the market in The Sprawl later."
Sawyer choked on air. Thousands?
"I... I can look into it," Sawyer stammered, his composure slipping. "That much liquidity is difficult to pull together instantly here. But once we reach Redrock Bastion, I can certainly arrange a bulk exchange."
"Good enough," Jax said.
Sawyer cleared his throat, regaining his professional mask. "I have some urgent matters to attend to. Vance will escort you to the Defense Tower R&D Center. My apologies for not joining you."
"No problem," Jax said. "I'll just grab the blueprints and be back. Lead the way, Captain."
"It would be my honor," Vance said, bowing slightly—a gesture he hadn't offered before.
Vance led Jax through the winding streets of the Helios compound until they reached a heavily fortified sector.
"This is the R&D Center," Vance explained as they walked. "We have a dedicated team for testing Defense Tower prototypes and a secure blueprint laboratory inside."
They approached the main gate, where armed guards stepped forward to block their path. Vance flashed his ID badge.
"Ah, Captain Vance!" A guard stepped out of the booth, smiling with practiced oiliness as he checked the badge. "Go right ahead."
The guard handed the badge back, his eyes sliding over to Jax. His smile vanished instantly.
Jax was still wearing his travel-worn, ragged survival gear. To the guard, he looked like a beggar who had wandered in from the slums.
"Captain," the guard asked, his tone dripping with suspicion. "Who is this?"
Vance, mindful of secrecy, leaned in and whispered, "A personal guest of Supervisor Sawyer."
The guard nodded, stepping back to let the gate open. But as Jax walked past, the guard’s eyes narrowed in undisguised contempt.
Unbelievable, the guard thought, sneering at Jax's retreating back. Supervisor Sawyer is really scraping the bottom of the barrel these days. Befriending low-class trash just to build a power base? How desperate can you get?