Apocalypse Trade Monopoly
Chapter 56: : A Dangerous Investment

Chapter 56: : A Dangerous Investment

Ava gritted her teeth. "That is not reassuring."

Lucas chuckled, tilting the tablet toward her. "That’s because you’re looking at this like a problem, Beauty. I see an investment."

Ava folded her arms. "Explain."

Lucas tapped the screen, letting his system overlay its data.

[MONOPOLY APPRAISAL SYSTEM – ACTIVE]

[ANALYZING LINKED SYSTEM POTENTIAL]

[INVESTMENT RISK: LOW]

[RETURN PROJECTION: HIGH]

[RESOURCE MERGER – PROJECTED GAIN: +32% OVERALL EFFICIENCY]

Ava narrowed her eyes. "Your system thinks this is a good idea?"

Lucas grinned. "My system sees value, Zhang. It sees connections as assets, not risks."

Ava exhaled sharply. "And me?"

Lucas sighed dramatically. "Beauty, you are a walking, talking high-value investment."

Ava scanned the data, watching as his system calculated projected gains and optimized outputs.

It wasn’t just guessing.

It had already factored her in.

Ava muttered, "It could work..."

Lucas smirked. "Knew you’d come around."

Ava ignored him. "Blueprint System. Show me how to sync with Bai’s system."

[PROCESSING REQUEST...]

[SYNC FUNCTION: AVAILABLE]

[WARNING: NOT ADVISED]

[REASON: IRREVERSIBLE PROCESS]

Ava stiffened. "Not advised? Why?"

[SYNCING WILL RESULT IN PERMANENT SYSTEM LINK]

[HIGH REWARD: ACCESS TO LINKED USER’S POWER SUPPLY]

[DOWNSIDE: INCREASED CO-DEPENDENCY – BIOLOGICAL DRIVE MAY ADJUST TO LINKED USER]

Ava felt her stomach twist. "Biological drive?"

Lucas grinned, amused. "Oh? Something concerning you?"

Ava glared. "What does that even mean?"

Lucas leaned closer, voice lazy but edged with something sharper. "It means, Beauty, that if you sync with me—you might just need me as much as I need you."

Ava exhaled, rolling her shoulders. "Three days, Bai."

Lucas grinned. "Three days, Zhang. Then we see if you take the risk."

Ava leaned back, fingers tapping against her knee. "Alright, Bai. Explain it to me. How does your system actually work?"

Lucas grinned. "Curious, are we?"

Ava rolled her eyes. "I’d rather not be tied to something I don’t understand."

Lucas chuckled, flipping the tablet toward her. "Fine. Let’s start simple."

[MONOPOLY APPRAISAL SYSTEM – ACTIVE]

[TRADE-BASED POWER ACQUISITION]

[ASSESS VALUE → INFLUENCE VALUE → REINVEST VALUE]

[CURRENT ASSETS: 97 ACTIVE, 12 PENDING]

[USER RANKING: UNCHALLENGED]

Ava narrowed her eyes. "So your system doesn’t just see value—it changes it?"

Lucas tilted his head. "It’s more like... controlling the market. I don’t just find assets, Beauty. I make them worth more—or worthless, if I need to."

Ava frowned. "That shouldn’t be possible. You’re literally changing the worth of something?"

Lucas grinned. "Perception is everything, Zhang. My system lets me control that perception. The right trade, the right manipulation, and suddenly—something useless is priceless."

Ava thought fast. "That’s how you built your network so fast."

Lucas nodded. "I don’t need raw strength. I don’t need brute force. I buy the best, improve them, and if someone crosses me?"

Ava watched as he swiped the screen.

[ASSET LIQUIDATION – STATUS: COMPLETE]

[RESOURCE WORTH: ZERO]

Ava stiffened. "You can make people worthless."

Lucas smirked. "Not people. Their value. No one wants to invest in a sinking ship, Beauty. I just make sure certain ships sink faster."

Ava exhaled. "And your theory about our link?"

Lucas leaned forward, voice smooth. "You’re my first system trade."

Ava blinked. "What?"

Lucas tapped his temple. "Before you, my system only worked on external trades. People, objects, weapons. But now?"

