Apocalypse Trade Monopoly
Chapter 37: : The First Reforged

Chapter 37: : The First Reforged

The moment the liquid hit Ava’s tongue, she knew.

This wasn’t normal.

The taste was bitter—sharp, metallic, laced with something that shouldn’t exist. It burned as it went down, like swallowing pure energy.

Then—heat.

Ava’s veins ignited, her body going rigid as the compound spread through her system too fast, too violently.

[FOREIGN SUBSTANCE DETECTED]

[SYSTEM ADAPTATION IN PROGRESS...]

[BIOLOGICAL RESPONSE: UNSTABLE]

Ava swayed, her vision swimming.

Lucas was watching her. Smirking. Waiting.

"Breathe, Beauty." His voice was silk, low and knowing.

Ava gritted her teeth. "Shut. Up."

Lucas chuckled. "That’s the spirit."

Then the pain hit.

Her Blueprint System flared, trying to process the changes, but the compound was too foreign, too fast. Every nerve in her body lit up at once.

Ava staggered, grabbing the edge of the table, fingers digging into the wood.

Too much. Too fast.

[WARNING: SYSTEM OVERLOAD]

[NEURAL ACTIVITY SPIKE]

[STABILIZATION REQUIRED]

Lucas tilted his head. "Fascinating. You’re handling it worse than I did."

Ava gasped, snapping her head up. "I’m going to kill you."

Lucas grinned. "Would love to see you try."

Then—her body adjusted.

Not fully. Not cleanly.

But enough.

The burning lessened, shifting into something else. Something stronger, sharper.

Ava’s Blueprint System pulsed, recalibrating.

[ADAPTATION SUCCESSFUL]

[PROCESSING ENHANCEMENTS...]

[UPGRADE DETECTED: NEURAL SPEED BOOST]

[UPGRADE DETECTED: BIOLOGICAL EFFICIENCY INCREASE]

Ava’s pulse slowed. Steadied.

Her mind felt clearer. Faster.

Her muscles—lighter, stronger, more reactive.

She lifted her hand, staring at her fingers.

She could feel it. The change.

Lucas watched her closely, golden eyes gleaming.

"And?" he murmured. "How do you feel, Beauty?"

Ava flexed her fingers, feeling the power humming beneath her skin.

She looked up.

And smirked.

"Like I just won the lottery."

Lucas grinned. "Now that’s what I like to hear."

Ava exhaled slowly, rolling her shoulders.Every movement felt... different. Sharper. Cleaner. More efficient.

Her Blueprint System pulsed again, running deeper diagnostics.

[SCANNING USER...]

[NEURAL RESPONSE SPEED: +27%]

[BIOLOGICAL EFFICIENCY: +19%]

[PHYSICAL RECOVERY RATE: +15%]

[UNKNOWN VARIABLE DETECTED – ANALYSIS INCOMPLETE]

Unknown variable.

Ava’s stomach twisted. "The effects aren’t fully mapped yet."

Lucas tilted his head, watching her carefully. "Is that your way of saying you’re nervous?"

Ava snorted. "No. It’s my way of saying I don’t trust things I can’t predict."

Lucas chuckled, golden eyes flickering. "Well, lucky for you, Beauty—" he flexed his fingers, watching the light catch the faint cracks in the table from earlier. "—I like testing limits."

Ava arched a brow. "I noticed. Like when you drank an unidentified biochemical experiment on a whim?"

Lucas grinned. "Calculated risk."

Ava rolled her eyes. "Sure. Let’s call it that."

Lucas leaned in slightly, voice smooth. "Admit it, Zhang. You’re impressed."

Ava folded her arms. "I’m impressed you haven’t accidentally killed yourself yet."

Lucas laughed. "See? That’s practically a compliment."

Ava ignored him, glancing back at the case. The remaining vials sat there, untouched. A goldmine. A disaster waiting to happen.

Her Blueprint System hummed.

[SCANNING COMPOUND INVENTORY...]

[7 UNOPENED VIALS REMAINING]

[UNKNOWN APPLICATION POTENTIAL – FURTHER TESTING REQUIRED]

Lucas followed her gaze. "Thinking of taking another dose?"

Ava’s gaze flicked back to the remaining vials.

They sat there—untouched, dangerous, filled with the unknown.

Ava scoffed, crossing her arms. "I’m not stupid, Bai."

Lucas smirked. "Debatable."

Ava shot him a look, but he wasn’t paying attention anymore.

Because his hand was already reaching for another vial.

Ava’s stomach dropped. "Bai. No."

Lucas rolled the glass between his fingers, watching the liquid shift.

"The first one worked fine." His voice was too casual, too calculating.

"That’s not how testing works!" Ava snapped. "You don’t double the dose just because the first one didn’t kill you!"

Lucas tilted his head. "No, but it means I know my threshold. And now? I want to see what happens when I push it."

Ava lunged, but Lucas was already moving.

He uncorked the vial—and drank.

Ava swore loudly, grabbing his wrist too late. "You reckless—"

Then—his entire body tensed.

Ava’s Blueprint System flared.

[SCANNING TARGET...]

[UNKNOWN STIMULANT DETECTED—SECONDARY DOSE IN PROGRESS]

[BIOLOGICAL STRESS LEVELS: RISING]

[WARNING: NEURAL OVERLOAD POSSIBLE]

Ava tightened her grip on his wrist. "Lucas. Talk to me."

Lucas’s golden eyes snapped shut.

A full second of silence.

Then—

His breathing hitched.

His fingers curled into fists.

And when his eyes opened again—

They weren’t just glowing.

They were burning.

Like molten metal. Like something alive.

Ava’s breath caught. "Lucas—"

Then, without warning—

The table beneath his hands cracked.

Ava staggered back, pulse spiking as the wooden table beneath Lucas’s hands cracked like brittle stone.

Lucas didn’t react.

Didn’t even flinch.

He stood there, completely still, golden eyes burning with something unnatural.

Then—his body snapped forward.

His breath hitched—sharp, ragged—like something inside him was unraveling and reconstructing at the same time.

Ava’s Blueprint System flared to life, scanning fast.

[SCANNING TARGET...]

[SECONDARY DOSE EFFECT: CELLULAR RESTRUCTURING IN PROGRESS]

[WARNING: EXTREME BIOLOGICAL STRESS]

[MUSCLE DENSITY SHIFT: +21%]

[SKELETAL REINFORCEMENT: +14%]

[NEURAL RESPONSE RATE: UNSTABLE]

Ava’s stomach twisted.This wasn’t just adaptation.

This was destruction.

"Lucas," she snapped, stepping forward. "You need to sit down before—"

His entire frame convulsed.

His muscles tensed violently, veins darkening under his skin as if his body was burning from the inside out.

Then—he dropped to his knees.

Ava lunged, grabbing his shoulders, forcing him upright.

His breathing was uneven, his fingers digging into the cracked wood beneath them.

"Damn it, Bai!" Ava’s grip tightened, trying to steady him. "You need to stop before—"

Then she felt it.

His bones shifting beneath his skin.

Snapping. Breaking.

Like his entire body was being rewritten.

Ava sucked in a sharp breath. "Lucas, what the hell did you just do?"

Lucas exhaled shakily, lifting his head.

His golden eyes weren’t just glowing anymore—they were fractured, cracks of molten gold bleeding into his pupils.

Then—he grinned.

"Survived." His voice was rough, wrecked, but there was something else beneath it.

Something stronger.

Ava’s chest tightened.

Because she had just watched Lucas Bai break.

And now?

She was watching his body rebuild.