Apocalypse Trade Monopoly
Chapter 38: : The Aftermath Round 1

Chapter 38: : The Aftermath Round 1

Ava exhaled sharply, still gripping Lucas’s shoulders.

His breathing had evened out, but his body was still running hot—too hot. His muscles were tense, his skin flushed, his golden eyes flickering with remnants of whatever the hell had just happened inside him.

"You’re burning up." Ava’s voice was flat, but laced with irritation.

Lucas grinned weakly. "Hot, aren’t I?"

Ava shoved him. "You’re delirious, Bai."

Lucas let her push him, but barely moved. "Maybe."

Ava sighed, shoving a hand through her hair. "You need rest."

Lucas tilted his head, voice slurring slightly. "Are you... tucking me in, Beauty?"

Ava ignored him, yanking his arm over her shoulder and dragging him to his feet.

He was heavy.

Not just in size—his entire body felt denser than before, the reinforced muscle and bone working against her balance.

"You’re a damn boulder, Bai."

Lucas chuckled against her ear. "Solid investment."

Ava gritted her teeth, dragging him forward.

She had half a mind to dump him on the couch, let him suffer through whatever mess he’d put himself in.

But—he was barely standing.

With a low sigh, Ava dropped him onto the mattress unceremoniously.

Lucas grunted, rolling onto his back, eyes half-lidded, body still radiating unnatural heat.

Ava crossed her arms, scowling down at him.

"Don’t touch anything. Don’t drool on my sheets. And if you die in my bed, I’m dumping your body in the tunnels."

Lucas’s eyes slid closed. "Romantic."

Ava muttered a curse under her breath, turning on her heel.

Lucas’s breathing slowed, body finally relaxing against the mattress.

And just like that—

Lucas Bai was asleep.

In her bed.

Ava stood in the doorway, watching him for a long moment.

Then she sighed.

"Idiot."

She flicked off the light.

And walked out.

Ava stepped into the shared kitchen—only to stop short.

William Zhou was already there.

Standing by the counter, arms crossed, watching her.

Ava exhaled sharply, dragging a hand through her hair. "Of course you’re here."

William didn’t react. His sharp, gray-blue eyes flicked past her, toward the hall where Lucas had disappeared into her room.

Then, flatly—

"Boss is out."

Ava’s jaw twitched. "No kidding. He just broke himself for fun and passed out in my bed."

William nodded once, like that was a completely normal sentence.

Ava grabbed a glass, filling it with water, trying to steady her frustration.

"Why the hell is he so reckless?" she muttered. "Does he have a death wish or just a broken survival instinct?"

William sighed through his nose.

"Mommy issues."

Ava nearly choked on her drink. "Excuse me?"

William looked unimpressed. "Did he ever tell you about his mother?"

Ava’s brows furrowed. "No. He just mentioned his father."

William nodded. "Figures. He only talks about the people still alive."

Ava stilled.

Oh.

That explained a lot.

William tilted his head. "So? What happened?"

Ava set her glass down, arms crossed.

"Project Eden."

William’s jaw tightened.

"He took two vials."

William closed his eyes, exhaling slowly.

"Idiot."

Ava huffed. "That’s what I said."

William was quiet for a moment, thinking. Then—he met her gaze.

"Tell me everything."

Ava narrowed her eyes. "Why?"

William sighed, rubbing his temples like this conversation was giving him a headache.

"Three people took a double dose." His voice was flat, but something about the way he said it made Ava’s stomach tighten.

She crossed her arms. "And?"

William’s jaw tightened. "The effects were good—for a month."

Ava’s fingers twitched. "Then what?"

William exhaled sharply.

"First was Dr. Elias Feng. Scientist. He volunteered himself, thinking he could self-monitor the effects. It stabilized... at first. But the longer it lasted, the more erratic he became. He started rewriting the entire enhancement process, searching for something. Then—" William hesitated. "—he went mad."

Ava’s pulse spiked. "Mad?"

William nodded. "Obsessed. He burned through all his research, tried to alter himself again. No one knows what happened to him—he vanished into the tunnels."

Ava stiffened.

The tunnels.

The same tunnels they had just crawled through days ago.

She shoved the thought aside. "And the second?"

William’s expression darkened. "Second was Sergeant Logan Kai. He lived for two months. Then—failure."

Ava’s mind raced. "What kind of failure?"

William’s gaze sharpened. "Organ failure. His system rejected the enhancements all at once. He went from peak condition to dead in under an hour."

Ava’s stomach twisted.

She had seen Shifters burn out before. But this? This was worse.

She exhaled sharply. "And the third?"

William hesitated. Then—his voice dropped lower.

"Third was classified."

Ava narrowed her eyes. "Bullshit."

William shook his head. "No name, no records—only the results. They tried to fix it. Adjust the process. But the data collection was the same."

Ava’s Blueprint System hummed. "What data?"

William’s expression didn’t change.

"Healing rate."

Ava’s breath hitched.

"That’s what they were monitoring?"

William nodded. "We don’t know their system types. But every test subject had one thing in common—their healing rate kept increasing. Until it didn’t."

Ava’s mind whirled.

Lucas had healed instantly.

What if that wasn’t just a perk?

What if that was the countdown?

She swallowed hard. "And then what?"

William’s fingers drummed against the counter, gaze distant. "Then it was bad."

Ava’s skin prickled. "Define bad."

William’s gaze shifted to her.

"Boss may know something." His voice was steady, unreadable. "He hinted at it once."

William’s expression didn’t change, but his fingers tapped once against the counter—deliberate. Calculated.

"I was here to update on Jessica," he said, voice low. "The girl is working with a trader from Level One."

Ava’s stomach tightened. "Level One?"

William nodded. "Someone with connections. Someone who can move information without Zhao catching on."

Ava’s mind whirled. Jessica had always picked the side that paid best.

And if she was working with a Level One trader—

That meant she had something valuable to sell.

Ava’s jaw locked. "She’s selling information."

William didn’t confirm or deny it. Didn’t need to.

Instead—he studied her for a long moment before speaking again.

"We need data on Lucas’s body."

Ava’s pulse spiked. "What?"

William’s gaze hardened. "You saw what just happened to Boss. We don’t know the long-term effects. If we don’t start tracking changes now, we won’t catch failure point before it’s too late."

Ava exhaled sharply.

She hated how right he was.