The site supervisor stood frozen, a look of utter bewilderment plastered across his face.
"What is going on here?"
Beside him, an assistant glanced at the commotion and lowered his voice. "It looks like Dr. Aris is at it again. Honestly, I’m sick of his theatrics."
The supervisor sighed, nodding in resignation. "Fine. It has to be him. I don’t know what kind of mischief he’s cooking up this time, but doesn't he realize how tense the situation is right now?"
Clutching the testing docket, he strode toward the assembly area.
"Ahem! So... what exactly is the game plan here?"
Dr. Aris’s face twitched with a hint of helplessness as he repeated his earlier instructions. "You choose. Which material test should we conduct first?"
The supervisor’s mind, however, was elsewhere. He was still reeling from the blueprints he had just seen—Brother Jax’s Sentry Tower and Howitzer Turret. His thoughts were consumed by the exquisite design of the power conversion devices detailed in those schematics.
Distracted, he waved a hand casually. "Let's just skip to the composite material test."
Dr. Aris stiffened. His plan to grandstand—to slowly build anticipation and win over the crowd with a step-by-step demonstration—had been instantly derailed. The supervisor’s offhand command shattered his carefully curated script.
With a look of displeasure, Dr. Aris nodded stiffly. "Fine! If that’s how you want it, we’ll start with the final projection!"
The supervisor didn't bother coddling him. He knew Dr. Aris well; the man was difficult, notorious for his petty grievances and vindictive nature. But none of that mattered now. The supervisor had seen new blueprints that far outstripped Aris’s capabilities. If he could secure the rights to build Brother Jax’s designs, the city might soon possess Defense Towers of a caliber previously unimagined.
Those power conversion devices alone could be used to retrofit existing towers, drastically enhancing their performance while reducing waste. In the current economy, where Defense Towers were built from hard currency and rare resources with abysmal recycling rates, such efficiency was a godsend.
The more he thought about it, the more his anticipation grew. He was itching to meet the mysterious designer behind those masterworks.
Meanwhile, on the testing ground, preparations for the Penetrator Ballista were complete.
The towering structure stood like a steel giant, dominating the field. 100 meters away sat a one-meter-square support frame holding a shield crafted from high-grade composite materials. The shield’s face was marked with concentric rings to measure accuracy.
A Defense Tower’s worth was determined by a strict hierarchy of metrics: raw power first, followed by accuracy and rate of fire. Only after passing these rigorous trials—and receiving certification from the Defense Tower Inspection Agency—could a design enter mass production. While the great families of The Sprawl controlled vast resources, the state still held a tight grip on the strategic materials required for these towers.
With the final adjustments made, the Penetrator Ballista was officially ready.
A red flag whipped through the air, signaling the start. The crowd fell silent, fixing their eyes on the distant target.
"Ahem! You may begin!"
Dr. Aris pressed the activation button with a flourish. The tower hummed to life.
From within the chassis, the sound of gears engaging and mechanical transmission echoed out. However, the supervisor frowned, leaning in to whisper to his assistant.
"That doesn't sound right. Listen to that grinding... it sounds like it's missing internal components."
The assistant nodded grimly. "You're right. They probably didn't finish debugging the drivetrain. Looks like another disaster in the making."
Few people on-site had the expertise to diagnose the machine by ear alone. The majority of the onlookers, seeing the imposing silhouette of the tower, simply began to cheer.
Bzzz bzzz bzzz...
Zzzzt... Click.
As the mechanical groans grew louder, a flash of panic crossed Dr. Aris’s face.
Damn it. Is it malfunctioning again? This is the third revision! It shouldn't be having issues!
He glanced around at the cheering crowd and quickly masked his anxiety, forcing a calm, confident expression.
Above them, the massive alloy crossbow mechanism buzzed with tension. Suddenly, a gigantic bolt—over five centimeters in diameter—launched from the tower.
WHOOSH!
The sound was visceral. The spectators instinctively clutched their hands to their chests in excitement.
"Look at that power! If that thing hit a Tier 3 Acid-Web Arachnid, it would definitely deal some damage!"
