Apocalypse Trade Monopoly
Chapter 33: : Preparing for the Collapse

Chapter 33: : Preparing for the Collapse

Ava exhaled, fingers tapping against the table.

Bai Manor. A fallback. A fortress. A place to rebuild.

Lucas had been playing the long game before she even stepped into his orbit.

And now?

He was offering her a seat at the table.

Ava leaned forward, voice measured. "If we have a backup, why stay here at all?"

Lucas grinned. "Because the bunker isn’t dead yet, Beauty. And while it’s still breathing, there’s plenty to take."

Ava’s jaw tightened. "You don’t just want to leave. You want to strip this place for parts."

Lucas tilted his head, amused. "Harsh way of putting it. But accurate."

Ava inhaled sharply. "And how much time do we have before it all collapses?"

Lucas flicked a trade token into the air, catching it without looking.

"Three months. Maybe four if they can find a decent food source."

Ava’s pulse kicked up. "That soon?"

Lucas smirked. "Sooner, if Zhao makes the wrong move."

Ava sat back, mind racing.

Three months. That wasn’t enough time to fix anything.

But it was enough time to prepare.

Lucas watched her carefully, golden eyes sharp.

"You asked for information, Beauty. Now you have it."

Ava didn’t look away.

Didn’t flinch.

Instead—she tilted her head.

"Why me?"

Lucas smirked. "Elaborate."

Ava crossed her arms. "You’ve been planning this for months. You’ve built your network, secured your fallback, kept your enemies close."

Her gaze narrowed.

"So why bring me in? Why now?"

Lucas chuckled.

"Because I’ve seen every kind of system out there."

Ava stilled.

Lucas leaned forward, elbows resting on his knees, golden eyes gleaming with something colder.

"Most people don’t understand how systems actually work." His voice was smooth, measured. "Not even the military."

Ava stayed silent, listening.

Lucas smirked. "They think mutants are like vampires. That we heal because we’re biologically different." His fingers tapped idly against the table. "They’re wrong."

Ava raised a brow. "Then what is it?"

Lucas tilted his head. "It’s the system."

Ava frowned.

Lucas continued, voice steady.

"Every mutant has a system. And every system decides how a body adapts." He flicked a trade token into the air, catching it effortlessly.

"The ones with extreme healing? They all have physical-based systems. Strength, speed, endurance. The system reinforces their bodies, makes them unbreakable, makes them recover faster."

Ava’s stomach tightened. "And the ones who don’t?"

Lucas’s golden eyes gleamed.

"People like you and me? We got brain upgrades."

Ava’s breath stilled.

Lucas leaned back slightly, watching her. "We don’t heal fast because our systems aren’t built for survival. They’re built for control."

Ava swallowed. "And that’s rare?"

Lucas chuckled. "Super rare."

His smirk sharpened. "Which is why I picked you, Beauty. Because out of all the people scrambling to survive—"

He tilted his head, voice dropping to something almost mocking.

"You’re one of the only ones who can actually change the game."

Lucas leaned back, golden eyes sharp, lazy smirk never fading.

"Think of the odds like winning the lottery, Beauty."

Ava tilted her head. "That rare?"

Lucas chuckled, low and amused. "Rarer. Most systems are trash. People get them, think they’re special, and then realize it’s nothing but a glorified party trick."

Ava arched a brow. "And the ones that aren’t?"

Lucas spun a trade token between his fingers, thinking.

"I’ve only come across two systems that had real value outside of combat."

He flicked the token up, caught it effortlessly.

"One was a Contract Creator System. Guy used to be a lawyer before the world fell apart. His system lets him bind people into agreements they can’t break. Useful? Sure. But it’s limited. Can’t force someone to do something impossible, can’t make them act against survival.**"

Ava considered that. "So, it’s only as good as the leverage he already has."

Lucas smirked. "Exactly. It’s a flat system. Strong on paper, but with no real power behind it."

Ava exhaled. "And the second?"

Lucas stretched, rolling his shoulders. "Healing System. Belonged to a nurse. Could accelerate recovery, boost immunity, even neutralize toxins."

Ava’s brows lifted slightly. "That actually sounds useful."

Lucas shrugged. "It is. But it’s also limited. She can’t fix fatal wounds, can’t regrow limbs, can’t bring people back from the dead. At the end of the day, she’s just a better version of what the military already has—medics, painkillers, and biotech."

Ava’s mind raced. The two systems he described were functional but not groundbreaking. They didn’t shift the balance of power. They didn’t rewrite the rules.

And then—she understood.

She looked up at Lucas. "But mine does."

Lucas grinned.

"Now you’re getting it."

Lucas flicked the trade token into the air, caught it effortlessly, then finally set it down.

"Only Zhao knows about my system."

Ava stilled.

Her fingers curled against the edge of the table. "Not even your own people?"

Lucas smirked. "Not even them."

Ava’s stomach tightened. "Then why tell me?"

Lucas leaned forward, golden eyes gleaming. "Because you’re smart enough to figure it out eventually. And I don’t like being predictable."

Ava exhaled slowly. "So what’s the catch?"

Lucas hummed, tapping his fingers against the tabletop.

"That lawyer I mentioned? The one with the Contract Creator System?" His smirk sharpened. "He works for Zhao."

Ava’s jaw locked.

Lucas’s smirk didn’t fade.

"And I have a contract with him."

Ava’s pulse kicked up.

Ava clenched her jaw. "What are the terms?"

Lucas chuckled."See, Zhao isn’t stupid. He doesn’t waste resources on something he can’t control."

Ava’s fingers tensed against the table. " He let you live. Let you keep operating."

Lucas chuckled. "Because he made sure I couldn’t move against him."

Ava’s stomach tightened."How?"

Lucas tilted his head, amusement flickering behind his golden gaze. "The contract locks me into two conditions."

He held up a single finger.

"One—Zhao gets first right to anything high-value that passes through my trade routes."

Ava exhaled. "That’s just insurance. Makes sure you can’t starve him out of resources."

Lucas nodded. "Exactly. It keeps me from pulling the rug out from under him."

Then—he lifted a second finger.

"Two—"

His smirk deepened.

"I can’t actively move against him."

Ava’s heart pounded. "That’s vague."

Lucas laughed. "Very. And intentionally so. I can’t fund uprisings. I can’t sabotage his operations. I can’t support an enemy force against him. Hell— I can’t even bad month him."

Ava studied him, thinking.

"And what about the loopholes?"

Lucas’s smirk was pure amusement. Ava was starting to ask the right questions.