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.