Linda
didn't move at first.
Not out of
strategy
. Not out of
calculated fear
.
She was just
stupid enough to freeze.
Ava,
flat on her back
, saw it before she did—
the shape slinking out of the shadows, bones too long, teeth too sharp, eyes that used to belong to a person but didn't anymore.
A Shifter.
Or at least,
what was left of one.
The transformation had been
incomplete, or maybe just wrong
. Some people, after the meteor shower, had
shifted too much
. Gone too deep into their
new instincts
and never came back.
Their minds
rotted away
before their bodies could, leaving behind
half-beasts that forgot they were ever human.
This one used to be a
man
, maybe.
Now, it was
something else.
Its head was
too wolf-like
, but its limbs were too
long, fingers curled into hooked claws
instead of paws. Its chest
rose and fell in ragged, wheezing breaths
, its ribs visible beneath its
stretched, torn skin.
And right now?
It was staring
directly at Linda.
Ava, still gasping for breath, barely got the words out.
"...Move."
Linda finally
snapped out of it
.
She turned to run—
but she was too slow.
The Shifter
lunged.
Linda
screamed
as claws
ripped through her shoulder
, sending her
sprawling backward
. Blood splattered against the rubble, bright and
too fast, too much
.
She scrambled, breath
jagged and panicked
, trying to crawl away, but the thing
wasn't done.
Ava didn't
wait to see what happened next.
She was already
moving.
Her ribs
ached like hell
, her lungs still
fighting to catch up
, but survival was a
better motivator than painkillers.
She grabbed the closest
piece of rebar
, heart
slamming against her ribs
, and turned—
Right as the Shifter's head snapped toward her.
The moment their eyes met, she knew.
It wasn't human anymore.
There was
no hesitation, no restraint, no recognition.
Just
hunger.
Ava
gritted her teeth and swung.
The
rebar connected
with a sickening
crack
, hitting it
across the jaw
, knocking it sideways.
It
didn't kill it.
But it gave Ava
one second to breathe.
And that was
all she needed.
She turned on her heel and
ran.
The streets were
a broken mess
, rubble and rusted cars turning
every path into a maze.
Ava
dodged past twisted wreckage
, heart
hammering
, knowing the thing
was already moving again.
She could hear it—
the sound of claws against pavement
, the growl turning into a
high-pitched screech
that wasn't quite animal, wasn't quite human.
She had
no weapons
, no plan—
And then she saw the
warehouse.
Half-standing, its
roof caved in
, but the entrance
still intact.
Ava
pushed herself harder
, lungs
burning
, her ribs screaming
in protest
.
She could make it.
She just had to—
A
shadow moved in the corner of her vision.
Not the Shifter.
Someone else.
Then something
whipped past her head
, a blur of
silver cutting through the air.
A knife.
Aimed
directly at the Shifter.
Ava had just enough time to
register the sound of the blade sinking into flesh
before she
collided with a solid wall of muscle.
Arms
wrapped around her waist
, catching her before she could hit the ground.
A voice—low, smooth,
dangerously amused
—spoke above her head.
"Well. That was dramatic."
Ava looked up.
And met
golden eyes.
The Shifter was
dead
—a knife
buried to the hilt in its throat
, its body twitching
one last time
before slumping against the ruined pavement.
Ava, still caught in
someone else's grip
, tilted her head
up
.
Golden eyes met hers.
The man holding her looked
annoyingly comfortable
, like this whole
life-or-death situation
was nothing more than
an inconvenient business meeting.
Lucas Bai.
Ava didn't
know him personally
, but she
knew of him
.
Everyone in the bunker did.
Lucas Bai was
Level Two
, but no one believed he was just a
regular Mutant
. He had
connections, influence, wealth
—a monopoly on
trade, information, and anything worth having.
And he was currently
looking at her like she was an equation he was trying to solve.
"You're heavier than you look," he remarked, his arms still
firm around her waist.
