Lucas
twirled one of the glowing energy cores between his fingers, gaze thoughtful.
Ava
watched him carefully. "What?"
Lucas
grinned. "We’re moving."
Ava
blinked. "Excuse me?"
Lucas
pushed off the wall, already heading for the door. "Come on, Beauty. Time for an upgrade."
Ava
exhaled sharply, following. "Bai, I swear to—"
Lucas
glanced over his shoulder, smirk widening. "What’s wrong? You don’t trust my hospitality?"
Ava
gritted her teeth. "I don’t trust anything about you."
Lucas
laughed. "That’s the spirit."
He
led her through the dim alleyways, weaving through the city’s underbelly with the kind of ease that made Ava wonder just how many places he had stashed away.
Then—
he stopped.
Ava
tilted her head. "This is it?"
Before them,
another motel—sleek, discreet, the opposite of the first motel. No flashing neon, no seedy entrance. Just a single, well-secured door.
Lucas
grinned. "Welcome to my real office."
Ava
folded her arms. "Why do you own so many motels?"
Lucas
chuckled. "Diversified assets, Beauty."
Ava
sighed. "You said that last time."
Lucas
winked. "And I’ll say it again."
He
pressed his palm against a hidden scanner. A second later, the door clicked open.
Lucas
stepped inside, motioning for her to follow. "They won’t find me here."
Ava
paused. "And why is that?"
Lucas
grinned. "Because no one’s supposed to know this place exists."
Ava
exhaled. "Of course."
Then—
reluctantly—she followed him inside.
Lucas
walked straight up to the reception desk, posture loose, golden eyes lazy—like he had all the time in the world.
Ava
watched him carefully. This place was different. No flashy distractions, no cheap décor. Just smooth, quiet efficiency.
The receptionist
barely looked up, sliding a keycard across the counter. "Welcome back, Mr. Bai."
Lucas
grinned, fingers tapping the card once before slipping it into his pocket. "Always a pleasure."
Ava
expected him to head toward the elevators. Instead—
He veered left.
Ava
blinked. "Bai?"
Lucas
ignored her, stepping past a barely noticeable door—
And
into a narrow, dimly lit hallway.
Ava
exhaled sharply, following. "You just love taking side doors, don’t you?"
Lucas
chuckled. "You should know by now, Beauty. The best places aren’t found on the first try."
Ava
narrowed her eyes. "And where exactly are we going?"
Lucas
stopped at the end of the hall, resting his hand against a scanner embedded in the wall. "My office."
Ava
stiffened. "Your—"
The lock clicked.
Lucas
pushed the door open and stepped inside.
Ava
followed—
And
froze.
Unlike the love motels, unlike the hidden alleyway dens—
this was different.
Sleek. Minimalist.
A glass wall overlooking the lower levels. A reinforced desk stacked with encrypted tablets. Several locked safes built into the walls. Piles and piles of tech everywhere.
This wasn’t just a hideout.
This was headquarters.
Ava
exhaled. "This isn’t just an office."
Lucas
grinned, locking the door behind them. "No, Beauty." He leaned against the desk, golden eyes gleaming. "This is where the real business happens."
Ava
let her gaze sweep the room, taking in every detail.
A
reinforced desk, encrypted tablets, safes built into the walls.
A
couch—but no bed.
And weapons.
Piles of them.
Blades, guns, prototype tech—
lined up in perfect order.
Ava
crossed her arms. "You call this an office?"
Lucas
grinned. "What else would it be?"
Ava
arched a brow. "A damn armory, Bai."
Lucas
chuckled, moving to the nearest rack. He ran a hand along the weapons, fingers tapping over different models. "Well, I do like to be prepared."
Ava
tilted her head. "For what? War?"
Lucas
smirked. "You never know when business negotiations get messy."
Ava
exhaled. "You sleep here?"
Lucas
shrugged. "Sometimes."
Ava
gestured to the couch. "On that?"
Lucas
sighed dramatically. "Beauty, are you concerned for my comfort?"
Ava
rolled her eyes. "I’m concerned about your insanity."
Lucas
chuckled, finally turning to face her. "This is the safest place in the entire city. No one gets in without my say."
Ava
narrowed her eyes. "So why bring me here?"
Lucas
grinned. "Because for the next three days, this is where you stay."
Ava
exhaled. "Of course it is."
Arriving Lucas
didn’t waste time.
The moment he settled into his chair, he was
all business
—decrypting messages, checking supply reports, scanning for movement in Level One.
Ava
watched him for a moment, arms crossed. "You do realize we’re supposed to be hiding?"
Lucas
didn’t look up. "And?"
Ava
sighed, dropping onto the couch. "And you’re still working like you own the whole city."
Lucas
grinned. "Because I do."
Ava
rolled her eyes, but her mind wasn’t on his arrogance.
It was on the data. The numbers. The link.
Her
system had already analyzed it, breaking it down into raw calculations.
[SYNC FUNCTION: AVAILABLE]
[WARNING: NOT ADVISED – IRREVERSIBLE PROCESS]
[HIGH REWARD: ACCESS TO LINKED USER’S POWER SUPPLY]
[DOWNSIDE: INCREASED CO-DEPENDENCY – BIOLOGICAL DRIVE MAY ADJUST TO LINKED USER]
Ava
tapped her fingers against her knee, rereading the words.
High reward.
Power. Access.
Downside.
Co-dependency. Biological shift.
She
didn’t like that part.
Didn’t like
not knowing what "adjustment" actually meant.
Her
system was designed for creation. Lucas’s? For trade, influence, power.
If she synced—
she’d be tying herself into his world permanently.
Ava
glanced at Lucas, still focused on his work, golden eyes scanning through tablet after tablet. He didn’t need to tell her what he wanted.
She pull up her system data.
[USER: AVA ZHANG]
[Name:]
Ava Zhang (张)
[Age:]
18
[Height:]
5’5" (165 cm)
[Weight:]
120 lbs (54 kg)
[Eye Color:]
Sharp Grey (mutation effect)
[Hair Color:]
Long Black with Silver Streaks (mutation effect)
[Build:]
Slim but lean muscle from training
[SYSTEM: ]
BLUEPRINT SYSTEM
[ACCESS LEVEL: ]
PRIMARY USER
[Inventory – Notable Items]
[FUNCTIONS:]
SCHEMATIC CREATION – Generate blueprints for weapons, armor, tools, and technology based on scanned materials.
MATERIAL ANALYSIS – Scan and break down components for potential use.
REPAIR MODULE – Restore damaged technology within a set success rate.
UPGRADE PATHWAY DETECTION – Identify ways to improve current blueprints.
EFFICIENCY OPTIMIZATION – Reduce waste and streamline production.
[ACTIVE BLUEPRINTS:]
TIER-2 ENERGY CORES – 78% Efficiency
HIGH-FREQUENCY BLADES – Requires Power Stabilization
TACTICAL DRONES – Partially Functional
SECURE DATA STORAGE UNIT – Military Encryption Required