Ava had one rule when it came to Lucas Bai's business dealings—expect the unexpected.
And yet, standing outside the
underground trade hub
, Bio-Suit folded in her arms, a
fully functional military-grade power core
locked inside a reinforced case beside her, she felt something
worse than unease.
Instinct screamed.
Lucas stood beside her, sharp as ever—
black tactical jacket
, gloves, and that damn
lazy confidence
that made people underestimate him. But his
golden eyes?
They weren't lazy. They were cutting.
Assessing. Calculating.
Behind them, William Zhou adjusted his coat. Unlike Lucas, William had the presence of a
man who expected trouble.
Broad-shouldered. Silent. Watchful. The kind of man who didn't need a weapon to
make people rethink their life choices.
Lucas glanced at Ava, smirking.
"Relax, Beauty. You're making that face."
Ava scoffed.
"I have exactly one face, Bai."
"Not true,"
Lucas murmured.
"You have a very specific look when you're about to punch someone."
Ava muttered under her breath and checked her
Blueprint System.
[LOCATION: BLACK MARKET TRADE HUB – SECTOR 4]
[SECURITY LEVEL: MODERATE]
[KNOWN BUYER: IDENTIFIED – "DAREN LAI"]
[DEAL RISK: 37% – MONITOR FOR CHANGES]
37% risk.
Not bad. Not good.
Lucas tapped the
case at his feet.
"Shall we?"
Ava exhaled and followed him
inside.
THE BLACK MARKET
The trade hub was buried beneath an
abandoned transit station,
a
sprawling underground maze
of makeshift stalls,
shadowed alcoves, and whispered deals.
Smoke hung thick in the air.
Metal. Oil. The tang of
gunpowder and secrecy.
Ava had been here before.
This was where things got done.
Outside military control.
Outside the bunker's rules.
Outside the government's reach.
Where
people like Lucas Bai thrived.
They wove through the crowd—past vendors selling
scavenged tech, pre-collapse medicine, and weapons that still smelled like blood.
Lucas led with his
unhurried ease.
Every step
deliberate.
Every glance
a calculation.
William flanked them.
Silent. Imposing. Deadly.
Ava?
She stayed sharp.
Lucas made the deals.
She made sure they didn't get screwed.
THE BUYER: DAREN LAI
At the
back of the hub,
inside a dimly lit
booth
,
Daren Lai waited.
Ava recognized him
immediately.
Mid-forties. Built like an old-world boxer.
Sleeves rolled up, revealing cybernetic augments along both forearms.
A man who had spent his life
fighting to survive—and winning.
He sat
casually,
hands folded. But his
eyes?
Cold steel.
"Aah,"
Daren grinned as Lucas approached.
"The infamous Bai. You always bring me the most interesting toys."
Lucas smiled,
slow and smooth.
"And you always have the best offers, Daren."
Daren's gaze
flicked past him.
Landed on
Ava.
"This one new?"
Ava held his stare.
Unimpressed.
Lucas chuckled.
"A specialist."
Daren arched a brow.
"That so?"
Lucas didn't elaborate. Instead, he reached down, flicked open the
case,
and turned it toward him.
The moment
Daren saw the power core,
his expression
shifted.
All
amusement—gone.
His
cybernetic fingers twitched.
"That,"
Daren said, voice suddenly quiet,
"is military-grade."
Lucas's smirk
never wavered.
"And fully functional."
Silence.
Daren leaned back,
studying them.
"You two just casually walking around with government tech now?"
Lucas
shrugged.
"It fell into my hands."
Daren snorted.
"Things don't just fall into your hands, Bai. They get stolen, scammed, or bought for a price someone regretted."
Lucas spread his hands.
"Details."
Daren
exhaled.
Rubbed a hand over his jaw. Then—
his gaze flicked to Ava.
"You cracked it?"
Ava crossed her arms.
"It wasn't locked. Just misplaced."
Daren
chuckled.
"Misplaced, huh?"
Lucas leaned forward,
lazy confidence razor-sharp.
"You're stalling, Daren. I don't like wasting time."
Tension coiled.
Daren studied him. Then—
sighed.
"You really don't scare easy, do you?"
Lucas's smile sharpened.
"I don't scare at all."
Ava felt it—the
shift in the air.
This was the
moment.
Daren tapped the
table once.
"I'll give you two crates of supplies, five refined energy cells, and a set of encryption keys."
Lucas
didn't blink.
"Four crates. Ten cells. And I keep the keys."
Daren
laughed.
"The hell kind of deal is that?"
Lucas
smiled.
"The kind where I walk away."
Ava
didn't move.
William
didn't blink.
For a long moment, Daren
just watched him.
Then—finally—
he sighed.
"Three crates, seven cells. And you can keep your damn keys."
Lucas leaned back, smirking.
"Pleasure doing business, Daren."
The
tension broke.
Daren waved a hand,
signaling his men to bring over the crates.
Lucas nodded to William, who
stepped forward to inspect the goods.
Ava
exhaled slowly.
Her fingers
finally
relaxed at her sides.
It went well.
Lucas turned to her,
grinning.
"See, Beauty? Easy."
Ava muttered,
"One of these days, someone's going to shoot you mid-negotiation."
Lucas smirked.
"And yet, here I stand."
William cleared his throat.
"We should move."
Lucas nodded, shaking
Daren's hand
before turning to Ava.
"Come on, Beauty. Let's get out of here before someone decides we're too interesting."
Ava reached for one of the crates, fingers brushing the cold metal—
A gun cocked.
She
froze.
William's hand was already at his hip. Lucas didn't move.
The
click
came from behind.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Daren sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Really?"
Ava turned her head just enough to see—
A man standing in the shadows, pistol raised.
Lean. Scarred.
Eyes sharp with hunger.
Not one of Daren's.
A scavenger.
Probably some
low-level thug
who thought he could score big by pulling a gun on the
wrong people.
Ava's mind raced.
Risk factor: 61%.
Position: Too close.
William: Ready.
Lucas: Watching.
Waiting.
The
scavenger sneered.
"That case. Hand it over."
Daren
leaned back, unimpressed.
"You got a death wish, kid?"
The man's fingers
twitched on the trigger.
"I said—"
Lucas moved.
No hesitation. No wasted motion.
One second, he was still.
The next—
his hand shot out, gripping the barrel of the gun.
A sharp
twist.
Crack.
The gun
disassembled
in his grip, pieces scattering like dust.
The
scavenger barely had time to react.
Lucas
grabbed his wrist, yanked him forward—
And buried a knife into his thigh.
A
wet gasp.
The man
collapsed.
Lucas crouched beside him, voice
pleasant.
"That was a terrible idea."
The scavenger's breath hitched,
hands shaking as blood spread.
"I—"
Lucas leaned closer.
"Shh."
He twisted the blade. Just enough.
The man
screamed.
Ava barely blinked.
Daren clicked his tongue.
"Messy."
Lucas
sighed, yanking the knife free.
He wiped the blade on the man's jacket before standing.
"Let's go."
Ava picked up the crate.
William?
Didn't even spare the guy a glance.
As they walked away, Lucas
murmured to Ava.
"You were saying?"
Ava exhaled.
"One of these days, someone's still going to shoot you mid-negotiation."
Lucas chuckled, golden eyes gleaming.
"And yet, here I stand."
She didn't know whether to be impressed—
Or start digging his grave early.