Ava blinked. "Wow. What a compliment."
Lucas smirked and
let go
, stepping back just as a second figure approached.
William Zhou.
Lucas Bai's
personal butler.
Or
bodyguard. Or assassin.
Ava wasn't entirely sure, and
no one was stupid enough to ask.
Zhou was
older, silver-haired, and moved like someone who knew exactly how to kill you in three seconds or less.
Ava, still catching her breath,
nodded toward the dead Shifter.
"Was that yours?" she asked, pointing to the knife.
Lucas gave a lazy shrug. "Zhou's, technically. But I'll take the credit if it impresses you."
Ava snorted. "Not even close."
Lucas
studied her
, his expression unreadable, but
his system was already working.
His
Monopoly Appraisal System
wasn't just for objects.
It worked on
people
too.
And right now?
Ava Zhang was glowing
with something no one else had.
His system
flashed data across his vision
, revealing things
she hadn't even told herself yet.
[User: Ava Zhang]
[Status: Hidden System Detected]
[Ability: Blueprint System – HIGH VALUE]
[Market Potential: Extremely Profitable]
Lucas's
lips twitched.
Well.
That was interesting.
"A scavenger, huh?" he said, tilting his head. "Doesn't seem like the best fit for you."
Ava rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry, do I not look like someone who rummages through trash for a living?"
Lucas chuckled. "Not exactly."
His system still
analyzed her
, breaking down
her potential, her value, her worth
.
And from what he could see?
She was worth a
lot.
Ava was about to
make a sarcastic remark
when
her own system activated.
And this time?
It wasn't subtle.
The moment her eyes landed on
Lucas Bai
, something
shifted.
Or rather—
something clicked.
Because
her system didn't just see him.
It saw
everything he had on him.
[Blueprint Analysis Activated]
[Detecting Constructible Parts...]
[HIGH-LEVEL MATERIALS LOCATED]
Blueprints
flooded her vision.
The belt buckle on his waist?
A hidden compartment for microtools.
The watch on his wrist?
Not just a watch—a tactical interface, loaded with encrypted data.
The fabric of his coat?
Lined with reinforced plating, lightweight but durable.
Every item
on him was a puzzle piece
, and her system was
racing to put it all together.
She had never seen
so many possibilities at once
.
Her pulse
spiked
, her breath
shaky
as
her vision swam with glowing schematics.
Lucas
noticed immediately.
His golden eyes
sharpened
, watching the way her hands
twitched slightly
, the way her gaze
unfocused, distant.
Something
was happening to her.
And he had a very strong suspicion
he knew exactly what.
A slow, knowing
smirk
pulled at his lips.
"You see something you like?"
Ava
blinked fast
, forcing herself back to reality.
She scowled. "Yeah. Your face. Would look great with a punch in it."
Lucas
laughed.
Oh, he liked her already.
William Zhou, still standing
a few feet away
, finally spoke.
"Sir," he said, glancing toward the ruins ahead. "The warehouse is within reach. We should move."
Lucas didn't take his
eyes off Ava.
"Right," he murmured. "But first—"
He pulled something
from his coat
, holding it
between two fingers
.
A ration bar.
Real food. Not the
moldy excuse for bread
they handed out in Level Three.
Ava's stomach
betrayed her immediately
, twisting
in painful hunger.
Lucas held it just
out of reach
, tilting his head.
"You hungry?"
Ava
narrowed her eyes.
"What's the catch?"
Lucas smirked. "No catch. Just a trade."
"For what?"
His golden eyes gleamed.
"Your help."
Ava exhaled slowly,
studying him
.
He knew.
Maybe not
everything
. But he knew
enough
.
And in a world like this?
That was
dangerous.
But so was
starving to death.
She eyed the ration bar
one last time
—then grabbed it from his hand.
"Fine," she muttered. "But if you try to screw me over, I'll find a way to kill you."
Lucas just smiled.
"That's the spirit."