He tilted his head.

[LINKED SYSTEM DETECTED – INVESTMENT POTENTIAL: UNKNOWN]

[RESOURCE SHARING POSSIBILITY: ACTIVE]

Ava felt something cold settle in her chest. "You don’t know what happens if I sync."

Lucas grinned. "That’s why it’s interesting."

Ava exhaled sharply. "I hate you."

Lucas laughed. "You say that now, Beauty. But wait until you see what we can do together."

A soft knock echoed against the door.

Ava glanced at him. "You expecting someone?"

Lucas chuckled. "Ah, right. The premium service. I did request it on check-in."

Ava raised a brow. "Let me guess—some extravagant dinner, candles, fancy wine?"

Lucas grinned, standing. "That’s usually the deal."

Ava sighed, crossing her arms. "You really do own a love motel."

Lucas winked. "Diversified assets, Beauty."

He opened the door—

And the server lunged.

Ava moved instinctively, already reaching for a weapon, but Lucas was faster.

The "server"—dressed in crisp black with a silver tray in hand—didn’t even hesitate. The tray flipped, revealing a concealed blade, slashing toward Lucas’s throat.

Lucas sidestepped smoothly, catching the assassin’s wrist, twisting. Bone cracked.

The assassin didn’t even flinch—just pivoted, other hand reaching for a hidden pistol.

Ava was already moving. She kicked the assassin’s knee from behind, sending them off balance. The gun skidded across the floor.

Lucas exhaled sharply, slamming the assassin against the doorframe. "I don’t remember ordering attempted murder with dinner service."

Ava scowled. "You think this is funny?"

Lucas grinned. "A little."

The assassin gritted their teeth, breathing ragged. But there was no panic—just focus. Training.

Ava narrowed her eyes. "This isn’t random."

Lucas smirked, golden eyes gleaming. "Of course not."

Ava exhaled. "Angel sent them."

The assassin didn’t confirm, but they didn’t need to. The sharp tension, the lack of resistance—

They weren’t here to escape. They were here to complete a mission.

Lucas sighed, tightening his grip. "Angel really should stop underestimating me."

Ava watched as he reached into the assassin’s jacket, pulling out a neatly folded note.

Lucas unfolded it, scanning the message. His grin widened. "Oh, Beauty. You’re going to love this."

Ava crossed her arms. "What?"

Lucas held up the note. "Angel says hello."

Ava gritted her teeth. "Next time, I’m picking where we hide."

Lucas sighed, shaking his head. "Honestly, they should’ve sent someone better."

The assassin didn’t react, still pinned against the wall, jaw tight. Their breathing was sharp, controlled—but Ava saw the flicker of something in their eyes.

Pain. Or something worse.

Lucas grinned, reaching inside the assassin’s coat—then lower, pressing a sharp touch against their ribs.

Ava stiffened. "Bai, what are you—"

Lucas moved fast. His fingers pressed, twisted—

And the assassin gasped, a flicker of shock breaking through their mask.

Ava watched as Lucas pulled back, fingers curling around something small, metallic—

A glowing core, pulsing faintly in his palm.

Not one.

Three.

Ava felt her stomach tighten. "Energy cores."

Lucas chuckled, holding them up. "Angel really did invest in you, huh?"

The assassin’s breath hitched. For the first time, their expression cracked.

Lucas rolled his wrist, tossing the cores into the air and catching them. "I’d say this more than covers your payment."

The assassin clenched their fists but said nothing.

Lucas sighed dramatically. "Alright, then. You can go now."

Ava blinked. "You’re letting them leave?"

Lucas tilted his head. "They already failed. That means they’re useless."

The assassin’s jaw tightened, but they didn’t argue. Just turned, moving stiffly toward the door.

Ava watched, fingers twitching. "They’ll report back."

Lucas grinned. "I’m counting on it."

The assassin hesitated for only a second. Then—without another word—

They disappeared into the night.

Ava exhaled. "That was a risk."

Lucas smirked, flipping one of the energy cores between his fingers. "Beauty, everything is."

But now?

Angel had just wasted three cores on a failure.

And Lucas Bai had just pocketed them instead.