"Tsk, tsk! As expected of a senior engineer. When he makes a move, it’s a grand gesture! That bolt looks fierce; it should punch right through that alloy shield!"
"Haha! Those old Tier 1 Sentry Towers are going to be obsolete! Looks like we’ll have new jobs opening up soon—our golden age is here!"
"It's almost there! Watch!"
The crowd stared intently as the bolt screamed toward the target.
CLANG!
A crisp metallic snap echoed from the top of the tower, though it was quickly drowned out by the ambient industrial noise.
Suddenly, just as the bolt approached the shield, it seemed to lose all momentum. It wobbled in the air, dipped sharply, and plummeted.
Thud.
The thick heavy bolt slammed into the dirt ten meters short of the target. It hadn't even touched the shield.
Silence descended on the crowd.
"This... what the hell? Did it run out of gas?"
"That’s impossible! The initial velocity was huge! How did it miss the shield completely? It’s only 100 meters!"
"I knew it. All flash, no substance. It’s just like last time! Damn it, I wasted my breath cheering for him. Just another paper tiger."
Disappointment washed over the spectators.
Dr. Aris stood frozen, his expression twisting into awkwardness. "This... how..."
Feeling the weight of hundreds of staring eyes, Aris forced himself to move. He walked over to the bolt, feigning composure, and picked it up.
"Everyone, calm down! That was simply a calibration error! We were merely testing the flight velocity just now. The next shot is the real test!"
He turned and hissed at an assistant behind him. "Get me a lighter bolt, now! I don't care what you do, this test cannot fail!"
The assistant, understanding that his boss’s reputation was hanging by a thread, scrambled back to the lab and returned with a lower-quality, lightweight bolt.
Dr. Aris hurriedly had it loaded onto the launch platform.
In the distance, the supervisor sighed and shook his head. He already knew the outcome.
The crowd, willing to give him one last chance, watched with skepticism.
The mechanism fired again.
This time, the lightweight bolt barely cleared the tower before nose-diving straight into the dirt.
Plop.
The crowd erupted into raucous laughter.
"Holy crap! Is the Penetrator Ballista impotent? That was pathetic! Someone get it some herbal tonic!"
"Tsk, tsk. I never thought the day would come when my range exceeded a Defense Tower's! I can go home and tell my wife I can piss further than Dr. Aris’s invention shoots!"
"Haha! Incredible! That’s not just weak, that’s sad. Let’s go, show’s over. Just like last time—garbage."
"Embarrassing! All those Credits spent, and he built a piece of junk. Is he even trying?"
Dr. Aris couldn't withstand the barrage of ridicule. Face burning with shame, he gathered his team and slunk away, retreating into the safety of his laboratory like a beaten dog.
News of the Penetrator Ballista’s catastrophic failure spread through The Sprawl like wildfire. Within the hour, Dr. Aris was the laughingstock of the city.
It was evening when Brother Jax finally woke up. He hadn't slept that deeply in years.
After a long stretch, he changed into the comfortable clothes provided for him. Led by the butler, he made his way to the dining room.
The dinner spread was decadent. The table groaned under the weight of rare delicacies and fine meats. Even Brother Jax, who came from an era where Supplies were abundant, felt a twinge of shock at the sheer extravagance displayed in this wasteland.
"Haha! Brother Jax, you’re awake! Did you sleep well? You must be starving. Come, sit, eat!"
Brother Jax nodded, bypassing the pleasantries. He was famished. He dropped into a chair and immediately began to eat.
Sawyer tried to make conversation, keeping his attitude humble and ingratiating, but Brother Jax was focused solely on the food.
"Ahem, Brother Jax," Sawyer ventured, pouring a drink. "Something quite entertaining happened today while you were asleep. I think you'll find it interesting."
Brother Jax shoved a piece of high-grade steak into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. He nodded for Sawyer to continue. "Mhmm. Let's hear it."
"Dr. Aris conducted a live fire test for his Penetrator Ballista today," Sawyer said with a grin. "It failed miserably."